Free Kissing Her Crush by Ophelia London Page B

glanced behind them. The Jeep was gone.
    Good. No reason for him to follow me like he’s my brother.
    This made her turn to Brandon. His shaggy hair wasn’t blocking his eyes. Probably because he was driving. Muff wasn’t a danger to himself or others, and ever since he’d gotten his license, he was very careful behind the wheel. Driving was one of the only times he seemed almost like a normal kid.
    “Do you mind if I ask why you’re in a better mood?”
    He shrugged. ”I don’t know. Right before you called my cell, I finished my homework and was about to turn on the TV when I heard Mom on the phone. I usually don’t care what she’s saying, even when it’s about me—and it’s always about me. She was saying something about you and…what you’re doing at work. For me.”
    Natalie hadn’t told Brandon the subject matter of her research, or what she hoped to accomplish if she proved her thesis. “Is that okay?” she asked. Even if it wasn’t, she was going through with the trial anyway.
    “I guess.” A corner of his otherwise flat mouth twitched. It could’ve been a frown, could’ve been a smile. Either way, emotion was a good sign. “But, um, I mean, thanks for at least trying to help.”
    “Of course,” she said, feeling so much love for her little brother it actually hurt her heart. As they drove home, more than ever, Natalie knew she had to get through this first phase and secure another grant. Nothing and nobody would stand in her way.

    E ven after she’d refused a ride home for the tenth time, Luke hadn’t been about to leave her standing at the entrance gate alone. He wasn’t a complete ass. So he’d sat in his car and waited, keeping an eye on her from the side mirror.
    Huh. She had a temper, too. He’d never been into annoyingly stubborn women—not that he was into Natalie. He’d meant what he’d said. It was only a kiss. And just a kiss—even an extraordinarily hot one—would not make him forget his reason for being in Hershey. He’d finish this job, go back to Philly, then hopefully begin planning his move to DC.
    Now that he was far removed from that kiss and could think, he also had to admit his brain was in no way ready to be into someone. The lies, the manipulating, the total betrayal of trust. Even the memory of what led to his divorce was enough to stop his irrational attraction to Natalie Holden dead in its tracks.
    He didn’t have to wait in the Jeep for long. A silver car pulled up and she got inside. Luke was too far away to get a good look at the driver, but it was definitely a dude. Tall, from the looks of it. But not nearly as tall as Luke. He could take him.
    Take him? Where the hell had that come from?
    On the heels of that, a chilling thought landed in his mind. Luke hadn’t once considered that Natalie wasn’t available. Had she mentioned a boyfriend? If she did have one, what was all that in the tunnel? Sure, he’d started it, and he still blamed most of it on the atmosphere of that stupid ride—“entrapment,” they’d both called it. But she’d been into it, because Luke wasn’t in the habit of breaking innocent amusement park rides without just cause. And there had definitely been cause.
    He ran a tight fist over his jaw. Not that “cause” mattered. The thought of her having a boyfriend was the basic equivalent of jumping in the freezing cold ocean. He’d never pursue someone who wasn’t 100 percent available. Celeste’s betrayal was too fresh on his mind to put another guy through that. Ever.
    He only followed the silver car for two blocks, because he was sure he’d been made when Natalie poked her head out the window. After that, he hung a right at the light and headed to Derry Woods Road, up the windy hill toward his parents’ house.
    Roxy had driven back to Jersey the day before, but Dexter’s car was there when he pulled into the driveway.
    “Rough day at the salt mine, bro?” Dex called from the porch.
    Aw, shit. Had someone told his