Page 143 of Wicked Dreams

“Speaking of,” Robert says, going to the window. “He just pulled up.”

“Distract him!” I grab the canvas. “I need to hide this!”

He chuckles as I dash around, but he keeps Caleb engaged in conversation just inside the door long enough for me to put it away. Caleb walks into the dining room to me drying my brushes.

“Hey, baby. Were you working on our project?”

I grin. “Yep.”

He makes a show of looking around the room. “Where is it?”

“Hiding from your nosiness.” I brush my hair off my face and sigh. “What’s up?”

“Didn’t you say you were ungrounded today?”

“Did I say that?”

He lifts one shoulder, smirking at me. “Not sure where else I could’ve heard it.”

“Maybe that’s true.”

I try to slip past him, but he moves too fast. He frames me in against the wall, just out of sight of Robert. My foster dad is almost definitely eavesdropping on the other side of the wall.

“You running from me?”

“No,” I breathe.

He hums. “I think you are. Let’s change that.”

“How?”

His fingers dig into my hip. “Come to the Fall Ball with me.”

I pause, then remember what the hell that is. Which is adance. I don’t dance. Going to a school function, surrounded by students who may or may not hate my guts, sounds like the definition of Hell.

“I don’t dance,” I tell him.

His eyes glitter, and he leans closer. His lips are right above mine.

Not fair, I want to complain. He knows how to make my body react. Always has.

“The theme is masquerade.”

Masks…

“We’d be anonymous enough. Come with me.”

“I… okay.”

His lips brush mine, but then he’s gone. Straightening and stepping back.

“That was easy.” His grin is devious.

Shit. Did I seriously just fold?

“Caleb—”

He goes into the kitchen. He mentions the Fall Ball to Robert, confirming that I’m going with him.

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