Ten Below Zero by Whitney Barbetti

Author:Whitney Barbetti [Barbetti, Whitney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

On the drive south, Everett was his normal happy self. It relieved and annoyed me. He bounced along to the music on the steering wheel, singing loudly along with the lyrics. That part was immensely annoying.

I kept looking over at him, watching him bounce his head back and forth to the music. He was wearing black shorts and a navy blue tee. It was the closest to black he could get, and a shirt he’d had to pick up at a department store before we left Las Vegas. I’d helped him grab a bunch of colored tees and a few plaid cargo shorts. He’d eyed with me annoyance then, so this was likely my payback now. I cleared my throat and he finally looked over at me.

“Do you mind?”

“No, I don’t.” He grinned at me. There was something about the way he looked, with his scruff and his sunglasses concealing his icy eyes. His hair was sticking up and actually seemed styled. He looked so at ease with himself, and I couldn’t help but let my eyes travel down his chest, taking in the short sleeves of his tee and the muscles they exposed. I let my eyes travel back up to his face again, which was facing the road again. I’d made fun of him for his hair before, but the truth was it suited him. It wasn’t floppy nor was it perfectly styled. It was thick, inky black, and did its own thing.

Everett was handsome. I hadn’t known before if he was society’s idea of handsome, but that didn’t matter. He was mine. With his wide smile, his scruff, tanned skin, he lit a fire within me that I thought had been dormant.

“What are you thinking?” His voice interrupted my thoughts.

“That you are very attractive.” I couldn’t lie. Not just because of the rules, but because Everett made it hard to tell a believable lie.

Everett turned to look at me. My left side was facing him, and I’d put my hair up in a pony. There was no concealment of my scar. But it was as if Everett didn’t notice it when he looked at me. His eyes never dwelled on it. He only ever acknowledged it when he was kissing and touching me. I crossed my legs then, thoughts of Everett touching me flooding my memory.

“You’re beautiful, Parker.”

I shook my head. Compliments were uncomfortable to listen to.

“I don’t need compliments.”

“I know,” he said, pulling in a gas station. “But I won’t lie to you. And I’m compelled to say what’s on my mind. So get used to it.”

“I’m trying.”

“Good.” He parked the car and leaned across the console, coming close to me. “I want you to try.”

His words brought me back to the rules. And then I noticed our surroundings. “We’re not getting gas?”

“We’re eating. Lunch. There’s a small diner inside. All I’ve seen you consume today are soda and limes, so I want to put something with a little more sustenance in your belly.”

I followed him into the diner, one long row of brown booths.

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