Confessions of a Queen B*

Untitled Part 49

He turned back to the computer and started typing again. "Between the post on your blog and the clips on YouTube, I was able to track down the ISP address of the original poster."

"English, please." My legs had the steadiness of rubber bands when I stood to approach the desk. I'd survived the discussion, but I'd taken a beating to my soul for it. Thank God I had something else to focus my attention on instead of licking my wounds.

"I was able to get information on where the videos were posted and who posted them. And you were right. They are the same person." A few taps and clicks later, a name appeared on the screen. "Here's your locker room spy."

I squinted at the unfamiliar name. "Adam Kozlovsky. Who is he?"

"I'm not surprised that you don't know who he is. Maybe this will help." A few more clicks, and the image of an Eastline High student ID popped up on the screen.

The graduation year indicated he was a sophomore, but his face was just one of the hundreds that blurred together in the hallways every day. He wore an Eastline baseball cap, but there was nothing athletic about his physique. Zits covered his pudgy cheeks, and thick dark curls peeked out from under the cap.  His blank expression showed total disengagement with the photographer.

A new window opened up. "Here's his schedule, if you want to confront him."

I took a step back. "How did you get this information?"

Brett did his best Dr. Horrible impression, ending with the same uneasy wannabe evil laugh. "It's not that hard to hack into the school's system, Alexis."

" 'Hack'? As in illegally gaining access?"

"It's only illegal if you get caught." He twisted from side to side in his chair. "It's not like I'm changing grades or class rank, Miss Potential Valedictorian."

"There's nothing 'potential' about that, Football Boy." Then I caught the threat behind his words. "Wait a minute—have you been spying on my records?"

He just grinned.

"Two can play at this game, you know. I still have that picture."

"I know." He tilted his head toward me. "In this case, I'm enjoying the game."

He was probably the only person in the school who had enough balls to play it. Everyone else preferred to avoid me than meet me head on.

I memorized Adam's schedule, but it wasn't enough. "Can you send me a copy of his ID?"

"Why?"

"Do you have to ask that all the time? It pisses me off."

"I know."

"And let me guess—you enjoy pissing me off?"

"Yep," he said with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Why?"

His eyes traveled from my head to my toes and back again before he stood up from his chair. He closed the space between us, cornering me between his bed and his bookcase.

My lungs burned as I tried to fight the ever-increasing drive to breathe. If I gave into it, he'd see how breathless I became when he was near me, how hard I worked to suppress my attraction to him, how much I craved a repeat of yesterday afternoon.

He unhooked the baby carrier from around me and tossed it and the doll onto his mattress. My last layer of defense had been stripped away, and the heat from his body penetrated mine. "I'm not really pissing you off, you know."

I plastered my back against the wall, pinning my eager hands behind me to keep from wrapping them around his neck. My bottom lip trembled as I said, "Wanna bet?"

He halted, keeping a few inches of air between us. "You're not pissed off, Lexi. I've seen you angry, and this is not it."

"Then what am I feeling, Mr. Know-It-All?"

"Flustered." He drawled the word out in a low, rumbling whisper.

A shiver raced down my spine. My arms shuddered, and my chest rose and fell like I'd just come from gym class. "Flustered?"

"Uh-huh." He brushed a curl out of my face, his touch as delicate as a gentle breeze. "You're actually kind of pretty when you're flustered. Your eyes flash. Your cheeks fill with color. Your lips..." His voice trailed off as he propped his arm up just above my head and stared at that particular piece of my anatomy.

 My tongue darted out to lick them before I could catch myself. "Are you going to kiss me again?"

Everything about him said yes, from the hunger in his eyes to the way he leaned closer to me. "Do you want me to?"