The Shore Read Free Page B

“Just kidding.” He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her close. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he breathed in her sweet scent. “I figured if you let Fred take advantage of you, you’d let me, too.” It had been nearly a week since he’d held her this close and he could feel the growing desire mute any lingering annoyance he felt toward her for letting the blonde get their room.
    Avery kissed him, but when his hands began to wander, she pulled back. “You can take advantage of me later,” she whispered. “In ways that Fred will never know. But for now, help me unpack.”
    They started opening bags and putting things away. Even though he’d just as soon live out of a suitcase for the summer, Curt knew Avery enjoyed doing stuff like this. To him it was a little like playing house, but if she got a bang out of it, he was glad to oblige . . . up to a point. After a while other concerns began to nag him. The band wasn’t ready. Their songs weren’t ready. Shouldn’t he be spending his time and energy on that?
    “I better get back over there, Ave,” he said. “The band’s still got a long way to go and we should be rehearsing.”
    “Oh, okay.” Avery hung her head, clearly disappointed.
    “Hey, I’ll be back later.” Curt took her in his arms. “And if you’re a good girl, I might just let you take advantage of me.”
    She smiled. “You should be so lucky.”
    “No, you should be so lucky.” He kissed her hard and held her tightly, knowing she liked it when he lingered.
    Soon enough, he left the room and headed back down thestairs. He was just going out the front door when a girl came up pulling a heavy black suitcase on wheels. She had reddish, neatly bobbed hair and was wearing a baggy pink polo shirt with pleated khaki shorts. She looked like the kind of preppy girl who’d be class secretary.
    “Excuse me,” she panted. “You wouldn’t know if the bathrooms are working, would you?”
    “What?” Curt said, taken by surprise.
    “I was warned that plumbing on this street can be kind of a problem. My cousin said she once rented a room in number twelve and they had to use a Porta Potti for half the summer.”
    “No kidding?” Curt said.
    “So, can you tell me if they’re working,” the preppy girl said. “And if they’re not, when they might be?”
    “How should I know?” he asked, trying to figure out what was up with her.
    “Aren’t you”—she gave him a once-over, taking in his clothes—“like, a workman or . . . something?”
    Now Curt understood. “No, I happen to be moving in here,” he answered indignantly.
    The girl raised her hand to her mouth. “Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize . . . wait, you’re living here this summer?”
    “Yeah, and your point is?” Curt replied. She was starting to annoy him.
    “It’s just that, so am I,” she said, her brown eyes wide. “We’re roomies!”
    “Well, hey, that’s just fabulous,” he said, with feigned excitement. Unlike the hot blonde, this one was nothing to get excited about.
    “Yeah, hi!” she answered even more excitedly. “Listen, I’m Polly.” She offered her hand.
    “And I’m Curt.” He shook it.
    “Look, I’m really sorry about what I said before,” Polly gushed. “I just . . . well . . . the truth is, I have this way of putting my foot in my mouth.”
    No kidding, Curt thought.
    “I mean, I do it all the time,” Polly went on. “It’s really best not to pay any attention to me.”
    Can’t say I was planning to, Curt thought.
    “Just ignore me and I’ll go away,” Polly said. “Also, another thing is, when I get nervous, I talk too much, you know?”
    “I’m kind of figuring that out,” Curt said. It was not unusual for girls to become nervous around him. And while this one definitely had the potential to be annoying, he couldn’t help enjoying the idea that he had the looks that provoked it.
    “Well . . .” Polly bit her lip, “I guess I’ll go