Page 61 of Too Sweet
I spin around, meeting the heated gaze of his dark eyes. “They’re too short.”
SEVENTEEN
Nico
THAT GIRL SURE KNOWS how to keep me on my toes. First, she shows me a confident, cheeky side she’s been hiding God-knows-where, stealing my dessert and replacing it with fucking M&Ms, then she rates my skills at eight.
Here I was, replaying our kiss all evening, thinking it was thebestkiss in my life, and she rates iteight?
Way to drive me nuts.
I want to prove her wrong, up my score, and kiss her until our lips are numb, but...I can’t.She’s not mine to kiss.
She’s Cody’s.
The back of my head hits the wall. I can still taste her sweet mouth. One kiss and I’m fucking addicted. How the hell do I stop this? The neurotic thoughts; the growing, burning need; the—
Who am I kidding?
I can’t stop or step aside.
I’m too far gone to give up without a fight.
I never thought I’d consider going against my brother, but I’ve reached a point of no return. Not one thought today has been unrelated to Mia.
She’s all I’ve thought of for weeks.
She’s too young, still in college. She should have fun, party, and enjoy her youth before mundane life begins. I’m not the guy for her. Too obsessive, too fucking possessive, but...
I’ll make it work.
I’ve been learning how to handle, touch, and talk to her for almost two months now.
She’s not as soft as I initially thought.
Every time I see her, I discover a new part of her character. She argues: shows me my place, and stands up to me when she feels strongly.
She’s two parts gasoline and one part match. She’s got a spark, too, and once all that fuses together, she’ll burn bright.
I toss the cigarette to the ground and enter the building, taking no time to rethink what’s already decided. There’s no turning back now. Win or lose, I’m done pretending I can’t stand on the sidelines, watching my brother attempt to woo the girl I want.
Everyone save for the triplets, and Theo, is gone. The roomemptied half an hour ago, but Mia’s been home much longer. She was exhausted, barely keeping herself awake at the table. Since Cody was nowhere to be found, I called the cab driver who took us home a couple weeks ago and slipped him a hundred so he’d wait until Mia got inside.
Better safe than sorry.
I push the door to the Ballroom open with both hands, letting the wings bang against the wall. “Where’s Cody?” I ask, not spotting him by our table.
“He’s here somewhere,” Conor says, rolling a bottle of vodka across the table. “Sit down. We’re having shots.”
“Not until I talk to Cody.”
“Why?” Theo narrows his eyes at me. Either he’s frowning, or he’s drunk and seeing double. “Come on, bro. Spill your guts.” He pats the chair next to him, slurring his words. “You’ve been on edge all day today.”
“He’s always on edge,” Conor muses, launching a grape in the air and catching it with his mouth.
“Not like this,” Theo continues. “You’re a different kind of tense today, and you’re freaking me out because Iknowthattension. I’ve seen you like this before.”
“I’m good,” I clip, not in the mood to divulge the subject. Whatever Theo thinks he knows, he’s wrong. “Where the fuck did Cody go?”
