Page 160 of Dark Endures

“You’re trying awfully hard to convince yourself of that fact. But it sounds a lot like a lie to me.”

“But we agreed.”

“I agreed to be your date anytime, anywhere.”

My date.

Kiss.

Fake.

Kiss.

Real.

Kiss. I can’t bear this torment anymore. It’s just too much. I reach up and shove my hands into his thick hair and pull down until our lips meet.

It’s not a soft brush of lips. I hit him with all the emotions that have been plaguing me for weeks, and I don’t let go until my body needs to breathe.

He recovers faster than I do. “See now, that was an okay first kiss.”

Okay? He just said the kiss was okay!

If I could breathe, I’d kill him.

“Let me show you how to kiss for the first time.” His lips land on mine, and the world flickers. I was right, Maddox's kisses could lead to the steamiest affair.

The world flickers again.

He leans back, holding me so I don’t fall over from lack of oxygen or shock… maybe both.

“Did that feel fake?”

Huh?

“Mindy, I’m going to need a verbal response to that question. Did anything about that kiss feel fake?”

“No.” My breathless voice would be embarrassing if I could think about anything but the next time I’m going to kiss him.

“Good. Now that we’ve got that settled—”

“Settled?”

“We aren’t fake dating. Everything about us is real. And I want you to recognize that, regardless of what your mother thinks.”

“Real.”

“Very.” He leans down and kisses the top of my lips briefly.

“Very real? If this is real, that means—” Who needs to breathe? I pull his lips down to mine again.

The Rehearsal

Mindy

My dress wasn’t formal enough. When Mom said formal, I was thinking a fancy cocktail dress, not a full-on gown with diamonds. But everyone else got the message loud and clear. It’s like we’re at a grand ball and not a rehearsal dinner.

“What did I get us into?” I lean over and whisper in Maddox’s ear.

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