Forbidden Boy

“Totally,” Julia

10

Forbidden Boy

“Fantastic!” Chloe bubbled, linking her arm through Jules’s and pulling her along. “It’s about to get even better.” Chloe swept Julia

Julia

“That’s Michael,” Chloe a

“Who’s Michael?” Chloe widened her eyes and arched her eyebrows as though Julia

Gotcha.”

Michael flipped down off the keg and charged toward Chloe and Julia

“Chloe! My favorite lab partner!” as he approached.

Michael was tall and tan. His chest muscles were clearly outlined under the two coordinating J.Crew polo shirts he had layered one atop the other—both collars standing pertly at attention. His blond hair was messy, sticking up 11

Hailey Abbott

in post-keg-stand chaos, and his brown eyes were like dishes of melting chocolate. Well-worn khaki cargo pants hung off of his massive quadriceps. He looked just like all the rest of Chloe’s frat friends—definitely hot, but a little too aware of his hotness to be Julia

“Michael, this is my sister, Julia

He was in my physics section last semester. I never would have made it through without him.” Michael gri

“Her modesty is only part of her charm.” Julia

“Really?” Michael asked incredulously.

“Nope. Actually, not at all. Unless—wait . . . did the TA have a faux-hawk and a fantastic butt?”

“I’m more of a bowl-cut guy myself, so I didn’t really notice. Sorry ’bout that.” He chuckled at his own joke.

12

Forbidden Boy

While he spoke, Julia

“Dude, where’d you go?” One of the guys clapped a beefy hand onto Michael’s back.

“Yeah, dude, you disappeared,” another one echoed, punching him in the shoulder. Julia

Michael gestured toward Julia

Julia

“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked, following her. “Didn’t you like Michael? He’s such a sweet guy. And check out his arms.”

“No, he was fine,” Julia

And I think he may have been interested in talking about more than lab with you.”

Chloe’s eyes sparkled. “Really? You think? But I was 13

Hailey Abbott

really hoping that you guys might, you know, hit it off tonight.”

Julia

The brown-haired guy panted, “Good to know that gravity’s still working.” He turned to Chloe. “Are you okay?” Chloe nodded, clearly a little dazed, and dusted the sand off of her denim skirt. He shifted his gaze to Julia

“Nope. Still standing. Are you okay?” She smiled at him, pulled her hair out of its bun, and let the curls spill down her back.

The reflection from the bonfire lit his face and his dark eyes shimmered. Julia

There was a part of her that really wished that this ski

The brown-haired guy’s mouth was pasted into a perfect half smile. She felt like she was in the middle of 14

Forbidden Boy

every single musical where the dancing stops and the star is suddenly backlit by one huge glowing spotlight.

“Yeah, fine. Who knows? Maybe this is the start of a promising career in roller derby?” He had one of those wry, almost winking, smiles. He was tall, ski

dark and fluid.

“Hey, Crash,” she joked. “Do you have a name?” He blushed. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. First I plow over your friend, then I’m flat-out rude. I’m Remi.”

“Remi, huh? Cool name.” Julia

“Way to make an entrance!” Chloe called back in their direction.

Remi looked sheepishly at Julia

“Seattle, actually.” Over his shoulder, the waves were crashing against the beach.

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Hailey Abbott

“Oh.” Julia

“Yeah, I’m in school up there. But I’m around for the summer. My parents just moved here.” Julia

Julia

“Unfortunately.” Julia

“Maybe you could show me around sometime? Save me the effort of having to get to know the place better all by myself before I get the wrong idea?” Remi paused.

“I mean, if you don’t have too much going on this summer.”