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Mom laughs at my display but when the door opens and Axel and his new friend stride into the kitchen, every last stuttered word falls away.
His gaze quickly sweeps the kitchen, taking in his new surroundings, and the moment those dark, exotic eyes land on mine, I’m ruined.
I suck in a breath as the strangest booming takes over my chest. I’ve never felt anything like it. My pulse starts to race, and my hands become sweaty, and all I can do is stand here and stare back at him.
My god. He’s beautiful.
“Yo, Mom,” Axel says, pausing in the entrance of the kitchen. “We’re starting a band together. We’re gonna clear out the garage for practice space.”
Axel turns on his heel, already stalking toward the internal garage door when Mom calls out behind him. “Get your ass back here Axel Stone,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest as my gaze greedily sails over the gorgeous, tanned stranger in my kitchen. He’s so tall. I always thought Axel was tall, but this guy has got to have at least three inches on Ax.
Axel groans and turns back, giving Mom a blank stare. “Yes?”
“Were you going to introduce us to your new friend, or were you planning on waltzing perfect strangers right through the door?”
Axel glances at his friend as if only just realizing where he went wrong. “Oh. He’s the new guy. Just started at school today. Said he liked to play guitar so figured we’d hang out.”
“Okay,” Mom says slowly. “And does the new guy have a name?”
New Guy laughs to himself before stepping forward and holding his hand out to my mother. “Ezra,” he says as Mom takes his hand and gently shakes it. “Ezra Knight. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I hope it’s not a bother that we play in the garage. We can find somewhere else if you’d prefer.”
“Not at all,” Mom says. “Are you hungry? Rae and I were just about to bake chocolate chip cookies.”
Ezra’s gaze shifts back to mine, a deep curiosity in his eyes. “Sure,” he says slowly before turning his head toward Axel without taking his stare off mine. “Uhhhh, dude. Your sister is staring at me.”
My brother scoffs. “Yeah, she does that. You’ll get used to it,” he says. “She’s trying to work out if you’re going to be worth her time or if she’s going to make it a living hell for you every time you walk through the door.”
Ezra arches a brow, and while Axel would usually be right, this one time, I’m not thinking a damn thing. I can’t. It’s as though nothing exists but the halo that seems to surround Ezra Knight.
“Rae, is it?”
“Raleigh,” I manage to croak out, not sure why my hands seem to be shaking so much.
“What’s it going to be, Raleigh?” he asks as a smirk lifts the corner of his lips, showing off a row of perfectly straight teeth. “You gonna make my life hell, or what? Because I think it’d be more fun to be friends, especially considering your mom is cool enough to let me play guitar in your garage.”
I cross my arms over my chest, immediately deciding I like this new boy, and not wanting to chase him off just yet. “Okay, I’ll give you a trial run,” I tell him, wishing my voice didn’t sound so shaky. “I’ll play nice, but if you two sound like a bunch of screeching cats in that garage, the deal is off. There’s only so much I’ll tolerate.”
Ezra extends his hand toward me. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Raleigh Stone.”
My gaze falls to his outstretched hand and a wave of panic sweeps through me. There’s no way in hell I can shake his hand while mine are clammy with nervous sweat. So instead, I keep my arms crossed and fix my perfect bratty-sister expression across my face. “I’m not shaking that hand,” I tell him. “Who knows where that’s been. Besides, this deal is not official until after I’m sure you don’t sound like a dying cat.”
“It was a screeching cat,” he confirms as his eyes sparkle with silent laughter that has my knees threatening to buckle beneath me.
Holy cow.
Am I in love? Is this what it feels like? I’ve had more than my fair share of stupid boy crushes, but it’s never felt like this, so strong and instantaneous. It’s as though a piece of me already belongs to him, but that’s insane, right? He’s Axel’s friend, and I only just met him. He’s probably sixteen. Maybe seventeen, and I’m just some stupid kid.
“Alright, go on,” Mom says, ushering the boys out of her kitchen. “Go convert the garage into a band space, but if you break any of my things, you’ll have me to deal with. Understood?”
“Yes, Mom,” Axel says, turning away and stalking back to the garage door.
Erza follows him, but just before he disappears out of sight, he glances back over his shoulder, his gaze colliding with mine like a sonic boom, and just like that, I know my life will never be the same.
“What the hell was that?” Mom asks once the boys are locked away in the garage. She moves around the kitchen, plucking my sheet of homework off the ground and fixing it on the island table.
“What was what?” I throw back at her, feigning disinterest.
“You can’t fool me, Raleigh Stone. I was a thirteen-year-old girl once,” she reminds me. “And that . . . Well, let’s just put it out there that Ezra Knight is way too old for you. I always knew there’d come a day when you’d start crushing on your brother’s friends, but I’d hoped that wouldn’t happen until you were at least eighteen. Just know, that one right there, the one with the floppy dark hair and charming words, he’s trouble.”
