Page 12 of Fallen Flame

I leaned back against the headboard. “So...”

“So?”

“What would you do?”

“If I liked someone?”

“Yeah.”

Ever didn’t even hesitate. “We both know what I do if I like someone. I don’t tell them and then pine after them for years. Have you forgotten the past years with me and Jude? Now if I were you, I’d go for it.”

“I did.”

She laughed. “You absolutely did.”

“I crashed and burned.”

“I don’t think you did,” she reasoned.

“I absolutely did.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?”

“I mean...” She smiled. “One awkward night doesn’t decide how the story ends.”

I looked at her and sighed dramatically. “So you’re saying I should try again?”

“I’m saying...” She nudged my shoulder. “Don’t give up if he’s worth it.”

I smiled slowly. “I’ve never been much of a quitter.”

Ever grinned. “Thatta girl. I can say with firsthand experience, these bikers are worth it.”

A familiar male voice called Ever’s name.

She smiled before looking back at me. “I should probably get back to Jude before he thinks I left him.”

I laughed. “Probably.”

She climbed off the bed and straightened her shirt. At the door, she looked back over her shoulder. “For what it’s worth...”

“Yeah?”

“I think you’ve got a better chance than you realize.” Before I could answer, she slipped out into the hallway, leaving me alone again.

I stared at the closed door for a long moment before falling back onto my pillow.

A grin spread across my face. Oliver might’ve told me goodnight. He might’ve walked away. He might’ve thought he’d ended whatever had started in that hallway.

Too bad for him, he clearly didn’t know me very well yet.

Because if there was one thing everyone who knew me could agree on, I wasn’t the kind of girl who gave up easily.

Chapter Three

Oliver