The Dare - Elle Kennedy Page 0,48

huh? You’re still a poser, Con. I know where you come from and I know who you are.”

“I’m not messing around, Kai. You come near me again and see what happens.”

“Nah, man.” He pushes my hand away and squares up to me. At barely 5’9” he doesn’t even reach my shoulders. “You and me got history. I know things, remember? Like who helped someone break into your step-daddy’s mansion and trash the place. You don’t get to wash your hands of me that easy.”

I want to fucking hit him. For finding me. For dragging his drama back into my life. For reminding me I’m still just a punk piece of shit pretending to fit in with the fancy kids we used to make fun of.

But I go after Taylor instead.

17

Taylor

I feel like such a jackass.

Taking refuge from the throbbing music and pulsating lights down a hallway outside the restrooms, I press myself into a corner and try to take a deep breath. It’s too hot in here, too crowded. This place is pulling the air from my lungs.

What the hell was I thinking letting Summer talk me into borrowing this stupid dress?

And the hair.

The makeup.

The silver stilettos.

This person isn’t real. She isn’t me. Sure, it seemed worth it to see the look on Conor’s face when he spotted me across the room. But even a good disguise can’t hide what I am: a joke. Conor’s charity case.

He’s just too kind to see it.

“Fuck, Taylor. I’m sorry.”

Speak of the well-meaning devil. My head lifts as Conor shoves past the men stumbling toward the restroom and comes to a stop in front of me.

There’s real panic in his eyes. Whether it’s due to me or whoever that guy was back there, I don’t know. And I’m too tired to care. I’m all out of fight. None of this is his fault, but I just can’t pretend anymore.

“I want to go,” I tell him frankly.

He hangs his head. “Yeah, okay. I’ll get us a ride back to the hotel.”

It’s a quiet trip. With every minute I feel the gulf between us widening, feel myself shutting down.

My mistake was letting myself believe I didn’t care—about him, and the fact that our silly arrangement was always going to be temporary. I don’t know how sticking it to Abigail turned into me following him six hours to Buffalo, but it’s my fault that I let it happen. My mom didn’t raise me on fairy tales and I was stupid for falling for my own ill-conceived ruse.

“I’m sorry,” Conor says again when we reach my hotel room. His expression reflects my own loss for words. He doesn’t have to say it—we both know this whole thing blew up in our faces exactly the way it was always meant to. “Can I come in?”

I should say no and spare myself the torment of an extended “it was nice knowing you.” I’m weak, though. Reluctant to lose the friendship we’d only just repaired, and disappointed that I wasn’t brave enough to stand up to Abigail that very first night. If I had been, I would’ve saved myself the heartache and humiliation now.

“Yeah,” I murmur, unlocking the door. “Sure.”

Inside, I kick off my new heels, grab a six-dollar bottle of water from the mini bar and start chugging. When I turn around, Conor’s on the queen-sized bed, pillows arranged to form a barrier beside him.

A smile almost springs free as I remember how I did the same thing the night we met, arranging Rachel’s stuffed animal collection on the bed between us.

“Will you sit with me?” His tone is rough, lacking its usual laidback inflection.

I nod. Only because my feet hurt and I’m too self-conscious standing there on display for him.

“You’re upset,” he begins. “And I know why.”

I stretch out on the other side of the pillow wall, my short dress riding up to reveal way too much thigh. I feel sweaty and tired and I’m sure my hair is a wild mess of tangled waves. So how is it that Conor still looks fresh as a stupid daisy in a charcoal button-down over a black T-shirt and dark jeans?

“That guy back there is a total idiot, and you shouldn’t waste a second worrying about the dumb shit that comes out of his mouth,” Conor says. “It wouldn’t have mattered who was standing next to me, trust me. Kai would’ve found a way to insult them. He picked on you because he knew it would get a rise out of