JACE'S VOICE CAME FROM SOMEWHERE behind me. "Fuck, I'm so sorry you had to be here for that."

        I twisted round in the dining chair to look at him, but I didn't argue. Talking about any of his conquests was a big, fat no-no. I knew this from past experience. It would only encourage the bitter bite of jealousy to grow in my chest, so I said nothing.

        Jace raked his hands down his face, exhaling harshly. "They always seem cool with just hanging out, and then suddenly you're having that conversation," he considered aloud. "Funny how you think you have an idea of what someone's like."

        "Well, I thought she was nice."

        His tone became thoughtful. "She was an entirely different person last night."

        "Probably because you were saying all of the right things then," I pointed out. "Man, I almost forgot how much of an asshole you could be."

        His eyes slid away, as if he was momentarily embarrassed, and my suspicion was confirmed when a soft pink crept into the hollows of his cheeks. Was he actually blushing? "I never advocated that I make good decisions when I'm drunk. I tend to make a mess of things, kind of like that night with you last year."

        Wait—Jace had been drunk that night, too?

        Then, once becoming utterly aware that we were about to have that conversation, my stomach swirled sickeningly.

        "Nope," I deadpanned. "That's my cue to meet you in the car."

        I made it all of five steps when I felt his hand fall on my shoulder.

        As much as his touch sent a jolt of sizzling awareness through me, I was still determined to bury it as far down as I physically could. That was the only way I was going to survive this year at UGA with him. 

        I knew what I'd seen this morning was only the beginning. I was even willing to bet that by lunchtime I'd spot another scantily dressed girl draped all over him in the campus cafeteria, vying for his attention. Because that was how it had always been with Jace, and I was just as deluded as Jenna if I honestly thought that might change.

        "Hayley," he said gruffly. "I really am sorry about this morning. I know the last time we saw each other, you told me that you—"

        "Let's not take a trip down memory lane," I interrupted, my voice sharper than I'd intended. "I know what I said last year, and it was stupid, so can we please just keep pretending like it never happened?"

        Jace frowned at me. "Is that what you want?" A heartbeat passed, and he leaned in closer, his breath warm on my skin. "I personally think we should talk about it."

        It'd been almost a year since I'd been this close to him, and God, he smelled amazing. A faint scent of cologne and shampoo that was uniquely his surrounded me, and I was excruciatingly aware of the heat from his hand, still resting on my shoulder. His proximity threatened to weaken my steely resolve, but I forged on.

        "Definitely." I licked my dry lips. "I don't even know what I was thinking that night."

        Except, I did.

        I hadn't been thinking.

        I'd been so drunk I'd managed to convince myself that spilling my guts to Jace was a brilliant idea—the perfect chance for him to finally see me as someone other than just his sister's best friend. It clearly hadn't been the success story I was holding out for.

        That was the whole reason I'd ended up in this mess. And dodging him for the past year hadn't been easy, not when my body betrayed me every time he was near. It was like there was this powerful gravitational pull between us, and it was becoming harder and harder for me to resist.

        Jace dropped his hand from my shoulder, but he didn't stop looking at me like he knew I was lying to myself, and my body flushed hot and prickly with embarrassment.

        I slowly inched away, desperate to escape the gravity of his gaze. Hell, I was even contemplating avoiding him all over again, especially if that meant it would prevent him from staring down at me the way he was now. The achiest look had crawled into his eyes, pinning me in place.

        Before I could blink, his expression changed. His eyebrows came together, and a shadow fell over his features. "I'm going to make you late if we don't leave now. C'mon."

        Jace towed me out the door with him, lightning quick, and I dreaded having to venture back out into the humid heat wave that was Georgia.

        Once we'd made it back to my Volkswagen, I cranked the air conditioning to full, relishing being back inside my four-wheeled igloo.

        Jace shifted in the passenger seat until he got comfortable. "You're still not a fan of summer," he noted. There was a pause. "See what I did there? Fan? Summer?"

        I rolled my eyes. "Funny."

        His smile was the epitome of smug.

        Throwing the gearshift in reverse, I backed out of the parking lot, wincing when I realized I'd narrowly missed colliding with the fence that bordered the apartment complex.

        Jace pursed his lips to keep from laughing. "And you still can't drive to save your life."

        "Are you serious?" I risked a glance at him in mock hurt. "Says the guy who taught me how to drive."

        "Whatever," he conceded as a text chimed on his phone. He shook his head while he read the message, grinning. "So, my sister is about as subtle as a hand grenade."

        My insides clenched. "What's Amelia saying now?"

        That was one of the gambles when it came to this whole situation. Amelia was the first and only person I'd confided in about my feelings for Jace, despite the fact that he was her brother. It just never felt like something I could successfully keep secret from her. At the end of the day, we were still best friends.

        And even though I knew she would never say anything, I couldn't help but worry she might slip up one day, because if she ever did... the fallout could be catastrophic.

        "All sorts of shit," he replied. "Something about you needing a bodyguard."

        "Oh God," I groaned, mortified. "I highly doubt that. No guy in Fowler's Hill wanted to come within two feet of me and my enormous emotional baggage."

        There was another pause.

        "Hayley, you know that wasn't because of you." His blue-gray eyes softened. "Tom swore you were off-limits to any guy within a ten-mile radius when he was alive, and after he..." Jace trailed off, glancing out the passenger side window. A muscle flexed in his jaw. "Well, I think they just figured it would be disrespectful to... you know, take advantage."

        "I kind of figured it was because of something like that," I said, my voice sounding far away, even to my own ears. "Guy code, small town and all."

        It had been a couple of years since my brother had died, yet the ache of his loss was still just as raw and consuming. Sometimes I doubted that time would ever remedy the sadness I felt whenever I thought about him—how he'd been taken far too soon. 

        Tom had never even graduated high school, and here I was, about to experience my first day of college. That revelation alone made me feel like I'd just been carved out hollow.

        "I'm sorry. I know we never really talk about your brother," Jace said, reaching for my hand, which was a balled fist in my lap. "You all right?"

         How this guy knew everything—as though he could read my thoughts and reactions like a map, while I still remained so lost—was beyond me.

        I cleared my clogged throat. Instead of lying and pretending I was fine, I startled myself by saying, "Guess I'm just wondering when it'll finally stop hurting. It's been two years and it still doesn't hurt any less."

        My cheeks heated, and my honesty was shockingly strange. I don't think I'd spoken about Tom since... well, since the summer Jace and I had bonded over our mutual desolation and grief—the summer our friendship had irrevocably changed.

        "I'm no expert, but you need to give yourself credit where it's deserved," he said, his fingers entwining with mine. In any other situation, I probably would have hyperventilated and veered off the road in shock, but right now, I cherished the comforting gesture and vowed not to overthink it. "You're the strongest person I know, Hayles."

        Tears brimmed in my eyes. Without realizing it, Jace had said exactly what I needed to hear. In that way, he was just like Amelia.

        I couldn't say anything, couldn't get a response out without risking falling apart in front of him, so I just nodded.

        He squeezed my hand in unspoken understanding, and it made me feel even more tethered to him. It was like no matter how much distance or time passed between the two of us, Jace was always there, anchoring me to him.

        My heart fluttered, and that feeling I always tried to suppress punctured something in my chest. I knew in that instant just how dangerously close I was to falling in love with him.   

        So much for my stupid, stupid crush.

        This was bad. Really bad.

        The world stilled, reminding me again of why I'd been steering clear of him since that night. I hadn't been sure how much longer I could outrun the emotions that stirred whenever I was with him, around him.

        When we reached campus, I turned the car into the parking lot and tried to keep my nervousness at bay.

        I focused on the feeling of Jace's hand in mine, a steady pressure that grounded me.

        Amelia was right. Having him here—it did make today easier.

        "At the risk of ruining the moment," Jace said, his voice scratchy, like he'd just swallowed sandpaper. "I'll need my hand back, so you and your lack of driving skills can grab us a parking spot."

        "Oh." Flushing, I released my vice-like grip. "Of course."

        "You ready?" He watched me in quiet amusement as I jingled my keys apprehensively. I couldn't even remember turning off the ignition. God, talk about needing my morning coffee. 

        I shut my eyes and inhaled a long, deep breath, letting it out in a whoosh. "Yeah, let's go."

        Pure determination drove me out of the car, because I was going to survive my first day of college sans embarrassing myself or having that clueless freshman look about me.

        After I'd locked up, I almost had to run in order to keep up with Jace. Cursing my shorter legs, I struggled to match his languid strides. They were still able to cover more ground than mine.

        Walking beside him through the quad was a surreal experience, to say the least. It was as though Jace knew everyone. So many people stopped us to ask him questions about senior year, his summer break, or his photography.

        "I see my tour guide's also Mr. Popular." I glanced over at him as he pulled us off onto a cobblestone path, and we started hoofing it toward a tall, brick building in the distance. When our gazes collided, his silvery eyes fastening onto mine, I self-consciously turned my attention back to what I assumed was the art department. "Listen, Jace, you can just point me in the direction of where I need to go for Concepts in Design. I don't want to make you late."

        "You won't," he said, his lips forming a crooked half-smile, "because I'm taking that class, too."

        He was?

        This revelation almost bowled me over, and I tried to ignore the way my heart skipped a beat.

        "Since when?"

        "I needed more credits to be able to graduate in May, and I haven't done a design unit since sophomore year. This was the only class that wasn't full." He shrugged. Obviously, he hadn't deemed this worth sharing until now. "You okay with me being in one of your classes?"

        Seeing as I barely had a nanosecond to process this, I managed to recover pretty quickly. I wasn't sure what to think about having Jace in one of my classes. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me want to do a happy little jig, but I hadn't anticipated seeing so much of him this semester. He was a senior, and I was a freshman, and I'd thought, without a doubt, that meant we would be running in completely different social circles.

        "Why wouldn't I be?" I bumped his side with my elbow, a habitual gesture. I was getting better at acting casual around him, not letting him see the way he affected me.

        The Arts and Design building wasn't far from the parking lot, so when we arrived and I discovered we weren't as late as I thought we'd be, my anxiety faded ever so slightly. 

        There was nothing worse than trying to sneak into class after it had already begun only to have the whole student body gawk at you. And if there was one thing I couldn't stand after Tom had died, it was having a pair of judgmental eyes dissect me like a science project.

        The art studio was only half full, and Jace motioned to two empty seats at the bench at the back of the room.

        The corner of my mouth lifted, and I gave him an approving grin. Sitting at the front on my first day of college wasn't the most appealing prospect, that was for sure.

        There was a fair-haired girl sitting at the workbench already, doodling in her sketchbook, and when she glanced up at us, her gaze zeroed in on Jace. A bright-pink blush crept across her face, and that was before he'd even smiled at her.

        Clearly, I wasn't the only one who could appreciate just how gorgeous this guy was.

        I pulled out my notebook and a couple of pens before jamming my bag underneath the drafting chair.

       Jace attempted to ineptly tuck his six-foot-one frame underneath the small workbench, and I stifled a laugh. He sighed in defeat and sprawled out lazily next to me.

        "Now I remember why I stopped taking design," he grumbled. "The benches in this studio are miniature."  

        "Or you're just huge," I said, a little too quickly.

        Jace's hand gripped onto the back of my chair, and he leaned in closer to me. His husky voice triggered a hot thrill when he said, "Which part of me are you referring to exactly, Hayles?"

        My throat seized up.

        As I digested his response, shock rippled through me, stunning me into silence. He was flirting with me, and I so wasn't used to being on the receiving end. I'd begrudgingly observed him wield that stupid, lopsided grin with great success throughout high school, and now he was releasing it on me. 

        What the hell was going on here?

        Thankfully, it was in that moment that a short, auburn-haired girl decided to stop by our bench. She unhooked her earplugs and rolled her eyes at Jace. "I see you're still up to your usual antics."

        "Piper." He smiled. A genuine one that almost knocked the air from my lungs. "I didn't know you were back yet."

        "I got back last night from my parents' place," she said, sitting down across from us and next to the fair-haired girl who seemed to have no trouble tuning us out. "So, Casanova, who's this? Is she your latest hookup?" Piper cast me a cursory glance. "No offense."

        I shook my head, amused. "None taken."

        "Well, I'm offended. Remind me why I'm friends with you again?" Jace chuckled, but he didn't answer her question. He opened his textbook, thumbing through it to find the set reading for the first week.

        I'd known Piper for five whole seconds, but I could already tell we would get along famously. Poking fun at Jace had always been one of my favorite pastimes.

        "Because I'm a very tolerant person and, unlike you nowadays, a lot of fun," she declared, as if it hadn't been a rhetorical question.

        "That's harsh," Jace said, placing a hand over his heart as if she'd actually wounded his feelings.

        Growing bored of him, her attention swung back to me, and she frowned again. "God, I'm so sorry. You must think I'm really rude." 

        Jace grunted in agreement as he folded down the corner to bookmark the page he was on.

        "Not at all," I assured her and did my best to ignore him. The grin that rode low on his lips, and the way those vivid eyes flitted over my features made it oh-so-hard, though. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Hayley."

        She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Jace spoke up again, "She's Amelia's best friend."

        I gnashed my teeth together.

        Did he have to introduce me like that to everyone?

        "Oh." Piper's eyes widened, and she bobbed her head slowly, as if she was privy to something I wasn't. Huh.

        His face gave nothing away, as per usual. Either that or he was oblivious.

        "He always talks about you and his sister," she said by way of explanation.

        Did he now?

        I narrowed my eyes at Jace, wondering what I was missing. If I really meant that much to him, why hadn't he tried to contact me once over the last year? What was up with the radio silence?

        While we waited for the professor, I averted my gaze to the door of the studio, watching as more students filed in.

        The next person to walk into the art workroom was a guy I vaguely recognized from some of Jace's Facebook photos. He was the complete opposite of Jace, dressed in a polo shirt and khaki shorts with close-cropped blond hair. He was what my best friend would classify as a pretty-boy—entirely her type, too.

        The guy tilted his chin up at Jace in greeting when he noticed him and then proceeded to pick his way through the crowd that had gathered in the doorway.

        "Hey, man," pretty-boy hollered as he approached.

        "Didn't know you were taking this class, Matheson." Jace stood up, clapping him on the shoulder as they both went in for that typical bro hug. 

        Piper glanced up at the mention of his name, waving half-heartedly before continuing to text on her phone.

        "Nice to see you too, Red," he teased, ruffling her hair like she was a child before looking back at Jace. "Yeah, neither did I until just now. Apparently I enrolled too late for the other class I wanted."

        "Looks like the old group's back together again," Jace commented. There was a touch of surprise in his tone, like he couldn't quite believe his luck. "Oh, and Owen, this is my friend from back home, Hayley."

        Warmth stole through my veins. My introduction was finally on the upgrade.

        Owen arched an eyebrow, and I noticed that there was an almost undetectable scar that cut across it.

        "Hi," I said, offering him a cordial smile.

        "Hi," he greeted, studying me. Owen drummed his long fingers on the bench, his gaze staying fixed on mine for a long moment before it returned to Jace. "So, you planning on going to Levi Brooks' tomorrow night?"

        Jace's jaw tightened and his eyes went flinty. I got the impression whoever this Levi was, Jace wasn't his biggest fan. "Undecided," he answered. "Are you?"

        "Yeah, only because of the free booze, though," Owen said, as though that should be the only obvious motive.

        A little laugh escaped me. Guys could be so typical sometimes.

        The professor arrived then, and the students who were late to class fought over the last vacant seats.

        Owen's laid-back smile fell. He must've realized his fate of standing up at the back of the room was sealed.

        "Maybe I'll see you there." He nodded at Jace, pivoting around to leave, but then stopped, as if forgetting something. Owen craned his neck over his shoulder, shooting me a parting wink.

        Even though he was easy on the eyes in that preppy-looking, clean-cut way, and seemed genuinely nice, I'd fallen into the trap of comparing every single guy to Jace.

        Unfortunately, there was never any competition.

        Jace stiffened beside me, becoming so perfectly still I swore he must have been holding his breath, and I didn't miss the way Owen smirked, amused by his reaction. Something was going on here that I didn't completely understand. Jace had clearly seen his friend make a pass at me, but unsurprisingly, he didn't say anything.

        For the next twenty minutes, I pretended to be absorbed in what our professor was droning on about, even though he was only covering the syllabus. And I'd practically memorized that before I'd even moved out here.

        Fan-freaking-tastic.

        "Did you want to go tomorrow night?" Jace murmured in my ear a few moments later, startling me.

        Our design professor was speaking now about color and texture, and I looked up from the illegible notes I'd managed to scribble down. For the entire class, I'd barely been able to think straight. I was so hyperaware of Jace sitting next to me. Every time he edged nearer, I'd suck in a slow lungful of air. He was so close now that his tanned arm brushed against mine.

        "Um." I blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his invitation. "I don't think I was invited."

        "It doesn't matter," he insisted quietly.

        Our eyes met and held, sending a shiver down my spine.

        "I don't know anyone. It'll just be awkward."

        "That's the whole point of parties," he said flatly. "Plus, you know me, Piper, and Owen. Just come."

        "I'll think about it," I muttered noncommittally.

        Jace's lips hitched up at the corners. He dropped his voice to a whisper, and it crawled over my skin when he said, "Is there some reason why you still haven't worked out that I want you to come with me?"

        My poor heart stumbled before picking up again, and this time, it beat faster.

       "He's right, you know," Piper chimed in, looking at me like my brain had checked out of the conversation.

        My stomach coiled tightly.

        I'd only hesitated because I knew if I agreed to go with him, there was a high probability I would regret it. My track record wasn't exactly stellar when it came to parties, especially ones that supplied alcohol and were frequented by Jace. It could be a disaster of epic proportions. Then again, it was hard to form a single coherent thought when his gaze was latched onto mine. Heat suffused across my cheeks, and I let my dark hair fall in front of my face.

        "I'll go with you." I found myself caving. "But I swear to God, you better not ditch me for some chick."

        His lashes lowered. "I didn't peg you for the jealous type."

        "I'm not jealous, Jace," I lied as convincingly as I could. I was terrified of where he might be going with this, afraid to hope.

        The sheer intensity of his stormy eyes stole my breath, like my face was all he could see. I barely heard him when he spoke softly, "That's not what I remember you telling me last year."

        I grimaced, snapping my mouth shut as his words sunk in.

        Now he was just being cruel.

        "Are you always going to hold that over me?"

        "Until you agree to talk to me about what happened that night." His jaw worked. "You've been giving me the cold shoulder for nearly a year now."

        Jace really wasn't going to let this go.

        And that prospect blazed through me in a rush of fear.