More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Started reading
September 19, 2025
He grinned, allowing the dimple on his cheek to pop.
“Okay, that’s fair. At least give me a chance to clear my name.”
I hesitated. I got the feeling that once you were drawn into Reed Darling’s orbit ther...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
broken...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
a bunch of emotion...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
I turned to Reed before I could come to my senses and grasped the front of his jacket, pulling him toward me. He came easily, but I knew he would have had no problem resisting if he’d truly objected.
Despite his hands settling on my waist, I could tell I’d caught him by surprise. It took him a moment to react, but when he did return the kiss, it was so intense I almost forgot to breathe. His lips were hot against mine, and a rush of warmth spread through my body as my heart beat faster and faster. I felt him grasp me tighter, but I wanted him closer still. The way the faint hint of cologne on his neck mixed with the bonfire smoke and snow was intoxicating. The kiss had been fueled by anger, but that quickly faded into something else—something more—and suddenly nothing else seemed to matter
...more
between us.
The snowy field we stood in felt like it had gone up in deliciously hot flames. If this was what it felt like to kiss a de...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
I’d kissed Reed Darling
Reed probably thought I was a complete psycho,
To beg him to play along, just for now. But then I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, and I was pulled against the hard planes of Reed’s chest. I went stiff as he held me tightly to him.
“Violet’s my girlfriend.”
Reed must have noticed because he eased himself in front of me so I was protected.
Darling Devil?
“Don’t come crying to me when this Devil breaks your heart.”
It was obvious she’d only kissed me to make him jealous, and yet it had been impossible not to get caught up in the moment when her lips were against mine. I could still feel the lingering warmth of our kiss.
She glanced down at our interlocked fingers in confusion. “Got to keep up appearances, right?”
“Maybe we should get out of here, babe,” I added a little louder.
“Oh god. Oh god,” she muttered to herself. “This is such a mess.” “It’s going to be okay, Sunshine.”
“Why did you help me out back there?” “That’s what you’re worried about right now?”
“Oh, I wasn’t complaining. The kiss was great. Maybe we should do it again.”
“That you’re a great kisser?”
As Violet spoke, I was struggling to stop myself from interrupting her so I could tell her that I wasn’t sorry she’d kissed me. That it felt one hundred percent real to me.
my heart was on tenterhooks
The simple truth: I wanted to help her. Plus, I’d also get to spend more time with her, and hopefully, I’d have a chance to show her I wasn’t the arrogant jock she thought I was.
“Being your friend isn’t reason enough?”
My heart leaped up like an overeager puppy. Down, boy, that doesn’t mean she likes us.
“Logistics? That doesn’t sound very romantic.”
“It’s not supposed to be romantic,”
“Hold on a minute, Sunshine,”
“I’m your girlfriend now, aren’t I? I think that means I get to keep it.”
when she called herself my girlfriend.
“People seem to have a lot to say about Reed and his family. I’m not really sure what to believe. It can’t all be true, can it?”
“Everyone knows the Darling Devils don’t date.
But then I’d gone and kissed him and gotten myself into this whole mess. I couldn’t quite bring myself to regret the kiss though. I kept thinking about the way it had made my heart flutter and skin tingle. The look on Jeremy’s face hadn’t hurt either.
His eyes were narrowed as if he was staring down the entire café. He was just as intimidating and overwhelming as he had been when he’d arrived at Summer’s party with his brothers.
But then his gaze landed on me, and his icy exterior thawed. Amusement played across his lips and danced in his eyes.
“You don’t need to sound quite so surprised. I take dates with my girlfriend extremely seriously.” “Fake girlfriend,” I muttered. He grinned, making his lone dimple pop. I did my best not to frown at the small indent in his cheek. Why couldn’t he be just a touch less appealing?
“You should know my coffee order, babe.”
How was I supposed to know how a Darling Devil liked his coffee?
As his fake girlfriend, I knew just what he needed.
“What on earth is that?” “It’s your favorite,” I said as sweetly as I could. “A strawberry Frappuccino with whipped cream, marshmallows, and sprinkles on top.”
“Well, it might look like a unicorn threw up in my glass, but it tastes pretty good,” he said as he went back for more. “I do love strawberries, and you can’t go wrong with sprinkles.”
He flashed me a smile even though the straw was still firmly stuck between his lips.
“This is exactly what I wanted.” My cheeks flushed because for a moment I wasn’t all that certain he was talking about his coffee. At least, a part of me seemed to hope he wasn’t talking about the coffee.
“Didn’t you already break your most sacred rule by being in this relationship? No hockey players, remember.”
“Okay, what else?” he asked. “Uh, no kissing.”
“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?” he said with a hint of a smile. “You already well and truly broke that rule.”
And if we repeated that mistake, I wasn’t sure I would ever think clearly again. Reed’s lips were far too skilled, and I’d enjoyed it far too much. Kissing was what had gotten me into this in the first place; it would only make things messier, and it was exactly why we needed to put these rules in place.
