entire
acting career hinges on the respite benefits she provides.
Laken’s face crumbles. Her perfect lips
twitch under duress for a moment before recovering.
“What a mess,” she whispers below the
music.
“What’s a mess?” I can guess, but I’d rather
not go there.
Laken looks up at me, her eyes filled with
sorrow.
“We are, Coop.” She strains the words
through hesitation. “I thought we had something. I thought maybe I
was wrong about Wes and me, that if he never came back—if he was
too far gone that it would be me and you.” Her eyes glitter in this
dim light. “But Grayson…” she shakes her head. “She’s beautiful.
You look good together, and by the way that makes me want to hurl.”
She sticks her tongue out playfully, and I suddenly want to catch
it with my teeth. A surge of adrenaline pushes through me at the
thought of Laken wanting me on some level—but Wes is the condition.
A part of me hopes he never gets his memory back.
“I guess I got caught up in the moment,” she
continues. “I’m sorry if I led you on. I never meant to do that.
And I would never expect you to wait around for me while I try to
figure things out.” She sniffs and gives a little shrug. “I care
about you, Coop. And if a little R and R with Grayson makes you
happy then that’s what I want for you.” Her voice breaks with that
last sentence. Laken’s chest quivers. She stands before me in her
Ephemeral-issued cheer skirt, her hair still high in a ponytail
with a bow on top. In a roundabout way Laken Stewart is breaking up
with me. She thinks I want Grayson and those overblown lips of hers
massaging me into a sexual euphoria rather than the perfection that
is her.
I’d like to tell her how I feel, but I
can’t. There aren’t enough words to describe these incredible
feelings. So I do the only thing I can—show her. I gently grab the
back of her neck and crash my lips to hers. Laken swipes her tongue
over mine, and I indulge in something far more primal, much more
intense and viral than I had ever hoped to achieve.
The world stops spinning. I’m having a
heightened sexual experience right here, in the middle of the
student body, through the portal of Laken’s mouth. My stomach
clenches as she pushes in deeper, and a moan vibrates from her
throat to mine.
Laken pulls back, her face red with shock.
She looks past my shoulder at the door, her fingers still
interlaced with mine.
Wes . Her chest heaves from the state
of nirvana we just launched ourselves into.
Laken hurls her open palm in my direction
and ignites a fire across my cheek.
“You bastard!” She screams it in my face
with her left hand still clutching mine.
See you at the ridge at midnight , she
says before taking off in Wesley’s direction.
My heart soars. That kiss personified
everything we could be—everything electric.
Wesley is the enemy, and Laken knows it.
She’s just using him in an effort to save our families. He’s a
necessary evil for the time being just like Grayson.
I watch as he ushers her out the door with
his hand firmly planted over the curve of her skirt.
She might be in Wesley’s arms for the next
few hours, but she’ll be in my bed tonight.
Wesley
My heart pounds against my chest like a
judge sounding a gavel. I’m fucking finished with Flanders. He
signed and sealed his death warrant tonight by ramming his tongue
down my girlfriend’s throat.
“Just get me out of here.” Laken chokes the
shit out of my hand like it was Cooper’s neck. And right about now,
I’m betting she wishes it were. “I want to go someplace to forget
about all this. Maybe Charity Lake? Or your room?”
A smile cinches up my cheek at the thought
of Laken being so ready and willing.
“Yeah,” I say, leading her outside. “I’ll
take you wherever you want.”
The stars spray out like an umbrella over
Ephemeral. It’s cold as hell with the frost already coating the
pines—the grass. A layer of mist seeps from the
acting career hinges on the respite benefits she provides.
Laken’s face crumbles. Her perfect lips
twitch under duress for a moment before recovering.
“What a mess,” she whispers below the
music.
“What’s a mess?” I can guess, but I’d rather
not go there.
Laken looks up at me, her eyes filled with
sorrow.
“We are, Coop.” She strains the words
through hesitation. “I thought we had something. I thought maybe I
was wrong about Wes and me, that if he never came back—if he was
too far gone that it would be me and you.” Her eyes glitter in this
dim light. “But Grayson…” she shakes her head. “She’s beautiful.
You look good together, and by the way that makes me want to hurl.”
She sticks her tongue out playfully, and I suddenly want to catch
it with my teeth. A surge of adrenaline pushes through me at the
thought of Laken wanting me on some level—but Wes is the condition.
A part of me hopes he never gets his memory back.
“I guess I got caught up in the moment,” she
continues. “I’m sorry if I led you on. I never meant to do that.
And I would never expect you to wait around for me while I try to
figure things out.” She sniffs and gives a little shrug. “I care
about you, Coop. And if a little R and R with Grayson makes you
happy then that’s what I want for you.” Her voice breaks with that
last sentence. Laken’s chest quivers. She stands before me in her
Ephemeral-issued cheer skirt, her hair still high in a ponytail
with a bow on top. In a roundabout way Laken Stewart is breaking up
with me. She thinks I want Grayson and those overblown lips of hers
massaging me into a sexual euphoria rather than the perfection that
is her.
I’d like to tell her how I feel, but I
can’t. There aren’t enough words to describe these incredible
feelings. So I do the only thing I can—show her. I gently grab the
back of her neck and crash my lips to hers. Laken swipes her tongue
over mine, and I indulge in something far more primal, much more
intense and viral than I had ever hoped to achieve.
The world stops spinning. I’m having a
heightened sexual experience right here, in the middle of the
student body, through the portal of Laken’s mouth. My stomach
clenches as she pushes in deeper, and a moan vibrates from her
throat to mine.
Laken pulls back, her face red with shock.
She looks past my shoulder at the door, her fingers still
interlaced with mine.
Wes . Her chest heaves from the state
of nirvana we just launched ourselves into.
Laken hurls her open palm in my direction
and ignites a fire across my cheek.
“You bastard!” She screams it in my face
with her left hand still clutching mine.
See you at the ridge at midnight , she
says before taking off in Wesley’s direction.
My heart soars. That kiss personified
everything we could be—everything electric.
Wesley is the enemy, and Laken knows it.
She’s just using him in an effort to save our families. He’s a
necessary evil for the time being just like Grayson.
I watch as he ushers her out the door with
his hand firmly planted over the curve of her skirt.
She might be in Wesley’s arms for the next
few hours, but she’ll be in my bed tonight.
Wesley
My heart pounds against my chest like a
judge sounding a gavel. I’m fucking finished with Flanders. He
signed and sealed his death warrant tonight by ramming his tongue
down my girlfriend’s throat.
“Just get me out of here.” Laken chokes the
shit out of my hand like it was Cooper’s neck. And right about now,
I’m betting she wishes it were. “I want to go someplace to forget
about all this. Maybe Charity Lake? Or your room?”
A smile cinches up my cheek at the thought
of Laken being so ready and willing.
“Yeah,” I say, leading her outside. “I’ll
take you wherever you want.”
The stars spray out like an umbrella over
Ephemeral. It’s cold as hell with the frost already coating the
pines—the grass. A layer of mist seeps from the
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