Don't Say You're Sorry (Hawthorne University #2)

by Bethany Winters

Not when I’m finally seeing the boy I love for the first time in three and a half years. I’ve thought about him every day since the day I left. Every day, I’ve missed him, needed him, wished for him, pined for him. Every fucking day, I thought about dropping everything and risking it all for him.

“I’ve never lied to you, E,” I whisper as I pass him. “Not once. Remember that.” “There are worse things than lying,” he mutters. I stop in the hall, eyes forward. “Like?” “Like never saying a fucking word.”

It’s not Adam I should be blaming. I’m the one who pushed. If I had left it alone, maybe I wouldn’t have lost my best friend, my stepbrother, and the only person I’ve ever let myself love. I ruined us long before he did.

“Every time I see you with someone else, I die a little on the inside,” he rushes out, panting against my ear. “Fuck. I⁠—” I don’t hesitate. “Then I’ll stop.” “What?” “If it hurts you, I’ll stop.” I run my lips over his cheek. “Nothing’s worth hurting you, Adam.”

“I’ll kiss you, suck you, rim you, fuck you, and come in your little virgin ass if that’s what you want. That’s what I want. But only when you’re sober.”