Free Promise Me Always by Kari March

whole new level. I felt like he had let me in a little bit. A tiny part of a wall had been torn down and he was letting me see the real him—and I knew that was something Blake Bentley didn’t do very often.
    I experienced something in that moment that made my heart flutter. Seeing another side of him was the trigger… the sight and feel of his bare chest may have had a tiny bit of an effect on me, too.
    Blake didn’t feel the same way about me, though. I mean, yeah, he flirted with me all the time, but he’s a guy and that’s what they do. Even after our rendezvous three years ago, he was only worried about our friendship being ruined. The sex that day was the best I had ever had. I had been attracted to him for so long that I just had to get a taste of what it could be like. I was a little broken when he acted like it was just another ‘transaction’ to him—that he didn’t have any feelings for me after it happened.
    Not that I could blame him for my entire heart break—I never once told him how I really felt, either. I was going to that night at Cole’s, but the moment he asked me if I remembered what I had promised, I knew he was only interested in friendship. So I lost my nerve and kept my mouth shut. Eventually, I got over it and decided that maybe we were just better off as friends. Better friends than nothing, right?
    Things were different now, though. The physical attraction was still there, but now I was attracted to him on a whole new level. I wanted to have real conversations with him—the ones where you talk about life, your future, and your dreams. But I didn’t want to scare him away. I didn’t know what I would do if I lost him. He was too important to me.
    By the time my two mile run was over, I decided that as hard as it was going to be, I was going to let him take the wheel. If he wanted me, eventually he would make it known. And, if he didn’t, as much as that would kill me, then I would just have to deal with it.

    Palmer, Lexi and Avery showed up around five o’clock to help me do my hair and make up for the ball. Lexi and Palmer applied black and silver shadows to my eyes, giving them a smoky look—it looked amazing. I never wear lipstick, so they just applied a simple nude, shimmering lip gloss to my lips and a touch of blush in a warm pink to give me just a bit of color. Avery decided to do my hair up to show off the back of my dress, or lack thereof. It was pinned up in a low messy bun with soft, curly tendrils falling all around my face. My dress was amazing—a black, empire cut, long, chiffon gown that had sequins all over the v-neck bodice and up the straps that crossed in the back. Other than the thin crossing straps, the rest of the back was completely open. There was also a very sexy slit in the skirt that came all the way to my thigh. It would definitely get Blake’s attention.
    The girls helped me into my dress. I put in a pair of simple diamond earrings and then slipped on my new silver stilettos and I was ready to go.
    “Damn, Tess! You look stunning!” Lexi squealed as she threw her hand up and covered her mouth. “Blake is going to drop dead when he see’s you in this dress.”
    “No, he won’t. Besides, he said it himself—we’re just going as friends,” I said, winking as I started to laugh. I had filled the girls in on all the crazy thoughts I had been having while they were making me over. Lexi and Palmer always thought Blake had a thing for me—something that went beyond friendship. They just thought he was scared to admit it because he was a stupid guy. They all agreed that I had to take matters in my own hands—and my only choice was to seduce him until he broke.
    I hugged them all goodbye, thanked them for their help, and waited for Blake to show up. I had about five minutes before he was due to arrive, so I checked myself in the mirror one last time and made sure my overnight bag was ready to go.
    When my doorbell rang, it took everything in me not