Page 22 of Dare (Fighting Fate)

His entire being closed up as I watched him. It saddened me, but it made me see I’d made the right decision. “If that’s what you want,” he said, untouchable.

I gave him a sad smile. “It is.” Stepping closer to him, I brushed my hand over his before stretching up to kiss him on the cheek. “Bye, Wyatt.”

He didn’t say anything as I slipped through the door, and, if I was honest with myself, I preferred it that way.

Chapter 14

Eli

Pocketing my keys, I started down the path, ignoring the annoying little fucker inside my head who was telling me I was being an idiot. There were plenty of rational reasons for me to be here. One, she was a friend. Two, I was ridiculously attracted to her.

Catching a glimpse of auburn hair shining in the sunlight, I braced myself with a breath before soldiering on. She was sitting on the old wooden table, her feet hanging over the seat, and her head tilted back so her face was bared to the sun. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were curled up as though she’d found some tiny piece of happiness in the sun’s warmth.

She was beauty personified.

“Hey,” I said, hating to disturb her blissful state, but unable to stop myself just the same.

Jess’s eyes flashed open, her gaze snapping to me in an instant. Her cheeks brightened, tingeing slightly pink as she took me in. “Eli,” she said, her voice breathy.

Stopping in front of her, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” I said, trying to assess her overall mood.

I watched her draw in a deep breath as she considered my question. After a while, she raised one shoulder. “I think so.” As I slid onto the table beside her, she gazed at my hands, but her eyes were unfocused. “I broke it off with Wyatt,” she said quietly.

My eyes widened. That was the last thing I’d expected her to say. Worry crept into my gut. “Why? What happened?”

Letting out a deep breath, her shoulders sagged. “Nothing, really. I just—” She sat forward, her feet coming up to rest on the seat in front of her. “Other than the fact that something just didn’t feel right, we both want different things. He keeps talking about the future and success, and being important, and having the power to influence people, and that’s just not what I want. I don’t care about dressing up and impressing people and hobnobbing aristocrats. I like simplicity. I like laughing and being an idiot, and chilling out in sweats, and relaxing on the couch.”

Inside, I groaned. She wasn’t helping my cause in any way. What she was describing was my perfect woman, and God help me if I didn’t want to pledge myself to her right this minute. “Okay,” I said, sounding like a complete fucking dickhead. “That sounds reasonable.”

Looking out at the trees, she chewed on the inside of her cheek. It was obvious something was bothering her. I was hesitant to ask, but I needed to know. “Did you get the test results back?”

Sadness filled her eyes as she turned to meet my gaze. “It was low, but there were still traces of GHB in my system, Eli. I’ve been sitting here for the past hour trying to work out what to do with that. I just don’t know. I just don’t understand why Zac would do it. I mean, I was there—passed out—there for the taking if you want to look at it like that. And he was there. They both were. But nothing happened. What was the point? Was I just a lab rat? Someone to try it out on to see if it would work before he tried it on someone else?”

She had a good point. Maybe that was exactly what he was doing. It was a very plausible explanation, now that she mentioned it.

Jess straightened, her gaze narrowing in on the parking lot. Following her gaze, my jaw tightened when I saw Zac coming our way. Well, he was walking the path anyway. I wasn’t entirely sure he’d actually seen us just yet. His eyes were cast down as he walked, so I was fairly confident he hadn’t.

When he was within earshot, Jess tilted her head back a fraction. “Zac,” she called.

I tensed. I wasn’t sure what she was doing, but if she was confident Zac had drugged her, I was sure it couldn’t be good.

Zac’s gaze darted to where we were sitting, his expression morphing into one of confusion as he slowed his steps. “Jess,” he said, “how are you?”

I braced myself. She was a fiery redhead, after all. But she surprised me when I saw concern cloud her features. “How’s your brother?” she asked.

Zac frowned and paused his steps, seeming genuinely mystified. “My brother? He’s fine. Why?”

Jess’s eyes narrowed, giving the appearance that she was also confused, but I knew her well enough to know it was feigned. “Oh, I heard he was in an accident. Is that not true?”

“Not as far as I’m aware,” he said, shifting uncomfortably. “Who said that?”

Jess let her shoulders relax. “I’m not sure, actually. I think it may have been Kyle? But I couldn’t be sure. It was just a passing comment I overheard. Thank God he’s okay, then,” she said.

Zac nodded, still slightly weirded out. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

Jess smiled, her lips tight and not at all happy. She didn’t offer a reply.

As Zac disappeared through the trees, she let out a soft curse. Worry churned my stomach. “What was that about?” I asked cautiously.

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