Surprised, I took the list and shoved it into my pocket. “Glad we finally agree on something.”
“What?” Kyle said. “But you just said you’d help her complete it.”
“I’m not the right guy,” Colton said.
Kyle was looking at Colton funny like he was an alien from another planet. “You can’t be serious. After all that, you bail on her? Just like that?”
“Kyle, drop it,” Colton said.
“It’s okay,” I added. “I never wanted Colton’s help anyway. That was Betty’s crazy idea.”
Kyle crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t see what’s so crazy about it.”
“What?” Colton and I said in unison.
“I’m serious,” Kyle said and gestured between the two of us. “Sadie, this is the perfect solution. Don’t you see? You want to do all the things on your list, but you’re afraid of embarrassing yourself. And here’s my brother, Colt, who’s already been convinced to help you by that little old lady.”
Colton shook his head. “Hookwinked. I was hoodwinked by a wolf in grandma’s clothing.”
“Wow, nice vocab usage,” I said sarcastically.
“You know you love it,” Colton shot back.
Even as we bickered, Kyle was nodding at the two of us with a gleam in his eye. “This is going to be a perfect pairing. I can feel it in my gut.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor. Couldn’t he see what an awful idea this was? First Betty, now Kyle…was there no end to this madness?
“I’m not doing it, Kyle,” Colton said, for once the voice of reason, and I sighed in relief. Thank goodness, he wasn’t going along with this outrageous scheme. “I don’t care what I said to that crazy woman. Like Sadie said, Betty’s not dying, so the agreement is null and void.”
“Oh, you’re going to help her,” Kyle said back, and I didn’t like the look in his eyes one bit.
“And why would I do that?”
Kyle cocked his head. “Because I’ve got a hundred bucks that says you won’t.”
Colton scoffed. “You’re seriously going to bet me? Get real.”
“Two hundred,” Kyle sighed. “You drive a hard bargain, brother, but I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to do it anyway. Sadie’s list is a tough one, so I’ve got nothing to lose.”
“You really think some reverse psychology BS is going to work on me?” Colton said.
Kyle nodded. “Either that or your need to win will kick in. Your ego is legendary, Colt, and I don’t think you could take losing to me. Am I wrong on that?”
Colton’s jaw was working overtime as he stared his twin down.
“Hey,” I said. “ It’s my freaking list. Don’t I get a say in this?”
“No,” they said together.
After a beat, Colton shook his head. “It’s not a fair bet. There’s that part about falling in love and Ireland—”
“Everything but that and Ireland,” Kyle cut him off. “You have to help her do everything on the list but those two. Doesn’t matter anyway. That still leaves 20 other items. I’ll still win.”
Colton began to grin. “How long?”
Kyle said, “I’m feeling pretty confident, so…let’s say two weeks?”
“A month,” Colton retorted.
“Okay, deal.”
“Deal.”
I felt like I was watching a car crash in slow motion as the two reached out to shake on it. Their grins were identical, the shake a pact, and as both pairs of those ocean eyes came to rest on me, I thought I might faint.
“I’ll need a copy of your list by fourth period,” Colton said.
“Dream on,” I said back, but he leaned in so that we were almost chest to chest.
“Sadie, let me explain something to you,” Colton said. “I’ve never lost a bet. Ever. I’m not about to start now, so from this moment forward, you’ll do as I say when I say it.”
“But—”
“Shhh,” he said, cutting me off with a finger to my lips. I was so surprised by that touch, that one unfamiliar point of contact, I froze instantly, though if eyes could kill, he’d be dust. “One month. You’re mine for a month or until we get that list of yours finished. Get used to it.”
The warning bell rang, and he was gone before I could recover.
Kyle stepped in front of me next, put his hands on my shoulders. I should’ve shrugged him off; I would’ve, but my mind was still on Colton, the words he’d just said, and for some reason, my lips felt unreasonably warm where his finger had pressed against them.
“I know you’re mad,” Kyle said, “but I did that for you. Now, you’ll get your list done…or at least some of it. I don’t like to lose either, Sadie, so if you could maybe abandon ship before the last item, I’d appreciate it.”
“Kyle,” I said finally, “I can’t believe…I mean, why would you do that? Enlisting the help of your twin, the bane of my existence? I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive you for this.”
“Yeah, you will. You’re angry now, but just remember I’m your best friend. We’ve made Rice Krispie treats, discovered the love of lip gloss and Benedict Cumberbatch together. Plus, just think how you’ll feel after you’ve Carpe’d the hell out of that Diem list.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. As Kyle started walking away, I was still frozen to the spot, mind completely blown by all that had just transpired. Did Colton freaking Bishop just agree to be my coach? To guide me through the items of my list…and did he actually think I’d just do whatever he said for an entire month? Ha!
“One more thing, Sadie,” Kyle said.
I looked up, noticing he’d turned back around. He frowned at me before completing his thought, and when he did…man, it was a doozy.
“ I love Colt and everything. He’s the best brother I could’ve ever asked for, but…just don’t be one of those girls who buys into his crap. Okay? Promise me you won’t fall for my brother?”
I nodded too shocked to speak.
He was gone as the second bell rang, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the hall, late for third period study hall and totally off kilter.
Don’t fall for his brother? Colton Bishop?
That was one promise I was sure I’d have no trouble keeping.
I still couldn’t believe Kyle and Colton had seen my list.
And what was I thinking, showing it to Colton like that, practically daring him to read it? I mean, yeah, I’d been feeling a mixture of anger, stubbornness and frustration at the time, a trifecta of emotion that only seemed to hit me when Colton Bishop was around. But gah! What the heck had possessed me to do something so stupid?
I had no answer to that one—but I did know that Kyle was wrong. I didn’t have guts. It had taken absolutely no bravery on my part to write any of my list because I’d thought it was for my eyes alone. That tiny fact, the thought that no one else would see it, had left me free to write whatever I’d wanted. My dreams no matter how silly, my goals no matter how embarrassing.
And I did.
My heart was poured onto this one little piece of paper. It included my deepest desires. Now Colton wanted me to make a copy, so he could read it again? Yeah, I’d been stupid the one time, but that was so not happening.
My eyes shifted to the list spread flat on the small table in front of me. I’d been reading and re-reading it all throughout study hall, sitting in my favorite chair, hidden between the stacks in the back of the library. No one would find me here. It was my secret spot.
CARPE DIEM LIST
1) Fall in love with someone who will love me back.
2) Roll down a hill in Ireland.
3) Be featured on Dancer’s Edge—or get a million views LOL whichever comes first!
4) Talk dirty (work on better insults).
5) Stay up and watch the sun rise.
6) See the inside of a police car.
7) Get a tattoo (daisy, dragon, lyrics/book quote?)
8) Get something pierced (ears, nose, belly
button?)
9) Sneak out of the house.
10) Learn to drive a stick shift.
11) Go dancing at a club.
12) Crash a party.
13) Buy lingerie.
14) Have an explosive first kiss (preferably in the library)
That one was probably the most embarrassing.
But nope, I thought, wincing as I continued to read. The four after that were equally as embarrassing but for different reasons. The one about a first kiss revealed that I’d never been kissed—and that I wanted my first one to be in the library. Lovely. But the ones following it had to do with kissing as well. Kissing in the rain, in the car, in public, in my bedroom. What can I say? I was obsessed with kissing.
And now Kyle and Colton, two of perhaps the most beautiful boys in history, knew it.
My eyes closed on a sigh. “Could I just go die now, please?”
A click sounded from somewhere behind me, and I spun around in my chair to see Colton standing there, looking down at his phone.
“What did you just do?” I asked.
“Took a picture,” he said without looking up. “And to answer your other question, no you can’t die yet, Sadie. I’ve got a bet to win.”
I just stared.
“I figured you might not want to make a copy of your naughty list, so I decided to make it for you. You’re welcome.”
Standing up, I held out my hand for his phone. “Hand it over, Colton.”
“Hell no.” With one last look, he slid the phone into his pocket then met my glare. Colton’s look was cool and assessing. “How am I supposed to come up with a game plan if I don’t know what’s on the list?”
“Hmm, let me think,” I said, pretending to mull it over. “You’re not. I already told you I don’t need your help, and besides, I don’t think Kyle was serious about the bet anyway.”
“Yeah, he was,” Colton said. “We’d never joke about a bet—especially not one for 200 bucks. He’s had his eye on a new Gucci belt, and I’ve been saving up for some high-quality tinted windows. There’s no way I’m losing this.”
“And why would you need tinted windows?”
“So, I can hook up with girls in my car without nosey-ass people seeing in.” My disgust must’ve been showing because he shook his head. “Don’t look at me like that. I thought you’d appreciate the need for privacy what with all the ‘kissing’ mentioned on your naughty list.”
“Gah! Will you stop calling it that?”
“What? Your naughty list?” he said innocently. “I don’t know what you’re so ashamed about. It’s natural for repressed good girls like you to want to take a walk on the wild side.”
“I’m not ashamed or repressed,” I growled. “You’re just being an annoying a-hole. Like always.”
“Damn, that was one of the weakest insults I’ve ever heard. Isn’t number four on the list something about talking dirty? We’ll definitely have to work on that.”
I groaned and threw up my hands in frustration. “How are you even here right now? This is my spot, my special place. No one else even comes into this part of the library anymore.”
Colton shrugged. “Kyle told me about it.”
And I’d told Kyle about it last year when he’d needed a quiet place to study for finals.
This day just kept getting better and better.
“Holy smokes,” I breathed. “Colton, can’t you just forget that you ever saw my list in the first place?”
“I don’t think so,” Colton said, one side of his lips quirked up. “But I am willing to help you do all the things you wrote down. Out of the goodness of my heart, of course.”
My brow furrowed. “And for 200 dollars,” I said.
Colton held his hands out. “Where’s the harm in that? I get something out of it and so do you. If you stick with me, we could have half your list completed by the end of the week.”
“Really?” I said in surprise.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “It’ll be so easy, Sadie. We could even start now if you want.”
“And how would we do that?”
Colton smirked, the light catching on the metal in his lip. “I seem to remember something about an explosive first kiss in the library.”
My eyes widened as I caught his meaning, and I felt my entire face go scarlet. “Oh my gosh, that wasn’t about you! I can’t even believe you would suggest such a thing.”
“Why not?” he said. “I didn’t see a specific name on your list.”
“You’re you, and I’m me. I think that’s explanation enough, don’t you?” I said back, though as he stepped closer, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off his lip ring.
When he stopped in front of me, my back was pressed up against the bookshelf, heart stuttering.
“I’m a guy,” Colton said, placing a hand on the shelf near my shoulder. “You’re a girl. And it’s only a kiss. It’s not like this would change anything between us. You’d still be Sadie Day, my brother’s annoying, too-good-for-everybody, uptight best friend.”
My eyes narrowed. “And you’d still be Colton Bishop, the cocky jerk who thinks he’s God’s gift to women and doesn’t give a crap about anyone or anything.”
“See?” His gaze shifted to my lips then back up to my eyes. “We completely understand each other. That’ll be important in the days ahead.”
My thoughts were all jumbled up, my brain turned to mush by his nearness. The hypnotizing lip ring wasn’t helping matters. Did I really want my first kiss to be with someone who was only helping me for his own benefit? If I was being honest, despite the circumstances and our hate-hate relationship, I was curious. I’d heard so many tales of Colton’s prowess that I couldn’t help myself. He had a reputation as being an excellent kisser. Girls had been saying that and writing it on bathroom stall walls since sixth grade. And I wanted my first kiss to be a great one, didn’t I? But maybe all of those girls had been lying. The Colton I knew wasn’t a very giving person. He was reckless with a side of cocky and a dislike for me that didn’t bode well for a memorable first kiss.
As if he could sense my wavering thoughts, Colton said, his voice low, “I’ll make it good for you, Sadie. I promise.”
I swallowed. Well…when he put it that way…
“Don’t you want to get started on your list?”
“Okay,” I said quickly before I could talk myself out of it.
He froze right in front of me, and from the look on his face, Colton couldn’t believe what I’d just said. I had a tough time believing it as well. As he continued to stand there motionless, I had a horrible thought. Maybe this was a joke, Colton’s latest way to embarrass me. Dangle the offer to give me a phenomenal first kiss, then rip it away with a cruel laugh just when I agreed. I wouldn’t put it past him.
But the laughter never came.
In fact, as Colton eased closer, the look in his eyes was as serious as a heart attack. One hand moved to my waist while the other that had been resting by my shoulder went to tangle in my curls. I won’t lie. I gasped at the contact. No guy had ever touched me like this. Well besides Kyle who had loved to play with my hair when we were kids—but it was nothing like this. Colton’s hands were sure, his fingers strong yet gentle. I was pretty sure my knuckles were white from how hard I was gripping the shelf behind me, heart beating like a drum in my chest.
And he hadn’t even kissed me yet.
“Sadie?” Colton said.
“Y-yes?” I said back.
“You’re not going to go all weird on me after this, right?”
My eyes snapped to his. “What?”
He licked his lips, gaze shifting down to watch as I licked my own in reflex. His voice was a bit lower when he said, “Don’t get any crazy ideas. I’m not in love with you or anything, so there’s not going to be a happily ever after for us. Just know it’s all for the bet.”
“I do know that,” I said, eyes spitting fire. “And you’ve got to be the most arrogant, egotistical maniac if you think one k
iss would be enough to erase all the crap you put me through over the years. Nobody’s that good a kisser, Colton.”
Colton shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“If you ever actually do it,” I retorted. “Or are you scared you’ve talked yourself up so much that you won’t be able to deliver?”
He chuckled lightly. “Oh, I always deliver.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“Just waiting to see if you’re going to back out.”
As I blushed but stood firm, Colton’s eyes met mine one last time.
“This doesn’t change anything,” he said.
And then Colton Bishop was kissing me. His mouth was surprisingly soft as it met mine, my eyes closing on contact. More surprising? Colton, who I’d always thought of as selfish, was gentle and patient with me as I learned to move with him, to match his rhythm. And oh God, did the boy know how to kiss. His lips guided mine, caressing first my top then bottom lip. It felt so good that I repeated the action on him, earning a hum of approval from Colton. The coolness of his lip ring wouldn’t let me forget who I was kissing, and my obsession came back full force. When I finally worked up the courage, I followed my instinct and pulled the ring into my mouth, giving it a short tug.
That was when I realized just how much he’d been holding back.
With something like a growl, Colton slanted his mouth over mine, and the kiss went from a slow burn into a wildfire. Unlike my inexperienced self, there was no hesitation in him. Colton kissed me like he owned my mouth. His tongue met mine in a dance I’d never done before but seemed to pick up instantly, his hand tightening in my hair whenever I did something he liked. My hands were everywhere at once. I had no idea where to put them, so as we kissed, they made a trek up his arms to his shoulders, neck, back, wherever I could reach.
This wasn’t like any first kiss I’d ever read about or seen in the movies. It was real and messy and…wonderful. If the butterflies in my stomach had anything to say about it, I was sure I’d simply fly away.
Before that could happen, a large book fell to the ground, having been knocked off by one of my elbows, I’m sure, and we both jumped. My hand had somehow ended up on Colton’s chest, so I knew he was just as affected as I was. His eyes, though, looked guarded as he walked backward, putting some space between us.
The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad Page 6