Page 44 of Love Me

“You’ve never tried it before.”

“Shut up already.”

When we reach the shooting range, we spend hours bickering about who got better shots, while people watch us as if we’re crazy.

This has always been our way of having fun.

We pin the targets next to each other, accepting neither of us won.

On the way back to the car, I say, “Thank you. I needed that.”

“Now, go back. We have a mission to complete.”

“It’s all about that, isn’t it?”

“Our legacy, now deal with it.”

“Shut up. You make it sound as if I am bailing or something.”

We park in front of a diner on campus.

My calmness flies with light speed when I see Kaden surrounded by a group of guys and a blond girl brushing her arm on his in a booth.

After he kissed me.

“I haven’t seen that look before, but it looks reckless, so stop,” Hunter tries to reason with me.

In vain. Not even a black hole could hold me back. I paste on a fake smile and interlace our fingers.

Hunter shakes his head at me. “Your hands are clammy.”

“Jeez. Thanks.”

“It feels slippery, just like your control when it comes to him.”

“Shut up already.”

“If your grin gets any brighter, your mask might crack.”

Hunter smiles at me as if feeling nothing less than pure adoration. He kisses my temple, and I snuggle into him.

Kaden’s intense gaze sears me, heating me from within.

When I pass his table, I tip his glass of beer with my fingers. The contents spill onto his lap and the girl shrieks.

Kaden grabs my hand and says, “Apologize. You wasted a perfectly good beer.”

“Hey, it’s all over me too,” the girl whines, pouting at him.

I don’t know why, but his referring to the beer and not her instantly soothes the inferno inside me.

She plays with a strand of her bleached hair, all flirty and starry-eyed, voice dripping with innuendo, “Kaden, would you take me to my house? I need to change.”

I stomp on his shoe, and he chuckles. He fucking chuckles.

Hunter whispers, “Your feelings are showing.”

Feelings. I am one second away from dragging Kaden to hell and asking the devil himself to trap me with him so I can punish him repeatedly for breaking his vow.

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