Page 65 of Dare to Need

“I…uh…remember when we approved one another in the Find My Friends app? You never took me off your list of friends, so I was able to see that you were in New York with that guy.”

My mind spun as I silently reprimanded myself for not thinking to delete him from my list of friends. I hadn’t used the app in months and in the chaos of everything that happened last year it was the last thing on my mind.

But he’d just said he knew I was here with some guy…every nerve in my body was on edge making my muscles tremble. Interlocking my forearms in front of my chest, I tried to steel my nerves by clutching my arms together tightly. My eyes darted around the park again, looking for my saving grace. Something was seriously fucked up about Connor’s being here. With the way he looked and the edginess I was feeling, I was starting to freak the fuck out. But I did my best to keep a calm and cool exterior until Garth showed up.

“How long have you been here?”

He wiped a hand under his red and inflamed nose. “I got in a few days ago.”

“And you’re just now trying to talk to me?”

Just keeping him talking, was the only thought running through my mind.

“I saw you with him and your new friends in the park the other day. You’ve basically traded me in for them.”

If my eyes were daggers, he would have been dead where he stood. “I didn’ttradeyou in for anyone, Connor,” I seethed.

A raspy laugh escaped him as he tilted his head back. The sound raked down my skin like nails on a chalkboard.

When his bloodshot eyes settled on me again, his face sagged and his lips pulled downward in a gruesome frown. “I don’t want to fight with you, Eva.” The words were barely above a whisper.

“I don’t want to fight with you either, Connor.” I threw my hands up in the air, letting them fall to my sides with a frustrated slap to my thighs. “Why are youhere?”

“Isn’t it clear?” The deep frown he wore slowly ticked up into a smile that looked more Joker than Superman.

“No! It’s not clear.” I was exacerbated. Whatever game he was trying to play was wearing thin on my tolerance. This man had already taken enough from me and now he wanted to fuck around as though I was still his plaything.No fucking way.

“I made a mistake!” His tone matched my own. “This”—he swept his arms out wide—“is my grand gesture. The romantic moment you always pestered me for when we were together. I’m trying to give it to you now.”

A violent laugh pulled all the air from my lungs. He had to be joking. But as the last of my laugh slowed to a halt and I took in his twisted-up face, I knew he was serious.

“Oh.” The word escaped me and I tried not to laugh again. “Connor, there is no way in hell that I would even consider dating you again. So, you might as well pack your bags and head home.”

“Why not?” He looked flabbergasted, as though him simply saying that he was making a grand gesture would make me jump into his arms.

I held up a finger as I said, “For one, I’m dating someone else whom I happen to be very much in love with. Two, you cheated on me with a professor. Three, you’re mother is a bitch. Four, you or your wicked parents decided to drag me into your drama, yet again, by subpoenaing me foryourcourt case against the same professor you cheated on me with. Five, I’m pretty sure you’re high, drunk, or both right now and I simply don’t have time for people like that in my life. So, pack up your shit and leave me the hell alone, Connor.”

The deranged look was back as he started to bite on the inside of his cheeks. Connor had always experimented with drugs in the past. Though his favorite concoction was a solid blunt and a few shots of vodka, the way his mood shifted wildly and his constant rubbing under his nose made me think he’d done a lot more than smoke some weed before he decided to wander into Central Park to find me.

The courage I’d felt from my little speech was quickly wearing off as he started to corner me against the metal railing. There were hundreds of people in the park, but that wouldn’t stop someone who was high on drugs from making a stupid mistake. My hands shook as I grabbed onto the railing, looking for anything that would keep me upright as my knees wobbled from anxiety.

It was a mistake. The moment he noticed the weakness in my stature, he moved in, his body towering over mine, so close that I could smell the aroma of alcohol and foul body odor.

His breath was hot and sticky against my cheek as his head dropped down next to mine. “I’mthe one who made you into this, Eva. There’s no fucking way Garth Walker would have taken a second look at you if I hadn’t shaped you into a well-brought-up woman. The only reason he’s with you is because my parents and I taught you the ways of the upper class.” He snickered and rolled his eyes. “You honestly think you would have gotten this far being raised by your low-class parents? Not even a chance.”

Hot tears stung the back of my eyes as the old insecurities of my past crept over me with a vengeance. I was trapped between Connor and the bars behind me as he spewed the hate hidden behind his sinful smile. People were starting to stop and stare at the poor girl getting an earful from her raging ex. One young woman even took her cellphone out to record the drama going down in Central Park.

My mind raced with all the things I should have done. Run away. Scream back at him. Knee him in the crotch.Anythingto stand up for myself. But my body was frozen as I was transported back to being that stupid young girl who couldn’t stand up for herself.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

In a rush of tangled limbs and guttural sounds, Connor was pushed off me and the familiar sight of strong muscles moving under a crisp white t-shirt enveloped my vision until my mind finally caught up.

Garth! He was here. Standing between Connor and me as my shield until I was reminded of my own strength and took a step forward to stand by his side.

“I thought I told you to never come near Eva again.” Garth’s voice was dangerously low. Shivers ran up my back, making the tiny hairs raise on end. But as he took my hand in his and I felt the warmth of his skin against mine, I took in a deep breath, ready to face Connor together.

His wild bloodshot eyes grew larger as a maniacal laugh bursted from his lungs. “Oooo. So protective over the little bitch.”

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