Taking a step away from Bianca, Gio glanced around. "We gotta go. Felix was just caught up for a few minutes with one of the skaters. Go this way." He pointed to the quickest route back to where Felix was, then pointed in the opposite direction. "I'll go that way." He started to walk away then rushed back and took her face in his hands, kissing her deeply one last time before letting go and speeding around the small building.Bianca walked around her side cautiously, her mind still swimming in a blissful daze as her heart continued to attack her rib cage with each wallop. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she was certain it was Felix looking for her, but it was a text—from Lala. With her body still reveling the euphoria of having finally quenched her aching need to be near Gio again—feel his touch—kiss his lips, she stared at the screen, elated. Just seeing the envelope with the code-name for him now as she had so much in the past few days made her want to do a little dance, but she

"Look at me, G." Gio turned back to Noah then followed Noah's gaze. Jack and Felix were coming toward them, but they were moving slow, and Jack was really struggling. Still, Noah spoke fast. "Whether she's still sleeping with him or not is beside the point. He brought you here as a favor. You're my friend, but what you're doing is a huge disrespect to him."Gio dropped his head back, exhaling through his mouth. Noah was right and Gio couldn't argue there, but he was too far gone to try and fight this thing, whatever it was, no matter how wrong he knew it was."I know you're not as close to him as you once were, but you're still his friend. Now I don't know what she's thinking," Noah continued adamantly as Jack stopped walking to take a breather. "But she's staying in his cabin—sleeping in his fucking bed. If this is really what she wants, then maybe she should move out. Have you two talked about that at all?""I haven't had a chance. We text when we can, but since the last time he l

BiancaBianca did her best to appear as casual as possible as she made her way back to the table with the rest of the girls. One glance over at the guys by the bar had her heart racing. Felix eyed her and he didn't look happy. Could it be possible he knew what she'd been up to? The idea that he may have had one of his security guys follow her, even as a security precaution, didn't even dawn on her until she was on her way back, but now it was a major cause of worry.Felix started toward her as she got closer. She slowed, not wanting to be too close to the girls now if they were going to argue. Starting to smile as he stepped in front of her, Bianca's smile went flat seeing the fiery contempt in his eyes. "Where've you been?"Assaulted by the stench of tequila followed by his slurred speech, Bianca realized he was drunker than she'd ever seen him. "To the ladies' room. I got caught up on my way back when I ran into someone from school."His eyebrow jerked up at that. "A guy?""No,"

They drove silently until they reached the drug store where they bought the ice pack and some aspirin. When they got back in the car, Gio, who sat shot gun, rested his head back, holding the ice pack to his swollen shut eye."Look guys," he began. "I know what I did seems despicable, but I didn't just decide to go after his girl. We fell in love—both of us, not just me. I tried to fight it. I—""You should've left," Abel said, staring straight ahead as he drove.Gio lifted his head and glanced at Abel's unsympathetic, almost angry expression. He reclined his head back again and closed his only good eye. "Yeah, I should've." He had no choice but to agree. "I fucked up, but it couldn't be helped."He didn't expect them to understand, because if one them had done what he'd done to one of their closest friends before this ever happened to him, he'd be just as disgusted."So what?" Hector sat up, leaning against the back of the front bench seat. "You and her are together now? Isn't tha

The sincerity mixed with alarm made Bianca nervous but she waited as Felix let out a breath and frowned. "Andy wanted me to threaten her—threaten to go after her with everything I had—dig up any skeletons she might have and threaten to go public with them, all for the sake of intimidating her into having the abortion." He looked away, and Bianca sensed he couldn't look at her anymore. She was almost afraid to hear more. "I might've done it if this had happened before I met you. I actually considered it, but then I thought what if it was you? What if this had happened when I first ran into you again, before I really got to know you, and I'd done this to you. I didn't know much about her either, but I kept thinking she could be just another sweet and special girl like you, who I'd be screwing with just to cover my own ass—I couldn't do it. That's when I realized I'm not the same guy I used to be and it's because of you. I'm giving her whatever she needs, and I plan on being there for my