Page 54 of Craving Paradise

A frown forms on Tori’s face. “That’s Elle’s goal. What about you?”

It’s that same question people keep asking me when I talk about Elle’s bakery—that it’s her dream, not yours. Why can’t her dream be my goal too? I want to help her achieve her dreams. Is that not a goal?

“I don’t know.”

“Guess the club is a good place to work out what you want out of life or what you don’t want.” She chuckles.

We raise our glasses high and cheers to that.

16

JASPER

The sound of my phone ringing pulls me from my sleep.

“What?” I say, not even looking at who is on the other end.

“Where the hell are you? I’ve been calling you for ages,” Alex yells down the phone at me.

“Asleep, fucker. I had a big night,” I grumble to him, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I sit up. My morning wood is pressed against the sheets like a little tent, making me chuckle.

“Kick whatever woman you have out of your bed. Alistair needs us. Miranda messaged me and said they broke up.” This has me on alert.

What the fuck? They broke up. No. I don’t believe it. They have been together for ages.

“He needs us, man. We are all on our way to his place,” Alex tells me.

“Okay, give me thirty, and I’ll be there.”

“You do not have time for a quickie.”

“Fuck you. I’ll be there,” I say before hanging up.

* * *

Currently, I’m standing out in front of my friend’s apartment with my other two friends.

“He’s in a bad way. I don’t know what the hell happened, but it’s bad.”

“Lead the way then,” Daniel says.

Alex leads us inside, where we find a slumped-over Alistair looking a little worse for wear.

“Is he dead?” Daniel asks.

“He smells dead,” I say, staring down at him.

“The guy just got his heart ripped out. Leave him alone,” Alex says, getting annoyed with us.

Alistair blinks twice, and he groans as if trying to wake up. Oh, man, he doesn’t look good. What the hell has happened?

“Good, he’s alive,” Daniel states.

“Hold on,” I say, running through the house to his laundry room, where I find a bucket, fill it up halfway, and rush back into the living room where he is. I throw the bucket of water all over Alistair, drenching him.

“What the fuck?” Alistair curses, sitting and shaking the water from him.

“Rise and shine,” I say, grinning down at him. It’s the only way to sober up properly. Alistair looks like he’s ready to punch me in the face.