Poor Mrs. Cisneros.
She held her hands up to get everyone’s attention. “Our next exercise is an oldy but a goody: the trust fall. You’re going to fall backwards and trust your group to catch you. But don’t do it until I’m there to supervise and arrange the groups. Also, I trust that you all signed your waivers.”
They must have done that before Riley arrived. “I didn’t sign one,” Riley reminded Lucas.
“Don’t worry,” Lucas said. “I’m not going to drop you.” He sent her a penetrating gaze. “Do you believe that?”
“Yes, because otherwise you’d have all sorts of liability problems.”
Mrs. Cisneros was across the room talking to Jody, Sara, JoAnn, and Rusty, demonstrating, with her hands crossed over her chest, the correct way to fall.
Riley’s eyes landed on Lucas’s pocket, and her curiosity got the best of her. “What did you write on your first list?”
He grinned mischievously. “Fall back in my arms now, and I’ll tell you the first sentence.”
Riley glanced at the teacher. She was still speaking to the other group. “You want me to disobey the rules?”
Lucas shrugged. “Wouldn’t be your first time. But you can wait if you want. Maybe what I wrote on my list isn’t that interesting.”
“Fine.” Riley turned her back to Lucas, her hands across her chest. “Are you ready to catch me?”
“Yes.”
He was right behind her. She’d be okay. Still, she hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, she realized. It was that she didn’t trust anybody.
That wasn’t a great realization.
She made herself fall backwards.
A second later, Lucas’s arms closed around her. He didn’t let her go. Instead, he bent over her and whispered in her ear. “Number one, I’m sorry that I lied to you.”
She swallowed. He’d apologized for lying about his meeting with Winter before. She’d thought she was immune to his soft-spoken sorrys, but with the feel of his arms encircling her, this time she so badly wanted to believe he meant it. The smell of him, his embrace, it was so familiar.
He set her on her feet.
“Was that the truth or a lie?” she asked.
“You’ll have to hear the rest in order to tell. Ready to fall again?”
Was there a double meaning in that question? Did Lucas want her to fall for him again? “Maybe,” she said.
He laughed. “Maybe won’t get you the second sentence.”
“Okay, I’m ready,” she said.
“Good,” he said. “Fall for me.”
Her breath caught at the double meaning. Why was he saying these things to her? He was making her heart feel fluttery and hopeful. “You want me to fall for you?” she asked.
“Yep,” he said, “I’m ready. Are you?”
It had become hard to think rationally. Perhaps she should walk away from him, but she couldn’t. She had to hear number two. She shut her eyes and fell backwards. Again, his arms enveloped her, embracing her from behind. While she was still lying back in his arms, he leaned toward her ear and whispered, “What I lied about was my identity. I switched places with Jace on Saturday night.”
Wait,what?Her arms flung outward in shock. At the same time, she twisted in Lucas’s arms, trying to get away or trying to turn and see his expression—she wasn’t sure which. Neither happened. All she succeeded in doing was knocking both Lucas and herself off balance.
They went clattering to the floor, him first and her on top of him. He let out a surprised, “Ooof,” and her head smacked into his chest.
“Oh dear!” Mrs. Cisneros called, hurrying over. “Are you all right?”