Too Much (Hayes Brothers #1)

by I.A. Dice

Theo’s intriguing. A walking contradiction.

I’ve never been looked at the way he does—as if he’s trying to memorize me. As if he’s searching for something he lost.

“I’ve seen you with and without makeup. I’ve seen you with mascara smeared under your eyes when you were too lazy to wash your face before falling asleep. I’ve seen you wearing a sexy dress, and I’ve seen you in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt stained with tomato juice. You’re beautiful, little one. Always. But now, you’re tired.”

Ask how much you owe me for the pizza, and I’ll cover your pretty face with a pillow while you sleep and watch you take your last breath.”

After all, when we’re nearing the end of our time in this world, when we’re old, lonely, and in pain, no longer ticking positions off our bucket list, we regret the things we didn’t do, not the ones we did.

“You look...” His chest rises and falls faster, and a muscle feathers his jaw when his eyes jerk to meet mine. “You want me to kill someone tonight?”

I pin him down with a pointed look that loosely translates to: back off, dude or I’ll do good on the threat I never voiced, and remove your hands from your body.

He savors every second as if he’s been living in an apocalyptic world all alone and I’m the first dose of humanity he’s encountered in years.

Sometimes you just know your world is about to be tipped off its axis. That something monumental is about to happen. Something out of your fucking control, and all you can do is sit and watch.

I felt like I’d been watching TV every day for years, and she was the first real thing I saw.

“I wasted almost three months keeping you as a friend when I wanted us to be more. I won’t waste time keeping you as my girlfriend, when I want you to be my wife.”