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N I N E T Y - S I X
The engine purred, filling the silence that consumed the car interior. Since the night at Austin’s bar, it was like Kate had relapsed – back to being afraid of every bump in the night and unable to be left on her own for longer than a few minutes. The vivid nightmares returned; cool blue eyes piercing through her flailing disposition as strong hands squeezed the delicate cartilage of her throat. Colton’s husky voice derailed her train of destructive thoughts, concerned eyes narrowing in on her. “You okay?”
She hummed in acknowledgment, her teeth picking at the shredded cuticles. Colton’s hand lifted, tugging her into his chest as he stroked her hair, lips tenderly brushing against the top of her head.
“I’ll always be right here. He has to get through me first and I’ll fight to the death for you, Kate. I fucking swear it.”
The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach expanded, her heart cinching at the
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Rude Awakenings N I N E T Y - S E V E N
This was not the way it was supposed to turn out.Every single thing she’d done so far had only served to infuriate Preston, to elicit yet another condescending berating about all the things she’d managed to fuck up in their short span of working together. The police being called to the gym had somehow been her fault. Her stay at Colton’s being cut short had earned her an earful, regardless of the fact that Kate worked for a goddamn domestic violence organization – and one that found accommodation for victims at that. She did admit that destroying Colton’s mother’s dress had been a grave error, one triggered by her jealousy listening to the breathy moans traveling from their bedroom, Kate’s needy whimpers and Colton’s erotic grunts. She’d started looking for a distraction and lo and behold, the dress had been right there, perfectly positioned beneath her bed as if it were waiting for her. As she unboxed it, realizing exact
Rude Awakenings N I N E T Y - E I G H T
Kate sat at the counter, tapping her foot lightly against the metal base of the stool, black-painted nails drumming on the reactive glaze of her mug, glasses fogging up as she took a long sip of coffee. Soft music trickled from Colton’s ancient boom box, stashed precariously in the narrow corner of the countertop; his first port of call every morning. It had quickly become Kate’s favourite part of the day, hearing the hard click of the switch, followed by the grainy tunes dancing through the quiet apartment, Colton’s raspy morning voice joining in on the symphony. She smiled at the thought, flipping over the page of the newspaper as she mouthed along to the old school rock filtering through the kitchen.The front door creaked as it opened, Kate’s gaze traversing over her shoulder and smiling at the sweaty figure slipping through the entrance. His wifebeater was bunched in his fist, basketball shorts sitting low on the deep v crease of his hips, his thi
Rude Awakenings N I N E T Y - N I N E
The bed squeaked as Kate shifted, one arm sleepily reaching out for the solid mass that was Colton. Her palm hit cool linen, the empty space beside her in Paloma’s small spare bed feeling gigantic. There was no lingering scent of cigarettes, no woody leather or mint from his toothpaste drifting in her direction, no soothing touch from his callused fingertips… It always took her being away from him to realize just how prominent his presence was in her life. The memories of yesterday morning came flooding back; the envelope, the photograph, Colton kicking her out again.From beside her, her cell vibrated – almost off the nightstand where she’d precariously balanced it before she fell asleep – and she jolted upright, scrambling to answer the call. She’d planned to be furious at Colton, but the lack of his presence had made her far too forgiving… already.“Hello?”“Hey, sorry I missed your
Rude Awakenings O N E H U N D R E D
Boots thumped up the staircase, a harsh clomp that resounded in Colton’s ears – yet another set of feet that weren’t Kate’s. He’d called fuck knows how many times, each time the phone ringing out, her sweet lilt echoing through the speaker, requesting he leave a message. He had. Too many to count, desperation sinking in as he reverted from casually wanting to talk to pleading for her to return his calls. Just as his thoughts wandered to the image of Harry’s hand against her forearm burned in his mind, the door handle twisted, Colton’s eyes snapping across to watch. It turned one way and then the other, before a hard fist collided with the wood, a loud knock echoing through the apartment. Dark brows knitted together, the realization that it wasn’t Kate returning only making way for more questions.Pushing himself off the kitchen stool, he padded to the front door, bare feet scuffing against the floor. As his hand hit the co
Rude Awakenings O N E H U N D R E D & O N E
“Yeah… okay, if you think it’s the best idea,” Paloma sighed, picking at the chipped edge of her teacup, brown eyes rolling as she glanced toward Kate. “Uh-huh. Well, it makes no sense to me, but if you insist… okay, see you tomorrow. Yeah, I love you too. Bye. Bye. Yes, Heath, buh-bye.” Clicking off her phone, she laughed, rubbing the corners of her eyes as she shook her head. “I willneverunderstand how men’s friendships work.”“Why? What happened?” She nibbled on one of the cookies Paloma had laid out before her, hoping her interest in Colton’s reaction came off nonchalant and casual.Paloma didn’t buy it, one eyebrow rising smugly as she sipped her tea. “Colton didn’t take it too well, but did you really think it’d go any differently?” She waited for Kate’s solemn head shake before continuing. “Heath told me to leave be
Rude Awakenings O N E H U N D R E D & T W O
“Hey Katie baby, you miss me?”Her heart dropped, stomach slowly swirling down into the depths of the drain beneath her feet; terrified eyes glazed with a sheet of tears stared up at the man before her, horror embedded in her ashen features. Shaking fingers tugged at the too-short hem of her dress, desperately attempting to cover the vast amount of skin Paloma insisted on her showing. Hesitantly, she tore her gaze from his, rapidly scanning the cubicles in the hopes of finding a locked door, an indication that someone was here to help her… or die with her. The thought slithered through her veins, an icy snake that turned her blood cold.“Wh-what are you d-doing here?” she stammered, scuffling backward just enough to give her room to breathe. She sucked in a hefty breath, the rancid air of the bathroom penetrated by the insufferable blanket of his cologne.Unnaturally straight teeth swept into a wide grin, the suaveness of his voice
Rude Awakenings O N E H U N D R E D & T H R E E
“You…” his words trailed off, his smooth voice of disbelief reminding her for a millisecond of Colton; of the way he struggled so often to believe she loved him, to believe she wouldn’t run away. He was messed up, but she knew that when she met him, when she fell in love with him. Her heart sank at the thought of him sitting in their apartment, wondering how the hell they could make this work… wondering if it was possible for him to ever be in a healthy, functioning relationship. It sank lower at the thought that maybe it wasn’t.“You love me?” Preston’s voice banged through her ears, drawing her back to the rancid bathroom, to the preened man before her with his baby blue eyes wide in disbelief. “I - I didn’t think you’d admit it.”Kate wondered if he knew what she was playing at, that her declaration was nothing more than a farce to help her escape this situation alive, but the genu
Rude Awakenings O N E H U N D R E D & F O U R
Preston’s dapper suit, tightly wrapped around his muscular body, stood out in the crowd, a drink in each hand as he maneuvered effortlessly through the throngs of dancing people, ignoring any and all attempts from the scantily-clad women who aimed to distract him from his task. Without knowing his psychotic personality, he could be easily mistaken for a catch - handsome, charming, oozing an air of wealthy superiority - and given the slim pickings currently grinding their way through the dance floor, Kate could understand why he had garnered so much female attention.Azure eyes honed in on her, his dismissive glare transforming into a warm smile as he slipped between the last few lingerers on the outskirts of the floor, sliding the drinks onto the table.“Thank you for getting them for us,” Kate strained a smile, the nauseating pulsing of her stomach revving up as she realized he was waiting for some form of affection from her. She stood st
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