Page 55 of Tangled Rose

“It’s cool if you don’t want to.”

Shaking my head, trying to get the words right in my head. “It’s not—”

“Hey, Beau!” A girl bounds up to us, a huge grin on her face. “I just put a note in your gym locker. And you’re going to love the sign on your hall locker.”

First, lemme say, I am not the jealous type. Or so I’d thought. I’m also the girl who has never actually had a boyfriend. Never had these kinds of feelings for a guy.

But damn. Who the fuck is this girl? My gut reaction, even though I don’t know her even a tiny bit, is to reach out and slap the adoring look off of her face.

Beau squeezes my hand before he says, “Thanks, Cameron. I appreciate your support.”

She grins like she’s on a toothpaste commercial. “You’re welcome. Oh, and if you ever have extra tickets to one of the galas your mom helps with, I’d snap those up in a second. I had so much fun the last time you got me into one.”

He gives her a tight smile.

Cameron doesn’t seem to recognize the look, but I do. He feels pressure. Maybe cornered? And definitely a little taken advantage of.

He eyes her, tugging on the back of his neck with his free hand. “Yeah. I’ll keep that in mind if she says anything.”

Cameron claps her hands in front of her. “Thanks! And good luck tonight from your favorite spirit girl!” She waves and takes off down the hallway.

I glance at him, my eyes wide. “Wow. Looks like she’s very dedicated to her job.”

Beau shrugs, and I can tell he’s uncomfortable.

“Do you get that a lot?” My mind flicks back to the party last weekend. I remember as Aria and I approached, the guys standing with him both walked away with something in their hands. Tickets to something?

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“Mostly on whether I can get something that people want. It’s no biggie. I’m the son of Mike Danbrook, after all.”

My brow furrows. Somehow, I don’t think any of this excites him. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s annoyed. I file that away for later as he gestures to the gym.

“Sorry. I’ve got to get in there.” He gathers me close and kisses me like he means it. I’m not sure there will ever be such a thing as a brief kiss between me and Beau. The second our lips connect, it’s like we’ve been shot into another world where it’s only me and him and we have all the time in the world.

“Danbrook! Get your ass in here!” bellows Coach Roland.

Beau breaks the kiss, the apology clear in his eyes. “Coach is waiting.”

“So, go.” I nod and give him a little shove. “And hey, bring that jersey to me first period.”

His face breaks into a huge grin. “You got it.” Walking backward, he keeps his eyes on me as long as he can—like he doesn’t want to leave me at all. That one smile was totally worth agreeing to wear his jersey today.

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