Read For Real (Rules of Love, Book One) for Free Online

bikinis, boyshorts, hi-cut—
    “See something you like?” he says when he stops stretching and I figure out that I’ve been staring.
    “No. I mean, yes. I mean, what?” I look away from his face and pray to switch personalities with someone with better control over their eyeballs and mouth.
    Jett just shakes his head.
    I’m trying to prevent myself from saying something else dumb when the door slams open and in barges a guy who looks like he should pose in a calendar with the title “Brawny Beefcakes” or something. He’s one walking muscle and he’s also covered in tats, but his are more of the abstract, sort of black tribal-looking variety. My eyes move up to his face and it isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t cut glass on his jaw.
    He sees me, his mouth drops open and I swear I hear Jett groan behind me.
    “It’s about fucking time, man!” He crosses the room in three strides and pulls Jett into one of those handshake-manly-hug things that’s supposed to show affection, but not TOO much affection. Because they are men, and they hug like men.
    “It’s not what you think, and you were supposed to meet me at—” Jett tries to say, but another voice yanks our attention toward the door.
    “Javi, I thought you said we were going out.” A girl wearing a dress so short that shouldn’t even qualify as a dress leans in the doorway, and ignores the fact that Jett and I are staring at her.
    “Yeah, babe, we are. I just had to grab some condoms.” Now my mouth is the one that’s dropping open.
    “Can’t have my boys going rogue on me and knocking someone up, you know what I mean?” he says to me with a wink as he goes into his room.
    No, I don’t know what you mean. I look back at Jett and he just shrugs one shoulder.
    “That’s Javier.” Like he needs any other introduction. I glance back at the girl by the door. Yikes. Generally, your dress should be longer than your vagina, but this girl clearly hasn’t taken that advice and is busy trying to pull it down while the dress protests that it will NOT be pulled down. She finally gives up and I quickly avert my gaze. I don’t want to see if her downstairs has a face.
    “And what is your name, sweetheart?” Javier finally turns his full attention on me and the girl at the door sighs in irritation that he’s ignoring her.
    “Sh-Shannon. I’m Shannon.” Please don’t say anything stupid, please don’t say anything stupid.
    “Verrrry nice to meet you , Shannon.” His voice drips with innuendo.
    “We didn’t have sex,” I blurt out. “I mean, not that you would think that we had, but we didn’t. I wouldn’t do that here—” I’m stopped by Javier’s hand on my shoulder.
    “Whoa there. Simmer down, now.” He pats my shoulder and gives me a wink as I try to swallow my tongue so I won’t talk anymore. I can NOT look at Jett. Or the girl near the door. Javier leans close and whispers in my ear.
    “Handle with care, sweetheart.” He hovers for a moment, as if he’s smelling me. I can definitely smell him. He’d pretty much bathed in that douche-y fragrance that half the guys on campus wear. Ugh.
    He steps away and licks his top lip like he’s in some sort of erotic film. Dude, seriously?
    “Javi?” The girl at the door taps her foot and he finally focuses on her.
    “Yeah, babe. I’m coming.” He slips his arm around her and then sticks his tongue in her ear as his hand grabs her ass. She giggles and they stumble out the door.
    “Soooo, yeah. That’s Javier. I’m sorry.” I finally raise my eyes and meet his face.
    “He’s . . . interesting?” It sounds like a question. And that isn’t the best word for Javier. I don’t really have any words for him, and Jett doesn’t either.
    “What did he say to you?” He walks back to the couch, and I can tell he really wants to know but he’s playing it off like he doesn’t.
    “‘Handle with care.’ What does that mean?” I sit next to