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“How do you become part of the attraction?” Her long nails dig into the fabric of my suit jacket. “I have pretty good acting skills. I could totally pull it off.”
I’m too woozy to answer.
Before I can stop her, she touches my shirt.
When she removes her hand, her fingers come away red.
Fuck.
She stares at the blood for a beat. “Wow. This looks... real.”
Please think it’s fake.
She looks up at me.
“Can I ask you something?” Her voice is calm. Too calm.
“What?” I grit out, wanting this to be over with.
“Did you stab someone, or did someone stab you?”
2
CALLIE
If anyone asks me later how I met the hottest man I've ever seen, I’ll probably leave out the whole blood loss thing. Mostly because people get weird about blood.
My words still hang in the cool autumn air between us. “Did you stab someone, or did someone stab you?”
Instead of answering, he stumbles. Not a little. A lot.
His shoulder bumps mine hard enough that I nearly lose my footing.
“Whoa.” I wrap an arm around his waist before he face-plants onto the pavement.
He's solid. Like really solid.
“Come on,” I say, adjusting his massive weight against me. Hopefully he doesn't pass out. Or fall on me. Because if he does, I'm hitting the pavement and staying there. “We need to go.”
His head turns toward me. “...Where?”
“Someplace I can patch you up properly.”
His brows pull together. “Patch me up?”
“Mmmhmm.” I nod confidently. “You're lucky I took a first aid class.”
He stares at me. “...Where?”
“Lifeguard training. Summer after junior year.”
He keeps staring. Like I’ve suddenly morphed into an alien. Or maybe he just doesn't appreciate how difficult CPR is.
I duck beneath his arm and hook it over my shoulder. “Come on, hitman. Let's get you off the road.”
“I'm not—”
His words trail off as he sways. His knees buckle for half a second. The color drains from his face.
