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Prologue

Sweat poured off Derek West’s body as he side the Olyrounds of the estate where his father, Thoroundskeeper, his uesthouse on the edge of the property

On such a blistering August afternoon, he’d rather be at Jones Beach with his friends, chilling out, drinking, and celebrating the dwindling days before college, but that wasn’t his life His father needed him and he was here to help

The Storant and perfect, and Derek’s father was paid to coe tri-hot sun, he could hear Cassie Storossip, as usual

Cassie was his age, but she and her friends went to private school while Derek attended public He was around enough to recognize the girls and know them by name And he was ht

He’d been sitting on the porch of the guesthouse, drinking a beer long after his parents and younger sister had gone to sleep He’d have to hide the bottle from his father, but that didn’t stop him Cassie had been out by the pool with her friends, until one by one they’d left, leaving her alone With a little liquid courage in him, Derek had ing over her shoulders, her brown eyes wide as he’d joined her

“Hey,” he said, sitting next to her on the lounge chair

“Hey” Her brows furrowed in confusion

For as long as Derek had lived on the property, they’da s thehouse But he’d always noticed her, and he’d be a liar if he didn’t adirl in the hts as he lay in his tiny roohts across the way

“Want a sip?” He extended his hand, offering her the bottle

She shook her head He wasn’t surprised Cassie Storirl

“Chicken?” he asked, goading her

Her cheeks turned a cute pink “No” She paused as if wrestling with herself before corabbed the bottle fro drink, then wrinkled her nose

“What’s wrong?”

“It tastes a lot different than wine”

He held back a snort Of course the rich girl drank wine

“But I kind of liked the taste” She drew her tongue over her lips, soaking up what re his dick to harden inside his shorts

He handed her the beer again and she took another sip They talked about the heat and going away to school and shared the rest of the beer She wanted to major in business and help run her father’s media company one day

Derek? He just wanted a degree, a way out of being soood at coured he’d start there since it caht him a state-of-the-art co off the expensive machine