Her Sexiest Mistake

kills, Hope.'

'So does stress,' Hope pointed out. 'So does being a workaholic. A perfectionist-'

'Okay, great, thank you. I get the point,' Mia said tightly. 'Look, I thought you'd left. That's why I was upset.'

Something that felt suspiciously like regret and guilt twisted through Hope. 'Well, I do live to upset you.'

'Hope,' Kevin said quietly, 'come on. Meet her halfway.'

Hope sighed. 'Okay, yeah. Whatever. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I made you run out here without makeup and with your hair all crazy.'

Mia put her hand to her hair. 'Crazy?'

'Well, there's three whole hairs out of place. A crime, I know, in your perfect world.'

'Is that what you think?' Mia asked, shocked. 'That my world is perfect? Listen, you need a serious reality check if you really think my life is perfect.'

Hope shrugged. 'You have a hotshot car, a hotshot job, a hot boyfriend, and your house is-'

'Yeah, hot. I get it,' Mia muttered, not looking at Kevin. 'Look, we can analyze me later. This is about you, and the scare you gave me. I'm responsible for you while you're here, damn it. And in case you're still not clear on this, I freaked when I thought you'd left. I didn't want you to go. And when I thought you had, I-'

'Wanted to celebrate?'

'No.'

'I know I'm a pain. I know you're not interested in family, my momma said.'

She made a sorrowful noise. 'Hope, I've wanted to say this for a while. Your momma and I… we weren't close growing up. It doesn't matter now why, it's just how it was. But it is my fault that I never pushed past that to get to know you, and I am sorry for that, sorrier than I can say.'

Hope looked at her, feeling her throat tighten. 'Really?'

'Really.' Mia glanced at Kevin, as if seeking help. In response, he ran his hand up her arm again in a sweet, united gesture, which was strange-the last time Hope had looked, the two of them generated heat and lots of sparks, but she'd missed this other, deeper bond.

In a shocking move, Mia reached for Hope's hand, bringing Hope into the circle, and for a moment Hope couldn't even breathe for fear Mia would pull away.

'We have definitely gotten off on the wrong foot here,' Mia said softly. 'Maybe we could start over.'

'Why?' Hope asked warily.

'Hell, I don't know, maybe I want to get to know your sunny and gentle disposition.'

Kevin choked out a laugh. 'Sorry,' he said when they both looked over at him. 'I was just thinking how special it is that the sweet and gentle disposition runs in the family.'

'I'll have you know, we're as different as night and day,' Mia said.

Well duh, Hope thought.

'Although, I'll give you that we might both be a little stubborn,' Mia said.

Well, at least one of them was, Hope thought, but it wasn't her.

Kevin just grinned.

Mia shook her head and said an extremely off-color word that made Kevin's grin spread.

Mia rolled her eyes, and right then and there Hope felt something new bloom in her chest, something she'd never expected.

Affection. Not wanting to be moved, wanting to soak in her self-righteous pity a bit longer, she bit it back. 'Starting over… What does that mean exactly?'

'It means we wipe the slate clean. I pretend you just drove up.' Mia thrust out her hand. 'Nice to meet you, Hope. Maybe you can stay until the weekend.'

Right. In three days her mother was supposedly coming for her, for real this time. Hope stared at the proffered hand and then shook it as she met Mia's eyes. 'It's nice to meet you, long-lost Aunt Apple- Mia,' she corrected quickly when Mia's smile slipped.

'I don't know, I kind of like Aunt Apple,' Kevin said.

Footsteps sounded on the walk behind them, coming closer. Adam came into view, and when he saw the two adults with Hope, he slowed his steps. 'Uh… hi.'

Hope's heart started pounding. God, he was cute. That thought warred with another. Only three more days…

Kevin nodded to Adam. 'What's up?'

Adam slid his hands into his pocket. 'Just hanging.'

Mia looked Adam over, too, taking in the baggy T-shirt, the loose pants that sagged past his butt, revealing black boxers, and the surfer shoes. She sighed. 'Just don't get into any trouble.'

Adam shot her his charm-the-stupid-adult smile. 'No trouble.'

Mia and Kevin exchanged a long look, but finally Mia shook her head. 'Be in by eleven, Hope. That's half an hour from now.' Then she and Kevin walked toward their houses.

Kevin turned back. 'Adam?'

'Yeah?'

'If you give her alcohol or pot, I'll castrate you.'

Adam swallowed hard. 'No alcohol. No pot.'

'Good.'

Hope watched Kevin catch up with Mia, feeling oddly warm and fuzzy. And cared for. Mia had freaked when she'd thought Hope had left, and yet she was still sending her home in a matter of days… Sucked.

Adam smiled at Hope, his eyes sleepy and sexy as he stepped close. 'Hey.'

He was seriously in her personal space, looking at her with those eyes, and she tried to relax. 'Hey back atcha.'

Adam craned his neck to make sure they were all alone. When he saw that they were, he pulled her into the trees beyond the basketball court.

'Uh-'

'You look pretty,' he said huskily and touched her cheek.

'I… do?'

He slid an arm around her, tugging her close, burying his face in her neck. 'And you smell yum. Let's hang here,' he murmured and kissed her throat.

'M-maybe for a minute.'

'You have thirty,' he reminded her.

Suddenly that seemed like a very long time. What the hell had Mia been thinking?

Adam kissed her then, sticking his tongue in her mouth and a hand up her shirt. His other hand slid into the back of her pants, startling her. 'Wait,' she gasped.

He pulled back a fraction.

'I have my period,' she said brilliantly.

Adam signed and stepped free. 'Damn.'

'Yeah. Sorry,' she said, breathing a huge sigh of relief. 'Want to smoke?'

'Sure. What the hell.'

***

Mia rushed toward her house without looking back, inexplicably close to losing it in a big way. She needed to be alone, to think, to process. God. When she thought Hope had left, she panicked. And then when she leaned on Kevin, as if it was the most natural thing in the world… She went around to the back of her house, slipping into her dark kitchen-

'Ow,' Kevin said, rubbing his forehead where the door hit him.

She looked at him and felt an odd ache in her chest to go with her tight throat and burning eyes. She was