Valentine's Child by Nancy Bush Read Free Book Online Page B

magically disappeared. He saw no one but Sherry. Her head was dipped down, her eyes focused with studied concentration on the pile of books she’d stuffed into her bag. Eventually she half turned, lifting those clear, vulnerable eyes to meet his gaze.
    He couldn’t remember the rest of the conversation. He accused her of always making snide remarks, or something, but all he saw and felt was her — those eyes, that slightly freckled nose, that lustrous skin.
    For an instant they connected. He felt it viscerally, breathlessly. It startled him but he managed to keep it hidden. At least he hoped he did, but then she slammed her locker and tried to leave but the stitching on her bag gave way and books flew everywhere.
    Automatically he bent to help her, his arm brushing hers. It felt like the proverbial electric current and he barely had time to marvel at this when she jerked away, nearly over balancing herself. He reached out and grabbed her arm.
    It seemed so perfect. He wanted her like none other and now he was holding her and, well, his own youthful cockiness rose to his rescue. He was, after all, J.J. Beckett, and heretofore women were as available as the air he breathed. Smiling, he simply waited for her to recognize that they had something here — chemistry or Karma or just plain old sexual energy. He forgot all his reservations about getting too involved with a girl. He would sleep with her.
    But Sherry Sterling didn’t respond like he’d imagined. Her eyes narrowed as she slowly and deliberately pulled her arm free. For an awkward moment he expected her to say something, but she merely hung onto her bag and waited for him to leave.
    “I’ll try to work on my vocab,” he told her. She didn’t respond, so he was forced to return to his groupies who were waiting in the wings. Confounded, he refused to look back, although it killed him to walk down the hall without her.
    Months passed, the end of sophomore year came, then summer, then football season once again. Junior year and he was with Caroline. He’d gotten over that weird thing with Sherry Sterling, or so he told himself, and although his antennae seemed to twitch whenever she was around, he made a pact with himself to stop thinking lustful thoughts about her. He’d been a kid last year. Stupid and eager and somehow attracted to this girl who wasn’t even in his league. Besides, all he wanted was sex, wasn’t it? No strings attached. Sherry Sterling possessed a killer body and time had only added to its desirability.
    Enclosed in this self-protective fog, Jake wandered around clueless for weeks, certain he knew how he felt. But slowly he realized that he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Sherry Sterling’s various attributes. Other guys slid her surreptitious looks, only now she was sliding them right back.
    What had once been Jake’s secret passion was suddenly everyone’s newest craze: Sherry Sterling, Super-Hot Babe. He heard her name on his friends’ lips. They spoke of her in terms of body parts: eyes, legs, breasts, butt. They repeated clever things she’d said to them — not the cold remark she’d tossed his way, but the nice words and compliments that made his friends’ eyes glaze over when they were recounted and enjoyed anew.
    Even Ryan was particularly smitten. He babbled on and on about her. About how he hoped she would take a job at Bernie’s Pizza. About how he was working on it. About how smokin’ hot she was.
    Jake could scarcely stand it. Time and time again he felt a passionate rage lick through him when some guy mentioned Sherry. Ryan was bad enough, but other guys weren’t as nice about it. Once Jake nearly picked a fight with Tim Delaney, the team’s wide receiver, for making a crude remark about what he would do to Sherry Sterling when he got her into bed. Bets were placed on when that would be.
    Jake ground his teeth and reminded himself that it was just guy talk and he didn’t give a damn about any of