“Ugh. I know.” My cheeks heated, thinking about our weird not-quite rivalry. Maybe it just boiled down to our sexual tension. “It’s more than that.”

More than hooking up on Halloween or how he would make me come without ever expecting any reciprocation. What was with that? It would have been so much easier to dislike him if he’d have let me return the favor. But he wouldn’t even let me touch him.

And the worst part of all of it—I wanted to sayyes.

Even if I wasn’t supposed to like him, or want him, or any of the things that were currently running through my brain. And I certainly wasn’t supposed to want more from him.

But that was exactly what he’d asked me for.

More.

I thought I’d have all of winter break to process my feelings—without him being around me twenty-four/seven. That I could prepare myself for what I’d say when I saw him again in January.

So much forthat.

“What is?” Audrey asked, bringing me back to the conversation.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, like we weren’t currently whisper-shouting in a parked car.

“Everything!” Where did I even begin?

“You like him.”

“Ugh. Yes.” I rubbed my forehead with my pointer finger, because I couldn’t deny that.

“And that’s the problem.”

I snorted. “Clearly.”

“Ella.”

“Yeah?”

“We should probably get out of the car.” Audrey tilted her head towards the porch. “Everyone’s staring at us.”

“Oh. Right.” She was right—the guys were all standing on the porch, staring at the car, besides Sutton, who was waving excitedly at us.

I swallowed roughly, then gave her a pointed stare. “Not a word of this. To anyone.”

“Who would I tell?” She shrugged. “Yourboyfriend?”

“Audrey Rose!” I gasped. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Her eyes twinkled. “You didn’t deny it.”

God, he looked good, with a dark gray henley on and a pair of jeans, normal and yet mouthwatering all at once. The worstpart was knowing what he looked like underneath those clothes,

“Ells.”

I was too busy staring at Charming to hear what she’d said. “What?”

“That he’s your boyfriend. You didn’t deny it.”

Oh. I guess I hadn’t.

“Well, he’s not.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Now help me unload the car, please.”

Opening my door, I wrapped my arms around myself before finding my coat in the backseat and pulling it on. Better, but it was still chilly outside, and my boots crunched the snow on the ground as I went around to the back of the car.