Discovering Delilah (Harborside Nights, Book 2) (31 page)

“Yeah?” Dex lifted his chin. “What college did you graduate from?”

The two guys exchanged a look,
then a laugh. The one with the long bangs said, “Dude, it don’t take a college degree to test games.”

Dex’s biceps flexed. There it was. The misconception that irked Dex more than the laziness of the kids who were just a few years younger than him. As a Cornell graduate, Dex believed in the value of education and the value of being a productive member of society. He needed to figure out the
release date, not talk bullshit with kids who were probably too young to even be in a bar.

“Guys, give him a break, ’kay?” Regina said.

“Sure, yeah. Great to meet you,” the longer-haired kid said.

Dex watched them turn away and sucked back his beer. His eyes caught on a woman at a booth in the corner of the bar. He studied the petite, brown-haired woman who was fiddling with her napkin
while her leg bounced a mile a minute beneath the table.
Jesus
. Memories from four years earlier came rushing back to him with freight-train impact, hitting his heart dead center.

“I know how you are about college, but, Dex, they’re kids. You gotta give them a little line to feed off of,” Regina said.

Dex tried to push past the memories. He glanced up at the woman again, and his stomach
twisted. He turned away, trying to focus on what Regina had said.
College. The kids. Give them a line to feed off of.
Regina was right. He should accept the hero worship with gratitude, but lately he’d been feeling like the very games that had made him successful were sucking kids into an antisocial, couch-potato lifestyle.

“Really, Dex. Imagine if you’d met your hero at that age.” Sage ran
his hand through his hair and shook his head.

“I’m no hero.” Dex’s eyes were trained on the woman across the bar.
Ellie Parker
. His mouth went dry.

“Dex?” Sage followed his gaze. “Holy shit.”

There was a time when Ellie had been everything to him. She’d lived in a foster home around the corner from him when they were growing up, and she’d moved away just before graduating high school.
Dex’s mind catapulted back thirteen years, to his bedroom at his parents’ house. “In the End” by Linkin Park was playing on the radio. Siena had a handful of girlfriends over, and she’d gotten the notion that playing Truth or Dare was a good idea. At thirteen, Dex had gone along with whatever his popular and beautiful sister had wanted him to. She was the orchestrator of their social lives. He
hadn’t exactly been a cool teenager, with his nose constantly in a book or his hands on electronics. That had changed when testosterone filled his veins two years later, but at thirteen, even the idea of being close to a girl made him feel as though he might pass out. He’d retreated to his bedroom, and that had been the first night Ellie had appeared at his window.

“Hey, Dex.” Regina followed
his gaze to Ellie’s table; her eyes moved over her fidgeting fingers and her bouncing leg. “Nervous Nelly?” she teased.

Dex rose to his feet. His stomach clenched.

“Dude, we’re supposed to have a meeting. There’s still more to talk about,” Mitch said.

Sage’s voice was serious. “Bro, you sure you wanna go there?”

With Sage’s warning, Dex’s pulse sped up. His mind jumped back again
to the last time he’d seen her, four years earlier, when Ellie had called him out of the blue. She’d needed him. He’d thought the pieces of his life had finally fallen back into place. Ellie had come to New York, scared of what, he had no idea, and she’d stayed with him for two days and nights. Dex had fallen right back into the all-consuming, adoring, frustrating vortex that was Ellie Parker.
“Yeah, I know. I gotta…”
See if that’s really her
.

“Dex?” Regina grabbed his arm.

He placed his hand gently over her spindly fingers and unfurled them from his wrist. He read the confusion in her narrowed eyes. Regina didn’t know about Ellie Parker.
No one knows about Ellie Parker
.
Except Sage. Sage knows
. He glanced over his shoulder at Sage, unable to wrap his mind around the right words.

“Holy hell,” Sage said. “I’ve gotta take off in a sec anyway. Go, man. Text me when you can.”

Dex nodded.

“What am I missing here?” Regina asked, looking between Sage and Dex.

Regina was protective of Dex in the same way that Siena always had been. They both worried he’d be taken advantage of. In the three years Dex had known Regina, he could count on one hand the number of times
he’d approached a woman in front of her, rather than the other way around. It would take Dex two hands to count the number of times he’d been taken advantage of in the past few years, and Regina’s eyes mirrored that reality. Regina didn’t know it, but of all the women in the world, Ellie was probably the one he needed protection from the most.

He put his hand on her shoulder, feeling her sharp
bones against his palm. There had been a time when Dex had wondered if Regina was a heavy drug user. Her lanky body reminded him of strung-out users, but Regina was skinny because she survived on beer, Twizzlers, and chocolate, with the occasional veggie burger thrown in for good measure.

“Yeah. I think I see an old friend. I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Dex lifted his gaze to Mitch.
“Midnight?”

“Whatever, dude. Don’t let me cock block you.” Mitch laughed.

“She’s an old…not a…never mind.”
My onetime best friend?
As he crossed the floor, all the love he felt for her came rushing back. He stopped in the middle of the crowded floor and took a deep breath.
It’s really you
. In the next breath, his body remembered the heartbreak of the last time he’d seen her. The time he’d
never forget. When he’d woken up four years ago and found her gone—no note, no explanation, and no contact since. Just like she’d done once before when they were kids. The sharp, painful memory pierced his swollen heart. He’d tried so hard to forget her, he’d even moved out of the apartment to distance himself from the memories. He should turn away, return to his friends. Ellie would only hurt
him again. He was rooted to the floor, his heart tugging him forward, his mind holding him back.

A couple rose from the booth where Ellie sat, drawing his attention. He hadn’t even noticed them before. God, she looked beautiful. Her face had thinned. Her cheekbones were more pronounced, but her eyes hadn’t changed one bit. When they were younger, she’d fooled almost everyone with a brave face—but
never Dex. Dex had seen right through to her heart. Like right now. She stared down at something in her hands with her eyebrows pinched together and her full lips set in a way that brought back memories, hovering somewhere between worried and trying to convince herself everything would be okay.

Her leg bounced nervously, and he stifled the urge to tell her that no matter what was wrong, it
would all be okay. Dex ignored the warnings going off in his mind and followed his heart as he crossed the floor toward Ellie.

(End of Sneak Peek)

To continue reading, be sure to pick up

GAME OF LOVE (The Remingtons, Book One)

Full LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES order

Love in Bloom books may be read as stand alones. For more enjoyment, read them in series order. Characters from each series carry forward to the next.

SNOW SISTERS

Sisters in Love

Sisters in Bloom

Sisters in White

THE BRADENS (Weston, CO)

Lovers at Heart

Destined for Love

Friendship on Fire

Sea of Love

Bursting with Love

Hearts at Play

THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO)

Taken by Love

Fated for Love

Romancing my Love

Flirting with Love

Dreaming of Love

Crashing into Love

THE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD)

Healed by Love

Surrender My Love

River of Love

Crushing on Love

Whisper of Love

Thrill of Love

BRADEN WORLD NOVELLAS

Daring Her Love (1001
Dark Nights)

Promise My Love

THE REMINGTONS

Game of Love

Stroke of Love

Flames of Love

Slope of Love

Read, Write, Love

SEASIDE SUMMERS

Seaside Dreams

Seaside Hearts

Seaside Sunsets

Seaside Secrets

Seaside Nights

Seaside Whispers

Seaside Lovers

Seaside Embrace

THE RYDERS

Seized by Love

Chased by Love

Claimed by Love

Swept Into Love

Rescued by Love

WILD BOYS AFTER DARK

Logan

Heath

Jackson

Cooper

BAD BOYS AFTER DARK

Dylan

Mick

Carson

Brett

HARBORSIDE NIGHTS

Includes characters from

Love in Bloom series

Catching Cassidy

Discovering Delilah

Tempting Tristan

Chasing Charlie

Breaking Brandon

Embracing Evan

Reaching Rusty

Loving Livi

LOVE ON ROCKWELL ISLAND SERIES

By Bella Andre & Melissa Foster

Cape Cod Kisses

Cape Cod Promises

Cape Cod Dreams

Cape Cod Serenades

Cape Cod Wishes

More Books by Melissa

Chasing Amanda (mystery/suspense)

Come Back to Me (mystery/suspense)

Have No Shame (historical fiction/romance)

Love, Lies & Mystery (3-book bundle)

Megan’s Way (literary fiction)

Traces of Kara (psychological thriller)

Where Petals Fall (suspense)

Other Compilations with Melissa

Fall in Love: Twenty-two "First in Series" Romances

Indie Chicks: 25 Women 25 Personal Stories

Indiestructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle

Skip to the Good
Part 3: 20 Authors Reveal Their Steamiest Scenes

Sweet Talk Boxed Set (Ten NEW Contemporary Romances by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes Research plus BONUS Novel)