Page 38 of Sweet Temptation

“Oh my gosh, she would kill me,” Anna replied. “I’d have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of the year.”

“One eye?” Cress said. “I think you’d need both.”

Anna nodded, and a shudder seemed to go down her back. It was safe to say the wrath of Anna’s roommate was a bigger deterrent for her than cleaning a boy’s bathroom ever could be.

We wandered back to our floor before parting ways with Anna as we went back to our separate rooms. Cress immediately threw herself back into bed and cuddled up under the covers while I went to the closet to fish out my running gear. I’d been avoiding running all week for fear of bumping into Noah, but I couldn’t give up jogging entirely just because I didn’t want to see my ex.

“You’re not going back to bed?” Cress asked.

“No, I think I’ll go for a run. My coffee has me buzzed.”

“Really? I must drink far too much because it barely gives me a kick anymore.”

“You practically have a cup glued to your hand twenty-four seven, so you’re probably right.” I laughed.

“There are worse vices.” She let out a big yawn and snuggled farther under her sheets. She looked so cozy I was almost tempted to return to bed myself. But I knew I needed to clear my head, so I changed into my running gear and rushed out the door before I could reconsider.

Thunder rumbled as I emerged outside. It had been storming on and off all week, but it wasn’t raining yet, so I was hoping it would hold off a little longer so I wouldn’t get drenched on my run. The clouds overhead didn’t look promising and were so dark and gloomy I half considered turning back inside and trying again later. I knew I’d only go crazy if I went another day without running to clear my mind, so I started out into the blustering wind.

I headed into the woods. If it was going to rain, at least there might be some protection beneath the trees. On Monday, I’d made the mistake of choosing the path around the lake in an attempt to avoid Noah and had ended up seeing him anyway, so I knew there was little point in choosing my route simply to avoid him. Fate apparently had a twisted sense of humor when it came to the two of us, so it seemed pointless to try to fight it.

Still, I hoped the grim weather would put Noah off running today. I didn’t want to see him this morning, especially not after our encounter on Friday night. Hopefully, he was still tucked up in bed like most sane people.

My limbs took a while to warm up, but eventually I fell into a good rhythm as I ran along the winding path. I could feel the breath of winter on the early-morning air, and I knew it wouldn’t be long now until the days turned short and cold and any hint of summer was gone for good. I hated the cold and wasn’t looking forward to it one bit.

I was glad I’d chosen the woods. Thunder still rumbled across the horizon, and the wind howled as it whipped through the canopy overhead. The weather was turning slightly more apocalyptic than I’d predicted, and I considered heading back. I must have been crazy to head out on a run when a storm was rolling in. What if a tree branch fell on me? Or what if I was struck by lightning? I knew the chances of that happening were practically zero, but it didn’t stop the thought from crossing my mind.

The sound of a twig snapping made me glance over my shoulder as a figure appeared on the path behind me. I nearly stumbled over a rock as my gaze collided with Noah’s. His green eyes widened with obvious surprise, but I had to wonder if it was faked. Had he followed me here, or was I simply destined to bump into him every time I went for a run? Surely fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to throw him into my path once again.

It felt like he was plaguing my existence. When he wasn’t physically there, he was in my thoughts. I’d risked life and limb coming out in this storm, simply so I could clear my mind of him, but apparently that wasn’t enough to escape him. I couldn’t help but feel pissed he’d shown up again, so I slammed to a stop and turned on him.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

Noah halted and scowled as he folded his arms across his broad chest. “I’m running. Am I not allowed to run?”

I stalked toward him, anger carrying my feet forward. “No, you’re following me.” I poked him in his stupid chest, but he captured my hand, holding it there.

My breaths had been coming in hard and fast until that moment, but as soon as his skin made contact with mine, I struggled to breathe at all. God, how I hated my reaction to him. How just one touch made me lose control. How my body so easily forgot that he was completely off limits.

“I didn’t follow you here,” he growled.

I shook my head, unsure if I believed him. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

He stared at me, confusion and hurt swirling in the bright-green depths of his eyes. Finally, he released a humorless laugh and let go of my hand. “I want nothing to do with you...” He glanced away from me, his mouth forming a hard line as he continued. “And yet I still want everything.” He shook his head. “I need to get you out of my head.”

“Maybe start by leaving me alone.”

“I didn’t follow you here,” he repeated.

“Fine, fate just has a fucked-up sense of humor then. But youdidchoose to confront me at the party on Friday night.”

“Am I supposed to just ignore the fact you already want to move on?”

Now I was the one to laugh, but there was absolutely nothing about this situation that was remotely funny. “You broke up with me, Noah. You dumped me because your grandfather asked you to and because you can’t handle who my dad is. What I do now is none of your concern.”

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand once more, pulling me toward him. I slammed into his chest, and he trapped me in his arms. A million tingles erupted across my skin at the contact. Being this close to him was dangerous. It was heady and addictive. It was not helping me with moving on.

Thunder rumbled overhead, but the sound felt like a mere echo as I stared into Noah’s eyes.

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