She shrugged, then nodded. “More or less. Just for the weekend.” She held her hands out as if in surrender over what she asked. “If you help me out, we can call it even for the tutoring fee?”
That wasn’t even in the same NC-17 rated ballpark as he was thinking.
“I…” She looked around before turning back toward him. Leaning in closer and lowering her voice she said, “I actually need a bad boy to bring home to my parents.” His lips twitched and he watched her mouth flatten from my clear amusement. “I, um…” She exhaled. “God this is so weird asking, I know, but I need you to pretend to be in love with me in front of my parents and their rich, snobby friends.” Her expression was so serious that it had Alex losing all his amusement. This was important to her. “I want them to see your tattoos, want to see their eyebrows rise up to their hairlines because I know they’re scandalized.”
She leaned back, and he wanted to say a whole lot, to tell her fuck yeah he’d do it, that if it meant spending more time with her he was down. But he kept his mouth shut and waited for her to finish.
“Their lives are all cookie cutter, fake. Know what I mean?”
He nodded because yeah, he sure as hell did. Going to Black Mountain Academy and being surrounded by a bunch of rich pricks showed him a hell of a lot on how snobby and shitty people could be.
“That’s why I don’t accept their money and work so hard making my own. I want to stand on my own two feet. They’d never understand, never see that I’m not like them, and not just because I’m adopted. I just hate their social standards and that anything seen as less than them is some kind of defect.”
He didn’t take offense that her family would obviously see him as trouble, a “defect”. It didn’t matter if his folks did have money, or that he did go to a private school. He never gave a shit about what anyone thought, but it was clear she was having a hell of a time with finding that path as well. So if she needed this, he’d help her, not because he couldn’t or wouldn’t pay for her to tutor him. Nah, it had nothing to do with that. This was about her, and him wanting to help her above all else.
“It’s just for the weekend. I understand if you don’t want to—”
“All right. I’ll do it.” It was a no-brainer for him. He hadn’t meant to cut her off, but she really didn’t need to sell him on spending the weekend with her.
Alex anticipated the time he’d get to spend with her. Staying away from her had just suddenly gone out the window, because there was a shitload of images that slammed into Alex’s mind, ones that were not innocent, ones that made her his in all ways.
Maybe wanting her in the filthy way he did made him a dirty asshole, but she made him so damn conflicted inside, confused on all the things he’d thought he wanted in his life. Because she made him want more.
He would be good to her, make her smile and blush, make her moan and clutch him tightly. But in the end, he wanted more. So much more.
One night would sure as hell never be enough for him where Mary was concerned.
“Really?” She blinked rapidly as if she were actually surprised by his response. “I thought I’d have to lay it on thick, you know, really talk you into going.” Her cheeks were red, and God did that make her so fucking pretty.
He grinned broadly and shook his head. “Nah, I’m all down for going. All I have to do is pretend to be head over heels for a hot as fuck girl? Not a hardship, believe me.” He gave her a slow once-over—which he shouldn’t have—but he loved the flush that stole over her face when she got shy around him. “So yeah,” he held his hands out, palms up. “I’m in.” She glanced at him and smiled, and that cute little dimple popped out in her cheek.
She started messing with her napkin again and he was transfixed by her hands, at how small they were compared to his, at how her nails were cut short and all no nonsense-like, at how they were painted a light pink color. Fuck, even her painted nails had his cock jerking.
“Well, that settles that then. Easier than I thought it would be.” She laughed softly. “So, we can meet here for the first session, if you want?”
He glanced around and saw Rocko’s start to fill up with more people. “Could we possibly do this at my house?” He looked back at her and hoped he looked sincere enough. The truth was he didn’t give a shit about a crowded restaurant. He just wanted to be alone with Mary.