Desire in Frost by Alicia Rades Page B

to see what it would taste like. It would be my first real kiss.
    My mind fought the thought as the rational part of me remembered we were almost related. But what would it be like?
    “Crystal, you underestimate your beauty.” That was all he said, and then he pulled away. The place on my cheek where he’d touched it grew cold in disappointment.
    Why was he being so nice to me? He seemed so rude and cocky before. What had changed? I couldn’t seem to sort this guy out the same way nothing else about this trip made sense in my mind. I swallowed, forcing the butterflies further down my stomach.
    Robin stood and ran his hand through his hair again. “I just thought maybe you’d want to get your mind off things for a night.” He shrugged again like it was no big deal, but the look on his face told me that it was.
    My heart dropped. My rejection for his invitation was only breaking his heart, and I couldn’t stand the thought of that. Somehow, I managed to put on a smile. “I’ll go. It will be fun.”
    Robin beamed for a second before he realized how much emotion he was showing, and then his face fell back to its normal expression.
    “Give me a minute,” I told him. I dug around in my purse and found some makeup. Although I usually went light on it, I tried making it darker so I would look older. A night out with Robin could end up being really fun, I thought. Besides, what else could we accomplish by sitting in our hotel room the rest of the night?
    “How do I look?” I asked, not really expecting much of a response.
    Robin took me by surprise when he looked up at me. He didn’t answer for several long seconds. A smile formed across his face, and then he said, “Honestly, you look really good.”
    My heart fluttered. That was the second time he’d called me beautiful today. It wasn’t something I heard often from guys, so it immediately boosted my confidence. I pushed my hair out of my face and nervously thanked him.
    While shoving my makeup back in my purse, I noticed a new notification on my phone. I quickly checked it and saw that I had a missed call from my mom along with a text.
    Just checking in. Hope you two are alright.
    Even without my abilities tingling my senses, I knew my mom wasn’t just concerned for my physical wellbeing. She was wondering how I was doing emotionally with my gift.
    I swallowed nervously, unsure of what to say to her.
    We’re okay , I texted. No need to worry. Love you.
    Almost immediately, my phone vibrated in my hand.
    I know, and I trust you. But I’m your mom, and it’s my job to worry. Love you, too. Stay safe.
    I smiled at my mom’s encouragement before slipping my phone back in my purse.
    “Ready?” Robin asked.
    Soon, we were following the sounds of the pumping bass and I was leaving my troubles behind in the hotel room. The music grew louder as we walked. Eventually, we met up with a crowd of people swarming a grassy area. A band was playing on a stage, and some people were dancing near it. Others were seated on benches simply bobbing their heads to the beat. My confidence grew even more when I noticed that the majority of the audience was teenagers.
    A gate lined the perimeter of the park. A few people stood near the entrance in matching red t-shirts that read “Autumn Fest Battle of the Bands.” Their shirts had the dates of the competition on them, and I noticed the event lasted all week—every night through Thanksgiving. We paid our admission fee and entered the premises to explore. Food vendors sat along the peripheral of the lot along with booths housing band tees and CDs.
    I almost smiled when I caught Robin bobbing his head out of the corner of my eye.
    “These guys are pretty good,” he said. “Almost as good as Echo Score.”
    I was about to ask him who Echo Score was before I remembered that it was his band. Almost as good , I thought. Of course he would say something like that . I listened to the music coming out of the speakers, and I decided that