Dare (Fighting Fate Book 6)
Page 23
Fortunately for her, I didn’t have time to press the issue, because it was right then that Aiden and Emmy walked in, Daniel, Corey, and Cain at their heels.
Aiden raised his hands in the air and slowly turned around. “The party can start now,” he yelled. “I’m here.”
Shaking my head, I smiled. This was exactly why I loved my friends the way I did. I didn’t care how many people I met in my life from now on, none would ever compare to this.
Chapter 50
Eli
From the first time I found myself amongst Kaeli’s group of friends, I was intrigued. Of course, there were many people around who’d stayed friends with people they went to school with, but these guys just had an extra element that seemed to make their bond so much more meaningful. They looked out for one another just like a family would. And now I was a part of it. It was a nice feeling.
As Aiden continued to turn around with his hands in the air, Dean pushed forward and shook his head. “Dude, I’m the front man, remember?”
And then the real ribbing began. For as long as I’d known the guys, they’d always been like that. Some days it was just one massive pissing contest. I thought that was one of the reasons Josh always seemed to keep coming back to his roots. Because these roots might have been as crazy as shit, but they were honest and real—something that was severely lacking in all of their worlds.
It was then that I saw the movie star in question step in front of Jess and smile. “Hey, beautiful,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “It’s good to see you again. I hear life’s been busy for you since last time I saw you.” He glanced at me as he said the last part, and winked. “Hey, man. Good to see you finally came to your senses.”
I glanced at the ceiling with playful exasperation. “Oh my God. From the movie star too?”
“Make that two,” Josh said, handing both Jess and me a drink before jerking his head to the side.
Glancing beside him, I found myself face-to-face with Lucas Cantrell. Of course, I’d spoken to him over the phone when I’d been trying to secure his business for my interview with Studio Lawyers, but meeting him in the flesh was a whole new experience.
Offering him my hand, I gave him a genuine smile. “Nice to finally meet you,” I said, clasping his palm and shaking it. “I wanted to thank you again for agreeing to come over to Studio Lawyers. I’ll do everything within my power to make sure you won’t be disappointed.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “You came highly recommended, man, so I’m sure I’ll be happy.”
If I needed any sort of push to make me want to work harder than ever before, that was it. Glancing at Jess, I expected to find her in some state of excitement or awe over the pretty boy actor, but when I found her looking at him with a bland expression instead, I almost laughed.
Without changing her expression, she looked back at Josh and narrowed her eyes questioningly. “Is this what it’s come to, Josh? Is this what happens when you spend too much time in Hollywood? You lose your man card? Is this like when girls have to go to the bathroom in pairs? You’re a hot movie star now, so you have to go everywhere in pairs?” She glanced back over at Lucas’s amused face, letting her gaze roam over his whole form unabashedly. “Good choice, though. I approve. Nice to meet you by the way, Lucas.”
The corner of Josh’s mouth curled up before his gaze shifted back to me. “Do you actually realize what you’ve got yourself in for? Have fun with that.”
Oh, I realized, and there was nothing I’d change about it. “I do,” I said, pulling Jess into my arms. “Every day.”
Josh nodded his head toward the noisy pile of boys behind us. “Maybe you should give Dean some pointers. I hear he’s got some control problems with the new PA.”
Jess turned in my arms, watching Dean put Matt in a headlock. “Really? Emmy hasn’t said anything.”
Josh shrugged. “I think they all think if they ignore it, it will go away.”
I caught Lucas scratching his head from the corner of my eye. He looked more than a little amused with it all. Jess smirked at him. “Not a good tactic?” she asked, more teasing than anything else.
Lucas’s hand slid down his cheek, until it was rubbing over his chin. “No, no,” he said, only a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “It’s an awesome tactic if you’re dealing with a scandal—which we all know I’m no stranger to.”
Jess smirked. “Are you talking about all the women you’ve been bedding?”
He held up a finger. “Supposedly bedding,” he said. “Scandal, remember? Not always true.”
Josh chuckled and thumped Lucas on the back. “Normally, I’d call bullshit, but I have to agree with you on this one. The rags went all out with Date Night.”
“Date Night. That’s the new movie you’re making, isn’t it?” I said as Jess melted into my side a little more.
Lucas nodded and rolled his eyes. “Biggest regret of my life,” he said. “If anyone tells you that working with a dozen starlets is like a dream come true, they’re lying to you.”
I laughed. I wasn’t sure what kind of dramas he was having, but, from where I was standing, it couldn’t have been that bad. Meeting Josh’s gaze, I cocked my head questioningly. “So, what’s Dean’s problem?”
“Apparently, it’s Leighton’s company rules,” Josh said, moving his head side to side. “Or maybe it’s just Leighton himself. I wouldn’t blame him if it was that.”
I tightened my hand a fraction on Jess’s waist. I wouldn’t have blamed him, either. But, from a professional viewpoint, I was intrigued. “What rules?”
Josh took a sip of his drink and smirked. “He brought in a new policy, no dating between employees.”
Understanding came to me slowly. “Ah, I get it. The new PA’s hot and he can’t have her.”
He winked. “Bingo.”
“Ouch. Poor guy.”
Jess looked up at me, her mouth open, ready to add her own thoughts to the subject, but she was interrupted by a sudden banging. We all looked toward the commotion to find Matt thumping on an upturned bucket.
When he had everyone’s attention, he smiled. “Yeah, motherfuckers. You better all listen up, cause I’ve got some things I gotta say.” He stood, shoving one hand inside a pocket of his jeans and rubbing the other over the stubble on his chin. “Y’all know I’m usually shoved at the back, but you also know I can’t be shut up that easily.” One corner of his mouth curved up as we all laughed, but it was quickly replaced by a more somber look as he gazed from face to face. “Look, you guys are the ones who’ve supported us from the very beginning—even when we couldn’t play for shit. You’ve been with us, and for us, every step of the way—good and fucking bad—and not only are you guys the first people we want to thank each time we take another step forward, you’re the first people we want to celebrate with, and that’s why we’re here tonight.”
Jess beamed up at me, her arms coming around my waist before squeezing me hard. I knew how proud she and the others were of the guys—Josh included—so I could only imagine what she was feeling right now.
Matt continued to gaze around the room, an obvious fondness in his expression as he looked from face to face. “Our first world tour is something we’ve been dreaming of for a damned long time, and to finally have it turn into a reality is fucking amazing, but it’s also fucking weird. I mean, how the fuck did we get here, guys? Seriously? The fact that we can do what we love and get paid for it just blows my fucking mind sometimes, and I know I speak for the whole band when I say how much we’ve loved and needed your support over the years. So,” he said, raising his beer in the air, “tonight is for you guys. Thanks for being so fucking awesome.”
Raising my drink with Jess, I gazed around at the smiling faces as we drank. As much as I knew I wasn’t technically included in this appreciation speech, I felt the connection that was humming throughout the room. I felt the love they all had for one another, and even though my own family unit was a force to be reckoned with, I could tell th
at the bond these guys had as a group was rare, and piece by piece, person by person, lover by lover, it was growing. To know I was a part of it was humbling, to say the least.
Squeezing Jess to me, I gazed down to find her already watching me. I smiled at the happiness shining in her eyes, but behind it, there was something else. Something I wasn’t certain about. “Are you all right?” I asked, searching for answers.
Slowly, she wet her lips, her gaze flickering over my face as she watched me back. “I was just thinking about the last time we were all together like this,” she said quietly. “Even though I was with Wyatt, I was jealous of the kind of love the others seemed to have. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t feel how they looked. I didn’t understand why—when I’d tried so hard—I just couldn’t get to the place they were.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she slowly exhaled, her gaze holding mine with a need that tugged on my heartstrings.
Softly, she shook her head. “But I get it now. I’m there. It’s all about timing, isn’t it? It’s about recognizing the moment when it’s there, and deciding to take a chance. Because if you don’t, it’s just too easy to be two ships passing each other in the night.”
As everyone laughed and chatted around us, I gazed into Jess’s eyes. “Thank you for taking a chance on me, baby.” Cupping her cheek with my hand, I stroked my thumb over her soft skin. “I know I was a stubborn asshole, Jess—beyond measure—but this is why you’re perfect for me. You make me see that sometimes the most amazing things that can happen to you in the world, are the things we didn’t plan for. I just want to make you happy.”
Jess’s lips curved up with contentment. “If you can do that, I’ll love you forever.”
Mischief sparked in my eyes. “I dare you.”
She didn’t even blink before her eyebrow twitched with humor. “I accept.”
Taking her face in my hands, I lowered my lips to hers, brushing them with the lightest of touches. Then, with the sounds of happiness swirling and echoing around us, I pressed my forehead to hers and breathed a laugh. Life was about to get a whole lot crazier, but I was ready for it. Holding my drink up in the air, I smiled at Noah across the room. “Let the crazy begin.”
As cheers and whistles echoed around the room, I looked down to see the same excited fire burning in Jess’s eyes that I felt in mine. There was no doubt. She had my heart. Dare or no dare.
THE END
About Maree Green
Maree began writing as a hobby when she and her oldest son discovered the genius that is Harry Potter. As he grew, so did her style of writing, slowly progressing from stories of youth to YA, and then to NA.
The decision to start taking her writing seriously was an easy one. She loved daydreaming, and if she could do it all day and call it a job then she was taking it.
When she’s not writing, she can be found playing taxi driver to her children, reading, or if the kids are lucky, doing those horribly domesticated things like cooking and cleaning…
She currently lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, Australia.
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Table of Contents
Dare
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40