Read Hard To Handle (Teach Me Book 2) for Free Online Page B

in frustration. Damn Lawson and his shit timing . He turned to Laney, watching as she faced their friend, hands on her hips.
    “Really, Laws? You have a thing for him, now?” Laney gestured in his direction. “I thought I was your girl,” she teased.
    “You were. Up until I saw this man’s slick moves on the beach. I mean, let’s be real. Once I saw Lothario, here, holding you close and start dancing, I fell.” Lawson mimicked slow dancing with an imaginary partner, humming to the song that had just played. He stopped abruptly and placed a hand over his heart. “I fell hard.” Tipping his head to the side, he added, “Speaking of hard …”
    Zach’s tone was full of warning. “Laws.”
    Lawson threw his head back in a laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re going to say. And I love you, too, snuggle muffin.” He turned to return to the party, waving for them to join him. “Now, get your hot buns up here, both of you, and enjoy this romance.” Lawson walked away, once more humming the song’s tune.
    Zach took a step and stopped at Laney’s side. Shaking her head, she watched Lawson return to the party. With a slight smile, she laughed. “He’s something else.”
    “He’s something, all right,” Zach muttered. He briefly hesitated but then gave in to the urge, holding out an arm. “Need an escort to the party, Cinderella?”
    She raised an eyebrow. “You planning to make jokes once it gets close to midnight?”
    He had a look of mock outrage. “Me? Have jokes? I wouldn’t dare.”
    She eyed him suspiciously and he noticed her white teeth biting the edge of her lip in an attempt to suppress a smile. “Riiiight.”
    Laney stepped forward and linked her arm through his as they made their way up the stairs to the walkway back to the decks of the house. The white outdoor lights illuminating the party created an ethereal-like glow. They walked in comfortable silence, the sounds of the ocean waves lapping at the shore, the music from the party getting louder as the neared.
    Once they rejoined the others, Laney released her hold on his arm, offering him a smile before heading off in the direction of the other women. Zach couldn’t deny the warmth that lingered where she had been holding his arm.
    And he knew, without a doubt, later on that night when he returned home, he was going to lie awake in bed wondering what might have happened, what she had been about to say before they had been interrupted by Lawson.
    * * *
    Laney should have known better than to think her friends wouldn’t give her shit.
    “Oh, my dear Laney. Wherever have you been?” Raine asked with sham curiosity. Because, apparently, now Raine spoke like a Disney princess. Cue major eye-rolling.
    Tate had a serene smile. “I went to look for you, but Lawson told us to leave you and Zach to fornicate amongst yourselves.”
    Laney choked on the champagne she’d just accepted from her brother in passing, nearly aspirating it. Once her coughing was under control, she placed her glass on the nearby table, turning to stare at Tate. “Fornicate? Really, Tate?”
    Tate nodded. “Yeah, but … oh, I forgot. Sand gets in yucky places. Never mind.” Then, she snapped her fingers. “Wait! There’s always the steps on the walkway.”
    “Or the railing on the walkway,” Raine suggested to Tate. “Just have to watch out for splinters in certain places, though.”
    Tate made a face. “Eww. Good point.”
    “Wait, did I miss Laney and Zach doing it? Damn it! I swear, I miss all the good stuff.” Adam had just walked up to join them, a pout on his face.
    “Do I even need to be here for this conversation?” Laney asked in exasperation.
    Raine grinned. “We just got excited, that’s all.”
    “Then you really need to get out more,” came her dry response.
    “Come on, Laney. It’s you and Zach. Not killing each other but acting nice to one another? That’s a pretty big deal. Huge, even,” Tate said.
    “Speaking of huge, I would bet