A Gorgeous Villain (St. Mary's Rebels 2)

“Because I don’t think we’re each other’s type. Besides you’re Callie’s brother and I…”

“You what?”

I press the glass to my stomach even harder. “It would be inappropriate.”

Yes, definitely.

Only it doesn’t feel inappropriate when it’s him.

God, I’m a bad friend.

“You know what, I think I should…” I trail off when he moves.

Ledger unfolds his arms, which I have to admit are extremely corded and sexy but do nothing for me. Nothing at all. They don’t even stir my creativity like his arms do.

He closes the gap between us and I swallow thickly, my eyes wide. His eyes, on the other hand, are calm and relaxed and serious.

“Look, I’m not the best guy, I’ll tell you that right away,” he says, his gaze flicking all over my face. “I’ve been a player. I’ve been an asshole too. To girls, I mean. And I’m pretty sure Callie would freak out at the thought of you and me. Not because she wouldn’t want you to be with her brother. But because she wouldn’t want her asshole brother, me, to be with one of her innocent friends, you. Despite that, I’d very much like to take you out on a date. I think you’re interesting. You’re quiet and maybe sad and I think I could get you to smile. Even though we’re not each other’s type. But then who made the rule that you can only go out with someone your type, right? I’d like to break the rules for you, if you’d let me. So this is me breaking all the rules and asking you out. What do you say?”

Oh that was… good.

I swallow again. “You’d like to break the rules for me?”

He nods slowly, his expression earnest. “Yes. You should think about that too, breaking the rules.”

I would laugh if I could.

That’s what I’ve thought about, breaking the rules. Ever since he came to St. Mary’s, back in November. Not Ledger but someone else.

Him.

I’ve broken a million rules for him since then, for his love and all of this would be funny, his brother asking me to break the rules, if it wasn’t so painful.

If he was willing to break the rules for me too.

Maybe I should say yes. I mean, how long am I going to be hung up on someone who’s not hung up on me. Who will never be hung up on me.

But I can’t.

Because I have to ask Ledger and with a sigh, I do. “What about her though?”

“What about who?”

I look him in his pretty brown eyes. “Tempest.”

That gets me a reaction. A pretty fierce one.

His brows snap together and his square jaw goes tight. His entire body goes tight as he replies, “What about her?”

“I thought… she was important to you. I mean, the way you were pretending to not stare at her and —"

“Tempest is nothing.”

And I know he’s lying.

He’s lying in the way I lie. To myself I mean.

When I’m angry at myself. For wanting him.

For wanting a man who doesn’t want me back.

Finally I also know why he followed me in here. Maybe he was trying to get away from the crowd too. From her, Tempest.

I smile at him sadly and say, “You know, it would be a great idea to go on a date. But you’re…”

But I trail off because I notice a movement behind Ledger’s shoulders. A flash of dark hair and stricken gray eyes. Tempest.

She’s standing at the kitchen threshold and from the looks of it, she heard everything. When she spins around and leaves, my heart twists for her, for the disdain and rejection she must’ve heard in Ledger’s voice.

I’m about to go after her, maybe help her understand what’s going on in Ledger’s head, but I freeze.

Because she isn’t the only one who heard things.

Someone else did too.

Someone who lives in my dreams. Has been living in my dreams ever since I accidentally met him on a summer night. Ever since he told me to follow my dreams before becoming a dream himself.

He stands at the threshold too, all tall and muscular.

His navy blue eyes taking in the scene before him, taking in the closeness between me and his brother. His chest broad and his fists closed at his sides.

When our eyes clash, my lips part to exhale a trembling breath.

He looks at them for a second before he snaps his gaze up and leaves. Just like Tempest did.

And this time my heart twists so fiercely, so forcefully that I know it doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter that my dream man, who also happens to be Callie’s oldest brother and our soccer coach at St. Mary’s, doesn’t want me.

Because I want him.

I want Conrad Thorne.

I love Conrad Thorne.

I love him even though he loves someone else…

To be continued in

These Thorn Kisses

(St. Mary’s Rebels Book 3)