No, no, no!
I spin so fast to face him I nearly lose my balance.Am I still dreaming or is this really happening? Is he actually real even though it doesn’t make sense that—
“Is this why you want to be friends with me?”
It’s Icelle speaking again, and I...I don’t understand. Her voice is her usual calm voice, but why does her RBF suddenly look like it’s about to crack?
“Because you want to date my stepbrother?”
Chapter Three
IDIDN’T EVEN KNOWprivate jets could have stairs.
Like, actual stairs. With a railing and everything. And yet here I am, on theupper floorof a plane, sitting on a couch so soft I’m afraid to move. Because planes have second floors now. Sure. Why not.
“Charm is deceitful,” I say darkly, “and beauty is vain.”
Icelle blinks at me, which for her, is an expression of extreme confusion. “You’re quoting the Bible when you don’t even go to church?”
“You quote Shakespeare,” I shoot back, “but you weren’t even born when he wrote his plays!”
“That’s not even—”
“Anyway—” I tuck my legs under me and cross my arms over my chest. What’s done is done, so I don’t see the point of rehashing the past. “There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind about him,” I declare with a huff. “But don’t get me wrong—I’m glad that you believe me. I really am.”
Not lying either. After catching us doing the unthinkable—aargh.
I find myself fanning my face as memories assail my mind, and they’re just so vivid, I’m not simply replaying but reliving.
The warmth of his touch when he cupped my face...
The explosive heat of his kiss as he covered my mouth with his...
The fabric of his shirt bunched in my fists as I pulled him closer...
The little sounds that tell a story of something forbidden and dangerous the moment my back slides against the wall, and—
