Cheat Sheets

Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

I’m somewhere in the middle of a really good dream in which the sun is shining and I’m really warm, when I feel something brush against my cheek. Squirming, I try to swat at my face. Go away seagulls, the sun feels so nice.

“What’s that she’s mumbling?” I hear a snigger in my peripheral vision as I turn into the sun, struggling to get closer to the warmth. “Oh this is priceless, someone better be filming this!” The voice chuckles as once again I feel another touch to my cheek. Stupid seagulls, seriously?

A shifting in my dreamscape sends the seaside tilting, and I awake with a sudden jolt, blinking my eyes open to find a hand poking my face and the body next to mine wriggling around restlessly. Damn. What happened last night? Think, Keira, think. Cinema, Josh and Candy, Braeden’s motorbike, revenge… Finally remembrance snaps into place, and I groan to think that I fell asleep on Braeden halfway through our plotting.

When the blurriness of sleep fades, I’m shocked to find that I’m face to chest with Braeden’s shirt, a small dribble patch paying testament to my sleeping position. A look up reveals that he’s just rousing from sleep, those thick lashes of his fluttering open to reveal an amazing set of dark eyes. “Mmm, I’m beat. I could quite easily sleep for another ten hours.” He murmurs, the arm – which I hadn’t realised was slung over me – around my waist pulling me closer into his side.

“Aw, who’d have thought Braeden was the cuddling type?”

Ha, that was exactly what I was thinking. That sounds like the sort of sarcastic comment I’d make, only I didn’t…

Only just realising that we’re not alone, both Braeden and I automatically sit up, bashing our heads in the process to find three grinning faces and a camera phone all looking down at us.

“Ugh” Braeden groans whilst clutching his temple “you’ve got a thick skull!”

I wince as I touch what I’m sure will be a bruise by tomorrow just above my eye socket whilst glimpsing out of my spare eye at the three people gathered around. Braeden scoffs when he sees them. “What are you boneheads doing here? It’s freaking eleven at night; do you not have anywhere better to be? And you better get that camera out of my face before I…”

Before his threat can continue, the female face above us with the multiple piercings retreats along with the phone as she rolls her eyes at Braeden. “Relax. It was just for personal amusement. And of course for blackmail; you never know when it might come in handy.”

Swinging his legs over the edge of the sofa, Braeden rises to his feet and stretches out every long limb of his body, accidentally granting me with a front row seat to the viewing of his lovely abdominals.

“What do you want Brit?”

One of the male faces – the one with the green eyes and the styled Mohawk – bites on his lip ring as he gives Braeden’s shoulder a teasing nudge. “Come off it man, we just wanted to hang out. But it seems you’re busy; who’s the new chick?” And with that Mohawk sends a wink in my direction.

Blushing uncomfortably, I rearrange my shirt and gingerly gain my feet.

A hand on my shoulder shoves me back down. “This is Keira and she’s off limits so back off.” Braeden practically growls at Mohawk whilst sending a piercing glare over at the other guy with the dreads.

“Keira, huh?” The girl – who I’m assuming is called Brit – starts dragging her fingers through the hot pink ends of her hair. “Well, any friend of Braeden’s is a friend of ours, right boys?” Brit turns to the two guys behind her who shrug and offer me polite smiles. “I’m Brit, and these two numbskulls are Jack and Norman.” She says whilst pointing respectively at Mohawk and dreadlocks.