Page 100 of Sweetheart

Actually, I realized, it looked they were in the middle of a serious discussion.

I stood there, shifting from foot to foot, unsure ofwhat to do. Did I play thepossessive girlfriend card, walk over there, ignore Brisa, and claim Sam's mouth like it was my property? Maybe I should step between them andwarn her to stay away frommy boyfriend? Neither option felt right. Mostly because this wasn't a cheesy rom-com, and people—and their mouths—weren't property. Not to mention the small, very significantdetail that Sam was not, in fact, my real boyfriend, and how close he stood to someone was none of my business.

I decided to text him.

Do you need rescuing?

There. That was light, casual, and left the decision up to him.

When Sam's phone pinged, he pulled it out of his pocket, looked at the screen…and a second later, the softest, most devastating smile crossed his lips.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

Depends. Are you the rescuer?

I grinned as I typed my reply.

Of course.

He texted back immediately.

Then yeah, girlfriend. I need you.

Those last three words gotmy feet moving before I'd fully decided to act.Brisa had just put her hand on Sam's arm.He didn't try to shake her off—or at least, it didn't look that way.I wouldn't be a jerk about it, but maybe I couldremind her of what she's missing.

That was part of the deal, I told myself.

Sam was doing an awesome job playing his part.

It was time for me to play mine.

"Hey, Bishop," I said, sidling up next to Sam, draping my arm around his waist, and gazing up at him."Did you miss me?"

"Always," he said.

As if we were perfectly in tune, I rose up on tip-toe, and he leaned down, our lips meeting in a kiss that made tingles race down my spine.It shouldn't have moved me so much. The kiss was quick, perfectly acceptable PDA, but as we broke apart our mouths clung to each other as if sad to let go.By the time we parted, I was slightly breathless, and Sam…

He was staring at my lips.

"I missed you too," I said quietly.

"That's nice to hear."

"Hmmm."

Ducking to kiss my cheek, his nose pressed in my hair, he whispered, "Thanks for the rescue, Kent."

Laughing lightly, I turned to face Brisa and said,"Oh hey, Brisa, how's it going? Are you ready for the festival?"

"Are you?" she retorted while running a hand through her hair. "You're the onePrincipalRochelle entrusted with all the power. Everyone else on council is basically just doingyour bidding."

"I'm sure it'll be a success.I've been working on this since last spring. Everyone will have an awesome time, and we'll raise a ton for the school."

She smiled brightly, flashing all of her teeth. "Well, ifit fails, we all know who to blame."

"I—"

"Cooper just walked in. Remember what I said."

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