"Hetoldmehelovesme."
The words were a tangled rush, and I blinked as my brain tried to catch up with her frantic speed. "Loves you?"
She nodded. "Yeah. And then he kissed me."
"Did you kiss him back?"
"I did." And she was wailing again.
My amusement over her misery continued to grow because she reminded me so much of myself. I always set out to sabotage my own happiness; it had been a personality trait of mine since long ago. But I'd made a conscious decision recently to stop anticipating the bad and start enjoying the good.
"Life is short, babe," I said, drawing the full attention of those huge, shiny green eyes of hers. "Don't shy away from possible happiness because you're scared. Zach might have been 'forced' on you in the beginning, but I saw the way you watched him on the soccer field. There was no hate in that gaze... It was want and need."
I hugged her suddenly, taking her completely by surprise, judging by the low gasp. "You deserve to be fucking worshiped. If Zach thinks he's the person for the job and you want that asshole's tongue between your legs, I say give it a chance."
Mattie's cheeks were pink. "I want that and so much more. Sex is easy though, you know? It's the heart stuff that's scary."
Oh yeah. I fucking knew that better than anyone.
We stayed together for the next few hours, the guys checking on us as we ate our way through pizza and ice cream like both were the last food in the monarchy. Eventually Mattie left and went back to her room, and I found myself standing at my door, hand pressed against it.
I was exhausted, and I still had a ton of coursework to get through tonight. The library was where I should be heading, but I was just too tired to make myself walk out the door.
My palm reader buzzed, and I glanced down.
Angel: Are you finally alone, baby?
Baby?Fuck, he was going to be the death of my heart. All of these loving moments between us had me confused and happy as hell.
Gotta head to the library and try to get some of this work done.
His reply was immediate.
Angel: Do not go anywhere without one of us. Don't make me say it again.
I snorted out my laughter, a little energy returning to me.
Or what?
A second of little dots across my screen meant he was replying.
Angel:My hand misses your ass, Cinderella. Red is your fucking color, and I enjoy punishing you.
Jesus. Fuck. Fucking fuck.
I squeezed my legs tightly together to ease the ache there, all the while dropping my head against the door to catch my breath.
My fingers flew across the letters.
What, like that’s meant to be a punishment?
I wasn't an idiot, but a part of me seriously wanted to push Rafe. Maybe it was all my words about following your heart and how life was short to Mattie, but I felt a great urge to see how far I could get with my prickly prince.
Angel:Violet...
Catch me if you can.
I shut my palm reader down, pulling my shoes on in the same instant, then I grabbed up the few books I needed and hauled ass out of the room. It wasn't that late, not even nine, and a lot of students were still around. The library was open until midnight today, so I wouldn't be alone.
