Page 46 of Dare (Fighting Fate)

“As far as the arrest went, after you reported the drugging, the cops were able to get a hold of some surveillance footage from the venue that night, which did, in fact, show Zac slipping something into your drink. That, along with the video they already had of him making the purchase, and your positive test results, is all they need, Jess. Zac fucked up, and he’s about to pay the price.”

Jess rubbed her forehead. It was obvious she was overwhelmed by the whole ordeal. And it didn’t help my resolve at all. Twisting her fingers together, she gazed up at me. “I just don’t get it, Eli. Why would Zac want to drug me? It’s not like he wanted to take advantage of me.”

I started shaking my head before she’d even finished. “You don’t know that. You can’t. Just because he and Wyatt had a thing doesn’t mean he didn’t want to do something to you too. Anything is possible, Jess. He could be bi. He could’ve wanted to do something that included you and Wyatt. He could’ve wanted to make Wyatt pay for something. You just don’t know.”

As much I needed her to see things for how they really could be, I hated seeing the fear flare in her eyes. It made me want to kick myself, hard. All I wanted to do was touch her, hold her, comfort her. It was torture to stand there and do nothing but watch her struggle to make sense of it all.

Watching her sink down onto the couch, I clenched my hands, trying to think of some other way that might show her how sincere I was—that I could be her friend in this time of confusion and worry.

Sitting down across from her, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “It’ll be okay, Jess. I won’t let either of them hurt you.”

She watched me for a long while, before her gaze shifted out the window in thought. It was obvious she was struggling to get her head around everything that was going on. It was a lot harder than I thought it should’ve been to just let her sort through it on her own. But after a while, she glanced up at me, her gaze searching mine. “Eli,” she said, her voice soft, curious, “I know this is probably not the right time to do this, but . . . I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance.” She wet her lips, her gaze searching mine. “I just need you to know that I really like you. A lot. I know you have your reasons for choosing not to date right now, but I just want to know. Is there room for me to hope? Or should I just let you go?”

God-fucking-dammit. She seriously may as well have ripped my fucking heart right out my chest. “Jess,” I said, slowly shaking my head, “please don’t ask me that.”

Her eyes pleaded with me. “I need to know, Eli. If you really do want me like you say you do, I’ll be patient. But if you don’t, just tell me now and I’ll let it go. I promise, you won’t ever hear me mention it again.”

Closing my eyes, I squeezed them tight. “Please don’t ask me that, Jess. I can’t ask you to wait for me. I don’t know what the fuck I’ll be doing next month, let alone in five months’ time. Neither do you. Anything can happen in five months.”

“You’re not asking me, Eli,” she said, raising her chin a little. “I’m asking you to be honest. The choice is mine to make. I just want to know what you feel for me.”

“I don’t know, Jess,” I said, letting my shoulders drop. “I really don’t. I’ve spent the better part of the last three years either pretending I don’t feel anything for you, or pushing my feelings so far down, I don’t even know what they are anymore. I can’t answer that without opening myself up to you, and I can’t afford to do that right now. All I know is that I care about you more than any other person I know, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

She watched me for a long while, her gaze switching from one eye to the other. Then, slowly, she gave me a slight nod and stood. “Okay. I understand. I’m going to take a shower. You know the way out.” With a sad smile, she stepped past the coffee table and made her way toward the stairs. “Bye, Eli.”

As I watched her disappear up the stairs, I knew that had been the moment. That was my crossroads. And whether I intended to or not, I’d made a definite choice.

Now I just needed to live with it.

Chapter 33

Jess

The bass was pumping and lights were flashing. All around us, bodies, glistening with sweat, swayed and gyrated. From my place on the edge of the dance floor, I raised my hands, my cup carefully positioned so I wouldn’t spill my drink, and swung my hips in time with the music. Beside me, Amber and Kaeli bumped their booties, raising their cups against mine.

Amber winked. “To the Murphy boys,” she yelled over the music. “The good, the bad, and the . . . really good-looking.”

Kaeli laughed and took a mouthful of drink, but I playfully glared at Amber’s smirking face. I was not in the mood to toast Eli, even once.

“Oh, come on,” Amber shouted. “If it weren’t for Eli, you wouldn’t be here getting loose with your bitches right now.”

She had a point. And it wasn’t just me. Isaac wasn’t in Amber’s good books, either. Since their little New Year’s Eve rumble in the sheets, he’d been treating her as though she was going to turn stalker on his ass or something. Amber wasn’t impressed.

Lifting a shoulder, I tossed my drink back and smiled. “The Murphy boys can all go to hell.”

“Yeah!” Kaeli said, tossing the rest of her drink back.

I laughed. “It’s okay. We’ll excuse Noah.”

“No, no,” she said, her words slurring a little. “Same DNA. Tonight, it’s us against them.”

“Hell, yeah!” Amber cheered, her long pink curls bouncing over her shoulder as she firmly placed a hand on her

sexed-up hip.

“We need more drink,” I said, holding up my now-empty cup and turning for the bar.

As I weaved through the crowd, Amber and Kaeli at my heels, I thought about where things were now with Eli. It wasn’t that I was angry with him or anything else, really. He’d made his decision, and that was the end of it. This was me, trying in vain to soothe my bruised ego and move forward. I was proud of myself for being honest with him. The fact that it hadn’t gone the way I’d wanted it to sucked in a massive way, but that was the risk I took.

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