My Aussie Guy - Liz Lovelock Page 0,9

who she is. I can already see she’s showing interest in me. It’s blindingly obvious, and considering the daily questions from Addison when I see her at the house, I can’t help but be thinking about Elsie constantly.

Elsie shoves my shoulder. “No way, mate.” She accentuates the mate, attempting an Australian accent. I laugh. “Only if you back out.”

“No, you’re on. I’m an extreme sports person. For you, I’ll do something a little easier. Let me take you fishing, if you think you can handle it.”

Elsie’s face screws up, and I think I’ve got her on that one. “Sure, I’m down for it.” This girl doesn’t give up.

Addison looks at me with a small grin on her face. “Something you need to know is, no matter the dare, Elsie has to follow through. If she’s given a challenge, no matter what it is, and no matter how much it frightens her, she has to do it. It could also be because it’s you that is issuing the challenge. So, you might want to stop throwing dares at her like confetti, because she’ll take you up on it any day.” There’s a firmness to her words, and I can tell they ring true. Great! So now I’ve set her up for two things in one night. This is going to be interesting.

How am I supposed to not show any interest in Elsie and risk her getting hurt, or me looking bad because of my lie?

Elsie stands there in her black dress, her hands on her hips. She’s totally not the quiet girl I thought she was on Monday night. She has sass, which is making quite the appearance tonight.

“Is that true?” I ask Elsie.

Her eyes don’t move from mine as her lips pull up on one side, and she shrugs. “I can’t help it. It’s who I am.”

“This could be fun. I’ll be careful what I throw at you next,” I tease. As I do, her eyes bulge. “Easy, I’m set with just these two for now.” I rest my hand on her shoulder, and I sense her stiffen, so I remove it as quickly as I put it there. Am I putting out the wrong signals?

“Do I really have to go fishing? The smell is just nasty.” She pretends to dry-retch.

“It’s not that bad. I’m sure you’ll survive. You know you can back out if you want.”

“What? No way. I’m not letting you win,” she snaps, shoving me in the chest. I step back, grinning.

Now I somehow have to try and not fall for her. I’m scared to get too close. When I came to America, I decided not to start a relationship with any girl. Reason being, I don’t want to hurt anyone, but more importantly, I want to protect myself from the pain of leaving them behind.

So far, my plan is not going well.

What the hell have I done?

I’m great at putting on a brave face, but right now, everything inside of me is screaming. Cliff jumping and smelly fishing. The thought turns my stomach. Aiden stands there with a smug look on his face, his eyebrow cocked as if to dare me to pull out, but I won’t give him that satisfaction.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you next weekend. But for now, I need to hit the dance floor.” Without giving him the chance, I turn and take Willow’s arm and pull her along with me.

“Are you really going to do that?” she asks, a little unsure.

“Yep. I don’t know why but I can’t back out. I really wish I could, though. You know me and heights.”

She gives me a knowing look.

“Anyway, let’s get another drink and let me drown my fears.” My heart races merely thinking about it. The thought of jumping from that cliff into the ocean makes me feel physically sick. My stomach tightens, and I really want to back out of this stupid dare. Now, though, I can’t. It’s not in me to show weakness.

We make our way to the kitchen, where the drinks are located, when a shoulder pushes against mine somewhat hard. “Ow… watch where you’re going!” I turn, yelling at whoever it is.

Clifton’s standing there with a smirk on his face. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Elsie.” Clifton is on the football team. I tutor him for math. He’s a nice enough guy. Tall, olive complexion and a pair of seriously blue-as-blue eyes. They were the first thing I noticed about him.

“Watch where you’re going. I’m not someone you’re out to