Read Kiss with Cherry Flavor (Grover Beach #4) for Free Online

rooted there for several minutes, gazing at a different house.
    Why couldn’t Tony make up his mind? Be a nice guy or a jerk. Like me or not. Simple things. My gaze fixed on the tips of my boots as I hung my head and sucked in a deep breath. It would be wise to go home and forget all about this boy, but I couldn’t. And when the front tire of a mountain bike appeared in my peripheral view, I knew it was too late.
    “Wondering what my room looks like, Summers?” I heard Tony say in a mocking tone that made the hairs on the back of my neck bristle.
    Slowly, I looked up. “No, I’m actually wondering how a guy with a nice mom like yours could become such a dismissive jerk.”
    “ Dismissive?” He lifted his brows and propped his forearms on the handlebar, his feet placed in a wide stance at either side of his bike. He wore his light blue soccer jersey, and his hair was a sweaty mess. “If I remember it right, I traded partners with Robert yesterday just to be partners with you. How can you call that dismissive?”
    I cocked my head. “And what about today? You couldn’t even say hi to me.”
    Laughing, he replied, “Today… sucked .”
    Oh, he was mocking my message? Two could play this game. “Since you seemed so familiar with each of my looks yesterday, tell me, which look is this?” I gave him a fake smile and flipped him the bird as I started around his bike.
    “That’s your ‘ I’m hurt because Tony didn’t talk to me ’ look,” he whined, cutting a glance skyward, and reached for my arm. I was too slow to evade his grip. He pulled me back to his side. “Now, don’t run away.”
    “I’m not running away. I’m going to see Lisa.”
    “ She isn’t home. She came to watch us at training and left with Hunter. Since his car is nowhere around, I suppose they went to his place.”
    I wrested my arm free. “Fine. I’ll go home then.”
    “Why didn’t you call her instead of wandering all the way to our side of town, anyway?”
    “Because it wasn’t intentional. I just needed to get away from—” Cutting off midsentence, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Ah, forget it.” Crunching on my molars, I spun on my heel and trudged off.
    “From your cousin?” Tony said behind me. His understanding voice made me stop.
    I pivoted.
    “You look like you need someone to talk to. And this isn’t me knowing your ‘looks’ again, Sam, it’s just plain obvious. So if you’ll give me five minutes to shower, you can come in with me and I’ll make good on what I missed with you today.”
    How could he be such a dickhead all day and then get me again with just three stupid lines? This was unfair! And totally frustrating.
    Tony left me no choice. Coming forward and laying one arm around my shoulders, he wheeled his bike with his other hand. Because I really didn’t want to go home right now, my protest died as he led me across the street. However, I didn’t accept his arm around my shoulders and pushed at his chest. “Go away. You stink.”
    Tony hugged me tighter, pressing me against his sweaty side. “Aw, as if you aren’t dreaming of this scent day and night, Summers.”
    I was not. Not of his sweat, anyway. But it made me giggle.
    Tony leaned his bike against the white façade of the house. He pulled a key out from under the doormat, unlocked the door, and entered. Reluctantly, I followed him inside. I had glimpsed the hallway once before but was dying to see the rest of the house, especially Tony’s room. He ushered me past a spacious kitchen built into an oriel, upstairs, and through the first doorway on the right.
    Tony strode into the room, taking off his shirt and tossing it onto the bed, which protruded into the middle of the room from the wall between the window and door. I stopped on the threshold, suddenly feeling a bit shy and uncomfortable as he stood in front of me half-naked. I tried not to stare—or drool—but his bulging muscles were an eye-catcher, all right.
    “Music?” he suggested