chapter 2

Lila POV

"What I want," Derek said slowly, his voice dripping with dark satisfaction, "is very simple."

I stood there frozen, my papers still stuck to his wet chest like my secrets were literally glued to him. The hallway felt like it was closing in around me. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.

"You're going to be my girlfriend," Derek announced casually, like he was talking about the weather.

My brain stopped working completely.

"WHAT?" I choked out, my voice cracking like a broken whistle.

Derek's evil smile grew wider as he watched me fall apart in front of him. "You heard me perfectly, Lila Richmond. You're going to be my girlfriend. We're going to hold hands, go on dates, kiss in the hallways. The whole show."

"Are you insane?" I gasped, backing away from him like he had just grown horns. "I would never in a million years be your girlfriend! I hate you! Everyone knows I hate you!"

"Do they?" Derek asked, tilting his head like a predator studying its prey. "Because from where I'm standing, it looked like you were just fantasizing about my body. Your eyes were closed, your lips were parted, you looked like you wanted me to kiss you right here, right now."

My face exploded into flames of humiliation. "I was NOT thinking about you! I was thinking about-"

I stopped myself just in time, but Derek's eyes lit up with wicked understanding.

"About your stepbrother," he finished for me. "You were imagining it was Ryan standing here half-naked, weren't you? God, you really are messed up."

Tears burned my eyes. This was torture. Pure evil torture.

"Here's what's going to happen," Derek continued, completely ignoring my obvious distress. "You're going to pretend to be madly in love with me. You're going to write those sexy stories about me instead of your stepbrother. And in return, I'll keep your disgusting little secret safe."

"I won't do it," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I can't do it."

Derek shrugged and started to peel another one of my papers off his chest. "Fine. Then I guess everyone's going to find out that sweet, innocent Lila Richmond has been writing detailed sexual fantasies about her own stepbrother's body."

He cleared his throat and began to read out loud: "Ryan's muscles rippled as he-"

"STOP!" I screamed, lunging forward to cover his mouth with my hands. "Please don't! Please!"

Derek grabbed my wrists gently but firmly, holding my hands against his face. His skin was warm and his eyes were staring directly into mine. For a moment, we were so close I could feel his breath on my fingers.

"Then say yes," he whispered against my palms. "Say you'll be my girlfriend, and I'll keep your secret forever."

I felt trapped, cornered, completely helpless. If he told anyone about my stories, my life would be over. My family would disown me. I'd be expelled from school. Everyone would think I was a sick freak.

"Why?" I asked desperately. "Why do you want me to be your fake girlfriend? You could have any girl in school!"

Derek's expression changed for just a moment. Something flickered in his eyes - something that looked almost vulnerable. But then the cocky mask slipped back into place.

"Let's just say it would solve some problems for both of us," he said mysteriously.

"For how long?" I asked, feeling my resistance crumbling.

"Until I say it's over," Derek replied. "Those are my terms. Take them or leave them."

I closed my eyes and felt my world tilt sideways. I was about to agree to be fake girlfriend to my worst enemy. The boy who had just destroyed Ryan's dreams. The boy who was now destroying mine.

"Fine," I whispered, the word tasting like poison in my mouth. "I'll do it."

Derek's triumphant smile was absolutely blinding. "Perfect. We start tomorrow. And Lila?"

"What?" I asked miserably.

"You better make it convincing. Because if anyone suspects we're faking it, our deal is off and your secrets go public."

He released my wrists and stepped back, finally handing me my soggy papers. But as I reached for them, our fingers brushed and I felt an unexpected jolt of electricity shoot up my arm.

What the hell was that?

"Sweet dreams, girlfriend," Derek said with a wink, then walked away whistling like he didn't have a care in the world.

I stood there holding my ruined papers, feeling like I had just made a deal with the devil himself. My hands were still tingling from where he had touched me, and I hated myself for noticing how good he smelled up close.

"This is a nightmare," I muttered to myself. "An absolute nightmare."

But as I started walking toward the exit, trying to process what had just happened to my life, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Two people were kissing passionately against the wall near the main entrance. The girl was blonde and perfect, her hands tangled in the guy's hair. And the guy...

My heart stopped beating.

Those shoulders. That hair. That perfect profile that had haunted my dreams for three years.

Ryan. The papers fell from my numb fingers as I watched my stepbrother kiss another girl like she was his salvation.

But when the blonde girl turned her head slightly, I saw her face.

And my blood turned to ice.

I knew that face. I knew those cruel blue eyes and that perfect smile.

It was the face of my worst nightmare.