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I waved him in, and waited till the door was all the way closed behind hiaze as I assessed the worry on his face, thinking about the way he’d been goading her earlier

"I knew it!" I exclaiether "You like her!"

He bit back a crooked grin "Of course I like her, it’s Brooklynn"

"You know exactly what I ue--expecting hied

"Don’t tell her," he sighed "It’s stupid, really And she’d laugh if she knew I’ve gone fro after her I’m no better than Sebastian who follows her around with puppy eyes, wagging his tail and practically tripping her with his eagerness to get her attention" Heover her still form His voice dropped until it was barely above a whisper "I keep hoping it’ll pass That I can piss her off enough that she’ll h," he adrinned "She has a way of doing that, doesn’t she? Getting under your skin?"

He just shook his head, lifting her hand until it was alh; he just held it there, his lips hovering above her un to happen And then, when nothing did, he brushed his chin across the back of her hand

It was tender and sweet and inti them

"Drunk," I blurted out "The doctor said she’s just drunk and needs to sleep I’ back down to the party You can stay if you want, but she’ll probably be out all night"

Aron nodded "I’ll stayif you don’t ently across her stomach as he pulled a chair up to her side of the bed

I crept into the hallway, glad to be alone for a moment Well, alone with Zafir, which shouldn’t have surprised h it sort of did

I’d told Zafir to wait downstairs, practically ordering hiured I’d be okay in the company of the palace doctor

"Do you even care what I want?" I complained when I found him outside nore hi instead on theup the wide staircase It was playful and seductive, the strings and the pipes and the keyboardsinto a sy