“It’s still in place,” he murmured, sliding a lock of hair behind my ear. He let his fingers glide gently along my jaw and down my neck, following it with his eyes. I shivered under his touch and watched him roll his full bottom lip between his teeth. I nearly groaned out loud.

I’m losing it. I have a mangled eye, a splotchy face, no makeup, I’m sitting in a dirty school bathroom, and I’m getting turned on.

“You deserve so much better than this,” Brody whispered, cupping the side of my face. He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, eyes following. I let the tip of my tongue touch the pad of his thumb, and he groaned deep in his chest.

He moved in front of me so fast, I gasped. Grabbing my upper arms, he slid me across the tiled floor until I was sitting between his legs with my legs over his, wrapped around his waist. His hand traveled up my back, sliding under my T-shirt. I hummed at the feel of his skin against mine. His other hand cupped the side of my face, his fingers delving into the hair falling in front of my eyes, holding it back.

His eyes roamed from mine to my lips and back again. My breath was trapped in my chest. His touch made it impossible for me to breathe, and my chest burned. My heart pounded as though it were trying to breakthrough and hand itself it Brody, because at that moment, he surely held my heart in his hands.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed. Brody’s hand ran up and down my spine. My hands moved up his arms to his shoulders, and then my fingers sifted through his silky dark hair like I’d wanted to do so many times. Time and place melted away. We were no longer in a school bathroom, but encased in a solitary cocoon where we were the only two people alive.

Brody’s hand left my cheek and moved to cup the back of my neck, nudging me forward. He leaned his cheek to mine. I could feel his warm breath moving wisps of my hair. Turning slightly, he kissed my cheek, moving along my jaw to my ear, kissing the sensitive spot just behind my earlobe. My head started to swim, and a tremor ran through me.

“Brody,” I whispered so low I wasn’t sure if he heard me.

He pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. His breathing came in short gasps, his eyes closed. His fingers opened and closed around the hair at the back of my neck, gripping it tighter and tighter.

I knew the moment he decided. His breathing changed. His grip on my hair loosened. He splayed his hand between my shoulder blades. He groaned a curse, moving his mouth to mine. Pressing his lips to the corner of my mouth, he hesitated, giving me time to stop him, but my mind had been made up before that day. I knew if Brody Victor ever tried to kiss me again, I wouldn’t stop him. My body craved the taste of him and wouldn’t be satisfied until it had him—and even then, I knew one taste wouldn’t be enough.

He pulled back just far enough to move his blue eyes, dark with desire, to mine. Seeing his desire mirrored in my gaze, he leaned forward just as the bathroom door flew open, hitting the wall beside it with a crack before bouncing off.

“Oh, sorry,” a girl dressed all in black with blue hair said, looking down at us. “You know, there are better places to make out than the slimy bathroom.”

Scooting away, I stood, keeping my back to the girl. I didn’t need any reports getting back to Jaden of my bathroom tryst with Brody.

“Thanks,” Brody murmured, rolling off the floor. He placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me out the door.

I made it through the rest of the day without hiding in the bathroom. Brody and I never mentioned the best damn kiss that almost was.

When I left school that afternoon, Jenna, Tim, and Brody waited at my car. “What’s this? An intervention?” I asked, only half kidding.

“Today’s football practice,” Tim said, as if that explained everything.

“Yeah, and we’re taking you out,” Jenna chimed in.

“Where?” I eyed the three of them.

Jenna cringed. “It pains me to do this. I want that noted for the record. I’m only doing it because I’m awesome like that.”

“That goes without saying,” I said, pursing my lips to keep from smiling. Jenna was a diva of the highest form.

She gave an exaggerated sigh. “We’re taking you to the mall and buying you one of your damn T-shirts.”

“Really? I have the best besties in the world!”

“Yeah, yeah, it wasn’t my idea so don’t get your mush all over me. I still despise your shirts.”

I looked at Brody and smiled. “Thank you.”

“What?” he feigned innocence.

“I know it was your idea. Jenna hates the shirts. Tim has probably never paid enough attention to even realize I wear them—”

“Not true!” Tim said.

“That leaves you, Ace. The one person who’s told me they fit my personality. So, thank you.” I glanced around the parking lot to make sure we were alone and then stood on my tiptoes and kissed Brody’s cheek.

His hand glided over my hair when I kissed him. “Yeah, well, don’t go getting all girlie or anything.”

“I have some things I have to do first, so let’s meet in the food court in about an hour?” Jenna suggested.

We all agreed, and Jenna and Tim left for their cars. Brody held back. “What’s up?” I asked.

“Um, I was wondering if your parents would be home this afternoon?”

“My stepdad won’t be, but my mom probably will be home. Why?”

“Oh. I was thinking we could ride to the mall together. I could follow you home so you could drop your car off and we could take mine, but if your mom’s gonna be there it wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“No, it wouldn’t. Sorry. I would’ve liked riding with you.”

“Yeah?” He looked at me with a grin.

“Sure. Mall traffic is horrible this time of day.”

“Ha. Nice. Here I thought you wanted to spend time with me because of my charming personality, but you just want me for my superior driving skills.”

I laughed. “I’m a sucker for a guy who follows all the traffic laws.”

If you’ve ever seen yourself drive, you’d know why I want to ride with you. You ooze sexiness when you drive. I’m in so deep with you it’s pathetic, and you don’t have a friggin’ clue.

“Well, if you want, we can drop your car off at my house and leave for the mall from there. My mom won’t be home and even if she were, she wouldn’t care,” Brody said, leaning his back against my car door.

Alone. With Brody. At an empty house. With beds. No parental guidance whatsoever. What could go wrong? Yeah. I hope he has an unlimited supply of condoms. Jeez, Willow, get your mind out of the gutter… or the bedroom—whichever. It’s no different from being alone with him in a parked car in the middle of a field after dark. Except this time, there’ll be beds. Nice, soft, beds. I should tell him no.

“Sure. That sounds great.” I smiled.

I’m so going to Hell for sexual immorality.

I followed Brody to his house. When we pulled into the drive, I got out of my car and went to Brody’s Jeep. He got out, and I thought he was just coming around to open my door for me like always. No such luck. Ugh.

“You want to go in and get something to drink? We have time before we need to meet Tim and Jenna.”

“Um.” I looked at the door and then back to the jeep, twisting my fingers in front of me. “Okay.”

Oh, no. This is so bad. We should leave now and get something to drink at the mall… where there aren’t any beds and there are lots of people around. Not here, where we are alone, with beds in the house. Why can’t I stop thinking about the damn beds? I’m starting to sound like a hussy scoping out the beds.

“You’re sure your mom won’t mind us being here alone?”

Brody inserted the key into the house’s door and unlocked it. “I don’t remember saying that exactly. It’s not like I’m going to call her up and tell her I have a girl alone in the house. I just said she wouldn’t mind you parking your car here while we went to the mall. Slight difference.”