by E. L. Todd
What kind of man was I?
I used to think her dresses and earrings were strange. I used to think she was a little ditzy. I didn’t appreciate her, not until long after we met. She was always a good friend to me, and I knew I wasn’t the best to her.
I didn’t deserve her.
“What did you want to talk about?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
My plan was to come here and tell her the truth. I was going to confess all my feelings and ask her for a chance. But I realized that plan wasn’t going to work. The second I saw the two of them together, I knew she liked him.
She didn’t like me.
I was setting myself up for failure.
For heartbreak.
I took too long to figure everything out.
There was only one thing I could do. I could try to get her to want me again. I could be the kind of man she wanted me to be. I could sweep her off her feet and convince her to be mine without actually saying a word.
I could chase her—and chase her hard.
And maybe she would leave Sage and pick me over him.
Maybe.
“Volt?”
I could be the man she deserved—if I tried hard enough. That’s how much I wanted her. I was willing to open old wounds to make this work. I was willing to get hurt again just for a chance.
I was willing to do anything.
“I had a hard day with Clay…wanted someone to talk to.” I felt like a dick for using him as an excuse. If there was one thing Taylor was a sucker for, it was helpless kids.
“Oh, no. What happened?” She dropped her hands to her sides and came to me, her hands immediately reaching for my biceps.
When she touched me like that, I couldn’t breathe.
I wanted to grip her around the waist and pull her into me.
I stared at her face and loved the concern in her eyes. I loved it when she looked at me that way, like I was the center of her world—at least for a moment. “He hasn’t been focusing lately. Seems distracted.” I couldn’t think of a complex lie on the spot, so I just said something vague.
“Maybe something is going on at home.”
“Maybe…”
She walked into her kitchen and made two cups of tea. “Sit down.”
I took a seat at the kitchen table, looking directly at her. My tea emitted steam that wafted into the air. Instead of taking a drink, I kept my attention on her. I wished the table weren’t separating us. I wish nothing was keeping us apart. I wish I didn’t have to compete with Sage.
I wish I could call her mine.
As of tomorrow, I would be competing in a game I’d never played before. I would be giving my all to win over a woman I could’ve had long ago. But I had to convince her to be with me, not ask her to.
And I had to win.
The story continues in Spark, Book 2 of the Electric Series.
Available Now.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Charge. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you could leave a short review, it would help me so much! Those reviews are the best kind of support you can give an author. Thank you!
Wishing you love,
E. L. Todd
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