Page 164 of Treacherous
My sister’s jaw drops in disbelief. “How did you know it was me?”
I can’t stop laughing. “I’m holding socks that have your face on them.”
Jaz rolls her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. “Well, you said you needed more socks.”
I shake my head, but my eyes lock onto Willow’s hands when she picks up her gift. She is the last one. Willow carefully unwraps the ribbon and slides the box open.
She gasps. “Holy shit. It’s beautiful.”
“What is it?” Jaz leans over her shoulder, a smile on her lips. “Wow. That’s perfect. Want me to put it on your bracelet?”
She nods, extending her arm toward Jaz. I don’t look away from the two women, eyes lingering on Willow’s wrist.
She must feel my gaze because she turns to face me. Willow’s smile is soft, a hint of her dimples showing, and it is fucking everything.
Something jumps inside me, and I wish I could hate the feeling. I want to be the one Willow smiles for—with.
To be honest, I’ll take whatever she will fucking give me.
***
The wooden ladder that leads into our treehouse has become flimsy over time. I ignore the creaks, pulling myself up and into the extremely small space.
My eyes widen and body tenses as I reach the platform. Willow has beaten me up here.
“Can I join?”
She nods. I squeeze through the minuscule doorway, taking a seat on Willow’s left. The treehouse is the best place to watch the fireworks display if you decide not to attend the beach party. I suppose we had the same idea.
“Not up for a party?” I ask.
Willow laughs. “No, I’m surprised I’m still awake, to be honest. Those cousins of yours are wild.”
Just like you.
I push away the rogue thought. “They’re pretty rough, I’ll say. They could inflict more bruises than hockey players.”
“I blame Theo. He taught them football last Christmas, which was clearly a big mistake.”
“Yeah,”
Silence consumes the space, the air fizzling and cracking. We keep our heads straight, listening to the echoing voices from the beach.
Jaz and I are lucky, growing up, the beach was practically our backyard.
“Ten…nine…eight…” The countdown travels to my ears.
Cautiously, I flick my eyes to Willow. Our gazes collide. Was she already looking at me?
There are inches between us, and I’d love nothing more than to close the space, brushing my lips against hers. We already broke the rules when we were babysitting Daisy, what is one more time?
Willow moves closer to me, and my stomach tangles. I’m fucking praying that I’m not the only one thinking about breaking the stupid rules.
There is barely an inch of space between us, my self-control is hanging by a thread, begging to fucking snap. My thumb grazes her cheek, but the fireworks interrupt.
I inhale sharply, jumping back. Willow does the same. Her hazel eyes widen, and a pink hue is forming on her cheeks, but before I can get a better look, she turns to the window, focusing on the firework display.
Fuck. We nearly kissed. Again. Flicking my eyes closed, I shake my head.
