Choosing You

Piper Holy crap!! I’m making out with Ethan McKay! It’s unreal. It’s insane! It…must be a dream. Even when I’m sure it’s not. My fingers tighten around soft strands of hair. That’s real. And he’s doing all sorts of sinful things with his tongue. That’s real too. A yummy sound seeps between us from the back of his throat, and I know it’s him. Ethan is my tormentor. And my reason for living. Honestly, he barely pays me any attention—that’s the tormenting part. But in the rare occasion that he does see me, I stand there like a dummy, forgetting how to speak. I’m a lost cause. But in my defense, I’m probably not the only one. Those damn McKay boys are freaking hot. There are two of them. Ashton, is the oldest, who works for McKay Corp, one of the biggest companies in the world. They’ve produced so many products and softwares, there isn’t just one trade to the name. And that includes creating hot as hell offspring. Ashton has been named sexiest man alive twice in his twenty nine years. A

PIPER“Who’s in here,” someone asks, taking cautious steps down the stairs. I freeze. I know that voice. I’ve been studying it long enough.Ethan.Of all the people that could show up here. Now. To witness how pathetic I really am, it had to be him. Locked in the basement at a party, because I didn’t want to talk to Paisley. She totally embarrassed me and didn’t see a problem with the things she said. Even if I wasn’t crushing hard on this guy—even if she has no idea about it— basically telling a guy that I’m an innocent virgin would be humiliating to anyone. Why would she do that?“I’ve been trapped for a while,” I finally say.“Yeah,” he replies. “Adam said the door sticks.”“Do you have a phone,” I ask. “I left mine in my dorm.”He shuffles, then swears under his breath. “Uh. No. Jordan used it to find his phone in the car. It’s probably in the center console.”I let out a long doomed breath. “Seemed like I was pounding on that door and screaming for the longest.”“Yeah…party,” he

PIPERHe’s reeling me back in. This is so bad. I know it. If Ethan knew who he was making out with in the dark right now, he’d probably flip. I should’ve known better. Why didn’t I stop this when I realized who it was? If I’d told him who I was, he would’ve maintained his distance. Tried to get us out of here instead of making conversation. Instead of kissing me the way I always dreamed he would. I could do it now, tell him who I am and stop this. Maybe pretend that I’m just now realizing who he is. I open my mouth, and poise the words at the tip of my tongue that’ll send all of my hopes crashing to the ground.“Don’t go,” he pleads.And—crap—my insides melt some more. I want to hold onto the sound of his voice. The way he’s asking me to stay like he really means it. I wrap my mind around that. The prayer that Ethan McKay might actually know it’s me that was on the receiving end of his kiss and he wants me as badly as I’ve pined for him. I let myself believe it for a minute longer, gr

PIPERI find Paisley with a cup in her hand and a smile on her face, sitting in a room surrounded by people.“Never have I ever had a threesome,” a girl on the far side of the room says.People begin to drink, my best friend included, which leaves me a little shocked. My mouth opens as wide as my eyes and I stare.Noticing me, she giggles. “What happened to you?”I’m still kind of thrown by what I just learned about my friend that the words don’t come out yet. She frowns, coming over to me, with a strange look on her face. My fingers go to my kiss-swollen lips. Can she tell what I’ve been doing in the dark? And who I’ve been doing it with? I mean she’s known Ethan just as long as I have. Okay, that’s not entirely true. Let’s forget the fact that I saw him seven whole minutes before she did. I can guarantee I know him far better than she does. From keen observation, and a desperate need to know. “What do you mean?”“You disappeared for like thirty minutes,” she says, sipping from her

PIPERI smile. It’s stupid, I know but when I think about last night, being in that dark room with Ethan’s mouth on mine, I can’t help it. My heart thunders inside my chest and I can barely contain myself. The way he kissed me, held onto me. I loved every second of it, fully understanding why every girl he’s ever been with falls all over themselves for a second chance. The thought puts a damper on my mood. Not just the idea of all the girls I’ve seen Ethan with, or the many girls that have probably been in his bed. But also because I know, I’m not one of the girls who can take a chance seeing him again. Not really, when there’s really no hope for things being any different in the long run. Let’s say I meet up with him. What happens if he finds out who I am? He laughs. Or worse, he draws a blank because I’m nobody. Then there’s the aspect of deceiving him, knowing he would never kiss me with the lights on, so really it’s like I’m tricking him into it. And the knowledge of that alone is