CHAPTER TWELVEI'd Do AnythingI check my watch. Ten minutes until I meet Dylan.Weeks have passed since I barely escaped getting caught masturbating in the restaurant bathroom. I had to do a bit of quick talking, but I've gotten out of tighter spots before when following a story.Hannah is lying on the couch, reading. It's a Saturday, which means Dylan and I will get to spend the whole afternoon together.As I head for the door, my phone rings. It's an unknown number. I grimace."Chuck it over." Hannah catches the phone. We've developed a system for this."Hello? Hi, Raymond. No, Kenzy isn't here right now. Goodbye."Hannah hangs upon him in the middle of a sentence.Thanks." I take my phone back. "Who's holding the current record?""Raymond, but only by two. Your mom is coming in a close second." I roll my eyes.Those two refuse to leave me alone."I need to go. I'm meeting Dylan.""Enjoy." Hannah winks at me. She knows all about my fantasies about Dylan, but she never brings them u

CHAPTER FOURTEENFull MoonI lie on the couch with my head on Dylan's lap. I feel like I could lie here forever. It makes me uneasy.Dylan and I have agreed to be friends with benefits, but ever since we talked about it, I haven't allowed myself to so much as kiss him.I know I'm being stupid, but I can't quite get over what happened the last time I trusted a guy. Raymond broke my heart, and it still hasn't healed.Dylan and I aren't a couple, but I can't help worrying that having sex with him again will just make me even more attached. Then what will I do if he betrays me as Raymond did? I don't know if my heart can take that.Dylan will probably just think I'm silly, or be offended that I don't trust him.Dylan is a completely different man to Raymond. Expecting him to make Raymond''s mistakes is just stupid. I shouldn't have a problem trusting him because of what happened in my previous engagement.My broken heart doesn't seem to agree. So far, the fear of being burned again has ov

CHAPTER SIXTEENJust FriendsI can only hope that Derek, whoever he is, lives in the building. I burst through the front door into the corridor."Derek! Derek, please, it's Dylan!"A man appears from the upstairs floor. He's walking slowly as if he doesn't hear my desperate screams, but his eyes are on me.I become aware that I'm naked, but I don't care.Derek? Dylan needs help - please, hurry!"Oh yes, Kenzy, Dylan needs help, and you can help him. You need to back off.""I what?"The sound of Dylan's screams suddenly goes quiet. I abandon Derek and run back to the bedroom. Dylan is getting up, his face grim, but he seems uninjured. "I Dylan? What happened?"Before he can speak, Derek steps into the room. "I warned you, Dylan. I told you, it's too dangerous, at least right now. You'll hurt her."I wouldn't. I couldn't."You could. You've already come close. You need to stay away from her."You don't own me, Derek!""Yes, I do," Derek hissed. "And you know it. Now get dressed."To my

CHAPTER EIGHTEENWelcome to HellThey're still speaking, but I'm not listening. I hurtle to the door, grabbing Dylan by the shoulder and yanking him back.He's a lot heavier than I am, and I barely manage to move him, but I push myself between him and Derek anyway."Stay away from him! I'll call the police if you hurt him again, I swear I will."Derek raises his eyebrows at Luke. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dylan cover his face with his hand.Hm, maybe I misjudged you after all."I don't like the way Derek's looking at me. It's like he's X-raying me. Like he can see everything."Tell me, what has Dylan told you about our... group?"*Just because you've got Dylan too scared to say anything doesn't mean I won't find out. If you try to hurt him, I'll bring you down. My best friend is a lawyer. Trust me, you don't want to go up against her."Dylan chuckled. He doesn't appear at all moved by my threats. "It can wait until tomorrow, Dylan. I assume you have things to do?" He eyes me

CHAPTER TWENTY We're Not ExclusiveI get out of the car, holding my head high. "Raymond."What are you doing here so late?"My head is still buzzing with the argument with Dylan, and I can't think up anything better on the spot than the truth. "I fought with Dylan."Raymond's mouth twists in distaste at the sound of his name. "I never thought you two were right for each other. I couldn't believe it when I heard."*We are right for each other," I growl"Then what are you doing here?"He has me there.I...um..." Words aren't working for me. I stride over to Raymond and kiss him. He responds by wrapping his arms around me, kissing me back in a way that makes me breathless.He breaks away to lead me inside, closing the front door behind us.I knew you'd come back to me."His kisses, now on my neck, are distracting, but I know I have to focus."Raymond, wait. This isn't - I'm not coming back to you. If we do this, it's a one-time thing. We're not together."He pauses to look at me. "You t