Page 112 of Finding Hope

“Well, hey, Britt. Fancy running into you here.”

I watch his chiseled jaw move, his light stubble coating his chin in a legitimately sexy way. His lips move into a smirk… and my blood runs cold.

Brad still looks like Brad, but bigger.

And a little scary.

I swear he’s gained thirty pounds at least, but not fat. Muscle.

Arms.

Chest.

Even his thighs take up more room in his jeans.

“Brad.”

“Hey. You look pretty today.”

Narrowing my eyes, I step out of his hold and move back until my shoulder touches Laine’s. When we went out on a date, he was nice. He wasboring, but he was nice. When he had his hands on me, they were simply… there.

Now they give me the creeps.

I don’t know if it’s simply because I’m seeing Jack, and I know Brad’s hands on me would bother him, or if Brad legitimately gives me the creeps.

Either way, I step far enough back that his hands can’taccidentallytouch me.

“How’ve you been, Britt?”

“Good.” The same way Evie and Bean clasp hands for comfort, I take Laine’s in mine and hide them behind our bodies. “I’ve been good. You look different.”

Brad stands tall and proudly shows off his broader-than-usual chest. “Yeah, I’ve been training over at the Devil’s Muay Thai gym.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh. I tried out a few gyms in town, but they were all incompetent fools that didn’t quite know how to train someone of my… caliber. Then I found the Devil’s, and Maurice, my trainer; he really knows what he’s doing.”

Laine’s bright blue eyes sparkle with something on the very opposite spectrum ofimpressed. “That’s cool.” She doesn’t think it’s cool at all. “Anyway, we gotta go, right Britt? You have that date tonight.”

I close my eyes in defeat when Laine’s shot hits it’s mark and Brad draws in a sharp breath. “You have a date?”

“Um, yeah. I’ve been seeing someone for a while.”

Watching us suspiciously, he nods. “Are you exclusive, or just having fun? Because I thought maybe we could–”

“We’re exclusive.”No, I will not spend my spare time with you while Jack isn’t looking.

“Oh, well.” Seemingly unaffected, he shrugs. “When you’re done with him, call me.”

I glare at his callous dismissal, but taking the goodbye as a chance to escape, I pull Laine along and tug her off balance when she watches him through narrowed slits.

“Later, Brad. Laine, move your butt.”

“Bye, Britt.” Smiling angelically, Brad has goosebumps skittering along my spine until I shiver.

Taking out my cell and refusing to release Laine’s hand, I open it to Jack’s name and shoot off a text. I need a palette cleanser. I need to get Brad’s weird scent out of my system.

Me:Can we hang out tonight?

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