All-American Princess - Maggie Dallen Page 0,45

was doing—avoiding the question. Answering a demand for the truth with a question in return. It was hopelessly juvenile and totally telling. But I didn’t care. I was done trying to hide the truth.

“How do I know?” he murmured, his gaze softened by laughter and both of our lips tugging upward into a smile.

His nose brushed against mine. “Maybe because Brandon doesn’t know you like I do.”

“True,” I whispered. In that moment, I had the overwhelming sensation that no one had ever known me like this guy did.

“He doesn’t call you out on your crap,” he continued mildly, making me laugh softly. The laugh was replaced by a gasp as he pulled me up against his hard body and whispered in my ear. “And he doesn’t make you feel like this.”

I shivered as an aching desire spread through my core. My voice came out breathy and weak, but I still managed a retort. “My, my. Now who’s the conceited one?”

He leaned back and grinned down at me. “Complaining?”

I shook my head. “I like it.”

Oh, how I liked it. I loved the way he oozed confidence, how he walked through life with a strong mind and even stronger body. I loved his willful stubbornness and the way he never failed to challenge me.

Hell, I even liked the way he called me out on my crap, as he put it.

When he was around it seemed like maybe there was some good in the world. Maybe, just maybe, there was such a thing as heroes and knights in shining armor. He was the kind of guy a girl could lean on, maybe even trust.

He was good. Not nice, like Brandon, but good.

He was the kind of guy a girl could fall in love with when she wasn’t even looking.

I drew in a quick breath, startled beyond belief by that wayward thought. Love? Who was talking about love?

Not me. Definitely not me.

He leaned down until his forehead rested against mine, our breathing mingled, and the heat of our bodies seemed to fuse us together from head to toe. “Admit it,” he said softly. “You like me.”

I found myself grinning despite myself. Like. It sounded so lame, so infantile compared to what I felt around him. I twined my arms around his neck. “I’ll admit it,” I said. For a second, I forgot everything else but us in this quiet intimate moment. “I like you. I like who I am when I’m around you.”

He stiffened, and I tried to pull away because I’d admitted too much. I suddenly felt like I was standing there naked in front of him. But his embrace tightened, and I couldn’t pull away.

He kissed me hard and quick. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Don’t get used to it,” I muttered, but my tone lacked heat. I was covering up my embarrassment, that was all. I was trying to recover from that horrifyingly vulnerable moment that I couldn’t call back.

Tess knocked but didn’t wait to answer before coming in. I pushed against Jack’s chest, but he didn’t let me go instantly which meant I’d been caught with the wrong guy… again.

My sister arched a brow but didn’t say anything about the fact that we’d been caught in an embrace that was so clearly not platonic. Instead, she heaved a long sigh—one that spoke of endless parental patience. “Dinner’s ready, Dee.”

“Dee?” Jack said. Only Tess ever called me Dee, and only when she was treating me like a child.

“Delilah,” I muttered. I hated having to remind him of my name. It would make him think of my full name and why I was here. For a little while there, I’d let myself forget the mission, the goal, and what was at stake.

Jack shifted away from me, and I couldn’t quite bring myself to meet his eyes. Not with Tess watching me like that… like she knew. I felt his eyes on me too, and I didn’t know where to look.

He leaned in and lowered his voice as his hand brushed against mine. “Just think about what I said, okay?”

I nodded, and he walked away.

As if I could stop thinking about what he’d said. As if his words wouldn’t haunt me from now until the end of time.

Tess stayed silent in the doorway until the front door clicked closed behind Jack. “Everything okay?”

I nodded, already heading past her without meeting her eyes. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

Fifteen

Brandon

I never did confront my mom about Lila’s accusations. I didn’t have the