Page 44 of Give You Up

“What exactly does that look like?”

She slips her hands out of mine, the friction of flesh sliding over flesh sending tingles up my arms.

“Whatever we want it to be, baby.” My words come out in this gravelly timbre that speaks of hot nights having sweaty and noisy sex.

She bites down on her smile. Swipes at the longer strands of hair falling into her beautiful eyes. Sticks her hands in her back pockets and rocks on her heels. She’s pleased with me. I’m over-the-moon happy too. This is our do-over. Our second chance. Our work in progress, starting from whatever the hell it is we have now to whatever it is we want it to be. That could take a day, a week, or a month, even a year, but we would get there together.

“Did you find out if Hank is single?”

I smile. Shake my head. Syn and her changing the subject in a heartbeat keeps me on my toes. It’s another reason I dig spending time with her.

“He is.”

“Thank you for asking.” She pulls out her phone and starts tapping on the screen. “Here is my e-mail address.”

My phone in my pocket pings.

“Send me the JD and we can start negotiating.”

“What is there to haggle over?” I ask.

“Work hours. Setting limits.”

“What kinds?”

“Business hours. Nine to five. Workplace romance is not allowed.”

“What about after hours?”

Sighing, she grabs my hand and tugs me to the Jeep.

“Syn?”

“Dare is my off hours, so you’ll have to take it up with him.”

I should be pissed they’re putting me in this situation of having to win back my girl’s hand, but Syn is right. The new her is foreign to me. She comes with new friends. Friends I need to be in the good graces of if I want to spend more time with her. Also, from the excited way she speaks with them, including with the team’s kicker, Cooper Wilder, Syn’s friends are important to her.

But is Dare Sterling a friend? Or does he mean more to Syn? What was his ask when she gave him the rings? What compelled her to give away her rings to him? What made her tell him about the rings? The rings and what she did with them was between me and her, goddammit. No other guy should intrude on what is our thing.

How serious is her friendship with the Sterling douchebag? From what Andy and Jordan tell me, their friendship borders on aseriousrelationship. He goes where she goes, and same goes for Syn. She stays over at his place. A lot.

He is also not shy with his threats, daring to kick any guy’s ass who dare come near Syn. Or he’ll do better than spout threats, like that time he rammed a dude’s truck with his lifted truck, causing serious front-end damage to both vehicles.

That incident was from last year. The guy stared too long and hungrily at Syn for Dare’s taste. After he wrecked the front of his pickup truck, Dare had his truck towed and then went and bought another.

Rich and entitled bastard.

“Dare, this is—”

“The dude with the boner for you.”

I am not a fan of his choice of words. Nevertheless, I puff out my chest for one reason. He’s speaking the truth. I am very interested in Syn Winters.

She glares. “You’re so crass.”

He smirks.

“Dare, this is Taron. Taron, Dare.”

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