Crush by Cydney Michele; Rax Lutishia; Grant Lovely Page B

seriously sensual kiss on his lips before leaning back. “You are too good to be true.”
    “As long as you think so.”
    They turned as the artist bounded onto the stage. For the next hour and a half, they enjoyed the show; singing along, getting up to dance once or twice, and clapping or swaying along to the well-played music.
    When the show ended, they went backstage to meet the artist. Jayla was still smiling and shaking her head fifteen minutes later as they headed back out front. Jason led her to the door when they were stopped by a good-looking gentleman with wavy black hair and blue eyes.
    “Were you leaving without saying hello?” Rick asked Jason.
    Jason slapped his back. “Truthfully, I forgot all about you.” He turned back toward Jayla. “Jayla, my business partner, Rick. Rick, this is Jayla.”
    Rick shook her hand and exchanged pleasantries, looking from her to Jason and back again. “Wait a minute! Is this the girl from the coffee shop?”
    Jayla raised a brow and shot Jason a look.
    Jason sent a warning glance Rick’s way. “This is the young lady that I met in the coffee shop, yes.”
    “So I guess I owe you five hundred dollars, you suave son of a gun,” Rick said.
    “I beg your pardon?” Jayla asked.
    “It’s not what you think,” Jason told Jayla and tugged her toward the door. “Rick, you can keep it. Classy as ever, I see.”
    When they got to the car, Jason turned to Jayla. “Let me explain.”
    “Please do.”
    “When you sent me home after that night in the park I told Rick that instead of chasing you, I was going to wait until you came to me. He bet me five hundred dollars that you wouldn’t.”
    “Huh. Pretty sure of yourself, were you?”
    “Jayla, I wasn’t sure. I was hopeful and I never took a dime.”
    “Because I’m not about the game-playing.”
    “Neither am I, I completely understand. Rick can be a thoughtless idiot sometimes.”
    “That was the only bet?”
    “It wasn’t really even a bet, but yes, that was it. Why?”
    “I wondered if you’d bet him how many times we’d be together in a five-day period.”
    Jason smiled. “I never would have imagined. Are we going for a record?”
    Jayla smiled back. “Take me home and let’s find out.”

12
    All Falls Down
    I woke at four in the morning in full freak-out mode. I had the overwhelming feeling that things were moving too fast and I was in over my head. Instead of being on a high from the amazing night Jason and I had, I was scared. Nothing this good could last, not in my world anyway.
    I slid out of Jason’s huge bed and pulled on a robe. Glancing over to make sure he was still asleep, I tiptoed upstairs to the media room. Clicking on the television for background noise, I allowed my thoughts to run free. This whole semi-sorta relationship was a disaster waiting to happen. Jason and I were from different worlds and I was not going to wait around like an idiot for the day that he figured that out. I was a woman who knew when to cut her losses.
    Already it gave me physical pain to think of not having this man around. How much worse would it be one, four, six months from now? I curled into a ball with my head on my knees. My head and my heart hurt.
    That’s how Jason found me an hour later. “Whatcha doing?” he asked softly, sitting down next to me.
    “Just thinking,” I said in a subdued voice.
    “Uh-oh. More like overthinking, unless I mess my guess. What’s up?”
    There was no easy way to do it, I just had to say it plainly. “Jason, I don’t think I can see you anymore.”
    “You don’t think you can or you’re not going to?”
    “Both.”
    “Is this about the bet, because I swear I never took a dime. It was Rick’s idea of a joke.”
    “I know. I got that. It’s not about the bet. I just can’t be with you.”
    “Because?”
    “I can’t figure out what you’re doing with me. And I can’t figure out what’s wrong with you, and the whole situation is destined to blow up in my