Page 54 of Wanna Bet?

He checked off a mental list before closing the door. He had everything he'd spent an absurd amount of time planning for. Ellis would never let him hear the end of it if he knew how much effort Jace had put into a single date. Not that Jace cared. Because somewhere between game nights, sarcastic arguments, and stolen kisses, Myah had become the person he wanted to tell things to first.

The person he looked for in every room. The person who somehow occupied his thoughts from the moment he woke up until the moment he fell asleep. The realization should have scared him, but instead it felt strangely peaceful. Like finally admitting something he'd known for weeks.

He liked her. More than liked her. A lot more.

Jace slid into the driver's seat and checked the clock. He was fifteen minutes early which was completely intentional. He started the engine and headed toward her apartment. By the time he pulled into the parking lot, anticipation buzzed through his chest hard enough that he found himself tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

Not even three minutes later, the front doors opened, and suddenly he forgot every coherent thought he'd ever had.

Long, pink hair spilled over her shoulders in messy waves. She wore denim shorts and an oversized shawl-thing that Jace thought looked familiar. It hung off one shoulder making a pink butterfly tattoo visible. Sunglasses sat on top of her head and she looked half asleep. And somehow she was still the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

His chest tightened as he reached across the passenger seat and pushed the door open.

Myah climbed in. "Morning."

"Morning." Jace grinned, getting a hint of her candy scented perfume.

“You excited for the funnest day of your life?” Jace asked, wiggling his brows.

Myah raised her browns before her mouth turned into a devilish grin, “Better than that day at the mall?”

If Jace had been drinking something, he’d have choked on the memory. Sex in a public bathroom with Myah was definitely one of the best days of his life.

“Relax, J. It was a joke.” Myah laughed, buckling her seatbelt.

The sound settled every nerve in his body.

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The drive out to Rattlesnake Lake took about an hour. At first they filled the silence with music. Myah immediately hijacking the playlist.

Jace pretended to be offended. "You're not touching my music."

"I absolutely am."

"You don't even know what I listen to."

"Exactly. Which means intervention is required."

She connected her phone and the speakers exploded with upbeat pop. Jace groaned dramatically but Myah looked delighted.

As the miles passed, conversation came easier, more naturally. The kind that made an hour feel like ten minutes. Jace learned that Myah had once dyed her hair green after losing a dare. That she hated mushrooms with a passion that bordered on irrational. That she secretly loved old Disney movies. That she'd once broken her wrist trying to jump off a garage roof because she'd convinced herself she could fly with an umbrella.

"You sound like you were a menace."

"I was an innovator."

"You were a lawsuit waiting to happen."

"Tomato, tomato."

Jace laughed. God, he loved talking to her. Every story revealed another piece of her. Another contradiction. She was chaotic but thoughtful, loud but observant, confident until someone complimented her, then she got weirdly shy. And every new thing he learned only made him like her more.

By the time they reached the lake, the afternoon sun was beginning to soften. The mountains reflected across the water and the air smelled like pine trees and summer. The view was gorgeous and Myah barely looked at it.

As soon as they got the supplies out of the car, she was already kicking off her shoes. Jace watched in delight as she shimmied out of her shorts and kicked them aside before grinning at him. Before he could say anything, she yanked her sweatshirt over her head.

Jace immediately forgot how breathing worked. Myah was wearing a dark red bikini. Her skin was somehow a perfect tan color, even though summer just started. Sunlight caught across her shoulders, highlighting little freckles that Jace had never noticed.