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Chapter Eleven
Jace
“B
ecause I’m trying to be honorable and stay away from my sister’s best friend.”
Our connection may be new, but it’s intense and I’m tired of pretending otherwise. With her this close, her scent curling around every part of me, the words pull from my lips on their own accord. The surrounding air is electric. How the fuck has this deep attraction laid dormant for all these years? Now, to suddenly want her more than my next breath, every day is a struggle.
“Jace, you ready?” Jasmine comes up behind us.
The flash of panic in Marisol’s eyes tells me she’s not as ready as I am to share our budding relationship with my twin, so I deliberately take slow precise step away. “Yeah. Ran into Mare and was saying bye.” As my scrutiny continues, her cheeks tint pink, instantly becoming my new favorite color.
“Hey,” Marisol shifts her bag, trying to refocus the awkwardness.
Jasmine’s smile grows. “I’ll call you tonight and we can go over the guys you want to set me up with.”
“Okay,” Marisol quickly agrees, relief clear in her tone that Jasmine doesn’t suspect anything from our odd behavior.
Since I’m preoccupied with all things Marisol at the moment, it takes longer to rationalize what she says. “What do you mean, guys she’s setting you up with?”
They both laugh, like what I said was the funniest joke.
“Waiting…” I say, glancing between the two.
“Jace, there’s nothing to worry about. She hasn’t found the right candidate.”
“Candidate? What?” What the hell are these two up to? I glare at my sister, using my don’t fuck with me expression.
“Marisol offered to find me a date for the dance. You know how I feel about those things. But she wanted me to go to this one, so I’m letting her pick the guy.”
“That’s not how it works, girls.” They both look at me like I’m an idiot. “Besides, I didn’t think you were serious. And who said you were going?” I realize then and I turn to Marisol. “And who are you going with?”
Both of them stare at me as if I’ve grown a second head. “Nobody,” Marisol answers, then smirks, “yet.”
I narrow my eyes at her. Over my dead body.
“Jeez, Jace, settle down. It’s a dance, not a wedding.” Jasmine lets out an exasperated sigh.
Suddenly, Jasmine is no longer my main concern as Marisol gets the brunt of my stare down, silently conveying wordless promises of possession.
She’s mine. And no one will escort her to any dance, unless that someone is me.
There’s only one problem… Can I encroach on the only friend my sisters ever had?
Did I want to take away the only person my sister has in her life that is solely hers? Margret is horrible. Our dad loves Jaz dearly, but that doesn’t replace the time he misses spending at work. She’ll always have me, but I’m her brother. Marisol is her best and only friend. Another person she enjoys hanging out with besides me. What if I mess up her bond? What would that do to my relationship with my twin? Are these consequences something I’m willing to risk?
I already know the answer to those questions before I step away from Marisol. The small distance between us catches her attention, and the hurt that flashes across her features spears me straight through the heart. She reads the decision on my face. I’ll do anything for my sister, including walk away from a connection I’ve never felt before.
“All right,” I say, lackluster. “We better get home and figure out what we’re doing for dinner.” I’ve got to get out of here. Her judging eyes are boring into me and I don’t think I can handle their intensity a moment longer.
“Okay.” Jasmine nods and turns to Marisol. “Bye. I’ll call you later.”
Marisol leaves us and walks out to the front parking lot, where most of the upperclassmen park. As Jasmine and I walk to the back parking lot, she slugs me in the shoulder.
“Ow! What the fuck was that for?” I ask, rubbing the offending body part.
“What the hell was that about?” Jasmine demands.
