Jennifer L. Armentrout

Scars, whether physical or emotional, could be not just a representation of survival but also a story of hope.

You should be working on your speech instead of staring,_ Rider said, never taking his eyes off his notebook.Paige__ dark eyes flew to me and then narrowed.Heat exploded across my cheeks.__nd you should actually be working on, I don__ know, your speech?_ Hector grinned as he gestured to his paper, which appeared to have actual words on it. __nd please don__ stare at him, Mallory. Because of Paige, his ego is already big enough. He doesn__ need any help.

A soft smile curved up her lips, and my gut dropped a little. A smile_I__ never known a smile could have that kind of effect. Could feel like a kick to the chest.

I__ glad...you texted.__ider tilted his head to the side. __eah?__ nodded, probably a little too eagerly, but as the dimple in his right cheek took shape, it was like being rewarded. Our eyes met for a moment, and I didn__ want him to leave. An urge took me like it had during lunch, and I all but bounced forward. Gripping his arms, I stretched up and kissed his cheek. It was pretty much just a peck, so I figured it wasn__ crossing any lines, but the feel of his skin under my lips was still unnerving and unexpected.__e careful,_ I whispered, backing off.Rider__ grin faded from his handsome face. A moment passed before he spoke. __lways, Mouse.

The drawings make you smile,_ he replied with a grin. __orking on the speech doesn__ do anything.__hat...that was so sweet, I wanted to hug him tight, kiss him, too. __orking on your speech will make me smile, too.__is brows lifted and then he flipped his notebook closed. __ know what else will make you smile.___hat? You actually doing some homework?___ope._ He glanced at the door again and then rose. __ think me sitting closer to you will make you smile.__he boy knew me well.He took a step closer. __ think holding your hand will make you smile.__ straightened as I watched him.__nd I think..._ He sat on the edge of the bed and twisted his body toward mine. __ think kissing you will make you smile, too.

Uh_I__e seen you around here a couple of times,_ he said again, staring at the book I held. ___ had come face to face with some one whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself.___ stared. __hat?__is lopsided grin spread into a full one, and it felt like someone had socked me in the chest. __t__ a quote from Oscar Wilde__ Dorian Gray. It__ one of my favorite books.__ot and smart. And apparently he was a real-life boy.

I would give Alex back control so she could protect herself instead of making the decision for her.

It__ just snow,_ Lesa said, rolling her eyes. __t__ not going to hurt you.__immy smoothed her hands over her blond hair. __ugar melts.___eah, and shit floats._ Lesa took her seat, yanking out last night__ English homework.

I loved you when I was eight. I loved you when I was twelve. I loved you when I was twenty, and I... I love you now.

I ate lunch with Keira today. Second day in a row,_ I told him, then winced at how stupid that sounded.Rider__ grin turned into a full smile, transforming his handsome face into the kind of masculine beauty that was like a punch to the chest. __hat__ really good, Mallory._ His voice dropped as he reached over, curving his hand over my arm. There was a near electric rush from his touch. ____ proud of you. For real.__iddiness surrounded my heart as I stared at his large hand, darker than my own. He knew how big that was, and I didn__ feel so idiotic. He got it. He got me. And that meant the entire universe to me.

They all had their own struggles and stories to tell and they al made it to this point, happy and in love.

So how long do I have before__hat were their names? Carl and Rosa? Yeah, that__ them. How long do I have before they come back?___ don__ know. Maybe...maybe an hour or so?_ My hands felt incredibly small in his.That lopsided grin was back. __ doubt they__ be happy to find me here.___hy?__is brows rose. __aybe I__ wrong. They used to coming home to find some strange guy sitting on their couch?__ rolled my eyes.__hat__ it, isn__ it?_ Rider tugged on my hands, and I rose, letting him pull me down to the couch beside him. He leaned back, sliding one arm around my shoulders and tucking me against his side. __ust par for the course with you, huh?__ didn__ know what to do with my hands since he__ let go of them, so I folded them in my lap. ____e never had a...guy here.__ider stiffened and then he twisted his neck so he was looking at me.Did I seriously admit that out loud? Squeezing my eyes shut, I sighed. ____ just...going to shut up now.__e chuckled. __on__ do that. I like listening to you talk.

Flipping to the front, I caught Aiden's gaze and offered a sympathetic smile."Skittles?""Please."I dumped some into his open palm, then picked out the green ones. Aiden grinned at me."You know I don't like the green ones?"Shrugging, I popped them in my mouth. "The few times I've seen you eat them, you leave the green ones behind."Deacon popped his head between our seats."That's true love right there.""That it is."Aiden's gaze flicked to the road. I flushed like a little schoolgirl and focused on the remaining pieces of candy until Deacon drifted back into his seat. I handed all the red ones to Aiden.

You worry about hurting me, but you never seem to worry about me hurting you. And I__ the one with the killer touch.

This reminds me of old times,_ he said, and his lashes lifted. As his gaze drifted over me, it was focused but all too brief, because he looked away, a muscle working along his jaw. __ind of.__ flush raced across my cheeks as I switched out the ball for a new one. He was right__his was like all the other times I__ cleaned him up. Well, when I was younger, I tried to clean him up, but had no idea what I was doing, but as we grew older, and he got into fights defending me or for some other reason, this was our routine.Except I was pretty sure that when his gaze roamed over me just now, he__ checked out my breasts, and that was definitely something that hadn__ happened before.

I think it's obvious if you're wanted here or not.""Daemon," hissed Dee, her cheeks red. She turned to me, tears in her eyes. "He's not being serious.""Are you being serious, Daemon?" Ash turned in his lap, head cocked to the side.My heart was already pounding in my chest when his eyes met mine. His were sheltered. "Actually I was being serious." He leaned over the table, staring up at me through thick lashes. "You're not wanted here."Dee spoke again, but I was beyond hearing. My face felt like it was on fire. People around us were starting to stare. One of the Thompson boys was smirking while the other looked as though he wanted to crawl underneath the table for me. The rest of the kids at the table were staring at their plates. One of them snickered.I'd never been more humiliated in my life.

He returned my smile with a half grin. "So what do you blog about? Knitting? Puzzles? Being lonely?

I was in love with him. I knew that much was true. Love was the swelling, hopeful feeling in my chest every time I saw him. Love was the way I could forget about everything when I was with him. Love was the catch in my breath when he looked at me in his intense way. Love was the gasp he could draw out of me with the simplest of touches. Love was the way I could... I could be myself around him, know that I didn't need to be perfect or worry about what he was thinking, because he accepted me.