All Chapters of Then Came You: The Youngers Book 1: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Violet Fielding grimaced when her phone started ringing for what felt like the millionth time that day. She didn’t need to look at the caller ID to know it was a creditor calling. Switching her phone to vibrate, she decided she’d earned a bit of denial time. If she didn’t hear or see the phone calls, then they didn’t exist, right?Violet felt her desk vibrate with another phone call. Swearing under her breath, she turned her phone off and was halfway tempted to throw it out the window for good measure. Except she couldn’t afford to buy a new phone just because she wanted to break her current one in a fit of pique.Her desk was currently covered in beads, wires, charms, and crystals, all part of her jewelry business that she’d started four years prior. A necklace she had begun for one of her favorite clients sat on her desk, only half-finished, and it seemed to be judging her silently.“Don’t look at me like that,” Violet muttered at the necklace. She pushed it aside. If she was talk

Violet knew that she should get up and leave. Ash was way too handsome and way too seductive for the likes of her. He practically oozed sensuality with his smile. She hadn’t had sex since William had died. To be honest, she hadn’t even thought about it—until this very moment.With Ash looking at her with a very obvious I want you gaze and his hair falling across his forehead, his jawline like that of a Greek god? How did he do that? It wasn’t fair. Violet wasn’t stupid enough to think she could combat such raw sex appeal.So, she did what she always did: she acted like nothing was happening.She sipped her gin and tonic, amused that Ash had noticed what she’d been drinking and had ordered for her. She decided right then that if he was so intent on getting into her pants, he’d have to put in a lot of effort to get there.Ash’s lips quirked as he watched her sip her drink in silence. “You sell jewelry?”“I make and sell it, yes. I have my own business.”“Really? When did you start

Ash opened the door to his apartment and waited for Violet to follow him inside. She didn’t hesitate this time. Maybe in the morning, in the light of day, she’d regret what she was about to do. Maybe months, years, decades from now, she’d look back and say, “I should’ve stayed home. I should’ve done the safe thing.”She had a feeling the only regret she would have was if she didn’t embrace this chance to be with a man like Ash.“Okay?” Ash asked as he shut the door behind her. “You seem far away.”“I’m just amazed at how clean your apartment is for a single guy.”He snorted. “Haven’t I told you? I’m house-trained and everything.”“And you own a vacuum? My hero.”When he growled and started tickling her, she gasped between laughter. Only moments later, his hands held her still at her waist, his gaze no longer playful. It was intense, heated.Licking her lips, she waited.“I want you in my bed,” he said, and his words were like a seductive spell surrounding her.“I want that, to

Ash hadn’t seen Violet since she’d sneaked out of his apartment a month ago. He didn’t know how she’d managed to avoid him in a town this small—it was almost impressive, in a way.At the moment, she looked like a cat with its fur standing on end, her eyes blazing. He wondered for the thousandth time what the hell he’d done to freak her out. If the sex hadn’t been a big deal to her, why had she gone out of her way to avoid him?“Hi,” she said briskly as she opened her car door. “And goodbye.”He put out a hand to stop her from opening the door. “That’s it? What the hell did I do to warrant that kind of a greeting?”Her shoulders tensed before slumping. “You didn’t do anything,” she said, speaking to the car window. “But I need to get home.”Ash wasn’t about to let her leave without an explanation. He should’ve been pleased that she hadn’t tried to pursue something more serious. Wasn’t that what he always preferred? Violet was the opposite of clingy. She was practically a walking ad

Violet waved as her sister Vera’s face popped up on her phone for their monthly video chat. Someone yelled and then there was a crash, but Vera just shrugged.“Ethan has a new soccer ball and I told him”—she looked over her shoulder—“not to play with it inside. Ethan Lucas, if you break another vase I’m going to put you up for adoption!”“Yeah right!” Ethan called from the background.Vera rolled her eyes. Two years older than Violet, Vera didn’t look like her sister at all. She was shorter, with dark brown hair and eyes, although she and Violet had a similar smile. Vera had married a decade ago and had two children, Isabella and Ethan, who were eight and six, respectively. Violet hadn’t really understood her sister’s attraction to the staid and quiet Jim, but as far as Violet knew, their marriage had been relatively happy.“So, what’s new with you?” asked Vera. “How’s the business going?”Violet had told her sister about the business’s financial issues, although now she didn’t kn