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it was over, he hadn’t said much at all.
    “So where’d you do it? Not here!”
    “No. Are you kidding? My mom would have a fit if she knew I was dating anyone like that.”
    “Well, you’re not exactly
dating
,” Sasha said, emphasis on the final word. “Oh, God, look at you,” she squealed. “You’returning all shades of red. Definitely not your color. I’m sorry. Did I hurt your feelings? I didn’t mean to.”
    “You didn’t.”
    “I was just kidding. You know that. I’m sure he really likes you.”
    “Has he said anything?” Brianne asked. After all, it had been Sasha who’d introduced them.
    “No. I haven’t seen him in weeks.” Sasha plopped down on Brianne’s bed. “So, go on. Tell me. Where’d you go?”
    “His place.”
    “You dirty girl. What’d you tell your mom?”
    “That I was spending the night with this friend from school.”
    “And she believed you?”
    “Why wouldn’t she?”
    “Maybe because you were lying?” Sasha asked in return.
    “I can be pretty convincing.”
    “I bet you can. I bet you’re just full of surprises.”
    “Maybe.” Another surge of unexpected pride.
    “It’s always the ones who look so innocent who are the ones you have to watch out for.”
    “Mothers are easy to fool,” Brianne said.
    “Not mine,” Sasha countered. “She always saw right through me. My grandmother, too. ‘Who do you think you’re kidding?’ she used to say. Then she’d shake her finger in my face. Made me want to bite it off. I thought grandmothers were supposed to be nice. You know, bake you cookies and spoil you with presents.”
    “My grandmother’s an alcoholic,” Brianne said.
    Sasha absorbed this latest tidbit without comment. “So, how many times did you do it?”
    Brianne felt a frown tugging at her lips. She really didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “I kind of lost count. Five … six, maybe.”
    “Six times? Are you kidding me? Who can go six times?”
    “Maybe it was only four,” Brianne quickly backtracked.
    Sasha laughed. “Stop kidding around. How many times? Seriously.”
    “Three,” Brianne lied, pretending to be picking some lint off the comforter, hoping Sasha hadn’t inherited her mother’s and grandmother’s talent for ferreting out falsehoods. “It was three times.”
    “Wow. Still pretty impressive. Aren’t you sore?”
    “A little.” Actually a lot, Brianne thought, although it had only been twice, and the first time was so quick, she wasn’t sure it really counted.
    “Are you going to see him again?”
    “Of course.”
    “When?”
    “Hopefully this weekend.”
    “I thought you were going hiking in the Adirondacks this weekend with Daddy.”
    “That’s the plan.”
    “And plans have a way of changing,” Sasha stated more than asked.
    “Especially where my father is concerned,” Brianne conceded. The phone beside her bed rang. Brianne reached over and picked it up before it could ring a second time. “Hello?”
    “Hi,” the voice said. Low. Deep. Dangerous.
    Like he was, Brianne thought. “Hi,” she said, feeling her heartbeat quicken and lowering her voice to a whisper.
    “Is it him?” Sasha asked, her eyes wide with excitement.
    Brianne nodded, wishing now that Sasha hadn’t come over.
    “How are you?” he asked. “I’ve been texting you like crazy …”
    “I left my BlackBerry at Lululemon. Sasha just brought it back. She’s here now.”
    “Good old Sasha. Tell her, ‘hi.’ ”
    “He says ‘hi,’ ” Brianne said, dutifully.
    “Hi, yourself, stud.”
    “What’d she say?”
    “She said ‘hi,’ ” Brianne told him, leaving off the last word and pushing herself off the bed. She crossed to the window, staring down at Sasha’s bright orange Mustang. A silver sports car suddenly turned the corner onto the street and came to a stop halfway down the block. Brianne leaned her forehead against the glass, trying to make out the person behind the wheel.
    “How are you doing?” he