that Jane had told me about their brother’s death. It’s obviously a forbidden subject, yet I went and blurted it out. Fuck me.
Now Troy is acting cagey and moody. His sullen disposition is not only ruining what I was hoping would be an awesome day, but it’s also making me feel horrible.
My chest is tight as I imagine what it must have been like for him to lose his brother at such a young age. My thoughts predictably wander to Ben and how I spent my entire life terrified something would happen to him. My concerns haven’t lessened as we’ve grown older—if anything, they’ve increased—but I’m better at hiding my protectiveness for Ben’s benefit. What I confessed to Troy on our date—my crippling fear that prevented me from applying for the exchange program—is something I’ve never told anyone, not even Blake.
When the sign for Golden Oaks comes into view, I let out a breath of relief. Hopefully, Ophelia, with her quirky sense of humor and no-bullshit attitude, will be able to get Troy out of his funk.
As I predicted, the place is full, but we’re not so late that we can’t find a parking space. I snag a spot as far away as possible from the main entrance. It’s tight, and if my car were any bigger, it wouldn’t fit. I turn off the engine and glance at Troy with a small smile on my lips.
“Ready?”
He looks at me, his expression unreadable. My grin wilts as I’m blasted by his cold stare. I begin to turn, but he swings his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him. His mouth slams over mine, rough and desperate. Wow, the boy is intense. I’m swept away by the passion of his kiss, melting against him. When it seems I’m about to combust on the spot, he pulls back suddenly, leaving me bereft and also so aroused.
Ah shit.
“Okay, now I’m ready.” He smirks and then opens the passenger door.
Sweet baby llamas. I can barely think straight after that kiss, and he expects me to get out of the car and walk? I don’t even know if I can move my legs.
I pull the vanity mirror down and check my reflection. My lips are swollen, and my light pink lipstick is smeared. I can’t go in like this. I search for tissues in the glove compartment, but before I can actually fix my makeup, Troy opens my door.
“What are you doing, babe?”
I whip my face to his. “Fixing this.” I point at my mouth.
He chuckles, and immediately, my irritation dissipates. I love when he laughs. My heart does a cartwheel, and a fuzziness in my tummy makes me feel strange. All because I used “love” in a thought about Troy. Does that mean I’m in love with him? My heart skips another beat as an answer. My brain freezes, and a gasp escapes my lips.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his tone filled with concern.
Like a moron, I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”
Troy keeps staring intensely at me. It doesn’t help that my face feels warm, which means my cheeks are giving away my embarrassment. I quickly wipe off the lipstick and slide out of the car. He immediately places his hand on my lower back, sending ripples of heat up my spine and through the rest of my body.
Charlie, control yourself. You spent the night and morning fucking his brains out.
My inner pep talk does little to help me. It actually makes me even more hot and bothered. It won’t do to walk into Golden Oaks like this. I have to start thinking of something completely unsexy to rescue my mind from the gutter.
I can’t think of anything.
“I forgot to ask, what’s going on with the prank we’re going to pull on Andy? You didn’t forget, did you?” Troy asks, saving me from myself.
“Shit. I kinda did. Let me text Fred real quick.” I fish my phone out of my purse and send him a message.
I don’t expect him to reply right away—it’s too early for him—so when my phone pings with a reply, I’m shocked.
“What did he say?” Troy leans closer, peering at my screen.
“Hey! Stop peeking at my private messages.” I push him off, pretending to be offended.
“Do you want me to start developing jealous boyfriend tendencies? Because I will if you start sending private messages to your buddies.”
I glance at him, dreading to read truth in his statement. But Troy’s eyes are dancing with amusement, and his lips are upturned.