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My stomach jolted as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I couldn’t believe I’d just confessed that to Jayden, of all people. Blame it on the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Or the sugar. I couldn’t take it back now.
But when I glanced over at Jayden again, every cell in my body wished I’d glued my lips shut.
“She thinks you like me?” He stood up a little straighter, a cocky grin on his lips. His gaze searched my face. “And do you?”
I huffed. Playing dumb was my only option. “Do I what?”
“Amanda Hale.” He leaned down to look me straight in the eyes. “Do you like me?”
Unintelligible words fell out of my mouth as I tried to glare at him. They only served to make him grin harder. And when I glanced back over at the door, my heart nearly dropped to my feet. Audrey and Collin had turned into American Eagle and were headed straight toward us, their eyes scanning the clothing racks.
We had to get out of there, but I couldn’t see an escape. We were going to be caught any second now! But as Audrey picked up a pair of pants from a display, I got a wild idea.
“Come on.” I tugged on Jayden’s arm again and pulled him toward the women’s dressing rooms.
Luckily, there were no store associates or customers around when we darted inside. I directed Jayden into one of the small stalls on the right side and shoved him inside, bolting the door behind us.
“Are you seriously hiding me in here?” he asked, looking around at the clothes someone had left hanging on the hooks of the stall. A pair of jeans hung on one side and a neon pink bra on the other.
“Just until she’s gone,” I said, bouncing on my good foot. “Then, we can get out of here. Audrey hates clothes shopping. She probably won’t even try anything on.”
He raised his eyebrows and then shot me a devilish grin. “Or maybe, today is your lucky day. You get to be locked inside a closet with me once again. Hmmm...” He tapped the side of his chin. “What should we do to entertain ourselves?”
I knew where he was going with that, but it didn’t distract me from the sound of footsteps entering the dressing room. Panicked, I practically shoved him up against the wall and covered his mouth with my right hand. If he didn’t stop talking, whoever was coming in would discover us. And if it was Audrey, she would never let me live this down.
The sound of a door opening and shutting echoed in the quiet dressing room, followed by the shuffling of someone trying on clothes. My heart beat loudly as my eyes met with Jayden’s. He had finally stopped grinning and a little frown line had formed in between his eyebrows. Realization swept over me about what I was doing. I had Jayden pushed up against the wall, my chest pressed to his, and the heat from his body was currently radiating through my dress.
Never in my life had I been this close to a boy before. Not even at a school dance. Not even for the innocent kiss Jayden and I had once shared. I could feel his chest rise and fall against mine. Feel the hard muscles of his abdomen and inhale the sexy scent of his cologne. My gaze darted back and forth between his eyes as the panic in my gut was replaced with something that felt an awful lot like longing. He was watching me, too, his jaw muscles working beneath my hand. He blinked hard—and then something in the air between us shifted.
Suddenly, Jayden’s hands found the slight curve between my waist and my hips, causing a tremor to go through me. His fingertips pressed gently into my skin, his eyes burning with a heat that made me forget to breathe. Even as the sound of someone leaving the dressing room registered somewhere deep inside my brain, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Jayden’s face. He reached up with his left hand and wrapped his long fingers around my wrist, pulling away my hand that still covered his mouth, his warm breath caressing my skin.
And when he lifted that hand again to his lips to press a scorching kiss to my palm, my knees nearly buckled. I managed to stay upright, thanks to Jayden’s other hand still steady on my waist. I clung to him, needing more than anything to feel his lips somewhere other than just my hand. The hungry look in his blue eyes told me he needed the same thing.
I grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled it toward me, a voice inside my head telling me that I wouldn’t survive another minute if I didn’t melt into him now. I wanted him in a way I’d never wanted anyone before.
The sudden blaring ring of the cell phone in my purse shattered the moment like a brick falling through glass. I blinked several times, remembering where I was.
In a dressing room.
In the mall.
Hiding from my best friend.
With the boy I’d said was totally un-kissable.
I took a step back, putting as much space between us as the tiny dressing room would allow. Scrambling to get my cell phone out of my purse, I kept my eyes anywhere but on Jayden. The sound of blood rushing filled my ears, making it nearly impossible to think straight. And when I’d finally managed to answer the phone and put it to my head, my entire body felt like it was tomato red.
“H-hello?”
Charlotte’s voice came through the speaker. “I’m ready. Are you on your way home?”
“F-f-f-for what?”
I swear, this was the moment I crossed off spy as a future career option for me. I obviously couldn’t keep my cool in a tense situation.
“For the party.” I could practically hear the eye-roll through the phone. “You said you’d take me and I’m ready to go.”
I laughed nervously. “Oh, yeah. That. I’m leaving right now. Be there in a couple minutes.”
