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"It’s bad ti to do with you"

"Oh, please," Liz said, shaking her head and starting to walk again "Its having nothing to do with rabbed her ar you as his best friend that he likes you Reether? He’s not like that with soet another drink and cal soh, "but not until last night"

"And asn’t I inforht back out, and he wanted you here"

"Well, at least he knowsan arhed and shook her head "No I don’t think I can do that I can’t stand around and watch him with her" She brushed his hand off of her shoulder and started walking toward the door She had fallen hard for Brady Maxwell, but he couldn’t parade that wo her the truth, not being up front with her, when he de after her "Don’t leave"

"I have to He doesn’t take this seriously"

"He’d be stupid not to take you seriously after that last co with him?"

"He’s my best friend Look, just come with me for a minute" Chris reached out and stopped her "Don’t leave yet"

"Chris, coo"

"One ru "Fine Where are we going?"

"So toward the back wall

"For what?"

"Just act natural"

Liz shrugged and decided to see where he was taking her It was better than sticking around the party and watching the stupid beauty-pageant chick follow Brady around like a lapdog

They walked through a door on the other side of the rooh a service hallway They turned a corner and Chris jiggled the handle to the first door on the right It twisted and pushed inward Liz peered around him and saw that he had opened a door into a fa her arms over her chest

Chris looked up and down the eo inside Brady will meet you in a minute"

"In a bathroo at the door

Liz looked at him as if he were mentally insane, but walked into the bathroom and shut the door She felt really ridiculous She was standing in a bathroom, for Christ’s sake Who did this? What if Brady left her in there all night? Not that she would stay longer than like fifteenevenso to flaunt someone else around in front of her the whole ti anyone else to get their hands on her, he had the audacity to shoith soet her hands on hi her even more riled up And she didn’t want to calm down

The door handle rattled as someone wrestled with the stuck knob It popped open a second later and Brady stood silhouetted in the doorway Alone

Liz sry and wiped it away He moved inside quickly, shut and locked the door He took one look at her before crossing the s the breath right out of her Her eyes closed for a second as he took as his He was thesubstance on the planet Their kisses were like fire scorching through a burning building--hot and destructive

She didn’t want him to stop She couldn’t possibly want that She wanted to do this for the rest of eternity Who cared if he burned a hole right through her heart?

Then she came to her senses, and she pushed him back with every ounce of force She probably didn’thim made him stumble a few feet backward

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" Brady asked

"Stopping you"

"What have you been doing since you got here?"

"What have I been doing?" she asked, her eyes going wide

"Yes What have you been doing? Flirting witha scene when I co with you?" he demanded

"I’m not sure I can even justify that with an answer!" she said, shaking her head

"Is this because of Aether Did you forget that I’ruffly

"How could I possibly forget?" she de like you have I thought you knee were doing" He clenched his hands into fists

"That’s right What ere doing," she said, trying to brush past hiet to the door

"What the fuck does that rabbed her by the ar e started out doing anyirl who youup into his dark, intense eyes

"You’re not leaving, Liz," he told her She arched an eyebroondering whether he was daring her "I don’t want that girl I want you Do you hear er deflate at his words She kneasn’t enough for thee the course of their relationship But it was so; it was a start

"I want you too," she whispered in the silence

Brady’s lips found hers again, soft and war to kiss the life out of her; he was just kissing her The woman he wanted