by Cindi Madsen
The song ended, and the female performer asked, “Are they dancing yet?”
When the audience yelled that we weren’t—anyway, I assumed it was about us—the same familiar notes started.
“I, uh, kind of begged and bribed them not to stop playing this song until you at least danced with me.” He extended his palm. “Dance with me? Please.”
“I…” The truth was, I wanted to give in—the song, and the declaration of love made it hard to think about anything but how much I loved him. How every inch of me missed every inch of him. But now I was the scared one, afraid to take a risk. I’d put myself out there again and again, refusing to abandon him, only to end up abandoned.
People I didn’t even know shouted, “Dance, dance, dance,” and then hands shoved me toward him.
Dane caught me around the waist. My senses short-circuited as my body collided with his. Everything about him was so familiar, from his cologne to the way I fit perfectly against him. “I don’t mind the help from the crowd—I certainly need all I can get—but I won’t force you to dance with me. I just…I knew I had to try.”
I peered into those dark brown eyes, at the vulnerability swimming through them, and found the guy I’d spent so many nights with. From the diner to our hot spots to his bed.
“One dance.” I placed my hands on his shoulders, unable to hold back a laugh at how loudly the crowd cheered. Then I shook my head. “I can’t believe your cocky ass thought one dance would be all it took.”
“My sorry ass hoped so. But I also knew it’d take at least one song-worth of groveling before you agreed to dance with me.” He gripped my hips, his thumbs sliding under the hem of my shirt—the same way they did our first night here, and like then, goose bumps spread across my skin. “So, if you were happening to consider giving me another chance, I just want to be clear…I don’t want you to give up your engineering program, or anything else for me.”
“To be clear, I’m never doing that again.”
“Good,” he said. “You deserve to do what makes you happy, and I would never want to hold you back.”
“I love the engineering program, actually. It’s awesome, and we’re doing these cool projects with the kids.” It sort of popped out, because ever since I found out about the program, I’d wanted to tell Dane about it.
He grinned down at me, and my skin hummed, and for a moment it felt like nothing bad had happened between us.
Since it had, I debated back and forth with myself for a couple of seconds, then slowly linked my fingers behind his neck. “I might be open to doing some considering.”
Relief softened his features and he moved his lips near my ear. “Whenever you decide, just know that I’m all-in, Megan. I want the boyfriend label, and I want to see you night and day, and I want everyone to know about us. I’m going to work like crazy to be the guy you deserve. I promise we’ll find a way to work out, no matter—” His voice caught and he cleared his throat.
Even though I’d tried to keep up my guard, if he took everything back now, I was going to smack him. Then crumble to the floor and give up boys forever.
He pulled back to look at me in the eye. “No matter what. This time it’s different. I know that it takes a lot to make a relationship work, and I’m willing to do the work. Because this time, it’s you…” He drove his fingers through my hair, cupped the back of my head, and lowered his forehead to mine. “You once said all you wanted was me. If you still feel that way—even a little bit—you have me. All of me, I’m yours.”
My pulse throbbed at my temples and my heart beat like it meant to explode right out of my chest. “I do get this kind of rush, every time we touch.”
His eyebrows drew together, but then he heard the lyrics of the song overhead and grinned. “Do you want to take me home?”
I swallowed and nodded. “Definitely not that interested in taking it slow.”
“I love you so much, Megan Davenport.”
Happiness soared through me, a euphoric haze flooding my system. I reached up and ran my hand down his face, soaking in everything about this moment. “Well good. Because I love you, too, Dane Kowalski.”
He crushed me to him, covering my lips with his as the last notes of the song played out, and people around us cheered—possibly because they wouldn’t have to hear the song again, but nice all the same.
Dane boosted me into his arms, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, losing myself in the kiss, not caring we were making a huge spectacle of ourselves.
“I think I forgot to say ‘Let me kiss you,’” Dane whispered against my lips.
I smiled and hugged him even harder. “Well, the one thing you have over Harry, is that you’re more about doing instead of words.”
As if to prove me right, he kissed me again.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Dane
I swept my tongue inside Megan’s mouth, familiarizing myself with every inch of her, from the taste of her lips, to her curves, to the amazing flying sensation having her in my arms again brought on.
I’d made mistakes and I was far from perfect, but I wasn’t the guy I used to be. Not the one who left the Bronx a couple of years ago, and not the one from last semester. Instead I was the guy who’d learned from all that, and now that I knew the difference between a toxic relationship and one that made you feel like you could take on the world, as long as you were together, I could never settle for anything less. All this time I’d been fighting to be a better person, and it took me a while to realize that I was whenever I was with Megan. Like Hudson pointed out, she saved me right back.
“I was such an idiot to let you go,” I muttered against her lips as I tightened my grip on her. “It’s not a mistake I’ll ever make again, I swear.”
“Good,” she said, and then a mischievous glint hit her eye. “But I think your real mistake was promising to let me be in charge of the music for every minute of the day.”
I didn’t even care—if it meant she was all mine, I’d listen to whatever shitty music she wanted me to.
A throat clearing caught my attention and I turned. Beck and Hudson now had their arms around Lyla and Whitney, and while Beck had helped me and the girls set this entire thing up—after telling me I’d better take good care of her or else—the pained look on his face made it clear he wasn’t quite ready to see my hands splayed across his sister’s ass.
I slowly lowered her to her feet but kept one arm tightly around her so she couldn’t get away.
“I seriously thought you guys were the most masochistic friends for a few minutes there,” Megan said.
“More like we were cheering for you and Dane, as long as he decided to fix everything and never be a dick again.” Vanessa cast me a so don’t make us regret it glare.
“Technically,” I said, “I’ve issued a blanket apology already—”
Megan turned to me, her mouth dropping open.
“But, I plan to be such an awesome boyfriend that I won’t need to make any more. If I start to suck as a boyfriend, you just let me know and I’ll get right on fixing it.”
With a nod, Megan slipped her fingers between mine and gave my hand a squeeze. Then her gaze moved to her brother, almost like she couldn’t believe he was not only here, but not freaking out.
Honestly, I could hardly comprehend it myself.
“As long as you’re happy.” Beck shot me an ominous look, his tight smile edged with a hint of menace. “Dane already knows I’ll kick his ass otherwise.”
“Wow, I’m really feeling the love from the peanut gallery tonight,” I said, and everybody laughed, the mood lightening.
Megan let go of me and threw her arms around her brother. “Thank you.” She then moved to envelop her girlfriends in a hug. “Thank you all.”
She turned back to me, tipped onto her toes, and kissed me on the cheek. “And thank you the most.”
The look in her eyes nearly blew me away, because I saw how much she cared, and that she believed in me, and I knew
that I’d do whatever it took to be the guy she needed. We’d take turns saving each other, and because of that, busy schedules had nothing on us.
After all, we had the nights. And there was no one else I’d rather spend them with.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Megan
“Okay, watch.” I pressed the lever and the robotic machine I’d spent the past couple of weeks making in the engineering lab came to life, the crane rising.
Dane wrapped his arms around me, pulling my back against his chest, and ran his tongue along the shell of my ear before gently biting at the lobe.
My grip on the remote loosened and goose bumps swept across my skin. “I feel like you’re not paying attention, and I put a lot of…” My breath whooshed out of my mouth as he pulled me tighter to him and slid his fingers into the waistband of my jeans, undoing the button with a flick of his wrist.
“It’s just that while it’s impressive, I have something that rises like that, and it doesn’t even need a remote. Just a sexy blond girl who’s into engineering.” His lips moved to my neck.
I tried to think of a snappy comeback, but his fingers dipped lower, and thoughts drifted past me like clouds, too hazy to actually catch ahold of.
“Is that…?” Dane spun me in his arms and dragged my jeans down my hips. His jaw slackened as he took in the tiny red underwear I’d worn especially for him. This past week had been crazy, what with playoffs approaching and my huge assignment due, and it’d been a few nights since we’d seen each other, so I wanted to wear something especially sexy.
Now that I’d gained control, I clicked my tongue at him. “You hockey players only ever think with your sticks.”
Hey, better late than never, right?
Dane backed me up until my knees hit the bed and then he lowered his mouth to mine. He parted my lips with his tongue and tasted and teased me with it as he lowered me onto the bed without breaking the kiss. Then his delicious weight pressed me to the mattress.
Wanting even more, I arched my hips, and he groaned. I tugged up his shirt, and he helped me, grabbing it by the back of the collar and tugging it over his head. He made quick work of my shirt, and as he kissed me again, I ran my fingers over his chest and down his abs.
The sweatpants that did little to conceal his arousal went next, and then he slowed the pace, kissing his way down my body and removing my panties, one painstakingly slow inch at a time.
The brush of his whiskers followed by soft lips drove me crazy, and he took his time, kissing and licking and basically torturing me in the most intoxicating way. Pressure built, and I gripped the sheets in my fists as the room spun.
I called out his name as I came apart, and once the room stopped spinning, I wrapped my hand around the base of his shaft. “You’re right. Yours is more impressive.” I drew out the strokes so I could pay him back for the torture he’d inflicted on me.
Before I got my fill, though, he gripped both of my hands in one of his and pinned them above my head.
I was sure that he’d need help with the condom, but he managed it, and then he thrust inside me. I arched against him, and it wasn’t long until we were both tumbling over the edge together.
Dane curled me to him and his lips brushed my neck. “I haven’t been sleeping as well without you in my bed.”
“Me, neither.”
He hugged me tighter and whispered, “I thought you couldn’t need who you didn’t know, but I needed you before I even met you. I just didn’t realize it until I had.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” I traced the sexy line of his forearm. “Through the years, I’d become so used to being lonely, and I started to be mostly okay with it. Then you came into my life, and as soon as you left…I’ve never felt loneliness like that.”
“I promise you that you’ll never have to feel it again,” he said, so much conviction behind the words as he sealed them with a kiss that I knew I could believe him. “I love you so much, eye-maiming attempts and shitty music and all.”
“I love you, too. Even though my music is not shitty, and you saying so makes me want to maim one of your eyes for reals.”
His chest bumped against me as he laughed, and he reached up and flicked my earring. “I’m so crazy about you that sometimes when I’m supposed to be paying attention in class, I daydream about what earrings you’ll wear next instead.”
“Well now I’m not going to be able to work on my engineering project without thinking about a certain part of your anatomy. One of my favorite parts.”
“Best response ever.” He kissed me again, and I thought about how I’d never been happier. I didn’t have to hold back who I was, I’d checked off everything on my Fresh Start Checklist, and finding a guy who liked me for me and chased away the loneliness ended up being even better than I’d ever dreamed of.
In other words:
Me & Dane being crazy in love + amazing friends + degree underway = best fresh start ever
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Acknowledgments
Having author friends helps this profession not seem so solitary, and even better, when you’re stuck or having a hard day, they’re there to cheer you up and help you work out plot issues. So huge shout-out to Gina Maxwell for always being willing to talk out my books with me, whether over the phone or in a hotel room at 2:00 a.m. I texted and messaged her many, many times during the writing and editing of this book. Big thanks also go to Rebecca Yarros, Molly Lee, Rachel Harris, Melissa West, Carla Laureano, Evangeline Denmark, and Brandy Vallance. Writing a book always takes more people than you’d expect, and I’m so glad I know you all!
Thanks to my editor, Alycia Tornetta, for all your work on the Taking Shots series, whether it’s helping me make my book better, or the difficult task of looking through stock photos to find just the right cover model. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it. Hehe. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, for all of your support with my books and my career: Liz Pelletier, Stacy Abrams, Heather Riccio, Jessica Turner, Candace Havens, and the entire team for the Embrace line, you guys are the best!
Side note about Boston: I’ve loved my time in a city I’ve only visited through Google (although I hope to get there IRL someday). While I always try to keep everything as accurate as possible, I’ve taken some liberties with Boston College, such as what degrees they offer, for the sake of my story. During the writing of this book I researched fun hot spots in the city, so most of the places are real—including the super cool secret store behind a Snapple machine—and some were merely inspired by real life places or plucked from my imagination.
Hugs to my TZWNDU book club girls. Special shout-out to Gaby for keeping me on top of my #TeaserTuesday posts, and for being so excited for Dane and Megan’s story.
And finally, huge thanks as always to my family, who listen to story lines and deal with the rollercoaster ride that goes along with author life. Thanks, Michael, for supporting my dream and being on my team.
I’ve dedicated this book to my readers, but I just wanted to thank you all again. For reading, for reviewing, for being excited for the next book. You all are the best!
About the Author
Cindi Madsen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a pretty new pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music and dancing and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely not all year long) with her husband and three children.
You can visit Cindi at: www.cindimadsen.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter to get all the up-to-date information on her books.
Follow
her on Twitter @cindimadsen.
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