Page 34 of North

“I just… I really like her, Raff. I want to try to get through to her and I thought maybe you could help. But if you want me to back off, I will. I just needed to tell you the truth.”

Rafferty exhales sharply, his expression softening. “You’re lucky I like you. Otherwise, this conversation would be going a lot differently.”

I manage a faint smile. “So, you’re not going to kill me?”

“Not today,” he says dryly. “But if you hurt her, all bets are off.”

“Understood,” I say.

Rafferty rests his back against the support bar of the treadmill, his expression softening slightly. “She does need someone steady in her life,” he admits. “Someone who can handle her stubborn ass. If you think you can be that guy, I won’t stand in your way.”

“I’ll keep pushing at her to give this a chance,” I say, already emboldened by Rafferty’s support.

“You’ll need a game plan. She’s not going to makethis easy for you.”

A grin tugs at my lips. “You’re offering to help?”

“Hell yeah, I’m helping,” Rafferty says with a smirk. “If anyone’s going to break through that fortress she’s built, it’s going to take a team effort.”

We spend the next hour working out and strategizing, tossing out ideas and shooting them down because Farren is so flighty and neither of us want to send her running. Rafferty knows Farren better than anyone though, and with his insight, I feel a flicker of hope.

Now the trick will be to get her comfortable with dating me while keeping her from running.

CHAPTER 13

Farren

The sun poursthrough the windows as I scrub at a stubborn spot on the kitchen counter. Cleaning isn’t exactly my favorite way to spend the morning, but since I’m not paying rent yet, I’ve got to pull my weight around here.

I woke up with a raging headache from last night’s activities and to an empty house. Raff left a note he was at the gym and Tempe’s at her mom’s house, packing up her belongings as she heads back to college in Virginia tomorrow.

I’m really going to miss her. We’ve gotten close the last few weeks and I’m sad she’s leaving.

Not as sad as Rafferty though. I know they’ll be just fine and they’ve got a good game plan in place for visits, but the distance is going to suck for them both.

My thoughts drift away from Tempe and my brother to North. Last night was so much fun. Between hanging out with some of the Titans after the game to dancing with North, and then later in his bed… it was a perfect night. Even his display of jealousy didn’t bother me the way it might normally. That usually indicates possessiveness or a need to pin me down, which would otherwise send me running.

But for some reason, jealousy on North was super sexy. I can’t figure that one out, so I let it go and think about tonight. We made loose plans for me to go to his house and I know the perfect set of lingerie I’m going to wear to make him swallow his tongue.

Our chemistry is insane. I have never felt such lust for a person in my life and if the way he looked at me in the nightclub last night is any indication, he feels the same. Just his hands on my waist as we danced felt like I was a live wire and then he kissed me outside his truck before we headed to his house and I felt like I was drowning.

I shake my head, annoyed at myself for how much space he’s taking up in my thoughts. “Get it together, Farren,” I gripe, scrubbing harder at the counter.

The sound of the front door opening pulls me from my musings. Rafferty walks in, tossing his bag on the floor. He lifts his chin in greeting when he sees me. “Smells all lemony fresh.”

“So clean you could eat off the counter,” I quip.

He plops down on the island stool, watching me work. “You know… I’d really just prefer it if you got a job and paid rent.”

I grin at him slyly. “I promise I’m looking. I just haven’t found the right one yet.”

“Look harder,” he says gruffly. “Or you can head back to Calgary and move in with Mom and Dad.”

I glance up from my efforts and see he’s dead serious. His hair’s damp with sweat, and he’s got that post-workout energy radiating off him. “Okay, okay. By the end of the week, I promise.”

Which won’t be hard to keep. It’s easy to land a bartending job and I’ve been sort of procrastinating, which is normally not my nature. I wonder why that is.

“How was your workout?” I ask as I rinse the sponge off and set it in the container by the faucet handle.

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