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“Wow. And you still let him crash here?”
“Well, considering I punched his lights out, I felt like I owed him at least that.” He’d sat down on the edge of the pool and casually stuck his feet in. Rylie’s jaw dropped.
“Oh my God, is he okay? Did you take him to the hospital?”
“Of course. They said he was fine, he’d have a black eye in the morning and a hell of a headache, but he’d live. He passed out from all the shots he took down.”
Rylie winced. “Ugh. Been there.”
“I know.” Even in the dim light, she could see the twinkle in his eye and she blushed.
“And we never have to talk about it again.”
“Fine by me.” Quiet descended over them for several beats, and then he asked, “So, how was your date with Phil?”
She rolled her eyes at his obvious dig. “Will.”
“Yeah, Will.”
“It was good.”
She had a hard time meeting his eye and he must have noticed because he asked, “But?”
“No but. I had a nice time. He’s going to call.”
He sent a little splash of water her way with his feet. “You don’t sound thrilled.”
“Of course I am. I mean… He’s employed. He’s funny. He’s kind.”
Dustin pretended to snore.
“You’re a jackass.”
He grinned at her, the glow of the water rippling across his face. “Oh, come on. Even you have to admit you’re making it sound like good old Will is applying for a job.”
“He kind of is. Relationships take work and I don’t want to make any more mistakes.” Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she added softly, “I can’t afford to allow my heart to make all the decisions for me.”
Dustin slid all the way into the pool, clothes and all, and stalked toward her. She held her hand out to ward him off, but he took her arms gently.
“I agree with you. You should make rational choices when it comes to who you date, but that’s not always possible.”
Her heart skittered as one of his hands lifted and his thumb traced the curve of her cheek.
“You are the kind of girl who wants forever, but you shouldn’t have to settle for it. You deserve passion.”
She couldn’t turn away from the intensity on his face. “Passion burns out and fades. It’s not what lasts.”
He leaned closer to her, his voice a low rumble. “Even if you don’t have passion with the guy you end up with, you should have it. At least once.”
“I… I’ve had passion.”
“Really? Please don’t tell me with Asher or I’m going to fucking drown myself.”
She couldn’t lie to him. Rylie had been excited and flattered by Asher’s attentions and enjoyed their sex life at first. But it had never been overwhelming, all consuming.
“Fine. I haven’t.”
“You should. Even if it doesn’t last, you should know what it is like to get swept off your feet.”
