Page 2 (1/2)

"Coical? Did you look at him and knoas it for you?"

"No," Itione, even

"How old were you?"

"I was nineteen…" I began, and suddenly all the an flashing before my eyes

The first tio at a house party e friend invited hbourhood I didn’t belong in, and surrounded by people harder than I was

He was on his own, coroup in the far back corner of the yard He earing a baggy pair of jeans that hung low on his hips, and he was shirtless, his lean abs covered in tattoos Actually, his entire upper body was riddled in thens that other knockabouts like hiarette and stare up at the diued by hih his hts lurked in the recesses of his soul, causing hiined the depth that resided in him, or maybe that was just the artsy hopeless romantic in me

I knew all about Marcus Borden

Kneas just a thug

An untairls at my school, and they weren’t afraid to let you know about it, singing their praises about the ic s

He was the man I’d often admired from afar and could never admit out loud

Everywhere I went, it seemed like he was always there He knew everybody, and everybody knew hied na&iu to hienda, while my brain was muted by the two or so beers I’d hastily downed Maybe I wanted to get back atto step out of my comfort zone, or maybe I had a severe soft spot for dysfunctional bad boys after all the hundreds of romance books I’d devoured between study sessions

I didn’t knohat it was

I just kneanted to break free of the hter of Judge Douglas Davenoth the third, the first in all her classes, a straightA student that towed the line all her life

I stopped a few feet behind hilanced around the yard There was chatter everywhere People laughing, screalanced at uy beside the pool I was sure she’d go hoot here Be loose, she’d said Do souy at this place and get laid! I watched her confidence radiating out of her, and I wanted that confidence too I wanted to be alluring and sexy I wanted to be able to crookhim to his knees

But I didn’t

No, I couldn’t

I was suddenly too chicken-shit I went coto do Dad would kill uy like hiuy that had probably seen the prison bars one too many times

Shit