Page 37 of Reclaimed

WHO

Corjan:

Is it a girl?

Jack:

No, it’s a turnip

Cortney:

TELL ME WHO

Mom:

Can’t wait to see you sweetie

Lee:

Mom, why are you still awake?

I shovemy phone away while a barrage of messages continue to vibrate the device. They can talk amongst themselves and try to solve this unsolvable riddle. It’s not like they have to wait long. It’s already after midnight Saturday, so another twenty-four hours won’t hurt anybody.

Isla comes out of the bathroom a moment later. She’s tied her newly-dyed strands on top of her head in some sort of knot. It’s a little crazy looking, but the style is cute.

A nervous energy follows her as she sits beside me.

Her back is straight and she holds her chin high as if she’s been sorting through a decision and finally settled on one.

“I think there’s something we need to do if we really want to sell this thing.”

I run a hand over my hat and settle it along the back cushions. “What’s that?”

She pulls in a full breath. On the exhale, she says, “practice kissing.”

Fixating my gaze across the room, I slowly blink. Of all the things I thought could come out of her mouth,practice kissingdidn’t even make the top twenty—scratch that—top fifty of thatlist. My heart gives a wild thump against my ribs as if to say,answer her idiot!

“Uh,” I clear my throat and lick my lips. “I think I’m familiar with how to do that.”

Shit. She doesn’t know I’m a virgin, does she?

There’s no way.

“But we haven’t kissed each other.”

She’s not wrong about that.

Not that I haven’t imagined it.

“Come on, stand up.” She’s all business as she pops up from the couch and puts her hands on her hips, oblivious to my internal predicament. “We need to see if there’s chemistry.”

I rise at a much slower pace.

Standing at my full height, I’m at least a head taller than she is. I steady myself and look down, and the sight of her trusting desert-colored eyes gazing up at me nearly does me in.

Does she have any idea how fucking pretty she is?

“Okay, so, how should we do this—oh!” She squeaks when I grab her wrist.

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