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I already knew it wouldn't take much for Reed to prove he was different. He certainly wasn’t an average guy—but I hadn’t yet decided if it was for better or worse.

Given the things Mia had heard, he was probably worse.

But I was struggling to believe every terrible thing people said about Reed Darling was true.

A high-pitched giggle caught my attention.

I glanced past Reed and caught sight of Jeremy.

He was sitting on a log near the bonfire with Heather perched on his lap.

His arms were wrapped around her, and his hands were resting on her legs in such an intimate way there was little doubt they were here together.

Even though I was done with Jeremy, it was still hard to watch.

He clearly didn’t regret what he’d done even though he’d told me it was just a drunken mistake.

What made it worse was the way Jeremy’s eyes were focused on me.

His expression was smug as he gave me a knowing look, like he was expecting me to stalk over to him and stake my claim.

Did he think he could make me so jealous I’d just take him back? Did he think inflicting more pain on me would convince me to forgive him? Maybe Mia was right. This was all part of some sick plan to win me back. What was it going to take to make him realize we were done?

Anger clouded my vision, and I was struggling to think straight.

Jeremy looked so sickeningly satisfied as he took in my reaction, but then he noticed Reed.

When his gaze landed on his hockey rival, Jeremy’s expression faltered, and a wild look entered his eyes.

Mia’s words from earlier in the night flashed across my mind, and I felt a sudden sense of clarity.

I knew exactly how to show Jeremy we were over.

I turned to Reed before I could come to my senses and grasped the front of his jacket, pulling him toward me.

He came easily, but I knew he would have had no problem resisting if he’d truly objected.

He instinctively wrapped his hands around my waist as though he’d done it a thousand times before.

Knowing his reputation with girls, he probably had.

I didn’t need any more encouragement than that, and I lifted myself up onto my toes and kissed him.

Despite his hands settling on my waist, I could tell I’d caught him by surprise.

It took him a moment to react, but when he did return the kiss, it was so intense I almost forgot to breathe.

His lips were hot against mine, and a rush of warmth spread through my body as my heart beat faster and faster.

I felt him grasp me tighter, but I wanted him closer still.

The way the faint hint of cologne on his neck mixed with the bonfire smoke and snow was intoxicating.

The kiss had been fueled by anger, but that quickly faded into something else—something more—and suddenly nothing else seemed to matter other than the connection between us.

The snowy field we stood in felt like it had gone up in deliciously hot flames.

If this was what it felt like to kiss a devil, then send me straight to hell.

A breath later and the kiss was over. Reed was ripped from my lips as Jeremy forced his way between us, and I stumbled back a step.

“Get away from her,” Jeremy shouted, giving Reed a hefty shove to the chest.

“Jeremy!” I called out his name in shock.

I’m not sure what I’d thought was going to happen after I kissed Reed.

I’d wanted to show Jeremy I was moving on.

To prove I wasn’t his to toy with. Maybe I’d been trying to make him hate me enough that he’d just leave me alone.

But I’d never thought he’d react this way.

Over Jeremy’s shoulder, I could see Heather storming away.

I guess she hadn’t expected him to react that way either.

Reed barely looked concerned by the six-foot ball of muscle before him. Jeremy was a big guy, but Reed was bigger. And instead of returning my ex’s icy stare, Reed was ignoring Jeremy and looking at me with concern.

“Don’t look at her!” Jeremy growled, giving Reed another shove.

Reed’s eyes flashed with anger as he finally focused on Jeremy. “Careful, Hoffman. You know by now you don’t want to make me mad.”

“I don’t give a shit about you. That’s my girlfriend you’re harassing.”

“Harassing?” Reed’s voice had taken on a dangerous tone.

“Girlfriend?” I spluttered the word in disbelief as I pushed my way between the two of them. “I’m not your girlfriend, Jeremy. Not anymore.”

We were drawing a lot of attention, and it seemed everyone gathered near the bonfire was turning to watch the commotion. I might have been embarrassed if I wasn’t so incensed.

“Just get away from him, Violet.” Jeremy reached out for me, but I found myself shying away from him and closer to Reed.

Jeremy noticed, and his hands formed fists at his sides.

“I know you were only trying to get my attention,” he continued in a calm but threatening tone. “Well, you’ve got it. Let’s go.”

He held out his hand once more, but I ignored it. “I didn’t do this to get your attention, Jeremy!”

“Well, why else would you be kissing him ?”

“Because I…” The last thing I wanted was to give Jeremy the satisfaction of knowing I’d only kissed Reed because of him. “I’ve moved on, Jeremy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jeremy’s eyes were cold as his lips formed a cruel smile.

“You’d just be another puck bunny to him, you know that, right?

” He’d raised his voice, so everyone surrounding us could hear.

The enthralled crowd was growing now, and it felt like the entire party had gathered to watch.

“It’s not like that. I…” I pursed my suddenly dry lips as I tried to come up with an explanation.

A part of me wanted to take back what I’d done so I could abate Jeremy’s anger and defuse the situation.

But there was no going back now. I’d kissed Reed Darling in front of everyone, and Jeremy still hadn’t got the message.

I needed to double down if he was ever going to leave me alone.

“We’re together.” I blurted out before I could think better of it.

“Together?” Jeremy spat. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Uh—” I didn’t know what to say. How had I gotten myself into this situation?

I was standing in front of our resident hockey bad boy, and I had just claimed we were in a relationship in front of a crowd of stunned students from both our schools.

I really should have taken a moment to come up with a better excuse for kissing him.

Reed probably thought I was a complete psycho, and so would everyone else when he revealed that I was lying.

I couldn’t bear to think of the smug look that would light up Jeremy’s face when Reed denied it was true.

I wished I had a moment to talk to Reed. To beg him to play along, just for now.

But then I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, and I was pulled against the hard planes of Reed’s chest. I went stiff as he held me tightly to him.

“Surely you’re not that stupid, Hoffman.” Reed said. “She shouldn’t have to spell it out…”

I slowly looked up at Reed, and as he caught my gaze, his hard expression softened. “Violet’s my girlfriend.”

My body relaxed into his grasp, and I was so overcome with gratitude I felt like I could kiss him. Again.

“You don’t do girlfriends.” Jeremy scoffed.

“I do now,” Reed replied.

Jeremy was going red in the face, and his chest swelled up like he was preparing to launch himself at Reed. I tensed because I was right in his line of fire.

Reed must have noticed because he eased himself in front of me so I was protected. “I hope you’re not going to start a fight here, Hoffman,” he said. “You don’t want to get banned from bonfire nights, do you? Although, maybe I could take one for the team and kick you out myself.”

Jeremy’s eyes narrowed on Reed before he finally seemed to put a leash on his anger. He moved his attention to me. “You’re not seriously dating this jerk, are you, Vi?”

“Yes, I am.” I moved out from behind Reed, and his arm instinctively found my waist once again as I stood next to him.

“What about us?” Jeremy demanded.

Reed seemed to tense slightly against me, like he was holding his breath as he waited for my response.

“There is no us, Jeremy.”

“You’re really going to throw away everything we have for five minutes of fun with a Darling Devil? I thought you were better than that.”

Reed tensed again, but this time, I could see it was because his hands were clenched.

He looked like he was about to step toward Jeremy, but I gently placed a hand on his chest to keep him close.

The irony of Jeremy’s comment hadn’t escaped me.

He’d already thrown away everything we had for a bit of fun with Heather, but in his eyes, I was the villain. I might as well embrace that fact.

“What can I say?” I slowly turned and smiled up at Reed.

“I guess I’ve finally found the kind of hockey player whose jersey I want to wear.

” It was such a low blow, and I knew I’d struck close to home when I glanced at Jeremy and saw the hurt in his eyes.

A flicker of doubt shot through me as I wondered if I’d gone too far.

But it disappeared a moment later when Jeremy’s shocked expression returned to one of anger and disgust.

“Don’t come crying to me when this Devil breaks your heart.” He shot me one last scathing look before abruptly turning to leave. His fury filled the air, sizzling with such intensity that even the nearby bonfire seemed dim in comparison, as he stormed away.

What the hell had I just done?