Page 121 of Don't Let Me Fall (Don't Let Me 1)

ASHLYN

“Colt’s gonna kill me,” Blakely mutters as she tugs at the hem of her dress. It barely reaches her mid-thigh.

I grab her hand to keep her from fidgeting. “Stop. You look cute.”

“I look like––”

“A gorgeous girl?” Mia offers. Apparently, while Colt and I were away, Mia and Kate gave Blakely a makeover and knocked it out of the park. “Besides. Colt’s not the one you have to worry about. Theo’s gonna shit his pants.”

“Greaaaat.” Blake drags out the word while eyeing the front of the Taylor House like it’s straight out of a horror movie.

“Seriously. You look awesome,” I tell her. “Why are you freaking out?”

“Because this”––she waves her hand at the house literally thumping with rap music––“is not where a girl like me usually hangs out. Especially when looking like this.” She waves her hand around again, this time showcasing her gorgeous black dress hugging her like a second skin. “Or this.” She picks up a wave of hair and flicks it over her shoulder. “Or this.” Her finger points to her smokey eye shadow that makes her green eyes practically glow to prove her point.

“You’re in a new place now. You get to start over. Be who you want to be. Look how you want to look. Attract who you want to…”––Mia winks––“attract.”

Blake glares at Mia. “I don’t want to attract anyone. I only want to fit in and have fun without getting yelled at by a certain––”

“What the hell are you wearing?” Theo barks from his porch and rushes toward us on the front lawn. With a beer bottle in one hand, he grabs Blake’s arm with his other one. Not roughly, but with a possessiveness that causes Blakely’s breath to hitch.

“She’s wearing my dress,” Mia interrupts, yanking Blakely from the opposite side like she’s in some twisted game of tug-of-war. “Doesn’t she look hot?”

His nostrils flare as he lets her go and clenches his hand at his side. “You really think Colt’s gonna let you inside looking like this?”

“Pretty sure it’s my decision, and even if it wasn’t, you would still have no say in the matter,” Blakely reminds him. “I’m not the little girl you can boss around anymore, Teddy Bear.”

His jaw ticks as he towers over her, two seconds from having an aneurysm.

“I thought we discussed you calling me that,” he growls.

With a syrupy sweet smile, she replies, “Must’ve slipped my mind.”

“O. M. G,” a gorgeous brunette interrupts, almost tumbling into Theo. One of her heels is caught in the grass, and she’s laughing like a hyena, clutching at his bicep like he’s her own personal savior.

“Oh. Hi, Theo,” she purrs when she recognizes him. “Good to see you again.”

Blake mutters something under her breath, her cheeks flushing as she heads inside the house without a backward glance.

Mia and I share a look, both of us cringing.

Great timing, Theo.

Ignoring the girl hanging on his arm, Theo turns to us and orders, “Keep an eye on her. And next time, let her borrow a hoodie or something. Not a dress like that,” he adds, grumbling over the rim of his bottle and throwing back the rest of what’s inside like it’s water.

We laugh and step over the threshold of the Taylor House, leaving Theo with his friend on the front lawn. It’s getting warmer, so there are about as many people outside as there are inside. Colt, however, must still be inside, which means it’s where I want to be too.

The lights are dimmed, and the music is thrumming, practically vibrating through our veins as Mia and I look around the main floor. I’m still not quite sure why Colt and I are here instead of hanging out at my place, but Mia wanted to introduce Blakely to the Taylor House, and I wanted to prove I’m not still hiding from Logan, so…here we are.

Whether it’s a good idea or not is yet to be seen.

When I spot Colt across the room, my mouth tilts up with a smile. He’s talking to Tukani, one of the defensemen on the hockey team. The fans call him Tukani Tsunami. The guy’s from Hawaii, and has tribal tattoos wrapped around both his massive arms. How he wound up playing hockey, I have no idea, but he’s nice. And I like him even more for entertaining Colt instead of one of LAU’s puck bunnies.

Not that Colt would do that in the first place. He’s nothing like Logan. But still. It’s refreshing. Seeing my boyfriend at a party without a girl hanging on his arm. Hell, there isn’t a girl within a five-foot radius of him. The sight makes me even more grateful that I found Colt. That he found me. It’s so different from all the times I’d seen Logan at these parties. I used to sweep so much under the rug with him. Convincing myself that waving off women came with the territory of being a hockey player, and if I wanted to date one, I’d have to get used to it. It’s the lie Logan led me to believe.

And I had no idea how wrong it really was. How many times Logan took advantage of my trust. Of my desire to be loved when he knew it was already lacking in my personal life. How many times I turned a blind eye.

He knew how hard it would be for me to let him go because I craved stability in my life. He knew I was desperate for someone to love me, and he took advantage. Don’t get me wrong. I think he did love me in the beginning. At least for a little while. But seeing Colt surrounded by beautiful women while being blind to all of them? It’s what I deserve.

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