Page 49 of Choosing Forever
Okay. I don’t think his wide chest and the bulge of his biceps when he reaches up to rake fingers through his hair are attractiveat all. And I really, really don’t like when he runs his fingers over his mustache and smirks like he knows he’s been caught doing it.It’s so, so tacky.Who likes mustaches, anyway? Certainlynotme.
“You ready?”
I jump, a curse exploding free as Daisy’s face appears in front of me, blocking my view of Darren. “Shit!”
“Oops.” She hides a smile behind her hand.
Bryce smirks and eyes me curiously before pulling Daisy back into her side. When she smacks a kiss to Daisy’s cheek, I force myself to look back at where Darren’s sitting. He’s leaning forward now, his back slightly arched as he slips his gaze between my group of girls, then plop his eyes back onto me.
Daisy’s perfume wafts up my nose as she leans close to my shoulder and whispers, “I don’t think anyone would report you to the authorities if your aim was bad enough you sacked him instead of the target.”
“I’d prefer to use my knee for that,” I admit bluntly.
Her giggle rings in the air. “You know what? Hell yeah. You go, girl.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Poppy says.
Bryce snorts a laugh. “As if you haven’t debated giving your brother a swift kick to the dick a few times.”
“Not everyone has the same fascination with inflicting pain on male genitals the way you do, Ice,” Poppy pokes.
With a shake of my head, I ignore the rest of their banter and dig my eyes into Darren’s, hoping for a second that I’m making him uncomfortable. As good as it should feel to stare so openly at him like this after so long, it’s unease that swims in my belly instead of happiness.
He’s watching me like he has the right to, and that pisses me off as much as it hurts me.
I launch the first of three balls too hard at the target. It bounces off the side and rolls onto the pavement beforesmacking into the cement blockade. My tongue grows heavy in my mouth as I squeeze the second and shift my feet until I feel steadier.
Now that Brody’s out of the water and back on his seat, Poppy follows my lead and lets go of her first ball. It doesn’t even brush the target, and Brody howls in triumph.
“Don’t get cocky now, Brody!” she shouts.
He sticks his tongue out and says, “Bring it on.”
She winds her arm back and, with one eye squinted in concentration, throws the second ball. It comes closer but still misses. Her groan is subtle enough I hardly pick it up.
Darren’s voice dances on the breeze. “Show her how it’s done, Elle.”
My breath dissipates. Curious looks stab at my back as I follow the sound of his voice. He either called me that to anger me enough that I’ll whip the ball as hard as humanly possible or to try and spark some sort of moment between us.
He’ll get the first option.
With Poppy concentrated on sending Brody into the water tank, I pull my arm back and hurl the ball at Darren’s button. It clips the edge of it, and he doesn’t so much as flinch before his seat gives out. His eyes hold mine as he falls, only disappearing once his head sinks under the water.
Blinking, I force myself backward as a weird, slimy feeling fills me. My shoulder butts into Bryce’s as I stumble. She catches me with a hand on my arm and cautiously turns me until I’m forced to look at her.
“You good?”
“Mission accomplished,” I say, putting on my best attempt at not sounding freaked out.
“Right. Want to get some mini donuts?”
“You don’t want to try dunking Darren?”
She shakes her head, letting her hand drop. We both ignore the sound of water splashing. “I prepare other torture methods.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Good.”
