Give Me Love by Kate McCarthy Page B

and my pulse raced. Once again, my gaze was drawn to his lips, unable to forget their heat.
    “I don’t really know what you mean,” I mumbled.
    I put my hands on his chest in a half-hearted shove because he was standing too close and it was making me dizzy.
    He didn’t budge.
    “We’re supposed to be friends, but there are pieces of yourself you’re keeping locked away. What is it? It’s got something to do with this geek parade that Mac keeps yabbering on about doesn’t it? What’s that about?”
    “Nothing,” I lied. “Smart guys are cool, you know.”
    “I didn’t say they weren’t. Is it me? Have I offended you in some way? I might have thought it was because I kissed you, but it’s like you’ve had your guard up since the moment I met you.”
    His words threw me off balance, and I wasn’t sure how to respond.
    “I think that―”
    “No. Don’t think. You’ve been doing too much of that. Just tell me what’s going on.”
    “It’s not any of your business, Jared.”
    He leaned in close, too close, and I thought he might actually kiss me again.
    “Evie.” He breathed against my mouth, his lips hovering over mine. “That hurts. You’re my friend and that makes you my business.”
    If I was just your friend, why did you kiss me the way you did back at Zen that night, and if that was all I wanted you to be, why did I let you?
    Jared’s phone saved me from verbalising my inner confusion.
    He stepped away, pulling it out of his back pocket, and looked at the screen before answering.
    I dragged in a few deep breaths, both grateful for the reprieve and disappointed in a way I wasn’t prepared to acknowledge.
    “Coby.” Pause. “Where?” Longer pause. “Fifteen minutes.”
    He ended the call, tucking the phone away, and locked his eyes on mine. “I have to go.”
    The best I could manage was a mute nod because he was leaving, and even before he was gone, I felt bereft.
    “I have to go away for a couple of weeks for work tomorrow. I wanna hear from you.”
    I nodded again and his eyes went warm as he tapped his finger gently on my nose.
    “See you, Evie.”
    “Bye, Jared,” I whispered.
    He turned and left so I changed into the yellow bikini and sat quietly on the bed for moment, wondering how on earth I was going to manage denying myself what I wanted. Seriously. It was like waving a bag of lollies in front of a starving child.
    “There you are!”
    Mac rounded the doorway and her gaze swept the room for Jared. Remembering Mac’s recruitment drive, I thought I’d try catching her off guard. “I saw your books, Mac.”
    It worked when she paused in confusion. “My books?”
    “Do you think Jared is going to come in, rescue me, sweep me over his shoulder, carry me to his giant steed, and we’ll ride to his moat-surrounded castle and live happily ever after?”
    With guilt filling her eyes, her gaze slid to the books on her shelves.
    “No,” she lied.
    “Mactard,” I said in warning.
    She sighed dramatically and flopped down on the bed. “Jared is a good guy, Evie.”
    “Good guys still break hearts,” I snapped.
    “Where is he anyway?”
    “He had to leave.”
    “Pity.”
    “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
    She gave my boobs, currently busting out of her yellow bikini because I had a way bigger handful than she did, a pointed glance.
    “Jared is a boob man,” she said knowingly.
    I smacked her in the head with the pillow that was on the bed and flounced out of the room and down to the pool, proceeding to cannonball the five current occupants, dunk Henry three times, and eat a late lunch before we said our goodbyes.
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    The next two weeks flew by like a supersonic jet, hurtling me towards certain doom because Jared would be home any day now, and I still had no idea what to do about him.
    Mac, bless her managerial bossy soul, had gotten us another booking at the White Demon in a week, assuring us the feedback was high enough to go through the ceiling. If