Zari Davis flees Dallas after witnessing her fiancee cheating, with no clear plan on where she's going. After flipping her Volkswagon Beetle, she wakes up convinced that the cute guy that's been reading raunchy novels aloud while she slept is actual...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
P L A Y L I S T
Fatal Optimist - Alesana
Owen didn't know what he'd been thinking. Well, that wasn't exactly true. He'd been thinking plenty, but never intended to act on those thoughts. Thank God, Kline and Dawn decided to come back inside when they did, or he would have taken Silbie right there in the living room. She made him crazy to the point his brain scrambled.
The kiss had been a big mistake because now all he could think about was how her lips felt against his and how one just made him want more.
He wheeled into the motel parking lot, killed the engine and stared into space. Leaving was the right thing to do. Thankfully, he had enough work piled up, so he'd be too busy to think about her. Yeah. Right. At least he'd have National Guard duty the following weekend, and that would certainly keep his mind occupied. In twenty-nine months, his commitment would be met, and he'd been thinking about extending his enlistment. If he did, in twelve years he'd qualify for full benefits. The time demanded little investment for a big return. Businesses were expensive, and if he ever did want to open his up, he'd need money. A lot of it.
That was a decision for later. Right now, he needed to decide what to do about Silbie. If he kept seeing her, things were sure to get out of hand. He only had so much self-control, and at some point, desire would win out.
He leaned his head back against the seat. Wouldn't be fair to do that to her. College should be one of the best times of her life. If he occupied all her free time, she'd miss the whole experience, and someday she'd resent him for it. Up until now, their relationship remained platonic so nobody would get their heart broken, and they could part as friends.
There was only one thing to do, and he'd known that from the start. Leave Parkers Prairie and forget about her.
*
Gabriel knew he should be home instead of at the hospital, but here he was slipping into Zari's room like a thief. He could have gone to Grillenium Falcon and had a drink, but that didn't appeal to him. He wasn't feeling sociable. Not after finding out his mother was about to date. Christ Almighty. And dealing with Owen had only added an extra damper to his ahead plummeting mood.
In the dim light, he found his way to the corner chair and eased onto it. Zari's chest rose and fell with each silent breath. He'd never met a girl quite as bold as Zari. He dreaded lying to her with the fake boyfriend part, but he really did want to help her. And, maybe he wanted to spend time with her, too. Get to know her.
According to everything her family had told him, her assertive behavior wasn't normal. They'd described her as shy, especially when it came to relationships. The change in personality shouldn't be a shock considering her memory had been wiped clean. Along with everyone else, he figured she'd forgotten who she was.
