In the reflection from the porch light, she could see it was the Alfa Romeo. As she watched, the headlights went off and a moment later, a lean, shadowy figure emerged.
Celeste leaped from the Civic. “Nick!” she shout-whispered across the lawn. He didn’t hear her. He pocketed a set of keys and started toward the front door.
Celeste sprinted across the grass. “Nick!” she whispered again. This time, he turned around.
“Celeste?” he said. She ran up, tripping and almost falling against him. He caught her by the arms. “What are you doing here?” His blond hair shone under in the dim light and his eyes were deep in their sockets. His cheekbones stood out sharply in his tanned face.
Celeste’s breath caught as she looked at him. “I know you didn’t do it,” she whispered.
He released her arms. “What are you talking about?”
“The festival! I know you didn’t pull the prank or get Travis drunk.” The words tumbled out of her mouth, almost falling over each other.
Nick stared at her, a flush rising in his cheeks. “You know?”
“That’s why I drove all the way out tonight. I had to tell you that …” Celeste paused. His gaze was locked onto hers. “That I’m sorry about everything. I didn’t know. I thought you were just trying to get in between me and Travis.”
Nick shook his head. “I just couldn’t stand seeing you get in trouble because of that jerk—” He stopped suddenly and bit his lip.
Celeste reached out and touched his hand. “Look, I’m so sorry that my stupid boyf—” She caught herself.
“Ex-boyfriend cost you your big break.” She broke off.
Nick was leaning toward her intensely. “What?”
He shook his head as if to clear it. “I’m sorry—did you say ex-boyfriend?”
Celeste thought a minute. “Yeah, I did,” she said slowly. “Travis is now officially my ex. I do kind of regret not getting to slam a door in his face or anything. Maybe I can work that in at some point.”
“That’s a good idea,” Nick said softly. His gaze was too intense. Celeste tried to look away, but he caught her chin gently in his hand. “I’m glad you’re here. We can … go somewhere.” He gestured at the dark, empty street and Celeste giggled in spite of herself. Nick smiled ruefully.
“Okay, well, maybe in the morning we can go somewhere.” He slid his hands up the backs of her arms and she shivered a little. “Cold?” he asked, his breath on her cheek.
Celeste shook her head. She didn’t trust herself to say anything. She kept her eyes on Nick’s as he pulled her against him and lowered his head. His lips were warm and firm when he kissed her. She drew back after a long moment.
“I think you’ve gotten better at this since last summer,” she teased. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly. He pulled her in close. She could feel the muscles of his chest pressing against her.
“Well, I’ve been practicing,” he told her, flashing the old Nick grin.
“Hey!” She punched him lightly on the arm.
“All because I was waiting for you,” he amended, the grin still lingering around the corners of his mouth. He kissed her again, long and firm.
Celeste didn’t know how long they stood together under the porch light, their arms entwined around each other, his blond head bent over hers, but it felt like they were making up for lost time—a whole summer’s worth.
Books by Hailey Abbott:
Getting Lost with Boys
The Secrets of Boys
The Perfect Boy
Waking Up to Boys
Forbidden Boy
The Other Boy
Boy Crazy
Summer Boys
Next Summer: A Summer Boys Novel
After Summer: A Summer Boys Novel
Last Summer: A Summer Boys Novel
Summer Girls
The Bridesmaid
Credits
Typography by Elizabeth Dresner
Cover art © 2009 Getty Images
Cover design by Jennifer Rozbruch
Copyright
FLIRTING WITH BOYS. Copyright © 2009 by Alloy
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Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader April 2009
ISBN 978-0-06-185802-4
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