Dare (Fighting Fate Book 6) Read online

  “She still refuses to move in with him, though,” Adam said, amusement clear in his voice.

  I rolled my eyes. “Why? She’s practically living at his apartment anyway.”

  Dad took a swig of his beer and shook his head. “I think it’s smart of her. There’s no need to rush. They’ll both be graduated by the summer, and then they’ll have jobs to pay the bills.”

  “Unlike Micah.” Isaac laughed.

  Micah was the middle child of the Murphy crew. Being an elementary school teacher, he was the first white-collar worker in the family. He made the decision to move out of home the minute he graduated college. The number of times he came home to beg, borrow, and steal had been a running joke there for a while. Of course, he had his shit together now, but he had yet to live it down.

  Dad’s gaze swung to me before it fell on Brad and Jordan. “So, you boys ready for the bar exam?”

  They both groaned loudly. “Why you gotta go putting a downer on the moment, Luke?” Jordan said, whining like a baby.

  He was right, though. It was a downer. A massive one. But Dad knew the influence Noah’s sacrifice had on my drive to succeed. The finish line was within sight now. We had four months of law school to go, then a summer to do our bar review. Then it was D Day. There was nothing I wanted more.

  Except maybe . . .

  I glanced across the room at a picture of Noah with a group of his friends, my gaze zeroing in on a head full of tight, red curls.

  Okay, there was no maybe about it. There was definitely one thing I wanted more. But, besides the fact that I’d sworn off dating until I’d passed the bar exam, she wasn’t mine to have.

  I sighed. Jess was the biggest inconvenience in my life. At five foot ten, with fair skin and vibrant green eyes, she was ridiculously attractive and insanely sexy. The first time I’d seen her, she was with Kaeli, dripping wet and wearing nothing but a shimmery green bikini. That image was burned into my memory, and I can tell you, it had taken a great amount of restraint to ignore the need she invoked in me back then, and concentrate enough to graduate college.

  Unfortunately for me, though, it hadn’t been enough to avoid Brad’s keen awareness. My sad, unrequited love was his daily amusement, and he liked to remind me of it whenever he could.

  Following my gaze, he half rolled his eyes while stifling a laugh. “I wonder what she sees in him,” he mused as he stared at the picture. He knew how much I hated that her boyfriend was in it.

  Choosing not to engage, I turned back to the bike. Jess had been seeing Wyatt for a little over six months now. She seemed happy, but I just didn’t get it. He was a law student like me, but he was completely full of himself. I honestly couldn’t figure out why she was with him. And I didn’t know what depressed me more. The fact that she was dating the one person I considered my archenemy, or the fact that she was attracted to someone I considered the exact opposite of me.

  If I could just continue to ignore my interest in her, I might stand a chance of making it to the all-elusive finish line I’d been striving for these past three years. I just hoped fate was on my side.

  Chapter 3

  Jess

  Smoothing down my dress, I gave myself a quick once-over in the mirror before grabbing my handbag and heading down the stairs. Tonight, Wyatt was belatedly taking me out for our six-month anniversary, and if I was to be honest with myself, the night was long overdue. Between exams and parties, we hadn’t had anywhere near enough alone time lately, and I’d been dying to have him all to myself for a while.

  Moving into the living room, I found my roomy, Emily, perched on the couch. “Ooh, someone looks gorgeous,” she said, her eyebrows wiggling up and down. “Where are you guys heading?”

  Strangely, Emmy and I had only met this year, but we’d formed the kind of friendship that made it feel as though we’d known each other forever. The fact that she was dating one of my closest friends from high school helped. Knowing just how happy she made Aiden had given her an instant tick of approval.

  Drawing in a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “I honestly don’t know. Wyatt’s keeping it a surprise.”

  She gazed at me, her head cocked to the side a little. “Are you okay? You seem a little off.”

  I rubbed my fingers over my eyebrow and sighed. “I don’t know.” I chewed on my bottom lip as I tried to work out how to put my thoughts into words. “Is it bad to feel like something’s missing?”

  Emmy’s brow creased. “What do you mean? With Wyatt?”

  I groaned, slumping into the armchair. “It’s just this feeling I have in my gut.” Looking up to the ceiling, I let out a huff. “I just feel like we should be a little more in sync or something, you know? Like we should be more connected.”

  She narrowed her eyes with contemplation. “Maybe you both just need more time together. I mean, you’ve been pretty busy with exams and stuff lately,” she said cautiously.

  Lifting my face to the ceiling, I sighed. “That’s just the thing, though. We might not get as much time together as most couples, but when we do, he’s perfect. He’s attentive, he’s sweet, and I know it’s not just about sex, because half the time when we sleep together, we seriously just sleep together. He really is amazing, Emmy. So I just don’t get why I feel this way.”

  She smiled, the corners of her eyes softening. “Sometimes the problem isn’t always obvious, hon. But you know I’m a big believer in listening to your gut.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know, but how the hell do I work out what my gut is trying to say when it’s being so goddamn obtuse?”

  Emmy sighed, reaching out to take my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Just enjoy tonight—wherever you go. You’ve earned it.”

  I nodded. She was right. I wasn’t going to ignore my gut, but if it wasn’t going to be more freaking specific, I wasn’t going to tie myself up in knots trying to figure it out.

  Pushing myself to stand, I straightened my shoulders. “Do we have any wine left?” I asked, striding to the fridge and searching its depths. Locating a bottle in the back, dark recesses, I pulled it out and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. “Are you guys doing anything tonight?”

  Following me into the kitchen, she hoisted herself up onto the counter. “Yeah. The band’s leaving next week for a month so I’m binging while I can.”

  Pouring myself a glass, I took a sip and shook my head at her slowly. I honestly didn’t know how she handled it. Aiden, along with three other guys I went to school with—Dean, Jace, and Matt—made up the rock band Fighting Fate. As weird as it was to me, they were now one of the country’s hottest bands to hit the billboards in the last five years. I mean, they were huge. I didn’t know one person who hadn’t at least heard of them in one way or another.

  But I had to admit they deserved it. Aiden and Dean had been obsessed with writing songs since our sophomore year in high school. Jace and Matt had been more interested in the girls they could attract back then, and that probably hadn’t changed much for Matt, but it sure had for Jace. He and Aiden’s twin sister, Mia, were the ones responsible for starting the couple love fad. From what Emily had told me, Jace and Dean were the ones behind most of the creating that went into making their current album.

  “Where are they heading this time?” I asked, taking another sip.

  “Just the East Coast,” she said, running her fingertip over her bottom lip. “They’re still having dramas with the label. Apparently, they’re getting an agent or PA or some crap. Someone who’s supposed to help liaise between the band and producers or something.”

  I frowned. “I thought that’s what Mia did?” Mia had been traveling with the band since they first went on tour two and a half years ago.

  Emily rolled her eyes. “That’s what the guys thought too, but they’re saying this is different. Dean thinks it’s just a way for Leighton to manipulate them and avoid dealing with them directly.”

  “So, they’re employing someone just to push their agenda onto them? Or are the
y charging the band for the privilege?”

  She let out a humorless laugh. “That’s what Aiden thought too, but they checked. It’s not costing them anything.”

  Scrunching up my nose a little, I gave her a withering look. “Sounds fishy.”

  “I know. The guys don’t trust Leighton as far as they can throw him,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Especially after what he and Lila did, but there’s nothing they can do about it. They’ve already hired someone. They’re supposed to be meeting them at the annual awards night.”

  Whenever Lila’s name came up in conversation it made me want to spew a barrage of curse words in any random order. She had been Dean’s high school sweetheart. Unfortunately, Dean had caught her screwing around with the label’s boss, Craig Leighton, about a year ago. Things had been hanging by a thread with the label ever since. Thankfully, I was stopped from cursing Lila to all eternity by a loud knock at the door.

  Glancing down at my wine, I drew in a deep breath. “Looks like it’s date time.”

  Emily grinned as I tipped back the wine. “Have a good time, hon.”

  “Oh, I plan to,” I said, giving her a quick hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Scooping up my bag, I made for the door, determined to make the most of this time with Wyatt. I was sure things would settle down now that winter break was here. At least, that’s what I hoped.

  Pulling the door open, I blinked at the sight before me, all my troubles instantly melting away. At six foot two, with short blond hair and watery blue eyes, Wyatt really was unmistakably hot.

  He grinned as he held out one perfect, white rose. “A beautiful flower for a beautiful girl.”

  That was all it took to remind me just how amazing he was. Taking the rose, I threw my arms around him and kissed his jaw. “Thank you!”

  As we pulled apart, he smiled down at me. “I’m sorry we haven’t had much time together lately, babe. You really do look gorgeous tonight.”

  One side of my mouth crooked higher. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Mr. Barton.”

  With a wink, he held out his hand for me to take. “Are you ready to go?”

  I beamed. “Yep. Where are we going?” Stepping out, I closed the door firmly, making sure it was locked for Em.

  Towing me down the path, he gave me a wicked grin. “Nothing but the best for you, babe. I’m taking you to The Firehouse.”

  I almost stumbled. “Are you serious? Am I dressed okay?”

  Stopping me, he took my face in his hands and gently kissed my forehead. “You always look beautiful, Jess.”

  Warmth spread through my veins as I waited for him to open the car door for me. Stupid gut feeling. Where was it now? Of course it was nowhere to be seen. Because it didn’t have a damned leg to stand on.

  As I slid into the cool leather seat of his brand-new Honda, I clipped my seat belt into place and sighed. Wyatt hummed as he climbed in beside me, starting the car and adjusting the stereo to play some soft, soothing music. As he peeled away from the curb, he took my hand and held it on the seat beside me, stroking his thumb over my knuckles in time with the music as he drove.

  It was right in that moment I made the decision to stop analyzing our relationship so much. So what if it didn’t look the same as everyone else’s? We may not have had that much time to spend with each other, but when we did, we made it count.

  Gazing over at him, I let out a little sigh. “This is perfect, Wyatt. Thank you.”

  His returning smile was pure sex. “You deserve it, babe. We’ve had a few busy months lately.”

  “We really have,” I said, so much in agreement with that statement it wasn’t funny. “I’m so ready for this break.”

  He nodded enthusiastically. “Me too.”

  “Do you know how long you’ll be in Portland?” I asked, watching him as he pulled into a parking space. “Mom was asking about Christmas when I saw her yesterday.”

  He switched off the ignition and turned to me with a smile. “Only for a few days. Just over Christmas. I plan to be back for New Year’s Eve.”

  As we climbed from the car, my mind began scanning for possible dates we could drop over to see Mom and the girls. With all the Christmas activity, the dates were filling up fast.

  Taking his hand again, we walked into the restaurant. I’d never eaten at The Firehouse before, but I’d heard good things. “When did you book this?” I asked, looking around as we were seated. I was seriously impressed with this romantic side of him.

  He looked up at me, his smile filled with guilt. “I didn’t actually book it. Zac had a reservation but couldn’t make it. But his misfortune is our gain, right?”

  Zac was Wyatt’s best friend. At times, it felt as though they were almost inseparable. It was something I sometimes struggled to come to terms with.

  Watching him across the table, I tried to push the disappointment down. For me, it wasn’t so much as being here and eating the fine food. It was the thought process behind the experience. I just wanted to know he wanted to make me happy, even if it was just a candlelit picnic in the park.

  As I gazed into his puppy dog eyes across from me, I melted. God, why was I such a bitch? So what if he didn’t book the table? He still brought me here when it was offered to him.

  Forcing myself back into the moment, I smiled. “So, Noah’s having a little party on Sunday, and we’re invited.”

  Wyatt frowned. “I can’t do Sunday. What’s it for?”

  The party was actually a celebration of the end of the drug ring he’d gone undercover to bring down, but I wasn’t able to tell Wyatt that. I’d been sworn—like the rest of our circle—to help keep Noah’s undercover identity a secret. “Just a little Christmas thing,” I said instead.

  “Oh, well, sorry. I’m catching up with Zac on Sunday.”

  Again, I swallowed down my disappointment. I’d lost count of the number of celebrations I’d been forced to go to solo. I thought that may have been one of the main reasons for my couple jealousy.

  Wyatt reached out and took my hand, running his thumb over my knuckle. “You know things are going to be crazy like this until we’re both settled in a job, babe. We just have to get through the next six months.”

  His blue eyes delved deep into mine as I watched him. The fact that he was talking about us still being together when we graduate and get jobs spoke volumes. It put things right into perspective. He was right. We just needed to get through these next few months until graduation, and we’d be fine.

  I just needed to convince my gut to agree.

  Chapter 4

  Eli

  Weaving through the crowd, I held my red solo cup in the air, not entirely certain I could actually make it back to the other side of the room without wearing half my beer or more.

  Passing a girl I remembered from my days at Sac State, I smiled, trying to avoid her gyrating hips as best I could. If I hadn’t been so tired, I probably would’ve seen her wandering hands before they slid under my shirt.

  “Hey, Eli,” she crooned. “Dance with me.”

  I squirmed away from her under the guise of avoiding an obtuse dancer who was thrashing around wildly beside her. As the guy turned and grabbed her hips, I shrugged with an apologetic purse of my lips. “Maybe later?”

  Not waiting to see what she had to say, I turned and continued through the crowd. Brad raised an eyebrow when I finally stopped beside him, his lips curled up into a smart-ass smirk. “Anything left in the cup?”

  Barely refraining from rolling my eyes, I huffed. Brad knew I wasn’t much of a party animal anymore. That shit left my system when Noah had gone undercover. “I’m almost over this shit, man.”

  He nodded his agreement. “I hear you. It feels like we’re so close to the end, but I know we’re still so far away. The bar exam scares the shit out of me.”

  Looking out at all the laughing bodies, dancing and swaying and acting like they didn’t have a care in the world, I couldn’t agree more. As much as I was rea
dy to see the end of my schooling days, what came next was seriously daunting. The need to succeed that ran through my veins was like an itch. Failing just wasn’t an option.

  “Maybe it’s time for a little distraction,” I muttered, searching the room for options.

  “What did you have in mind?” he asked, instantly on board with whatever I decided. “Blonde or brunette?”

  The omission of ‘redhead’ as an option was how I knew he was a true friend. Because I’d been doing everything I could to avoid looking across the room to where the one redhead who was my weakness stood.

  As my gaze fell on a sweet little brunette through the crowd, her gaze already taking me in with heated interest, I gave Brad a slight nod. “Looks like it might be brunette tonight.”

  Discreetly, he shifted until he saw what I saw, then he drew in a calculating breath. “Five minutes.”

  My eyebrow twitched as I met his gaze. “I was going to say ten, but we’ll go for five if you want.”

  Our time bet had been one we’d joked around with since our freshman year of college. Jordan had started it when he’d discovered a senior checking him out and bet Brad he could get her to come talk to him within ten minutes. It wasn’t a game I got into back then, but since I’d made the decision to put dating on hold, the only relief I could get was from the odd casual night every now and again. The only rule I placed on myself was that she had to come to me. The last thing I wanted was to chase a girl and give her the wrong idea.

  Looking back over at the girl, I smiled when I found her still watching me. If she was too shy to come talk to me, she was too good to play around with.

  “Is the party still on for tomorrow?” Brad asked, obviously trying to keep some form of conversation going. Of course, it was Noah’s party he was asking about. The one I was excited for, yet dreading at the same time, because the number of times I’d been tormented by Jess’s appearance whenever I was around Noah made my life a living hell.