Page 55 of The Boy I Hate

He was quiet for a moment, forcing her to look back over again, but he didn’tanswer.

“Last I spoke to Renee,” she began, “I was still with Steven. How can I tell her only days later that I…” But she trailed off, because what she really wanted to say was something she wasn’t quite ready to. That after last night, she could feel herself falling for him, so hard and fast it scared the crap outofher.

He took his glasses from his face and placed them on the dashboard. “Iunderstand.”

She pulled her legs up in her seat and got up on her knees to face him. “I don’t think you do. Because if we say something now, this thing between us would be out there for everyone to judge. It won’t be just ours anymore. It will be your mother’s, your father’s, Renee’s. It’s probably selfish of me, but I don’t want to share this. I don’t want to shareus. I want you to myself. I also want Renee to have her wedding, and I want no one to talk about the girl who just broke out of a six year long relationship and is already falling foranotherman.”

He remained quiet for a good five seconds, his lip lifting in a smile as he turned to look at her. “You’re fallingforme?”

The way he said it, with a shy hesitation, made her breath catch in her throat. It was innocent, and sincere, and so utterly sexy. She laughed a little, tears blurring hervision. “Hard.”

He reached out, grabbed the back of her neck, and pulled her toward him. “Good.” He gave her a quick kiss, then lethergo.

She settled down in the seat and burrowed into his shoulder. In less than an hour they would be at the hotel. In less than an hour, she couldn’t sit this close to him anymore. He wrapped his arm around her, and she moved as close as she possibly could. Until then, she would enjoy this. Until then, she would take all of him shecouldget.

* * *

At just beforeone in the afternoon, they pulled off the freeway to the supermarket right outside the city. Tristan hopped out of the car in a hurry, then held up a finger, letting her know to stay where she was. She frowned, wondering what he was up to, because by now she knew the car well enough to know they weren’t in need of gas, and her eyebrows pinched together as she watched him walk through the double doors. He was gone longer than she expected, so long that she plugged in one of her audiobooks to pass the time. But eventually he came out carrying a brown paper sack and a bottle of soda. He opened the car door and handed her the bag as he climbed into the Mustang, then turned to face her and fasten hisseatbelt.

Her brows instantly furrowed and she looked at him suspiciously. “Whatisthis?”

He gestured for her to open it, and she pulled out a long narrow box from inside. She glanced up, wrinkling her nose with amusement. “A cellphone?”

He grinned back at her and snatched the box from her hand. “If we’re going to pretend nothing is happening, I’m going to need some way to get hold of you.” He took the phone out of the box and began reading the instructions forsetup.

“True,” she said, biting her lip as she watched him do histhing.

He handed the phone back to her a short time later, satisfied with his handiwork as he lifted his chin. “There. Call me. Then I’ll have your number in myphone.”

She glanced down to the cell, instantly grinning at the name in the title bar. “Wild Stallion?” she asked, barely able to contain herlaughter.

He only grinned. “It’s a code name,” he said shyly. But then he lifted his eyebrows and grinned wider. “I bet you can’t guess whatyoursis?”

She giggled, amused by the fact that he’d given her a code name. “OhGod.What?”

“Mona.”

24

ChapterTwenty-four

Samantha’s stomachdropped as they rolled into the parking lot of the Hobart Garden Hotel. This was it, what the whole trip had been leading up to, but now that she was here, she wasn’t quite sure she was ready for it. She looked over at Tristan, thankful they’d be so busy during the wedding that she wouldn’t have time to miss him—but she feared that wasn’t true, and squeezed his hand as they came closer toward the valetstand.

Renee had explained to Samantha how much money was being spent on the wedding, but there was nothing that could have prepared her for this. The hotel was a hundred stories high, like a wall of windows looking over the big city. Pristine, beautiful, and made her instantly self-conscious about the way she was dressed. She tugged at the tattered edge of her denim shorts and waited in the car for the valet to retrieve her fromherseat.

“Madame,” he said respectfully, offering his arm for her toholdonto.

She pulled down the hem of her tank top, then retrieved her backpack from the back seat before accepting his help. “Thank you,” she said, then stepped up to the curb, not knowing what elsetodo.

The valet turned to Tristan, offering a red ticket in exchange for his keys. “Should I send your bags ahead, sir?” the man asked, but Tristan only shook his head, set his glasses on the bridge his nose, and threw his backpack high on hisshoulder.

“That won’t be necessary, butthankyou.”

Samantha busied herself braiding her hair as she followed Tristan to the elevator. “Do you know where we’re supposed to go?” she asked, looking around to the masses of people, all dressed in business suits anddresses.

He shrugged and smiled down at her. “I haven’t the faintest idea.” He reached for her hand, but she immediatelyretreated.

“Wild Stallion,remember?”

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