Blissful Valentine: A Novella by Amy L. Gale Read Free Book Online Page B

didn’t know you had an ulterior motive.”
    He raises an eyebrow and leans forward. “There’s lots you don’t know about me, yet.”
    I tilt my head to the side. “Yet?”
    He leans back and sips his soda. “This isn’t the first physics test you’re going to ace. Your tutor rocks.” He flashes a sexy smile.
    “Yeah, he’s okay.” My lips upturn into a smile.
    “Anything else?” The waitress slides the tray of pizza and two paper plates onto the table, pulling me from my thoughts.
    “Nope.” Dean passes me a paper plate.
    “Just let me know.” She smiles, catching her bottom lip in her teeth and walks away, shaking her hips.
    I roll my eyes. “Guess you’re used to this from playing baseball.”
    He pulls a piece of pizza from the pie and slides it on my plate. “Used to what?”
    I shrug. “Being the hero.”
    “Super Dean at your service.” He grabs a slice of pizza and takes a bite.
    I slap his arm playfully. It’s like hitting a brick wall, pure muscle. “You know what I mean.”
    “I’ll try to control my harem of followers.” He snickers.
    Who’s he kidding? I know exactly how it is. Football players at our high school were like golden gods. Everyone looked up to them, wanted to date them, wanted to be them. College sports just magnify that tenfold. I’ve been there, done that. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be and repeating history isn’t on my college agenda. I can’t seem to stay away from the jock frat boy. It’s like he’s the forbidden fruit I just can’t resist. Thank god for blessing me with strong willpower. I’ll need every bit of it to steer clear of Dean Parker.
    “So what about you? What do you do for fun besides chase superhero frat boys?” He raises his eyebrows.
    I bite into another slice of pizza. “Nothing exciting.”
    He wrinkles his forehead. “Come on, everyone needs some fun.”
    I sip my soda. “I used to be on my high school dance team, but that seems like eons ago.”
    We finish the tray of pizza in Mach speed. Guess Dean fires up my appetite.
    He wipes his mouth with a napkin and drops it on his plate. “You’re looking at the man voted best dancer at Greenfield High. Hand to god, it’s in the yearbook.” He slides out of the booth and puts on his coat. “Maybe I’ll show you some of my moves sometime.”
    I scoot out of the booth and pull on my coat, zippering it to my neck. So he wants to show me his moves. Yeah, exactly what I’m afraid of.

    Millions of stars twinkle sending silver specks of light along the dark night sky on the short walk back to my apartment. A coating of snow blankets the sidewalk and roadway, sparkling against the streetlights. Tomorrow it will be a tinged with dirt and caked on the side of the road, but at the moment it’s completely untouched, glowing in pristine splendor.
    I slide my hands in my pockets, clenching my fingers into loose fists to conserve heat. The snow draped over the pine trees cover the benches of Lakeview Park. A gentle frigid breeze stings my cheeks. I turn toward Dean and gaze at his deep blue eyes, sparkling like silver starlight. My body instantly heats up.
    He stops and meets my gaze, then bends down and grabs a mound of snow, packing into a tight ball. He takes a step back and winds his arm, throwing the snowball straight and fast. It smacks against the metal sign on the far end of the small pond near a cluster of benches, breaking off into a multitude of pieces.
    He wipes his hands off on his pants. “Give it a try.”
    I shake my head. “No way, I throw like a girl.”
    His picks up a mound of snow and packs it together, forming a perfect sphere. He hands me the snowball and stands behind me, pressing his body against mine. My heartbeats thump against my chest, causing a surge of adrenaline to rush through my veins. I tremble, holding the snowball in my right hand. At least I can blame the cold for my shaky arm. He runs his hand down to my wrist and pulls it back, up toward my