I wrinkle my nose. “Must you be so crass?”
“Don’t act like this is a new development.” His tone is flat and stiff.
I rub my temples. I’m beginning to see the massive error in my ways. But my heart is stubborn. “I always wanted things to be different between us.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” His tone reveals he’s anything but.
I’m already waist-deep. Why not wade a bit further? “It’s not too late, Gray. I’m here now. This is what I’ve been waiting for.”
“Wait longer. You’re still a fucking kid, Sutt.”
“I’m eighteen. Only two years younger than you.”
He waves off my words. “Age is just a number. You’re sheltered as fuck. Get out and experience the world before shackling yourself to the gutter. Get outta here before Jace finds you missing.”
Rather than retreat, I erase the remaining distance to his bed. “I don’t care about my brother.”
Grady’s snort resembles a bull. “I sure as shit do.”
Of course he does. They might as well be related by blood, not just sentiment. Defeat appears in two large boulders weighing my shoulders down. He won’t budge, no matter how hard I push. A seed of nostalgia plants itself in my mind. I find myself changing tactics as a last-ditch effort. “Tell me a happy something, Gray.”
His chuckle is empty. “Nah, we’re too old for that shit. But nice try. Don’t have any spare joy to share.”
I blink at the unshed tears slowly building momentum. I want to scream at him. Demand that he forgets the pain and anger for one second to see what’s standing right in front of him. But I force the fire down. “Want me to tell you one?”
“Won’t change my mind.”
I glance away to hide my wobbling lip and wet lashes. “Will you at least hold me for a bit? Like you used to during storms?”
“Sutt—”
“Please, Grady. I never ask for anything from you.” I scoot forward until my legs bump the mattress.
With a resigned sigh, he opens his arms. “All right, fine. Five minutes, then you’re going home. C’mere.”
I nod and quickly cuddle into his side. He smells of a hardworking man, that familiar mix of motor oil and fresh hay. I snuggle deeper while inhaling the scent of my dreams. “Remember the first happy something I gave you?”
Grady nods, his chin ghosting across my forehead. He doesn’t protest while I tug us along some pleasant highlights. I fill the chilly silence with sunny chatter. Grady doesn’t add to the conversation, keeping it one-sided. It’s probably for the best. Nothing he shares lately is good.
My five minutes loop several times before I run out of steam. We’re stuck at a fork in the road. Sad as it might be, I find myself turning in the direction that leads away from him. “I’ll miss you, Gray.”
A rumble rises off his chest. “Yeah? Try forgetting me while you’re at it. You’ll be better off.”
I don’t bother responding. With that final blow, a gate slams shut between us. The clang ripples through me, solidifying what I’ve been trying to deny. This is the end of us. But this has always been the story of a girl desperately in love with a boy. Irrevocably and unrequited.
I’m ready to leave these well-worn pages behind.
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Ask Me Why
One deep breath. Two slow blinks. Three hollow beats.
I’m still here.
After three years, that reminder isn’t as necessary. But everyone has their bad days. This is definitely one of them. Until an adorable little boy dashes into my store. His zest for life makes me smile in a way that’s been long lost. Then I meet his father.
Well, confront is more like it.
Brance Stone is volatile.
Offensive.
Harsh.
And can’t be bothered to care.
Not that I want him to. I get frostbite just looking into Brance’s glacial stare. But there’s something undeniable about him.
My misery suddenly craves company. The suffocating numbness lifts whenever Brance is near. That alone should have me running in the opposite direction. Try as I might, there’s no avoiding him. If only I could understand why. As if he’d let me.
I don’t ask. He doesn’t tell. A silent, bitter truce settles between us.
That was our first mistake.
It’s certainly not the last.
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GENT: An enemies to lovers standalone
Raven Elliot blasts into town like a wrecking ball—striking and devastating.
With a few simple words, my reliable routine crumbles to dust.
“Is this seat taken?”
I could close my eyes and let her voice wrap around me like a lover’s caress.
But this isn’t that type of story.
And I’m sure as hell not that kind of man.
She hovers in my space, batting her lashes and smiling shyly.
The glimmer in her sapphire eyes is a promise of peace.
But I’m not falling for it.
And Raven doesn’t take the hint.
What starts as a battle of wills, explodes into a turf war.
She stands directly in my path everywhere I turn.
No matter how hard I shove, she won’t budge.
Raven seems dead set on driving me insane.
But I was here first.
And I’m not going down easy.
After all, no one ever taught me how to treat a lady.
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LASS: A friends to lovers standalone
She’s the one I’ve been saving myself for.
Addison Walker is every fantasy I never dared to believe in.
Moving to this town was already monumental.
Finding her removes any lingering doubt.
She’s bold and vibrant.
Beautiful and confident.
Far too good for the likes of me.
Luckily, I’m not good at avoiding temptation.
But is she?
My desire is growing beyond control.
I’m done watching on the sidelines.
When opportunity strikes, I eagerly take advantage.
Signing on the dotted line before thinking twice.
The repercussions cross my mind far too late.
When she swiftly sticks me in the friend-zone, there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
Addison is just down the hall—might as well be miles away.
Every lingering glance drives me to the edge of sanity.
She speaks to my deepest cravings like a siren.
Our chemistry blurs every line.
This battle seems
