Page 30 of The 13th Daughter
I groaned. Damn that nosy old woman!
"So, dish, girl. Is he a good kisser?"
"He makes me forget where I am," I confessed. I wasn't really sure I liked that fact.
"Billy does that to me," she smiled. "I've never met anyone who could do that before."
"He really loves you. He went so far as to ask me what to get you for your birthday."
"Ohhh, what did you tell him?"
"Uh-uh," I shook my head. "It's a surprise."
She sighed. "Since I know you're not going to divulge secret information, back to Ethan. Do you like him?"
"More than I should. He makes me so mad sometimes, but then he says or does something that just makes me melt."
"I think you're starting to fall in love, CJ," Kay whispered.
"I think maybe I am," I sighed.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"I don't know, Kay. It just seems too soon, too sudden. I thought love was supposed to take longer."
"Nope," she said. "I knew I loved Billy after three dates."
"How?" I asked, curious.
"Well, the way I felt when he kissed me was a huge sign. When I think about him, I get all...gooey on the inside. I need to hear his voice when I wake up or before I go to sleep. He makes me feel special and loved. No one else ever has. Usually guys just want to go out with me because they think I'm hot or because my dad's the Coven leader. Not Billy. He likes me, CJ, for me. He sees past the drinking and the smartass attitude. He sees me."
"Damn."
"Ethan makes you feel the same way?" she grinned down at me as we approached the boys from behind. We'd made a full circle of the clearing as we talked and were back to where we started.
"Yup."
"I can't believe you did it, man," Billy told Ethan. "I didn't think anyone would ever manage to get her to come anywhere near the Coven."
I saw Ethan shrug. "I told you I'd get her here and I did. You guys went about it the wrong way. You have to know how to handle Cassie."
Handle Cassie? What the hell?
"You can't push her. You have to let her make the decision on her own. All I did was just point out a few things to make her think about it."
Jeff looked up and saw us standing behind Ethan and Billy. "Well, you did promise to get CJ here. Was it hard to do?"
"No," Ethan shook his head. "I just kept her distracted like Billy suggested and asked the right questions."
Billy reached out and slapped him on the back. "Welcome to the Coven, man. You did the impossible and earned your place."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kay shouted, outraged.
Billy and Ethan turned around to see us standing there. They both looked alarmed, but Jeff stood with a vindictive smile on his face. Wait. Had he known what Ethan and Billy were up to? My eyes narrowed as they focused on Neighbor Boy. His smile faded and he too began to look alarmed, realizing how much trouble he was in.
Had this entire week been about getting me to a stupid Coven meeting so he could prove something to the two jerks standing beside him? Had everything he said just an hour earlier been a lie? It hurt to think that, but it also pissed me off. Anger was easier to deal with at the moment, so I let it out.
"So, let me get this straight," I snarled and the wind started to howl. It ripped through the trees and whipped around us. "You were manipulating me to get me to come to a damn meeting? Is that right?"
