Chapter 2

Nathan tensed beside me.

Across the room, Ryan's smile disappeared.

Apparently, watching Paige sit on his lap was less fun once I called his brother sweetheart.

He got up and took the wineglass from my hand. "Let's play a game instead."

Someone spun a bottle. It stopped at Ryan, who immediately put an arm around Paige.

They each took an end of the same gummy worm between their teeth.

"Kiss! Kiss!" the others shouted.

The candy grew shorter until they met in a long kiss.

Paige settled against Ryan afterward, her face red, and gave me a look of pure triumph.

Several pack members whispered nearby.

"She doesn't even know he's cheating on her. She's sitting here watching like it's a show."

They snickered and exchanged smirks, sure I had no idea who they meant.

I heard every word. Nobody there was trying very hard to spare my feelings.

Someone spun the bottle again. This time its neck pointed at me.

The penalty was a kiss, not candy.

Everyone watched to see whom I would choose. Would I go to Ryan out of habit?

Everyone knew I'd spent three years with Ryan, though they thought I'd forgotten. They watched as if one unconscious move toward him might bring my old memories back.

Ryan turned his face away, as though eye contact might make me remember. Nathan, sitting beside me, clenched his fists.

I laughed softly. "Isn't it obvious? My boyfriend."

Nathan let out the breath he'd been holding. Ryan jumped up.

"A forehead kiss counts," he said quickly.

"No." I rose, caught Nathan by his silk tie, and drew him toward me. "My boyfriend deserves a real kiss, just like everyone else."

Ryan had just kissed Paige in front of me. I wasn't about to settle for a quick kiss on Nathan's forehead to make Ryan comfortable.

I pressed my mouth to his.

I tasted wine on his lips, caught the faint tobacco and cologne, and beneath it all—his scent. I had never kissed Ryan in front of a crowd like that, not in three years.

Around us, the room broke into cheers.

For a moment Nathan didn't move. I could feel the eyes on us and kept my hand on his tie, holding him there.

Nathan seemed stunned for a beat.

Then he put a hand around my waist and kissed me back, hard enough that I forgot the crowd.

The cheers faded. Ryan stood glaring at his older brother, his expression dark.

He'd kissed Paige in front of me. Now, because I was kissing the boyfriend he'd given me, he could barely stand to watch.

"That's enough! How long are you going to keep kissing?"

He was the one who'd put us together.

Nathan ignored him and wiped a smudge of lipstick from the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

Ryan's eyes followed Nathan's hand. I didn't step away or hide my smile.

I looked at Ryan. "What's wrong? Aren't we playing the same game?"

Paige crossed her arms. "Funny how amnesia didn't affect her kissing skills. Or her taste in men."

Her jab didn't bother me. Ryan looked ready to explode, but he turned away.

I went to the restroom to fix my lipstick. Down the hall, I heard Ryan confront his brother.

"You promised not to touch Mia. What was that kiss supposed to be?"

Nathan sounded amused. "A game. She thinks I'm her boyfriend, remember? Who else would she pick? You, with Paige hanging all over you? I'm doing you a favor."

Ryan took an angry breath. "Fine. No more kissing or anything else. I know you hate Mia, so I know you won't actually make a move. Still, you're my brother. I know it's a lot to ask."

He was trying to sound considerate, but he kept giving Nathan orders.

I wondered whether he believed his own insistence that Nathan hated me.

Nathan gave a short laugh and started to leave, but Ryan stopped him.

"Take her to the surprise I set up later. And remember: next week she turns eighteen and we'll know if we're fated mates. Until then, I want my freedom. Play along. If you start to feel something for her, we'll have a problem."