Glimmers of You (Lost & Found, #3)

by Catherine Cowles

“I don’t think grief is linear. Some days are easier. Others will take you out at the knees.”

I shrugged, not wanting to reveal the truth: that I watched Caden with a single-minded fascination. So, I’d seen the change. It had come on slowly and yet all at once. A darkness that hadn’t been there before. But it was a part of him, and I couldn’t help but love it the same way I loved the rest of him. It just made those glimmers of his light shine that much brighter.

“Gigi?” Panic lit his voice. “Hmm?” “Stay with me. Stay awake,” Caden commanded. I wanted to. I always wanted to be with Caden. But I was so tired. The darkness pulled me under, but not before I heard his voice calling after me. “Don’t you leave me, too.”

Caden might have saved my life, but he had slammed the door on our friendship, taking away my secret keeper, my resting place, my person, and replacing him with a coolly casual acquaintance. So, when I’d woken up from the coma, I hadn’t just lost the normal future I’d planned for. I’d lost everything. Because I’d lost him.

At the first touch of Caden’s lips, I was lost. Heat and need swirled around me as my lips parted on instinct, and his tongue slipped inside, stroking. A buzz lit low in my belly—one I’d never felt with any other kiss, no matter how much I’d searched for it. That buzz deepened into a hum that spread through my muscles, making my knees weak. When Caden finally pulled back, I blinked up at him and could only think one thing. He’d completely ruined me.

I was so unbelievably screwed.

Kissing Grae was like downing a shot of whiskey set on fire. She burned through my system in a way that would leave scars in its wake.

“I’ve always known Gigi was special. It only takes a second in her presence to realize that. But when I came home this time, I just couldn’t stay away. She has this pull. Makes you want to lean in and get as close to that light as possible. Makes you want to do better. Deserve her. I’m just lucky she gave me a shot.”

“You’ve always had a way of seeing the best in people.” I shrugged. “Not always, but I think I see him. The good and the bad.”

There were a million reasons to stay away. But I’d always been greedy when it came to Grae Hartley.

She had the kind of beauty that held you captive. But it wasn’t just skin-deep. Her light radiated from somewhere in her very core. It pulled you in and didn’t let go. She was an addiction, and you’d do anything for more.

The gold in his eyes was on fire when he pulled back. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.” My lungs constricted. I couldn’t inhale.

“I’m with her. She’s my—” I couldn’t finish that sentence. My what? My friend? That didn’t come close to cutting it. Grae was my whole world.

“You always see more than everyone else.” I saw him more than everyone else.

“I can’t stay away from you anymore. I tried. I tried so damn hard it killed something inside of me. But I can’t do it anymore.” “Why?” I whispered. Fear flashed in those gorgeous hazel eyes. “I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.” My fingers tightened around his biceps. “I’m right here. I’ve always been right here. I thought you didn’t want me.” Caden shook his head, and I saw so much pain in his eyes. “I’ve wanted you for longer than I ever should’ve. I tried to hide it, to shove it down. But only one person has ever owned me. You.”

“That wouldn’t be Grae, would it?” Pleasure swirled in my mom’s voice. I looked up from my phone. “How’d you know?” “Because you only ever smile like that when she’s around.”

“Because you’ve always been that glimmer of light for me. A beacon of hope. Even when I didn’t want you to be.”

“Loving people means exposing ourselves to the worst kind of pain.”

“I didn’t see it.” “I know. No one did.”

I DID HAHA