Page 52 of I Don't Need Your Protection

“I guess we’ll see.”

She gives me another hug before squealing and rushing off to the back rows. I scan around the seating area for the perfect table, and then choose the one at the window. It’s slightly isolated from the rest of them, which will give us enough privacy.

I sit down and start my homework. I’ve only been here for a week, but I feel like I have a whole month’s worth of homework. I knew this school would be much more advanced than my old school, but sheesh, do they expect us to act like robots? But I know I can handle it all. I also like how challenging it is.

I glance at the back section of the library and see Sophie’s chocolate brown head bobbing up and down as she searchesthrough the rows. Even though I’m quite a distance from her, I can feel her excitement and joy bouncing off the walls of the library. I laugh to myself at how cute she is.

“What’s so funny?” a familiar voice asks.

I twist my head upward and find Warner standing at my table. He’s wearing a charming smile that makes him look very sexy.

“Hey, Warner,” I gush. “I was just laughing at Sophie. She’s like a little kid in a candy store.”

His eyes travel toward the back of the library and he shrugs. “To each their own, I guess. I only come here for assignments.” He shrugs his backpack off and sits down on the chair across from me. “Were you waiting long?”

“Nope. I was catching up on homework.”

“Nice. You must be really good at school.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Aren’t you here on scholarship?”

“Oh, right. Duh. Of course.”

He chuckles.

“What about you? Are you good at school?”

He shrugs. “I’m what the school calls ‘average.’ My dad’s not too happy about that.”

“Really? He wants you to get straight As?”

“He couldn’t care less about the schoolwork. He just wants his only son to be the smartest person on the planet.”

“Oh…that must be tough.”

He shakes his head with a laugh. “Who cares what he thinks? I don’t.”

From the look in his eyes, I know that’s a lie. He very much cares what his dad thinks—maybe he even thinks his dad’s love is conditional? I wish I could delve deeper and ask him a million questions—I want to get to know him so badly—but I doubt he’d like that. We barely know each other and I’m sure the last thing he wants is to pour his heart out to me. Even though I would do everything I could to make him feel better.

“Anyway, you want to start?” he asks.

“Okay.” I unzip my backpack and pull out our assignment, laying it down on the table. “Did you think of a product you want to sell?”

He grins at me. “How could I think of a product to sell when all I think about is you?”

I freeze in place as my cheeks scorch. “Oh, um…”

“Maybe it was a mistake to team up with you. You’ll distract me and make me get a bad grade.”

“So I’ll be responsible for you getting a bad grade?” I joke, my neck and ears heating up, too.

“Obviously,” he says with another grin.

Okay, he’s totally flirting with me right now. I have no idea how to flirt back. Why am I so bad at this?

“Well, you’ll distract me, too,” I say.