FAZER LOGINCARLA The air in the kitchen was thick enough to choke on. I knew the risk. My mom could burst through that door at any second—she was always forgetting something —but the danger only made the blood rush faster through my veins. It only made me all the more excited. It was thrilling. It was the most alive I’d felt since the day he moved in. I closed my eyes for a second, letting the tension peak, and then I leaned in. I pressed my lips against his. They were soft, yet firm, tasting faintly of the coffee he’d probably had earlier. For a heartbeat, Blake remained perfectly still. He was like a statue, unmoving and unresponsive. My heart sank for a second, and I felt the first sting of embarrassment. I opened my eyes slowly, figuring his lack of movement was my cue to back out and pretend the whole thing had been a very extreme joke. But just as I started to pull away, his hands shot out. His strong, calloused fingers wrapped around my waist with a grip that was borderline posse
CARLA I stepped out of my bedroom, the floorboards cold against my bare feet, and the scent of sizzling butter hit me before I even reached the hallway. I didn't need to check the time to know my mom was not home. She’d been pulling double shifts at the clinic for a week, trying all her best to build a future for us. I used to think her version of a future was as bleak as her taste in fashion, or anything but two weeks ago, that changed. I rounded the corner into the kitchen and stopped dead. Blake was right there standing by the stove, his back to me. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung grey sweatpants that clung to his hips in a way that should have been illegal. He was flipping an egg with a spatula, his movements fluid and precise, like he was a professional chef in some five-star kitchen instead of a guy making breakfast in a suburban ranch house. The morning sun streamed through the window, catching the sheen of sweat on his skin. Every time he
SYDNEY I swallowed nervously, my heart hammering a rhythm so loud it felt like it was echoing off the velvet-covered walls of the VIP suite. Then the door creaked open with a slow groan and two figures stepped out of the shadows. As they walked into the soft, crimson glow of the light, my eyes widened, and the air in my lungs suddenly felt like it had turned to lead. The recognition hit me hard. My breath caught in the back of my throat, and I felt the room tilt just a little. I turned to Camden, my voice a shaky whisper. "You did not..." Camden didn't look a bit surprised. He just leaned back, a dark, triumphant smirk playing on his lips. "I told you I wanted this to be special, Syd. I told you I wanted to give you something you’d never forget." I turned back to the newcomers. My legs felt like they were made of jelly as I stood up. Stepping toward me was a man I had seen a thousand times, but only through a backlit screen in the dead of night when Cole was halfway across
SYDNEY The steam curled around me in thick, lazy ribbons as I stepped out of the bathtub, my skin flushed in a deep, rosy pink from the heat. I swiftly grabbed my plush white cotton robe and slid into it, the fabric feeling like a cool caress against my damp shoulders. As I stood there, humming a mindless pop song I’d heard on the radio, I caught my reflection in the full length mirror by the wall. Today was my wedding anniversary. Five years. A “milestone,” as my mother would call it. But as usual, Cole was nowhere to be found. He was currently thirty thousand feet in the air or already touching down in Beijing for a very crucial business trip that apparently couldn't wait for a single night of domestic bliss. Plus he’d be there for the next two weeks. Two good weeks. I’d gotten used to the empty side of the bed. I’d gotten used to the expensive "I’m sorry" jewelry that showed up via FedEx three days late. But what I hadn't gotten used to—and what I refused to accept—was
LAUREN "Oh my god, what would I do without you?" Taylor cried, lunging forward and hugging me so tightly I could barely breathe. "You’re the best friend anyone could ask for. Seriously." She pulled back, wiping her eyes and tucking a stray blonde extension behind her ear. "He’s more than likely at Liam’s place downtown. They’ve been holed up there all week 'gaming,' which is just code for drinking beer and going berserk. Go there now. Please." "Aye captain, I'm on it," I said, grabbing my purse and heading for the door before she could change her mind. Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to Liam’s apartment. It was a brick building that had seen better days, tucked into a corner of downtown that always smelled like exhaust and cheap pizza. My heart was racing with every step I took toward the entrance. This wasn't just a mission of seeking mercy; this was a heist. I found Liam in the common area, sitting on a raggedy recliner. He looked up as I walked in, a half-eaten taco in one
LAUREN I knew I should have never harbored a single feeling for Nolan Balor. I knew it from the very first day Taylor brought him over to our dorm, grinning like she’d just won the lottery. He was tall, with that messy dark hair and eyes that looked like they could see right through your clothes if he stared long enough. He was her boyfriend, which meant he was totally off-limits, a forbidden zone, a geographical location on the map of my life that should have been cordoned off with yellow police tape. But somehow, I’ve never been the kind of girl to play it safe. I’ve never been one to stick to the rules, especially when the rules felt like they were designed to keep me away from the only thing I actually wanted. Does that make me a bad friend? Probably. Actually, definitely. If there was a handbook for "How Not to Be a Total Backstabber," I’d probably be the lead example in the first chapter. But honestly, standing there day after day, watching them together, I reached a
ENID The sanctuary of the church was cold, filled with the heavy scent of lilies and the muffled sounds of people who were probably only there to be seen. My mother had picked out a satin dress for me, a dress that felt like a secondary layer of skin—a deep navy blue color that clung to every cu
ENIDThe way he kept saying "Get out" shouldn't have been terrifying. I mean it was a basic command, a very simple directive if you ask me. But coming from Knox Steele, in that gravelly, no-nonsense baritone, it made my knees suddenly feel like they were made of jelly even if I was still sitting.
FINN“And my job is to clean up, Mr Sterling.” she said reassuringly, boldly picking the challenge I was throwing. I had her pinned between my desk and my body, the scent of her—a mix of industrial lavender and something soft, like honey and vanilla—filling my lungs until I just couldn't think str
ENID “Hello, this is your captain speaking. We’ve started our descent…” The rest of the words faded into the background as the captain’s voice crackled over the intercom, a distant, disembodied drone announcing our descent into the O’Hare International Airport. For me, it felt like I was just ab







