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I wanted to stamp my feet.

“I don’t really care what you think of me, Bubbles,” he said. His arrogant grin and the way he inspected me with his eyes made me mad.

“Don’t call me that,” I growled.

“Shall I call you Crystal instead?”

A bolt of lightning struck me, and I froze.

You’re beautiful, Crystal.

My lower lip began to tremble, I raised my arms and pushed them against Kaden’s chest. He staggered back, but quickly recovered. “Leave. Me. Alone.”

Kaden didn’t even consider it. Instead, he made the mistake of coming closer. I drew back.

“I know you’re used to keeping people away. But I’ll say it again: If I ask what’s up, I want an answer.”

His gaze was fixed on my face.

“I don’t care what you want,” I hissed. “It’s not about you, okay?”

He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Yeah, well, maybe a little. First my mother shows up, and you are so attentive that I have to ask myself if it’s reallyyou, and that night you bring me to bed and tell me all these personal things until my head is buzzing.” I took a deep breath and shook my head. “That was just too much, Kaden. It’s not that Iwantedto break your stupid rules. It just happened! That’s no reason for you to ignore me for days. For God’s sake, I’ve been worried about you!”

He opened his mouth but I wasn’t done yet.

“And then there’s my mom, your disappearance, my failed lit exam, and I get the feeling that everything is going downhill. All I wanted was freedom. And now I feel just as locked up as I did a few months back. I can’t breathe anymore, everything’s turning to shit, not to mention that I’ve gained weight and—”

“Allie,” Kaden said, reaching for my shoulders.

“No!” I cried, raising my chin. “You can’t just show up, make fun of me, order me to tell you about my problems, when all you want… ”

I didn’t get any further.

Kaden leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

I froze. Words were still ready to pour out of me, but suddenly there was only Kaden, covering my cheeks with his warm, rough hands and pushing me against the dresser with his body. His hips ground against mine, and his lips barred any further word from me.

He stroked my cheeks with his thumbs and then I felt his tongue on my lips. Not insistent, but cautious. Like a question that needed answering.

I wrapped my arms around Kaden’s shoulders and gave him the answer he’d been waiting for. A low sound came from his throat. His hands traveled down to my waist. Of their own accord, my legs wrapped around him as he lifted me up and sat me on the dresser. He put one hand on my back and pulled me toward the edge.

His tongue slowly stroked my lower lip. I sighed into his mouth as he gently sucked my lip between his teeth; I ran my hands down his back to his narrow hips. His body felt just like I’d imagined it would.

Panting, he broke away from me. My eyes were still closed.

The guys I’d kissed before didn’t know what they were doing—that I now understood. I’d never been kissedthisway. So wild and so gentle, at the same time.

Dazed, I blinked.

“I should do this from now on, if you don’t stop talking.” Kaden gave me one of his crooked smiles.

I no longer had the strength to punch him, though that’s what I wanted to do. Instead, I leaned my head forward, resting it on his chest.

Kaden dug his hand into my hair. “How about you unpack, and I order pizza?”

I murmured in assent, but didn’t budge.