Page 29 of The Revenge Plan (Forbidden Descendants 1)

He looked up and blinked as if shocked by my encouragement. “Really? You think I actually have a shot?”

“Well, yeah,” I told him. “We all do. And besides, you won’t know unless you try. So we both might as well give it a go, huh?”

“Eh, I suppose,” he grumbled, his buoyancy seeming to slip again.

I was about to tell him how much I had liked the song he’d played in practice yesterday, during the impromptu exercise, just to help boost his confidence.

But a pair of girls walked by, and he instantly forgot about me, focusing on them, as he whistled and called, “Hey, ladies. You two look fantastic today.”

They both smiled and waved back, greeting him by name, which let me realize they all knew each other.

Abandoning me, he skipped after them, grinning when they paused to let him catch up. Then he hooked an arm around each of their waists and said something to them that had them giggling.

He must’ve realized I continued to watch him because he glanced at me and smirked before nodding to me in farewell.

I waved until he turned away

, only to sigh sadly, wishing I could have his charm with the opposite sex. I’d be able to approach my dream girl then, no problem.

In fact, I’d gladly trade his self-confidence in that department for what I had in playing the trumpet since he seemed to lack it there.

Honestly, it seemed like an excellent trade to me.

Too bad such things weren’t possible, otherwise, I would’ve been severely tempted to offer him the deal of a lifetime.

I would’ve given anything just for the guts to approach my blonde goddess and simply ask for her name.

Yeah, if only…

Because if Reuben and I had merely traded our talents, then maybe what happened next never would’ve happened at all.

7

Haven

Seven words. That’s all it took to bring Wick Webster to his knees. Hook, line, and sinker. I could tell from the poleaxed expression on his face that I had him right where I wanted him.

I honestly hadn’t meant to admit such a mortifying feeling aloud. I mean, how embarrassing to blurt out such a private thought like that, even though I felt it to be true with every fiber of my being. I did feel instinctively safe standing there, looking at him. The entire aura around him screamed protector. Besides, I knew Topher would never bother me again with a detractor like his nemesis around.

But now that I had said it, it ended up exposing his weakness, not mine. The boy really must have a compulsion to keep people safe. And I’d just unknowingly stumbled my way into saying the magic words to get whatever I wanted from him.

Silence filled the front room of his apartment as he stared at me as if I’d just punched all the air from his diaphragm.

Then I went in for the kill and softly added, “How much for rent?”

Gripping his hair in defeat, he turned away and bowed his face, mumbling, “Three ninety-five a month.”

“Okay,” I answered calmly, nodding my assent. “I can manage that. I’ll get you half of whatever deposit you put down, plus my first month of rent tonight.”

He glanced at me, his expression begging me to change my mind. But I couldn’t have mercy on him. I had to show Topher he wouldn’t break me, meaning I needed to find a place in town to stay tonight.

Well, maybe not tonight, I guess, but at the moment, the need to move on and pick myself back up felt pretty damn urgent. So Wick Webster was just going to have to suck it up and live with a girl who had boobs.

Remembering how he’d very nearly called me beautiful, I cleared my throat while a flush stole over me. So many times that Topher had called me pretty, it had felt fake or made me uncomfortable, coming across as empty flattery in order to get something from me in return. I could never tell if I was just that paranoid or if there’d always been an ulterior motive with him. But the way Wick had blurted out his perception of me unwillingly and stated it as if it were a universal fact, not a stupid line, had made his opinion seem more honest and sincere than any compliment I’d ever received from Topher.

I turned blindly toward my parents, not sure how to deal with that startling revelation. “I’m staying here,” I announced.

“Yeah,” Dad said dryly. “So we heard.”

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