Free Young Annabelle Series: Young Annabelle, the Truth About James, What My Heart Wants by Sarah Tork Page A

for Christ’s sake, DO not go there… Shower…James…God!
    My mouth went as dry as the Sahara as he came closer. With his hair combed back, I could see more of his beautiful – stop it! – face, and his green eyes… Damn!
    Why did he have to be so good looking?
    I had to calm down or he’d think I was some jittering freak.
    “Hey,” I said nonchalantly – or did my best to, at least.
    Play it cool, don’t let him see he affects you, at all.
    “What are you doing here, come to watch me practice?” He smirked and folded his arms across his tightly-shirted chest.
    Sigh... I mean, hell no!
    Shaking out of the brief imagining of muscles and how his tight shirt would look so much better on the ground, I took a step back and did my best to seem bewildered at the audacity of his claim.
    “You need to get over yourself,” I scowled.
    “Why would I? I don’t see you running away. Guess you’re not as offended as you think you are,” James stated smugly.
    My light brown eyes widened at his comment. “What?”
    “Be honest, you miss me!” He smirked again, taking a step closer.
    My heart was beating like crazy. “I don’t!” I took another step back, keeping the distance between us.
    “Then why are you here? It’s still summer, beautiful. School doesn’t start for another few weeks.” His grin got wider, thinking he’d got me.
    And he kind of did.
    The way he looked at me was making me sweat…..
    Calling me ‘BEAUTIFUL’ was a whole new level….GOD!
    I’m beautiful! I gushed silently, feeling a joy reserved only for Christmas and birthdays.
    Be on your guard, girl.
    He knows what he’s doing!
    I tried to shake it off, realizing he probably thought he had me in his pocket. He did, sort of, but I had to put a stop to it.
    I leaned towards him.
    “I’m here to see my best friend swim in a mock meet,” I explained. “So go screw yourself!”
    His jaw clenched tightly and the warmth in his green eyes seeped away, leaving a stony coolness.
    “I wish I could, but it’s usually better if there’s two people doing it,” James responded.
    Don’t fall for it….. he’s playing you!
    I stood silently.
    It took me a moment to register the words pouring out of his – sigh – beautiful mouth. Then, like lightening, it all came crashing down, making sense.
    Was he…did he mean us?
    Doing it?!
    Like together?
    I felt my cheeks heat at a rate that would burst a thermometer.
    “I’ve got to go,” I muttered, swallowing my heart back down.
    My brain was slowly…..turning to mush.
    I had to get away from him.
    James nodded, his expression unchanging. My body now felt incredibly drunk. With my brain, too incapacitated to send a signal down to my sluggish legs to turn and walk away, the time to move, was now.
    I regained control and pushed into the girls’ change room. I stopped between the outer and inner doors, resting against the wall for a moment as I composed myself. My heart rate needed to slow way down if I had any hope of forgetting what just happened, especially if I had to explain it to Jenna.
    There was a mirror with a counter along one wall of the little hallway between the two doors. I faced the mirror, preparing to check my reflection to see how bad the damage was. If it was anything like how I felt at that moment, it would not be good. But, I was hopeful.
    Please…not a disaster!
    Carefully, I opened my eyes. All I saw was red.
    I was literally red .
    Shit!
    I was horrified as I examined the shade of my cheeks. Thankfully, my hair was fine except for the beads of sweat that threatened to ruin the flat-ironing job I’d put my long strands through this morning.
    Jesus! I could walk twenty minutes in the blistering heat then sit in the sauna-like pool area, and not sweat like I was now.
    What wa s he doing to me?!
    It’s like I’ d never see a cute – okay, really hot – guy before!
    I shook my head. I was confused at my body’s weird reaction to him. I wiped the beads of sweat off my