Adler | The Aces of St.Sinclair BOOK 1.

Detained | A TWENTY EIGHT

"You tell me."

"What, is there some insurance policy where model students are required to at least take one detention sentence?"

"Yes, it's the one off plan. If I take one, I can enter a raffle to win a free cruise."

Hess' grin widened.

I shouldn't have joked around like that, playing along with his sarcastic remarks was the last thing I should be doing but dear god, I was dying of boredom. I was hopeful and thought maybe he'd only make banter and not try to shamelessly hit on me with twelve other people in the room.

"So..." His voice subjectively lower. "What are you doing after this?"

I said I was hopeful- not positive.
"Look, I'm not interested in sleeping with you alright?"

He tilted his head. "I'm not convinced."

"What words did you hear just leave my mouth?"

"I'm not convinced because you were pretty eager to undress me not too long ago."

I rose a brow. "Can't say I know what you're talking about. I think you have me confused with somebody else."

He chuckled, slanting back and tipping his chin to where his eyes swept over the ceiling. "So, you wanna play it like that? Okay." He folded his arms over his chest. "Let's go out."

"We're in detention."

"You know what I mean."

"I already said this loud and clear, I have no interest in sleeping with you."

"Did I say that's what I wanted? When did I say that? Who said anything about sleeping with each other?"

"Your reputation says about enough."

"Oh, have you been asking about me?" He leant on one elbow, inching closer once more. "Tell me, what's the latest one? Is it still about how I slept with half of the girls in my year and Coach West?"

"Seems like it, yeah."

Hess shook his head. "That's a stupid exaggeration. It's only been five and with Coach West it was just a quickie."

"Sorry, how is this supposed to be persuading me?"

"It's not. I just want you to have all the facts straight."

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything." Hess declared. "I'm trying to..." He sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. His mind seem to wander off momentarily before deciding what words were to follow his puzzling statements.

I genuinely hoped it would clarify things.

"What I'm about to say, I haven't said to any one before so keep that in mind." The intensity in his glistening blue eyes truthfully had me drawn that I couldn't flinch when he clasped a hand over my own. "I really like you."

There was that unestablished resonance in his voice again. "And not to just mess around- like, actually go on dates with and stuff. Can we do that? Can I take you out sometime?"

I couldn't surface anything further than repetitive blinking. My head couldn't really get a proper fix on what was happening suddenly. One second he's making a pass at me and now he's saying he likes me?

More and more confusing.
Everything about this strange boy was puzzling and it must've been why I didn't feel inclined to back away.

"Um, that's nice," I started. "But, no."

He didn't falter. "If you're unsure, we can just try it out. See where it takes us."

"No. I already have someone I like and I think he likes me too so..."