“So…if you happened to be in Belle’s position, could you love a…beast?” “No,” I said, immediately. He looked away, disappointed for some reason.“Good, that’s…very wise,” he said, fixing his eyes on the windshield. “I would love his heart,” I confessed.”

“He stopped, resting his forehead on mine. “Kalista…” He sighed, cupping one side of my face. We remained like that, close to each other, waiting for our bated breaths to steady for countless minutes. Our lips warm and puffy from our kiss.He looked at me. “Your lips taste better than I imagined, like cherry,” he said, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip.He’d imagined our kiss. “That’s because of my cherry chapstick,” I smiled.He pulled me closer, looking down at my lips. “I doubt it,” he whispered in a low voice.”

“Oh, you have to hear this,” Nick suddenly said with a grin. “Look for the house where the dog is barking.”I reached out and listened. “They’re going to kick out the dog from the house?” I arched my eyebrow.“Not ‘they’, her. The little fella peed on her new, expensive shoes, so she’s freaking out.” He laughed.“Talk about overreacting.”“It’s a woman. What would you expect?”

“Chloe scoffed. "Excuse me, but if this place reeks of body odor, it’s not because of me. I am not the one with the shirt soaked in sweat here." She glanced at me.My cheeks burned. It was one of those moments where you wished the earth could rip open and swallow you whole."Oh, that’s why I can see your bra," Vincent pointed out, looking at my chest. "Nice boobs by the way."I looked down and almost had a heart attack. In the haste, I’d put a white top over a black bra.”

“Hey, precious.” A pretty brunette slid to Tristan’s side out of the blue.Precious? Who does she think she is? Gollum?”

“Slowly, Joaquin leaned in, drawn closer to her against his will. Pursing his lips, he breathed warm air across her cheeks, like animals do when they learn each other’s scent, learn to trust. “Easy now,” he whispered in between the soft puffs of air. “Let go of the fear.”“I can’t,” she said, in a little broken voice that clenched at his heart.“Yes you can.” Joaquin let his lips touch her skin, the merest hint of a contact. She made a tiny sound of alarm, a cross between a sob and a cry. He brushed his mouth against hers. A shudder shook her body, but she pressed into him, seeking his shelter. Keeping his hands braced to the timber, he deepened the kiss. His mouth slanted over hers, bolder now.Her hands rose between them and fisted into his shirt.”

“I took his hand and pressed it hard. I could not bear to look at him any longer, so I closed my eyes and put his hand against my cheek. I cried with him. I felt his fingers grow wet with my tears, but I kept his hand there.”