= 28

day after. And some

Francisco (E

how we ende

-

WA BWA B

ing it when my head feels like it just exploded. I look aroun

rique at the end of the bed, holding some kind of plasti

BWA

al enough to drop ten men on the spot. Unfortunately, the effec

tly the right place, not a flaw on that smooth ivory skin. It's the kind of body that ma

hold my brain in place. Everything hurts. I move extremely slo

ng through the open curtains but also to prevent one more glimpse of the nearly-nak

the head? I swear that bitch ..

e corrects

the head with a bat or something.

ny blowjobs. Or maybe too much sex on the beach. No,

ugh to squint at him through the blazing light slicing

us - all masculine menace and boyish danger in equal doses

slams

les like I can squeeze the memory out. My thoughts are

rred kiss. His hands - everywher

h

goes up

t's going to erase the last twelve hours

ng extr

l, no - did

ope! Abort

Drunk enough to f

BWA

ping out from under the covers, my eyes now wide open. I

as he throws the thing on the bed. It looks like someone took a traffic cone, str

t, wondering what ass-hat i

d from band class and decided to grow

love to blow it at soccer matches." He went on a hunting trip.

with it, getting him back for waking me up like a bat from hell. The bump doesn't even make a d

feels as if I've b

over my head again, all the while hoping he would disintegrate into thin

l me why the whole world th

anket, the fabric bunching in my hands as if it will bring me sola

ridge of my nose, my dilated e

try to explain the situation about how they misto

ed any pregnancy ... I just didn't deny it

urely saving his sister earns me at least one get-out-of-jail-free car

d how excited we were a

Mel," he says, all smooth. "A litt

anna talk to me." He grimaces - a I-know-

hrough his phone and hands it to me. And there I am, caught in glorious HD, looking down a

s checking for fat rolls, not a

at gravel for breakfast. "Why would you-? I

way - let's not forget you assaulted a m

smile on his face that short-circuits my

er have agreed to that stupid pu

use

the other party has the right, at its sole discretion, to impose a punishment in the f

may decline - but if the

r

l bare, still stupidly perfect. Half my brain wants him to

flexes. Just a tiny twi

. My lips part in silent surprise, my ha

g. And drooling. Flip. I fr

The paparazz

composed as a tipsy karaoke singer. Time to throw the ball into his co

ips. Those very sexy lips. No

not m

Tit for tat. Puni

s or a no, but I'm taking it as a yes befor

g's going on. His multicolored eyes scrutinize my whole demeanor, an

h

I'm wearing one of his shirts ... and his boxers

nderwear ha

I feel - right next to the pillows that, for the record, I always put between us before bed. Yet some

that mind tries to fill in the blank

about the blowjob part? Could I really forget having a sexual

trying to hide both my flushed face and my pumped-up nipples. But of c

I babble some more to hope

e, and later - totally random - he and his friends just happened to be i

a deep scowl. Yeah, he's

hates me, so he might try to use you to get

to piss off the boys. There's history here.

bout a greasy breakfast at the c

es with a side of

y dart to the red undergarment on the

an you tell me what happened? I mean ... did we ... did

mouth curves into the sexiest, most dangerous lopsided grin I've ever seen, and I find mys

hile I was carrying your drunken ass inside." I can f

ore I can respond, he

Our eyes are stuck in a battle of wills. His head tilts closer, so

. Ship. My hands fly up to cover my bur

ept. I don't fuck drunk girls, no matter how cute

rom behind my hands, "...

ng me to meet his gaze. "Anything else you want to know, Batnip?"

ntly kissed. My mouth waters. I swallo

That's ... pl

e my lower lip. My brain races - would anothe

ond, I freeze, stiff as a cucumber in Antarctica, but instead of shoving him away lik

body, and oh sweet mother of temptation - he's getting hard between my legs. A tiny, sensible voice in my head c

he door snaps me out of my Enrique-induced haze. M

the spot. I scramble off his la

the blanket over his ... very noticeab

ckson smirks. He do

clear he doesn't believe that for a second "- yo

cy bits on the ground. Then, like some testosterone-fueled version of the

ere w

et around his hips like some very indecent Roman empero

hirt - all under the sharp scrutiny of the twin leaning lazily against the doorframe like h

.. and Leyla. Haley droppe

still has that husky, just-wo

... I got a new roommate

n, panty-chasing menace to add to the roster. Like Big Re

tually looks shoc

es." I wonder where Jackson stays - he doesn't live in t

Honestly, it's just a roommate -

mplicate

any of us can react, a figure barrels past Jackson into the room, trippi

on their mugs - but they've got nothing on the new guy. His fa

rs, still waging war wi

rain can't quite process what I'm seeing. This ... is not the h

Maybe my hangover

le petite. Which makes him smaller than me.

k combat boots, which look like they could walk away on their own, his whole

n and delicate features are way too pretty for a man ... in fact,

amber, and golden-bright, like a lion in human form.

rom one twin to the other, like a tennis u

es to his s

s seems to bring Le

and mutters, "In the bathroom. Big spid

rd

hs with Logan halfway, with coffee in his hands. He's cradling one moodcup, the

lkay s

canning his brothers like one o

, leaning against the wall li

spider?" Logan asks Lee, who

ot scorpions." Lee pulls a strange face. "That's why

," Enriqu

es back, nose tilted in defia

es into the bathroom. S

ts back out, nearly mowing down

with your vuvuzela - could be a Sout

Enrique snorts like I've

war zone. I peek around the corner - not because I'm brave, but becaus

He jumps left like a startled cat and backs out fast

s officially

but whatever it is, it freezes my insides. There's something here I'm not being told. Lee noti

he's back - paler, lips tight. He quietly shuts the door and leans against it. That

. I watch as he reaches down to grab the spi

er. Jackson jerks like he's just been zapped by a taser. For a heartbeat, he

s in a stiff, mechanical way, h

rly not afraid of spiders

ing a loaded look at Enrique

Lee's slow blink and furrowed brow

he bitten? Oh, hell, could it be venomous? S

ip our heads in perfect sync. My little sister stands there, eyeb

silk. "Figuring out how to catch the huge-ass spid

hilarious." Then she pushes pas

parently, they're fine with being

er and lets it crawl onto her hands, holding her palms together. Bla

ack, just in case he ne

ur frozen corpses. We're still standing exact

She's grinning, shaking her bold

t their burrows, Logan." She beams at him like she's just taught a toddler the alphabet. Logan doesn't seem to

she continues. "You don't get them in San F

make you squirm. Wants to be a biologist. Or an ar

weetly, already nicknaming my 'boyfriend.' "Pret

rts drinking Logan's coffee, still in his hand. The cup

arly eager to erase the memory of th

d struts away like this en

?" Enrique asks, still sipping Logan'

ious suddenly. "Well,

. Logan looks wea

d with mystery. "You'll learn them eventually, pipsquea

code for t

a very simple math problem. Whatever.

guys are

y," Lee

glare. "You're o

rtuna

rth solely to annoy us so

nimals were harmed whil