Cade Montgomery was the most annoying and infuriating person I’d ever met.

So why couldn’t I shake him?

four

Someone was screaming. I thought it was Hannah.

“Rachael, stop!”

I looked up and the world disappeared, replaced by a blinding white light.

The screeching of metal was worse than the screaming.

Pain lacerated my side and I sucked in a sharp breath. I tasted blood on my tongue.

The world that had been filled with noise just moments before was now eerily silent.

“Brett? Sarah? Hannah?”

Nothing.

And then, just when the darkness threatened to take me I heard their voices.

“You did this. You killed us. You’ll pay for this, Rachael.”

I woke up with a gasp, the nightmare clinging to my skin in the form of sticky sweat. My heart thundered in my ears. I’d had the same nightmare since…since it happened, but it always had the same effect on me.

An alarm blared through the room—the reason for waking me—and Thea covered her head with her pillow.

“Turn it off,” she groaned.

“It’s your alarm,” I told her.

“Shiiiiiit,” she groaned. “I hate mornings.”

She sat up and her hair stuck up wildly around her head. She slapped her hand against the annoying clock, ceasing its cry. It was then that I realized the time.

“Oh crap.” I scrambled out of bed, looking for clothes. My first class started at eight and it was already seven-thirty. I wouldn’t have time to run. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t woken up at six or even earlier like I normally did. But after the catastrophe of a pool party last night I guessed that explained my current state of exhaustion.

I shimmied into a pair of jeans and grabbed a t-shirt out of the drawer. I tried to make my curly hair look halfway decent but it was pointless.

I grabbed my bag and ran out the door without even saying goodbye to Thea.

I made a pit stop for coffee and a sandwich, because food was a must at this point and we didn’t have anything in our dorm yet. Luckily, I had a few minutes to spare.

I ordered and grabbed my stuff. I didn’t even take time to look around the place. I had a one-track mind and right now I was focused on getting to class.

That would be my downfall.

When I turned to head out the door I collided with a solid chest and stumbled back. I knew that scent. I’d become intimately acquainted with it yesterday while wearing his shirt.

He reached out and grabbed my elbow to steady me. I looked up into his too blue eyes that caused me to pause. Why did he have to be so gorgeous with that dark hair and smile? Why did he have to make me feel so good?

“Rae,” Cade grinned, his lips quirking up at the corners. “We really need to stop meeting like this.” He winked and released my arm.

“Yeah,” I mumbled in reply, because I was too busy gawking at the outline of his chest concealed behind a gray t-shirt. He wore a leather jacket on top and his jeans were a dark blue. He smelled like dessert and I wanted to take a bite. I hadn’t let myself think such thoughts in a year, and I hated that this one guy could frazzle me in such a way. He didn’t know me and I didn’t know him. Therefore, this…this connection between us shouldn’t have existed, but it did. I’d never believed in destiny or soul mates, but I did believe in Cade Montgomery and there was more to him, to us, than I wanted to accept.

I shook my head and side-stepped him as I headed to the door.

Tags: Micalea Smeltzer Light in the Dark Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net