Chapter 3
Chance
Being this close to Amanda without anyone else around is driving me crazy. I've never, in my life, felt an instant attraction like I do with her. I know nothing about her, but that doesn't seem to matter. And I know she's right—the McCoys and the Bryants don't mix—but that's not going to stop me from having her. Maybe stuff like that matters to my brothers, but not to me. I don't care what anyone thinks about me. If I want something, I go after it, and I've never wanted anything as much as I want Amanda McCoy.
She's standing in front of me, staring at me with her mouth hanging open. I know that I've surprised her. I reach for the books in her arms, and she lets me take them. I set them on the counter beside us, and then I put my hands on her shoulders. "Go out with me," I ask her again.
Her eyes widen, and she pulls away from me. She walks quickly around the bookstore, and I follow slowly behind her. I make her nervous. I don’t know if it’s my size or being alone with me or what, but I need her to know that I’m no threat to her. She's locking the back door, flipping off light switches, doing everything except answering my question.
When she grabs her purse from behind the counter and puts it over her shoulder, she walks toward the front door. She opens it and holds her hands out for me to go. "I can't go out with you, Chance. You know that I can't."
Instantly, I want to stomp my foot and throw a fit. I know that's not very manly, but that's my kneejerk reaction. This shouldn't be this hard. I know she wants to go out with me. I can see it by the way that she watches me and the breathless hitch in her voice when she talks to me.
"I don't know anything of the like. What I do know is that from the minute I first saw you, I knew that I had to get to know you. I'm not asking for marriage or anything. One date." She's staring at me but doesn't say a word. "Tell me, and be honest, do you not want to at least give us a chance?"
She clenches her eyes closed and then opens them. "It doesn't matter what I want."
Instantly, I'm pissed. Why would she think it doesn't matter what she wants? She should have the fucking world. “Who told you that? Why would you think what you want doesn't matter? That's all that fucking matters.”
She looks nervously outside. “I really need to go, Chance.”
I walk out the door and let her pull it behind us. I stand beside her as she locks it, not ready to give up just yet. When she turns, she puts her keys back in her purse and looks up at me. "Why do you want to go out with me anyway?"
I open my mouth ready to tell her exactly why, when bright lights shine in our face. It's a jacked-up truck, and with the bright lights beaming in my face, I can't tell who the driver is. I grab on to Amanda’s hand and pull her behind me.
"Amanda McCoy, get over here," a loud voice booms from the truck, but I still don't let her go.
If anything, my hold on her hand tightens. My heart stops, and I look over my shoulder at her. "Is that your boyfriend?"
I hold my breath waiting for an answer. Just the thought that some other man can claim her makes me ill.
But Amanda shakes her head. "No, that's my brother."
The truck door opens, and when the man comes forward, I can tell exactly who it is. Her brother, Ray, is close to my age, and we competed for everything through high school. We've never gotten along. And by the scowl on his face, he's definitely not happy to find me with his sister.
"Amanda," he says again. His voice is low and demanding.
Amanda squeezes my hand and then pulls away from me. I do the only thing I can and watch her walk out from behind me. "Yeah, Ray?"
"Get in the truck," he says.
I want to argue with him, but I know that's not going to help matters now. If this is what I want, I'm going to have to be patient with it. Amanda gives me one last look and then walks to the passenger side of the truck and climbs in. Her brother watches her, and when she shuts the truck door, he walks toward me and doesn't stop until we're toe to toe. I don't back down. I grit my teeth and stare at him, waiting. I know what's coming. I know he's going to warn me off his sister.