Page 21 of Last Chance Seduction
“You’re going to count down for this?”she asked, as everybody continued to chant for us to kiss.
“You know what, fine.”And with that, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers.
I meant to step back, to stop the kiss before it even started, but I didn’t.Instead, I parted my lips and swiped my tongue along hers.She tasted of wine, cupcakes, and Mercy.
Fuck.
And when I pulled back, and stared at her, everybody cheered, and I realized the drive home was going to be hell.
Because I had just kissed Mercy.
My former friend’s ex-fiancée.
And one of the first girls I had ever had a crush on.
Oh, and my new neighbor.
I guess hell had a new name.I guess hell had a new resident.And here I was, staking my claim.
ChapterFive
Lexington
Four Years Ago
“Is there a reason we’re out here at a barbecue?”Justin asked, and I squinted at my friend, wondering exactly why he was asking this for the eighth time.
“Because we just celebrated our graduation, and now we’re having a nice party before we split up and go about our days?”
“Well, it’s not like you don’t know what you’re going to do for the rest of your life.You have an in when it comes to your family.You could have chosen any profession that you wanted within the Montgomerys, and look at you, you chose the one that had perfect space for you.”
I scowled at the other man and tossed a bag of chips at him.
“Eat something, you get crabby when you’re hungry.”
“What?I’m not over exaggerating here.You have multiple construction companies in your family, and you guys are just what, going to open a subsidiary of one?Rather than forcing your parents out of their jobs?It makes sense.You don’t have to go out there and figure out how to do interviews or make a resume.You have an in.”
An odd sense of guilt swept through me, but I did my best to push that away.
“I didn’t automatically get a job with my family.Yes, growing up when I had wanted to start working, I applied for any job I could get at sixteen within the Montgomery Construction companies.My parents had hired me because I had been the only person to apply for one of the jobs that required me to be knee-deep in mud and other things I’d rather not think about.Then I worked for another company while I was eighteen and in my first year of college, one that had nothing to do with the Montgomerys.I had wanted an outside take on what it meant to be an architect.Yes, my aunt Annabelle had taught me everything that she knew, but I had still taken the time to learn from others.If I had been given everything that I had ever wanted without having to work for it, why had I even bothered going to college?”
But Justin was right in some respect.My family never would’ve let me fail completely.If I had tried for other companies, and gotten the jobs, they would’ve cheered me on.If I would’ve found myself unemployed, they’d have made sure that I found a way to work with them.Just maybe not in the exact job that I wanted.Because we cared about each other, but we also wanted the best in the business.
I had wanted to be an architect and work with my family’s construction company since I had been a little kid with a tiny tool belt and a little wrench.I had walked along the different sites with my little hard hat as I soaked in as much knowledge as I could.
And I was damn lucky and excited that Dash, Brooklyn, and even Jamie had wanted to join us.Jamie could’ve worked for any company out there, as she was a whiz with marketing, organization, and just keeping an office afloat.Plus she could make connections with anybody and make a bid worthwhile.We had wanted to start our own business because we hadn’t wanted to stay in Fort Collins, and the company had grown enough that it was needed.
It was my job on the line, my money on the line, or rather, my loans on the line, if we failed.Just like it was with every single person who had bought in.
Justin didn’t understand that.And I tried not to be resentful for it.
“Sorry,” Justin said after a moment, as if he read my mind.
“Yeah?”I ask, slightly grumbly.
“I’m in a shit mood, but that’s no reason for me to take it out on you.I know you’re damn talented.I’m just annoyed that I didn’t get the job at Anderson’s that I wanted.”
“But you’re at Clark’s.That’s an amazing law firm.”
