The Libby Garrett Intervention (Science Squad #2) (28 page)

Grinning, she lugged the bag across the room and dropped it at my feet. “It’s a present for you, oh great intervention master. It’s all my slut clothes. I am now officially Owen free. Please accept this token of my dedication and do with it what you will.”

I looked her over with a smile. Her hair was still bleached blonde, but she wasn’t dressed terribly. Aside from the short appearance of the kitten-space-tacos T-shirt last weekend, this was the first time in months that I’d seen her in clothes that covered her and actually fit her properly. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a pink T-shirt that said
Talk Nerdy To Me
. Simple, but perfectly Libby.

“Token of dedication accepted.” I hefted the bag over my shoulder. “Come on; I have the perfect place for this.”

Going back out the front door, I walked around to the side of her house where I’d seen her garbage cans. “Would you like to do the honors?” I asked as I lifted the lid.

She snorted. “I would, if I could lift that bag enough to toss it over the side. Unfortunately, strength is not one of my strengths.”

Laughing, I tossed the bag into the garbage. Dusting my hands, I turned to find Libby eyeing me with inexplicable intrigue. When I questioned her stare, she said, “You lifted that bag like it was weightless.”

“It wasn’t that heavy.”

“Yes, it was. You have some serious muscles hiding beneath that shirt, don’t you, Coffee Man?”

I cocked an eyebrow at her—partly because of what she said, and partly because I knew she liked it when I did that. “Trying to get me to take my clothes off again?”

She grinned. “I do love a good anatomy lesson.” I’d been walking her back toward the front of the house, but stopped and looked at her. As I fought to keep from smiling, she waved a hand at my body. “You’d make for a fascinating study buddy, if I do say so myself.”

I couldn’t hold back any longer. Shaking my head with laughter, I walked her to her front door for the second time. “You are insane. Do you know that?”

Libby smiled. “Yup. I know. Makes life interesting.”

I laughed again. “Very true.”

The laughter died and suddenly things got tense—as if Libby finally realized I was standing there at her door, stalling because I didn’t want to leave. I shoved my hands in my pockets and rocked back on my heels, trying to force myself to walk away from her. But I couldn’t do it. My feet wouldn’t move. “If it makes you feel any better, I’d take you to your lame-ass dance, if I could afford it. But if you’d like to chill with me that night instead, I’ll let you rent some stupid chick flick about going to the prom and you can live vicariously. I’ll even let you wear the dress.”

I threw the suggestion out there as a joke, but she pulled her brows together in serious thought. Folding her arms over her chest, she looked up at me, considering. “Would you dance with me?”

I laughed. “Not a chance. I’ve never danced in my life. I can’t dance. But I’d let
you
dance,” I added, when her face fell. “Hell, I’d install a pole for you, if you wanted one.”

I waited for her to groan at my perverted suggestion, but she ignored it completely and took my hands in hers. “How do you know you can’t dance if you’ve never tried it?”

I stopped breathing when she placed my hands on her waist and slid her own up my chest to rest behind my neck. She started to sway us from side to side, and I clammed up into a completely stiff mess. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. If I relaxed even the slightest bit, I was going to throw her against her front door and cover her from head to toe in all those hickies her dad had warned her not to get.

She slid a little closer and pressed her body against mine. I really hoped her dad was kidding about the shotgun thing. Just as I was about to break, Libby laughed and stepped back. “You’re right. You’ve got no moves, Coffee Man. Still, the idea has potential.”

“Potential for trouble,” I muttered, letting out a hard laugh that may have sounded slightly crazy. I took a long breath, trying to calm down. It didn’t work. I was still on the verge of losing control. I stepped back, just to be safe. “Well, let me know if you don’t find anyone else willing to let you molest them on the dance floor.”

She started to say something, then paused. “Anyone else? Are you saying
you’d
be willing to let me molest you?”

I didn’t care that she was just teasing. I couldn’t hold back anymore. Stepping forward again, I moved so close to her that she stepped back. Her back bumped against the front door and I took advantage of her trapped position, leaning over her with my hand on the door beside her head. “Libby Garrett, I’ve been dreaming up fantasies about you for so long, I’d let you do whatever the hell you wanted to me.”

My chest heaved. I couldn’t seem to keep enough air in my lungs. There was less than an inch of space between us. Libby stared up at me with her mouth hanging open, but I refused to move a muscle. She was going to be mine. Right now. My gaze zeroed in on her mouth, she sucked in a breath, and that was it. I captured those perfect lips in a desperate, hungry kiss.

I was well past the point of being gentle—didn’t
want
to be gentle. I pulled her against me, crushing our bodies together, and drove the kiss deep. She responded with equal passion, and took control of the kiss as she thrust her hands into my hair. Fueled by her eagerness, I slammed her back against the door and let my hands explore her curves. Her hands did the same, finding their way beneath my shirt. I smiled a little as her fingers explored my abs. She was getting that anatomy lesson she’d wanted.

Everything inside me pounded and burned, and when the only thing left for me to do was to start removing clothing, I ripped myself away from her. My body shook with the desire to take her inside and finish what I’d started, but I couldn’t. We weren’t ready for that. Libby leaned back against the door, eyes closed, gasping for breath, and whispered a faint, “Holy guacamole.”

Holy guacamole
was an understatement. I think. Once I recovered enough breath to speak, I stepped close again and took her hand in mine. “I’ve wanted you for years, Libby.”

“You can have me,” she said, without opening her eyes. “Take me now.”

I tried to keep my head on straight, but she wasn’t making it easy. She reached out with her free hand and grabbed my shirt, pulling me in again. I freed myself from her grip and squeezed both of her hands. When she opened her eyes to see what the holdup was, I shook my head. “I like you, Libby. Very much.”

She seemed pretty focused on getting the sparks going again, but she paused and smirked up at me. “I fail to see the problem with that.”

“The problem is that this”—I gestured between the two of us—“isn’t casual for me. Not even close.” Her eyes widened as she realized this was about more than just hormones. I smiled and gave her hand another squeeze. “I’m not going to waste my one chance with you by being a booty call or a rebound, so I’m not going to kiss you again until you’re ready for a relationship.”

After absorbing my confession, she grinned. “I’m game.”

I wished she were, but she wasn’t. I shook my head again. “I’m not talking about a relationship for the sake of being in one, or with anyone who isn’t Owen, but a real relationship. With me, specifically. You have to want
me
.
Only
me. Because you like me the way I like you.”

I’m not the most articulate guy in the world, but I think she understood what I was trying to say. She studied me for a minute, chewing on her upper lip as she thought it over. Finally, she said, “Are you sure?”

I was relieved that she was taking me seriously, because she needed to understand that she had the power to hurt me. “I’m sure.”

“Fair enough, Coffee Man.” A pout spread across her face, and I knew what she was going to say before she said it. Sure enough, she tugged me close again. “But maybe just one more before you cut me off?”

Laughing softly, I leaned in, unable to completely refuse her. I couldn’t give her the kiss she wanted, though, because if I went there again, there’s no way I could stop myself a second time. So I pressed my lips gently to her cheek and whispered, “Good night, Libby.”

I took a moment to enjoy her expression, then got out of there before she could crumble my will power.

Libby

The Science Squad was talking
to me again—thank drunken wish faeries everywhere—and they even let me back into science club just in time to help plan the end-of-the-year party. Not that I’d been much help today; I was too distracted.

Adam’s kiss had given me Hyper-Cerebral Electrosis. I was quite certain. I waited all night for my brain to literally explode. When it didn’t and I had to get up and go to school after getting zero sleep, I had to wear my Grumpy Cat shirt. It was only fitting. I was horny, exhausted, frustrated, and horny. Did I say horny twice? Well, I should have said
confused
twice. Actually, I should have said confused like five times.

I mean, seriously, what the crap? We have this amazing day together and at the end of it he lays that
epic
kiss on me and admits that he’s in serious like with me, but then he says he’s not going to do it again because I’m getting over Owen? Ugh. Boys are supposed to be easy. Owen was super easy. Sex and basketball. That was all he needed. Adam was clearly a lot more complicated.

“Libby.” Brandon waved his hand in front of my face, startling me so badly I nearly fell out of my chair. “End-of-the-year party next Wednesday in the Chem Cave in place of normal study group. Can you bring the music?”

My mind immediately went to my room with Adam, when I’d danced to Marvin Gaye for him. I thought of our kiss again and then replayed that day in my room with a much different outcome. A much
hotter
outcome. Man, I really needed to figure out a way to convince the Coffee Man I was over Owen.

“Libby!”

I shook myself from my beyond-sexy daydream. “Music. Sure. I’ve got it covered. You can count on me.” At their skeptical looks, I crossed my heart. “I promise. I’m done letting you guys down, remember?”

“If you say so,” Aiden muttered.

Ugh. I could not wait until the day Aiden left for college. Thankfully, the jerk decided he was too good for UVU and will not be attending the same college as me next year. He’ll be up in the dorms at the University of Utah—far enough away that he won’t come home very often. It’s going to be bliss.

Of course it was Avery who jumped in to defend me from her idiot best friend. “We believe you,” she said to me, after shooting Aiden a scolding look. “And we’re happy to have you back.”

“Speaking of having you back,” Brandon said, “do I need to add two to our dinner reservation Saturday night?”

“Oh, yes!” Tara clapped her hands. “Come to prom with us! It’s going to be so much fun!”

I was torn. All of my friends were going to prom together. They all had dates. Even Aiden was going with some girl in his journalism class. I was the only one who would miss the awesomeness that is THE PROM.

“It’s okay if you don’t have a date,” Avery said. “We’ll all share ours.”

For a split second, I considered it. I mean, it was the
prom
. I really, really didn’t want to miss it. But Adam’s kiss was now imprinted in my brain forever, and his very cool alternative had slightly more appeal than going stag to the dance.

I thought for a moment and finally made an executive decision. “Sorry, guys, as much as I appreciate the invitation to join your fun-filled evening of dinner and dancing, I will not be accompanying you. I actually have a date that night. The Coffee Man invited me to have an alterna-prom with him instead.”

Avery’s eyes grew to the size of grapefruits. “Adam asked you out?”

She seemed so shocked by this that I felt stupid for mentioning it. Yeah, I was surprised that someone as cool as him would waste his time with me, but it hurt that Avery couldn’t believe it. “Whatever. It’s not a big deal. We’re just going to watch movies about prom, and he said I could wear my dress.”

Detecting my hurt, Avery shook her head. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. Of course Adam sees how amazing you are. It’s just that, because of the Kate thing, Adam doesn’t date. Like
ever
.”