Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men 1)

“Hey, don’t bash the cucumbers. Those actually work.”

“Wait. You do that?” I’d shocked him yet again.

“What? I’m a girl, aren’t I? It’s like required to try the green mask of beautification at least once in a woman’s life. It’s part of Girly Girl Law or something.” And hey, there was something else I could do with Sarah.

After studying me as if he’d just met a new person, he asked, “Do you eat the cucumbers when you’re done?”

Only Mason, the food vacuum, would ask that.

I made a face. “Eww. No way. What if an eye booger got on them?”

Mason threw his head back and shouted out a laugh. He’d been laughing a lot this morning. I kind of, sort of, totally loved it.

Shaking his head, he gave me a look full of amusement. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever discussed zits and eye boogers with a girl before.”

It was a first time for me to discuss such things with a boy too. Feeling suddenly awkward around him because his words somehow reminded me my hair was a disaster and my face was bare, I hugged my empty latte cup with both hands and glanced around the campus…only to frown.

“Wow. Does it seem unusually quiet all of the sudden?”

Mason checked his wrist. “Shit!” He lurched upright. “I’m late to class.”

“Oh, my God. What time is it?”

“Almost fifteen after.” He jumped to his feet, his messenger bag already slung over his shoulder.

Fifteen after? “No way!” How had I gotten so distracted?

I scrambled for my own bag, and Mason caught my elbow, helping me up even as he snagged it for me. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

He kept pace with me as we rushed toward the entrance of the school.

When he reached out ahead of me to open the door, his fingers lightly cradled the small of my back. The sensation of his hand there sent sparks up my spine and exploded in the base of my skull with blissful fireworks until I experienced a full body throb.

Ignoring the reaction, I started to turn right toward my Brit Lit class when it struck me—I actually had Virology today…in the other building.

Crap. I began to rotate back around and noticed Mason was going left. We realized at the same moment we had to part ways.

He halted and opened his mouth. Gray eyes scanned my face.

More than curious to know what he wanted to say, I froze in my sandals and held my breath.

“Well…bye.” He winced, making me suspect he’d wanted to say more than that.

I gave him a small smile. “Yeah. Bye.”

He nodded and went left. I stared after him a moment before rushing from the main building and dashing toward the nursing department.

But I wondered all day what he’d really wanted to say to me.

CHAPTER NINE

The rest of my week was a dream come true. Mason showed up at my lunch table every day. And he was the only one. No Eva, no jealous professor clients. Just him and me.

By Friday, we’d fallen into a rhythm. I know this sounds totally nerdy, but we worked on homework together, usually calculus since we were both in a calculus class—same professor, different times. We could bounce ideas and helpful tips off each other.

The best part was I was smarter and worked faster. Not that I’m bragging. Okay, I’m totally bragging. But it was just so awesome to be better at something than he was.