Read Seven for Free Online Page B

fantasies come true. He never did. He was oblivious to my existence. He probably didn’t even know my name. That was until Ian and my “date.” Thus, the reason why we are here today.
    Even if he didn’t participate in the “make Annie’s life hell” games, he is still just as guilty.
    Guilt by association.
    “Why are you so quiet now?” I ask him, breaking the barrier of silence.
    Rubbing the back of his neck, he pierces me with the dark ocean storm brewing beneath his eyes. “I’m trying really hard to be a gentleman when all I really want to do is pin you up against the fucking wall.”
    My breathing hitches at his words, and I swallow down the nervousness trying to build in my throat. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks.
    “You’re a tough guy to pinpoint.” I observe.
    “How so?” he asks, rubbing his chin with his thumb and pointer finger.
    “Last week, you were aggressive. Yesterday, you seemed sweet. Tonight, you are a bit of both.”
    He laughs. “I guess I’m a bit of everything. You know the ‘gentleman in the street but a freak in the sheets’ kind of guy.”
    The air thickens around us with sexual tension. The doors pull apart, cutting the pressure. I watch the right side of his lips pull into a smirk as though he thinks he has affected me. He almost did.
    Game on.
    Taking a deep, confident breath, I breeze past him, grazing the growing erection begging to come out and play. “I guess you missed your chance.”
    “For what?” he asks from behind me.
    I stop mid-stride and turn halfway, meeting his stare. “To pin me against the fucking wall.” I can feel it as much as I hear the groan that emanates from between his lips, but the return of his cockiness has propelled me towards my mission once again.
    We arrive thirty minutes later to North Avenue Beach. A popular spot during the summer but, right now, it’s pretty void of any beach goers. The wind is cooler by the lake, and I don’t say a word as Casen opens up his trunk and pulls out a few items. I offer to hold the blankets and sweatshirt so he can carry, what looks to be, a very heavy cooler. We walk the short distance and once we arrive at the sand, I bend down and pluck my shoes off of my feet, dangling them by my fingertips. Casen leaves his on, and once we take a few steps toward where Casen is leading us, the wind picks up, and a cold shiver runs through my body. I adjust one of the blankets so it shields me from the harsh cold. I’m not dressed for this kind of weather; I was unsure where he was taking me.
    Casen stops just thirty feet from the shoreline, setting the cooler down, and taking the dark, purple blanket from my hands, before laying it down on the ground. The wind starts to die down, but I know that, at any moment, the blanket could fly away. He grabs my hand, leading me on top of the soft material and helps me sit down. I allow my legs to stretch out in front of me, and he covers them with the other, plaid blanket.
    “I brought the sweatshirt for you, as well,” he tells me from above. “I would have had you change but I just love the look of that dress on you.”
    I laugh. “You’re not going to see much of it,” I respond, pulling the sweatshirt over my head. “I’ll be covered up.”
    He sits down dangerously close next to me, pushing my hair behind my ear. “I know what is under there. I’ll use my imagination.”
    I shiver at his words and he pulls back, just staring at me. “What?” I shift, feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze.
    He shakes his head. “Nothing.”
    I scoff. “It can’t be ‘nothing’ if you are staring at me like that.”
    He smiles, running his thumb from my left temple to the curve of my jaw. “You just look familiar is all or maybe that you remind me of someone.”
    I attempt to hold my composure but my body stills and my heart skips over a nervous beat. Could he recognize me? Was I stupid to think he wouldn’t?
    “That’s not a bad thing,” he says, cutting my