“He can wait,” Jasper growled before sliding the tip of his tongue along my collar bone.
“J, I am not having sex with you while your best friend waits on the doorstep,” I said as I tried to wriggle out of his hold.
“I think I have a pretty good shot at changing your mind, Mace” he said with that damn smirk on his face.
My mouth went dry as I thought of all the things he would do in order to get me to change my mind. “Let’s not test that theory,” I said breathlessly.
“After dinner?” he asked as he stuck his bottom lip out.
I laughed as he put me down. Sam was knocking for the third time when Jasper finally answered the door.
“Let me get my boots and we’ll be good to go,” Jasper said after giving Sam a welcoming bro-hug.
“I want both of you to meet someone tonight. She’s going to meet us at the restaurant,” Sam said from the front seat of the cab.
Jasper looked at me questioningly, and I just shrugged because I didn’t have the slightest idea of who Sam would want us to meet.
“I didn’t know you knew anyone from Seattle other than us,” Jasper said.
“Only a few other people,” Sam said with a shrug.
The cab driver parked in front of the restaurant and let us out. Jasper had chosen a new seafood place that he had read about online.
“Four, please,” Sam told the hostess when we walked in. I was glad when she said she was able to seat us immediately. Those heels were already killing my feet.
The hostess took our drink orders first and informed us that our waiter would be out soon.
“Well? Where is she?” Jasper asked.
“Late. Of course,” Sam said with a grin as he shook his head.
“How’s Florida, Sam?” I asked.
“It’s been fine, but I’m actually looking for a place here. I have no business being in Florida anymore.”
“No shit? You’re moving to Seattle?” Jasper asked with a look of pure excitement on his face.
Sam nodded as he checked his phone. He typed out a quick message before sticking it in his pocket.
“She’s here,” he said after taking a deep breath. He seemed nervous, which I thought was cute. Maybe that was a sign that he really liked this new girl. After things fell apart with Blaire, he had been putting quite a few ticks on his bed post with his one night stands.
“Oh! There’s Taylor!” I squealed as I scooted myself away from the table and stood up.
“Tay!” I called. “What are you doing here?” I looked behind her to see who she was with, but didn’t see anyone. She smiled awkwardly before pulling out the chair next to Sam and sitting down.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Jasper said with a wide smile on his face.
Sam was wearing a shit-eating grin himself.
I sat down slowly as I continued to stare at Taylor.
“You’re Sam’s date?” I finally asked. She nodded and blushed slightly.
“Since when? Why didn’t you tell me? How did I not know about this? J, did you know about this?” I rambled.
“Babe, relax. They’re telling us now,” Jasper said as he squeezed my knee under the table.
“This is only our second time to go out. It’s still new, and we’re taking it slow,” Taylor explained.
Sam put his arm around her and brushed his lips over her temple. “You look gorgeous,” he told her.
“This is going to be so great,” I said as I clapped my hands and bounced in my seat.
Sam and Jasper rolled their eyes while Taylor and I giggled. My best friend was dating my boyfriend’s best friend. Just when I thought things were starting to get back to normal…
The End.
Continue reading for a sneak peak of book 3 in The Protector Series…
Sam
I followed the realtor through the house as she rambled on about shit I didn’t care about. The house was in a nice neighborhood with two bedrooms and two bathrooms; that’s all I needed to know. Actually, all I needed to know was that it was in Seattle, Washington, and a ten-minute drive from Taylor Long’s apartment. A ten-minute drive from the girl who had consumed my every fucking thought since last October.
“So, what do you think?” the realtor asked. I think her name was Hailey, but I honestly didn’t remember.
“I’ll take it.”
Her eyes widened at my quick decision. “You’re sure?” she asked as she drew her eyebrows in slightly.
“Positive,” I nodded.
“Great. I’ll start the paperwork and call you next week.”
I said goodbye to Hailey, or Holly, or whoever she was, and headed straight to the gym. I’d been going to the same gym every time I visited Seattle over the last eight months. I kept a bag in my truck with a change of clothes and shoes so I’d be able to blow off steam anytime I needed to. I’d been trying to give up my Raider tendencies. Jasper made it look so easy; the fucker worked at a jewelry store for crying out loud. When the temptation was too much for me to handle, I went to the gym and worked myself into exhaustion.
I assumed it was easier for Jasper to change because he had Macie by his side, constantly encouraging him. I wanted what they had, but the person I wanted it with wasn’t ready for any type of commitment. Hell, she couldn’t even settle on a degree to work towards. Instead, she just took the classes that sounded most appealing to her.
I changed into my spare clothes and made my way across the gym to the treadmills. I smiled at a couple of girls who were sipping on their water bottles as I walked by and ignored their whispers and giggling once I’d passed.
All of the treadmills were empty, and I was relieved I wouldn’t have to worry about someone trying to chat while I worked out. I started out with a slow jog, but when my thoughts drifted to Taylor, my speed increased.
“You racing someone?”
I glanced to my left to see Jasper standing beside me. I slowed down before stepping off the back of the treadmill. I used the sleeve of my t-shirt to wipe the sweat from my face.
“Hey, man, just got lost in my thoughts, I guess.”
“Want to talk about it?” he offered.
“No.”
He nodded before clapping me on the shoulder.
“Want to lift shit?” he asked with a smartass smirk on his face.
I chuckled as I followed him to the free weights.
***
The bed inside my hotel room wasn’t the least bit comfortable. Not even after I’d spent twice the amount of time I normally did in the gym. I lay flat on my back and tried to relax. Just as I thought I was finally getting there, my phone started vibrating from across the room.
I let out an irritated sigh as I walked over to table that I’d left it on. I’d gotten a text from Taylor.
You busy?
Not really. I was about to go to bed.
Want to come over?
I stared at my phone for several seconds. It was late and I hadn’t heard from her since yesterday morning. I knew why she wanted me to come over and I couldn’t pretend I didn’t want to, but I would never get her to believe that I wanted more if I kept going along with her booty call antics.
Not tonight, Tay. I’ll call you tomorrow.
I didn’t wait for her to reply before shutting my phone down. I dug through the suitcase I’d been living out of for the last two weeks until I found my sleeping pills. I dumped one out into my hand and tossed it into my mouth. After gulping down half a bottle of water, I decided to take another sleeping pill. I knew that I would be tempted to transfer to Taylor’s if I didn’t knock myself out, and there was a chance that she’d invited someone else over after I’d turned her down. If I put myself in that situation, I knew the outcome wouldn’t be good.
I went to bed that night even more determined to convince Taylor that we would, in fact, be good together. I just had to find a way to make her believe that this could be more than just the physical shit…
Acknowledgements
&nb
sp; Thank you to every single person who picks up a copy of this book. Y’all are the reason I keep writing. The reason I keep making shit up. I love all of the feedback and support I get from all of you.
Thank you to my family and friends for constantly encouraging me to follow my dreams.
Thank you Kaysie Bishop for taking the photos for my cover, for always encouraging me, and for helping me with all things book-related.
Thank you Weston DePriest for being sweet enough to grace the cover of this book!
Thank you Alyssa Garcia at Uplifting Designs for designing this amazing cover. I love it so much!
Thank you Brooke Trimble, Kate Vandagriff, Brooklyn Pierce, Lacey Keith, and Rebecca Jones for being my go-to girls for ideas. Thanks for talking me out of killing all of my characters.
Thank you Minxes for being a group of the most outstanding people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing!
Thank you Ann Field with AJ Field Editing for making this story so much better than I ever could. Without your help, this book wouldn’t have been as great as it is now.
Change Me (The Protector Series Book 2) Page 12