Evanescent - By Addison Moore Page 0,92

cute while embroiled in her delusion.

I’ll apologize to you until I’m blue in the face for anything you want, I say. But I swear to you, Laken—you’re safe. You were never kidnaped, and I never knew you as any other person. I would never string you along in that way just to get you in my bed. I have far too much respect for you. I give a stern look, hoping she’ll read between the lines.

Laken tickles my ribs and laughs. And when you do apologize—she inverts her bottom lip and lets it out by way of her teeth—I suggest you get down on your knees and beg my forgiveness.

“I’ll get down on my knees a lot sooner than that and for entirely different reasons.” I blow it out like a promise before finding her lips with mine.

Laken and I are unified in soul and spirit with only one thing left for us to explore. I can’t wait to dive into Laken, love her with every ounce of strength my body can afford.

“I heard that.” She rattles my hand and gives an impish grin.

“I was hoping you would.” I bow down and meet her lips again. Laken blesses me with a careful kiss while soft moans of ecstasy escape her. But it’s the wall she’s putting up around her thoughts that makes me wonder what exactly it is she’s trying to hide.

Inside Henderson Hall, the party has gone from zero to superhero. Every comic book character known to geekdom has arrived in number and is trying out his or her dance moves while drunk off their asses.

“Everyone’s wrecked,” Laken shouts over the music.

I’d offer to take her to my room and ask her to help out with the hard-on blooming in my jeans, but she already mentioned Halloween wasn’t her holiday of choice for sleeping with me for the very first time. I still don’t believe she slept with Miles Richards. That guy gives assholes everywhere a bad name. There’s no way she would have slept with him in her right mind. Then again she did get tanked and entice the entire basketball team just in time to get herself kicked out of Rycroft. And I sort of find that hard to believe as well.

“Hey, Wes.” Kresley latches onto me, rolling her head back before walloping me with a wet, sloppy kiss.

“Geez.” I push her off. “What the hell happened? You guys dunk your heads in a vat of vodka?”

“Lighten up.” She cuts a hard look to Laken. “Looks like your little princess has you believing you’re too good for the rest of us now.”

“And what the hell are you supposed to be?” Laken examines her scantily clad leather and lace get up, her tall knee-high boots and vamped up makeup.

“A naughty witch.” Kres gets in her face and swivels her neck. “One who likes to hunt down vapid cheerleaders and feed them to her flying monkeys for breakfast.”

“Oh, I see. So you opted for no costume.” Laken is quick with the comeback. “Have you seen Hattie?” She cranes her neck in twelve different directions. I wonder if she’ll feel different about Hattie now that she’s been to the tunnels?

Hattie seems nice enough, but she’s a Celestra, and each one of them is a natural born enemy. It’s about time Laken starts to see things that way, too. Especially where Coop is concerned.

“Yeah, I did.” Kres exaggerates a sad face. “She’s upstairs with a noose around her neck—said she was going to do everyone a favor and hang herself at midnight.”

“I’d better find her.” Laken checks her phone before zipping it back in her skirt. “She really misses her family. This is all overwhelming for her.” She hikes up on the balls of her feet and presses a kiss against my lips. “Maybe we can hang out later? You can teach me a few tricks, and I’ll give you a treat.” She bats her lashes at me.

Holy shit.

I rattle out a dry laugh. “It’s on, girl.” I land my lips over hers and plunge my tongue into her mouth in one smooth move.

God, I love you, Wes.

I love you, too, Laken.

She darts off into the crowd as the strobe lights kick into high gear. Any second now I’m expecting half a dozen people to start in on seizures and truthfully their dance moves might improve.

“So how are things going with the two of you?” Kres stands next to me, pretending to people watch when we both know the only thing