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"Two?" He wouldn’t look at me "Ah, I know it had to be more than that"

"Had to be?" My voice squeaked as a different kind of eht clearly, Jase You barely drank two beers You were not drunk"

Jase didn’t say anything, but his jaorked like he was about to crack his h, but clai he was drunk? That was the worst kind of rejection

"You’re basically saying you wouldn’t have kissed ?" I slid off the fence and faced hie to plant my fist in his stomach He opened histo you?"

His head swung towardthe hue "That’s not what I’ht it wasn’t gross!" There were a lot of moments in my life when Cam would tell me that I didn’t have the co up to be one of those moments "You kissed me You touched me You said I had no idea what I made you--­"

"I knohat I said" His eyes flashed an angry quicksilver now He looked race that was als It had to have been the beer, because there is no other reason why I would’ve done or said any of those things!"

A red-­hot burn replaced the hurt My hands closed into fists No--­no way did two beers ht You’d been in full control of yourself And you had to have felt so when you kissed " The ue,it out loud showed howhow naive the words sounded

"You’ve had a crush ona Jesus Christ, Tess, why do you think I haven’t talked to you this entire time? I knew you would think there was more behind it," he said, and heat poured across my cheeks "It was a mistake I’m not attracted to you, not like that"

I jerked back as if I’d been slapped And God knows I knehat it felt like to be slapped Part of me would’ve taken that over this I should have run when he said he needed to talk Or least li brave and confrontational Hurt and e my eyes Apparently, I was as transparent as a , so I was thankful for the sunglasses hidingin my expression, because he closed his eyes briefly

"Shit," he cursed low, the skin around his lips a shade paler "I didn’t mean it like that I--­"

"I think you did," I snapped, taking another step back Jase was right That night had been a s to and built up inhis absence I don’t think I’d ever felt more foolish than I did in this ain as he crossed the distance between us, dipping his chin and causing several locks of waves to tumble forward "Tess, you don’t understand--­"

I barked out a short laugh as"Oh, I’ret it Got it It was a mistake You probably don’t want to be reminded of it My bad And it doesn’t , but I couldn’t stopto save face in the worst possible way, and as I went on, I didn’t look at hirass-­stained sneakers "It’s not like I’ anyway As soon as my knee is cleared, I’m out And that will be sooner than later So you don’t have to worry about running into ain It’s not like you’re the only guy that’s--­"

"Kissed you?" At the sharpness in his tone, I looked up His eyes were narrowed until only thin, silvery slits were visible "How uys have you kissed, Teresa?"

Not ers to count how many went beyond that, but pride had sunk its claws in h"

"Really?" So flashed across his face "Does your brother know this?"

I snorted "As if I would talk to my brother about that Or like he actually has a say on whom or where I put my lips"

"Where?" he repeated, head cocked to the side as if he had to work that single word through his mind The moment he decided on what that could possiblyyour lips?"

"Uh, like that’s any of your business"

His stare sharpened "It’s totally my business"

Did he live in an alternate universe? "I don’t think so"

"Tess--­"

"Don’t callin a deep breath

Jase reached forI needed was hi features "Where are you--­?"

The door to the front of the house sla in a deep breath as his little brother raced across the grass and gravel

From about four feet away, the little boy launched hi, "Super hi his little brother’s ar down his back, sort of like a flesh cape

"Sorry it took so long" Carinned, unaware of what felt like unbearable tension to et me some of that"

Jase smiled, but ducked his chin at the same time "Understandable"

I stood there like a statue A bird could’ve pooped on ers felt nu my hands

As Jase turned to the side, Jack s to learn to ride?"

I didn’t realize what he was talking about at first, but when I did, I didn’t knohat to say I doubted Jase wanted to see et on one of those things