Secrets and Lies 3 (The Ferro Family) by H. M. Ward Read Free Book Online Page B

can’t help it, I grin.
    Before he can respond the doors open and Beth is there. She tips her head to the side and stops when she sees Josh. She holds up a finger as she passes him and says, “No.” At the same time, she takes me by the wrist.
    I stumble along behind her, barely getting my bag onto my shoulder. “Beth, slow down.” She doesn’t let go or slow her pace.
    Josh is suddenly next to her. “Sis, you can’t be serious.”
    “NO,” she snaps. “This is girl time. You guys haven’t given me a second alone, and God knows I need to talk to my bestie without you.”
    “I’m great at girl time.”
    “We’re going to talk about our cycles and which pads work best for those heavy flow days.”
    “Stayfree. Next question.” Josh is grinning. He’s not going to leave. We’re nearly to the parking lot.
    “We’re going to talk about vaginas, Josh!” She stops suddenly, drops my wrist, and whirls around to yell at her brother. “You can’t come!”
    “Of course, I can. I love VJs. I’m all over that conversation.”
    Beth slaps her face with both palms, drags her fingers down slowly, and groans. Her eyes cut to me, and she mouths, "HELP."
    I hook my arm in hers and turn back toward the building. Josh is bouncing behind us like a Pomeranian on steroids. I shove through the doors, head down the hallway, and go into the only room I know he can’t follow.
    “That’s cheating!” He stops abruptly as we walk into the ladies' room. “You can’t stay in there forever!”
    Beth yells back, “Yes, I can!”

Chapter 13
    “ S o how long are we going to sit in here?” Beth looks around. There are some hugeass windows along the wall, but climbing out of them with her broomstick skirt is going to be a problem.
    I shrug. “We can grab lunch later. I need to talk to you—I have a problem.”
    She grins and pops up to sit on a sink. “Is it a hot problem?”
    “Yes.” I put my bag down and lean on the sink next to her. I stare at the empty stalls as I speak. “I’m supposed to model again tonight. I don’t mind doing it, but Carter and Emily are still mad at me for agreeing to model. And then there's the thing with Nate. I’m thinking I shouldn’t do it. Right?”
    Beth is a good listener. She rarely assumes anything and thinks before she talks. “Is it just awkward? Or is there more to it?”
    I stare at the pink tiled floor and try to figure out what’s bothering me most. “I’d rather shove pins in my eyes, but I gave my word. They all expected me to flake, and the pose isn’t that revealing. I guess the worst part is the best part—time alone with Nate. It’s almost worth the agony just to see him for a little bit.”
    “He didn’t talk to you in class the other day?”
    “Not more than anyone else. He was in teacher mode.”
    “So, what? You’re going to seduce him?” She makes a face. “Kerry, there are a lot of other guys to go after. Guys that won’t get you expelled, or him fired.”
    I grip the sides of a sink, lift myself up, and slide back on it. “I know, but there’s something about him. I don’t know how to describe it. Things weren’t like that with Matt, or J—” I suddenly realize what I was about to say. Shit. Neither of us told her anything about that night. I was too mortified to relive it, and Josh seemed to think Beth would kill me. So we remained silent.
    She’s cutting holes into the side of my face with those pale blue eyes. “Kerry Hill, you better tell me which brother did something to you so I can castrate him right now. My friends are off limits! Damn it! They know that, and one of them hooked up with you, anyway. What the fuck?”
    “It wasn’t like that. The night when we were at the STIC, Josh took care of me. I was drunk enough to kiss him but lucid enough to realize things with Nathan feel different. Nothing happened between us. He made sure nothing happened to me.”
    She folds her arms across her chest and stares down at them. Anger lines