She eyes him up and down. “Please, call me Wendy,” she says, extending her hand.
“Nice to meet you…Wendy,” Ian says, shaking her hand.
“Alright then, let’s go,” I say to Ian. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Basso. Gabe, let me know if you want the car.” I turn around before either one of them can say anything, heading back to the driver’s side of the blue monster.
“Wait, Maddy!” Gabe calls, jogging over to me.
“What’s up?” I say, trying to keep the impatience out of my voice.
“I don’t have your number. Give me your phone,” he demands.
I dig it out of my purse and hand it to him. He programs his number and then calls himself. After he hands it back to me, I see that he stored himself as the ‘Hot Basso Brother’.
“Nice,” I smirk up to him.
“It’s not my fault my brothers got stuck at the shallow end of the gene pool.” He holds his hands out, waiting for me to disagree. I don’t.
We pull out of the driveway from the place that I once considered my home, and I want to cry for all that has happened between me and the Bassos. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let myself get dragged into it again. I see Mrs. Basso giving Gabe the third-degree, probably about why he would show up with me, and I watch him shaking his head back and forth.
“She’s a trip,” Ian says. “What is her problem with you?”
“She used to be nice. I was like a daughter to her,” I say, staring at the road ahead of me.
“What happened?” he asks.
I don’t answer. I don’t want to talk about it. I can’t tell him that I took something from her that I could never replace.
LOVE ME BACK IS AVAILABLE
Amazon-http://www.amazon.com/Love-Me-Back-ebook/dp/B00CGTWC0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372996783&sr=8-1&keywords=love+me+back+michelle
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Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18042532-love-me-back
The Perfect Distraction by Melissa Rolka
Excerpt
Marco arrives promptly at seven and even comes up to my dorm room to get me. I’m dressed casually in jeans and a fitted black long-sleeved V-neck. Quinn answers our door and he gives her a hug hello and asks how she is. I come out from behind my closet door and his mouth opens slightly. His eyes travel from my head to my toes.
“Wow… You look really good.”
I instantly blush and try to keep my eyes level before I say, “You can thank Quinn. She works wonders with a little make-up.”
He moves towards me and gives me a light hug and says, “I beg to differ. It’s just you.” He looks more handsome than usual dressed in jeans and a light blue and white striped button down collared shirt. His dark blond hair is fixed neatly, which show off his hazel eyes. Suddenly the small room feels over consumed with the three of us standing.
As we are heading out, Marco says to Quinn that we’ll probably see her later at his house. Quinn never mentioned anything, which is unlike her. It never occurred to me that maybe she was seeing Reed. This thought sends a rush of jealousy through me. Silly I know considering that Quinn has no clue of my crush and that I am being escorted out with a handsome guy for dinner. I push these ridiculous feelings of jealousy aside for the time being and focus on Marco.
He takes me to a small pub off campus in the Historic Third Ward. We order burgers and he has a couple beers. Our conversation flows easily and there are no awkward moments. He asks about my day and says he’d like to come play tennis with me one day. We talk about our plans for our break. I tell him about my trip with my dad and brother. He asks about my mom. I don’t lie, but I don’t open up about the subject and simply reply that she is in California right now. He tells me about some of the accounting practices he would like to work for after graduation in May. I never tell him to apply to one of my dad’s because I remember how my mom would always say you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure.
In the bar area there is a pool table and some dart boards. Marco tells me to pick my poison. I laugh because I have not played either before. I decide on pool.
“Well, lucky me; I’ll get to teach you.” He winks at me before grabbing a stick for me.
“Hey, maybe I’ll have beginners luck.” He laughs at that and comes up behind me to show me how to break. The close contact races my heart and gives me a small flutter in my belly.
It takes me a few tries to get the hang of using the stick, but after a bit I think I have some of that beginners luck. I’m not winning, but I’ve been able to claim a few in the right pockets. As I’m bent over the table and stretched across, I hear Marco let out a low whistle threw his teeth. I turn my head slightly to give him a squinted look and purse my lips tightly.
“No distracting me,” I tease.
“Trust me I am not the one doing the distracting, Kate. It’s the view I have from over here that is very distracting.” I roll my eyes at him and let out a giggle.
As the game continues, so does the flirting and I find that I am enjoying it. Of course I lose, but he promises to help further my skills in the future. We leave the pub with his arm around my waist. I’m teasing him that I bet I will beat him next time we play because I’m a quick learner. As we reach his car he opens the passenger door for me and once I’m seated he plants a soft kiss on my cheek. I can’t help but bite the corner of my bottom lip out of nervous habit and keep my eyes down.
During the short drive to campus he tells me that his roommates are having some people over. He asks if I want to come back with him. It’s early and I am really having a fun night. The smile I receive after I agree is endearing.
After we park Marco’s car on the street we start to walk towards his house. It is obvious that it is a smaller crowd tonight just by the sheer volume coming from the house. We begin to walk up the steps to go in through the front door, but he stops me by grabbing my hand. I turn to face him and am able to look at him eye level because I am one step up. He moves his hand that is free towards the pocket of my gray wool pea coat and tugs me closer. My mouth is only hairs away from his and my breathing is fast. I fight the urge to bite at the bottom corner of my lip because I feel butterflies from my belly up to my heart. He doesn’t say a word. His eyes are locked on mine and the suspension is killing me. It’s almost as if he is waiting for me to make the next move towards kissing. Time seems suspended and then he moves in closer and presses a soft kiss on my lips. It’s sweet and gentle. Before he can move in again, I back myself up another step. He smiles at me and moves his hand from my coat.
He moves in front of me and opens the front door all the while holding my hand. The front room that is normally the dance area is lightly lit up with table lamps that are on end tables. There are two large old mismatched couches that are occupied. The TV is on, but no one seems to be watching it and music fills the air. I see two of his roommates with girls in between them on the blue couch that is backed up against the front window. To the right is a southwest patterned couch pressed against the wall with three guys and a couple girls wedged in there that are either sophomores or juniors. I say hello and one of the girls says that Quinn is in the other room playing poker. There are a couple others that I don’t know hanging around.
“We have a keg in the kitchen. You want a cup?” Marco asks.