Caught Stealing (Leighton U, #2)

by C.E. Ricci

“You know they’d want you to move on and keep living.” “Living is exactly what I’m doing,” I say, a small hiccup leaving me on the last word. “Which is a lot more than I can say for them.”

Oof

But hey, what doesn’t kill you just gives you seriously fucked-up coping mechanisms and one massive self-destruct button.

Yet, as Kason yanks open the door, I discover there is a way when I’ve underestimated the guile and determination of my enemy. Tenacious fucking bastard. Because there on the other side of the threshold is Holden Sykes, naked as the day he was born, save for the baseball glove he’s using to cover his junk and pair of sneakers on his feet.

Me: Downstairs. Rec room. Kason: Meet me somewhere a little more private? Me: How private are we talking? Kason: Private enough that we won’t risk someone walking in and finding us in a precarious situation.

How much you wanna bet its actually phoenix...

None of it feels right because he’s not the person I want to be kissing. Because he’s not his best friend.

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.”

Only the second they do—my gaze colliding with his once again—I realize my mistake. Because now I can’t unsee the look in his eyes. The honesty and vulnerability in them is disarming. “And I can’t just be your friend, Nix. I don’t know how.”

I’m going to Hell for this. But fuck, the road to Hell has never tasted so sweet.