My Forbidden Guy - Liz Lovelock

I’m standing on Crow’s Peak while Elsie freaks the hell out. The wind blows around me, and all I can say is that I’m glad I’m not the one in her position. Elsie wrings her hands as she glances at the drop from the nook in the side of the cliff then spins away. From here, it doesn’t seem like anything to be worried about, but being on the edge would be another thing entirely.

Aiden reaches to take her hand, and they exchange some words.

“You going to jump?” Dane steps beside me, shirtless. My heart swims with excitement.

I turn to face him. He mirrors my movement. We step into each other. There are only inches between us. His large, toned arms weave around my waist and pull me against him. Now there’s only a breath between us. He leans and presses his lips to mine. It’s like I’m on a roller coaster, and with each kiss, my stomach flips.

Pulling back slightly, I say, “I wasn’t planning on it, but if you do it with me, I might consider it.”

He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. “Do you think that’s such a good idea? You know, with Parker being here?”

Therein lies the problem. Dane is one of Parker’s best friends, and of course, being Parker’s younger sister, technically I’m off-limits.

I shrug. “He’ll probably just think you’re being kind to his kid sister.” I hate this. The whole situation. Why should we be afraid of being together? Well, we’re not officially together. It’s more… friends with benefits. Really good benefits.

“We need to be careful. I told you he warned me away from you just last Monday.”

Ah, yes, I remember that. Too bad for Parker.

This thing between Dane and me has been going on since he and Addison got together—I think maybe two months or something like that. Because it’s not anything solid, I’ve not kept track. I’ve become good at keeping secrets.

Elsie’s high-pitched scream rings out as she takes the plunge. I turn just in time to catch their bodies slip from my view. Damn, she’s brave. I’m wearing my scaredy pants today. I didn’t sign up for this jumping-off-a-cliff business.

But while standing here in Dane’s arms, nothing is impossible. “With regard to Parker, I think we should consider telling him,” I say.

Voices sound behind me, and Dane drops his arms from around me. The loss of his touch hits me.

“Paislee, come jump with me,” Elsie calls as she comes up the stairs from the beach at the bottom of the cliff. I turn back to Dane, and sadness rips through my chest. He won’t tell Parker.

I move away from him and walk toward Elsie and Addison. Rocks crunch under my feet; it’s all I can hear. What am I going to do?

“What’s wrong?” Addison asks when I stop where a bag with multicolored towels sticks out on a bench under a large shady tree. I drop myself onto the seat with a loud sigh.

Aiden and Parker are still in the water. My gaze drifts over to where I left Dane. His head is low. It’s like a switch flick—he looks up and races toward the stairs to make his way down to where the guys are.

“I think Dane and I are going nowhere,” I finally reveal.

They lay out their towels and sit on them, facing me.

Addison reaches for a packet of potato chips and pops it open. Shoving one in her mouth and waiting a moment to finish chewing, she says, “Look, like I said, tell Parker.”

“I would, but Dane doesn’t want to. What am I supposed to do? Force him?”

Elsie purses her lips, the natural gloss she wears shining in the sun. “I think that’s not a bad idea. Stick it to him. It’s not just him who gets to make the decisions in this relationship.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s an actual relationship,” I mutter, leaning over to take a handful of chips from the packet.

“Oh, I thought you were.” Addison’s eyes widen.

I shake my head. “No. Only friends with benefits.”

“Damn, that’s got to suck. I’m not sure what to do. I would want him to be truthful with his friend and your brother,” Elsie says.

“I think my sister is a chicken.”

All three of our heads whip around at Parker’s voice.

I throw more chips at him, laughing. “Shut up. I’m not stupid, and I don’t have a death wish.”

“Dane told me he offered to jump with you—you should have taken him up on it.”

My focus flicks to Dane, standing behind Parker,