Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2) by Aubrey Bondurant Page B

ego than to have a woman
adore him and not have to deal with any obligation?” I started the car and we exited
the mall.
    She thought
about it for a while. “I get your point. Maybe I should sleep with someone else
and try to make him jealous?”
    Ugh. This was
dangerous ground, I realized as I drove onto the highway towards Brian’s house.
“Absolutely not. First of all, it won’t make you feel better, and secondly, it
won’t get the reaction you’re looking for. However, you should go out on dates
and with your friends. Let him see you looking great, feeling good, and not
putting him as the center of your attention. Even if you have to go to
Starbucks at nine o’clock on a Friday night to sit by yourself, make him think
you’re out. And let him know it’s none of his business with whom.” No one knew
that I came home from the gym on Fridays and completely crashed on my couch
while eating something indulgent. It was all about the image, and who was
better at hiding behind it than I was?
    “Okay. I can do
that. What else? Part of me wants to try kissing him and see if there’s a
spark.”
    I smiled. “Then
you need to figure out a plan to make that happen. However, you most likely
will only get one shot, Kenzie. Don’t take it on a whim because you’ve had too
much to drink or because you’re anxious. Once you put it out there, it’s staying
out there. If you make your move too soon, then it could be years before the
timing may be right again, if at all.” I knew that lesson all too well.
    “It’s kind of
hard to be patient, but I get your point. What happens once I do go for it?”
    I shrugged. “He
either reacts with; ‘whoa, that’s not how I feel’ or there’s something there.”
    “But what if he
rejects me?”
    This was the
tough part. The probability of getting hurt was high if he hadn’t indicated to
her over the years that he might feel more. “Then you put on your big girl
panties and take it on the chin. But at least then you’ll know for sure, and
you can move on. I assume no guy in the meantime can hold a candle to your
crush?”
    She nodded. “I’m
going to get hurt; I can feel it.”
    “If you tell
your brother what I’m about to say, I’ll kill you.” If I was dishing out
advice, I might as well go all the way.
    She glanced
over, curious, as we pulled into Brian’s driveway. “I won’t say a word. I
promise.”
    “Okay. You get a
big glass of wine, buy yourself a good vibrator, and you say to hell with him.
If he can’t realize that you’re a catch, McKenzie, then it’s his loss. You are
too pretty, too smart, and way too special for you to allow any man to make you
feel like shit.” And there were the words of wisdom from my father when he’d
spoken with his teenage girl back in the day. Minus the addition of the
vibrator and wine, of course.
    She grinned. “I
knew you and I would be fast friends.”
    ***
    Later that
night, Brian and I flirted while watching television downstairs, but because
his sister had hung out with us, the opportunity for anything else wasn’t
plausible. Our flight was early tomorrow, so we all turned in.
    Now I lay in his
bed, sexually frustrated. I needed to know what else I was getting into in
order to make a decision. Reaching for my phone, I texted him.
    “I need to know
the rest of the rules. All of them.”
    I was surprised
when my phone rang in response. “Are you seriously calling me from the
basement?”
    “You texted me
from upstairs, and yes, it’s easier to talk then to type. Plus I don’t trust
myself not to touch you if we have this conversation in person.”
    “I’m trying hard
not to take offense at that statement.” Part of me wanted to go down there
naked and see what he’d do.
    “It’s the
hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I’m in this for long-term gain, not
short-term satisfaction.”
    “Your bed is
sure comfortable,” I teased, enjoying the sound of his groan.
    “You’re killing
me,