More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
He’s impossible to escape. Like fucking herpes.
I’d hate having to disown you for failing out of college.
“Can you not be an asshole for five minutes?” “Happily,”
I can’t ignore him and pretend he’s not the most irritating person I’ve ever met.
“Thanks, Nix,” Holden says, going as far as patting me on the shoulder when he passes by. “You’re really a lifesaver.” “I’m about to be a life-ender if you touch me again,” I mutter low enough for only his ears.
Holden’s cock cover. Est. 2023.
having now found myself caught between a rock and a hard place. Or, in this case, a best friend and a set of handcuffs.
My brain comes screeching to a halt, attempting to recalibrate and make sense of what he’s saying. Only, it doesn’t. Because Phoenix and I have never slept together. Apart from him making out with me, dry humping me to high heaven, and cuffing me to my bed for Theo to find, nothing has happened between us. And even then, I haven’t told a soul about that night.
“I meant what I said. The only place I’d be caught driving this thing is off a damn cliff.” He aims a smirk at me before yanking open the driver’s door. “From the sounds of it, you’re ready to anyway.”
“Why the fuck does everyone equate me with STDs?” “I dunno,” Phoenix says, tone laced with equal parts sarcasm and venom. “Maybe it’s because you’ve spent the last couple years defining yourself as a man-whore who will screw everything that walks on two legs.”
“You’re unbelievable,” I mutter, my fingers digging into his forearm. “Not the first time I’ve heard that,” he whispers back. “It wasn’t a compliment.” “Well, it should be.”
“Don’t you dare,” he whispers harshly while tightening his hold on my hip. “You’re not ending this now. I’m not fucking done with you.” Then he crashes his mouth back to mine, and I drown all over again.
God, he’s beautiful. Beautiful and finally fucking mine. “I want both,” he finally says slowly, fingers dancing down my bicep. “I want you to drive me to the brink of insanity only to stop and let me return the favor.”
“You have to stop looking at me like that.” My eyes follow the lines and planes of his face as I murmur, “I wish I knew how.”
It’s not until the harnesses are unclipped and we’re ushered off the back deck that I realize I was holding his hand the entire time. And I didn’t want to let go.
“Honey, you know you won’t lose Kason just because someone else comes into his life, right? Your friendship is the forever kind. Whatever comes between you two, you’ll come back together, stronger at the end. I have no doubt about it, and neither should you.” I give Mom a half-hearted smile, knowing in my gut that she’s wrong. Because after everything that’s happened, there’s no way my friendship with Kason will be the same. Not unless I figure out a way to turn these feelings for Holden off for good.
That’s the beautiful thing about the metal community. Nothing matters once the artists take the stage, because you become one with the crowd, the music, and the experience.
“Watch me fuck you, baby,” he rasps between another achingly slow thrust. “Watch yourself take every inch of my cock.” My head lifts, and fuck, it’s a sight to see; the two of us in the mirror while he pistons in and out of me. The lust simmering in my eyes, along with the intensity in his as his gaze meets mine. The way he bites his lip when his pelvis meets my ass or the way his mouth parts slightly when he starts picking up the pace.
Because the blame for my state of exhaustion lies firmly in his hands. After all, he’s the one who wrung not one but two orgasms out of me less than twenty minutes ago. He’s lucky my brain is even functioning at this point.
“You agreed we would exchange a study session for sex.” “I was thinking we’d have sex after studying.” One of his dark brows arch before he adds, “You know, as a reward for you actually doing what you’re supposed to be doing?”
It’s a little tricky to keep a straight face when you’re naked and arguing about who gets to suck who’s dick first.
Never in my life did I think tossing banter and jabs back and forth with Holden would lift my spirits, yet here we are. The world works in funny ways sometimes.
“I don’t know if he’ll forgive me for falling in love with you.”
“What can I say? Apparently, I’m a sucker for a guy in uniform.” He scrapes his teeth over his bottom lip, his eyes raking over my upper body. “Yeah, I’ve gotta agree, especially when it’s you in mine.
“Oh, Nix. You win this game, and I can promise you, you’re gonna be really, really fuckin’ happy afterward.”
They say football games take forever, but the whole nine-innings shit really takes an eternity. Especially when they’re the only thing standing between you and the guy you love spending the night getting hot and sweaty between the sheets.
“Fuck, baby,” he whispers before a lone finger trails down my crease. “You’ve never looked better in your life. Ass in the air, my number on your back. It’s a sight dreams are made of.”
“Then claim me. Own me. And if the jersey isn’t enough, feel free to mark every inch of my body with your cum.”
“You’re not sorry about what happened with Holden, you’re just sorry you got caught stealing him in the first place.”
It’s not stealing if he’s meant to be mine.
It’s the kind of love that only comes once in a lifetime. The one worth breaking all the rules for.
I’ll choose to be selfless. Choose to live with regret. Choose someone else. Him.
“I’m yours, Nix. Always. You have to know that. So choose you, baby. ‘Cause I’m choosing you too.”
“Just don’t go finding a new best friend on this break, okay?” A second round of soft laughter leaves him, and he shakes his head again. “Not in this lifetime, Phoe.”
“You can fuck up and piss me off, but you’re still important to me. And yeah, it might take some time for me to stop being angry and to rebuild the trust for all the lies and secrets you kept. But you’re still my best friend, Phoe. I still care about you and will always want you to be happy. That’s all I will ever want for you.”
Phoenix Mercer has my heart in a chokehold, and he’s making no sign of ever letting it go.
“I’m staying,” he whispers, thumbs brushing along my cheekbones. “It might not have been my first choice in the beginning, but Leighton’s grown on me. And I honestly don’t think I’d enjoy attending a college halfway across the country from the guy I love.”
Why in the ever-loving fuck are we talking about Theo when he just said— “You love me,” I parrot.
“I’m just glad your eyes finally match your mouth.”
“Good, because I don’t come with a return policy.”
“I want every moment we’ve ever had, no matter how messy. No matter how heartbreaking or fucked-up or stolen they might’ve been. I want all the pieces of our history, because those moments are what make us us.”
“But we don’t need to recreate the past. I just want to build our future.”
“And just so we’re clear,” he murmurs, his teeth scraping over his lip, “I paid Grayson to use his bedroom like a motel for nothing?” A laugh bursts free. “Yeah, I guess you did.” “Unbelievable.” “So you’ve said once or twice,” I tell him, cocking my head to the side. “I also vividly remember you saying it was bold of me to assume I could make you happy.” One of those sinful laughs leaves him. “How long are you planning to hold that over my head?” I can’t help my smile when I lean in and whisper against his lips. “The rest of our lives, baby.”
“I’d say we have at least half an hour.” Holden presses his ass down again, and my fingers dig into his hips harder on instinct. “That’s plenty of time for an orgasm each.”
“You’re telling me you’re not wanting to spend every possible second of this week inside me?”
“Did you think to grab lube before trying to seduce me?” A grin curls his mouth as he holds up a broken piece of a very familiar plant. I burst out laughing the second I recognize it, head falling back against the lounger. “That’s not what I meant,” I say between laughter. “It worked so well last time,” he muses. “Figured we might as well go for a repeat.”
“All right, now who’s unlocking a new kink? Next, you’re gonna be asking for nipple clamps or something.”
“You can do whatever you want to me.” “Baby,” I whisper. “I’m only ever gonna be yours,”
“You fuck me up, Nix,” he murmurs, his lips brushing mine with every word. I smile against his mouth. “I know, baby. You fuck me up, too.”
