The Candy Cane Kiss by Maggie Dallen

Author:Maggie Dallen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Maggie Dallen

EIGHT

Lola

* * *

The drive home was about as awkward as anyone could imagine. Silence reigned. My foot twitched. I scrambled to think of something to say. Something…not awkward.

The problem was, every thought flitting through my skull was related to that kiss.

I was officially obsessed. But there was no way talking about that kiss would make things any less awkward in the car.

Lucas might’ve been totally cool with kissing me like that. Like that. Like, like…like the world was about to end and he just had to have a taste of me. Like I was the most amazing, cherished, treasured human being on the face of the planet. Like I was—oh I didn’t know how to put it except that he’d kissed me like I was beautiful.

And yeah, maybe he kissed every girl like that, but I’d never been kissed like that. Not ever. So excuse me for having to take a moment, mister. That’s what I thought as I glanced over at his stoic profile. He faced the road—thank goodness, since he was the one driving. But I got the sense that he was avoiding looking at me.

Either I was being paranoid or he felt weird about that kiss too.

I was probably being paranoid. He kissed girls all the time. Presumably he’d kissed Eleanor on a regular basis.

Eleanor.

The girl who I’d caught sight of in the doorway just before he’d kissed me.

He’d kissed me so well that I’d forgotten about her instantly. For a second there I’d actually thought…I’d actually let myself believe…oh Lord, I was an idiot.

An idiot who had to get out of this car, and out of this dress, and take out the contacts, and wipe off the makeup. If I could, I would crawl out of my own skin. Because this wasn’t me. None of this was me.

Who was it then? a voice taunted.

I didn’t know, I just knew it wasn’t me.

His voice broke the silence and it startled me so badly I jerked like a spazz.

“Thank you.” His voice was gruff and he cleared his throat, flicking a glance in my direction that was too fleeting to read. “For tonight,” he added.

When I didn’t say anything, he cast another look my way. “You were perfect.”

Perfect. The word seemed to hang in the air. No, I wasn’t perfect. Eleanor was perfect. He was perfect.

In the classic sense, I mean. In the sense of what’s important to people like him, to people like them. He was quintessentially perfect—the star quarterback with the incredible good looks and the admiration and adoration of our entire class.

He was perfect, I was…not.

I lifted one shoulder in a half shrug, weirdly deflated by his compliment. “I told you, I know how to play the part.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment and when I looked over I saw him clenching his jaw. “Right,” he finally said. “I guess for a minute there I’d forgotten you were acting.”

I stared at his profile, trying to read his tone. Was he…sad?

But before I could even

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