Page 74 of Ordinary Secrets

“Hey, if my choices are to taste you or some stupid beer, I’d rather have you.”

I don’t see it coming. She throws herself at me, kissing me like she’s never kissed me before. Urgent, passionate, and needy. The Sprite slips from my hands. It falls, pops, and sprays everywhere, but I don’t care. I need my hands free to take in as much of this woman as possible. Even with her breasts pressed up against my chest and my hands all over her back, she still isn’t close enough.

Something hard hits my back, then thumps to the ground and rolls away. I don’t let it stop me, because tonight is proof that I’m making progress. Arella initiated this kiss, and that’s a huge step for her. I’m not planning to release her until she pulls back first.

My powers tell me that two people are approaching us from behind—probably the same people who just threw something at me. When the two stop at my heels, one of them clears their throat.

Only then does Arella draw back, and it takes a lot of willpower for me to let her. When I open my eyes, I find that hers have that dazed look again. Her flushed cheeks and plump lips are already begging for me to come back.I will, baby. Later.

Without looking, I already know who’s behind me. No other two people would ever throw shit at me. I flip around to greet Liz and Emmy with a scowl.

“There are children here,” Liz says, returning my scowl. Her dirty look has nothing to do with the kids. After her warning about getting caught with an Ordinary and how it could affect the band, it’s probably not the smartest idea to kiss one in public. The Enforcers won’t accept “This is all part of my top-secret ZIRDA mission” as a reason not to send me to z-prison. I’m fine though. Everyone in our crew is an Ordinary.

Emmy laughs, picking up a partly eaten apple off the ground. “Even my apple didn’t stop him.”

“Do you mind if we steal Ari from you, T?”

“Of course not.” I need to show my face around the party before I dip out early, anyway. Having Arella at my side will force me to introduce her to everyone, and I’m pretty sure she would hate that. “Just make sure you feed her before you convert her to the dark side.”

“We won’t convert her into anything,” Emmy says. “We’re just gonna tell her all of your dirty little secrets.”

I play along with her joke. With two fingers, I point at my eyes, then at my friends. “I’m watching you. If I catch my girl running outta here screaming, I’ll?—”

“Your girl?” Liz says, arching her eyebrows.

Arella gapes up at me with the same wide-eyed expression.

“What?” I feign innocence.

“Ari’syourgirlnow?” Liz asks.

I nod confidently. “Yes, she is.”

“I am?” Arella says, jerking her head back. Not the reaction I was hoping for.

Emmy chuckles, shoving me in the shoulder. “Most menaskthe lady before they start telling people. Ya know, in case she declines.”

I gaze into Arella’s eyes. “What do you say, babe? You wanna be my girlfriend?”

Her cheeks fade to a light pink. “Um, I... I’ll think about it.”

My mouth drops. In my head, I shout some F-words to the sky. I thought for sure that if I asked her in front of Liz, she’d not only say yes but it’d help her feel better about Liz being my best friend.Guess I was wrong.

Arella’s lips curve upward into a smile that she was holding back. “It’s way too easy to mess with you.”

I slap a hand over my chest, letting out a breath of relief. “Don’t do that to me.”

The women laugh, and it eases my tension.

“So, is that a yes?” I ask, because I need verbal confirmation.

Arella pretends to think for a second before grinning up at me. “Yeah. I’d love to beyour girl.”

Disappointment slams into my gut from Liz’s direction. In the corner of my eye, she huffs out a frustrated breath and shakes her head slightly. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to explain to her why I’m doing this. Why I’m risking going to z-prison. Why, one day, hopefully soon, I’ll be able to stop the Royals from hurting more people like me.

22

TREY

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