Page 295 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol 4

As I hurried back toward my locker, a terrible realization crept into my mind. Worse than the fact that my first kiss had been stolen. Worse because what if…what if…I swallowed hard. God, what if I was related to Matt? I’d only gotten the all-clear about Felix. What if my first kiss had just been stolen by my half-brother? And Matt was right…I’d freaking kissed him back. No. I didn’t. Did I?

“Are you okay?” Kennedy asked. She was leaning against my locker. “All ready for our three amigas dinner? I’m excited that we can all walk home together.”

“Yeah. No. No, I’m not okay.”

“What’s wrong?” The smile that seemed permanently affixed to her face the past few days disappeared. “You look really pale, Brooklyn. Are you going to be sick?”

“I just…I…just…he…”

“Hey,” Felix said from behind me. I spun around and the guilt I felt from kissing Matt grew tenfold. I’d promised Felix he’d be my first kiss. And not just that…I’d wanted it to be him.Stupid fucking Matt!

“Are you okay?” Felix asked. “You look a little pale.”

Because Matt literally just sucked all the oxygen out of my body. Stop it.“I’m fine.” I did not sound fine. But I needed toimmediately or everyone would know what just happened. And Felix could not know. No one could know.God, I may have just kissed my brother. And I liked it.No.No, I did not like it.

“Do you need to go to the nurse?” Kennedy asked.

“I’m fine.” I took a deep breath. “Really. Let’s get going.”

“If you’re sure?”

“Definitely”

“Okay.” Kennedy maneuvered herself between Felix and me. I was so grateful. It was like she could tell I needed a minute to myself. We all started walking. I wasn’t sure if the silence was awkward because of me, but it certainly felt that way. I kept my eyes trained straight ahead as I walked past the auditorium. Was Matt still in there?

“Earth to Brooklyn,” Kennedy said and lightly nudged me with her elbow.

“What?”

“Your hand,” she said like she’d just asked me a hundred times before. “What’s in your hand?”

I looked down at my hand. Matt’s most recent note was balled up in my fist. “Nothing.” We walked by a trashcan on our way out of school. I wanted to toss it. I wanted my mind to tell my heart that the kiss meant nothing. But I found myself quickly smoothing out the note, folding it, and sliding it into my blazer pocket. Hiswords were stuck in my head on repeat.Please, tell me I’m not too late.

“So…” Felix said.

God, he knows. He knows what I just did.It felt like my heart was ricocheting against my ribcage. Is this what guilt felt like? A heart attack?

“What’s your uncle like?” he asked instead of accusing me of making out with Matt in the auditorium.

“He’s so nice,” Kennedy said.

Felix laughed. “I meant Brooklyn’s uncle. You know…the one I’m meeting.”

“Right, I know. But I call him Uncle Jim too. He’s always lived down the hall from me. He’s like a surrogate uncle I guess you could say. And he’s going to love you.”

“Okay.” Felix sounded more confused than anything. “So what does he do, Brooklyn?”

I’d completely forgotten about the awkward conversation we still needed to have. I pulled my jacket tighter around myself, trying to keep my heart from bursting out onto the dirty city street. The fabric was growing threadbare and it was too cold for the rapidly decreasing temperatures. And too thin to cover up the sound of my rapid heartbeat.

“She hasn’t told you?” Kennedy asked. She turned her attention to me and whispered, “You haven’t told him?”

Felix cleared his throat. “Told me what?”

That I kissed Matt!No. That he kissed me. Stupid kiss thief.

“Um…” Kennedy looked at me and then back at him. “It’s not my place to say. I’m sworn to secrecy.”

I knew she was waiting for me to start talking. But I was afraid if I opened my mouth I’d confess everything.