Free Free Pass (Free Will Book 1) by Allie Kincheloe

better than initially thought. She led me toward the bed. I stripped down to boxers and a T-shirt before climbing beneath the comforter.
    She slid right over against me and I wrapped my arms around her. With a sob, she started to cry. My T-shirt clung damply to my chest before she'd cleansed herself of the emotional backlog. I rubbed her back and murmured reassurances. When she stopped crying, I tugged the drenched shirt off, wiped her eyes with a dry spot and pulled her back to me. She fell asleep still sniffling against my side.
    The light streamed in the open curtains when I woke. Laney was trying to ease away from me and I groaned at the loss of her warmth.
    "I'm just going to get a shower." She brushed her lips against my cheek. The slight smile on her face didn't quite reach her tear-swollen eyes. I watched her walk into the bathroom. When the water turned on, I closed my eyes and pulled the comforter back over me.
    The door slammed open. I rolled that direction and Laney's dad jumped through the open doorway.
    "AAAHHHH!" he shouted, baseball bat raised high above his head. "Jake? What in the hell are you doing here?"
    "Jimmy, why do you have a bat?" I murmured, my voice still scratchy from sleep. The comforter bunched around my waist as I rose up on my elbows to look at Laney's dad. I must have dozed back off...
    "Sheila usually bunks with Laney. She brought her luggage up and came down squealing there was a man in Laney's bed. I didn't know you were here. Why are you here?"
    "I told Laney I'd come over after work. It was late when I got here."
    Jimmy held the bat in a defensive position. "I still don't get why you are in my daughter's bed."
    Damn, he wasn't going to whoop my ass over staying with Laney, was he? "Jimmy, can you put the bat down?"
    "I don't like you being in Laney's bed half-dressed." He lowered the bat but didn't put it down entirely.
    I rubbed a hand over my eyes, but didn't respond. What the hell could I say? I couldn't argue that. Them not fussing at us about dating was the best we could hope for. I certainly didn't expect them to be happy about it at this point.
    Susie came in behind Jimmy and started laughing. Some chick in a slutty dress followed behind her. Must be the Sheila who caused all this damn drama. She licked her lips and stared at me like I was a hot fudge sundae.
    "Had I known the man in the bed was that yummy, I wouldn't have been so afraid, Uncle Jimmy. I'd have just curled up next to him." She batted her giant fake eyelashes at me.
    Laney stomped out of the bathroom and over to the bed. She looked like she wanted to smack that look of hunger off Sheila's face.
    Was it a crime to rip someone's fake lashes off? Was that still considered assault? I had a feeling we would be finding out if Sheila kept batting her lashes at me. Laney sat on the edge of the bed and kissed me. Her kiss was sensual—a marking of territory in front of her slutty cousin.
    "She's not my type, Laney," I whispered.
    I glanced over at Sheila, who adjusted her cleavage to make her already big boobs look bigger. Bitch . "Sheila, was it?" I addressed her as I sat up and stretched. She nodded and smiled, trying to act all sweet and innocent... It didn't work. She just looked like a stupid whore. "I'm taken. So, you can stop flapping those wings at me, I'm not interested."
    That earned me a kiss. Laney seemed to like the idea of me belonging to her. Jimmy and Susie burst out laughing. Sheila put her hand on her hip and looked like she was about to say something else.
    "Well, why don't you two get dressed and come downstairs," Susie said from the doorway. Laney's parents left, but Sheila just stared.
    "What?" She was getting on my damn nerves!
    "Just wondering what happened to Austin? And how'd you get your mom and dad to not flip out about you having a half-naked man in your bed? My mom still won't let me have guys over and I'm twenty-three."
    Laney rolled her eyes and turned back to me. I smiled and asked if she