More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“Twenty-five hundred a month. Total.” I was almost embarrassed to say it out loud. It was a pathetic fraction of the regular rent.
That's less than MY rent
“You’re late.” Jules sipped her coffee. No doubt it was a caramel mocha with extra crunch and oat milk because she was lactose intolerant and hated the taste of almond milk.
Why do you know that
“Jules,” he said softly. “Yeah?” The word stuck in my throat before it came out all wrong. Weird and raspy and not at all like my normal voice. “On a scale of one to ten, how badly do you want to fuck me right now?” The moment shattered into a thousand pieces.
Jesus lmao
“Ava.” I pinned her with a stern stare. “If she’s going to die on me in the middle of the night, I need to know so I can plan my sleep accordingly.”
I thought I’d escaped my past, but at the end of the day, our demons always caught up with us.
“You want someone who can challenge you. Excite you. Keep you on your toes. And as for what you need…” His whiskey-scented breath gusted across my skin, peppering it with a thousand goosebumps. “You need someone to bend you over and fuck that attitude right out of you.”
Pausse
She was savage. I fucking loved it.
“You swiped right on that guy?” Pink tinted her cheeks. “I’m busy with law school,” she snapped. “My options are limited, and I have needs, so…” “You lowered your standards to hell?”
“You know what they say about men who talk a big game.” Anticipation climbed up my spine at the danger swirling in the air. We were one step away from crossing a line we couldn’t come back from, and I was riding high enough I didn’t care. “They’re overcompensating for the smallest packages.” A smile slashed across Josh’s face, vicious enough it introduced a seed of trepidation. “Oh, Red. You’re about to find out just how untrue that is,” he said softly. He moved so fast I didn’t get the chance to draw another breath before he yanked me against him and crushed his mouth against mine. And my
...more
No, we fucked like it was our catharsis, a purge of everything dark and ugly that’d festered over the years. There was a certain liberation in not giving a fuck what the other person thought about you. We could be the worst, most untamed versions of ourselves, and in a world where everyone tried to fit everything into neat little boxes, it was as exhilarating as it was painful.
rubbed my thumb over her blossoming hickey with satisfaction. The primal, territorial part of me loved that I’d marked her. I wanted to shove it in her old friend’s face and declare her off-limits unless he wanted a highly unpleasant meeting with my fist. Just because I didn’t like Jules didn’t mean I wanted anyone else to see her like this. Body languid, face drowsy with contentment as she stretched against me. None of the prickly armor she wore in public. This was a side of her only a select few got to see, and no one else was invited to the fucking club.
I wished I could rewind time and freeze it so I stayed in the comforting oblivion of Josh’s house forever, but there was no hiding from the truth in the harsh light of day. I could only hope that whatever “favor” Max asked of me was doable…or my life as I knew it would be over.
TELL. ALEX.
Seeing Jules had provided a surprising measure of comfort, but the momentary lightness I’d experienced in the library had already drained away. I tossed back the rest of my drink and savored the burn of whiskey sliding down my throat. In that moment, it was the only thing keeping me warm.
didn’t know what to make of my strange new feelings toward Josh, but I knew one thing: there was no going back to whatever we used to be.
Not deep conversations or friendship or hope for some type of future. Just sex.
Say it with me. Therapy
My heartbeat drowned out the archbishop’s voice as Josh’s eyes held me captive. I should look away before my face broadcast to the world what I wasn’t ready to admit myself. And the fact that I couldn’t terrified me more than any blackmail or monster from my past could.
We were in the same room, but I still missed her so much a moment of broken eye contact sent a deep ache spiraling through my chest. What the fuck did that say about me? When I’m not with her, I wish she were there. When I am with her, I want that moment to last forever. The sweat on my palms intensified. It couldn’t be because…I couldn’t possibly… The past two months raced through my head at warp speed. Everything from Vermont to the other night blurred together into one jumbled stream until cold realization rattled my lungs. Motherfucker.
She closed her eyes. “What do you want from me?” she asked, sounding resigned.
I didn’t know what I wanted from her, but I knew I wanted her. I knew she haunted my thoughts and invaded my dreams until she was the only thing I could see. And I knew that being with her was one of the few times I truly felt alive. “I want you.” I didn’t need to dress the truth up with flowery language; it was powerful enough on its own. “We’re not dating other people, Red. I don’t give a fuck what the original terms of our arrangement were. Do you want to know why?” A hard swallow disrupted the delicate lines of her throat. “Why?” I lowered my head and wound my hand through her hair,
...more
I once read somewhere that the opposite of love wasn’t hate, it was indifference. The flames of hate and passion burned in equal measure. I couldn’t pinpoint the specific moment my feelings toward Josh changed. I didn’t even know what my current feelings toward him were, exactly. All I knew was, he set me ablaze, and I never wanted the fire to go out.
“What I did was wrong, and I’m sorry.” Her small voice contained the barest hint of her usual fire. “But you’re being cruel.”
“There’s no fucking moving on,” he growled. “Not for me. Not for us.” “You kicked me out of your house last week.” Fresh hurt strangled my lungs. “You fucked me, then you tossed me aside just like everyone else.” He’d been angry, and rightfully so. But the memory of his words…the look in his eyes… He weaponized the biggest insecurity I had and turned it against me.
Josh exhaled a shuddering breath. “Jules…” “Please.” My voice broke. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Okay.” His raw whisper clawed at my heart. “Take however much time you need. I’ll wait.” For some reason, his words sent a fresh ache through my chest. “Why?” No one had ever waited for me. I couldn’t fathom why they would. “Because you’re it for me. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, a year, or decades from now, that’ll never change.” Josh’s lips brushed against my skin before he pulled back, his face taut with emotion. “I’m human, Red. I’ve made
...more
“Promise me we’re real,” I whispered.
Ava closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Alex, bring me a knife.” I paled. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I held up one hand and drew Jules closer to me with the other. “I’m your only brother. You love me. Remember when I gave you the last of my Milk Duds at the movie theater? Good times.” Ava ignored me until Alex returned with the requested knife.
I scowled at him. So this was how I was going to die. Betrayed by my best friend again and stabbed to death by my sister. Julius Caesar had nothing on me in terms of a shitty death.
“Speaking of which, I also have a proposal for you.” “Alex.” I clutched my chest. “Ava’s not gonna like it if you propose to me too. Bigamy is illegal in D.C.”
“Here’s to an epic proposal and even more epic bachelor weekend.” I lifted my glass again. Alex clinked his against mine, and I waited until we’d both drained our drinks before I added, “I’d be your best man even without the box seats, you know.” The ice in his eyes cracked, revealing a sliver of softness. “I know.”
