Charmed by the Bartender (Modern Love, #1)

by Piper Rayne

Just one look at this guy and I know he’s trouble. What I can’t be sure of yet is whether he’s more trouble than he’s worth.

“I’m fine. Apparently utter mortification can’t actually kill you.”

I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to spend so much time around Cole without ripping either his head or his clothes off.

“Just because you don’t know what you’re missing doesn’t mean it didn’t leave any scars,” he says in a soft voice.

“When someone who’s supposed to love you treats you as if you’re disposable, it’s difficult not to see your value as less than nothing.”

“You are so much more than nothing, sweetheart. You’re the opposite. You’re everything.”

“Stop bowing. I’m not royalty.” He scoffs and shakes his head before running a hand through his hair. “To the right guy, you are.”

“Sometimes things just happen—good and bad—for no other reason than they just do.”

It’s amazing how it only takes your brain a split second to conjure up a million terrible possibilities, but we can be so resistant to believe the good things.

“I think I can handle that. Contrary to what you might think based on my reaction here today, I’m not actually on drugs.”

One thing I’ve realized through all of this is that just because someone hurt you doesn’t mean that you get to stop loving them. On the contrary, it only hurts because you do still love them so much. Love isn’t a switch that you can turn on and off at will,