Page 3 of If You Dare

“Hon, that RA is a cutie! If you don’t ask him out, I will.” Mom bursts into the dorm, dragging my suitcase behind her. She ditches it in the doorway when she spots Chloe and flings her arms out. “You must be the famous Chloe!”

My roommate hops off the bed to meet Mom’s hug like they’re old friends reuniting and not total strangers. “About time I got famous.”

“You’re a figure skater, right?” I ask.

“Future Olympian,” a deep voice cuts in.

Wes leans against the doorway, now completely clothed in long shorts and a white T-shirt. Even with clothes on, I still struggle to make eye contact with him.

“Says the future NHL player,” Chloe says. “Mrs. Harris, this is my annoying big brother, Wes.”

Mom takes Wes in before whipping her head around to me and whisper-yelling, “Forget the RA.”

Oh my god. I’m going to kill her.

Wes’s brows furrow. “What?”

Chloe loops her arm through Mom’s like they’re already besties. “Don’t worry about it. Come on. You said you’d move all of Violet’s stuff into our dorm.”

“I said I’d help,” he corrects, even as an amused smile pulls at his lips.

“I heardall.” Over her shoulder, Chloe winks at me.

I already have a good feeling about her. About both of them. Except I think I actually stand a chance at becoming Chloe’s friend.

But the gorgeous, totally unattainable hockey player? I don’t stand a chance with him.

Chapter3

Before

Wes

I don’t havetime to be a stalker.

Between morning classes, training on the ice or in the gym by afternoon, followed by practice, an hour of lectures from Coach, and studying before bed, my schedule’s fully booked.

Yet here I am. Here I’ve been since she showed up on campus. Following Violet Harris.

She’s oblivious to the shadow at her back. But in the few days since I met her, I’ve memorized her daily routine and her coffee order. I know the snacks she prefers from the vending machine. I know the smile she uses when she’s genuinely happy to see someone and the one she uses when she’s being polite.

Stalking isn’t in my blood. Girls chase me, not the other way around. Which makes my obsession with Violet Harris a total fucking enigma.

“Are you going to ask her out?” A bubbly voice half-shouts.

Chloe climbs onto a stool at my table. Violet’s ordering a sub twenty feet ahead of us.

Everything about her screams that she’s a girl who either doesn’t know how to stand out or doesn’t want to. Long, brown hair swept up in a ponytail, a gray shirt that’s way too big on her, and round hazel eyes like a scared bunny. Her thighs are incredible in those shorts. All I can think about is how they’d feel wrapped around my back while I’m driving my cock inside her.

“Keep your voice down,” I hiss. “And no. I don’t date.”

Chloe knows that, but she likes to pretend I’ll come around someday. “Good.”

I lift a brow. “Why’s that good?”

“Because Violet’s my roommate, and if you start dating her and break up, I’m stuck in the middle.”

I give her a sardonic smile. “On second thought, maybe I’ll make an exception for her.”

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