again. This time it’s all for me.
“Not now.” Rex twirls me around so that he’s the one next to Savannah. “I need to talk to my little sis about a few things.”
Her eyes fill with instant rage at the idea of a rejection, and a tiny inkling of joy swims through me. Who knew watching WB’s best and not-so-brightest cheerleader experience her very first shutdown had the power to turn my mood around?
Savannah might have to face the fact she’s not finishing up this song with him, but, knowing my life, she’ll be finishing up the night with him.
Her girlfriends float up around her, and soon they’re swaying to the music right alongside us, glaring as if I’ve personally pissed into those glowing drinks in their hands.
“So, what’s the big family discussion about?” I’m still biting down that grin that’s dying to take over my face. Not only did Rex gift me the privilege to witness his obvious disdain for the queen of Whitney Briggs, but, as an added bonus, I had the opportunity to participate.
His chest expands, touching over mine. “About us.”
“Us?” Every cell in my body leans in to get a better gander at whatever is about to pop from his lips.
“Yes. In a few days, we’ll have to turn up the heat if we’re going to repulse our parents into rethinking their nuptials.” His Adam’s apple rises and falls as if whatever comes next has the power to rattle him on some level.
“Turn up the heat,” I say it right back like some robotic moron, but, the truth is, I’m too far gone, losing myself in those ocean deep eyes. I’m drowning, losing myself in Rex Toberman in the very worst way. Maybe it’s the frosty drink Cassidy poured down my throat, maybe I listened a little too long while Owen and Cade tried their best to sell me on the Rex Toberman lifelong commitment plan, or maybe it’s the fact that smelly alley cat and those stray kittens she flanks herself with are giving me the evil eye, but, God Almighty, all I want to do is test drive this boy’s lips. “How would we do that?” It comes out breathy as I hike up on my tiptoes.
Rex leans in. His lids hood low. His eyes glaze over as the smile dissipates from his face. “Like this.”
Rex lands his feather soft lips over mine and doesn’t pull away.
Dear God, he’s done it!
I press in, careful at first, then hard and demanding, not daring to open up and let him in, not daring to pull away and end this blissful moment either. A sharp electrical jolt travels from his mouth to mine, spraying throughout my limbs, through every muscle, bone, and nerve. This is explosive, unsettling in an earth-shattering way.
A series of gasps break out all around us.
“Holy shee-it!” That would be Cassidy.
“Eww, what the hell is wrong with you?” That would be Savannah. “That’s your freaking sister!”
The word sister circles around the dance floor as Rex presses his hand over the back of my neck, and we indulge in a meandering kiss that lights me up from the inside with an inferno that burns ten times hotter than the sun. The music comes to an abrupt end, and I pull back, gasping for breath, holding my hand over my mouth in horror.
Dear God, what have we done?
I scuttle backward until I’m swallowed whole by the crowd and find myself outside in the warm night air as the streetlights and the laughter from drunk girls slap me back to life. My feet keep moving until I’m running across the street and toward Cutler Tower.
What did I just do, and why the hell did I enjoy it so damn much?
Rex
“This is a bachelor pad if I’ve ever seen one.” Trixie balls her fists into her hips as she cranes her neck past me to the kitchen. I’ve just given both her and my father the grand tour. Knox has been here once before, on move-in day to be exact. First and last time. My brother and I haven’t fought too hard to mend that bridge we burned down years ago. “I bet the girls really love that big giant bed.” She sticks her finger down her throat and pretends to gag, and for a brief moment, I envision Scarlett on that big giant mattress, her dark hair flowing down her bare back, her tits pointed at me like an offering, her legs spread wide with promise—
“Get your head