Page 81 of Secret Love

Chapter 26

Dani

Then

Iknock twice on his door and wait. The sound echoes down the dark hallway, diminishing quickly throughout the empty house. Dad and Cora are out of town until morning. My friends, if I can even call them that, left an hour ago. They didn’t exactly come to my birthday party because they wanted to. They came here for selfies with the movie star.

Roxie this. Roxie that.

I’d rather spend my birthday with the one person who doesn’t care about her.

The door opens and Fox smiles. “Hey,” he says.

“Hey,” I say, my cheeks pinking in the dark.

“The fan club go home?”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah.”

He nods and steps back into his room, leaving the door open for me. I follow him in, slowly putting my back to him as I close the door behind us. The act alone feels dirty, like I should be ashamed of myself for wanting to be alone with him.

Maybe I should.

“Get anything nice for your birthday?” Fox asks over my shoulder.

I swallow and turn around. “No,” I answer. “Not really.”

He smirks. His eyes drift to my lips. A subtle gesture for sure, but it always hits me like a truck.

Fox Fitzpatrick. The boy down the hall.

Secret make-out partner.

He’s looked at me differently ever since that day at the pier, but only in private. In the halls at Belle, he was the same devil may care jock everybody loves. At the dinner table, he’s the same sarcastic jackass my father hates.

It’s different when we’re alone. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes, the stars will align just right. I’ll have a day off from being Roxie. Our parents will be out for the night.

And Fox will leave his door open for me.

Christ, this is dirty.

Fox nudges my chin. “You okay?”

I nod, already breathless. “Yeah.”

His smirk remains as his hand touches my hip. It curls around me, coming to rest on the small of my back. I tilt my head up and close my eyes, easing into his embrace. It’s such a familiar place by now, but I still fear I could fall over at any moment.

Fox kisses the edge of my mouth. I part my lips and he kisses me again, firm and wild. He steps forward and I fall back against the door. His arms keep me pinned in place between them. I swoon as my heart flutters and my goosebumps spread.

Happy Birthday to me.

Fox pulls me against him and takes several steps back. I move with him, our lips entwined as he guides me to sit on the edge of his bed. He sits beside me with one hand on my cheek and the other planted on my thigh. My skin tingles beneath my jeans, his touch igniting my nerves.

His kiss moves to my cheek and he draws a line toward my neck. I tremble with open eyes, swallowing hard as I glance over his shoulder. His computer is on across the room.

I squint to read the browser window. “UCLA?” I ask.

Fox pulls away, but he doesn’t turn. “Yeah,” he says.

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