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350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 2016
“That boy is completely and irrevocably in love with you. He worships the ground you roll on. And it’s clear as day you love him back.”
Three things in my life were fact.
I needed Sarah to survive.
I needed sex to remain sane.
And I could never mix sex with Sarah.
I just knew—deep in my marrow—that if I did, I’d somehow lose her. All my deepest darkest secrets would crack open, bleed out, and ruin everything between us. I wouldn’t unleash the shit inside me on my worst enemy, let alone her. So she stayed strictly in the friend zone.
People probably thought I never went there with her because of her cerebral palsy, but f*ck them. She knew she was the most important person in my world, and I wasn’t about to risk hurting our relationship just to make my c*ck happy.
Until the moment she begged me to take her virginity.
Now it’s all about to hit the fan, because how the hell do you resist the one person forbidden to you when she says please?
As soon as she knew no one else was around, she shed the shyness and was my Sarah once again.
A part of me was pleased she was this way. No one else knew how fun and smart and sarcastic she really was, so I could hog her all to myself. I didn’t have to share her with anyone. Then again, I also worried about her because I couldn’t always be around, and her timid, withdrawn behavior made her a bigger target for bullies. The idea of people picking on her unnerved me.
I wanted to kick the ass of anyone who even looked at her wrong.
“This right here — every single piece of you — is very precious cargo to me. If anyone mistreated it, I’d lose my shit. You’re not just my best friend, you’re my sanity. You’re priceless.”
You’re his… If you haven’t noticed, the guy’s scarily protective of you.”
I scowled and gritted my teeth. “Yeah, I know he’s protective. But he doesn’t consider —“
“No.” Colton shook his head as if I actually had no clue… “You are HIS.”
I announced to my family that Sarah and I were together on Saturday morning, and I expected a lot bigger of a response than I got.
“Well, of course you are, dear,” Aspen said, patting my hand with an indulgent smile.
Noel frowned and shook his head. “I’m confused. You’re saying you two weren’t together before?”
I sighed and ground my teeth. “Well, it’s official now.”
It had become a habit for me to seek out Sarah whenever I was distressed. She was my sounding board, my voice of reason, my everything. She knew how to make me smile when I was down, how to listen when I wanted to rant.
That boy is completely and irrevocably in love with you. He worships the ground you roll upon. And it’s clear as day you love him back.
“This right here-every single piece of you-is very precious cargo to me. If anyone mistreated it, I’d lose my shit. You’re not just my best friend, you’re my sanity. You’re priceless, Sarah.”
“Oh my god, you���re such a pain in the ass.” Why, oh why, couldn’t he have just dropped it? “If you want to see me that bad, then come over and see me already. Jesus Christ.”
“Fine,” he said. “Be there in ten.”
I snorted. “Why not make it five, you clingy son of a bitch.”
“In that case, I’m already outside your window. Open up.”
I glanced out my window, only to gasp. “Oh my God.”
Except I totally would have, because she wasn’t a normal, average woman. She was the most precious thing in my life. I knew it was unnatural how much I relied on her to be there for me when I needed a friend, but I didn’t care. Sarah was priceless to me. I couldn’t help but be overprotective of her and snarl at any threat that came near her.
Pain wound so tight through my chest I could barely breathe. The one thing I could never handle was her tears. She rarely cried, so when she finally allowed them to fall, it was that much more devastating to me. Helpless frustration roared through me until I wanted to pound my fist against my truck.
“Hey,” I murmured. Since she looked as if she were on the verge of tears, I caught her chin and stared her straight in the eye. “If someone can’t look past a little shaking and see what kind of amazing person you are, then they’re a fucking idiot, and you don’t need to befriend someone that stupid, anyway.”
A single tear tracked down her cheek. I wiped it away. “You just being yourself is what made you my favorite person, so just keep being you, okay?”
Resting my cheek against her hair, I closed my eyes and tightened my grip on her, holding her closer. I hated it when she cried. When she hurt, I hurt. Feeling her tremors of sorrow ripped me to shreds.
“If you’re like disfigured-you know, down there-it wouldn’t bother me. I mean, heck, I probably wouldn’t even know the difference since I’ve never seen one before.”
I laughed, pretty sure that was her intent the entire time, to lighten the mood. “Shut up, smart-ass. I’m not disfigured.”
“Oh.” I swear, she actually sounded disappointed about that. “Well…whatever. I’m just saying, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
He only sniffed and glanced away. “Hey, if the guy can’t take a little heat, he should stay out of the kitchen.”
With a growl, I jabbed my finger in his direction. “Except this is the only time anyone’s ever wandered anywhere near my kitchen. Don’t fuck it up for me, please.”
His eyes flared. “Did you just compare a kitchen to your…” When his gaze wandered down to my lap, his expression filled with dismay as if I’d just traumatized him for life.
“You, me, together,” he said, his teeth nipping at my earlobe. “Permanently, being as clingy and possessive, jealous, space-invading boyfriend and girlfriend as we want, because this is happening. We are so fucking happening together. Whether you like it or not, you’re mine...just as I’ve been yours for years. So...do you got all that?”
“Hey, you two!” I yelled toward the opened door of my room. “Get your lips off each other, already, and pay a little attention to your son, why don’t you?”
My call worked. Seconds later, both Noel and Aspen appeared in the doorway.
“What’s he done now?” Noel asked.
“Nothing.” I shoved my wallet into my back pocket as I slipped my feet into my tennis shoes. “He’s just lonely. So stop trying to make him a new brother or sister and play with the one you have. I’ve got places to be.”
“You are not my mother.” His voice was low and certain as he spoke. “My mother’s name is Aspen.”