Page 30 of Finn Rhodes Forever

I held back a groan. Seriously, this guy.

Finn’s eyes gleamed. “What’s the matter, Liv? You seem like you’re trying to run me off or something.”

We held each other’s gazes and deep in my lizard brain, I wondered what it would be like if I just kissed him.

I’d like it. I knew I would. I could still remember how he tugged my hair to tilt my head back and deepen the kiss. The slow, consuming glide of his tongue, the soft press of his lips against mine. A muscle low in my belly twinged and I sucked in a sobering breath.

“I think I’m getting sick.” I lifted my elbow and coughed once, turning away from him. “Bye.”

“Oh, and Liv?”

I paused and turned.

“I’ll see you at Miri’s class career day tomorrow afternoon.”

I frowned. Miri Yang taught at the local elementary school and had asked me to talk to the class about forestry sciences.

His eyes glittered. “She asked the fire hall for a volunteer.” His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I love setting a good example for the kids.”

A laugh of disbelief scraped out of my throat. “You, a good example.”

Something flickered through his eyes but he kept the cocky grin. “Yep. You wait.”

“You’ve broken every limb at least once.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he held my gaze with a look of determination. “I’m turning over a new leaf.”

From the way his smile fell, it was obvious I didn’t believe him. “I bet. See you later.”

As I walked down Main Street, I felt his gaze on me.

You ruined me, but I’m not mad about it.

I shook it from my mind. Finn wasn’t going to woo me. By the time I was done with him, he was going to be so sick of me he was going to wish he’d never come back to town.

Today hadn’t worked like I wanted, so I had to up my game.

13

Finn

I pulledinto the school parking lot, turned the engine off, and studied my reflection in the rearview mirror.

There was a bright red mark beside my left eye, and the surrounding skin was turning a darker purple by the hour. When I pressed on the bruise, I winced, showing the new gap between my teeth.

A black eye and a missing tooth—not a great look after I’d announced my plan to change to Liv yesterday. Wyatt and I had gone surfing this morning, and I’d lost my balance on a rough wave. The board had bonked me in the face and chipped my front tooth.

I glanced over at the front doors of the school. I couldn’t cancel, that’d be even worse. Besides, it wasn’t like I could hide out without people knowing. Liv would find out.

When I opened the front door, the receptionist greeted me with a cheeky smile.

“Here comes trouble,” she called, standing and shaking her head.

I gave her a close-lipped smile. “Hi, Mrs. Flores.”

She gasped, eyes on my mouth and black eye. “Did you get in a fight?”

“What? No.” I’d never even been in a fist fight. “Surfing.”

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