Kiss and Break Up (Magnolia Cove, #1)(30)

Byron’s gaze narrowed on mine, then he shook his head. “That too. Come with me to the party tomorrow night?”

Damn. I’d almost forgotten about that. I still needed to tell Mom I was sleeping over at Daphne’s. “As opposed to meeting you there? I’m getting ready at Daphne’s.”

“Whatever you want,” he said, his arm finding purchase on the locker behind my head, his head, his entire body moving closer to mine. He ran a finger down my cheek. “I’m thinking I just might make this thing between us a bit more official.”

My stomach did a backflip, and I hoped my eyes weren’t bulging. “You are?”

He nodded, his finger reaching my lips and tracing them. “Wanna kiss you so bad.”

“Yeah, well you can’t,” Dash said. Then Byron was shoved away. “She needs to get to class before your Romeo ass lands her with a late slip.”

Byron’s hands and jaw clenched.

I wanted to slap Dash, then tug at his stupid, perfect, messy hair. “What the hell, Dash? Don’t shove him.”

Dash moved me aside, then opened my locker to grab my history book. “I was clearly doing you a favor. Thank me when you’re not late.” Since when did he care about being on time for class? Slamming the locker, he didn’t even let me look at Byron, so I waved over my shoulder as Dash snatched my hand and hauled me with him to class.

“What was that about?”

Dash didn’t answer me. He flipped his book open and tugged his glasses from his shirt pocket, sliding them on as Mr. Andrews addressed the class.

I kept sneaking glances at him, but as the clock ticked on at the front of the room, and Mr. Andrews started getting amped about ancient Egyptians, I found myself going back to the same thing.

More official. Did that mean what I think it meant? I was pretty sure it did. And cue the storm of butterflies flapping and bouncing in a drunken jig inside my stomach.

It was happening. He was my boyfriend.

Oh, my God.

After school had finished, I found Daphne and quickly went over the plan. I’d meet Byron at her place or near her place and catch a ride with him. However he was getting there.

Daphne was grinning like the Cheshire cat. “Your first official boyfriend.”

I frowned at that. “Let’s not word it that way again, okay?”

She laughed, and then I raced off to the parking lot, climbing inside Dash’s car which was already parked in the drop-off zone.

“What’s got you smiling all weird like that?”

“Can’t a girl smile?” I put my seat belt on, shoving my bag between my knees.

“Depends on what’s made her smile, if you’re asking me. Which you did. So who? Or what?”

I didn’t see the point in not being honest. My excitement was too real. A blazing inferno of exhilaration. “Byron wants us to be official.”

The car jerked as Dash hit the brakes too hard, almost running up the ass of Annika’s Skoda in front of us. “Sounds riveting.”

“So are you going to Wade’s tomorrow night?”

“I hadn’t planned on it, but I’m guessing you have?” He turned out of the school. “What’s your mom going to say about party number two in a matter of weeks?”

“I’m not telling her.”

Dash was quiet for a beat, and the silence, usually comfortable between us, became stifling. I rolled the window down and tried to think of something to say that’d smooth the pensive, hardened edges to his features. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

“Heading to the skate park for a bit, then I was going to come over and have you fondle my dick.”

I coughed out a laugh. “What?”

“You heard me.”

I blinked five times before I turned to him, still laughing. “Dash, we can’t do that now.”

“Because fuckboy Romeo says he’s claiming you?” He chuckled, the sound dry. “We were having fun. Fuck him.”

I studied his expression, the hard set to his jaw, but I couldn’t see his eyes behind his Ray-Bans. “That would definitely be cheating, and well,” I hemmed, “I like him. I don’t want to ruin things.”

“Like Kayla did,” he said. “You’re right. He doesn’t seem like the type to stand for betrayal all that well.”

A sour taste eroded over my tongue as those words sluiced through me. He didn’t. And even though I was new to this, and we weren’t official, I knew Dash was right. Byron probably wouldn’t take what Dash and I had been doing too well at all.

“I’m curious, though. What’s there to like about the guy?” Dash asked. “His horrible taste in shoes? Not to mention, Kayla’s not done with him. Drama, drama, drama.”

“It sure sounds like she is.” I opened the door when he reached my place, yanking my bag out. Leaning inside the car, I sighed. “Dash, please just let me do this.”

His elbow was resting on the door, his head tilted as he surveyed me from behind dark frames. “I’m just failing to see why you even want to.”

“I’ve already said why.”

He waved his fingers. “Yeah, you like him. Supposedly. But you know …” His head dipped, gaze moving over my body. “Too much practice never hurt anyone.”