Hottie God: And a fucking brilliant one at that.
Me: Riley just told me Logan and Maggie have dibs on Stockton's tonight, but we can have it tomorrow.
Hottie God: Logan got six condom lollipops this morning.
Me: I thought they were waiting until after Winter Formal.
Hottie God: Maggie told him she wants to use all the lollipops tonight.
Me: Wow. That's a lot for one night.
Hottie God: We’ll need more.
The second I read his text warmth spreads through my body. Thoughts of what he did to me on the pool table are quickly overshadowed by thoughts of what else he wants to do to me.
Riley drops a note over my shoulder and into my lap.
I glance at the teacher before opening it.
#1. I don't know who my naughty Santa is, but I'm in love with her already. I got pink furry handcuffs. Do you think the house elves will know and install an appropriate headboard?
#2. Did you and Aiden do it this weekend?
a.) he seemed very chipper today.
b.) he wants Stockton’s for the two of you.
c.) is playing pool your secret code word for sex?
#1. I think house elves know everything.
#2. We didn't, but we had fun. We played pool. Strip pool. He won.
What'd he get?
Not telling.
Tell me!
Let's just say he has a talented tongue.
Ha! I knew it was something!
Hottie God: You haven't replied.
Me: I've never done it . . . like that many times.
Hottie God: Me either, but I know once we do, we won't want to stop. I've wanted you since the first day I saw you. I seriously had never seen someone so beautifully perfect until that moment.
Me: I have to admit, I'm nervous.
Hottie God: Why?
Me: What if it sucks?
Hottie God: No fucking way. What you should be prepared for is the fact that you're never going to want to be with anyone else ever again.
Me: That scares me too.
Hottie God: It does me too.
Me: You make me feel like no one else ever has.
Hottie God: And you're waiting for something bad to happen?
Me: I'm afraid it's too perfect.
Hottie God: Has anything about us been easy?
Me: Not really.
Hottie God: In six and a half minutes, I'm going to kiss the hell out of you. Just saying.
Me: Aiden?
Hottie God: What, baby?
Me: I think it's going to be amazing with you, just like everything else is.
Hottie God: Me too <3
I send a quick text to Camden.
Me: Any chance the house elves can install something your brother could attach furry handcuffs to?
Cam: House elves?
Me: We decided that house elves were responsible for forecasting our every whim.
Cam: LOL. They are :) I hear my brother is giving the place a proper workout. What about you?
Me: Winter Formal is coming up :)
Cam: Will Aiden be “coming up" there?
Me: I think so.
Cam: Bout time. How's P? Something’s up with her.
Me: She met a guy.
Cam: Where?
Me: Beach over break.
Cam: Hmm. What about Whitney?
Me: She's dating Shark.
Cam: That is a match I bet even Shark wouldn't have bet on.
Me: They seem really happy. She seems happy.
Cam: And Dawson?
Me: One word: Brooke. Hardly ever get to see him.
I’m walking down the hall toward English when Aiden struts up to me, puts his hands around my neck, and kisses me, exactly as promised.
Straight out of a movie.
Drama
I get a text from Cooper.
Cooper: You need to get a really bad cramp now. Go to the nurse. Make her call me out of class.
I do as he says, make my way in fake pain to the nurse’s office, and talk her into calling Mr. Steele.
I know by the look on his face when he walks into the nurse’s office that something is wrong.
Is Vincent on his way here? Is he already here?
No. If that were the case, he wouldn’t care about pretending to be a teacher anymore.
Which means he has news.
Bad news.
“Is my family okay?” I ask him as I pretend limp down to the Field House.
“Yes,” is all he says.
Once we’re safely in the training room, he says, “The guy who talked to Vincent’s assistant is a cop friend of mine. He just sent me something.”
“Did he talk to her again? Get something good on Vincent?”
“No, he’s a detective. A homicide detective.”
“Is Vincent dead?!”
“No.”
“Is his assistant dead?”
“No, um . . .”
“Just say it, Cooper.”
“One of the dancers from the club is dead. She was reported missing by her roommates when she didn't come home from work Thursday night. They found her body on the beach in Malibu.” Cooper glances back at his phone. “In front of a restaurant called Moon Beams.”
My heart stops beating.
“That’s the restaurant Vincent and I had dinner at. We sat on the deck overlooking the water. Which girl was it?”
“She’s new. Only been working there for about two weeks. She was off the night we were there.”
“So, she was murdered?”
“Yes. Her place of employment caught his attention, so he texted me earlier. Then he sent me this.” He holds up his phone, showing me a photo of a thin, tan waist with a glow-in-the-dark chaos tattoo just below the hip.
“I sent a bunch of custom glow-in-the-dark chaos tattoos to Marla. She liked mine because she thinks if they ever name the club it should be called Utter Chaos. Tell me this is just a coincidence.”
“You know what Garrett says.”