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“She gets in on Saturday. I showed her pictures when we Facetimed a couple of days ago, and she already loves him.” I smiled, remembering Abuela’s rapid-fire excitement over video chat. “She’s abducted our welcome home party and is making it a party for him.”

“A party? For a donkey?”

“Welcome to the Navarro family. We celebrate everything. When my sister Rosalind got her braces off, Abuela hired a mariachi band.” I shrugged at Flynn’s incredulous look. “She’s... theatrical.”

He leaned against the fence post. “So am I invited to this donkey party?”

The question caught me off guard. “You want to come?”

“Well, yeah.” He looked almost shy. And I definitely did not find that the cutest thing I’d ever seen in my life. “I’ve gotten invested in this little guy’s welfare. Plus, it seems only fair that I meet your family since you’ve met mine.”

“My family is a lot,” I warned. “Four sisters, my grandmother who acts like she’s eternally on a telenovela, and probably a dozen other aunts, uncles, and cousins who’ll show up. It’ll be chaos.”

“I have seven siblings,” he reminded me with a grin. “Chaos is my comfort zone.”

I pictured Flynn at Abuela’s welcome home party, surrounded by my family, subjected to a literal Spanish Inquisition from my sisters, Abuela, and a smattering of tios and tias. At least Mamá wouldn’t be there to judge him .

Judge Judy had nothing on Dr. Luz Navarro.

“Fine,” I conceded. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’ll consider myself warned.” His smile widened. “So, since we’ve finished donkey duties in record time, want to grab lunch? There’s a great sandwich place down the street.”

My heart did that stupid fluttery thing again. “Is this that date date thing?”

“Depends.” His eyes held mine, suddenly intense. “Is this you saying yes?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but my words caught in my throat as he took a step closer, deliberately closing the space between us.

“Tempest,” he said softly, my name almost a question on his lips.

Time slowed, just like in the movies, and he reached up, gently tucking a curl behind my ear, his fingers lingering against my cheek.

His touch sent electricity racing from my face, down to my heart, and then straight between my legs.

Ridiculously, I found myself leaning into his palm, wanting this connection, wanting it to be real.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since you calmed a rogue donkey without even looking up from your book,” he murmured, his eyes dropping to my lips. “Will you let me?”

He was going to kiss me. Flynn Kingman was going to kiss me, and despite all my walls and rules and reasons to keep him at a distance, I wanted him to. In less than a whisper, I forced out a yes.

His head dipped lower, and I could feel his breath warm against my lips, the faintest tickle of his beard so close to my face, my eyes fluttering closed...

A sudden, sharp tug yanked me backward, nearly sending me stumbling. The donkey had grabbed the hem of my sweater between his teeth and was pulling with surprising strength, braying indignantly.

“Hey,” Flynn steadied me with his hands on my waist. “Let go, you little terror.”

The donkey refused, tugging harder until I was forced to take a step away to avoid being dragged across the yard.

“I think someone’s jealous,” Flynn laughed, though there was frustration beneath his amusement.

Donkey gave a little kick and a hee-haw directed at Flynn, then trotted away triumphantly, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

“He’s never done that before,” I said, breathless from more than just the surprise. “I think he might actually be jealous.”

Flynn’s hands went back to my waist, his thumbs tracing small circles that made it hard to think. “Can’t say I blame him. I don’t want to share you with anyone else either.”

The intensity in his gaze made my knees weak. The moment stretched between us, charged with possibility.

“Flynn—” I started, not even sure what I was going to say.

A series of loud, demanding brays broke the moment for a second time. We both turned to see him pawing at the ground, clearly distressed about something.

I walked over to see if there was something actually wrong with him. Donkey positioned himself between me and Flynn, glaring at him with what could only be described as donkey disapproval.

“Unbelievable,” Flynn muttered. “Cockblocked by a donkey. What do you even call that? Donkblocked?”

Heat rushed to my face at his blunt assessment. “Flynn.”

“What? It’s true.” He shook his head, smiling despite his obvious frustration. “This guy is definitely jealous.”

The donkey snorted, apparently satisfied now that he had reclaimed my attention. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Puck had enchanted my little donkey friend to act up just now. Which, honestly, I needed the respite. I felt more like a drunken midsummer’s night reveler than anything else.

And I didn’t know how to do this. Any of it.

If anyone could talk me through how the hell to act around guys, it was my sorority sisters.

I needed that talk sooner rather than later.

Definitely before any kind of date, or any sort of kissing.

Even if I did want to know if his beard would feel scratchy or soft on my skin.

Would I get beard burn? “I’m gonna take a rain check on that lunch.

I’ve got some, umm, sorority stuff to take care of. ”

He studied me for a moment, then stepped aside and motioned me toward the gate that led out of the yard. Flynn opened it, carefully blocking the donkey’s line of sight. Before I could react, he pressed a quick, soft kiss to my forehead.

“Just so we’re clear,” he murmured against my ear, “I’m not giving up that easily. Not even for a jealous donkey. ”

The warmth of his breath sent shivers down my spine, and I found myself leaning toward him again.

“And just so we’re clear,” I whispered back, surprising myself with my boldness, “I might not want you to give up.”

Holy. Shit. I couldn’t believe I just said that out loud.

His smile was brighter than the late February sun overhead, and for a moment, I forgot about all the reasons this was a bad idea. My secret career, his future in the League, our completely different worlds.

The fact that I’d never in my life had a boy, or a guy, or...a man pay this kind of attention to me, ever, had me more than flustered. I didn’t know how to feel or what to think.

The fact that I’d never been kissed.

I drove home, my skin still tingling from that little peck on the forehead. Something fundamental had shifted between us. A line had been crossed, even without the kiss the donkey had so effectively prevented.

And despite all my careful plans and compartmentalized life, I wasn’t sure I wanted to step back to the other side.

“He almost kissed you?” Parker shrieked when I recounted the story to her. “And then the donkey interrupted? And then he kissed you but on the forehead? That’s some romance-novel-level drama right there.”

“It wasn’t that dramatic,” I protested, though my racing heart disagreed. “And it was just a moment.”

“A moment that involved Flynn Kingman, campus heartbreaker, looking at you like you hung the moon.” She flopped back on her bed. “Face it, Tempest. You’re the heroine of your own romance novel now.”

Was I? You’d think I’d know how to act and what was supposed to come next if that was the case.

My agent chose that moment to light up my secret phone again.

Gloria Horne: FlixNChill execs confirmed for March 15-17 in LA. Need you to confirm ASAP.

Spring break. Right when I could plausibly get away without raising suspicion.

Right when things with Flynn were getting complicated. Not like I thought he and I were going to spend spring break together or something.

I stared at the text, feeling the weight of my separate lives pressing in. The practical, serious student who made her mother proud. The secret romance author on the verge of her big break. And now, apparently, the girl who caught Flynn Kingman’s interest despite all odds.

Something had to give. I just wasn’t sure what, or who, I was willing to sacrifice.

And for the first time in as long as I could remember, I didn’t want to give up any part of me. I didn’t want to hide, I didn’t want to have a mask. Not with him anyway.

The rest of the world was another story.