VERSUS (Second Chances 2)

The sentiment mirrors mine from fifteen years ago.

Dylan was accepted to NYU. I was accepted to Juilliard. He was one of the first people I told.

It wasn’t the only school that wanted me. My dad’s face lit up when I showed him the acceptance letter from Ohio State. My grandpa earned his business degree there.

The decision wasn’t an easy one.

On the night we graduated, Dylan assumed that I’d see him in New York three months later. He was about to leave for Europe to spend the summer exploring the countryside and the women across the pond.

I told him that I wouldn’t be in New York in the fall. My future was in Ohio.

He turned and walked away from me, with only a simple goodbye.

I was seventeen. Romantic notions fueled my soul. I wanted him to tell me that he couldn’t live in New York without me. I imagined him taking me into his arms and kissing me with the promise of what our nights in Manhattan would feel like.

None of that happened. He left. He never looked back.

I shouldn’t have expected more. All I was to him was his coach’s daughter and the girl who sometimes tutored him in math.

I was never the desire that lit a flame inside of him until a few nights ago at the club.

“I have a rule.” He takes a sip of his champagne.

Envy draws my tongue over my bottom lip. I should have paced myself with my drink.

“What rule?” I ask with hesitation.

“Don’t fuck anyone who works in Kurt’s office.”

He’s blunt in a way I’m not used to. It sends a shiver racing down my spine. My core clenches in need.

“Have you met the people who work for Kurt?” I lift a brow.

He huffs out a laugh. “Several. I take it that you agree to my rule?”

“Anyon

e who works in Kurt’s office is strictly off-limits.” I cross my index fingers in an X. “Your rule doesn’t include the rest of Manhattan, so I can get started on them tonight?”

His gaze drifts from my face to my neck. “You’re mine until you go back to Buffalo.”

“You don’t strike me as the one woman type.” I don’t mean it as an insult. I expand on that so he’ll understand the intention of my words. “You enjoy one-night stands. At least, I assume you do.”

If he took offense, it’s not there in the sexy smile he offers. “Variety is indeed the spice of my life, but you’re only in town for a short time, and I want to focus all of my energy on you.”

“Lucky me,” I say with a bat of my eyelashes.

He leans forward, his eyes never leaving mine. “You have no idea, Eden.”

The intensity of his gaze steals every rational thought from my mind.

There’s no way that this is a good idea, but it’ll be fun and that’s been in short supply in my life.

“So we agree to the rules?” His gaze drops to the front of my low cut dress. “You’re impossible to resist, Eden.”

“We agree to the rules.”

“I’m all yours until the case is over.” He moves to stand. “I’ll take you back to Noelle’s place so you can sleep off the scotch and champagne. Tomorrow night at seven, we’re having dinner. At nine, it’s dessert in my bed.”