Water Under the Bridge (Perks & Benefits #1)

by Kels Stone

Sometimes you have to grab life by the neck and choke it real good. My dad used to say that often; he always cut straight to the point. Except, right now, I’m the one being choked. And not in a good way.

My temper is a critical flaw, I’m aware. It’s not cute being an angry woman who grinds her teeth or tosses around anxiety like an aggressive tennis match. But it’s safe and easy.

She’s not suddenly going to wake up and be the mother she was when Dad was still around. But she is my mother, so I’ll keep making whatever effort I can without hurting myself too much.

I can only control what’s right in front of me.

“Let’s get one thing straight.” His voice spills into me. “When I kiss you again, you’ll remember every single fucking second of it.” I gasp, but he continues, his free hand steadying me. “I promise that each one of your moans, your breaths, will pour out of you willingly. Because I know you want me as much as I need you.”

I read off every flavor of syrup imaginable on the freshly stocked shelf above the machine. My eyes finally land on mint. “Who puts mint in their coffee?” “I wasn’t sure which one you liked the most, so I bought them all,” Luca replies. I gasp. Which flavor I like the most? He bought. Every. Flavor?

“How many more examples will it take for you to realize I remember everything about you?” he says. My heartbeat quickens. “Every ordinary and extraordinary piece of you, Avery, has a home within me.”

“You and me, Ave, is so much better than you versus me.”