Read Online Roll Against Discovery (3d20 Book 3) by Allyson Lindt - Free Book Online Page A

have to bow out. Trevor’s shirt taunted me from the bathroom counter, where I’d tossed it. I hovered my fingers over it, tempted to put it back on, but I’d managed to mostly replace the scent of his cologne with body wash. I couldn’t dive back into that unrealistic memory. That didn’t stop me from tucking the shirt into my luggage.
    I wandered the convention, unsure where I was going or what I wanted to do. As the top of each hour rolled around, I hovered near a panel, sometimes drifting into the room and then deciding I wasn’t in the mood after all. Logic and reason sided with Trevor’s words, asking why I let this get to me.
    “Hey, Sis.” Jackson startled me, as he fell into step beside me and draped an arm over my shoulders. “Did we miss anything interesting?”
    Yup. Me being impulsive and doing things I knew better than to do. It wasn’t that I regretted the time spent with Evan and Trevor, just that I’d started to believe it meant more than it did. “Not really,” I said.
    Carter held up a bag. “We brought lunch.”
    The smell of Chinese food wafted toward me, and my stomach growled in response, reminding me I’d skipped breakfast and it was almost two.
    “Sorry we took so long.” Zoe stood on my other side. Being surrounded by friends helped push my wallowing to the back of my mind, and dragged me to the surface. “Traffic, errands… Blah, blah, blah.”
    “You’re not answering your phone.” Concern leaked into Jackson’s voice. “We almost ate without you.” He spun me to face him, his brow furrowed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
    I forced a smile onto my face and nodded toward the elevators. “Fine. Why do you keep asking me that?” I knew my laugh sounded forced. Jackson would see right through it. With any luck, he’d let it slide, though. What I needed right now was to pretend to be happy, to get over the fact I was no longer pretending to be fun. “Come up to my room. I’m starved.”
    Jackson studied me. “You’ve been so engrossed in this thing”—he nodded at our surroundings—”you forgot to eat and ignored your phone? Guess you are fine.”
    “See?” I half dragged him toward the elevators, and his partners followed. They kept up a steady stream of chatter, and I chimed in when appropriate. We settled into my room—at least I was getting some use out of the place—and spread the food out on the desk. The longer they talked, the more I managed to pull myself into some semblance of normalcy. My mood lifted, and I was able to silence the chanting voice in the back of my mind insisting I missed the guys.
    I watched Jackson, Carter, and Zoe while we ate and bantered. The way they interacted with each other looked so natural. No one scowled when the other two shared a touch. They all looked equally comfortable with little things like a hand-squeeze, a kiss on the cheek, or even a pat on the ass. A tinge of envy wormed through me, not because Jackson had a gorgeous boyfriend—that was always the cause for it in the past—but because they all looked like they wanted to be with each other.
    I wasn’t greedy. I’d take this from just one person. My chest squeezed in protest, and I ignored it. I never should have let myself project this desire on two strangers, especially convincing myself I clicked with them. My heart hammered harder, almost painfully, against my ribs. Stupid emotions.
    “Can I ask you something?” I wasn’t sure who I was talking to, or even why I blurted out the question.
    “Always,” Jackson said.
    “Do you guys ever worry about…?” I clamped my jaw shut when I realized what I was about to say? Why would I do that? I already knew the answer. “Never mind.”
    “About what?” Zoe asked.
    I was happy when Jackson started dating her. She gave him a calm center he hadn’t had before. Grounded him, without restricting him. He said she helped him become more… him . I never understood what he meant, but maybe I got it more than I