Free Fusion (Explosive #5) by Tessa Teevan

about him. It was all I could do not to rise on my tiptoes and see what he’d do if he knew just how much that move was affecting me.
    Not that I’d ever do it. But hey, a girl can dream, right?
    “Umm, yeah,” I mumbled lamely.
    He continued to grin. “How you doin’?” he asked in his best Joey Tribbiani impression. Have I mentioned what TV junkies we were?
    “Better than you, apparently. What’s with you? I was walking down the hall and you looked like you were either trying not to puke or trying to work your way into finally asking out Heather Perkinson.”
    My heart faltered at the thought. Heather Perkinson was the prettiest, perkiest girl in the sophomore class. She made it no secret that she had the hots for Jeremy, and I’d seen them talking in the hallway from time to time. She always smiled and twirled her hair around her dainty little finger, making sure to laugh at every single one of Jeremy’s jokes. Of course, she always reached out to touch his arm, and the protective side of me wanted to yank her hand off him each time. But Jeremy was a big boy who could take care of himself. If he liked Heather…well, then I guessed we’d see what happened.
    That didn’t mean I prayed to God that he didn’t. I had been fully prepared for high school to change our dynamic, but so far, it hadn’t. In fact, it had cemented how strong and solid our friendship was. We were stronger, closer than ever, and I loved it. We didn’t let school or football or cheer knock us down a peg. We always made time for each other. As little as it had seemed to be lately. I hoped we always would.
    Jeremy’s groan brought my attention back to him. His grin was gone, and he was a little pale. I placed my palm on his forehead, then his cheeks, checking for a temperature. He was sweaty—clammy, even—and it worried me.
    “Jeremy? What’s wrong? Are you going to be sick? Do you want me to help you get to the nurse?”
    He shook his head profusely. “No. No. I’m not going to be sick. Well, at least, not yet.” He jerked his head towards the classroom door, which was a few feet away.
    That’s when it hit me. I knew exactly what Jeremy’s problem was, and I couldn’t help the giggle that rose up. I slapped a hand over my mouth as soon as it had escaped my lips, but I was too late. Jeremy’s scowl indicated that he’d heard me, and the poor guy was not amused.
    “That’s today?!” I exclaimed, laughing again—much to his displeasure. “I completely forgot! How could I have forgotten? You’ve been looking forward to this for years!”
    His eyebrows narrowed, and I squealed when he pushed forward and gripped my hips. Then he twirled me around, pressing my back against the lockers. As he brought his head down dangerously close to mine, his expression darkened.
    “Are you laughing at me, Tod?” he asked, his eyes dancing with small traces of amusement.
    I feigned complete innocence. “Now, Copper,” I replied, pausing to bask in those warm eyes that resembled his nickname. He’d always been Copper to me, and no matter how old we got, he always would be. “Why would I ever do a silly thing like that?”
    A low growl-like sound escaped his lips, and it was…sexy. God, it was sexy as hell, and that familiar feeling between my legs nearly knocked me off my feet. My eyes lowered just in time to see him capture his lower lip between his teeth. He looked…turned on. My belly twisted and tightened as my heart began to beat furiously.
    “I think you know exactly what you’re doing to me, Sierra,” he said, his voice now gruff and husky.
    The way he’d called me Sierra made me melt. For so long, I’d been Tod or Sullivan, but ever since we’d started high school, he’s let more Sierras slip here and there. And I loved it.
    I swallowed hard as I stared up into his eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was just teasing or if something else was lurking behind his brown-eyed gaze. He took a deep breath, and his chest rose and fell,