Page 66 of Fast

I’m so confused. It’s hard to think with Chance’s hot body pressed against mine, with his sexy, masculine scent surrounding me. “So this is it? You’re going to be my brother from now on?”

“I don’t know,” Chance sighs, clearly frustrated. “I don’t know if I can treat you like a sister. But what’s the alternative?”

There’s only one answer.

“You could fight for me.” I hate how bitter my voice sounds. But this is the story of my life. People leave me. They don’t fight for me when the going gets tough. But how can I expect anything different, when my own father didn’t fight to have a closer relationship with me? Sure, we talk sometimes and he does show up to my milestone moments. But it’s just when it’s convenient for him; and there’s a part of me that suspects that when heshows up to stuff like my graduation, he doesn’t do it for me, but to piss Mom off.

“I want to fight for you, Zara. But Dad wasn’t completely wrong about the reasons why being together is a bad idea. Ares and Lev want you too. Are you asking me to fight for you because you choose me over them?”

That question stops my heart cold.

“I—”

Chance is waiting. I can see the tension in the blue depths of his eyes.

“That’s what I thought.” He closes his eyes, his fingers still tangled in my hair. “You like Lev, and I think you like Ares too. Right?”

I can’t lie to him. “Right.” It comes out like a barely audible whisper.

“Dad asked me what would I do if you chose Ares over me? What if you chose Lev? This is one of the problems. I can’t hurt my father for a maybe, Zara. I hope you understand.”

Hot tears well in my eyes, and I swallow to keep them from falling. “So this is it? Are we over before we even began?”

Chance sounds as tortured as I feel. “I don’t want us to be. Maybe we’ve been going too fast. Dad is right that I don’t have any experience with relationships. And you don’t know if you want me over Lev and Ares. We could get to know each other better, slow down, see if there really is something to fight for.”

CHANCE

Zara looks devastated.

What does it say about me, that I’m kinda glad she is?

If she cares about me, maybe not everything is lost. We could give our parents some time to settle into married life, and thensee if they’re still adamant about wanting us to be one big, happy family.

“Ok.” Her tone is laced with sadness. “But how do we know if we really want more with each other without being together?”

I haven’t had time to give that much thought, but there’s only one possible solution. “We can still spend time together, but we need to cool down. No more making out, no more sneaking into your room, unless we know we’re the real deal. I actually think we should be a little distant in front of our parents. Once they’re off our backs, we can reevaluate.”

I hate this plan the second it takes shape in my mind. My cock hates this plan even more. But what’s the alternative? I could move out and refuse to fall in line with Dad’s wishes. But it isn’t just about disappointing him for nothing if Zara chooses Lev or Ares; or if things between me and Zara don’t work out, anyway. It isn’t just my relationship with Dad that’s at stake here. Zara and her mom have been pretty much estranged for the past two years. Maybe slowing down will give them an opportunity to repair their relationship.

Whenever we made fun of Atlas for tying himself down to Heather so young, he used to say that you can’t fight something that’s meant to be. If Zara and I are meant to be, will we end up together no matter what?

It’s easier said than done, though.

She’s so beautiful, and I want her so much, that it causes me physical pain to walk away from her.

“I think I should go,” I murmur, caressing her delicate jaw.

She looks as heartbroken as I feel. “Before you go, what did Ares say?”

I snicker. “Nothing. But I know he was as surprised as I was by Dad’s demands.”

“So will he ignore me?” she asks.

“You have to figure it out with him. I was always closer to Lev than to my own brothers. Things have only gotten worse in the last two years.” I admit.

“And does Lev know about this?”

I sigh. “No. Look, I don’t expect you to put things on hold with him, too. I’ll talk to him. And if you choose him, I’m not going to stop you. I know I have no right to ask you this, but please, don’t choose him just because of this shitty situation.”

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