Fault Line (Coastal University #2)

by Ki Stephens

“You know, I missed you last week.” “What?” “I missed talking to you,” he admits, his gaze intense. “This ignoring shit you’ve been doing? Yeah, it doesn’t really work for me.” I’m momentarily speechless. Honestly, I assumed that he didn’t care either way if we talked. “Holden,” I murmur softly, uncertain of what else to say. “Kaia.” He parrots my tone. “Look, if you’re pissed at me, then just tell me. Fight with me. Yell at me. But don’t shut me out. I don’t like seeing you everywhere, knowing that you’re just gonna look the other way.” I

“You must know I want you, Karras,” I admit, my heart hammering in my ears. “I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember.

“You still think I don’t like you?” I lean back, running a frustrated hand through my hair. “Kaia, I fucking adore you.” Her brow furrows. “What?” “I admire the hell out of you. I think you’re smart, funny, witty, beautiful.” I stop myself before I get truly carried away. “There’s never a dull moment when we’re around each other.”

I need her so badly that it hurts.

“If you’re struggling, I wanna be the guy you call for help. The one who can make you forget about everything else and just . . . be in the moment.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you want to be my last resort?” A smirk tilts my lips. “As long as I’m your something.”

Kaia are you up? Holden I’ll be there in 20

“If it wasn’t obvious by now—I kinda give a shit about you, Karras.” I tense up in his arms. “Ah, I see.” “And I think you give a shit about me, too.” “Yeah,” I quietly, hesitantly agree. “Yeah, maybe I do.”

the way her hair spills across my skin. It’s like a waterfall of dark silk. The soft light of the moon casts a gentle glow across the room, illuminating her features.

Iridescent.

“Sleep well, pretty girl. I’ll still be here in the morning.”

I want this girl. I want her in all the ways that matter. I want to be the one she turns to when she’s feeling down, the one she laughs with, the one she dreams with. The one she trusts with every tiny secret and insecurity.

sweet lavender