Page 121 of Study Buddies

“And how many times did Jasmine experience it?” My eyes narrowed.

“Are we talking about our pasts now?” He leaned back in his chair as he studied me. “How far back? Because if you want totalk about the past, you’re the one who kissed three men in a row on Thursday.”

“You arranged for that!”

“And you went along with it.”

“It wasyouridea. If you wanted me to turn it down, why suggest it in the first place?”

He shrugged. “It was fun. You must’ve thought so too, since you stayed for all three rounds.”

“You stayed for two of them,” I pointed out, crossing my arms across my chest.

“That was Jay’s idea.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He thought you might like it.” Kyle frowned, and I worried he was judging me for enjoying it, but that wasn’t it. “He surprised me, actually. I always thought of him as Lucas 2.0, but he’s actually a pretty decent guy.”

“So is Lucas.”

“Agree to disagree. And I thought we agreed not to mention him again tonight?”

“You’re the one who did.”

“Oh.” He cocked his head to the side as he thought it over. “I guess I did. My bad—and just for that, you get the last bite of crème brûlée.”

I wasn’t going to say no to that. But after I’d eaten it, a blissful smile on my face, Kyle’s expression turned downright evil. “Just remember what happens after that.”

I tried to ignore him, but it was hard to ignore how my heart was pounding painfully in my chest. He always knew how to rile me up. To counter it, I took a deep breath, looking around. At the beautiful, luxurious furnishings from another time. At the people dressed in their finest clothes, myself included.

Kyle was quiet too, but when I looked over, he wasn’t watching our surroundings, he was studying me.

“What?”

“How’d you do that?” He reached over, catching the tendril of hair I’d left hanging down between two fingers. “Did you cut it?”

“No. I pinned part of it back—you just can’t see because it’s tucked under the rest.”

“That’s good. You know Jay would throw himself off a bridge if you cut your hair.”

I laughed. “Yeah, probably.”

He rubbed his thumb over the dark strands. “And the curl?”

“I used a curling iron.”

Finally, he let go. “A lot of effort, but if I get a vote, it was totally worth it.”

I smiled. “It's kind of nice to hear a guy appreciate stuff like that. Some men expect a woman to look gorgeous and then feel cheated when they realize she doesn’t look that way 24/7.”

His eyebrow cocked upward. “Then those men are idiots.” His gaze was on my hair again. “But I’ll tell you a secret. You look great even when you’ve just rolled out of bed wearing a sweatshirt and leggings, with your hair in a ponytail.”

My cheeks heated. “Somehow, I doubt that.”

“It’s true, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.” He gave a low, rumbly laugh. “Haven’t you ever noticed the three of us stopping whatever we’re doing when you do that thing with your hair?”

“What thing?”

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