Read Evolution for Free Online Page B

from a little girl,” he said, raising his eyebrows.
    “Oh, really… Well then, why don’t you come upstairs and show me just how much of a man you really are?” I said, holding out my slobbery hand.
    His eyes darted down to my outstretched hand, which I’m sure was a little too close for comfort. “I would, but then we would be late, and Chelsea would kill you if you left her alone with Ben.”
    “Your loss,” I said, turning around and walking upstairs. I could feel his eyes on me, wanting so badly to take me up on my offer, but not enough to confront his fear.
    After showering to get Tyson’s slobber and the stench of smoke, burnt clothing, and fire-extinguisher fluid out of my hair, I dressed in my new barely-there white swimmers and threw a light blue kaftan on top. I wanted to try to go swimming at the beach before I had to get back home before Mum did; she would probably freak if she knew that I’d been out all day, especially when she had told me to stay home.
    I looked at myself in my full length mirror, admiring how damn cute I looked, then grabbed my beach bag and towel and went downstairs.
    “I’m ready. Let’s go,” I called out as I headed to the front door.
    Aiden was by my side within a blink of an eye.
    “Whoa.” I wasn’t used to how quickly he could move. I wondered if I would ever be able to move that fast, too.
    “Whoa yourself,” he said, taking a look at me, giving me exactly the reaction I was hoping for. Aiden wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. “You know, I think Chelsea wouldn’t mind so much being left alone with Ben,” he whispered in my ear, his hands making their way down to my arse.
    “Oh, no, I think you were right before. She would definitely kill me if I didn’t show up on time.” I pushed my hands against his chest, breaking his hold on me.
    Aiden puffed out his lips like a little child who had just been told that he couldn’t have the lollipop he wanted so badly. “That’s so not fair,” he complained.
    There’s always tonight , I thought.
    ***
    We arrived at Baxter’s ten minutes early; neither Ben nor Chelsea were there. There was one booth left, which was amazing—they were usually snapped up first by the after-school crowd. I slid in first and Aiden sat beside me, leaving the opposite side for the hopefully blossoming lovebirds.
    The waiter came before I had a chance to look through the menu, but thankfully I knew it by heart, which I knew probably had something to do with my ‘brilliant mind.’
    I ordered my favorite, reef ‘n beef pizza, and Aiden ordered meat lover’s pizza, garlic bread pizza, beef nachos, and a side of chips covered in a creamy, bacon and mushroom sauce.
    “You know they’re going to catch on to you sooner or later,” I said. He would always pretend that he liked to have a bit of everything, but I knew better. What Aiden was really doing by ordering such a spread was making sure there was enough food for everyone to share. He had money, and the majority of our friends did not. So rather than being turned down when he offered to pay for the meal, he would just order enough to go around. Surprisingly, nobody had caught on yet. They were so used to Aiden sampling almost everything on the menu, and thought they may as well not let his leftovers go to waste.
    “And until then, I’m gonna keep buying.” He flashed me one of his devilish grins, making me think that maybe that day would never come. For all I knew, they had already worked it out but were feigning ignorance. I mean, they got a free meal, and Aiden got to pay for it like he wanted.
    “Hey, guys,” Ben said, sitting down opposite Aiden. “Is Chelsea here yet?” he asked, looking around the café.
    I shook my head. “Nope. Sorry.”
    The look of disappointment that came over his face was almost too much. He obviously couldn’t wait to see her. God, he was a lovestruck puppy.
    “Calm down, mate, you don’t want to seem too desperate,” Aiden