while hopping around on a crutch, but after Sri Lanka—I had no desire to pull on cargos for a long time. Besides, May was one of only three months in Boston when I could wear something that wasn’t seven layers thick.
Doppelganger-Matt smirked at the self-conscious reaction. I stopped fighting with the skirt and decided to play. Putting my hand on his waist as if to steady myself, I fluttered my lashes. “Maybe I’m wearing it to get a date. Know anyone who’d want to… dance with me?”
His eyes narrowed. The bell rang. Students rushed into class around us.
I pushed away from him and reached for my crutch. “Time to go.”
“I don’t think so.” He caught my wrist, his brows set in a deep V across his forehead. Before I could do more than squeak, he picked me up, as the crutch swung wildly in the air.
“W-what are you doing?” I sputtered.
“Calling your bluff.” Doppelganger-Matt carried me a few steps to a closed door on the wall next to us. A placard on the door designated it as the student store. He leaned my back against the door as he twisted the knob. It opened. I felt pretty sure he used magic, but I didn’t see the telltale green spark to absolutely confirm him as Vane.
As soon as we crossed the threshold, he kicked the door shut, flipped the light switch, and set me down. Under the dim yellow of a single overhead bulb, he stared at me. The student store was actually a converted walk-in closet. I leaned heavily on my crutch and listened to the loud sound of my labored breathing in the enclosed space.
Doppelganger-Matt’s eyes glittered with some unnamed emotion. From the rapid way his chest rose and fell, I couldn’t tell if he was simply pissed or far beyond pissed. Not that he had a real reason to be.
He said silkily, “So you want to dirty dance with Merlin?”
Merlin. I almost laughed. His eyes may have been amber, but the green flame of jealousy couldn’t be hidden. Metaphorically and literally. At the thought, more nervous laughter bubbled up inside me. I tried to squelch it, but my lips twitched.
“Are you laughing at me?” Doppelganger-Matt scowled.
I giggled. “A little—”
I never finished the thought. He yanked me to him. I dropped the crutch. His mouth swooped down on mine. The kiss, layered with hunger, half-punished and half-begged. I tasted the rage of a turbulent ocean. Unlike Matt’s scent of fresh soap, Doppelganger-Matt wore cologne. Dark wood mingled with coarse tobacco—it was uniquely Vane. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on. Even though I responded, the kiss wasn’t gentle. He moved away from the door. Without breaking contact, he adjusted my legs to wrap around his waist and carried me a few feet to the cashier’s stand.
My pulse beating to the pounding rhythm of a DJ’s thumping dance mix, I tongued him with every ounce of breath I had. When he lifted his head, I moaned in protest.
His lips grazed the pulse throbbing at my neck. Teeth bit the spot lightly. “Do you know how badly I want you?”
He leaned away to reach under the cash register, yanking out a condom. My eyes went from the shiny wrapper to the shelf behind his head. Beside an array of candy bars, white notebook paper, and baseball hats, a baby’s bib hung from a hook. The words “AC High” had been embroidered on cute white terry cloth.
The fog of hormones clouding my brain evaporated, and it all became too real.
Doppelganger-Matt’s styled hair had become shaggy under the ministrations of my desperate fingers. Brown waves fell over his face. Still it was Matt’s face. Amber eyes, Matt’s amber eyes, locked on mine. But I didn’t want Matt.
Doppelganger-Matt pushed the hair back from my face. He traced the line of my jaw. Our lips met again in a gentle press. Not content, his mouth devoured mine. With a silent gasp, I closed my eyes and pictured Vane. His tongue explored my mouth sending little shivers of electricity through me. Heat pooled between my legs. My chest burrowed into his, strong arms tightened around me, arching me against him.
From the way my body throbbed for a release, I was tempted to allow the charade to continue. As messed up as it was, it would be so easy to let him pretend. Dealing with Monster-Vane was complicated. This way, we could ignore the problems between us. We could simply be a boy and