Without You (Without You Duet Book 1)

by Marley Valentine

With every salty drop of emotion, I feel understood. With every salty drop of emotion, I feel a little less lost. With every salty drop of emotion, I feel tethered to a man I’ve spent my whole life hating. And with that last salty drop of emotion, I know I need to get the fuck out of here.

The cashier gives me a strained smile. The one that they plaster on because they’ll get fired if they’re not friendly, but it doesn’t quite reach their eyes, because their disdain for their job is too hard to hide.

He—my best friend’s brother—was staring at my lips. He—my boyfriend’s brother—was staring at my lips.

He—my boyfriend’s straight brother—was staring at my lips. He was staring at my lips.

“Even if you did bat for my team, I still wouldn’t be interested.”

Those wards kick hiss ass

Julian just laughs at me, mouthing the word ‘chicken’ and flapping his arms like one.

he has a thing for you. He’s looked over here no less than a hundred times.

“Is he gay?” “Pete? No.” I look at her questioningly, but she just smirks. “But neither are you. Remember?”

But I don’t have a single idea on how I’m supposed to tell my best friend that I’m fucking giddy thanks to my dead brother’s boyfriend.

“I just have one question before I go home and bleach my eyes so I can unsee your dick in my mind.” I nod with a smirk. “Sure.” “Why are you trying to be ‘just friends’ with him if you think it could be more?” “Isn’t it obvious?” I huff. The blank look on Wade’s face says otherwise, so I spell it out for him. “He was my dead brother’s boyfriend.”

“I didn’t leave the house, or speak to anyone, for six weeks after Rhett died.” His confession sits in the silence, percolating between us. His voice lowers significantly. “I was in a pretty bad way.”

“You should go to sleep.” “No,” he protests through a yawn. “It’s my favorite time of the day.” “The early morning?” “No,” he says gruffly, and I imagine him shaking his head on the other side of the phone. “Talking to you.”

“Do me a favor,” I say. “Are you in bed?” “Are you trying to get me naked?” he smarts. “The first time won’t be over the phone.” Did I just say that? “Fuck, I didn’t mean it,” I stammer. “It just came out.” “You want to see me naked?” he teases, the humor evident in his voice.

ignoring the discomfort of our clothes, unable to think of anything else but his mouth on mine. Needing the connection. Needing the taste. Needing him.

“You bought me gloves.” It’s not a question, or even a statement, it’s a fucking revelation. I think I’m in love with you.

“You okay?” I ask, my voice hoarse. His lazy smile answers before he does. “Never better. “

“We’re going to be okay,” Julian says into the darkness. “You told me to trust you,” I tell him. “To trust us.” He squeezes me tighter, and I squeeze him back, burying my head in his neck, tilting my mouth to his ear. “That’s the only reason I’m letting you walk away from me tomorrow.”

“You’re the beat of my heart, the blood in my veins, the strength in my bones. None of me works without you. And if you need me to tell you every fucking day for the rest of our lives, then I will, because you are more than enough. You’re everything.”

“He might’ve had a piece of my heart, Deacon, but you own it. It’s yours till the day you say you don’t want it.” “Never,” I breathe into his neck. “I will never not want you.” “I’m so, so fucking sorry she said that to you,” he cries. “You are not less than or undeserving of anything, Deacon Sutton. You deserve to be happy, and you deserve to feel whole, and I won’t let anyone, not even your mom, take this away from us.”

“I love you more than my past,” he says. “I love you more than the obstacles the present has thrown in our way. Because you’re my future. And I’m going to love you forever because you’re my always.”