Changing Everything (Forgiving Lies #2.5)(9)

“Yeah, whatever. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone you don’t know.” We didn’t take four steps before he turned me toward the cooler. “Want anything?”

“Just water for now.”

He nodded and slapped a guy on the back who was reaching in there. “Brett, this is my cousin Paisley.”

Brett straightened and turned, his arm already stretching out to shake mine—but the second he saw me his movements faltered, and my breath caught. Breathe, Paisley, breathe, I reminded myself as I took in his green eyes, wild hair, crooked smile, and splash of freckles on his face. But there was something about him that not only had me forgetting how to breathe, but also had me immediately forgetting about Eli and the numerous heartaches I’d endured because of him.





Chapter Three

August 23, 2013

Paisley



“HEY, BEAUTIFUL! JUST the girl I was hoping to see.”

My steps faltered at his words, and as soon as I could manage to remove the shocked expression, a huge smile crossed my face. Did he just call me beautiful?

I went into Eli’s strong arms easily, just like I’d done for the last twelve years. Breathing in his clean, masculine scent always made me feel like I was finally at home again. When I felt his lips graze my ear, my eyes fluttered shut and I melted into his chest.

“Thank God you’re here,” he whispered softly, and my heart tripped up. “The girl at your three o’clock went home with me the other night and now thinks she has some claim on me. Mind helping me out tonight?”

And there went my heart. Dropped straight through my stomach and was left lying uselessly on the floor. Was that . . . yep! That was Eli stomping on it. Again.

When I finally got my throat to work, all that came out was a breathy “Uh . . .” that was lost in the cheering throughout the bar.

“You’re the best, Pay!” His mouth brushed against my neck as he leaned back, but he pulled me between his legs where he sat on the bar stool—caging me in between him and the bar.

Like always, the ear he’d just been speaking into and the line where his mouth had dragged across my neck were on fire. Where his arm locked around my waist was burning me through my shirt, and I was having trouble breathing.

But that could have also been because I was on the verge of tears.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened, not by a long shot—and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. Yet every time I expected it to be different. I expected him to actually want me, for his touches to mean something. And just like every other time, I swore to myself that this would be the last time I let him use me to get his psychotic girlfriends or one-nighters to go away.

I almost laughed out loud. Who was I kidding? I would do anything for him.

Everyone in the bar erupted into cheers and yells of displeasure, snapping me out of my pity party, and I looked up at one of the many TVs hanging throughout the bar. Eli’s arm constricted around my waist, pulling me impossibly closer, and his lips were at my ear again.

“I’m exhausted. We had meetings all day today, but when I was about to leave here, Laura showed up and tried to come home with me. So I just need to stick it out until she goes first. Swear to God though, I’m about to fall asleep on the bar.”

A quick glance confirmed Laura was shooting daggers at me and was most likely the reason Eli was pulling me close again. To anyone else, he probably looked like he was whispering anything from sweet nothings to naughty promises in my ear.

If only they knew.

I nodded my head and grabbed the mostly-full Guinness in front of me. “This yours?” I don’t know why I asked, who else drank Guinness other than Eli?

“Of cour—”

“Great.” Without asking, I tipped the large glass back to my lips and gulped down the thick beer until there was nothing left but remnants of foam.

Eli grabbed the empty glass and set it on the counter before turning me to face him. “Christ, Pay, what was that? You hate Guinness.”

I do hate it. Like really, really hate it. Oh God, how do people enjoy that stuff? My stomach felt sick from the thick liquid, and I was still making a face as if I’d just downed a shot of tequila. Looking past his head, I contemplated how fast I could make it to the door when Eli cupped my cheeks.

“Hey, look at me. What’s wrong, did you have a bad day?”

Well, I just came to the depressing realization that I’ve been in love with you and have waited for you for twelve years—and yet I’ve done nothing about it and probably will never do anything about it because I’m a wimp. And I know you don’t feel the same since you’re using me as a shield for the umpteenth time in our friendship. So yeah, you can say it’s been a bad last few minutes.

I looked to where Laura had just been standing and scanned the immediate area when I didn’t find her there. “I have to go home I forgot I have morning . . . early—I have to get up early,” I stammered, and pushed against one knee caging me in. Eli just held me there tighter.

Brushing loose hair away from my face, his hands went back to cupping my cheeks and forced me to look at him again. His blue eyes were wide with worry and I almost forgot what I’d been attempting to do when I saw them. I loved his eyes, I could get lost in them. Against his tan skin and dirty-blond hair, they looked like dark oceans with bolts of lightning going through them.