The Hardest Fall

by Ella Maise

  I spent ten minutes sipping and nursing that beer, ten minutes, and he didn’t even give me a single opening to say anything, staying as far away as possible.

  “Dylan!” the female bartender yelled, and I flinched. His eyes moved over me as if I didn’t exist. “I need to take my break—cover for me?”

  He gave her a sharp nod then spoke to the other guy who was handling the bar taps. A few seconds later, the guy was covering the customers where I was sitting, because Dylan didn’t want to be near me.

  Starting to get more pissed off with every passing second, I downed the rest of my beer to the sounds of Drake and asked for another one from my new bartender.

  Only, instead of getting me a fresh one, he put a shot of tequila, a slice of lime, and a salt shaker in front of me.

  “On the house,” he said with a smile.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Dylan

  I watched Brian place a shot in front of Zoe and had to physically hold on to something to stop myself from going over there and breaking his nose. Zoe grabbed the shot glass and smiled at Brian before swallowing the drink in one gulp. Scrunching her face, she reached for the lime and sucked on it.

  I looked away from her—because that was my only viable option—and watched Brian’s reaction. The bastard was smiling down at her, leaning in, talking and talking and talking.

  Zoe didn’t seem to respond to him, but that wasn’t stopping Brian from flirting. For a second, I thought about going over there and telling Brian she was into older men, but I decided to ignore them. It hurt—physically hurt to look at her, and that pissed me off even more. I’d been so angry the moment I’d heard her voice asking for a drink, and then even angrier when I saw the look on her face as her eyes met mine.

  A few minutes passed—or maybe just a few seconds—and I had to look again. This time Brian was placing another beer in front of her, ignoring another customer who was waiting to place an order.

  Slamming two bottles of beer on the tray that was waiting to be filled with orders, I stalked toward them. If she had flirted with him…if she had smiled at him, laughed with him, talked with him, looked at him—done anything, I don’t think I’d have felt as much anger as I did. I think I’d have felt relief more than anything.

  “You can get back to your orders, Brian,” I ordered, my tone bordering on murderous, and instead of waiting around to see what he was doing, I helped the waiting customers. Brian fell silent, and Zoe’s eyes followed my every move.

  “I can cover for Lindy, man,” Brian insisted, not so wisely.

  Brian had started as the new bartender only two weeks before, so he was supposed to listen to whatever I said. If he didn’t, I would make him.

  “Get back to your spot. Handle the orders.” When it looked like he was about to protest yet again, I took a small step toward him, my temper flaring. We were standing right in front of Zoe, and I leaned forward so only he could hear me. “It’s not quiet enough for you to play around, Brian, and stay the hell away from her. Get back to your work or get the fuck out of here.” I leaned back. “You understand me?”

  His brows inched up toward his hairline and he raised both hands in surrender, backing away.

  Ignoring Zoe, I poured a whiskey for one customer and got two beers for another. Even though I didn’t want to, I could still see her out of the corner of my eye, could see how quickly she was gulping down her beer.

  All of a sudden, I couldn’t bear to have her around. I couldn’t get away from her perfume, that fucking sweet berry scent. I couldn’t look away and not remember how good it’d felt to feel her soft skin, to have her underneath me, how responsive she was to my touch, how her eyes had sparkled when I’d run to her side after the game in Tucson, how good it’d felt when she looked into my eyes for more than a few brief seconds…her blue panties, her wet hair, her wounded eyes…her arms around me, holding on…how excited she got when she was eating pizza, how she called the damn thing a love circle…her fucking shy smile, her orgasms…

  All of it played like a fucking movie in my head.

  Anger burned through my insides.

  “You’re done,” I said, coming to stand in front of her. “I want you to leave.”

  I looked straight into her eyes, and she returned my gaze without a flinch. I couldn’t tell if she was already drunk or not, couldn’t tell what game she was playing at.

  “I’m not going anywhere, not before you talk to me.”

  “What gave you the idea that we have anything to talk about? If you want me to call Coach to pick you up, let me know.”

  Her eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn’t pinpoint, and she sat up straighter in her seat. “If you want me to leave, you’re gonna have to drag me out of here.”

  I braced my hands on the bar top and watched her.

  “Don’t try me. I have nothing I want to say to you.”

  Her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward. “Then just listen to me.”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “Not interested in that either, buddy.”

  This time her eyes flashed with anger, and for some fucked-up reason, it thrilled me. My heart rate picked up and I gripped the wooden edge so I wouldn’t reach out to her and take her lips.

  “I won’t leave this spot until you give me five minutes, and you will give me at least that much, buddy,” she spat.

  “Suit yourself.” I walked away.

  A minute later, Lindy came back in from her break and took over.

  Ten minutes passed.

  Then fifteen.

  Then thirty.

  With every second she kept sitting on that damn bar stool, I got closer and closer to losing my shit in front of everyone. When it reached a point where I couldn’t take it anymore, I snapped the rag I had in my hand and tossed it away. Getting out from behind the bar, I walked to her side. By the time I was there, she was already standing up, waiting.

  “I’m not leaving, Dylan.”

  “Yes, you are. I’ll listen to whatever it is you need to say just so you can get out of my sight.”

  Grabbing her arm just above the elbow, I pulled her behind the bar.

  “I’m taking ten,” I shouted to Lindy as I opened a door that took us into the small kitchen then led her out into the dimly lit back alley.

  The metal door slammed shut behind us, and I let go of Zoe as if her skin had burned mine then put some distance between us.

  “Start so I can be done with you already.”

  She stayed silent, so I looked at her. Her eyes seemed to be filling with tears. I tried to ignore what I was feeling and stayed put.

  “I’m so angry at you,” she said quietly, finally.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m so damn angry at you!” she repeated, her voice clear and strong.

  “Yeah?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “For what? Because I didn’t play along with whatever fucked-up game you were playing at? Because I walked in on you with him and interrupted you two? How dare I, right?”

  Her eyes narrowed as she leaned toward me. “I’m angry at you because you blocked me! I’m angry at you because you never even let me talk to you.” Then she straightened and she was no longer leaning forward. “I thought I was your friend, Dylan. If nothing else, I thought I was at least that.”

  I snorted and laughed. “My friend? Were you thinking of your friend when you got into his car and left with him? Or right before I walked in on you two?”

  “What are you talking about?” She frowned. “What car?”

  “Don’t even try to lie to me, Zoe. If you’re here to tell me he just came to the apartment on his own and I misunderstood everything, save your breath. I was waiting for you in front of Jared’s apartment. I was right there when you ignored my text and climbed into his car.”

  She licked her lips, stared at me for a moment, and then said, “You’re going to feel like a complete idiot and you don’t even know it.”

  “I doubt it. If you’re done, I need to go back
inside.”

  She shook her head and bit her bottom lip, drawing my gaze to her mouth. She reached behind her and took something out of her back pocket. Unfolding a piece of paper, she closed the distance between us.

  Three steps—that was all it took.

  “Here.” She slapped the paper against my chest, and I watched it flutter to the ground.

  When I flicked my gaze up, she looked unsure. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. Someone slammed a door shut in the building next to us and the sound boomed in the alley, causing her to jump.

  “Pick it up,” Zoe demanded, but I didn’t move. Her shoulders slumped and the fight seemed to have leaked out of her. “Read it, Dylan.”

  A few seconds passed and I had to stand still when I saw her eyes start to fill with tears.

  “You’re an idiot, Dylan Reed!” she shouted, and all I could hear was the hitch in her breath. All I could see was that heartbroken look on her face.

  She turned around to leave, and I crouched down to retrieve the paper that looked like it had seen better days. I unfolded it two times and straightened up. With every word I read, my heart rate picked up. The second I understood what I was looking at, I groaned, let the paper fall to the ground again, and went after Zoe.

  I hadn’t even noticed or heard the back door opening and closing, but I was the only one standing in that alley. I yanked the door open and caught up to her as she was walking through the kitchen. Her hands were fisted at her sides as she reached the door that would take her into the bar and away from me. I ignored everyone in the kitchen—which was a total of three people—grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

  I was breathing as hard as if I had just run ninety yards for a touchdown. When my gaze met her tearful one, I was almost afraid to speak. She looked so hopeful, so sad, and so damn beautiful.

  “Zoe,” I whispered.

  Then the tears started coming down faster and I couldn’t not touch her anymore. I couldn’t not hold her, and I couldn’t not keep her. I leaned down enough to wrap my arms under hers and hugged her. When her arms encircled my neck and she rested her head on my shoulder, her sobs became louder. I put my arms right under her butt, hoisted her up, and wrapped her legs around me. Her hold on my neck tightened and she pushed her face into my neck, still crying.

  Ignoring the looks, I walked us back out to the alley and pushed her back against the door as soon as it shut.

  I couldn’t feel my arms from the tight hold I had on her and I had no fucking idea how my legs kept us up, but I had no complaints about any of it.

  When she lifted her face from my neck and held my face between her hands, I just stared at her, dumbfounded.

  “It’s true?” I asked, needing to hear it from her lips and not just see it on a piece of paper.

  She nodded.

  “Let me hear you say it.”

  “He is my biological father.” She swallowed and I watched her throat move, still having a hard time believing she was telling the truth.

  “All this time…you let me think…”

  She tilted my head up and looked into my eyes. She still had tears in hers. “I was going to tell you, Dylan, I swear to you. That’s why he was there, why he picked me up from Jared’s place—to talk to me. I told him I was going to tell you about him right before I walked into the library that day, and then everything else happened and I just pushed it back. But, I was going to tell you. I swear to you, I was. I can show you my text to him. I can tell you everything.”

  I looked down to her shivering lips and couldn’t help myself anymore.

  You need water to live, can only survive without it for three to five days, and it’d been so much longer since I’d had my fill of her, since I’d tasted her. I’d barely survived.

  Our lips crashed and she let out a quiet whimper the second my tongue touched hers. It was the messiest kiss of my life and yet maybe one of the best. Our teeth bumped, our tongues tangled, and still, I couldn’t get enough of her. I let go of her legs and pushed myself more firmly against her body, crushing her between the door and myself.

  My hands free, I cradled her face and tilted her head to the side so I could get more, and she gave me everything—absolutely everything. Pushing her arms between mine, she wrapped her arms around my neck again and let me lead.

  When we stopped, we were both breathing hard, as if we had just finished a marathon, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. This girl…she took my breath away.

  Resting my forehead against hers, I licked my lips. We were standing so close, I tasted hers too.

  “I missed you,” she whispered. “I missed you so much, you have no idea.”

  “I think I do,” I said, just as quietly. The whole world had disappeared, and it was just us. “You’re just mine, then?” I asked, just to have another confirmation.

  She pulled her head back a little to look into my eyes. “You’re my best buddy—who else’s would I be?”

  I kissed her again, slower this time, sipping instead of chugging. Still, I didn’t think I’d ever get my fill of her.

  “I’m so angry at you,” she whispered in between my kisses. “Still so angry.”

  “Why?” I bumped my nose to hers and she ducked her head to kiss me, licking my lips when she was done. I dipped one of my hands down and put it on her butt, pulling her a little lower. When she felt how hard and ready I was for her, she closed her eyes, bit her lip, and groaned, trying to move her body against me. I stilled her and kissed her neck, licking and sucking as I rolled my hips.

  “How could you just leave like that?” she asked in a gasp when she could find the words.

  I stopped moving against her and my hold on her tightened again. My gaze took in her flushed face and met her glazed eyes.

  “How could you not come after me?” I croaked.

  “I’m an idiot. What’s your excuse?”

  I smiled and let my forehead drop to her shoulder.

  “You’ve called me an idiot a few times tonight, so I’m guessing I’m your other half, just as big of an idiot, if not bigger.”

  “Then we’re perfect for each other, huh?”

  “We are best buddies, aren’t we?”

  Her grin took me by surprise, and I found myself lost in another kiss until the door behind us was pushed open and I had to carry her weight to protect her.

  Lindy’s head poked out from the opening and she winced when she saw us.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Dylan, but I could really use you out there. Brian isn’t really the biggest help at the moment, so if you…”

  I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Just give me another minute, okay? I’ll be right there.”

  She nodded and offered me a small grin. “Yeah, sure.”

  When it was just us again, I slowly let Zoe’s feet touch the ground, and she tried to fix her clothing. When she looked up, I exhaled and grabbed her face to press a kiss to her swollen, dark pink lips. She smiled up at me, and my chest felt heavy.

  “We still need to talk, Zoe. I need to know everything.”

  She lost a little bit of her smile but nodded.

  “Where are you living?”

  A quick shrug. “I’ve been staying with Jared for now. I’ll need to find a place or a roommate after the semester starts.”

  “I’m staying with Benji. He moved in with another guy and I’ve been sleeping on their couch. You’re not going back to your friend’s tonight,” I stated.

  Still smiling big, she shook her head. “I won’t.”

  “And you’re waiting until I close up. You’re sitting right in front of me until then.”

  “I am. I won’t move—I won’t even look away.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Zoe

  After every single customer had trickled out, then everyone in the kitchen, every waitress and bartender, it was just me and Dylan alone in the place. It looked so big with everyone gone, so quiet, every table empty with the chairs turned up. Dylan had already turned the ligh
ts off, all but the small decorative lights that hung above the mirror behind all the alcohol. I thought it was romantic. I was still sitting in the exact spot Dylan had planted me in, on the same stool, and I was wide awake. The only time I’d looked away from him for more than a few seconds was when I texted to Jared to let him know I wasn’t coming back and everything was okay again.

  I looked up when I sensed Dylan coming down the stairs he’d told me led up to his boss’s office. My breath caught in my throat and my heart lurched. He was the best-looking guy in the world, at least he was in my eyes, and I’m pretty sure you’d agree with me if you saw him. His eyes never wavered, and I never looked away. He was wearing black slacks and a simple long-sleeved, dark gray t-shirt that had the bar’s logo on his right pec. He looked incredible, ready to be devoured. Basically, he looked and tasted better than pizza. He also looked like someone I’d never thought could be mine. He was the kind of guy who would get you pregnant just from looking at him for too long. When he made it to my side, he picked me up as if I weighed nothing and sat me down on the bar. I immediately put my palms down to steady myself then he opened my legs and sat between them on my empty stool. His hands moved up and down on my thighs, leaving goose bumps and shivers in their wake.

  Having trouble stopping myself, I leaned down, put my hands on his shoulders, and kissed him, just a small, gentle kiss he easily turned into something more, leaving me breathless.

  When he pulled back, I just stared at him with the biggest grin on my face. It was like seeing him for the first time and falling for him all over again. He was the dream, the one you always wanted to end up with, the other half of your soul, if you believed in that kind of thing. I was willing to bet Dylan Reed would check every single box every single woman had on their must-have list, and yet there he was, standing in front of me, smiling at me with a crooked grin.

  “What? What’s that look for?” he asked, his hands moving again, more insistently this time around.