I said nothing as I shifted on my feet. Isaiah’s cheek lifted in a coy grin, and although every submissive, rule-following bone in my body broke with my intense stare on him, I didn’t dare look away. That was the girl Richard molded me into from the time I could walk, and I didn’t want to be her anymore. I would look at Isaiah all I wanted, and I’d talk to him like I wanted, too. Maybe I’d even take it a step further just to spite my dearest Uncle Richard all together.
“What do you want?” I asked, surprised at how leveled my words came out.
Being alone with Isaiah somehow gave me even more confidence than earlier when I’d talked back to Cade. And that was extremely enticing. Nerves still littered my belly, but a small part of me craved to feel that electric current of anticipation he gave me. Standing here, staring at him all alo
ne in a dark room had the realization coming into view. The very second Isaiah came into my line of sight that first day at St. Mary’s, he opened up something that was buried deep within my soul, and I’d been chasing the high ever since. I hadn’t even realized it until this single moment. Did I like the way my stomach dipped when he looked at me? Did I enjoy talking back to him? I think I did. I think I liked seeing his reaction.
Isaiah laughed under his breath, the sound making my lips ache to do the same. Then, he hopped up on the edge of the teacher’s desk, his long, black-jean-clad legs dangling an inch above the floor. “Alright, Good Girl. I have a proposition for you.”
I snorted, and surprise flashed on both of our faces. “A proposition?” I rolled my eyes before backtracking as anxiety whipped through my body from the shadows of my past. I cleared my throat as I moved to take a seat on the stool in front of my usual desk. Did I just roll my eyes at him? The last time I’d rolled my eyes, I’d been punished. Badly.
“Hmm,” he mused, hiding a smile. “I really like that you don’t put up with my shit. You are quite possibly the only girl I’ve ever met who isn’t affected by my charm.”
Cocky, much? I thought his statement over for a moment, placing my arms on the art table in front of me. I pulled my sleeves down even farther onto my hands, clasping my fingers over on the cotton to stay glued to my palm. It wasn’t that I wasn’t affected by his charm, because I was, it was just that I didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t know how to flirt. Wait. I shouldn’t be flirting with him. I was not affected by his charm.
“Who said you were charming?”
Isaiah’s face split in two, the smallest dimple appeared on his cheek, and I locked onto it. Okay, fine. Maybe he was charming—at least the dimple was. “You are”—he scanned my face once more, the dimple still there—“very interesting, Gemma.”
I ignored his statement because I didn’t even know how to respond. “Did you take care of the blog? Did you get it taken down like I asked?”
Isaiah’s legs stopped swinging for a moment as his smile fell. “You’re afraid of your uncle finding out?”
My head whipped up, a piece of my hair getting stuck to my lip. I hurriedly swiped it away, watching as Isaiah focused on my mouth before he said, “Oh, yes. I can eavesdrop too, Good Girl.”
I recoiled instantly. “Stop calling me that.”
His large hands shot up in mock innocence, another smirk gracing his chiseled face. Even from across the room, I could see the mischievous glint in his eye. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop calling you that”—he paused—“if…”
I made a throaty noise, dropping my head. “I should have known there’d be an if.” There always was.
His voice cut through the air. “I’ll stop calling you Good Girl if you do me a favor.”
I treaded slowly. “What favor?”
He shrugged. “For starters, I need you to…uh, tutor me.”
My face scrunched. “Tutor you?”
He nodded before glancing away. “And on occasion…I might need you to cover for me. A white lie here or there. No biggie.”
I jerked back, my fingers clenching down over my sleeves. “You want me to lie for you? What kind of favor is that?”
I was confused, and for a split second, I thought he was teasing me again. Maybe he wanted to see if I’d fall for his good looks and arrogance like every other girl did. Maybe he wanted to see if I'd be willing to do whatever he wanted. But one look from the near ground-breaking level of hope in his eyes told me he was being serious.
He wanted me to lie for him?
Why?
Chapter Fifteen
Isaiah
“You’re serious?” she asked, completely and utterly dumbfounded. Gemma glanced around the room, her hair swaying from one side to the other, before landing back on me. “Why would I lie for you? And to whom?”
She rolled her pretty green eyes, the same eyes that somehow sparkled even without any lights on. It was like they were the light themselves. “This is a joke. Isn’t it? You’re trying to see if you have any sway over me because you’re hot and charming.” The word dripped from her mouth with pure distaste, then she flew to her feet and shot me a dirty look. She mumbled something under her breath about this being a test then said, “Leave me alone, Isaiah. I do not have time for this.”
I hopped down too, my boots thudding to the floor as I ran after her. Gemma was small, so her feet didn’t carry her nearly as fast as mine did me. “Wait,” I called out, wrapping my hand around her waist from behind. She gasped as I pushed the heavy door shut with my other hand. “I’m being completely serious with you,” I whispered into her ear, leaning so close to her I could feel her warm heat cover me like a blanket.