Hope by Sydney Lane

Author:Sydney Lane [Lane, Sydney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Coming of Age, Romance, Contemporary, Sports
Amazon: B00NLUZ3OE
Goodreads: 17909654
Publisher: Sydney Lane
Published: 2014-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 36

Eliza

It's hard to concentrate when I know Declan is talking to Quincy. They're right there, so close I could probably hear them if Seth would shut his mouth.

No, I don't want to hear.

How quickly I've gone from being afraid to care to being afraid it's not real.

I feel his eyes on me, and I shift under Seth's arm to see him. His eyes are dark, fierce, as he watches me. His face transforms when he notices me watching, a smile to rival the sun claiming him. And there they are... his dimples. Who knew they could be so sweet yet so hot?

Quincy lifts her hand to wave, pats Declan on the arm, and slowly walks to Brody. He reaches for her, and she snuggles her tiny, prim and proper self into his strong, tattooed embrace. I suddenly want to hear that story.

If they could make it work, then maybe...

Declan moves toward me, renewed determination in his swagger. Stepping between Seth and me, he removes Seth's arm from my shoulders and replaces it with his. I resist the urge to sink into him the way Quincy did with Brody. For right now, I just savor the moment- the loud voices of the guys, the fresh air rolling off the mountains, and the possibility of something more.

When Seth winks at me, making lewd gestures behind Declan's back, I struggle to hold back the laugh threatening to erupt from my throat. I feel included, like I'm in on an inside joke, but even now, after all these weeks, I still feel like I don't belong here with these people. I don't know if I ever will.

"Do you want to stay?" Declan whispers close to my ear, drawing me closer to him. He smells of sweat and the outdoors. It's intoxicating.

"For what?"

"They're planning a bonfire. It'll be later on tonight." Squeezing my shoulders briefly, his lips brush my ear as he continues, "It'll be fun, but we don't have to stay." My heart flutters, skipping a beat, as his voice washes over me. Goosebumps rise on my skin, and I lean into his warmth, his muscles hard and defined beneath my hands.

"Maybe we can go and come back later? I have a paper due this afternoon." It's true. What I don't mention is that I'm going to fail my class if I don't turn in that paper. It's not like I have a lot of wiggle room to play with. Unlike probably everybody here, I haven't been a model student up to this point.

"Sure. I need to shower and change anyway."

We hang out for a while, slowly making our way toward his car. People call out- asking for him to pick up a keg, drop by the liquor store, and lock up the house. I take it that means the whole damn fraternity will be here later on.

As soon as we're on the road, my heart begins racing, my mind doing laps around one central thought. I played ball.

I did it. It doesn't matter that is was only an intramural game.

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