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lifted his head and stared into my stunned eyes before I was able to glance away. He cupped my face with his palm and feathered a kiss against my lips. “Are you okay?”
    No, I wasn’t okay. I was fucking insane. I wanted to say something funny or reassuring, but I knew the three words pounding in my head were the only ones that would come out if I spoke. Mustering all the courage I could find, I looked up. The tenderness shining in his beautiful turquoise eyes stole my breath away. It made me burn . . . and want . . . and hope. Could this be more than a one-time mistake for him? Did he actually want more from me than sex? What if he didn’t even want that? I had practically stripped naked and begged him for it. I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I didn’t want to ruin this moment, but I couldn’t seem to force any words out.
    “I’m sorry, Claire. Please don’t be mad at me for being so stupid.”
    “You’re sorry?” Oh God, oh God. His hand now stroking soothing circles down my back momentarily gripped my hip.
    “Yeah, I guess I believed Duncan when he said he had sex with you.”
    Oh, yeah, Duncan. He was the new prick at school who had invested six months of our senior year being nice to get me on a date. Although he was a perfect gentleman, he’d wasted no time lying about what had happened. I remember him standing down the hall at his locker with a sick smirk while I tried to get my books and ignore all the whispers and stares. Jackson had walked right past me and even though I had seen it with my own eyes, I still couldn’t believe what happened next.
    “I never denied it. It’s not your fault, Jack.”
    “I still should’ve known better. Just thinking about him touching you and I lost my fucking mind. I’m sorry, baby.”
    “Don’t apologize. I love that you try to protect me. Jack . . . I-”
    I heard the faint creak of the door, and then Alice’s voice demolished the glimmer of hope his words had created. “Jackson . . . are you in here?”
    Both of our heads whipped toward our best friend, mouth agape, immobile in the doorway. I clung to Jackson and tried to hide my naked body by sinking deeper into the sofa.
    “Oh, my God, Claire!” she sobbed, before bolting out the door.
    “Oh, no . . . no, no, no,” I cried. In a complete panic, I tried to move my arms and legs, imprisoned against the length of Jackson’s body. Frantic, I shoved at his shoulders and kicked at his legs. It was like trying to move a boulder. “Get off of me, damn it!”
    “Hey, it’s okay. She’s just a little surprised. We’ll straighten it out tomorrow. I can’t let you go yet. Stay with me.”
    Dumbfounded by his nonchalance, I began to freak out even more. “Are you crazy? We have to go find her . . . explain. Now, Jackson, please!”
    Jackson rose up on one elbow to look down at me. He seemed to be thinking about it like there was really an option besides running after Alice and begging for her forgiveness. I tried to push myself in to a sitting position. The look in his eyes already had me weakening. Then we both heard shouting in the distance. A shrieking voice stopped my feeble attempt to escape. It momentarily stopped my heart.
    “Jackson, help! Alice is hurt. She slipped and fell. Jackson, where are you? We need a phone to call 9–1-1!” the voice screeched. “Jackson!”
    The time for make-believe was over. Jackson hopped off me so fast his momentum flung me to the floor. He pulled his pants on, grabbed a phone behind the sofa and sprinted out the door. I watched horrified by the red scratches that now marred the perfection of his muscled back.
    She’s going to be okay, I chanted over and over in my head. She has to be. Why didn’t I stay with her? Why didn’t I think about Alice, even once, before I betrayed her this way? I knew better, but I did it anyway.
    It took way too long to put my clothes back on. Somehow, my fingers had forgotten how to fasten buttons. But I could hardly go half naked