Chasing Ella (Love Ever After 1)

“I can relate,” he says, taking me by surprise. “My dad left when I was younger, and it’s been my mom and me for a long time. I think we were both better off that way, you know.”

“I’m not better off without my dad,” I say, saddened by the thought of him. “ I miss him like crazy. After my mom had died, I clung to him even more. One night after dinner, he stood up and walked away from the table, complaining of chest pains. A few minutes later, my stepmother had called for an ambulance, but he was gone by the time they got to our house. I sat by his side as the life drained from his face and he sucked in his last breath. I blame my stepmother for his death.”

“How so?”

I shrug. “I just do. I swear Clarissa did something to my dad. She’s the meanest person I have ever met. The way she spent my father’s money while he was alive caused a ton of fights between them. My dad owned a successful company, but that didn’t mean he wanted to wa

ste every dollar he’d ever earned. Clarissa didn’t see it that way. She wanted it all for herself and her two spoiled rotten daughters.”

“So, you think she did something to him?”

A beat passes between us as I debate my response. “I don’t know. Maybe. The doctors didn’t suspect any foul play. I thought it was odd that my stepmother had insisted they skip the autopsy for religious reasons.” I say this part using air quotes, now aware of how much of a nerd I must look to Finch. “But we’re not very religious, so that was just a line of shit she fed to the hospital to keep them from cutting my dad open. She couldn’t wait to bury him.”

“Wow!” His eyes are as wide as his mouth when I glance up at him. “That is one hell of a story. Why didn’t you go to the police?”

“I have no leg to stand on when it comes to her rights as a wife and mine as his daughter.”

“I’m failing law class, so I might not be the best person to ask for advice.” Shawn chuckles, raising his hand to his mouth, and it’s adorable.

“In no time, you will be passing,” I tell him, meaning every word.

“That’s because I have the best tutor at this school.” A genuine smile reaches up to his steel blue eyes.

Why does he have to be so adorable? Ugh, he’s killing me with not only kindness but those panty-melting grins that go straight to my core.

Once we reach my stop, the bus is parked at the curb and waiting. I turn to Shawn, already missing the heat that radiated off our bodies while we walked next to each other.

“Thanks for making sure I got here safe and sound.” I raise my hand, keeping it low at my side to wave.

Being this close to him could be deadly for me. He does things to my body that I have yet to comprehend. Until Shawn, I was never that interested in the boys at school. But he is all man.

He should come with a warning: Standing too close may cause ovaries to combust spontaneously. Too sexy for words and so undeniably hot, I want to touch Shawn every time he is near. I have to keep my hands to myself.

How the hell am I going to make it until the end of the school year with Shawn staring at me as if I’m his entire world? He doesn’t even know me well enough to look at me this way. But he does, and it only makes me like him more. One kiss. That’s all I’d ever wanted. He knows the truth but cannot prove it. Anything more than me being his tutor would serve as too much of a distraction for us both.

Shawn remains quiet, which is odd because he always has something to say. Unsure of how to react, I step onto the bus and flash a quick smile in his direction. Not until I reach the back of the bus do I realize why Shawn was so silent. He strolls down the center aisle, his eyes fixed on me the entire time, with a smirk that provokes the strangest urge inside me.

Even at his size, he’s so graceful and confident, moving with a purpose, as his thick muscles flex beneath his leather jacket. It’s hard not to stare at every inch of this man and too tempting not to study every sculpted curve. He’s a big guy with some meat on him, but in my eyes, Shawn is perfection.

I let out an exasperated sigh. My heart pounds in my chest, threatening to claw its way out. Every nerve ending in my body comes to life all at once, summoned by the deep hunger for Shawn that aches inside me.

Nonchalant, he settles into the seat next to me, acting as though he belongs on this bus and that he does this each day with me. It feels so right with him at my side. I have to stop being a coward and tell him I’m the girl, so we can get that part out of the way and finish what we had started at the party.

Shawn slides across the bench until our thighs touch, and the heat from his body sets my skin on fire. “Funny seeing you here.”

How can he be so cool and laid back when I’m about to jump out the window? He’s the epitome of cool, and I’m a nervous wreck. This is so not fair.

I laugh at his comment, and he follows suit.

“What are you doing, Finch?” I attempt to tap him on the arm with my hand, but he acts fast and grabs hold of my fist before I can land the punch.

Clutching my hand in his, he rubs his calloused thumb along my soft skin, drawing my attention to how different we are in every way. “My name is Shawn, remember? I don’t want you to call me Finch.”

“I forgot. I’m so used to everyone calling you that.”

“As I said before, you are not everyone else.”

I try my best not to roll my eyes at him and fail. “You’re impossible.”