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walk? ” Alex appeared to be enjoying her discomfort, damn him.
    “You’re impossible,” was the only retort she could come up with .
    “So I’ve been told.” His voice was even softer than usual, as if they were sharing a secret just between the two of them . He moved slightly closer to Anna, and she automatically took a step backward, though she wasn’t certain why she moved , or why , for that matter, he was making her so skittish tonight. They both waited, each wary of the other, for what seemed a very long time.
    “You should probably go on inside now,” Alex suggested , reverting back to his normal demeanor.
    “Oh. Yeah.” Anna cleared her throat. “I really should work on my English essay . I haven’t even started on it. I’ll be stuck doing that most of tomorrow as it is. So . . . d o you . . . do you want to come in for a Coke or something? Maybe you could help me.” What on earth made you say that? You need to get away from him before you say something even more idiotic ! If that’s even possible! What’s wrong with you tonight?
    He hesitated. Then, shaking his head, he said, “I don’t think so, Anna. I’ll see you later, okay?”
    “ Um, o kay . S ure.”
    “Good night.”
    “’Night.”
    ****
    Alex slammed the front door and raked his fingers through his hair, sighing. He passed through the living room and past his brother, who was seated on the floor with an Xbox controller in his hand. Creed pulled his eyes away from the screen long enough to ask, “What’s with you?”
    “Nothing.” He stood idly watching Creed play. “What are you doing home on a Saturday night?”
    “Jennifer’s being a bitch. I didn’t feel like dealing with her tonight. Must be her time of the month or something.”
    “Where’s Mom?”
    “Went to bed early. Said she had a headache. Wanna play me?”
    “Yeah, in a minute.” Alex headed for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he pulled out a can of ginger ale, then leaned against the dishwasher, tapping his fingers on the top of the can and thinking.
    Maybe I shouldn’t be flirting with her. It’s hard not to, though. She’s so much fun to mess with. It’s cute the way she gets all nervous and jumpy when I do. She was sending out some weird vibes tonight. Staring at me one minute, then acting like she’s afraid of me the next. Christ, I almost kissed her ! Good thing she backed off. I should be more careful. Flirting is one thing, but I don’t need the hassle of getting involved. It’s a bad idea. And she asked about that damn scar , too. Real attractive. Yeah, sure, a window did that. And did I mention I own a beachfront resort in Siberia ?
    I need to back off. I can be friends with her without getting too personal, right? More than likely she isn’t interested anyway. Why would she be? Face it, she’s a hottie. Oh man, she smells incredible too. That perfume she wears drives me insane. And the way she looks at me with those big brown eyes . . . okay, this isn’t helping. Think about something else or you’ll never be able to sleep tonight. Remember how it would all hit the fan if she knew about you. Think about that. Think about it and don’t forget.
     

 
    7
     
     
    During the following week at school, Anna noticed an almost impalpable difference in Alex. It wasn’t exactly something she could nail down and identify . He still talked and horsed around with the group during lunch, and walked with her afterward to fourth period. Nothing had changed, really. Their conversations were basically the same as before. But she now sensed a cautious restraint in his tone, as if he wanted to evaluate every comment carefully before vocalizing it, fearful of saying something inappropriate somehow.
    Maybe , just maybe, it was all in her own head. Saturday night had thrown her for a loop. She’d returned his jacket to him on Monday, omitting the fact that she’d worn it most of the day on Sunday just so she could continue to breathe in his essence, that