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The fiend!
What if I do kiss him though?
Whoa. What?
I’ve been running crazy all night. I can’t think straight anymore.
So… What’s a tiny little kiss on top of everything that’s happened so far?
Pulse racing, I stand on my toes and press my lips to his.
Jace flinches away and stares at me. My face floods with scorching heat. He asked me to be his rebound, not anything else, but when I’m with him, I lose control and make the worst of choices.
I step away. That is, I try to. Somehow, Jace’s arm found its way around my side without me noticing.
“FYI,” he says, his voice rough, and clears his throat. “I never kiss on the first date.” A ridiculous, almost nervous smile takes over his face. Although I have no idea why I’d think it’s nervous. Jace Blackmore is anything but.
“Are you complaining?” I push him away.
“No. I’m happy to make an exception for you.” He chuckles and reels me back by the hem of my shirt to deliver a careful kiss on my temple. “Good night, Laurel. And I like your plan. Let’s do that song. No Vipers though. I will have no snakes around my girl or my music. Not again.” He climbs into his car and winks at me before driving away.
Track 13
The Sound of Wings Unfurling
Laurel
What. Just. Happened?
Dizzy from clashing thoughts and emotions, I run around the house, to the side where the bricks protrude just right, the vines are strong, and the loft window isn’t latched. My mom likes to relax in the evenings with a drink and a show while the breeze from the open window teases the curtains. It won’t be the first time I’ve used that route. When it feels like my family is watching me a little too closely, that’s how I sneak out. Jonas knows I do it. There isn’t a corner in our mansion without cameras watching, apart from the bedrooms, but he keeps quiet about my schemes and where I hide. That scores him a lot of points with me.
But I wait to climb the wall. The irony doesn’t escape me. I am climbing the walls. I have no idea how to process my last encounter with Jace. I laugh quietly at my craziness and go still as soon as I remember the sensation of Jace’s lips on mine. Well, I remember that I kissed him, but I pulled away so quickly, I’m not sure what it felt like. Warm? Soft? Pleasant? Disgusting?
Not disgusting. Not at all. My mouth tingles, hating me for the briefness of contact. Sucking in my lower lip, I long for a hint, a lingering taste of him, but that kiss was so fast, the speed of light was envious of me. I press my fingers to my temple. That kiss lasted longer, and I can still feel the tender pressure of it. Jace can be tender? My whole body, not just my knees, is weak from that notion.
I’ve agreed to date him. No one will believe it. Of all people out there, I said yes to him. I’ve known him less than a week, now suddenly he’s my boyfriend. Of sorts. Jace needs me for a show.
I do like you.
I’m way too easy.
With my remaining strength, I scale the wall and shimmy inside. My parents’ voices float from the stairway, ushering me to run and duck into my room. I flatten myself on the floor, needing a moment to breathe, and press my fingers to my lips.
“Did he kiss you?” Hal’s voice sounds from my bed. He’d better not have been watching us.
No. He didn’t. I kissed him. No one would believe that either.
“From now on, you and your busybody nose are forbidden to come in here,” I grumble.
“Busybody! When have I ever gossiped about you?”
Earlier today at his shop, but I don’t answer him, pretending to be asleep. It’s not that hard. My awareness is dimming with every passing second.
“You’re glowing,” Hal says.
“You could’ve told my parents I was okay and spared giving Jonas an excuse to go berserk.” The man isn’t meant for the relatively quaint existence of a celebrity bodyguard.
“They knew. Do you honestly think Jonas wouldn’t have set out to find you after you didn’t answer your phone a few times? You said so yourself. You had your watch. He knew where you were from the start.”
