"Linc, no offense, but your mother should be shot."

"Ha." He lowered his head then looked at me out of the corner of his eyes. "Probably. Then again, she'd probably survive and somehow get a medal made in her honor for going through such a difficult trial. If anything, it would make her more popular in her circle of friends, and that's the last thing this world needs — for her selfishness to spread its ugly tentacles throughout society, choking the life out of more people by just being touched by her poison."

I was silent.

"Sorry." He swore. "That was uncalled for. No matter how horrible of a person she was or is, it's no excuse to put her down. That makes me just like her, and the last thing I want is to be associated with a monster."

"Why acting?" I asked after a few minutes. "I mean, don't get me wrong. You're really good at it."

"Remind me to sign your bra later," he joked.

I smirked. "Well if I was wearing one…" I froze. Where had that come from?

Lincoln's entire body went taut. "Are you trying to kill me?" Swearing, he adjusted me on his lap. "Play with fire long enough, Dani. Just remember I gave you fair warning."

"Sorry."

"No, you aren't," he growled, "but for your benefit, I'll just keep talking about myself so I don't think about you or the… bra situation." He cleared his throat. "So, acting…"

"Yeah." I leaned back against his chest as he wrapped his arms tighter around my body. The heat from the fire was nothing compared to the heat emitting from him. It was enough to set me on fire — in the best way possible. I'd only ever read about this type of feeling or seen it on TV, and, quite honestly, I never thought I'd experience it in such a real way, but there I was, sitting on Lincoln Greene's lap in front of a roaring fire, dreaming about a future, thinking about a future for the first time in months. It felt so good; I wanted to live in that moment forever. As it was, I knew I would treasure it even longer.

"My grandparents finally clued in to my parents' insanity, but they knew if they came down hard on my parents, they'd just make it so we couldn't visit anymore, so they basically enrolled us in every single summer camp you could possibly think of. When I was seven, I did one of those local drama camps. I was immediately scouted by an agent, who stupidly contacted my mom, creating stars in her eyes like you wouldn't believe." Linc sighed. "The good news was that I actually liked the escape. Acting's kind of like reading. For one brief moment in time, you can be somebody else. You can feel their pain or rid yourself of yours. You experience life in a completely different way. It was my therapy," he admitted. "It still is."

"And your parents?" I couldn't help but wonder. "What did they think about it?"

"Ah, my parents." Linc's tone was bitter, detached. "They freaking loved it. Suddenly, I had all the attention I'd never gotten but had always been desperate for. Within a few years, I was making more than my parents combined, and that's saying a lot. Let's just say Angelica quickly learned the easiest way to get attention was to do the same thing, so that's our Cinderella story of how we got started in the entertainment industry." As if stuck in a memory, his voice took on a faraway sound. "I think that's why Angelica acts the way she does now. Any attention is still attention, you know?"

"Wow." I thought on his words, hesitant to ask him anymore, since I could tell by his rigid body language that his family was a sore subject, for good reason too. "I'm glad." I kept my voice peaceful, calm, even though my heart broke for him. I hated pity. I figured he would too. When you've been on the receiving end of stuff like that for so long, you realize how much it sucks, how much you really just want someone to say, "Wow, that blows" and move on. "No matter how you got into acting, it's your calling. So really, if your parents weren't so crazy…"

"I wouldn't be sitting here. In front of the fire. With the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Laying it on kinda thick," I murmured.

Lincoln shifted me so that I could see him again. The outline of his face was seductive in the flickering firelight, his full lips so close to mine I yearned for a taste. "It's not a line, Dani."

Self-conscious, I tried to duck into his chest, but he gripped my chin with his hand, tilting my face toward his. "You are… absolutely gorgeous."

"Oh…" I swallowed my nerves. "… so that's what attracted you? And here I thought it was my inability to speak."

"I've had enough whiny women to last me a lifetime." He chuckled softly. "So if you ever stop talking again, know I'll be okay with it."

"Are you calling me whiny?"

"I would never accuse you of that." He smiled, his white teeth flashing in the darkness. It was a tie between burning up from the fire or the way he looked at me as though he meant every single word he was saying. "Besides, you're more of a negotiator."

Nodding, I let out a weak laugh. "I'm okay with that."

We both fell silent. My body leaned toward his, and his mouth descended toward mine.

"I don't want to be your friend anymore," he whispered, his lips brushing against mine. "But I kind of feel like a weak ass going back on my word."

"Weak ass," I repeated. "I like it." I licked my lips in invitation.