A Deal With the Devil (Boys of Preston Prep 2)

“Okay, wait.” Elana’s hands make a timeout signal. “We’re going to need details. Where were his hands?”

I think. “On my face?” The same face that is now bright red.

Afton perks. “That’s a good sign.”

“It is?”

Elana agrees, “Totally. How long did it last?”

“Just like… I don’t know. A minute?” They both frown and I quickly amend, “Maybe two. Time kind of stopped.”

Elana gives me a knowing grin. “That hot, huh?”

Afton offers, “I think you’re free to test the waters,” and I remember that she’s with someone who had probably—hopefully—told her the same thing. That it was a mistake.

“How do I do that?”

Elana gives a slow smile. “This is a detail-oriented endeavor. You need to see how he acts around you.”

Afton agrees, “See where he looks, how he stands, the way he treats you.”

“I’m not really sure what to look for,” I admit, feeling embarrassed.

“Well, we’ll start with how he treats you,” Elana begins. “If a guy is really into you, he’ll act like you’re the only one in the room when you’re around. His eyes will keep finding you, know what I mean? And speaking of eyes…” She smiles wisely. “Every guy loves tits and asses, so that’s a complete bust, but if he’s doing it a lot, you might be onto something. Some guys have a ‘thing’ though. You just have to find their kryptonite.”

Afton pitches in, “Sebastian and lips.”

Elana nods. “You can tell when he’s into someone because his eyes are totally glued to her mouth. A little strategic lip gloss could bring that guy to his knees.”

“And then there’s Carlton and his hair thing,” Afton adds, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “Tyson has a fixation with necks, you can tell whenever you wear your hair up. And then there’s Reynolds.” Afton and Elana lock gazes before their eyes roll.

In unison, they say, “Legs.”

“Wait,” I say, heart skipping a beat. “What?”

“Don’t you notice?” Elana asks. “He’s constantly looking at girls’ thighs.”

“Constantly,” Afton stresses. “I swear, my salon should throw that boy a bonus. All the girls around here scurrying to get waxed and exfoliated just to catch his eye? They’re having a good fiscal quarter.”

I turn that over in my mind, trying to remember if he’s looked at my legs, but instead I’m just wondering if any of those other legs have ‘caught his eye’. Legs? Why haven’t I been paying attention to this stuff? I’ve totally thrown away weeks of important analytics. I guess, “So you just wait and see if the guy focuses on that thing when he’s with you?”

Afton tosses her head back, laughing. “Oh, my sweet summer child.”

Elana grins wickedly. “No, Vandy. You flaunt it in front of him.”

“Mercilessly,” Afton adds.

The bell rings just then and Afton slides from the counter as Elana packs her purse.

I pick up my bag, my head still flooded with this knowledge. “It probably goes without saying, but can you—”

“Not tell your psycho over-protective brother?” Elana says, smirking. “It does go without saying.”

I exhale in relief. “Thanks.”

Now I just have to figure how to mercilessly flaunt my thighs in front of Reyn without making a complete fool of myself.

Truthfully, the tattoo seems less painful.