Ellie Sandberg would love to reinvent herself. When she earns a spot at an elite boarding school for young inventors, it seems like the perfect opportunity: A summer away from home, away from her overprotective parents, and away from the hopeless cr...
I walk out of the girl's bathroom and crash right into him.
"Whoa! Careful!"
Maddox... lurking right outside the bathroom door. We collide and I go sprawling, but his hand lands on my shoulder to keep me upright.
I swear I'm not usually this accident prone. Only when Maddox is nearby. Maybe I should make a hazard alert for him.
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Better set the distance parameter for at least 100 feet to be on the safe side. Although 100 feet wouldn't be much help to me right now. As I regain my footing, there's approximately half an inch of space between my face and the front of Maddox's shirt. Which means if I look up, his head will be right there... His eyes. His nose. His lips...
I take a hasty step backward.
"Come with me." His hand is still on my shoulder. It slides down the length of my arm to my wrist, sending sparks of heat rippling through me as it goes. He tugs me in the direction of the stairs.
"Where are we going?" I turn to follow him. For a moment, I think he might hold my hand, but he lets my wrist go as he turns toward the library's central staircase.
"Change of venue," he says over his shoulder. "This way."
He reaches the bottom landing and then his hand reaches for mine again. This time our palms meet and our fingers interlock. A thrill of electricity runs through me. He turns his head back, but he doesn't look at me. His gaze tracks over my shoulder, looking to see if anyone's watching us.
Somehow that only makes my heart beat faster and my hand grip his more firmly.
"Come on." He pulls me toward the stacks, leading me through a maze of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I break into a jog to keep up with his long strides.
"Where are we going?"
"Celestial navigation."
Um. Was that answer supposed to mean something? I mean, this library has a ton of skylights, but I'm pretty sure we can't see any stars in the middle of the day.
He pulls to an abrupt stop, and I crash into him again. This time, I'm pretty sure he made me do it on purpose. His arm goes round my waist. I reach for the nearest shelf to regain my balance, and find myself face to face with rows of book spines.
By the Stars: A Workbook
Navigation for Beginners
Celestial Navigation in the GPS Era
Fundamentals of Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen
Yachtsmen, huh. "Are we going yachting?" I ask, pulling that last one off the shelf.
