I have a rule.

Whatever first thing I do whatever line I cross – it’s going to be with my mate.

I promised myself – a long, long time ago that if anyone was going to get that part of me, if anyone was going to wreck

me so bad I couldn’t crawl away from it later…

It was going to be the person the Moon Goddess chose for me.

Someone worthy. Someone fated and I’m pretty sure it’s not Grayson Westwood.

“Logan.” He pauses mid–chew, a banana halfway to his mouth, legs swinging off the back of his truck bed. I actually ask

him to skip class for me.

“Hm?”

“Kiss me.”

He chokes so violently he nearly falls off the tailgate.

“I’m sorry–what?”

“Just once,” I say, already regretting it, already spiraling. “Quick. Nothing weird.”

“You want me to–are you-” He blinks. “Jess. Are you fucking serious right now?”

Logan’s cute. Objectively. We’ve been friends since forever. He is safe. Harmless.

I shift, swinging my legs down from the truck bed and standing, brushing imaginary dirt off my jeans like it’ll help.

“It’s not a big deal,” I mutter, avoiding his eyes. “We’ll forget it even happened.”

“You seriously want me to kiss you?” His brows pull together. “Did something happen, Jess?”

I force a laugh. “Nothing happened.”

He gives me a look.

Dry. Flat. Oldest–friend–who–knows–better kind of look.

“Jess.”

“Nothing happened,” I say again, sharper this time. “Not that kind of happened.”

Which is technically true.

Grayson didn’t kiss me.

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12:44 Wed, 30 Jul GI

Chapter 18

everything

legs tense like I might bolt even

me like he’s

*

half–laughing,

snap. “That’s

He blinks.

“…I’m the control group.”

“Exactly.”

a beat longer, then huffs out a laugh – low, a little bit exasperated, a little

mutters. “Who messed

away. “So

“Jess.”

mutter, heat crawling up my neck. “It’s a

think kissing me is gonna undo

“It might.”

“Is this about Grayson?”

cut myself off, biting the inside of

and that’s

softer now. Brow furrowed like I

“Goddamn. What the hell did he do to

71%

+28

head, laugh- ugly, bitter, sharp

told me he wants to

literally drops it. “HOLY SHIT. HE

“Logan-”

his hips. Turning in a full circle like the information is physically too much for his body to handle.

down my

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7

+29)

Chapter 18

literally no version of that sentence that’s

“I know.”

still staring at me. Still horrified. “And

says it – like I’m the crazy one here –

“You wouldn’t?”

His whole body recoils.

“ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT.”

his arms out – fully scandalized – walking away from me like

serious right now. Do you know how many women in this

“Gross.”

“True.”

pacing, shaking his head like this is hands–down the most unhinged conversation

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