Oh that was… good.
I swallow again. “You’d like to break the rules for me?”
He nods slowly, his expression earnest. “Yes. You should think about that too, breaking the rules.”
I would laugh if I could.
That’s what I’ve thought about, breaking the rules. Ever since he came to St. Mary’s, back in November. Not Ledger but someone else.
Him.
I’ve broken a million rules for him since then, for his love and all of this would be funny, his brother asking me to break the rules, if it wasn’t so painful.
If he was willing to break the rules for me too.
Maybe I should say yes. I mean, how long am I going to be hung up on someone who’s not hung up on me. Who will never be hung up on me.
But I can’t.
Because I have to ask Ledger and with a sigh, I do. “What about her though?”
“What about who?”
I look him in his pretty brown eyes. “Tempest.”
That gets me a reaction. A pretty fierce one.
His brows snap together and his square jaw goes tight. His entire body goes tight as he replies, “What about her?”
“I thought… she was important to you. I mean, the way you were pretending to not stare at her and —"
“Tempest is nothing.”
And I know he’s lying.
He’s lying in the way I lie. To myself I mean.
When I’m angry at myself. For wanting him.
For wanting a man who doesn’t want me back.
Finally I also know why he followed me in here. Maybe he was trying to get away from the crowd too. From her, Tempest.
I smile at him sadly and say, “You know, it would be a great idea to go on a date. But you’re…”
But I trail off because I notice a movement behind Ledger’s shoulders. A flash of dark hair and stricken gray eyes. Tempest.
She’s standing at the kitchen threshold and from the looks of it, she heard everything. When she spins around and leaves, my heart twists for her, for the disdain and rejection she must’ve heard in Ledger’s voice.
I’m about to go after her, maybe help her understand what’s going on in Ledger’s head, but I freeze.
Because she isn’t the only one who heard things.
Someone else did too.
Someone who lives in my dreams. Has been living in my dreams ever since I accidentally met him on a summer night. Ever since he told me to follow my dreams before becoming a dream himself.
He stands at the threshold too, all tall and muscular.
His navy blue eyes taking in the scene before him, taking in the closeness between me and his brother. His chest broad and his fists closed at his sides.
When our eyes clash, my lips part to exhale a trembling breath.
He looks at them for a second before he snaps his gaze up and leaves. Just like Tempest did.
And this time my heart twists so fiercely, so forcefully that I know it doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter that my dream man, who also happens to be Callie’s oldest brother and our soccer coach at St. Mary’s, doesn’t want me.
Because I want him.
I want Conrad Thorne.
I love Conrad Thorne.
I love him even though he loves someone else…
To be continued in
These Thorn Kisses
(St. Mary’s Rebels Book 3)
Eighteen-year-old, Bronwyn Littleton is in love with a stranger she met on a summer night a year ago.
A stranger who was tall and broad in a way that made her feel safe. He had dark blue eyes that she can’t stop drawing in her sketch book. And he had a deep, soothing voice that she can’t stop hearing in her dreams.
That’s all she knows about him though.
Until she runs into him again. At St. Mary’s School for Troubled Teenagers – an all girls reform school – where she’s trapped because of a little crime she committed in the name of her art.
Now she knows that her dream man has a name: Conrad Thorne.
She knows that his eyes are way bluer and way more beautiful than she thought. And that his face is an artist’s wonderland.
But she also knows that Conrad is her best friend’s older brother. Which means he’s completely off limits. Not to mention, he’s the new soccer coach, which makes him off limits times two.
What makes him off limits times three however, and this whole scenario an epic tragedy, is that, Conrad, Wyn’s dream man, has a dream girl of his own.
And he’s as much in love with his dream girl as Wyn is in love with him…
Pre-order Today
Coming December 7th, 2021
My Darling Arrow (St. Mary's Rebels #1)
Salem and Arrow
Out Now
The Wild Mustang & The Dancing Fairy: A Gorgeous Villain Prequel (St. Mary's Rebels #1.5)
Beginning of Callie and Reed's story
A Gorgeous Villain (St. Mary's Rebels #2)
Callie and Reed
These Thorn Kisses (St. Mary's Rebels #3)
Bronwyn and Conrad
Pre-order NOW for December 7th 2021
Hey, Mister Marshall (St. Mary's Rebels #4)
Poe's story
Add to GR
St. Mary's Rebels spin off based on Callie's brothers
You Beautiful Thing, You (Bad Boys of Bardstown #1)
Add to GR
Oh, You're So Cold (Bad Boys of Bardstown #2)
Add to GR
A Wreck, You Make me (Bad Boys of Bardstown #3)
Add to GR
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First and always, my husband. For being my everything.
My sister and my parents. For supporting me and loving me.
Dani Sanchez of Wildfire Marketing Solutions, thank you for always having my back and for always giving me awesome advice.
Leanne Rabesa, my editor and fact checker, thank you for checking and rechecking my timelines. Also for constantly telling me that hair’s singular. Sorry I always forget!
Olivia Kalb, for reading and re-reading my story and for giving me such great advice about how to make it stronger. My writing is better because of you.
Najla Qamber, my cover designer, thank you for not ditching me when I kept changing my vision of the cover on you. Thank you for putting those gorgeous lips on the cover. If anyone could do it and portray the sexiness and angst of the book, it was you.
Virginia Tesi Carey, my proofreader, thank you so much for being so flexible about dates and for reading this long, long, loooooong story in two days!
Melissa Panio-Peterson, my fearless PA. What can I say about you that I haven’t already said. You’re a constant source of happiness and encouragement to me in this industry.
Some old and new friends I made this year: Bella Love, Monty Jay and Ayesha. Thank you for sticking by me and for being on my team. Thank you for allll the amazing song recs that made writing this book such a fun thing.
Writer of bad romances. Aspiring Lana Del Rey of the Book World.
Saffron A. Kent is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Contemporary and New Adult romance.
She has an MFA in Creative Writing and she lives in New York City with her nerdy and supportive husband, along with a million and one books.
She also blogs. Her musings related to life, writing, books and everything in between can be found in her JOURNAL on her website (www.thesaffronkent.com)
www.thesaffronkent.com
ous Villain
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