Excerpts:
Excerpt 1
Prologue
Heath
said he would never leave me.
He
promised that nothing, no one, would ever come between us.
I
was laying on the grass staring up at him, overwhelmed at how much I loved him,
and how intensely good it felt to have him sliding inside me, my sundress
shoved up around my waist. The ground beneath my back was hard, the grass cool
and dewy. My body hot. Tense.
“Cat,”
he murmured, his pale blue eyes locked onto me. “I don’t exist without you, you
know that, right? You make me who I am.”
A
year long friendship. A sly flirtation. All while falling deeply in love as we
were left mostly alone on the rocky shores of coastal Maine. It had all brought
us to that moment of surrender on the grass.
“I
love you,” I whispered, throat tight. No other words were right or weighty
enough to express what I was feeling as I gave him my virginity, my trust. I
felt full of him, body and soul, and nothing in my life had ever been so
perfect, so important.
“I
love you, too.” His tongue ran over my bottom lip as he came inside me, and all
his words echoed around and around in my head and my heart.
Yet
they were promises that were broken.
And
lies he told me.
Because
that was the last time I saw him.
Chapter
One
There
is a danger when you leave the past behind, and reinvent your life, that at
some point you’ll look at yourself, and no longer recognize who you see. I felt
that way the night of homecoming, getting ready with Aubrey, our hair, nails,
makeup done, dresses on and zipped.
“Oh,
my God, we look amazing,” she said, smiling at our reflections.
We
did.
I
didn’t want to grin, because it seemed super conceited to stand there and smile
at my own reflection, but I couldn’t prevent the corner of my mouth from
lifting up. There was nothing of the teenage Cat in the mirror, the girl with
the snarly long black hair who ran around barefoot, berry stains on my fingers.
The poor girl who never had the right clothes. There was only Caitlyn, college
junior, vice-president of my sorority, well-dressed, well-liked. I had worked
hard to be her, and there she was, in a cobalt blue dress going to the
homecoming dance with her perfect boyfriend, Ethan Walsh.
And
somehow she was me.
The
ultimate makeover that none of my UMaine friends even knew had happened. They
all thought I’d been born that way, like they had. Shit together, supportive
families, promising futures. I’d had none of that, and now I did.
“My
brother is going to swoon when he sees you,” Aubrey said, messing with a curl
on her updo. “He’s already ridiculously in love with you. This dress will make
him go all Byron on your ass.”
“Bryon
wrote besotted poetry, but he was also involved with married women and most
likely was bi-sexual. I don’t need Ethan to pull a Byron,” I said, amused,
adjusting my shoes. “I kind of like him faithful and into girls, specifically
me.”
Aubrey
and I had been friends first, paired together in a bio lab as freshmen, and
through her, I had met Ethan. It had started out between us as a quiet
friendship but had grown into something more as I realized that he was solid.
Loyal. Hashtag No Drama.
Unlike
some people who had to remain nameless because they didn’t exist, and I was
never talking about them ever again. People who just walked out on you without
a word and disappeared from all social media and you heard not one goddamn
thing from in four years and they could be dead for all you knew.
Those
people were Drama and I was staying away from that type this ride on the
relationship merry-go-round. Ethan didn’t make me burn for him, but Ethan
didn’t make me doubt myself or my sanity either.
Ethan
had never made me cry.
“You
ready?” I asked Aubrey. I was excited for the whole homecoming thing and I
didn’t want to miss the grand entrance, where all the sorority guests walked
under the arch of all the guys’ arms at their frat house. It was cheesy and
retro, but I liked that about it. There was something awesome about strolling
through all the guys, looking hot, having your escort meet you halfway. For
someone who never had tradition growing up, I enjoyed every single moment being
a Black Bear and a sorority member.
“Yep.”
She pulled on a thick black coat. “You know, it would really be nice if for
once it wasn’t like five degrees outside for homecoming.”
“If
you want that, you’ll have to move.” I didn’t mind the weather. I had always
liked that summers were mild, the air still breathable. Fall and spring crisp,
the salty smell of the ocean in the air back home. There at school, I liked the
dense foliage, the thick snow on top of the trees. It felt cozy to me, even if
it was cold.
“You
know I’m applying to every grad school down south that I can find that has a
forensic psychology program. I’m so over the snow.”
“There
is no snow outside. It’s October and you’re being dramatic.” I put my own coat
on and grabbed my clutch. We made sure the door to her room clicked shut behind
us before heading down the hall. The sorority house was quiet, which meant we
were late. I walked faster.
“There
will be snow. Soon. It pops up when you least expect it. Like a random dude’s
hard on.”
That
made me laugh. “Aub, there are warnings before a snowfall, just like there are
with hard ons. There are verbal and nonverbal cues.” We went down the stairs,
holding onto the railing with a death grip. I wasn’t that awesome with the
three inch heels and my perspective was totally off.
Nothing
was going to ruin my night, certainly not a face plant down the stairs.
“You
are always so logical. You and Ethan are like the most reasonable people ever.”
Aubrey hit the bottom landing and moved towards the front door. “I can’t believe
my date is a freshman. How pathetic is that? I am going to homecoming with my
older brother’s frat baby brother. My love life has been reduced to handouts.”
I
felt bad that Aubrey was feeling bad about not being with someone right then.
“At least you know that Colton really wants to go with you. You’re a junior and
gorgeous and he’s totally in heaven.”
“Whether
he wanted to go with me or not is irrelevant. He couldn’t say no to Ethan. My
brother runs the fraternity. Colton isn’t stupid.”
“He’s
also cute, so what are you complaining about?”
“It’s
my superpower,” she told me, giving me a smile that promptly disappeared when
we started down the sidewalk, the wind cutting through our coats and across our
legs. “Fuck me, it’s cold!”
It
didn’t seem that bad to me, but truthfully, Aubrey didn’t need me to respond.
We only had a short way to walk anyway and when we got to the Gamma house, it
was completely lit up, couples milling all over the front path and visible
through the windows. The receiving line of frat brothers was still in place and
music was pumping out the open front door.
“Here
we go,”Aubrey sighed. “Enter the arch of assholes on your way into the world’s
most lamest homecoming dance.”
Yet
I was grinning while suppressing a girly squeal. Aubrey took all of this for
granted but I’d never expected to have any of it, so for me it was everything
I’d ever wanted. With poorly hung blue streamers wrapped around the front porch
posts to cap it off. The guys started chanting some fraternity call as we
walked under their arms and even though Aubrey rolled her eyes, I thought she
secretly liked the catcalls and compliments they tossed our way.
“Wowsa!”
“Holla,
sexy!”
One
guy mimicked “call me” with his fingers by his face before winking.
I
gave him a nod of acknowledgement and paused to take a pic with my friend Jay
who yanked me out of the middle for a second, phone in hand.
After
Jay let me go and I readjusted my purse under my arm, I stopped walking, goose
bumps racing up my legs and across my exposed cleavage. It felt like someone
was staring at me, that sensation when eyes drag across you longer than is
appropriate.
Which
was stupid. Of course someone was staring at me. Lots of guys were staring at
me. It was the whole point.
Duh,
Caitlyn.
Giving
myself a mental eye roll, I started to search the remaining line for Ethan.
And
instead my eyes landed on the back of a dark head, disappearing into the house,
a shiver jiggling my shoulders unexpectedly. Walking on my grave. That’s what
my father would say. Which never made a damn bit of sense to me, since I wasn’t
dead and didn’t have a grave, but I always just took it to mean it was an
ominous sign when you felt it.
“Who
is that?” I asked Aubrey, looping my hand through her arm so I could lean in
and talk to her.
“Who
is who?”
“That
guy who just went into the house.” He had seemed familiar. I must know him. I
knew most of the Gamma guys.
She
glanced up. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Never
mind.” It was just a guy. It was clearly bothering me only because I hadn’t
recognized him on sight, but how many guys did I recognize from a ten second
glimpse at the back of their freaking head? It was stupid. Half the guys on
campus had the same short, spiky haircut. Plus they were all wearing suits, so
of course they looked nearly identical. It was like trying to pick out one
penguin from another.
Before
I could say anything further though, Ethan stepped out from the line, suddenly
appearing in front of me, a smile on his face. “Hey, Caitlyn.”
He
had one hand in his pocket. “You look beautiful,” he said, his eyes filled with
lust and admiration.
“Thanks.”
Sometimes when I was with Ethan, I wasn’t sure what he saw when he looked at
me. But I wasn’t stupid enough to ask. I just enjoyed it.
“You
look sexy.” I reached out and put my hands on his lapels.
His
eyebrows rose but he laughed as his hand fell out of his pocket and onto the
back of my waist. “Thanks.” He leaned in and kissed my temple, his warm breath
teasing at my eyelashes. “I feel like the luckiest guy here tonight.”
He
had light blue eyes, the color of the ocean in Mexico, not the ocean here in
Maine. At home on the coast our water was dark and stormy, nearly black. There
was nothing dark about Ethan. He had light hair, light eyes, a light
personality. Those eyes were sparkling as he firmly took one of my hands,
turned us toward the house, and lifted a flask to his mouth with the other.
“Sip?”
“I’m
underage,” I said, teasingly, knowing he didn’t care.
“You’re
old enough.”
I
took a swallow. He was twenty-two already, perfectly legal. Perfectly gorgeous.
As the whiskey ran down my throat and settled into my limbs and between my
thighs, I felt grateful that Ethan had been capable of drawing out desire from
me. No one had been able to before. Not since Heath. I’d started to think no
one ever would be able to again. Yet Ethan had slowly, steadily, one kiss, one
touch at a time, until finally I had been ready and willing to have sex with
him.
He
turned back to his sister. “You look pretty, Aubrey. I like the dress.”
“Thanks.”
She was giving Colton a grimace.
The
poor guy towered over her by about a foot and a half and he kept bending over
to talk to her, at one point knocking her purse out of her hand.
“Shit,
sorry,” he murmured.
I
gave her a look to indicate she should go easy on him, but then I was
distracted by Ethan saying, “Smile.”
“What?”
I turned and realized he wanted to pose in front of the frat house. I smiled
for the camera, his arm outstretched to hold his phone. “Don’t you want someone
else to take a picture for you? So we can pose better?”
But
he shrugged. “We can do that later.”
Walking
into the house was like having the red sea part for Moses.
Everyone
moved out of his way. Everyone greeted him with a smile.
Ethan
was the It Guy. He was a senior, pre-law, an excellent student, with a solid
plan for his future in mind. He played soccer, ran the fraternity, and
volunteered as a tutor. Everyone knew that he was going places and almost more
importantly, he was a good guy, a standup friend and never an asshole.
As
a boyfriend, he was equally awesome. On time and considerate, he gave me
compliments and paid for everything. There was literally nothing wrong with
him.
I
was proud to be on his arm. I was proud of him.
The
music was pumping and because he knew I liked to dance, he put my coat in the
makeshift coatroom off the foyer and led me to the dance floor in the main
room. Couple were already grinding on each other and flailing around. Dancing
was probably the one thing Ethan wasn’t so hot at. But he knew it and still
tried anyway and had a sense of humor about it. Mostly his dancing involved
spinning me in circles or pulling me against him at random intervals.
Our
rhythm was always off each other and we couldn’t even seem to grind properly.
Instead of winding up between his legs dirty dancing I kept bouncing off his
chest. “This isn’t working!” I said loudly over the music, laughing.
“I
suck, I’m sorry.” He leaned over and gave me a kiss. “Want something to drink?
You dance, I’ll forage.”
“That
would be awesome, thanks.”
He
lingered briefly, giving me a serious look, one that made my insides melt.
“I
love you,” he murmured.
My
heart swelled in appreciation the way it always did when he shared his feelings.
“I love you, too.”
He
squeezed my hand and left, and I joined a group of girls who were dancing
together, jumping up and down.
We
made it through two songs before suddenly the music cut out. “What’s going on?”
the girl next to me, Olivia, asked.
“I
have no idea.”
Aubrey
had come into the room and she headed straight over to me. “Caitlyn! You have
to come to the foyer. Ethan sent me to get you.”
“What?
Why? What’s going on? Is Ethan okay?” He’d been gone for all of eight minutes.
I had no clue why he wanted to see me.
She
was biting her lip and her eyes were huge. “Everything is fine. Shut up and
come with me.” Aubrey’s eyes were even lighter than Ethan’s and there was an
odd gleam in them.
Nerves
made me tense up as she dragged me by the hand. People were glancing over at me
and there was a sense of anticipation in the room. I didn’t like being the
center of attention. I never had. As a kid, I’d mostly been outdoors running
around on my own or with my brother, and later, with Heath. School and public
events were things I had equated with shame and humiliation, being mocked and
teased. I had learned to be defiant, to raise my chin up, to fight back with
barbs and an air of nonchalance to prove I didn’t give a shit. But I did. I
always had, and my prickly pride was back in place as I felt all those eyes on
me.
But
Ethan was standing at the foot of the grand staircase, smiling, and I told
myself to take a deep breath, put away the attitude. These people didn’t know
that Cat and I belonged here. I fit in. The Gamma house was turn of the century
and while the staircase was no Jack and Rose on the Titanic deal, it was
impressive with its wooden spindles. Classic New England.
“Here
she is,” Aubrey said in a weird, singsong voice.
“Ethan?”
My voice sounded unsure and I wished I’d hit that flask a little harder. I was
trying to remember if there was some tradition involving the fraternity
president at homecoming, but I couldn’t think of anything.
“Come
up here,” Ethan urged me, taking my hand and leading up the steps to the first
landing.
I
looked down and saw fifty people staring up at us expectantly. “What is going
on?” My heart was racing and my palms were clammy. When I turned back, I wobbled
a little in my heels and squeezed his hands hard, wanting to be clued in.
Surprises suck. Surprises are selfish, because they’re only fun for the person
giving them, not the person receiving them.
But
then he went down on one knee and for a second I thought I might actually pass
out. What the what? He wasn’t. He couldn’t be.
He
was.
The
box came out of his jacket. His blue eyes were earnest. He spoke words but I
didn’t hear them. The room was hot yet my skin felt cold. I had goose bumps and
a nervous twitch in my hands and I was aware of so many bodies below us,
shuffling and whispering, a low hum, like insects on a summer night. Yet all I
could really see was Ethan’s face, and I focused hard on him, on those eyes, on
his lips moving, afraid I was dreaming. That I would wake up and it would all
be gone.
“Caitlyn
Michaud, will you marry me?”
I
nodded, because I couldn’t speak, because this couldn’t be happening. My throat
felt closed, and there were tears in my eyes. Yet Ethan wanted to marry me, and
that was a huge ass halo cut diamond ring staring up at me from the velvet of
the ring box. But then I managed to say, “Yes. Yes, I will marry you.”
Because
only an idiot would say no.
I
loved him and this was everything I could have ever asked for and more.
He
gave a whoop and stood up, taking the platinum band from the box and sliding it
onto my finger. It fit. Perfectly. For the crowd downstairs, he fist pumped and
they all cheered and shouted. I laughed, feeling the blush race across my
cheeks. It was real. Ethan had just proposed and I had the hefty weight of a
rock on my finger to prove it. Aubrey was jumping up and down and grinning.
Ethan
grabbed me in a bear hug and kissed me, hard. “God, you make me so happy.”
I
laughed and let him squeeze me tight. It was perfect. Ethan was perfect. And we
would have a perfect life.
But
then over his shoulder I spotted a guy standing at the top of the stairs, in
the shadows.
I
stopped laughing.
My
stomach clenched and my breath caught.
Ethan
jostled me and I fought to focus on what I was seeing.
It
couldn’t be…
But
it was. The dark head that had seemed familiar earlier was familiar.
Because
it was my first love. My soulmate.
Heath.
Watching
me.
Excerpt 2
I
blinked, sure I was wrong. But I wasn’t. It was him, with shorter
hair and broader shoulders.
“Heath!”
I yelled out, overcome with shock and joy that he was there. Alive.
Not dead in a ditch or in prison. “Oh, my God!”
Stepping
away from Ethan, I squeezed his forearms to indicate it was okay. Then
without thought for the fact that everyone was still staring at me or that I
had just gotten engaged sixty seconds earlier, I ran in my high heels the ten
feet to Heath hovering in the shadows and threw myself at him.
“Hey,
Cat,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tight against his
chest. His lips buried into my hair.
I
sank against him, breathing in deeply. He smelled the same, earthy and
masculine. He felt different, bigger, more muscular, but his hands were
just as I remembered, strong and tender, and his voice was low, casual. A
thousand memories assaulted me all at once, running along the coast, going out
on the water in a stolen boat, laughing, talking. Kissing.
“Oh,
God,” I whispered, pulling back to study his face, to cup his cheeks and
outline his bottom lip with my thumb. I couldn’t believe it was
real. He was real. “You’re alive. You’re here.”
The
corner of his mouth turned up. “I am.”
“Caitlyn,
who is this?” Ethan had come up behind me and his hand landed on the small of
my back.
I
suddenly realized how close I was to Heath and I jerked back, cheeks flushing
with heat. My hands shook and my voice sounded high-pitched and
breathless. “Ethan! This is Heath, my…
There
was no way I could explain who Heath really was to me. How much he had
meant. How I thought I wouldn’t survive when he left. What it meant
to have him punch a hole in my perfect world now and walk back into it.
“My
brother,” I finished.
As
Ethan’s eye’s bulged, Heath gave a soft snort of derision beside me.
“You
have a brother?” Ethan asked, sounding completely astonished, as he
should. “I didn’t know you have a brother.”
I
did. A biological one that I no longer spoke to and who I didn’t
acknowledge, but Ethan didn’t know that, and I never wanted him to.
“Is
that what I am?” Heath asked, sounding both amused and annoyed. “A
brother from another mother, Cat?”
“He’s
my foster brother,” I added. “My family always took in foster kids and
some stayed longer than others. Heath stayed long enough that we got
close.” In a manner of speaking.
“I
didn’t know that. You never mentioned foster siblings.”
Shit.
Ethan was looking at me like he didn’t know me. But he did. He knew
the me I wanted to be, the me I could be. I didn’t want to drag him
through my past. But here was Heath. My past. And who I had
once considered my present and my future.
Speaking
of…
“Where
the hell have you been?” I asked Heath, my initial excitement turning to
frustration as I realized that he had just appeared out of nowhere and hadn’t
even bothered to speak to me first. Let alone any sort of text or other
contact.
He
shrugged. “Around.”
Seriously?
I went straight into pissed off. Four fucking years. Four years and
not a word. “That’s not an answer. I thought you were dead!”
“Not
dead. Though I wasn’t aware you would care either way.”
Was
he crazy? Confusion made my breath shallow, my palms sweat. I had
suffered when he left. I had cried until I threw up. I had taken
off after him, only to walk two miles and realize I had no idea when he’d left
or where he was going. I had stalked him online, never finding
anything. I had stopped eating. Stopped showering.
And
he was going to stand there and act like I hadn’t cared?
“How
could you say that?” My voice shook.
But
his eyes just studied me, dark and angry. “Maybe this isn’t the time or
the place to discuss it.” He took my hand into his.
My
frustration faded at his touch. A deep, intense longing rose up in
me. God, I had missed him. But he merely turned my hand so that my
new engagement ring was visible.
“Congratulations,
Cat.” A mocking smile crossed his face. His jaw was tense. He
took my hand and gave it to Ethan, who laced his fingers through mine.
“I’m
Heath, Cat’s foster brother, like she said,” he told Ethan, and I could hear
the edgy irony in his voice. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Ethan
Walsh. Nice to meet you, too. It sounds like you and Caitlyn have a
lot of catching up to do. Maybe tomorrow we can all grab some coffee.”
“Sure.
Sounds delightful.”
That
was attitude. Plain and simple. My eyes narrowed at Heath and I
shook my head slightly in warning. What the hell was he doing? Why
was he even there?
“I
didn’t mean to interrupt a big moment,” he added. “I’m heading
downstairs.”
A
million questions were racing through my head, but there was no way to ask
them. Not where we were. Not with who I was with listening.
Ethan
stuck his hand out, because Ethan had good manners. For a second Heath
just stared at it, but then he took it and shook briefly.
I’d
never seen him in a suit before. He looked… dangerous. Very James
Bond. He was even better looking than I remembered and I had spent a lot
of time coaxing his image out of my memory banks. Especially alone in my
bed late at night when I was lonely and my body ached.
“See
ya,” he told me casually, before turning and leaving.
Excerpt 3
“Did
you have sex with him?” Ethan asked, catching me off guard.
He
had never asked me details about my past boyfriends. He’d known I was
almost a virgin, had known I needed him to go slow. But he had never
asked who the one guy was and I had appreciated that.
That
he just asked now, so boldly, in the hallway, unnerved me. “What?”
I knew I should tell the truth. But I was afraid. Afraid that Ethan
would see what Heath had meant to me. So before I could think about the
consequences, I lied. “No. Of course not.”
He
knew I was lying. I could see it in his eyes. But he didn’t call me
out on it.
Instead,
that night when we got back to his apartment a few streets from the fraternity
house, Ethan fucked me. He’d never done that. Not the way he did
that night. He had always been tender, thoughtful, gentle with me,
pausing to ask if I was okay, spending the majority of his time on pleasing
me. Coaxing me open and wet with kisses, hand strokes, his tongue between
my thighs, before he entered me. He’d never been rough.
But
as soon as we got in the apartment, he pushed me against the wall and kissed me
hard, hand yanking up the skirt of my dress. His fingers were frantic
stroking over me, in me, his tongue plunging deep into my mouth. I wanted
to tell him to slow it down, let me catch up, but I couldn’t because I knew why
he was doing it. He was staking a claim, putting his stamp on me.
Reminding himself that he had me, and Heath didn’t.
I
couldn’t deny him that, not when I knew what he must have seen on my face, not
when the very night Ethan had asked me to marry him, I had been distracted and
emotional over someone he had never even heard me talk about. If our
roles had been reversed, I would need reassurance too, if some random chick
showed up out of nowhere, and I wanted to give him that.
So
when he pulled the zipper down my back and shoved my dress to the floor, I let
him. I let him peel off my bra and suck my nipples with uncharacteristic
roughness, surprised that my body did respond. It was different, yet I
liked it. It was the distraction I needed and I gripped Ethan’s head, my
own falling back as I moaned. I loved Ethan. His ring was on my
hand, invisible in the dark, but foreign on my finger, so that I was very aware
of it.
His
touch trailed down my stomach and bending down, he pulled my panties to the
side so he could shatter me with his tongue. I held onto his shoulders
and gave him the moans he wanted, my verbal commitment in oral sex form.
“Yes, Ethan, yes.”
As
soon as I came, he stood up, unzipping his pants and lifting his erection
out. I fought for breath as he lightly smacked my thigh. “Wrap your
leg around me,” he said urgently.
I
obeyed and then my back hit the wall hard as he pushed into me. All the
air left my lungs before I sucked in another breath, holding onto his shoulders
for balance.
“I
love you,” he said, panting, his forehead pressing against mine.
But
all I could think was that for the first time ever he hadn’t used a condom.
And
his head was hard, his air stealing mine. I felt pressed,
smothered.
Turning my head to steal a fresh breath I whispered, “I love
you, too.” Then after another thrust, felt compelled to remind him, “You
have to pull out. Ethan. Please.”
Because
he was Ethan, he did. He gave a groan of frustration but he pulled back,
raking his hands through his hair. “Oh, my God, you felt so good.
God. Caitlyn. Are you sure I can’t…”
The
thought of getting pregnant had me shaking my head rapidly. “I’m sorry…
no, we can’t…”
“Shit.
I know. I know.” He helped me step out of the circle of my dress on
the floor and he took me to the bed, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly
with the urgency of his breathing. “I’m sorry.”
Once
in his room, he was careful Ethan again, undressing himself and worshipfully
taking off my bra and panties.
He
was quieter, more subdued, in control again.
When
he pulled me onto his chest afterwards, for the first time ever I felt there
was a gap between us.
And
I was afraid I knew exactly who had created it.
You Make Me by Erin McCarthy
(Blurred Lines #1)
Publication date: April 21st 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Publication date: April 21st 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
The guy she wants…
Growing up on the coast of Maine with a revolving door of foster siblings, Caitlyn Michaud spent one intense and passionate year falling in love with her foster brother, Heath. Then he left without a word. The betrayal devastated Caitlyn and made her vow to forget the compelling bad boy. But forgetting his sensual touch and their deep all-consuming friendship is easier said than done.
Isn’t the guy she needs…
Determined to move on, in college Caitlyn has risen above her small town impoverished roots and has joined a sorority, reinvented her appearance, and landed the right boyfriend. Pre-law major and frat president, Ethan, is thoughtful and always laughing, and he makes her feel happy, calm. He also gives her the social acceptance she craves.
But the perfect world she tried so hard to attain is ripped apart when Heath appears one night out of nowhere. Caitlyn remembers all the reasons why she loves him, even if they don’t make sense to anyone but her. Out of the military, Heath is as brooding and intense as ever, and he is determined not only to win her back, but to exact revenge on everyone who kept him from her…
And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them?
Growing up on the coast of Maine with a revolving door of foster siblings, Caitlyn Michaud spent one intense and passionate year falling in love with her foster brother, Heath. Then he left without a word. The betrayal devastated Caitlyn and made her vow to forget the compelling bad boy. But forgetting his sensual touch and their deep all-consuming friendship is easier said than done.
Isn’t the guy she needs…
Determined to move on, in college Caitlyn has risen above her small town impoverished roots and has joined a sorority, reinvented her appearance, and landed the right boyfriend. Pre-law major and frat president, Ethan, is thoughtful and always laughing, and he makes her feel happy, calm. He also gives her the social acceptance she craves.
But the perfect world she tried so hard to attain is ripped apart when Heath appears one night out of nowhere. Caitlyn remembers all the reasons why she loves him, even if they don’t make sense to anyone but her. Out of the military, Heath is as brooding and intense as ever, and he is determined not only to win her back, but to exact revenge on everyone who kept him from her…
And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them?
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AUTHOR BIO
USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written almost fifty novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for New Orleans, tattoos, high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Ohio with her family, two grumpy cats and a socially awkward dog.
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