K.M. Neuhold

That damn soft, gooey, tender feeling gets bigger, almost too much to bear as he looks at me, a little sleepy and all kinds of sexy.

“I can’t even see anyone except for you, Honeybee. It’s crazy, and I never expected it, but there you have it.”

“Sure,” I say before I can think about it. You’d have to be a heartless monster to say no to a face like that, but goddamn do I not want to do this. Elijah can date, he should date, especially someone other than me. But I don’t want to have to see it, and I definitely don’t want to help.

“All of that is true,” he agrees, and I scowl at him. “But,” he tacks on, “you’re also kind under your tough outer shell, you’re funny when you let your guard down, and you have a big heart. You’re like one of those cactuses with the flowers that bloom on them.”

So, he hated me. My friends were quick to offer up endless opinions of why this might be, laughing as they ruthlessly roasted me, but none of it made sense to me. I figured if he was going to hate me for no reason, I might as well amuse myself with it.

Ren: I assure you, any food poisoning will be entirely on purpose, and not until I’m listed as a beneficiary on your life insurance policy

Cole: But I don’t have a life insurance policy

Ren: Yet

Cole: You are slightly frightening

Ren: Thank you

My stomach dances with longing, my fingers itching to reach out and touch him. How can I want him this badly? It’s like I’m addicted to him on a cellular level. God, it’s going to suck when this ends.

I cast a glare toward his house, half tempted to go back over there and yell at him all over again. My whole body heats at the idea, and I curse to myself again. I need to get a fucking grip.

The kiss washes over me like a tidal wave, his lips and tongue moving against mine hungrily. It’s more than pure sex; it’s a kiss that’s full of the kinds of promises I don’t trust anymore. 

I’m a free man after years of being shackled in a miserable relationship; the last thing I need is to fall into another relationship trap. No way, no how.