Page 108 of Wonderstruck

As the music faded, Bindi and the others huddledtogether, squealing with joy as they tugged me in, their laughter bubbling over. One by one, the others disappeared into the shadows of the arena. I lingered, savouring the last flicker of adrenaline, the lingering heat of the lights on my skin.

I turned, ready to go and find Daisy afterabandoning her, but before I could take a step, a firm tug on my arm stopped me. I stumbled slightly, caught myself, and then found myself face-to-face with Finn.

Holy…

I’d never seen his eyes this bold before. This…green.

He looked down at me, cheeks painted scarlet, asthose eyes burned into mine, searing and relentless. “What the hell was that?” His arm shot back toward the stage, his voice sharp enough to cut. “What were you doing up there?”

I tilted my head, letting my smile stretch intosomething sweetly venomous. “Dancing. Is that okay with you?”

His eyes narrowed, his frustration palpable.“Don’t. You know exactly what I’m pissed about, and it’s not the dancing.”

“Do I?” I arched a brow, yanking my arm out of his grip, my voice laced with mock innocence. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go find—Finn!”

His hand caught my arm again, firmer thistime—not enough to hurt, but enough to tell me that this conversation wasn’t over. With a quick tug, he steered us toward the edge of the seating area, into a shadowed stone walkway that offered just enough privacy for whatever confrontation he was gearing up for.

I ripped my arm free as soon as we were hidden,crossing my arms and squaring my shoulders. “Have you lost your mind?” My voice was clipped, my patience unravelling by the second.

He turned to face me fully, his chest, inches frommine, heaving like he was barely holding himself together. “Tell me why you went up there wearing his jersey.Hisjersey, Rory. Do you have any idea how that—” He stopped, dragging a hand through his hair, the movement almost desperate.

“How that what?” I shot back, every soft-spokenpart of my voice gone. “Upset you? Embarrassed you?” Each word hung in the air like a dare, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might crack my ribs. “I thought it was only fair to make you feel exactly how I did when I heard girls bragging about their friends banging you last year.”

His mouth fell open, and the fire in his eyesdimmed to something softer, almost disbelieving. “What?”

“Oh, I heard it all,” I snapped. “Gretchen,Gracie—half the damn sorority house, it seems like.” I shook my head, my laugh bitter and humourless. “But according to you, you were scared. So scared of being with me that you just had to run into their beds instead—”

“Rory—”

“Don't.” I cut him off, my voice shaking but steadyenough to land every word. “Don’t you dare stand there and act like the victim again.” I raked my fingers through my damp curls, trying to keep myself from breaking under the weight of it all. “Was it all bullshit? What you told me at Goldie’s party? Is that your sob story you use to trick girls into bed with you?”

His jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides.“That’s not fair.”

“No, Finn. What’s not fair is you playing withmy feelings, ignoring me when it suits you, leaving me to blame myself, and then getting mad when I finally learn the truth.That’snot fair.”

He stepped closer, shortening the already tightdistance, his voice lowering, quieter but filled with no less rage. “I didn’t lie to you, okay? I wasn’t honest about what I did last year, I’ll scream that from the rooftops, but everything I told you about my dad—about why I couldn’t be around you—that was the truth, Rory. I swear.”

I scoffed, but my throat tightened, threatening tobetray me. His words sounded sincere, raw even, but how many times had I thought the same, only to be left feeling like this?

“It didn’t mean anything,” he said, his voicesteady, but his eyes were searching mine—wild, almost desperate. As though he could see me slipping away. “What I did last year, it didn’t mean anything. I didn’tfeelanything. Because I didn’t let my heart get involved. I didn’t want it involved… because I was still wrapped up in you.”

I shook my head, my curls bouncing. “I find thatvery hard to believe.” My gaze dropped for a split second, catching on the jersey clinging to my body, and then I lifted my eyes to meet his. Still fiery green. “Why do you even care whose name I wear? Whose number? If you’re so scared to be with me, then why do you care?”

“Believe me, when your ex-boyfriend’s fuckingname is suddenly on your back?” He looked me up and down, his gaze undressing me with such intensity it left me breathless. “Colour me intrigued.”

I shouldn’t want his hands on me. Ireallyshouldn’t want to put my hands onhim. But seeing him like this—so possessive, so torn up over another man’s name on my back—I couldn’t help but ignore every instinct I had to stay away.

His eyes flickered to mine again, the green of them burning with something dangerous. “Take it off.”

My heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught inmy throat as I shook my head. “You're crazy.”

He moved toward me, his chest brushing againstmine, as his hand slid under my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Take. It. Off.”

I swallowed hard, my pulse hammering. “I…” I swallowed. “I’ve got nothing on underneath.”

His thumb slid over my jaw, the delicate touchsending a shockwave through me. “That’s fine by me.”

The heat between us was almost suffocating,palpable in the little space that remained between us. I was furious with him, but still, I wanted nothing more than to do exactly what he said. I’d happily take it off if it meant not denying that this was what I wanted.

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