Page 47 of Dare (Fighting Fate)

Squeezing into a spot at the bar, I smiled at the cute barman. “Three cowboys, please,” I said with a wink.

He smirked at me before pulling out three shot glasses and lining them up on the bar. I watched him as he poured a measure of schnapps into each glass. I bet he picked up a lot of girls. He had that bad boy kind of look going on I imagined would taunt any suffering girl into thinking he’d soothe their troubles for the night. It would suit me perfectly fine right now.

As he finished off the Irish Liqueur with a flourish, I licked my lips and handed him my money. “Keep the change.”

His gaze wandered down to my cleavage. “Thanks, gorgeous.”

Passing the shooters to the girls, I picked mine up and grinned. Amber gave me a knowing look with her trademark smirk. “Look at you, you little slut. I taught you well.”

With a sassy lift of my shoulder, I tossed the shooter back and felt the warmth of it all the way down my throat. “Oh, yeah.”

“My turn,” Amber said, sliding past me with a wink.

I laughed at her as she approached one of the other barmen, her head tilted seductively as she glanced up at him through her long, thick lashes. The poor guy had no chance. Turning back to Kaeli, I bumped my hip into hers. “Hey, thanks for coming out tonight,” I said. “I know you didn’t have to.”

She nudged me with her shoulder. “I’m glad you invited me. Are you having fun?”

Reading between the lines, I got the question she was really asking. Was I starting to forget about Eli? “I’m having so much fun. And I’ll get there eventually.”

She chuckled before her expression fell into a scowl. “We’re so cranky at him, Jess,” she said. “We all know he’s got a thing for you. He’s being so ridiculously stubborn I just want to smack him upside his head.”

I appreciated her support, but I didn’t want to talk about Eli tonight. Tonight was about forgetting and moving forward. I shrugged. “His loss.” As Amber turned and thrust a drink into my hand, I held it up and smiled. “And this,” I said, “is to the future. May it be filled with hot, sweaty sex and many orgasms.”

“Oh, I’ll toast to that,” Amber said, smacking her cup into mine.

Kaeli joined hers straight after. “Me too!”

As the newest Beyoncé song started playing through the speakers, I squealed and dashed toward the dance floor, Amber and Kaeli fast at my heels. It was time to get loose.

Closing my eyes, I let the slight spin inside my head wash over me, swaying me in time with the beat of the music. I knew I’d promised myself that I’d put my head down and focus on study for the rest of the semester, but this was exactly what I needed right now. I’d deal with the rest tomorrow.

Belting out the lyrics, I bumped my hips side to side, opening my eyes to sing the words to my favorite girls in the world. But instead of finding Amber thrashing about in front of me, I found Noah, stoic and intense. Well, he was technically in front of Kaeli, but it was kind of in front of me too, seeing as we were all standing in a circle.

I blinked as I watched him stare down at his girlfriend, his gaze dark and taunting. Kaeli smirked up at him playfully, more amused with his dark appearance than anything else. He stalked forward, taking her hips in his hands, looking very much like he was ready to devour her.

That was when I noticed Isaac and Eli behind him. Uh-oh.

Amber raised her chin as she narrowed her gaze on Isaac. There was no mistaking it. She was in feisty mode. If I had any chance of feeling anything for Isaac right now, I’d pity him. But I didn’t, so I just stood back and watched the battle begin.

Isaac’s gaze ran down her body. “Hey, legs.”

She cocked her head to the side and sized him up. “Well, are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to come press that hulking body of yours against mine?”

I huffed. They were both traitors of the worst kind.

There was no point pretending I couldn’t see Eli. We weren’t in freaking grade school. Letting my gaze roam up his body, I hesitated for a moment before looking into his eyes. If I’d thought Noah’s look for Kaeli was intense, Eli’s was freaking cataclysmic. With his jaw set tight, he searched my face, his gaze slowly drifting to the cup in my hand before darkening yet again.

Slowly, he made his way closer, only coming to a stop when he was a foot away from me. The heat in his eyes sent shivers through my body as he searched my face. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but I hoped like hell he’d find it and just take the damned thing.

“Do you not have any sense of personal safety?” he asked, his voice deep and barely restrained.

His gaze caressed every part of my face, moving over my lips, my jaw, my neck, heat flaring in the depths of his eyes. My God. Did he have any idea what he did to me? Drawing in a shaky breath, I licked my lips. “I’ll be fine.”

His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Damn straight you will be, because I’m not leaving until you do now. And I’ll be the one taking you home.”

I tried not to like his authoritative tone, but it only served to incite need inside me. “Are you going to fuck me?” I asked, already knowing the answer, but hopeful just the same.

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t break my gaze. “Don’t play games with me, Jess. You already know I have limited control when it comes to you. Play with your friends, drink as much as you want. I’m here to make sure you stay safe. And when you’re done, I’ll take you home. That’s it.”

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