The past is always gonna try and bring you down, but you gotta fight. Fight hard for what you love. Fight to win is what twenty-two-year-old Dominick Anderson believes, but his life is a struggle. Growing up with an abusive father has made Dominick slow to love and trust, and he relies on his brother Kevin to keep him on a straight path. Dominick fights his demons every day, every night. Now a sophomore at the University of Washington and working a steady job at a mechanic’s shop, Dominick wants to create a better life and find the future his father never wanted him to have.
Dominick suppresses his identity and feelings until he meets Denise Ramsey. Smart, stunningly gorgeous, and sharing his love for motorcycles, Denise is everything Dominick longs for in a girl but knows he can never have. When a past love threatens her life and brings out Dominick’s suppressed dark side, he must decide if she’s worth the risk.
Chauncey’s
is pretty busy by the time we arrive. With the place being only
blocks away from campus, it’s one of the most popular bars, and our
favorite hangout spot. Kevin finds a space across the street to park,
and we get out, hustling across the street as rain pelts us.
“You
know, you look ridiculous wearing those at night.” I point at his
sunglasses.
Kevin
adjusts his ball cap and stuffs his hands in the pockets of his brown
hoodie. “I don’t give a fuck. I’m not in the mood to deal with
fans right now.”
Dim
lights and the smell of stale beer welcome us as we enter. The groups
of college students that frequent here are standing or sitting around
in their usual spots. Kevin and I find two empty stools at the bar,
near where a bunch of frat guys are playing darts.
“You’re
Miss Dee Dee tonight, li’l bro,” Kevin says with a smirk, and
then points out the vodka to Olivia, the bartender.
I
roll my eyes. It’s an inside joke Kevin and I have whenever we go
out and drink. The one who’s named “Miss Dee Dee” first is
responsible for driving, so they’re not allowed to get hammered.
“Whatever
you say, Miss Daisy,” I say, and order my usual.
Olivia
fills three shots and slides them in front of Kevin. He downs the
first one in a single gulp, and then winces and hisses through his
teeth.
I
spin around in my stool so my back’s against the counter and watch
the crowd at the dartboard. I recognize a few guys from Xi Rho Nu.
The girls watch each guy who takes aim like predators assessing their
prey. I look sidelong at Kevin, who quaffs his second shot. “Hey,
Kev. You still single?”
Kevin
looks up. “What the hell kinda question’s that?”
“An
important one, ’cause . . . well, I met this girl at the club the
other night, right? Name’s Trinity. Pretty sexy. Thing is, she’s
one of Denise’s friends. She knows you and I are brothers.”
“Mmhmm.”
Kevin downs his third shot and then signals Olivia to fill up three
more.
“She’s
cool,” I say. “But I don’t think we’d make a pair, y’know?”
“What?
You can’t like her?”
“Not
anything more than friends. I mean she already knows I have a thing
for Denise. But the moment I mention your name her panties
practically drop.”
Kevin
smirks. “I tend to have that effect on the honeys.” Three more
shots slide his way. He picks one up and tips his head back, emptying
shot number four.
“She’s
a good girl who’s looking for love, bro. You should talk to her.”
“Naw.
I’m done with relationships for a while. Not after the shit I went
through with the last one.”
I
shake my head. “Seriously, I don’t think she’s anything like
that. She’s Denise’s best friend, and from what I’ve seen,
Denise doesn’t hang out with skanks like Justine.”
“Justine
was worse than a skank.” Shot number five disappears quicker than I
can blink.
“Trinity
loves the fact that you play basketball,” I say.
“You
told her that?”
“Yeah.
And she thinks it’s hot.”
“Does
she, now?” He traces his thumb across his smiling lips.
“Yup,
and she said she wants to watch you play sometime.”
“Play
what?”
“Basketball!”
He
nods absently. Has the vodka already started to kick in?
Marie
Long is a novelist who enjoys the snowy weather, the mountains,
and a cup of hot white chocolate. She's an avid supporter
of literacy movements like We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) and
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
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The cover of this book is awesome! I hope to get a chance to read this one.
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