The corner of his mouth lifted in that half-grin I was growing to love. It made him look boyish and not so scary. “Is it working?” he asked.

“No.” I lied but he didn’t have to know that. He gave me a skeptical look before removing his hands and balling them into his sweatshirt pockets. I wanted to snatch them back and he must have known that from the cocky look on his face.

“Look,” I took a deep breath, willing the courage for what I had to say. “I can’t stop you from hating me, so we have nothing more to say to each other.”

“No, we have so much more than words we owe each other. I’m done hating you for something that isn’t your fault.”

“But you hated me before then.”

“I’m not talking about the set-up.” His mesmerizing eyes stared back into mine, willing me to understand. I didn’t.

“I don’t understand and I don’t care. We’re through here.”

“Then let me make it clear for you.” His eyes had turned cold at my dismissal and belied everything he’d just said. “You messed up when you let me near you. You messed up when you let me touch you. But you fucked up when you let me have you.”

“I didn’t have a choice!” His hand shot up to my neck to hold me lightly. His thumb swept my lips and I unconsciously licked my lips, tasting his skin. His eyes were now also dark with lust. He was hot and cold at that moment. I shivered wanting to run away and yet get closer.

“I decided the first time you let me in between your sweet thighs that guilty or not, you were mine. I’m done denying myself what I want. You want me just as bad.”

“News flash, I had you,” I retorted, “and I’m over you.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him defiantly.

“These bitches are seriously fucked!” Dash gritted, bursting from the bookcases and interrupting whatever Keiran would have said. I was so wrapped up in Keiran that I’d forgotten about Willow and Dash.

I took in his appearance and felt my eyes widen. His hair was tousled, sweat dripped from his skin, and his belt was now unbuckled. It was no question as to what they had been doing.

“What did you do to Willow?” I jumped off the table to confront Dash but ended up trapped between Keiran and the table when he refused to move. I looked up to glare at him and he glared right back.

“Nothing yet,” Dash stated ominously and looked at Keiran. “You ready, bro?”

Keiran ignored him and gripped my ponytail lightly in fist. “Go take care of your friend.” He kissed the tip of my nose and I felt my body soften against my will. “But remember what I said,” he ordered.

He had to go and ruin it.

* * *

They finally left and I rushed to find Willow in the bookcases. I found her crying quietly and immediately wrapped her in my arms. “Willow, look at me.” She shook her head no and kept her face buried in my shoulder.

“What happened? Please, let me help you.”

“Fate must have a sick sense of humor. We were the only two people from our school in the summer program so we gravitated toward each other. He was always so sweet. And charming. Half the time I knew he was full of shit but it didn’t matter because he was funny and down-to earth. I always thought he was just some spoiled rich kid with his nose stuck up in the air. But he wasn’t. He wasn’t fake or phony. He was real – all the time, about everything. Or so I thought.”

“He’s breaking your heart,” I guessed. I was tempted to track him down and kick him in the nuts.

“It’s silly really and my fault. He never promised me anything. He just always made me feel special. And for the first time I wanted to be special for someone other than me. I wanted to be special for him. I cared about what he thought.”

I tried to hide my surprise but I knew my face said it all. For her that was big. Willow was a take me or leave me kind of girl.

“One day I even tried to be normal. I dressed like a square to please or impress him – I don’t know. We were going to hang out and he showed up dressed like I would dress.” She let out a small laugh, her cries finally subsiding. “He looked ridiculously beautiful and proud and I loved him for it.  That was the day I gave myself to him.”

“Why were you crying just now?”

“I threatened to get a restraining order if he didn’t stay away from me.” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “He got upset. Really upset. He said it wasn’t fair to try and force him to stay away just because I couldn’t.”

“I get that he is supposed to be engaged with Rosalyn but why were you fighting him before you found out?”

“You know Charles is my adopted father and Buddy’s real father?” I nodded. “My mom doesn’t like to talk about it but my birth father is some rich guy who she fell in love with. Well they were supposed to get married but his family didn’t approve of her. Apparently he was already engaged to someone else. My mom didn’t say much about her just that she came from a rich family also.”

“This is sounding familiar,” I stated dryly.

“Yeah, that’s why I freaked out Saturday– for once I had to admit that my mother was right and it hurt like hell to hear that he’d been playing me.”

Guilt ate at me the more I listened to her because I knew of Keiran and Dash’s plan and in a way I took part in it by saying nothing. At the time I thought it was the right thing to do but now…