The Arrangement Anthology Read Online Free PDF Page B

give him my name.
    He gives me a crooked grin, like he knows that’s not my name, “Very well, Miss Smith. How about I take you to the general area you’d like to be dropped off. If that’s too creepy, I could call you a cab, but you’re likely to get someone way creepier than me.” He’s smiling at me, and it’s a perfect smile.
    Looking into his eyes, I say, “Tell me your name.”
    He looks surprised for a second and then says, “Mr. Jones.”
    The corner of my mouth tugs up slowly. He’s lying. We’re both demented lunatics because we both seem to like it. “Mr. Jones, will you please drop me off at Frist and Lexington?”
    “By the college?”
    I nod. “Yup.”
    “No problem. I was headed that direction anyway.”
    “You were not,” I say and follow him to his bike. Suddenly I notice my dress and sneakers, and my total lack of the correct kind of clothing. The dress is sheer. It’ll blow up to my waist again. Plus I have no jacket and the weave on this sweater is so lose you could throw a rock through the holes.
    As if he can read my thoughts, Mr. Jones opens a saddle bag and tosses me a jacket. It’s some kind of microfiber. I slip it on. It’s thin, but it’s warm. I swing my leg over the back of the bike and tuck my skirt in as tightly as possible. He feels me moving around after starting the bike. “You ready?”
    “Hold on. I’m trying to get my skirt to stay up.”
    He laughs. “That sounds so wrong.”
    “Yeah, well, I bet you wish I was flashing you right now instead of all the cars driving by.”
    He looks over his shoulder at me before flipping his visor shut and says, “I can feel your thighs around me. I’m good.”
    Before I can say anything, the bike jerks forward and cuts into traffic. I cling to his back and tighten my knees against his sides. Bastard.
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 7
     
     
    Mr. Jones slows the bike in a semicircle at the front of campus. Half frozen, I slip off the back and jump up and down trying to warm myself. The skin on my face and legs is totally numb. I can’t feel anything.
    He lifts his helmet off and says, “Sorry I didn’t have pants.”
    “If you had spare pants, I don’t think we could be friends.” I shiver and rub my hands over my arms.
    He smiles at me, sets the helmet on his seat, and walks over to me. My heart slams into my ribs and I stop jittering like a Chihuahua. The way he does it is smooth, slow. Each step toward me makes my heart pound harder. His eyes lock with mine and make me melt. The playful smile on his lips makes me want to know him more. Before he does it, I know I want his arms around me, so that when they slip around my waist, it feels good. He’s so warm and smells like heaven. His scent hits me hard and I can’t help but inhale deeper. His fingers brush against my cheek as he slips his hand into my hair.
    Pulse pounding violently, I remain transfixed by his eyes. He lures me in, so slowly, and right before our lips touch, he stops. His dark lashes lower and he hesitates. I feel his breath slip across my lips in a warm rush. He breathes, “Sorry,” and pulls away.
    Every inch of my body wanted that kiss. I don’t know what happened. I blink and look away. His hands slip from my body and the cold air makes me shiver. “For what?” I ask, unable to let it go. I don’t want to beg for a kiss, but I can’t let it slide.
    His eyes flick up. He holds my gaze for a moment and a surge of heat passes between us. I want to reach out and pull him into my arms. The way he looks at me, the way his shoulders slump forward, makes him look beaten, like he needs me. The reasonable part of my brains asks, Are you insane? She’s so annoying. It’s just a kiss and yes, I am. Shut up.
    He smiles sadly at me and kicks something on the ground with his boot. “Nothing, it’s just that I don’t even know your name, and then I try to kiss you after you had the worst day of your life. That’s kind of scummy of me.”
    “The worst