Christmas Kiss (Accidental Kisses #4) Read online

  “Ha ha,” Derek said and then grinned. “It’s totally true though. I caught her before she was able to meet someone better—or anyone at all for that matter. I’m like a ninja.”

  My ears perked up. Another freshman who hadn’t had an instant group of friends? My roommate and I were pretty tight, and that had always been enough for me. A few more friends would definitely be a bonus, though. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

  “What brings you to rehearsal?” Chloe asked. I liked her. She had a warmth, which extended beyond her good looks. Hadn’t Drew mentioned she might be able to help?

  Drawing in a deep breath, I told them what I was planning. To my surprise, we spent the rest of rehearsal discussing the event I was putting on. Both Chloe and Melissa had a ton of fresh ideas. Not only that, but Melissa slipped out of rehearsal to call toy stores to see if one would sponsor the luncheon. That would provide more toys for the kids. My heart swelled at the idea of giving all those little ones a great Christmas, and it was amazing to have outside help. This was not what I had expected when Jay invited me to come to band rehearsal.

  As the band started up, I didn’t have to hear Evan speak again. I made it a point not to look at him as I spoke with the girls. Now, if I could make it through pizza, I’d be okay. This day might not be a total wash, despite my secret crush totally and completely crushing me.

  Chapter Three

  Evan

  Slipping back into music always sent me back to my happy place. It was also my time to reflect. When I had a problem, I’d start banging on the drums and poof, I figured it out. I wouldn’t normally have called Kay a problem, except, the longer I played, the more I thought I had seriously messed up.

  I’d judged her on her looks alone and that wasn’t fair. She reminded me of my former self and I had reacted badly. More precisely, she reminded me of the girls who had mocked my former self. In high school, I was a nerd. Well, more like a band geek. I’d had a growth spurt at eighteen, after I graduated, in which I had grown six inches and my shoulders had broadened. Prior to that, I’d been lean, lanky, and short, and the girls in my high school hadn’t known I existed. There had been exceptions to that, of course. When they wanted to dump on a guy, I’d been their whipping boy.

  They would pretend to like me and get me to do all sorts of favors for them. It was no wonder I was so small, as I rarely ate lunch. I handed over my lunch money to some needy girl almost every day. When it came time to actually hang out with me, however, they were too busy, too sick, or needed to wash their hair.

  And those were the nice girls.

  Maybe that was why I didn’t date that much. I’d had a taste of what girls could be like when they didn’t find you interesting. Unlike Derek or Seth, who’d been popular their entire lives, I had nothing going for me back then. I’d bet neither of those two had been blown off by some girl who said she couldn’t hang out because her brother’s friend’s cousin had arrived for an unexpected visit.

  I watched Kay sitting there, between the girls, like she belonged. Of course she did. She was one of the beautiful people; the ones who always got their way, which apparently included talking bands into giving up their time for free in order to make her event a success. I mean, it was unfair life was so easy for some people.

  Neither Mel nor Chloe were snobby, far from it. I knew why my friends had chosen them, but they were the exception to the pretty-girl rule. Could Kay be one of the exceptions too? It was possible, but I wouldn’t have put money on it if someone took bets. I’d been a sucker one too many times, and I had no taste for taking a chance on it again.

  Still, I didn’t need to punish kids in need because I had a hang up about the popular kids. With a face like that, she was definitely one of them. She didn’t have time for her brother because of her full social schedule. He guessed that schedule included tons of dates with football players and hockey all-stars. Of course, the lead singer of a band, aka Seth, was lining up to be third string in case those other guys fell through.

  I missed the next beat and nearly tossed my stick. I never messed up. Derek looked back at me his eyebrows up. “You all right?” he mouthed.

  “Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. I couldn’t go get pizza. Any more time in the same room as that girl and I’d totally lose it. I wasn’t sure why she’d gotten under my skin so completely, but I needed to get away from her—fast. I’d apologize to Jay later, but I needed to get away.

  We played the last three songs we had planned for the weekend’s shows, and then Seth called it a wrap. I jumped up, wanting to get out of there. I ignored the voice in my head telling me I was being ridiculous. I lived in the building, so I was always the last to leave practice. Everyone was going to know something was up with me…like they didn’t already.

  Jamming my hands in my pockets, I headed over to Kay, wanting to get this over with. “Hey,” I said. It came out loud and abrasive.

  She jumped as those big green eyes looked up at me. They were fringed with dark lashes, making them look even more vibrant up close than I’d imagined. “Hey,” she replied softly.

  “Look, I’ll play your event or whatever.” I searched my mind for an excuse as to why I’d been resistant before, and couldn’t come up with a thing. Why hadn’t I thought of that ahead of time? So much for saving face, tough guy.

  She stood and grinned, revealing sparkling white teeth. “Really?” Her skin flushed a little, turning her creamy skin a light peach at the apples of her cheeks. She was like an advertisement for toothpaste. “Thank you,” she said as her hands clapped together once.

  I winced. It wasn’t her enthusiasm that irritated me this time as much as it was my annoyance with myself. I’d been all weird and nearly bagged on a good cause. “Sure,” I said, shrugging. Then I turned to the rest of the band. “I can’t make it for pizza today. I’ve got to study.”

  “You?” Drew asked, giving me a curious glance. “That’s a first. You breeze through every class in the most annoying way.”

  Derek’s eyes narrowed too and both of them headed my way. Crap. The double Ds were about to descend. To make things worse, little Miss Perfect was still standing next to me and she was about to witness the whole thing.

  “You should come,” Derek said. “You need to fuel the brain.”

  “Naw man, I’m good.” I tried to walk away, but Drew called me back.

  “Hey.” He reached my side and put a hand on my shoulder. “You all right?”

  Why did everyone keep asking me that? “I’m fine.” It came out louder than I liked. I didn’t sound fine and I knew it. I was acting strange and emitting anger, I knew, which was not anything like my normal, mellow self. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to get control.

  Kay took a step back, nibbling at her lip as her large eyes widened even more. “Thanks for playing the event.” Then she turned away and practically dove into the seat next to Chloe again. She could not get away from me fast enough. Good grief, I felt like I was in high school all over again.

  My jam was all messed up today. I ran my hands through my hair and rustled my hair a couple of times. Turning back to Drew and Derek, I made something up. “I’ve got a big test that is stressing me out. I know it’s hard for you guys to understand, but even the most brilliant among us have to study once in a while.” I smiled, trying to play it off with my usual low-key sarcasm.

  Drew visibly relaxed. “Cool. I was worried you didn’t like the girls tagging along for pizza.”

  I tried to keep any expression from my face, but my lips pulled tighter. It was one girl I didn’t really want tagging along. The idea of watching Seth drool all over her the entire time was more than I could handle right then. “No, man, your girlfriends are cool.”

  Derek crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t have a problem with anyone here?”

  I gave an abbreviated shrug. There was little point in admitting Kay had me all mixed up inside. “No, you know me. It’s cool. It’s been a strange day since I got up. It’s thrown me off a bit, that’s all.”

  “When’s your exam?” Drew asked.

  “Tomorrow. First thing.” I rocked on my heels, jamming my hands into my pockets as I lied. Man, how had I not noticed what a crap liar I was?

  Melissa came bounding into the room. “Guess what?” she yelled, racing over to Kay.

  “What?” Kay stood, which put her directly next to me once again. I turned to look at her and caught a whiff of her scent. I breathed in deeply, filling my lungs. She smelled like sunshine and apples on a crisp fall day. We were in the city. How was that possible?

  “K.B. Kids is going to sponsor your event. They’ve been looking for a charity. They’ll give you a thousand dollars’ worth of toys to hand out to the kids. They’d also like to send a photographer to the event. Is that all right?”

  “I’ll check with the principal, but I think its fine.” Kay was bouncing on her heels and clapped her hands together again.

  “Cameras, huh?” I tried to say it without sneering. I was in a band, so I guess I couldn’t judge. Lots of guys played in a band for the attention, but not me. I simply loved to play. That was one awesome thing about being a drummer. Most people fawned over the singer and the lead guitar player, not the drummer. That left me to slip out at the end show whenever I wanted, if I wanted to.

  Kay’s brow creased, her lips forming a slight frown. “As long as I don’t have to be in a picture, it’s fine. It’ll make the kids so happy.”

  That one caught me unaware. What did she mean she didn’t want to be in the picture? All the hot girls I knew couldn’t get enough of the camera. A guy could barely walk down the street without getting caught in the background of a girl’s selfie.

  “There is one thing, though.” Melissa made that
face where her lips pulled tight and she showed her teeth. “You need to pick up the toys this Friday. Inventory or something like that.”

  “Oh.” Kay said with a sigh as her expression fell. “I don’t have a car. I’m not entirely sure how I can pick up those toys.”

  “You can borrow the band van,” Derek said. “It holds all of our gear, so it will definitely hold the toys.”

  Kay nodded. “The van is really big. I’m sure it will hold everything. Jay, do you think you could drive?”

  “Sorry, Sis. I have class all day Friday. You don’t think you can drive it?”

  She shrugged and her eyes met mine. They were still so large, and I could see the plea she made without words. “Maybe. I haven’t even driven a car in the city yet, let alone a huge, lumbering van.”

  “I can drive you,” I said before I thought the words through. They popped out of my mouth like I was a freshman in high school all over again, overhearing the head cheerleader announce she had no lunch money. Pathetic. I didn’t even like this chick, why had I offered to drive her somewhere?

  Chapter Four

  Kay

  Had Evan offered to drive me to the toy store? What was up with this guy? One minute he was giving me all sorts of attitude and the next he was doing me a favor. No wonder I didn’t date. Guys were infinitely confusing. “Thanks,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”

  His face scrunched up like he was in pain or something. “No problem.”

  “Did they say what time?” I tried to ignore how this felt all wrong. He didn’t want to drive me, that much was obvious, and it was taking a lot of the fun out of what should have been really good news. Now I had to spend another day with the guy I’d been hot for, and who now seemed to hate my guts for no apparent reason. Maybe he was like that with everyone. That thought didn’t make me feel any better.

  “One o’clock,” Melissa said. “I’ll give you all the contact info.”

  “Thanks,” I said, feeling a bit deflated.

  “Are we ready for pizza?” Seth asked, stepping up to stand on the other side of me. In contrast to Evan, Seth offered me a wide smile. He was a classically handsome guy, and I’d seen him at shows. Girls swooned over him. His gaze swept down me again and I knew he was interested in me. I didn’t live under a rock in high school, despite my lack of actual dating experience.

  I was pretty. I knew that without any type of conceit in that knowledge. More than one guy had asked me out, but I had always assumed the handsome, popular guys weren’t serious about me. I wasn’t girlfriend material for them. Something about Seth told me he was the same way. He was interested in me today in this moment, but if I showed up at a gig with a swarm of other girls, would I stand out? I had a feeling I wouldn’t.

  “Let’s do this.” Drew looped his arm around Chloe as Derek reached for Melissa’s hand.

  “Listen, I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you guys later,” Evan turned to me as he spoke. “If you want, I can give you my number so we can coordinate for Friday.”

  Nodding, I clicked open my phone and typed in his name under my contacts. Then I handed it to him. Our fingers brushed and the strangest heat traveled down my body. He typed his number in and then handed it back. “Text me so I have yours.”

  Giving him a nod, I tapped on his name and sent him a quick text.

  Hi

  His phone dinged and we both laughed. It was this weird moment where we were in a crowd, but we had this private exchange, which was so much more pleasant than the public one had been.

  “See you guys.” He waved and walked out of the room, and just like that, the moment was over.

  I felt awkward, and not at all sure I wanted to go through with this. I’d rather go back to my dorm and start making notes for the fundraiser. What type of toys should I choose at the store? I should probably research it and decide ahead of time. I knew I was burying myself in work instead of socializing but…

  “You guys go ahead. I’ve got a ton to do.” I took a half of a step back.

  “No,” Jay said, drawing out the word. “You’re coming. You always bail and then hole yourself away.”

  I let out a little sigh. “That’s not true.”

  Jay raised his brows. “How many friends have you made?”

  My gaze narrowed as I gave him my best death stare. “I’ve made friends.” Well, one friend, but that was fine with me.

  “You’re worried about her making friends?” Seth said with a snort. “He’s kidding right? I bet you have tons of friends and loads of guys asking you out.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Simmons is an all-girls school.”

  “You go to Simmons?” Chloe asked. “Me too!” She was visibly excited. “We’ll probably have classes together. This is awesome.”

  I turned to Jay. “See. I’m making friends.”

  “How many is that?” Jay asked accusingly, his gaze narrowing. “I know you. You’ve holed yourself away and thrown yourself into school work for as long as I can remember, and now you’ve found a charity event to fill your time.”

  My face burned hot. I must have turned seven shades of pink. “Jay,” I said with a hiss. “Stop.”

  Seth put his arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry about it, babe. You’ve got friends now, and we’re going to take good care of you.”

  I tried not to groan. Seth was great and all, but he was not my type. Babe? It was going to be a painful evening. See, this is why I kept to myself. I hated this stuff.

  We headed down the street and Seth kept walking with his arm around me. It did keep me warm, I had to give him that, but I didn’t really want to be close to him like that. Even worse, I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about me. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I politely pulled away as I moved next to my brother. It was then my phone dinged.

  Not into Seth?

  I blinked and stopped mid-step. Then, looking up, I realized we were still visible from the dorm. Evan sat in one of the windows three stories up.

  That is none of your business.

  I replied before I could change my mind. Then I started walking again. I was now at the back of the group. My phone didn’t ding but I pulled it out again. Why had he asked that? It was weird for a guy who’d spent the whole rehearsal rolling his eyes at me. Then again…why did I care?

  “You’re right. It isn’t,” a deep voice rumbled from behind me.

  I turned to see Evan approaching, his long strides eating the ground between us. “You move quickly,” I said. He grinned at me and my knees wobbled. It was the smile I’d seen him give on stage. It was open and friendly. It lit his entire face, pulling at his full lips and making his brown eyes sparkle. His square jaw softened as he looked down at me.

  “I guess so,” he said as he fell in step beside me. He didn’t try to put his arm around me the way Seth had, and I felt the tiniest niggle of disappointment. That was weird, because it had been too abrasive and too forward when Seth had done the same thing. I told myself I didn’t want Evan touching me. He’d been a jerk. However, I had to be honest with myself—I still did a little. After the tingle I’d experienced when his fingers brushed mine…

  “Thanks, I guess. I ran track in high school,” he said.

  “Me too,” I said. “What event did you run? I was an eight-hundred-meter sprinter.” My eyes rolled up toward the sky. It wasn’t meant for him, but for me. Of all the boring conversations I’d ever participated in, this might be one of the worst. Why couldn’t I be better at small talk? Why couldn’t some buzzer sound off in my mind, warning me when I was about to say something lame?

  “Wow, tough race,” he said in response, not sounding bored at all. I breathed a sigh of relief. “I did the fifteen-hundred.”

  I wrinkled my nose, looking over at him. “You’re kind of tall and muscular for a race like that aren’t you? You look like you’d be a better sprinter.”

  He laughed, but it held no warmth. “I didn’t grow until I got to college. Trust me, I excelled at the fifteen-hundred.”

  I winced a little. I recognized something that really bothered him. Years of doing more listening than talking had made me sensitive to people’s voices and what they didn’t say. “So, high school was amazingly awesome for you too, then?”