Jay chuckles, a low masculine sound that shivers in my very soul. His left hand traces my collarbone and wraps lightly around my neck, his thumb grazing the corner of my jaw.

My breathing goes ragged and shallow.

Jay tilts my head back and kisses the space right under my earlobe.

I reach back, cupping his head with my arm, tangling my fingers in his hair. It’s crisp with gel, not as soft as it used to be. I twist, letting my demand for answers slip to the back of my mind. There’s a clumsy moment of chins and noses before our mouths find each other.

The first kiss is quick, tentative, a delicate brush of skin. The next is a little deeper, a little harder. A little throb between my legs lets me know that my body isn’t done with Jay Gatsby, not tonight, and maybe not ever.

At the third kiss, I’m gone, lost in a flaming, roaring lust that sears us together, galvanizes my mouth to his, pours molten heat through my throat and skin and stomach. I lock both arms around his neck and he grips my body, pulling me tight against him. This kiss doesn’t really stop. I’m not even sure how we’re getting enough sips of air to sustain us, and it doesn’t matter because this is Jay, my Jay. His mouth is soft and hot, his tongue traces mine in a slick languid roll that thrills me in the naughtiest way.

My brain is a fiery haze, and I’m liquefying on the spot, melting, pulsing. I whimper, crushing my hips against his in a shameless surge.

Something pricks the inside of my lip, a sharp dot of pain. I make a quick sound in my throat, and Jay pulls away instantly, turning his back to me.

“I’m sorry,” he gasps.

“So you bit me a little. I don’t mind. It just surprised me.” I lace my fingers around his wrist and try to tug him back toward me, but he resists.

“Give me a second, Daisy.”

“Oh.” Is he about to come in his pants? Maybe I should offer to… No. No, I shouldn’t. “Um, maybe I should go see where Jordan is.” Because now that my head is cooling a bit, I realize I don’t want to have sex with him yet, not until he’s willing to be honest, and if we keep kissing like this, I’m going to forget that resolution again.

“Please—just wait.” Jay’s voice is thick, his words blurred. But the next second he’s facing me again, looking perfectly normal. Through his smile I catch a glimpse of the sharp eyetooth that poked my lip. I’ve always liked guys with slightly longer canines—it gives them a sort of feral look that I love. Guys like Taylor Lautner, Christian Bale, Henry Cavill—I’d die to have them smile at me. I don’t remember Jay’s teeth being this sharp, though. Had I ever mentioned my little preference to him? Would he have gone so far as to have some kind of dental procedure done to enhance his teeth? Surely not. That would be too weird.

His lips close under my inspection. “Listen, Daisy, I’ll tell you everything you want to know, I promise. Just give me a week, okay? Let’s go on a couple of dates first.”

I open my mouth to protest, because I have trust issues now, and I need the truth, and…and maybe it’s not all about me. Jay’s gaze is open, pleading, but there’s a shade of caution in it, too. Maybe I’m not the only one with trust issues. I mean, his home life was a real mess. Physical attraction clearly isn’t the problem, but maybe he feels the emotional distance between us, like I do. Maybe he wants to make sure of me, to confirm to himself that I really am trustworthy. That I won’t vanish from his life again.

Maybe he doesn’t owe me immediate answers.

Maybe I need to be patient.

I purse my lips. “Dates, huh?”

“We never had any actual dates.”

“Right. We only hung out together almost every day,” I say dryly.

“We could do that again, if you prefer it to dating.” He looks so eager that I want to grab his sweet face and kiss him again.

“Tell you what, Jordan wants to check out this waterfall she heard about—Wildcat Falls. She might want to do some videos there. You can come along on the hike. You and Jordan are all chummy now anyway, right?”

“We’re acquainted.” A faint smirk hovers across his mouth, and a twinge of jealousy flicks through my chest.

“It’s settled then.” I try to keep the edge out of my voice. “Tomorrow, around noon. I’d rather go earlier in the morning when it’s not so hot, but Jordan won’t get up until late. There’s no address, but there’s a spot where you can pull off onto the shoulder of Highway 215. I’ve been there a few times. It’s pretty, and just rugged enough to be fun, and there are a few different trails…” I’m rambling, and I pinch my lips together to put a halt to it.

“I’d love to go. I’ll pick you up.” The way Jay is looking at me makes the words feel far more intimate than they are. Heat crawls up my cheeks, across my forehead.

“I’m thirsty,” I blurt out.

“Let’s fix that then.”

He offers me his arm like freaking Mr. Darcy, and I shove it aside with a giggle. “Seriously?”

“I’m trying to be the romance novel hero, remember? Everything a girl wants.” He’s laughing, but he’s serious, too.

“In real life, guys like that make us girls nervous,” I tell him. “Those men don’t seem genuine. And maybe we don’t actually want that level of perfection. We’re more comfortable with the guy who’s occasionally clumsy, who sometimes burps or farts like we do, who messes up now and then. All we really need is a guy who is kind, generous, and absolutely comfortable with himself.”

Uncertainty flickers across his face, but he keeps smiling. “Okay then. I’ll need a big bottle of Coke so I can produce a generous burp for you.”

“Now that,” I say, poking his chest, “is the Jay Gatsby I remember.”

9

When Jay picks me up the next day, he’s already got Nick with him. His car is a bright-red Tesla Model S, with a race car–style steering wheel and a sleek screen instead of a dashboard.

“Nice.” I swing into the back seat and poke Nick in the shoulder. “I notice you didn’t offer me shotgun.”

He cranes to look back at me, pursing his mouth. “Cody’s not coming. I think I deserve this seat as a reward for my misery.”

“Cody doesn’t like hikes. Especially not on bright, sunny days like this.” Jay’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror.

I nod. “Too hot for him, huh? Wow, he really isn’t the work-up-a-sweat type.”

“Oh, trust me, he is,” says Nick. “Just doesn’t care for too much sun and heat, I guess.”

“What is he, a vampire?” I giggle.

Nick laughs raucously. “Somebody’s been watching too many teen TV shows.”

“Hey! There are plenty of grown-up shows with vampires, too. True Blood, V Wars, Being Human.”

“Like I said,” Nick says smugly. “Too much TV.”

“Shut up.” I kick his seat.

Jay isn’t laughing, or talking. In fact, he’s been steadily increasing his speed, and I’m not sure he realizes how fast we’re going on this narrow mountain highway.

I touch his shoulder, and he jumps. “Jay, you should probably slow down a little.”

But it’s too late. The unmistakable whoop of a siren shrills behind us, followed by rotating red-and-blue lights. Nick swears, but Jay pulls over immediately. From what I can see of his profile, he looks calm. Unconcerned.

When the policewoman arrives at the window, Jay rolls it down and says pleasantly, “Hello, Officer Sheetal.”

The policewoman’s eyes widen. “Gatsby! Sorry, I didn’t realize it was you.”

“It’s my bad. I was going way too fast. I’m sorry about that. I’ll be more careful.”