Page 35 of Dream (Fighting Fate)

I growled again. I didn’t like any of my friends looking at her like that. “Don’t go there,” I warned. “She’s nice. I like her.”

“And you left her up there with Dean?” Matt said with a smirk.

My jaw tightened. If Dean so much as looked at her the wrong way, I was going to deck him. “He’s working on the soundtrack song. He wanted Liv to help him with some things.”

Matt laughed. “I’m sure he does. And I bet it has nothing to do with the song.”

“I fucking said, don’t go there.”

His eyebrows went skyward. “Really? You like her that much?”

Corey coughed dramatically. “I think he likes the fact that she doesn’t know who he is more than anything else.”

I shot him an irritated glare. “Fuck off. It’s more than that.”

“What?” Corey challenged. “You mean the immense sexual attraction you two’ve got going on that makes the rest of us feel like we need to leave the room every time we’re there?”

I glared at him. I couldn’t deny that. I wanted Liv like nothing else. I’d been thinking it was purely because I knew I couldn’t have her, but if it was that obvious to the guys, then it was probably more than that. Fuck.

Matt smirked. “Man, sucks to be you. I can’t fucking believe she’s that innocent. Those legs were born to be wrapped around someone’s waist.”

His words almost pushed me over the edge. I felt the tension explode inside me.

“Shut the fuck up, Matt,” Jace said, suddenly beside me. “You’re about two seconds away from being laid out on the floor.”

The smile fell from Matt’s face, and his eyes widened as he looked at me. “Shit.”

“Yeah, shit,” Jace said sarcastically.

Aiden shook his head. “Aw, man. You’re screwed.”

I huffed. An overwhelming sense of dejection stole through me. “Tell me about it.”

“You should just tell her,” Cain said from behind the bar.

Walking over to the pool table, I racked up the balls. I didn’t want to talk about it. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because I knew they were right, and I wasn’t ready to let go of th

e simplicity I had with her yet.

“She’s going to think you lied to her when she finds out,” Cain continued.

“Fuck. I know, all right!” I glared at him. I wish they’d all just get off my back. “I’m just not ready for her to know yet.”

“We get it, man,” Jace said, moving over to pick up a cue, while giving Cain and Matt a pointed look. “Doubles?”

I sighed internally, relieved. I should’ve known Jace would understand. He’d been different like that since he and Mia had been going out. It was a nice change.

Placing the cue ball on the table, I lined it up and broke the shit out of the balls, scattering them far and wide, and sinking two solids. It wasn’t as satisfying as it should’ve been.

Taking another shot and missing, I went and grabbed a beer. “How has Dean been, anyway?” I asked, needing to change the subject well and truly.

Dean had found his girlfriend, Lila, in a compromising position with the head of the record label they were signed to about six months ago. Not only did that destroy the relationship he’d had with his high school sweetheart, it had ruined the relationship the band had with the label.

Jace sighed. “Lila fucked him over real good. Not that we weren’t expecting it. We just didn’t realize she’d do it so spectacularly.”

“Yeah, the fucking bitch is still working at the label,” Matt grumbled. “Some fucking executive position to Mr. Fuckface himself.”

I gawked at him in disbelief. I knew she was still with the guy, but I had no idea she was working in such a high position with him. “You’re fucking joking?”

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