Read Online Edge of Chaos (Love on the Edge #1) by Molly E. Lee - Free Book Online
Authors: Molly E. Lee
Ads: Link
this morning was his good side. He has an ultra-short fuse. Anything can set him off, and the blowups are horrendous.”
“And you stick around because . . .” He let the question hang there.
There were several reasons, but the main one I wasn’t ready to tell him. I sighed. “We’ve grown up together. He’s had a hard go of it. His family cut him out of his life at sixteen, and ever since he’s kind of lived his life like the world is out to get him. He doesn’t really have anyone else besides me.”
Dash crunched down on a french fry. “Everyone has hard times. Doesn’t give them the excuse to treat other people poorly.”
My stomach clenched with the thought that there might be another way relationships worked. One without blowups or threats. Or one where I didn’t have to keep an innocent outing like this a secret. “It’s not an excuse . . . it’s . . . just the way Justin is.”
“Has he always been that way?”
“No. When we were kids, he was funny and sweet. Charming even.”
“Well, surely he has some of those moments now. Right?” he asked.
I tried to conjure up the last time I’d found Justin charming. The day he’d given me the Blue October tickets came to mind, but the horribly selfish sex afterward squashed the charm right out of the memory. I hoped the kid I’d fallen for was still in there. Justin had lost himself somewhere along the way, and I’d tried to help him find it again for years.
“What keeps you and Lindsay going strong?” I asked instead of answering him. “Magic? I mean, she’s obviously not into storms like you are.” I challenged him to take the spotlight off my relationship. Speaking about it out loud made me analyze it in ways I never had before, and the result knotted up my stomach.
“Honestly, I don’t know. We met at that party and then we just kind of happened. I’m not normally a serious relationship type guy.” A flush swept across his cheeks, and he glanced down.
“You played the field,” I said. He was smart and gorgeous. He could play all his life and never run out of partners.
“Yeah, you could say that. I’d never been in a relationship longer than a couple months. Thought I’d give it a try.”
“Something must’ve worked since it’s been a year,” I said.
“She cares for me. It’s a little intense at times, but I just got tired of the dating scene after a while, you know?”
I looked down at my nearly cleaned plate.
I had no idea what it was like to be single and have the freedom to browse. I glanced up at Dash, his bright green eyes holding mine. He was fully engaged in our conversation. He didn’t check his phone or have that glazed-over, tuned-out look.
If I could browse, I’d look for something in his section. My heart stuttered with the thought and heat rushed to my cheeks. Not that he’d ever notice me in that way; Lindsay and I were starkly different. I could never be the girl he wanted, an utlra-pretty, social butterfly, like her.
“You want anything else?” he asked.
I laid my napkin over my plate. “I’m throwing in the towel.”
He snatched the paper check the waitress had left at our table. “You did good. I would’ve had to leave you here if you’d only grabbed a fruit plate.” He winked at me and headed toward the counter.
“Don’t you want my share?” I asked, placing my hand on his forearm. His skin was warm stretched over the hard muscle. A hot tremble ran through my fingertips.
“No. You can get the next one,” he said and slipped out of my grasp.
My heart soared. The next one—and I hadn’t even had to beg.
“I’VE GOT TO meet Paul and John at the lab before we head out on our chase later. You want to come with?” Dash asked as we exited class.
“Absolutely,” I said, stopping myself from asking to go on the chase with them. It had only been two days since Dash took me to brunch, and I was still a new girl to their tight-knit group so I didn’t want to push.
Dash motioned
“And you stick around because . . .” He let the question hang there.
There were several reasons, but the main one I wasn’t ready to tell him. I sighed. “We’ve grown up together. He’s had a hard go of it. His family cut him out of his life at sixteen, and ever since he’s kind of lived his life like the world is out to get him. He doesn’t really have anyone else besides me.”
Dash crunched down on a french fry. “Everyone has hard times. Doesn’t give them the excuse to treat other people poorly.”
My stomach clenched with the thought that there might be another way relationships worked. One without blowups or threats. Or one where I didn’t have to keep an innocent outing like this a secret. “It’s not an excuse . . . it’s . . . just the way Justin is.”
“Has he always been that way?”
“No. When we were kids, he was funny and sweet. Charming even.”
“Well, surely he has some of those moments now. Right?” he asked.
I tried to conjure up the last time I’d found Justin charming. The day he’d given me the Blue October tickets came to mind, but the horribly selfish sex afterward squashed the charm right out of the memory. I hoped the kid I’d fallen for was still in there. Justin had lost himself somewhere along the way, and I’d tried to help him find it again for years.
“What keeps you and Lindsay going strong?” I asked instead of answering him. “Magic? I mean, she’s obviously not into storms like you are.” I challenged him to take the spotlight off my relationship. Speaking about it out loud made me analyze it in ways I never had before, and the result knotted up my stomach.
“Honestly, I don’t know. We met at that party and then we just kind of happened. I’m not normally a serious relationship type guy.” A flush swept across his cheeks, and he glanced down.
“You played the field,” I said. He was smart and gorgeous. He could play all his life and never run out of partners.
“Yeah, you could say that. I’d never been in a relationship longer than a couple months. Thought I’d give it a try.”
“Something must’ve worked since it’s been a year,” I said.
“She cares for me. It’s a little intense at times, but I just got tired of the dating scene after a while, you know?”
I looked down at my nearly cleaned plate.
I had no idea what it was like to be single and have the freedom to browse. I glanced up at Dash, his bright green eyes holding mine. He was fully engaged in our conversation. He didn’t check his phone or have that glazed-over, tuned-out look.
If I could browse, I’d look for something in his section. My heart stuttered with the thought and heat rushed to my cheeks. Not that he’d ever notice me in that way; Lindsay and I were starkly different. I could never be the girl he wanted, an utlra-pretty, social butterfly, like her.
“You want anything else?” he asked.
I laid my napkin over my plate. “I’m throwing in the towel.”
He snatched the paper check the waitress had left at our table. “You did good. I would’ve had to leave you here if you’d only grabbed a fruit plate.” He winked at me and headed toward the counter.
“Don’t you want my share?” I asked, placing my hand on his forearm. His skin was warm stretched over the hard muscle. A hot tremble ran through my fingertips.
“No. You can get the next one,” he said and slipped out of my grasp.
My heart soared. The next one—and I hadn’t even had to beg.
“I’VE GOT TO meet Paul and John at the lab before we head out on our chase later. You want to come with?” Dash asked as we exited class.
“Absolutely,” I said, stopping myself from asking to go on the chase with them. It had only been two days since Dash took me to brunch, and I was still a new girl to their tight-knit group so I didn’t want to push.
Dash motioned
Similar Books
