Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) by Trinity Hanrahan Read Free Book Online

bitchy is because she’s starving.” She gestured to the mirror. “Look at yourself. Tell me what you see.”
    With strong reservations, I got up and walked to my mirror. My reflection stared back at me. I was 5’3” and a size 14—according to Penny, that made me thick rather than overweight. They sounded suspiciously alike. My thighs were huge, and I had wide hips. My breasts were decent, I guess. I at least filled out a swimsuit top. I had pale skin, hazel eyes that hinted at green, and brown hair. I relayed this to Penny—who smirked.
    “You’re beautiful. You have been since freshman year. You have that gorgeous, fair Irish skin, deep auburn brown hair, and the most awesome green-hazel eyes. And, you are not fat. I’ve told you so many times before—the correct term is thick. Not to mention you’ve got a chest on you that I would give my friggin’ right arm to have! You think it’s fat because of jealous hoes tearin’ you down.” Penny rolled her eyes. “Ash, guys want someone they can grab hold of and not worry they’re going to break a bone!”
    I blinked at her. She really thought that. Not that I totally believed it, but it eased some of my tension. I smiled and gave her a hug. “That’s why you’re my best friend. You always make me feel better.”
    Squeezing hard enough to make me grunt, Penny laughed. “I’m only telling you the truth.” Letting me go, she pointed to the bathroom that I shared with the extra guest room. “Now go. Get ready! I’m going to leave the swimsuit and outfit here on the bed for you. I’ll be downstairs with your mom.”
    I still needed to kill Mom. What she was thinking, letting Penny into this house before seven, I’d never know.
    I grumbled all the way to the shower.
     
    ***
     
    I stood at the edge of my bed, staring at the two-piece swimsuit in all its skimpy glory. There was no way I was wearing that thing. It had a top that looked like lingerie with a frilly ruffle along the band, and the bottoms had a matching ruffle along the waist. It was a deep cranberry-red, and I couldn’t lie, it was quite pretty. It was the amount of skin that would be showing that was sending me into an anxiety attack. I normally swam in shorts and a t-shirt!
    I took a deep breath. I wouldn’t be getting out of the house without this suit on. Outright refusing was on my mind, but tempting as that sounded, I didn’t want to deal with Connor and Penny. One was bad enough; both would be unbearable. I might be able to get away with leaving my shirt on, if I was sneaky and pretended to be cold. I picked up the scrap of fabric that was supposed to be a top and let out a sigh. With a shrug, I slipped off my robe and started getting dressed. At least the jean shorts, orange top, and black sandals were an outfit I was comfortable in. I grabbed my bag, towel, sunscreen, and sunglasses, then left my room. I was still limping slightly from my stubbed toe, and I’d stopped to glare at the offending door jamb when Teagan and Connor tromped up the stairs in shorts and sleeveless t-shirts, sweaty from their morning run.
    My pride never stood a chance. Teagan was a Greek god gracing Earth with his presence. His hair stood up in messy spikes from where he had pushed it back while running. His shirt clung wetly to his chest and abs, and oh, my God, his thighs were every bit as muscular as I had imagined. I knew I was blatantly obvious, but as I stared at that tattoo again, I couldn’t make myself care.
    Connor cleared his throat, yanking me out of my trance. “You done, Ash?” he said, smirking.
    I blushed furiously. It was bad enough I had gotten caught in my ogle-fest. Did he really have to call attention to it? I was about to respond, but Teagan beat me to it.
    “Dude! What the hell, man?” The look on his face made me do a double-take. He was upset for me. “Leave her alone!”
    Connor hated to be reprimanded. Certainly not in front of me, much less by a friend. It was time to get the