“I guess you gotta try the rest before you settle down with the best.”

“Okay.” The boy placed his hands on the table. “The thing is … I died before I got to see real live tits. Not just on the Internet.” He hurried to add, “I wouldn’t touch you or nothing. Obviously. But even if I could, I wouldn’t do that to you.” He looked at his hands as he dropped them into his lap. “I just want to see.”

“He knelt and slowly ran his hand down my arm, his lids heavy and his lips parted. “Aura . . . where can I touch you?”“Anywhere.”His hand left my arm and drifted to the rise of my hip bone. “And where can I kiss you?”I took a deep breath, long past ready for the future. “Everywhere.”

“I promise I'll never tell.""Don't promise that," he said in an ultraserious voice. "If they try to hurt you and the only way to protect yourself is to tell them what you know about me, then you tell them. Straight off, okay?""No." "Promise me.""No!""I will possess your heart."Heat flared along the back of my neck. "What did you say?""My favorite song. 'I Will Possess Your Heart.'""By Death Cab for Cutie?"He snorted. "No, the little known T.I. Hip-hop remix. Yes, Death Cab for Cutie."... "Why? What's wrong with it?""Nothing, but it doesn't seem to fit you. It's kind of a sad song." "No it's pure confident. It's not 'I want' or 'I need', none of that crap." He slipped his hand over mine. "It's 'I will.'"A nervous laugh bubbled up. "You will, huh?"His fingers brushed my cheek, then slid into my hair. "I will.”

“That reminds me." I dug into my book bag and pulled out a white cardboard box tied with a string. "I brought these back for you."He looked at the box, then at me, before slowly reaching out. "What are they?""Poisonous snakes. Open it."Zachary untied the string. "They seem like very quiet snakes.""They're stealthy. Or maybe dead.”

“I love you, Aura," Logan whispered. "Body or not, as long as I'm in this world, I want to be with you.”

“They examine me like I’m a cow at a 4-H auction. I try not to moo.”