Page 70 of The Jack*ss in Class

“Unbelievable,” Flynn muttered. “Cockblocked by a donkey. What do you even call that? Donkblocked?”

Heat rushed to my face at his blunt assessment. “Flynn.”

“What? It’s true.” He shook his head, smiling despite his obvious frustration. “This guy is definitely jealous.”

The donkey snorted, apparently satisfied now that he had reclaimed my attention. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Puck had enchanted my little donkey friend to act up just now. Which, honestly, I needed the respite. I felt more like a drunken midsummer’s night reveler than anything else.

And I didn’t know how to do this. Any of it.

If anyone could talk me through how the hell to act around guys, it was my sorority sisters. I needed that talk sooner rather than later. Definitely before any kind of date, or any sort of kissing. Even if I did want to know if his beard would feel scratchy or soft on my skin. Would I get beard burn? “I’m gonna take a rain check on that lunch. I’ve got some, umm, sorority stuff to take care of.”

He studied me for a moment, then stepped aside and motioned me toward the gate that led out of the yard. Flynn opened it, carefully blocking the donkey’s line of sight. Before I could react, he pressed a quick, soft kiss to my forehead.

“Just so we’re clear,” he murmured against my ear, “I’m not giving up that easily. Not even for a jealous donkey.”

The warmth of his breath sent shivers down my spine, and I found myself leaning toward him again.

“And just so we’re clear,” I whispered back, surprising myself with my boldness, “I might not want you to give up.”

Holy. Shit. I couldn’t believe I just said that out loud.

His smile was brighter than the late February sun overhead, and for a moment, I forgot about all the reasons this was a bad idea. My secret career, his future in the League, our completely different worlds.

The fact that I’d never in my life had a boy, or a guy, or...a man pay this kind of attention to me, ever, had me more than flustered. I didn’t know how to feel or what to think.

The fact that I’d never been kissed.

I drove home, my skin still tingling from that little peck on the forehead. Something fundamental had shifted between us. A line had been crossed, even without the kiss the donkey had so effectively prevented.

And despite all my careful plans and compartmentalized life, I wasn’t sure I wanted to step back to the other side.

“He almost kissed you?” Parker shrieked when I recounted the story to her. “And then the donkey interrupted? And then he kissed you but on the forehead? That’s some romance-novel-level drama right there.”

“It wasn’t that dramatic,” I protested, though my racing heart disagreed. “And it was just a moment.”

“A moment that involved Flynn Kingman, campus heartbreaker, looking at you like you hung the moon.” Sheflopped back on her bed. “Face it, Tempest. You’re the heroine of your own romance novel now.”

Was I? You’d think I’d know how to act and what was supposed to come next if that was the case.

My agent chose that moment to light up my secret phone again.

Gloria Horne: FlixNChill execs confirmed for March 15-17 in LA. Need you to confirm ASAP.

Spring break. Right when I could plausibly get away without raising suspicion.

Right when things with Flynn were getting complicated. Not like I thought he and I were going to spend spring break together or something.

I stared at the text, feeling the weight of my separate lives pressing in. The practical, serious student who made her mother proud. The secret romance author on the verge of her big break. And now, apparently, the girl who caught Flynn Kingman’s interest despite all odds.

Something had to give. I just wasn’t sure what, or who, I was willing to sacrifice.

And for the first time in as long as I could remember, I didn’t want to give up any part of me. I didn’t want to hide, I didn’t want to have a mask. Not with him anyway.

The rest of the world was another story.

THE STARS SMILE DOWN

FLYNN

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