Her eyes widened and then a horrified look flashed across her face. She jumped away from me, jerking up her wetsuit.

Without saying anything she took off toward the boardwalk.

“Lyss, wait up.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“What? Lyss, what happened?” I grabbed her wrist to try to get her to stop.

“This was a mistake. We can’t be friends, Demetri. It won’t work.”

“I agree.” I cursed. “I want to be so much more than that.”

What the hell was I doing? I’d known her a total of two weeks, and that didn’t really count, considering I’d been stalking her! Drugs. I needed drugs, not a girlfriend!

Alyssa licked her lips and looked away. “I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“And I can?”

She looked at me. I mean, really looked, as if she could see to the depths of my soul. “We’re screwed up, you and me.”

“Don’t I know it.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “But what if that’s what makes us perfect for each other?”

“What if you take the one part of me that’s finally started to breathe without crying?”

Her honesty shocked me. I didn’t have any words to give her. I didn’t think one mind-blowing kiss would cause us to get this serious.

“Slow.” I reached out to her, grazing her arm with my hand.

“Let’s go slow, because I really need a friend right now.”

“So it’s about you?” Her eyes crinkled as if she was trying not to smile.

“Always is. I am a celebrity you know.”

“Right.” She laughed and kicked some sand with her foot.

“We should get cleaned up.”

“Dinner.” I blurted before I could retract the statement and punch myself in the face. “Let me cook you dinner.”

“Are you good?”

Confused that she would ask such a silly question I laughed.

“I’m good at everything. Yeah, I can handle dinner.”

Alyssa didn’t look convinced.

“Please?” I was ready to get on my hands and knees. She was the first person since Cassie who had made me feel things I thought I didn’t possess anymore.

With a huff she kicked more sand. “Fine, but no kissing.”

“I can’t promise that I won’t kiss you.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Fine, I promise I won’t kiss you unless you ask me to.”

“Confident.” She arched an eyebrow and laughed.

I didn’t really know what to say to that, so instead I leveled my gaze in a challenge. “I’ll see you at seven.”

“But I don’t know where you live.”

“The piece of paper you probably threw in the trash — my address is on that.”

“It’s trash day. It’s already gone.”

I sighed. “Do you really want to play this game? You know you dug it back out, minutes after you tossed it. So see you at seven.”

My self-control completely shot, so I left before I mauled her on the beach and had my way with her.

Chapter Eleven

Alyssa

I knocked on the door and cursed myself for being so nervous. It was Demetri. Annoying, irritating, gorgeous Demetri. I had wanted him to kiss me, but after the kiss I felt naked. As if he had pulled down walls I had worked so hard to put up. The part that scared me the most was that for a moment I forgot all about Brady, all about everything.

I lost my pain, and it scared me more than I was willing to admit. I wanted to keep Brady’s memory alive. It was my job, after all. I wasn’t able to do it in the physical sense, so in the emotional sense was all I had.

And then Demetri had said something about death and I freaked. I completely panicked. A vision flashed through my mind of Demetri and me driving and him dying. I knew he was reckless, knew he used to have a drug addiction. Chances were higher with Demetri than any other boy that he would either break my heart or die from some sort of stupid choice. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to stay away from him.

I even dug out some of my nicer clothes. I hadn’t really put an effort into dressing since Brady left, mainly because most of my clothes held memories of him. It felt like I was cheating when I wore them without him there. Well, except the sweatshirt.

My mom finally made me wash it after six months.

I sighed and looked down. I was wearing torn jeans, an oversized black band t-shirt, and flip flops. I knew I looked at least trendy compared to the oversized sweater and Uggs I’d been sporting.

I lifted my hand to knock, when the door swung open.

“Right on time.” Demetri opened the screen door and pulled me into a warm hug. He smelled like spaghetti. I smiled, unable to help the way he was able to so completely disarm me.

“Punctuality. It’s my thing.” I gulped and walked into the house. His hands came down on my shoulders.

“Wanna know what my thing is?”

I gulped. “Cooking? Drugs? Music? Fish?”

His hands slid down my arms, sending chills all the way down to my toes. “Wow. I sound really lame. Is that all you could come up with?” He chuckled.

Why hadn’t his hands moved? Why was I letting him pull me back against his firm chest?

“Girls with brown hair,” he murmured into my hair. “Short ones.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Anyway.” He released me and walked around, leading me down the hallway. “Here’s the kitchen. Dinner’s almost ready.