Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
I beckon Sam with my index finger.
She rolls her eyes, debating whether she wants to approach our table. With some hesitation, she strolls over to my side, her eyes pointed down at me. “What do you want, Tucker?”
Preston laughs, shoving more food in his mouth. Jamie stares at Sam in awe, as if he’s shocked a girl would ever be so rude to me. Taylor whispers into Drake’s ear.
“Sit with us.” I pat the open bench next to me, and her eyes follow my hand. When she doesn’t budge, I add, “Please.”
She bites her cheek, mulling over my offer. “I guess I can stay for a few minutes.”
Why does she have to play so hard to get with me? She drives me fucking crazy. Sam takes her place next to me and scans the faces at the table before looking at me to make an introduction.
“This is Sam,” I tell my friends. “She’s my tutor.”
“And your TA,” she adds.
Until now, only Jamie knew Sam was my teacher.
“Hey, I know you,” Taylor says to Sam. “You work for the newspaper, right?”
“I’m an associate editor at The Strickland Gazette,” Sam says with a smile.
Even I didn’t know this about her. She’s right about me not taking the time to learn a damn thing about her. I have to step up my game if I will ever impress this girl. The old Kane tricks won’t work on her.
“I thought so,” Taylor says. “You look the same as your picture online. I read your last article about the ‘Top Ten Ways to Stay Ahead of Your Assignments.’ It was brilliant. I started using all of your tips, and they work.”
Sam smiles. “Thank you. I didn’t think anyone read The Gazette.”
“I read it, too,” Jamie says. “You’re a very talented writer. Tuck lucked out getting you as his tutor.”
I love that my friends are taking a liking to Sam, but they are making it apparent that Sam was right about me. I should have known, at the very least, that she works at the school newspaper. Have I ever asked her a single question about herself? We discussed the past and how she could help me graduate, but the focus has never been on her.
I brush my fingers along her arm and whisper against the shell of her ear, “I should have known that about you.”
She glances at me. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
Her tone doesn’t carry its usual irritation or condescension. Instead, it’s level and soft.
“I plan to fix that,” I promise. “Starting this weekend.”
A smile touches her lips. “How do you intend to do that?”
I don’t know, but I will figure something out before Saturday. “It’s a surprise.”
“I’m not a fan of surprises.”
She’s so damn stubborn, but that’s also what I like about her.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
She drags her teeth along her bottom lip, and I fight the urge to kiss her.
“Okay,” Sam whispers, holding up her index finger. “You have one shot. Don’t blow it.”
I flash one of my boyish smirks.
Challenge accepted.
Chapter 20
Sam
I stare out the limousine window, my eyes wide in shock, when the driver pulls up next to a private jet. “What are we doing here?”
“You ready?” Tucker ignores my question and slips his fingers between mine.
I turn to face him, confused. “Why are we at the airport?”
He smiles. “I told you it’s a surprise.”
“I’ve never been on an airplane,” I admit, feeling somewhat stupid. “I haven’t even left Pennsylvania.”
“Are you afraid of heights?”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so. But I’ve never tested the theory.”
My father never took me on vacation. He was barely functional enough to get his drunk ass to work.
Tucker squeezes my hand. “You have a better chance of dying in a car accident than on a plane.”
A pang of nerves tugs at my chest. “Well, when you put it that way…”
Tucker chuckles. “Yeah, that wasn’t the best thing to say before take-off.” He brushes his lips against mine, and my anxiety slowly dissipates from his touch. “I’ll keep you safe.” His hand moves to my leg, sliding up my inner thigh. “And help take your mind off flying.”
Smiling, I lean against the leather bench and look into his pale blue eyes. “Where are we going? I have to work tomorrow morning.”
“It’s only a three-hour flight. I’ll have you home in time for work.”
“Promise.”
He nods and then presses his lips to mine, making me forget everything but him.
When we landed in Orlando, Florida, I was in complete shock. I’m still in awe of the lavish date he planned for me. Tucker won’t tell me why or what we’re doing here. By the time the driver parks in the covered lot at Universal Studios, I’m dying with anticipation.
“I always wanted to come here as a kid,” I tell Tucker. “But my dad could never afford it.”