The Chase (Briar U, #1)

by Elle Kennedy

From the corner of my eye, I see Brenna’s head whip in my direction. “Did you say Fitz?” Uh-oh. Panic tugs at my stomach. Does she know him?

Dammit. I was hoping I’d succeeded in distracting her. But she’s back on the scent.

“You’re not an ex of his or something, are you?” “No. But we’re friends. Well, friendly. Fitzy’s a hard guy to be friends with.”

I sigh. “So you know Hunter and Hollis too?” She rolls her eyes. “I know all of them. My dad’s Chad Jensen.”

Ooo

“They’re friends with my older brother. He played hockey here last year.” “Who’s your brother?” she demands.

“Dean Heyward-Di Lau⁠—” “Laurentis,” she finishes with a gasp. “Oh my God, I totally see the resemblance now. You’re Dean’s sister.”

Brenna blanches as if she’s read my mind. “Oh, no. Don’t worry. I never went out with him. I didn’t even go to Briar before this year.”

I glare at her. “Are you for real? You can’t just drop the coach’s-daughter bomb on me and then leave. I want every last bit of information you have on these guys.”

She shrugs. “If I’m busy, I don’t go. If I’m not busy, I go. He doesn’t ask much of me, and I love hockey and cute boys, so it’s not exactly a hardship on my part.”

And no, I didn’t agree to the trip just to delay seeing Summer. Because that’s pitiful and stupid, and I’m neither pitiful nor stupid.

Hollis is a good-looking guy, but he’s a total bro, not to mention obnoxious. A girl like Summer would never go for him.

All of the art started out as rough sketches, was then drawn digitally, then turned into 3D assets. I can’t even calculate how much time I spent on it, and that was nowhere close to how long it took to code the damn thing.

Impressive

I’m an artist. I designed all the tats myself, and whatever I can use as a canvas, I’ll use. Including my own skin.

I managed to exchange several cordial sentences with Fitz without smacking him in his dumb face. Gold star for me!

Except then take away my gold star and replace it with three rotten bananas because of the way my vagina responded to that dumb face. It tingled. Stupid vagina.

I hate that I still find him attractive after all the hurtful comme...

Hunter is hot and he knows it. His lips curve when he notices me checking him out.

Ugh, those lips. I still remember how they’d felt pressed against mine. He was a good kisser. Not too aggressive, not too eager, the perfect amount of tongue.

I wonder how Fitzy kisses. Like a jerk, Summer, my inner Selena Gomez says firmly...

His dark eyes zero in on my bare legs, which are dangling over the edge of the desk. It’s obvious he likes what he sees, because his gaze turns molten. He reminds me a bit of Dean’s friend Logan, and not just because they look similar with their dark hair and hard bodies.

Logan radiates sexual energy. I don’t know how to describe it, but there’s just something so raw and dirty about him. Hunter gives off that same vibe, and I can’t deny it affects me.

But just because we find each other attractive doesn’t mean we have to...

“I was about to ask you what it meant.” He stares at me in horror. “I’ve become my worst nightmare.” I burst out laughing.

A sigh flutters out of my throat. “You’re not going to make this weird, are you?” Two ridiculously adorable dimples cut into his chiseled cheeks. “Define weird.”

“I don’t know. Be awkward? Tiptoe around me?” He takes another step toward me. “Does it look like I’m tiptoeing?” he drawls. My heart beats faster. Damn, he’s smooth.

Silence is not my friend. Silence forces you to examine your own mind. To face the thoughts you pushed aside during the day or the worries you hoped would go away, the secrets you tried to keep.

It’s a fucked-up place, my mind.

Since I sleep in nothing but panties, I grab the first item of clothing I find. It happens to be a thin white T-shirt that shows the outline of my nipples and barely covers my thighs. I slip it on anyway, because I doubt my roomies will be awake to see it. Hunter said they have a six a.m. practice.

But I’m wrong. One roomie is very much awake. Fitzy and I both release startled noises when our gazes collide in the kitchen.

Oh, and he’s shirtless. As in, not wearing a shirt. I can’t even. I wrestle my gaze off his bare chest, but it’s too late. Every detail has already been branded in my brain.

The full-sleeve tats covering his arms. The black swirl of ink that stretches along his collarbone and stops just above his heavy pecs. His abs are so chiseled it looks like someone drew them on with a contouring brush.

Like Hunter, he’s all muscle and no fat, but while Hunter’s chest triggered appreciation and some tingles, Fitz unleashes a flurry o...

I want to put my mouth on him. I want to trace every line and curve of his tats with my tongue. I want to grab his sketchpad and whip it aside so I could be the one in his lap. Preferably with my l...

God help me. I don’t get it. He’s not my usu...

He snaps the sketchbook closed, even though I wasn’t trying to sneak a peek at it.

Silence falls over the kitchen. I watch him as I eat, and he watches me eat. It’s both painfully uncomfortable and strangely comfortable. Figure that one out.

Were you really not into me that night? Did I just imagine the interested vibes? Do you truly believe all those shitty things you said about me?

I refuse to reveal even a hint of vulnerability to this guy. He’s not allowed to know how much his judgmental words hurt me.

Fitz shakes his head a few times. “How do you accidentally become friends with someone?” he sputters.

“She’s cool. We got along really well.” I hear him sigh. Loudly. I glance over my shoulder. “What was that for?”

“It’s in anticipation of all the trouble I envision you and Brenna getting into. I predict you two are gonna be terrible influences on each other.”

I can’t help but laugh. “That is a possibility.” He sighs again. “An eventuality...

My heart somersaults when Fitzy’s footsteps come up behind me.

His scent tickles my nostrils. Woodsy with a hint of citrus. He smells so good.

I wipe my hands on a dishtowel and turn to face him. His breath hitches slightly, dark eyes flicking toward my chest before hastily dropping to the glass in his hand. Oh right. My T-shirt is see-through.

I think I might be in trouble. I’m still attracted to him. Too attracted to him. I’m not allowed to lust over someone who harbors such negative thoughts about me.

“Oh!” My voice sounds overly loud. I quickly lower it before I wake Hunter and Hollis. “I love this series.” I pick up the book and flip it over to skim the blurb. “Are you just starting to read it or doing a reread?”

When Fitz doesn’t answer, I look over and glimpse the skepticism flickering through his expression. When he speaks, his voice is laced with the same doubt. “You’ve read the Shifting Winds books?”

“The first three. I haven’t gotten around to number four yet.” I hold up the paperback, which is well over a thousand pages. “I hea...

“Blood of the Dragon? Yeah, it’s double the length,” he says absently. Still eyeing me uncertainly. “I can’t believe you read this series.” ...