Page 69 of Come Break My Heart Again

My feelings for Elle have always felt like a weakness. Like something to hide. Fleeting and temporary and never worth announcing.

If the guys keep discussing her, I’m liable to do something stupid. Like stake a claim on her.

I stand and shuck off my shirt. “I’m going in.”

“Bottom is slimy,” Reese warns me.

“Well, we came here to swim. Right, Tuck?”

He doesn’t move from his spot in the grass. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be right there.”

I snort, then head for the tire swing. There are a couple of guys treading water at the opposite end of the pond, but everyone else seems to be here to sunbathe.

I reach the edge of the pond, gripping the rope and staring at the flat surface of the water. It’s impossible to tell how deep it is from here.

“You’re blocking the swing.”

I glance behind me, my hold on the rope tightening as I fight to keep my eyes above Elle’s shoulders. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She pauses about a foot away. Her eyes are on me, not the swing or the pond. “What the hell happened to your hands?”

I release the rope. “Grease. From the garage. I was there all day.”

“You should wear gloves.”

“Probably. Makes it harder to handle tools though.”

Elle makes a sound in the back of her throat, then glances at the tire. “So … you going or just thinking about it?”

“I heard some more gossip about you,” I say instead of answering.

“Oh, yeah?” She crosses her arms, seriously testing my willpower as I fight to keep my gaze on her face. “About what exactly?”

“About you and Hathaway.”

“Hmm.” Elle tugs the hair tie out of her ponytail, snapping the elastic against her wrist. Her hair falls free, and all I can think about is sliding a hand into it.

“You broke up with him?” I ask, not managing to play it cool at all.

A breeze picks up, blowing some pieces of hair across her face and partially covering her expression. My fingers twitch with the urge to brush them away.

“Maybe he dumped me.”

“Nah. Even Hathaway isn’t that much of an idiot.”

A smile plays with the corners of her lips. “Then what does that make you?”

I swallow. “An asshole.”

Elle smirks, and the urge to kiss her is so strong that it burns.

I’m not an impulsive person. I’ve done plenty of things I shouldn’t have. Said lots I shouldn’t. But those were all choices. It was never about the desire being so strong that I couldn’t resist.

Elle Clarke makes me reckless. Around her, I’m incapable of making careful choices.

I rub my jaw, trying to act like I’m still in control. Glance at the tire swing swaying slightly in the warm wind. “You jumping?”

“Yeah. Just wish it were higher.”

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