“What?” I grunt.
“I’m sorry about the other day.”
“What other day?” I ask, even though I know what she’s talking about.
“You know what I’m talking about,” she says. “In your garage. The flashlight incident.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?”
“Adds some mystery to it.” She grins. “But I shouldn’t have been there, asking you to tell me where Sawyer is. I know you care about him. I didn’t mean to put you in an awkward position.”
I nod, my grip tightening on the steering wheel. I want to drop my hand on her thigh. I want to feel her skin underneath my palm and show her that my opinion of her has changed.
I was wrong about her. I’m not afraid to say it.
I gulp. “I’m sorry for how I acted when we first met. I was an asshole.”
“Yeah,” she says softly. “You were.”
I twist my head to glance at her, fighting a grin. “That wasn’t the response I was expecting.”
“Did you think I’d deny it? You were an asshole. But I appreciate the apology.” Her eyes flash as her lips tug.
I take us down a country road and over a hill, until the Pacific Ocean reveals itself to us on the other side. Rae lets out a gasp, sighing in appreciation.
The green, lush hills rush down below us toward the cliff face that crashes into the ocean. I can smell the spray of the sea from here, and I turn the car down a smaller lane.
“This is probably my favorite place in Woodvale,” I explain. We drive a bit farther, the smell of the ocean growing stronger. Then, a small parking lot opens up near a lookout, and the view of the ocean and cliffs is revealed.
Rae lets out a gasp, scrambling for the door as soon as I park the car. She jogs out to the wooden fence, her hair flying around her face in the wind.
I watch as she pulls a hair elastic off her wrist and ties it up, turning to face me with a smile splitting across her face.
She looks radiant.
Nothing like the spawn of the devil. Nothing like the evil, blood-sucking rich bitch I once thought she was.
Here, in the soft glow of dusk, with the ocean sending up droplets of spray all the way up the cliff face, she looks incredible.
My heart tugs, and my whole body answers.
“You like it?” I ask.
“This is incredible.” Rae sighs, turning back toward the ocean. “Even better than back home. I think the cold makes it more striking.”
My eyes shift to her bare arms, where goose bumps bloom.
Instinctively, I put my hands on her arms and rub. She lets out a groan, melting into me.
Is it supposed to be this easy? We’re drawn to each other. Anytime we’re near, it’s a battle not to touch her, reach for her, kiss her.
Here, on a windswept perch above the ocean, with the sun dipping below the horizon, I don’t want to fight. I sweep my hand over her cheek, tilting her head up to mine.
“Rae,” I growl.
Her eyes meet mine, fire swirling inside them. “Yeah?”
“I want to kiss you.” I suck in a breath, sweeping my hand over her silky skin. The edge of my thumb brushes the corner of her lip, and a shock of warmth floods my body. I lean toward her, wrapping her shivering body in my warmth.
“I want to kiss you, too,” she whispers, barely audible over the sound of the wind. “But…”
“I know.”
My eyes darken. Here, alone with Rae, I know she’s not the monster Sawyer thinks she is. It seems silly to fight this feeling. How many times do you meet someone who draws you in so naturally, so completely? How rare is it to meet someone who, against all your preconceived notions, proves you wrong again, and again, and again?
Rae’s fighting it, too, but it’s a losing battle. Her fingers crawl up my chest as her body melts into mine. The ocean crashes below, and the last of the sun’s weak rays warm our skin.
“He’ll understand,” I say in a low voice, watching her lips part.
“You think?”
“I know.”
Rae’s bottom lip trembles as her fingers reach my collar. She slides her arms around my neck, pressing her whole body against mine.
Fitting perfectly in my arms, like she was made to be there.
My hands roam, exploring every inch of her. Sliding down her back and tracing the curve of her hips. Running over her perfect ass and sliding back up, catching the edge of her shirt to feel the skin underneath.
She shivers, but it’s not from the cold.
“I can’t fight this,” she whispers. “I don’t want to.”
I growl, pulling her close to me. I know she can feel the pulsing between my legs. She grinds her center toward me, big, brown eyes staring into mine.
“You promise you won’t hate me?” she whispers.
“For what?”
Her breath catches, her lips so close to mine that I can feel the whisper of breath between them. Rae’s eyes search mine as her fingers curl into my hair.
Finally, she speaks. “For giving in to this. To you. For not being the good sister I’m supposed to be.”
My arms tighten around her, my whole body pulsing. I shake my head. “I won’t hate you, Rae Montgomery. I was wrong about you from the start. Kissing me won’t make me think any differently.”
Her heart hammers, the pulse visible in her slender neck. She gulps.
“What if I want to do a lot more than just kiss you?”
14
Rae
My life has been one long exercise in doing the right thing.
What if, just once, I don’t? If I let go? Give in?
With Benji’s eyes darkened and his lips dropping open, I’m sick of resisting. Sick of doing what I’m supposed to do. Sick of giving everything up for everyone else.
Right now, with the Pacific Ocean crashing below, its icy spray freezing the air, I want heat. Fire.
Benji.
His arms tighten around my waist, and the sound of the waves fades in the distance. The whip of the wind doesn’t
