Page 32 of Dare (Fighting Fate)

“What did you say to that?” he asked, his eyes still as wide as dinner plates.

Giving him a deadpan look, I raised my beer. “Speaking wasn’t exactly something I was capable of doing in the moment.” Taking a swig of the beer, I tried to numb the memories that were attempting to push their way forward.

Brad groaned. “What did you do?”

“The only thing I was capable of. I pressed her up against the wall and kissed the fuck out of her while I tried to convince myself to walk away.”

“Ah, okay. Now I get it,” he said, pressing his mouth into a sympathetic pout. “So, what now?”

Dropping down onto the weight bench, I focused on the can in my hand instead of the curious gaze in front of me. “Nothing. That’s what. It’s not the right time. She’s still dealing with the shit from Wyatt, and I need to finish my degree.”

Brad’s returning silence had me looking up. I could tell he didn’t agree with what I said, but he knew me well enough not to argue with me.

I sighed, knowing I was going to regret asking, but feeling compelled to doit anyway. “What?”

He shrugged and shook his head before taking another drink. “Nothing. I just think you’re full of shit.”

Pushing to my feet, I walked over to the workbench and started throwing tools back into their drawers. “Dude, you’re not telling me anything I haven’t heard before. I get it, but I know I’m right. Even if I was prepared to give up my no-dating policy, she’s not ready. I can see it when I look at her. She’s still dealing with the fallout from Wyatt. I’m not going to be her rebound guy, man, and that’s where she’s at. She’s just looking for someone to make her feel better about herself.”

Brad nodded, but it had a slight condescending lilt to it. “Okay, so you think that if something happens, she’s either going to drop you like a hot cake afterwards, or it’s going to distract you from getting your degree.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. “Exactly.”

He shook his head and pushed away from the workbench. “Nope. Still think you’re full of shit.”

Friend or no friend, I was starting to get pissed off. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t care what you think then, isn’t it?”

Brad sighed. “Fuck, you know I’m the last person qualified to give any kind of advice when it comes to relationships, Eli. But I seriously think you’re putting too much thought into this. Jess is a nice chick. She might’ve just broken up with Wyatt, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to use you.”

I was done. With it all. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going there. End of conversation.”

He watched me as he drew in a long, deep breath, then he picked up his cans and shrugged. “All right, then. Get your shit together. We’re going to Jordan’s. I’ve got a stack of George Washingtons to throw on the table, and this time, I’m leaving with the pot.”

A slow grin crept onto my lips as I watched his cocky smirk. Now this was the distraction I needed. Hooking my arm over his shoulder, I started walking him out. “Dream on, Brother. Dream on. You’re talking to the king of poker here, and your shit will never roll.”

Chapter 21

Jess

Tapping the pen on my notepad, I looked over the new course load I’d just been emailed by my professor. The new semester hadn’t even officially begun yet, but it definitely let me know break time was over. I had some serious work to do.

Sitting back in my chair, I considered the benefits of class starting again. One would be the fact that I was finally on the countdown. My college life was almost over. Soon, I would be beginning my career. My life would be officially underway.

But the biggest benefit of a new course load would be the welcomed distraction it would bring from all things Eli. After Amber’s party the other night, he’d barely left my thoughts, and if I was honest with myself, it was starting to drive me insane. I was actually thinking I’d prefer to go back to the time when he’d rejected me and I thought he didn’t want me. Knowing he wanted me made everything so much worse. It was like that little connection I’d discovered between us that night electrified when we kissed, and the longer we left it, the more intense it became. In a way, it was like a little seed of something had been planted, and now it was well and truly fertilized, and growing completely out of control.

Opening my planner, I forced my mind to focus and started jotting down all the important dates from the email, making sure I noted each unit separately. Now was not the time to get sloppy. I had less than five months to go, and I wanted to finish on a good note.

Pulling up one of the attachments in the email, I started reading, adrenaline building as my mind began throwing ideas at me. Reaching for the notepad again, I giggled as I thought about what Emmy would say about me already getting a start on it. She wasn’t a slacker, but she wasn’t as organized as I was.

With words beginning to fill the page, I let my ideas flow, but as I flipped the page over, ready to keep on going, the sound of a key in the lock made me pause, a

light laugh already bubbling up in my throat.

“Hey, sunshine,” I said, turning in my seat for the door. Emmy pulled her jacket off as she stepped inside, pressing her lips into a tiny smile, but it wasn’t the usual bright one I was used to. “What’s up?” I said, suddenly on alert.

She didn’t speak as she came to sit across from me. She just watched me as thoughts flashed in the depths of her eyes. After a while, she drew in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “People are talking, Jess,” she said.

I screwed up my nose a little. “About?”

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