Lies We Tell (Thistle Cove 3)

Tears burn at my eyes. “Yes, of course.”

Ozzy slowly pushes it down my left ring finger. It’s a perfect fit.

I’ve never been so attracted to them—all of them before. This whole relationship had been my idea—my need to explore my desires—push my boundaries. I didn’t know if they’d take to it or not.

I reach for him and kiss him, mouths a perfect fit. His to

ngue slips between my lips and his breath, chocolatey, warms me; sending tremors through my body. This is the boy that took me by surprise—that I gave my virginity to—that I’ve connected to physically and mentally. His blue eyes bore into mine and my heart pounds.

I release Ozzy and face Finn, running my hands behind his neck and into his thick, magnificent hair. The spark flickers between us—the one that’s burned for years. It starts in my heart and travels to my belly, then drops to a low burning heat between my legs. He’s strong and powerful and I feel safe just being in his arms.

His kiss is gentle. Sweet. Brimming just beneath the surface.

It’s too damn short, that’s for sure, but this moment isn’t about us—it’s about us.

Ezra leans against the railing, eyes hooded, jaw tight. I approach him, and he shakes his head. “I don’t deserve a kiss like that—not until I earn it.”

I stand before him and say, “Although I wish you’d done it another way, I can’t fault you for trying to keep me safe.”

He blinks, and I see the shimmer in his eyes. Ezra Baxter is crying in front of me and my soul threatens to shatter. I reach for him, touching his cheek, his chin. I force him to look at me with those dark, piercing eyes. “I love you, Ezra Baxter. We’ll get through this.”

That jaw clenches, tighter than before, and a tickle of fear rushes through me, terrified that he’s going to run. But he reaches for me, pulling me into a tight, bone-breaking hug.

“I love you, too,” he says quietly, mouth close to my ear.

I reach my hand back and warm fingers thread through mine. Another cups my neck and soon we’re huddled together. I look out to the water, to the bridge in the distance, the ghosts of the past shadowing us, while we do everything we can to step toward the future, whole, healed, and together.

35

Kenley

The chill of winter has returned the morning we arrive to leave for the retreat. Everyone rolls in sleepy and bundled up, an air of excitement about the trip. Juliette walks by with Dave Reynolds. His hand is on the small of her back and he looks at her like she’s a queen. That seems to have escalated. Since the trip was paid for by a sponsor, the entire class is here. I see Alice climb the steps to get on the bus, dark hair pulled back with a long pink ribbon. I take a breath, knowing I need to brace myself for dealing with her for the next few days.

“Kenley?” I hear my name called. I turn and see Shannon Hughes standing by the bus. A red suitcase sits at her feet.

“Hi! What are you doing here?” I ask, crossing the space. I haven’t seen Shannon since everything went down with Monica.

“I finished cleaning out my mother’s house and it’s ready to go on the market at the beginning of the year.” She glances down at the suitcase. “Turns out they needed an extra chaperone. I told Mrs. Gimple I’d be happy to go.”

“Wow! That’s awesome.” Shannon’s pretty cool and should be fun to have on the trip.

“How have you been?” she asks.

“Things have calmed down lately—sort of.”

Her eyebrow rises. “Sort of?”

I bite my tongue. I’d promised to stop looking into or talking about SugarBabies and anything to do with Rose’s disappearance. “I just mean final exams and the holidays. You know how that is.”

She nods, looking not entirely convinced. “I do. Hopefully things will settle down for you—maybe you can relax on the trip.”

Her eyes dart over my shoulder. I turn and see Finn and Ozzy walking over. Finn’s wearing purple and gold plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a hoodie.

“Hi, Shannon,” Ozzy says. Finn nods in greeting.

“She’s going to be a chaperone on the trip.”

Her smile is tight. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure, but when I heard that Jason Chandler was also chaperoning, I decided to go.”