Page 96 of Forbidden Kisses

Christine: We got the results. We passed the bar, how about you?

I gasped, biting the inside of my cheek as I stumbled backward.Way to spring it on me.

I immediately got jittery. My hands were trembling as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I had to check right now. Of course, that's when the internet decided to be extremely slow. Or maybe it was just that everyone was trying to access the results page right now. That was probably more likely.

Finally, the page loaded. I'd passed! I threw my fist in the air, jumping up and down with joy.

"What's happening?" Duncan asked.

I realized the guys had stopped the game. Even Jeremy was looking my way.

"I passed the bar exam. They just posted the results, and I passed!" I hadn't realized that all these months, I had still feared I might have flunked it.

There was a chorus of congratulations. Duncan was looking straight at me with a huge smile, then mouthed, "I'm proud of you."

Then he clapped his hands together. "All right, let's take a break," he said as he got out of the water.

Jeremy was faster than anyone else. He ran straight to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. They were cold from the water, cooling me down.

He looked up at me. "You are the best, Riley.”

“Thanks, Jeremy.”

Then everyone came over and shook my hand.

"How long is the break for?" I asked.

"Just two minutes, give or take. We need to hydrate," Wyatt said.

"Does alcohol count as hydrating?" Griffin asked.

Wyatt cocked a brow at him. "Unless you want to lose, in which case, yes, please."

I grinned, looking from Wyatt to Griffin. I liked this dynamic between them. How Wyatt seemed to instantly flip into the role of a concerned brother when Griffin was messing around.

"Come on, let's all get drinks," Knox said as they went to the coolers they'd brought.

Duncan was looking straight at the sunscreen I'd started to rub onto my chest before I’d checked the results. There was hunger in his eyes as he cleared his throat.

"Riley, want to help me bring some towels?" he said.

I nodded feverishly.

"Yeah, sure. We need more," I said, glad he’d thought up an excuse. Whenever he pinned me with that gaze, my thoughts were a useless jumble.

We walked side by side, and once we rounded the corner and were out of sight, he immediately pulled me to him.

"Congratulations," he said.

I smiled, resting my hands on his shoulders. "Thank you. I'm so excited. I think part of me was afraid I was going to fail."

He put two fingers under my jaw and then kissed one corner of my mouth.

"I wasn’t. I was sure you’d pass. I’m so fucking happy for you. If I’d known that they'd give the results today…"

"Then what?" I asked apprehensively.

"I don't know, but I sure as hell wouldn't have had all my family here. I’d have taken you somewhere so the two of us could be all alone and we could celebrate properly."