Jack Hammer by Tabatha Vargo, Melissa Andrea Page A

“Because I won’t hesitate to take full credit on this if you’re just looking for an easy A.”
    I let her go and she stepped out of my arms. Instantly, I missed her warmth.
    “Nothing worth it is ever easy, Chelsey. This is definitely worth it.”
    I loved seeing the color fill her cheeks and the increase in her breathing when my words affected her.
    “Okay then. Partners.” She held out her hand and looked up at me, waiting for me to shake it.
    I moved my fingers against her palm and enjoyed her gasp and the shiver that ran through her body. My fingers closed around her palm and I pulled her to me again.
    She made a sweet sound as she landed against my chest, and I held in my own moan.
    “I usually like to seal a deal with a kiss.” I grinned down at her. “But since you’re calling the shots and all.”
    She licked her lips nervously and my eyes dropped to them. I wanted to pull her bottom lip between my teeth.
    “Unless.” I moved in.
    “Friends, Blaine.” She reminded me with a shaky voice and a hand on my chest.
    She pulled away from me and put distance between us. 
    “Right. Friends,” I agreed.
    For now .
    “We should start right away,” she said. I could tell by the way her eyes moved over my face she was gauging my reaction.  “I know the weekend is coming and you probably have big plans, but if we get a head start we might be able to get it done in less than a week.”
    She knew how much I enjoyed my weekends. She was checking to see how serious I was about the assignment.
    “The only plans I have is with a cute brunette with big, brown eyes.” I smiled down at her.
    “Friends don’t talk to each other like that, Blaine. You said you were going to take this seriously.”
    I stalked up to her, backing her up against the brick siding of the school. Resting my arm above her head, I leaned my body into hers. 
    “Did you think I was talking about you, Little Doe?” I whispered, using the nickname I’d come up with for her. She blushed, and I ran my finger down the curve of her cheek. “And if I was talking about you, what makes you think I’m not being serious?”
    She swallowed hard. “Because you’re not. You’re teasing me. You like getting me all flustered and confused. Why?”
    “Because you’re different. You’re sweet, and that sweetness drives me fucking crazy.”
    She swallowed again before turning her face away from me. “So, you’re okay with starting right away?” she asked, avoiding my words and the obvious way her body was responding to me.
    I grinned down at her before stepping away and spreading my arms wide. “You’re the boss.”
    And until I managed to push past the guard I’d forced her to put up, she’d set the pace. I’d endure every second of her sweet torture. She was worth it.
     

 
    11
    CHELSEY
     
     
    IT WAS A LITTLE PAST MIDNIGHT, and there was a strange noise outside my bedroom window. My heart pounded in my throat in fear, and I sat silent as I wanted for the noise to sound again.
    My parents bought our house a few years before I was born and I grew up there. There were never any issues with sleeping alone in my room. I was never the kind of scary kid who pulled their blanket in their parent’s room and slept on the floor. But when the weird noise sounded throughout my space again, I felt panic.
    I didn’t believe in the supernatural or ghosts, so I was seriously starting to doubt my sanity. But then it sounded again and my body went tense. I sat up in my bed, holding my weight on my elbows, and held my breath. I listened for the noise again so I could try and pinpoint where it was coming from.
    I whimpered when I heard it again and a chill ran up my spine as I compared the sound to something or someone scratching outside my window. I stared out through the small opening in the curtains. The moon offered a tiny bit of light, but beyond that was only darkness.
    I was staring so hard, waiting for some mythical creature to come busting through