The corners of Josh’s mouth rose. “I guess we’ll find out at the graduation party.”
I laughed. “Should be an interesting night.”
The buzzers on our table went off at the same time. After retrieving our food, Josh took a bite of bread and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“I’m thinking about Jeff’s reaction when I move in on Ari.”
I frowned. “Why would you do that, Josh?”
He held up his hands. “If she’s at the party and Jeff doesn’t make a move or a claim, it’s fair game. Do you not agree?”
“I think you’re playing with fire if you go after any of those girls.”
Josh leaned back in his seat and stared at me with an expression that appeared to be calling me a bullshitter. “You don’t think I noticed you staring at Ellie? How everything seemed to go on hold when she was walking toward the truck?”
I let out a scoff. “Please. Jeff would kick my ass if I so much as breathed on her.”
“Or like you said, Jeff might be happy knowing his little sister was with his best friend.”
The idea had crossed my mind more times than I wanted to admit the last week since I’d gotten a look at Ellie Johnson. I’d never admit it to Josh, though.
“You’re crazy. There’s a reason he’s kept her away from us. Respect that.”
Josh took a large bite of his apple and pointed to me. “You might want to say that to yourself, Mathews. I’ve never seen you look at a girl like that, and it was fucking dark out. You didn’t even get a good look at her.”
“It’s the forbidden that we’re drawn to, Josh. That’s all.”
His head tossed back, and he let out a roar of laughter. People sitting near us looked over at him.
“Okay, Mathews. You keep feeding yourself that line of bullshit. You and Jeff make a good team. Both of you are too damn scared to go after what you want.”
I lifted my middle finger and caused him to fall into another round of laughter. Smiling, I tried to blow off his words, but something deep down inside of me knew Josh was right.
I’d gotten a peek at Ellie Johnson, and I wanted more. A hell of a lot more.
Chapter Eighteen – Gunner
Gunner? Gunner, where are you?
Running through the trees, I tried to follow her voice. “Where are you? Show me where you are!” I shouted.
“Drew . . .”
I stopped in my tracks. No one called me Drew.
When I turned around, those blue eyes I’d seen before stepped out of the darkness. They were growing brighter.
I could feel the warmth of her as she moved closer to me. “Who are you?” I whispered.
When the showdown emerged, I stumbled back. My lungs felt like they were collapsing in on themselves as I fought to find air.
The breathtakingly beautiful woman before me smiled, but it was a sad smile. It didn’t reach those stunning eyes of hers.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head, trying to make sure I was seeing correctly.
When they opened again, she was closer to me, holding her hand out to me.