Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)(44)

Dammit all to hell, Chris. “You sang like a little girl with her hand caught in the cookie jar, didn’t you?”

“Sorry,” he says, repentant. “Her tactics are brutal. The Marines could employ her.”

Lacy rushes between us, her hand waving in the air. “Don’t you laugh this off. You don’t know Beth. You don’t know what life was like for her. You don’t know what type of friend she was to me. You are ruining everything!”

I stare at her, shocked. Tears swim in her eyes. She’s not just angry. She’s upset. “It’s only a dare, Lace. I asked her out. She has the choice to say yes or no. I’m not hurting anyone.”

“Yes, you are.” She glances away. “You’re hurting me.” The girl I consider one of my best friends bolts into school.

“I gotta go after her,” Chris says.

“I know.” I want him to.

“She’s wrong about this. Don’t worry though, I think she’s PMS-ing.”

Yeah. Lacy is emotional at times, but a nagging in my gut tells me that she could be right.

“Ryan?”

Chris and I both turn to see Beth. My heart stops. It’s her. Skater Girl from Taco Bell.

Gone are the trendy clothes. Back is her own style. Skin-hugging black shirt, jeans with holes. All knee-dropping curves. She looks every bit as sexy as she did the first night I met her.

“Can we talk for a second?” Sweet and seductive, her voice purrs over my skin and I’m absolutely hypnotized. The girl must be a magician.

“Sure.” I wait for Chris to remember that he needs to go after his own girl, but he’s too busy admiring Beth’s ass to notice that Beth and I want him to leave. I give the blatant reminder.

“Lacy needs you.”

“Yeah,” says Chris like he’s waking from a dream. “Lacy. See you later, dawg. You too, Beth.”

She drums her fingers against her thigh as a dismissal. Chris wanders into the building while I try to understand Beth’s attitude switch.

Yesterday, the girl would have been the main suspect in my murder. This morning, she’s hot and friendly. Talk about mood swings.

Guilt becomes a whisper in my brain. I humiliated her at school. Time to make amends. “Yesterday, in gym—”

“Whatever.” Beth cuts me off. “I was thinking that you’re right. I should make friends and I’d really like you to be the one to help me.”

Can.

I suppress the smile edging onto my face.

No need to rub it in. Why couldn’t Lacy be here to see this? “You’ll go with me to the party on Friday?”

“Yes, but there’s a catch.”

“What type of catch?” I should be focusing more on the word catch, but I can’t when Beth nibbles on her bottom lip. I love those lips.

“My uncle is a little control-freakish and he’ll want to talk to you.”

This day keeps getting better. I win the dare and I get to talk to my hero. Plus, I get to spend time with Beth. Maybe Lacy’s right. Maybe there is more to her. “Sure. I can come by early on Friday.”

Beth readjusts the pack hanging on her shoulder. “Actually, I was wondering if you could come over tonight and meet him. Maybe we could hang out after.”

I love my life. The girl is asking me out.

“Yeah, sure.” Damn. My mind becomes chaos as I remember my plans. “Wait. I would love to, but I have ball practice with the team and then pitch practice in Louisville tonight.”

She lowers her head. “Oh. Okay, I guess. If you can’t, you can’t, but tonight’s the only night Scott’s going to be home.”

I am not blowing off this change of heart. If she’s anything like Lacy, she could have a total mood reversal in three minutes. “I can come over after ball and meet your uncle and then you could ride with me into Louisville. We could go out to eat after practice. That is, if you’re okay with sitting through an hour of me pitching.”

She raises her head and flashes this glorious smile. “If you don’t mind.”

Mind? I can’t think of anything I want more.

I just won the dare.

STANDING ON SCOTT RISK’S front porch, I yank the bill of my baseball hat and wipe my hands on my athletic pants. This is it. I’m about to walk into my hero’s home. Two knocks and the door swings open. Staring back at me, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, is Scott Risk.

“Good afternoon, Ryan.” His eyebrows rise to give the impression he’s surprised.

“Good afternoon.” I rub the back of my head when the tension starts to form in my neck. “Is, uh, Beth here?”

An easy grin spreads across his face. “She’d better be, but I did just piss her off. It might not be a bad idea to check to see if she snuck out the window.”

Having no idea what to say back, I shove my hands in my pockets. He laughs. “Elisabeth and I don’t work well together on her homework. Come on in. She said you two made plans, but I have to admit I was wondering if she was messing with me.”

“Is she ready, Mr. Risk?” Amazed and starstruck, I walk in. This place is huge.

“Call me Scott,” he says, then hollers, “Elisabeth!”

Something hard smacks the door to our right. “Fuck you!”