“Itis none of your business. I’m sorry, but I draw the line at talking hormones when the other party involved is your sibling.”
“Oh, come on.” Kristen rolled her eyes. “I’m not asking for the down and dirty, just if there was something there. Any kind of spark? I figure there had to be something since he kissed you.” She frowned. “Or maybe it was one-sided.”
It wasn’t one-sided.
When James had kissed her that night in the car, everything inside her had come to life. It was the match that had ignited a raging fire.
It had scared the hell out of her.
Never had a kiss reached so deep inside her. Touched emotions and needs she hadn’t realized she could have.
But he’d been completely off-limits. He’d been in a serious relationship with Hannah, and it had apparently ended when he confessed the kiss to his girlfriend.
He was free now, and she could see the wheels turning in Kristen’s head. Knowing she had to throw a cog in those wheels and fast, she did the only thing she could.
“It was one-sided,” she lied. “Like kissing a dead fish.”
“Oh.” Kristen’s brows furrowed. “Bummer.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Topic change and quick. “Anyway, I need to hit up Target after this. You wanna come?”
“I’m absolutely down to buy a dozen things I don’t need.” Kristen dug for her wallet. “And breakfast is on me.”
“Deal.”
While wrapping up breakfast, Tori’s thoughts drifted back to James.
Cold, dead fish? Not even a little bit. More like a hot, angry shark.
*
The bar exam—taketwo—was done.
James finished tying his running shoes, grabbed his hoodie, and left his apartment to head to Green Lake.
While many people would probably hit up a bar with friends and get shit-faced, that wasn’t really his thing. He wanted to clear his head, not make it foggy.
A tension-releasing run, followed up with takeout and a movie, sounded like just the right level of heaven.
The bar had just lost its lease of space in his brain. No more worrying. Stressing. Angsting. This time—with his head in the right place—he was pretty damn sure he’d nailed it.
Now he just had to wait about six weeks to find out.
James reached the lake and took off into a slow jog, finding his usual calm and Zen that came with a run.
He’d just finished his first trip around the lake when he spotted them.
Or really, it wasshethat caught his attention first.
Tori was approaching him on the other side of the path as she walked around the lake.
The pink joggers she wore fell loosely over her curvy hips, and a black, zipped sweatshirt hugged her small waist and full chest. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her face was free of makeup.
He’d never seen her like this. God, she looked so normal. Maybe even more approachable. And, yet, still every inch a goddess that he wanted to sleep with.
She wasn’t alone, though. She was with Ryan.
His cousin walked beside her, clearly monopolizing the conversation, and she gave an occasional nod.