Sweet Temptation: A YA Boarding School Romance (Weybridge Academy Book 2)

“Wake up!”

I groaned as Anna chirped the words into my ear. My head was throbbing, my mouth felt furry and dry, and my stomach turned uneasily. I’d never had a hangover before, but I was pretty sure I was experiencing one now. It was enough to put me off alcohol for life.

As much as my body hurt though, the most visceral pain was the one in my heart. I didn’t want to be that girl. You know the one—the girl that fell hard and fast and then struggled to get over a guy. That was exactly how I felt right now. Like I would never fill the void Noah had left in my chest when he broke up with me.

I wasn’t ready to face reality just yet, and the thought of opening my eyes made me bury my head under my pillow.

Before I could smother myself, the pillow was unceremoniously ripped away from me.

“Anna,” I groaned.

“Isobel,” she replied, mimicking my tone.

I slowly blinked my eyes open so I could scowl up at her. She was already dressed for the day but not in her normal casual Sunday attire. Instead, she was wearing a floral summer dress. It wasn’t low-cut, and it actually fell below her knees, so I had to wonder if I was still dreaming.

“What are you wearing?”

Her bright face turned stormy as she glanced down at her dress. “Ugh, don’t remind me. Cress lent it to me. I didn’t have anything appropriate to wear, and she insisted I’d probably get detention if I wore my regular getup.”

I stole my pillow back out of her hands and hugged it to my chest. “Appropriate for what?”

“Please tell me you know about the garden party today.”

“Uh…”

“Seriously?” She shook her head. “Well, I guess you know now. Every year, the principal hosts a garden party the morning after the ball because a lot of the parents and alumni are still in town. It’s always torture, but seniors are expected to go.”

I let out a sigh and slowly eased myself up. My head spun at the subtle movement, and I knew I was in for a rough day. “We don’t have to go though, right?” My head wanted nothing more than to return to the pillow it just left.

Anna shared an understanding smile with me. “Just show your face, and then you can come back here and bury yourself under the covers again. Cress has gone to get us coffees, so hopefully that will help.”

I’d probably need a whole lot more than coffee to get through today, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Anna’s expression softened slightly before she continued. “How do you feel today?”

I knew she was asking about Noah rather than my hangover, and my heart clenched painfully at the thought of him. My pounding head might be bad, but it didn’t compare to how hard it was to think about last night.

“It feels like it didn’t really happen,” I said. “Like I experienced some terrible nightmare.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to think about it.”

“Well, if there’s one benefit to being dragged to an early-morning garden party, it’s that you’ll hopefully be distracted.”

Unless, of course, Noah was there. Despite my warring feelings about whether I wanted to see him again, I’d decided it was a blessing I hadn’t bumped into him at the after-party last night. The thought of seeing him again today caused all the same uncertainty to flow through me once again.

“So, jump in the shower,” Anna said. “Cress will be back with coffee soon, and then we need to get going.”

I understood why Cress had gone to get the coffees and left Anna to wake me up. Anna didn’t look like she’d take no for an answer, and I didn’t have it in me to try to convince her otherwise.

I let out a sigh and nodded. “Okay, fine. I’ll be quick.”

“That’s my girl.”

There were so many reasons for me not to go to the event, but as I got out of bed, I began to think of one that might make it worthwhile: Matthew might be there.

It was the first time I’d ever found myself actually wanting to see my father, but we had a lot to discuss. Before Noah had brought my entire evening crashing down, my father had opened up to me about his past relationship with my mom. After thinking he’d wanted nothing to do with me my whole life, I now knew he hadn’t known I even existed. His parents had prevented news of my birth from getting to him and tried to pay off my mom.

Despite the shock, I believed my father, and it left me unsure how to feel about him. That uncertainty had only escalated later in the night when Cress shared what she knew about the decades of rivalry between my father’s family and Noah’s. How my father would supposedly stop at nothing to destroy William.

I’d only just met my father, but he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would try to destroy another person. I had no idea if Matthew would be attending the garden party, but I had so many unanswered questions after last night I knew I needed to speak with him.

When I entered the bathroom, I was surprised by just how bad I looked. I knew I felt like crap, but my skin was pale, my eyes were puffy, and my curls looked limp and sad. Even my eyes were a duller shade of blue this morning. I had hoped a shower would help, but once I was done, I still looked like hell. I tamed my hair as best I could and even put a little makeup on, but it didn’t seem to make much difference.

I emerged from the bathroom to find Cress had returned and was waiting for me, coffee in hand. She was wearing a similar style of dress to Anna, but hers was cornflower blue, making her reddish-brown hair pop. She smiled as she offered a coffee to me. “How are you feeling?”

“Like death warmed up,” I replied. “Thanks for getting us coffee.”

“It’s no problem. I figured we could all use the caffeine boost after last night.”

“Definitely.” I took a deep swig of the drink, relishing the feeling of it warming me from the inside.

“Here, put this on,” Anna said, passing me a dress that looked similar to her own. “Of course, it came from your magical closet that has every outfit a girl could ever need.”

I took the dress, somewhat relieved I didn’t have to try to figure out an outfit for myself. I had no idea what to wear to a garden party, and with the way I felt right now, there was every chance, if I was allowed to dress myself, I’d be leaving the room in sweats.

I slipped into the closet to quickly change. If my closet had been stocked with a perfect dress for the party, then maybe Matthew did know about the event and would be attending.

“Perfect,” Cress said as I stepped back into the bedroom. She had to be lying because I felt far from perfect. I looked like a zombie dressed up in an unconvincing disguise.

“We should probably go,” Anna said. “We’re already running late.”

I clutched my coffee cup tightly and followed Anna and Cress from the room. We weren’t the only ones running late, and there were lots of other girls out in the halls and on the quad rushing to get to the event.

The garden party was held at the principal’s cottage on the school campus, but when I saw the gorgeous stone house the principal lived in, I thought cottage was a little bit of an understatement. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Vines almost completely coated the façade, and a wide array of bright and perfumed flowers bloomed in the front garden as though the house had been stolen right out of a picture book.

The soft sound of a string ensemble could be heard as we made our way out to the lawn behind the cottage, but it was hard to hear the melody given the chatter and laughter that overpowered the music. It sounded like the party had drawn quite the crowd, and I wasn’t sure if I was mentally prepared to deal with so many people this morning. Hopefully, Anna and Cress would handle most of the socializing. I certainly didn’t feel up to small talk or putting on a happy face.

A marquee was set up on the lawn with round tables covered in white linen dotted beneath the canopy. The area was already packed with students, parents, and teachers. Everyone was dressed far more casually than they had been for the ball with the women mostly in bright, modest dresses, similar to the one I wore, while the men tended toward slacks and button-up shirts.

As waitstaff weaved their way around the area with trays of canapés and drinks held high above their heads, I scanned the scene closely for signs of my father. I couldn’t see Matthew among the crowd, and I felt a wave of relief when there was no sign of Noah or his grandfather either.

I quietly followed the girls as we went to grab seats at one of the tables. They were all laid out beautifully with fine china teacups and towers of sandwiches and appetizers in the center of the table. I was glad my friends didn’t want to walk about and socialize with the adults. I could think of nothing worse right now. I gratefully sank in my seat and started to nibble on the end of a sandwich.

Anna and Cress were chatting, but I wasn’t really concentrating on what they said. I was too focused on trying to make sure I could stomach my sandwich. Even the small bites I was taking didn’t seem to sit well and swirled uneasily inside me. I wasn’t sure if it was my hangover, the chance of seeing Noah, or potentially confronting my dad for answers that had me so queasy. It was probably a combination of the three.

“Hey, Isobel.”

I swallowed the small piece of sandwich I was chewing and glanced up as Lily came to sit next to me. “Hey, Lily. How was your night?”

“It was pretty uneventful,” she said. “I only made a quick appearance at the ball before I went to bed. I’m really not a fan of this weekend. It’s all about schmoozing, and I’m absolutely terrible at it.”

“Me too,” I agreed.

“How about you? How was your night?”

“I’ve had better,” I quietly replied. “Noah and I broke up.”

Lily’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Seriously?”

I nodded.

“Shit, I’m really sorry, Isobel.”

“Thanks.” I shared a sad smile with her. “It sucks, but there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not like we were dating long.”

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt,” she replied. “I just can’t believe he broke up with you. It was obvious how much he liked you.”

“Not enough, apparently. He ended things because his family is business rivals of my dad.”

Her mouth opened and closed several times like she was searching for something to say. Eventually, she settled on shaking her head. “I definitely didn’t expect that to be the reason,” she said. “I swear, I’m never going to understand these people.”

I couldn’t have agreed with her more. Lily’s confusion mirrored my own so closely, and I wondered if it was because, like me, she wasn’t from this world of wealth and social climbing.

“Yeah, I don’t get it either. I didn’t have much choice in the matter though.”

Lily reached out and grasped my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “Well, it’s his loss. He’s an idiot.”

“A complete idiot,” Anna said, chiming in. “It’s lucky I haven’t seen him here today. I swear, I’m going to tear into that boy so hard when I get the chance he’s going to wish he didn’t have ears.”

“Please don’t do that,” I said. I couldn’t imagine how embarrassing it would be.

“What? He deserves it. I know everyone at this school thinks he walks on water, but that doesn’t mean he can treat one of my besties like crap.” She suddenly glanced at Cress. “Sorry, Cress, I know he’s your cousin, so maybe pretend you’ve got earmuffs on.”

“No need, I’m annoyed too,” Cress said. “Noah completely messed up on this one. Screw the Hastings family. Isobel is worth a million of them.”

“A billion,” Anna added.

“A million billion,” Cress said, making us laugh.

My cheeks flushed as I looked at my friends. They always had my back, no matter what, and I felt like I didn’t deserve them.

Cress turned to me. “So, after all the drama last night, is your dad coming today?”

“He didn’t say.” I shrugged. “He always seems incredibly busy though, so it’s far more likely he’s already left town.” I considered sending him a text to find out, but I didn’t feel all that comfortable contacting him. The message would likely only get as far as Caldwell anyway.

“Did your parents end up coming last night?” I asked Cress. I’d bailed on the ball too early to know whether they’d shown up.

“No.” She sighed. “I would have liked to see them too. I suppose I’ll have to try and get them to come to the Halloween carnival next month.”

“There’s a carnival?” I sat up slightly straighter in my chair. I normally loved Halloween, but I was usually working at the café, so I wasn’t able to really enjoy it.

“Oh yeah, it’s the best,” Lily said. “The local town hosts Halloween Fest every year. It’s set up on this creepy farm, and people from all over the area come to it.”

“The money raised from the carnival goes to charity,” Anna added. “So, the school makes sure all the clubs get involved and help out. As you can imagine, the academy brings in some pretty hefty donations, so the town is always happy to have us.”

“It’s a blast,” Cress agreed. “Way better than some stuffy garden party.” She lowered her voice as she said the last part, like she didn’t want to be caught badmouthing the principal’s event.

Someone cleared their voice behind us, and as we all looked back, we saw my English teacher, Mr. Wagner, standing all too close and frowning in our direction.

“Ladies,” he said before continuing on his way.

As soon as we were out of earshot, we all burst into laughter. I had a feeling Mr. Wagner agreed with Cress.

I’d been dreading the garden party this morning, but it wasn’t half as bad as I’d expected when I got to sit in the corner chatting with my friends in the sunshine. We relaxed and talked and drank plenty of water as an hour or two went by. No one seemed to care I was hungover, and I thankfully didn’t see Noah. I even sent a text message to my father. I decided to keep it light to give myself the best chance of getting a response, so I asked how the rest of his evening had been and whether he was coming this morning. Hopefully he, or Caldwell, would reply before the party ended. But either way, I actually found I was enjoying myself. It was just the kind of Sunday morning I needed after a traumatic Saturday night.

When Anna started trying to rank which of our teachers were the hottest, I decided it was a good time to excuse myself and find the bathroom. There was a long line for the one in the cottage, but I overheard one of the girls mention people were also using the bathrooms in a school building close by. I had to leave the party to reach them, but I wasn’t against the idea of a short walk to stretch my legs.

I cut around the side of the house and was walking alongside the hedge that followed the perimeter of the property when I heard voices on the other side of it.

“I expected better from you,” a woman said. “Your father and I have been here two days, and the boy has barely looked your way.”

“I can’t help it if he’s not interested in me, Mother.”

I froze as I recognized Veronica’s voice.

“Clearly, you’re not trying hard enough,” her mother replied. “Where is he this morning?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure he’s around. Noah tends to do as he pleases.”

“With that kind of attitude, you’ll never catch his attention.”

“I don’t know what you expect from me. He has a girlfriend.”

“You should be his girlfriend,” her mother scoffed. “And you will be. You just need to get this other girl out of the picture.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Now, we should get back to the party. There are still many people I need to speak with. I’m yet to see that intriguing man we met yesterday—Mr. LaFleur.”

Veronica’s mother practically purred Matthew’s name. Perhaps Wes was right. Maybe the news about my secret father would be a big deal at Weybridge.

“And you must introduce me to his daughter,” Veronica’s mother continued. “I’m sure she will be an excellent friend for you to have.”

Veronica didn’t answer, but I could practically hear the steam coming out of her ears. The irony of Mrs. Cordeaux unknowingly wanting her daughter to be friends with the so-called other girl probably wasn’t helping.

I heard movement on the other side of the hedge and quickly kept walking so I wouldn’t be caught eavesdropping. I certainly didn’t want to meet Veronica’s mother, especially seeing as I was the girl who had, in her mind, prevented her daughter from obtaining the prestigious boyfriend she apparently needed so urgently. Veronica was calculating and mean, but it seemed like she’d inherited the traits from her mom, and I was surprised by just how strongly Veronica was being pushed toward Noah. For a moment, just a moment, I almost felt sorry for her.

I quickly used the bathroom before returning to the party, but as I was following the path back down the side of the house toward the marquee, I saw Veronica standing with her mother at the end of the path. It seemed they hadn’t got far before Mrs. Cordeaux had bumped into someone she needed to chat with. She was laughing away with two other women while Veronica did her best to feign interest and force out smiles at the right moments. I hesitated as I watched them. I didn’t want to have to speak to either one of them, but they were standing right in the middle of the path. I also didn’t want to overhear another conversation that might make me feel any more sympathy toward Weybridge’s evil queen.

Just as I was contemplating turning around and walking back the way I’d come, a hand wrapped around my arm, and I gasped as I was tugged from the path and into the bushes. My heart was racing from the shock, but it started to gallop like a bolted horse when I looked up into Noah’s eyes.

“Noah,” I gasped. “What are you doing?” He was still holding my arm, sending sparks flying across my skin, and I roughly shook him off. Despite everything he’d done last night, my body still yearned for him.

He was dressed smartly with a deep navy jacket over a crisp white shirt, but his blue tie hung loose around his neck as though he had been just as reluctant and rushed as I was this morning. His hair was a mess, like he’d only recently gotten out of bed, and there were dark bags drooping under his eyes. He looked as bad as I felt.

“I needed to talk to you.” Despite the drained look on his face, his green eyes still bore into mine. Their sparkle was missing, replaced by an emotion I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Pain, longing, anger. It could have been a mix of all three.

“So, you pulled me into the bushes?” The sounds of the party were muffled in the background, and we were completely shielded from view by the low-lying branches of the trees and shrubs surrounding us.

“I can’t be seen with you,” he said. “Especially when my grandfather’s here.”

“So, don’t be seen with me then,” I replied. “I’m going back to the party.”

He reached out and grasped my arm again. “Don’t.”

His voice was low and rough, and that one word sent a ripple of emotion pulsing through me. His word was a desperate tug, pulling me toward him with more power than if he’d yanked me with his hands. I closed my eyes for a second and breathed in as I tried to forget just how much I still wanted Noah. How even now, every part of my body hummed with energy, like his presence was the battery keeping me alive.

It felt impossible to deny my feelings for him. To pretend I wasn’t hurt. That I didn’t still care. My emotions were at war within me, but I couldn’t give in to any of them. Not if I didn’t want to completely fall to pieces. I tried to burrow my feelings away, but it felt a little like trying to squeeze them into a box that was far too small. The lid wouldn’t fit on properly, and the contents simply spilled out.

Somehow, I managed to calm myself enough, and when I opened my eyes, I had some hope my expression didn’t display the turmoil that raged inside. I looked down at his hand, which still lightly gripped my arm, and he quickly let go as though he suddenly regretted touching me.

“Look,” he stuttered. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “You pulled me into the bushes to apologize for breaking my heart?”

“You’re not the only one whose heart was broken last night.”

“I find that hard to believe. You chose to abandon our relationship the moment things got slightly difficult.”

“Slightly difficult?” Anger flashed in his eyes, briefly overwhelming the other emotions I’d seen swirling there. “Things between us are more than slightly difficult. And I had no choice.”

“Well, I seem to remember it differently. I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t do anything other than have the wrong family. And you were given a choice. I watched you decide, and you chose to cast me aside.”

I’d been hurt and confused by our breakup, and the pain still radiated deep in my chest, but right now, my anguish and desire for answers was quashed by my overwhelming sense of anger. “Is this some kind of game you like to play? You reel girls in, make them fall for you, only to turn around and ditch them when you discover being with them might be more complicated than you anticipated?”

“I wasn’t playing any game.”

“You could have fooled me.” I was breathing quickly, and my heart was racing. I hated this boy so much in this moment. I hated him for making me fall for him. I hated him for making me believe things could be different. But mostly, I hated him because, as he stared at me with those deep green eyes, I still wanted him.

It was so messed up.

“Look, just because we can’t be together doesn’t mean I don’t still have feelings for you,” Noah said. “That I’m not going to spend every second of this torturous year thinking about you.” His eyes dipped to look at my lips, and I forgot how to breathe.

The space between us suddenly felt smaller as though we had unconsciously stepped closer together. We were too close now, and the air between us felt electric, like every breath I took was charged with furious desire. How could you hate someone—despise them to the depths of your soul—and still want nothing more than to kiss them?

Noah seemed just as torn. He was scowling darkly at me, but there was a hunger in his gaze that struck me low in my stomach.

“If you want me that badly, then what’s stopping you?”

“You don’t understand.”

“Then talk to me,” I pleaded. “Explain it to me, please.”

I paused for a moment, pushing my anger and frustration down just beneath the surface. Although it still bubbled there, I wanted to offer him a chance to give me the answers I needed. The answers I deserved. But he wasn’t looking me in the eyes, and he had the same hopeless expression he’d worn last night right before he turned his back on me.

“I have explained, Isobel,” he whispered. “We just can’t be together. It’s impossible.”

My heart sank. I’d thought it was already at rock bottom, but apparently it could still plummet further. He wasn’t even going to try to help me understand? He was refusing, just like he’d refused to fight for us last night.

“Okay then, why don’t I explain it to you, Noah,” I started. “I thought you were different. But I can see now you’re just like the rest of the rich assholes that go to this school—the ones you despise so much because all they see when they look at you is your last name.

“I would never judge someone based on the actions of their family. And I would never abandon someone I cared about because someone else asked me to. I might not know the intricate details of what happened between our families, but I sure as hell know I’m not to blame. And no matter what happened, it will never change the fact that you didn’t care enough about me to see beyond it.”

“Isobel…” His voice implored me. It was filled with anguish. “If I could be with you, I would.”

“You can’t say that to me.”

“I know.”

“You made it very clear we don’t have a future, Noah.”

“I know.”

He was still standing so close, and he was looking at me like he wanted to be closer still. He couldn’t tell me we’d never be together and still look at me that way. It wasn’t fair. I needed to leave before I forgot the words coming out of his mouth didn’t match the raw emotion in his eyes.

“Maybe you’re right. There’s no way we can be together. Not after this.” I shoved him back and quickly escaped the bushes before he could befuddle my mind any further with his proximity. A cool breeze seemed to drive his scent from my nostrils as I stepped onto the path, and I was able to think more clearly again.

Screw this garden party. Screw waiting around to see if Matthew might show up. And screw Noah Hastings. I started walking away from the cottage in the direction of the dormitories. I hadn’t been given the answers I was looking for, but I might have just taken a big step toward finding that closure.