Page 64 of The Facade

And suddenly, an image of us kissing in the gazebo popped into my mind.

Was Mack trying to tell me that he’d actually enjoyed the lesson?

That teaching me the art of the French kiss was something he’d be open to trying again?

No.

I quickly pushed that thought away. That lesson was a one-and-done thing.

He wouldn’t want to try that again.

Would he?

But then my mind reminded me of the way he’d moaned when I’d grazed my fingers across the back of his neck and the look in his eyes when we’d broken apart, and suddenly, I was wondering if he would in fact not mind practicing again.

Mack was famous for kissing lots of girls—famous for it being one of his favorite pastimes before his mom got sick, actually. So it wouldn’t be completely out there to assume that he would be open to the idea of kissing me again.

But was that somethingIwas open to?

His hand smoothed along my spine, his fingers grazing against the skin just above the back of my dress. When he pulled me closer and I became aware of every point of contact between us both, I couldn’t help but think that maybe I was open to another teaching lesson from my brothers’ best friend.

That maybe there was something in me that actually craved it. Something that had actually secretly craved it for a long time.

So I answered his question by saying, “No. It wasn’t a terrible lesson.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied my face, like he was measuring my reactions and trying to figure out just how much I may or may not have enjoyed the lesson from last night.

And after seeing whatever he needed to see, he pressed his lips together, dipped his face close to mine, and whispered, “If you ever feel like upgrading to lesson number two, just let me know.”

20

Cambrielle

I dancedwith Mack once more before the event ended, and even though I’d been sure the punch had been responsible for the jittery way I’d felt in his arms during our first dance, I continued to feel sparks of electricity every time we touched throughout the night—long after any spiked punch should have been affecting me.

So maybe the punch hadn’t been spiked at all?

Maybe my body really did have that muscle-memory thing going and it now thought it needed to act like I had a crush on him again.

“Do you guys want to watch a movie in the common room?” Scarlett asked us when the dance was over. “Heather and Todd said we could stay up late and watch a scary movie instead of going straight to bed in honor of it being Halloween weekend.”

Heather and Todd were the dorm parents for our house.

“I’m in,” Nash said, draping his arm around Elyse. “Are you?”

She nodded, a faint blush rising to her cheeks that made me wonder if maybe my brother had been making some progress with my shy friend when I wasn’t watching.

“Us too,” Ava said, linking her arm through Carter’s.

“What about you, Mack?” Scarlett asked. “Think you can stay?”

“I don’t know.” He looked at his watch and made a face like he was actually considering going home instead of staying. “It’s past my bedtime…”

“We’ll have popcorn,” Scarlett said to bribe him, knowing he could eat a huge bowl by himself.

“Well, if there’s popcorn…” He shot Scarlett a smile. “Then you know that I’m in.”

“What about you, Cambrielle?” Hunter asked from where he stood across the circle.

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