Page 1 of Tasting Innocence

DEX

Prologue

When: Six months ago

Where:Sleeping Bear Dunes Cabin

Situation:Stuck in a cabin with Vi while her parents are asleep. Alcohol has made me brave. Or stupid.

“I can’t believeI’m stuck in this stupid cabin with you and my parents while Ronan is with Renzo,” Violet complains.

“Come on, it’s not that bad,” I offer.

She makes a face. “Yeah, it is. I came here with Ronan and now he’s stuck with my brother, who I think hates him. And I’m with my parents. My parents! Who knows how long we’ll be snowed in.”

I snort, knowing how Renzo feels about Ronan, and it’s definitely not hatred. “Those two will be fine, and I don’t think we’ll be stuck for too long. They just have to clear the roads.”

She rolls her eyes and spins around, heading for the kitchen, using her phone flashlight. “Hopefully the power comes back on soon.”

“I’m sure it will. I’ll start a fire, though. Then we can get drunk by the fireplace.”

“Drunk?” she questions, eyeing me carefully before dropping her voice. “You have liquor?”

“Yep,” I answer with a smirk.

“Give me some.”

My thoughts go elsewhere with that statement. I’ve been quietly and secretly lusting after my best friend’s sister for a year now. With each passing day she gets more beautiful, and she’s one of the coolest chicks I know.

“It’s in the car, as well as your brother’s bag. He’s gonna be pissed when he realizes he doesn’t have any of his clothes.”

She shrugs. “He’ll live.”

After I fight through the wind and snow just to get to the car to grab my bag, I come back in to find the power’s back on and Violet’s texting away on her phone.

“You okay?” she asks, not looking at me.

“Yeah, the fucking wind is terrible, and the snow’s really coming down. Your mom might’ve been right about it being like this tomorrow.”

I shake snow from my hair as I remove my jacket and boots, and then reach into the duffle bag and clutch the neck of the bottle of Jack Daniels.

“Still want that drink?” I ask her.

“Definitely. Do we have anything to mix it with, though? I’m not too experienced with liquor.”

I go to the fridge, grateful her parents had it in mind to grab some food beforehand. “Coke okay?”

“That works. I’m just texting Ronan. I’ll be in there in a minute.”

I bite down my annoyed groan. It’s not that Ronan is a bad guy, but I hate that he’s with Violet. And on a Christmas break trip? They haven’t even known each other that long.

After I make our drinks, we go to the living room and plop down on the couch and turn the TV on. I’m aware of every movement she makes, and any time I think of saying something stupid like I really like you or you’re so beautiful or I want to kiss you, I take a drink. Eventually, I drink enough to give me the liquid courage I shouldn’t have right now.

While we watch some show I’m not even paying attention to, I allow my knee to fall onto hers. I notice her stiffen briefly, but she doesn’t move. Instead, she turns and stares right at me. All I can do is give her a small smirk.

Another half hour goes by, and she starts getting a little buzzed—laughing at the sitcom, but when she laughs, she places her hand on my knee.

It’s nothing, I know that, but God do I want it to be. If Renzo knew the things I was thinking about right now, he’d kill me.

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