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PROLOGUE
twelve years ago
Most of the time temptation climbs into your lap and straddles you, demands you deal with it immediately Give in or deprive yourself Choose your adventure
Jace’s general stance: Deprivation was overrated
But he’d never faced this kind of temptation The kind that seeped into your skin so slowly you didn’t even notice until you were soaked with it, saturated To the point that every thought, every breath, see you shouldn’t have
And right now that thing was nibbling flecks of purple polish off her fingernails
Jace shifted on the rec rooh he could feel the daet her calves off his lap Otherwise, she was going to feel exactly howon the horror otten the et butchered on the screen Although, thinking he got off on blood and gutswood
She tucked her legs to her chest and set her chin on her knees, staring at him with eyes so pale blue, they looked like silver dimes in the flicker of the television Thunder ruaze darted to thebehind him Wary “Maybe we should’ve watched that Jim Carrey movie instead”
He hit Stop on the VCR, cutting off the eerie e to scoot closer to her, to curl around her lithe body and slay her fears like the dude in the uy’s head was lopped off That he could skip “See, I warned you it would freak you out I shouldn’t have even let you watch it It’s rated R Too old for you”
She snorted and shoved his thigh with her foot “Said the nineteen-year-old who just finished his third beer”
He glanced at the e a thousand on the responsible adult thing tonight Good thing his parents had left hie Beer is part of homework”
“Whatever I’ll be rated-R approved in three rabbed her Coke off the coffee table and sipped, drawing his attention down to her heart-shaped lips and the way they drew the liquid slowly from the bottle “Hell, I’ll be porn approved”
Fuck That’s the last ie she needed to paint on his brain “No, you won’t Gotta be eighteen for that”
Lightning reflected off the silver ring in her arched eyebrow “You would know, I’m sure”
“I’h of an explanation “And don’t you dare watch any of that shit until you’re like thirty”