Page 6 of Promise Me Never

The look I level at him makes laughter bubble out of him. “Just looking, no touching.”

“You shouldn’t even look.”

But as he turns and heads off in the opposite direction, I can’t stop my eyes from wandering over to her. And fuck me, she does have a nice ass.

Three

ELI

* * *

One thing I know for sure: Luke Stone is a dick.

He couldn’t have just been having a bad day yesterday. It’s truly just who he is. A curmudgeon with no people skills. Maybe Grandpa should send him to a retreat to converse with other humans instead of animals. It could soften him up.

All I did was try to make polite conversation about his life to get to know him a bit better, and I swear he was seconds away from beating my ass for asking about his wife. Lesson learned. No talking about personal things with him.

I pull the Ziploc bags out of Sky’s saddle. Grandma packed sandwiches, fruit, and cookies for us. I take the bags and walk over to an area with several rocks for us to sit on while we eat since the ground is a little muddy.

I take the quiet moment to look at the surroundings. The reflective flash of water draws my attention to a little pond through the woods. I don’t remember there being a pond up here, and I’m about to go check it out when I hear the guys approach the little lunch setup I created.

Colton tosses me a bottle of water that I manage to catch even without warning. “Quick hands.”

I unscrew the top and take a gulp. “I played volleyball in high school.”

“And how long ago was that?” he asks with a playful smile.

“Two years. What’s your age, old man?” I tease.

“Twenty-six.”

“And he doesn’t act a day over twelve,” Sam says.

“And you?” I ask him.

“Also twenty-six but mature for my age.”

“I’d hope at least one of you is.” I look over at Luke but avert my gaze when our eyes meet before clearing my throat. “Go ahead and dig in. Luckily for us Grandma made everything.”

“She’s the best,” Colton says as he bites into his sandwich.

I nod in agreement around a bite of food. Dorm cafeteria food at UCLA isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but nothing compares to what she does in the kitchen. Even the simplest meal turns into a feast when she’s behind the oven mitts.

“Tell us about yourself, Eli.” Sam looks at me expectantly.

“What do you want to know?”

“The story behind your name for starters. I’ve never heard of a girl going by Eli.”

A common question with a boring answer.

“Well, my name is actually Eliana, but my parents shortened it to Eli. Just easier to call back inside with two syllables instead of using all four, I guess.” I take a sip of water. “And as for anything else of importance, I’m going to be a senior at UCLA in the fall. I’m studying business.”

“Why are you here instead of back in LA?” Colton asks.

“My parents are geologists and decided to teach courses this summer in Europe. They didn’t want me staying home alone all summer so here I am.”

“Why didn’t you go with them?” Sam asks.

---