So Many Boys (The Naughty List #2)(2)

Riley and Megan might not have been cheating, but there was clearly intent. The operative needed this confirmation. She would just have to keep watching them, because sooner or later, they’d slip up.

Cheaters always did.

CHAPTER ONE

I PLACED MY PALMS ON THE CUSHY PINK YOGA MAT on the floor of my living room. Stretching my legs out behind me, I pushed my body up into the triangular pose of downward dog. The dark waves of my hair hung down, tickling my face as I extended farther, feeling the pull that always loosened my tense muscles. Sigh.

“Oh, I like that position,” Aiden called from the couch.

I tumbled back to the floor. It was hard to hold the pose with Aiden in the room. “Be nice,” I said, glancing over at him. He looked adorable. His blond floppy curls had been cropped short, and his green eyes sparkled in the Sunday morning light. And to be honest, I loved that he loved the view.

“Nice? You hate when I’m nice,” he said, tilting his head. “Now come over here and let me be naughty.”

I laughed and sat back on my heels. When my parents decided to spend the weekend in Seattle to celebrate their anniversary, Aiden had graciously volunteered to keep me company. We were…working on our relationship.

“You all flexible now?” he asked with a smile, holding his hand out to me. “Because I’d like a kiss.”

Aiden and I had enjoyed a very relaxing weekend together, but I’d made it a point to set boundaries. For example, as long as we were together but not officially dating, there would be no… home runs. He’d said that was fine. Even though I missed the Pink Champagne toenail polish exchanges we used to have, it was less complicated this way.

“One kiss,” I said. “But then I have to call—” When I slid my palm into Aiden’s, there was a small pinch in my lower back—a muscle spasm. It made my breath catch, and Aiden pulled me to him, looking concerned.

“Everything okay?”

I nodded, rubbing my back as Aiden leaned forward to kiss my neck. “See,” he murmured. “You’re still taking on too much.”

I closed my eyes as his hot breath touched my skin. “No, I’m not.” I had no idea what this recent muscle spasm was about, but I doubted it had anything to do with helping people in the name of self-recovery. “Besides,” I said. “I can’t just abandon everything.”

“You should,” Aiden said, pulling back before wrapping his arms around me.

“Including you?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

He grinned. “Not me, baby. I’m a keeper. Remember?”

I laughed. “That’s right. I forgot.” But my laugh was hollow. I couldn’t exactly keep what I didn’t have.

“Now come here,” Aiden growled as he tackled me back onto the couch. Temporarily forgetting my doubts, I wrapped my legs around his waist (thank you, yoga) as he tried to tickle me.

“Seriously,” I said after a few minutes, even though I was pretty sure that I was the one holding him to me. “I only have a sec.”

“Then we’d better hurry,” he whispered. I closed my eyes.

It had been three months, one week, and two days since I’d been a Smitten Kitten. I’d quit the squad (although I kept the uniform for personal reasons) at the beginning of the summer, leaving it in Kira’s perfectly polished hands.

Since the incident at Aiden’s house last year—including the unfortunate stitch to my forehead—my parents suffered from terrible bouts of guilt. Their career had taken off, forcing them to tour most of the summer, leaving me home alone. And with the school year just beginning, it didn’t look like that was going to change anytime soon. They offered to quit and get regular day jobs in order to stay home with me more, but I wouldn’t hear of it. I was happy for them! After all, I was the one who needed to figure things out, not them.

Even after ending SOS and taking a break from Aiden (sort of), I still felt like I had more to learn about myself. Here it was, the start of my senior year, and I was completely stressed out and unable to focus. In fact, the only time I felt remotely like myself was when I was with Aiden—working on our relationship.

My yoga teacher had said that to really find my inner Tessa, I had to get away from everything, including cheerleading. She also told me that not-dating-but-still-dating Aiden was bad for my chi. I had promised to work on that. Maybe after this weekend.

“Time’s up,” I murmured, putting my hands on Aiden’s shoulders as I gently pushed him off of me. “I have to meet Kira and the squad for practice.”

“Why?” Aiden’s kissable mouth frowned as he straightened up on the couch. “You’re not a cheerleader anymore.”

My back flinched again. I stood up, twisting from side to side, hoping it would help the tightness.

“I may not be a Smitten Kitten, Aiden, but Kira asked for my assistance. Homecoming is only a few weeks away, and, well, I’m a retired cheer expert. In fact, I had this spectacular routine—”

The phone rang. Pickles and ice cream! That was probably Kira wondering where I was. Even though I wasn’t due at the gym for another half hour, I’d forgotten to call her back on Friday. And today was Sunday. Being with Aiden tended to make me lose track of time.

Careful not to further irritate my muscle, I slowly began to limp toward my phone.