Page 30 of Dare (Fighting Fate)

“What are we?” Emmy said, narrowing her eyes with playful condemnation. “Freaking lap dogs now?”

I laughed, but took a slight step away from them. “I’m going to let you guys go deal with that on your own. Tell them I said good luck.”

With that, I grinned and ducked behind them, heading toward the sales counter where Amber was perched, talking to Amy. A warm buzz hummed in my veins as I weaved around a rotating book stand. I still wasn’t entirely sure it was a good idea for me to be drinking anything at all. The night I’d made a total fool out of myself for Eli, I’d vowed to never drink again. It seemed that very bad things happened when I did, so it made total sense to me to put an end to it. But then Amber had wanted us girls to have a toast after we’d arrived, and then when I heard Eli was going to be here, my brain told me I’d have more success at facing him if I just had another.

Now it was six drinks later, I was probably a little more than slightly intoxicated, and all it had served to do was help me make sure I kept to the exact opposite side of the room from wherever Eli was.

But I felt good. The little pulses of buzzing vibrations were slightly weird, but it made me happy. Until I realized it was my cell phone ringing.

Pulling it out of my pocket, I checked the screen, finding Austin’s name flashing at me brightly. Answering the call, I smiled. “Hey, manwhore.”

His voice grumbled on the other end of the line, but I struggled to hear what he was saying over the loud music.

“Hold on. I can’t hear you,” I said, quickly moving toward the store room. Closing the door behind me, I sighed when the noise immediately softened.

“Rabbit, you’re not drunk, are you?” he said, worry clear in his voice.

“Oh, that’s better. And no—I mean, yeah, probably. But I didn’t mean to be. I actually decided to give up drinking altogether after New Year’s Eve.”

I heard him groan through the phone. “Well, that seems to be working well for you.”

“Shut up. It’s Amber’s bookshop opening. I had to toast her,” I said defensively.

“Either you’ve toasted her a dozen times, or you’re a one-drink wonder, Rabbit,” he said. “As long as you’re with friends. Anyway, I can’t talk for long. I was just calling to see if you wanted to fly over for a game in the spring. Blake’s organizing for his sister, Jade, to come if she can, so I thought I’d ask you too.”

Blake was Austin’s roomy. He was also one of his teammates. “Oh my God, yes! I’d love that.”

“Okay, Rabbit,” he said. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll let Blake know you’re in. Don’t get too drunk. And tell Amber I said congrats!”

I managed to tell him I would, a split second before he hung up. As I stood there, smiling at a now blank screen, I sighed contentedly. I really did love my brother.

Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I turned to head back to the party, but jumped when the door opened.

“Jess?”

My heart leaped into my throat as soon as I heard Eli’s voice. “Eli.” Crap. With my brain scrambling for a way to escape, my mouth opening and closing uselessly, I took a step forward. “I better get back—”

“Don’t,” he said. I froze all movement as he stepped farther inside and closed the door behind him. “Please don’t avoid me, Jess.”

Double crap.

I immediately wanted to deny I was doing anything of the sort, but I closed my mouth before it could come out. It was kind of obvious that was exactly what I’d been doing.

Eli sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Jeans that sat low on his hips, his shirt slightly risen from his hasty movement, showing me a small portion of his tanned, muscular stomach and the beginning of that amazing, sexy contoured part that trailed downward.

Triple crap.

Images from my long-ago dream jumped onto the screen of my mind, tightening my chest and laboring my breathing. Dammit. This really wasn’t going to help my situation. At all.

“Jess,” he said, his gaze raking over my face, “I’m sorry if I did something to upset you the other night. I really am. It was the last thing I wanted to do after everything you’ve been through.”

I watched him carefully as he spoke. His words were all sincere, but that was the problem. It was just another way to shut me down. Drawing in a slow, deep breath, I processed this new rejection. Strangely enough, it didn’t seem to hurt as much as the first. Maybe it was because I already knew it was coming this time.

Offering him a smile, as sad as it might’ve been, I let my defenses down. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t want me that way. I could hardly punish him for it by not speaking to him. “It’s okay,” I said softly. “It’s just been a rough few weeks to get my head around. I’ll get there eventually.”

His expression softened. “I know. And you will. Just please be careful,” he said, concern lacing both his eyes and voice as he glanced at the drink in my hand.

Something about it made my insides quiver. “I am,” I said, finding myself stupidly being lulled into his concern for me. I didn’t know why that made me hot for him, but it seriously did. “I only drink when I’m with friends now. Well, actually, now that I’m not with Wyatt, I don’t really go to any parties. They weren’t really ever my thing.”

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