A tremor of relief trickled through her. “You really don’t find her attractive?” No idea why she asked again except that she wanted—needed—to hear him say it again.
“No.”
“Not even a little?” Don’t be desperate, Leighton.
Apollo hesitated, mouth opening to say something…but he didn’t. His gaze trekked over her face.
Ah, right. A swift twinge of sadness and disappointment rushed through her. “Ah”—wow, that hurt—“so you do like?—”
“No,” he snapped. “I don’t.”
“Then why did you hesitate?”
“Because,” he said with a half laugh, “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”
“Why not? I had to talk about Rayan.”
Head cocked to the side, he sniffed and looked away. “You didn’t have to…” That edge had returned to his voice. He was jealous.
Her heart pitter-pattered all over that little revelation. It wasn’t exactly him saying he found her attractive. And while she might’ve teased him about jealousy before, she hadn’t been serious. In no way considered it could be true. This guy—this gorgeous guy she’d seen two years ago, then committed his face and smile to memory—liked her?
Could he be jealous but not like her? She did notice how he’d met her eyes across the barn several times at the graduation party. Why had he been there? Even then, he’d been impressive and attention-commanding. “What’s your relationship with Sophia?”
He blinked and shook his head. “That came out of left field.”
“Avoiding the question?”
“No, you’re giving me whiplash with the change of direction.”
Still hadn’t answered. Disappointment tugged at Leighton, making her way to move away. “Got it.” Was Sophia the reason he didn’t like Aliyah? Chewing her thumbnail, she headed to the bed and hiked onto the mattress. That he didn’t answer hurt more than all his earlier denials.
“Leighton.” With a sigh, Apollo crossed the room and stood in front of her, angling his head a bit to look her in the eyes. “I’ve known Sophia since she was born. Our dads worked together.” He slumped back against the mattress next to her. “There’s a dozen of us—we call ourselves the Scions and watch out for each other. Soph and I are close—but more like siblings. For some reason, despite our age difference, Soph and I connected.”
“She’s pretty too.” Why did she feel so pathetic pointing that out? “At the party, you hung out with her. Exclusively.”
Apollo side-eyed her. “Because I didn’t know anyone besides her and her twin brother. For parties and events, Soph always orders me to be her date so she doesn’t have to deal with guys hitting on her.” He elbowed her. “Speaking of that party, you sure bugged out fast.”
Leighton tried to hide the flush rising through her cheeks. He knew about her big secret, so she might as well fill in the rest. “I noticed you watching me…”
“And you were watching me.” He smirked. “Which I wasn’t mad about, in case you were wondering.”
Fluttering swarmed her belly, spilling warmth over her shoulders. What would it have been like back then, if she’d felt free to have a boyfriend? To talk to him? “At that point in my life, someone like you was too much to risk.”
“Someone like me.”
This time, she bumped his shoulder. “Don’t be offended. I just had to keep a secret. Letting anyone into my life was dangerous. My parents and I kept my life very ordered, strictly so. Because if we weren’t careful enough…” She sighed and chewed the side of her cheek. “It happened once. Middle school. You know how it is—you’re besties and there are zero secrets or you’re not real friends.” It had been so absurd, so…awful. “Kezra knew I had a secret, and she was relentless in begging me to tell her. She did this whole ridiculous blood-oath circle thing, but it felt real, ya know?” Even now, remembering…
“You told her.”
Leighton nodded, still disappointed in herself. “I knew I shouldn’t, but she had been so nice. And she was popular, brought me into that circle, so I figured—why not?”
“And it backfired.”
“Hugely. She told the entire seventh grade. My parents transferred me to a private school at that point, even considered moving out of state, but that school…they were convinced it’d be safe.”
“Liberty?” he asked.
She managed a half smile and nodded. “Six years later, I was standing in a barn with friends and there was this guy who was…”
