Page 13 of The Lies Always Told

G:

I thought you were going to stay home, but I see you’re causing trouble.

G:

Huh, I didn’t strike blond surfer dudes as your type, but then again, what would I know?

What the hell?Lifting my eyes, I search for him. It shouldn’t take me long to find him, considering how out of place he would look at this party. While this place is full of people of all races, ethnicity, and social statuses, it’s also full of boys, and Gus is anything but.

My eyes roam the place, and I don’t think I’ll find him until… I don’t know how I missed him. He’s sitting in the back of the room, wearing black denim and a navy-collared shirt. His skin looks smooth and dark in this light. His eyes— intense—bore into mine. I didn’t see him before, but now, all I see ishim.

“Shit, who’s that?” Elijah asks with curiosity in his voice, but I can’t take my eyes away from Gus, not even for one second, to see his expression.

“Nobody,” I reply, and I really should just laugh at how stupid that sounds.

“Thatis not how nobody looks at somebody.Thatis how a man looks at a snack. A snack he’s been craving, Nellie. The question is, when did he get the first taste?” His eyes get obnoxiously big, and he smirks like a know-it-all.

I walk toward Gus, letting his eyes pull me straight to him, ignoring Elijah and everyone around me. The chaos, the crowd, the music, the scents—everything disappears while I stride my way to him. This pull, this feeling urging me to him…there’s no way to describe it other than his soul calling to mine. It goes beyond what I should be doing or feeling right now. I fear this is inevitable.

“Gus,” I greet him.

“Hey, Trouble.” He smiles, and my skin tingles. He keeps his composure while I fight with everything I have not to lose mine and climb him like a tree right here.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and seizing the ounce of self-control I have.

“I could ask you the same. Just shy of two hours ago, you said you were going to sleep. Did you sleep walk here?”

“I don’t owe you explanations,” I reply with more bite than I intended. I hate being micromanaged, and I hate surprises too. This feels like both.

“Woah, woah, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just surprised you lied to me, Nellie.” He raises his hands, palms up, and his smile softens. His shoulders relax, and his eyes go from intense to warm in just one interaction.

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you sorry you lied, or are you sorry you got caught?”he asks as he stands, towering over me and engulfing me in his spicy, leathery scent.

Both? Neither?

I bite my lip and hold back my reply, waiting out to see if he answers the first question I asked him. How did he know I was here, and why is he here? Then, it hits me:Abraham.

“I’m sorry I lied. I’m not usually like that, but in my defense, I wasn’t planning on going out. It was all Bee’s idea.”

“Ah, the little devil to your angel, huh?”

“Nah, Victoria is the angel. I’m more like in between.”

“Un arcangel?1,” he says, or I think he does, but I’m not very fluent in Spanish. Maybe I misheard.

“More like your worst nightmare.” I step closer to him, his body radiating intense heat.

He notices the tentative step I take and grabs my hand, pulling me to him, and taking us both back down to the couch. I land on his lap, and his hand immediately goes up to my neck. My breath hitches, and I gasp when his lips hover over mine, whispering, “Then I can’t wait to fall asleep.”

He closes the space between us, raking his hand up my back, grabbing my ponytail and tilting my head back as he kisses me fearlessly, leaving me breathy and unraveled.

1 An archangel

FIVE

BREATHE FOR ME

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