by Jamie Howard
He stops in front of me, green eyes never once leaving my face to scan down my body. “I’m Bryce.”
“Haley.” I slip my hand in his to shake it, letting him hold on to it a little longer than is absolutely necessary. If I’m being truthful, which I always am, I’d let him hold it for as long as he wanted to.
He takes a seat next to me, in the now empty seat that was formerly filled by Tara. Scanning the room, I find her sitting at the other end of the bar. She flutters her fingers at me in a quick wave and winks.
“Well, Haley, I’d love to get to know you.”
It’s cheesy maybe, a little blunt even, but I appreciate the fact he didn’t give me a line. “I’d really like to get to know you too, Bryce.” A wide smile settles on my face, and any trace of nerves vanishes into thin air.
So we talk, and everything between us is just so easy—our conversation, my smiles, the chemistry. He tells me about growing up with three sisters, and that his favorite ice cream is Rocky Road. I admit my favorite flowers are peonies. He’s addicted to watching Game of Thrones. Everything is going so well that I don’t think he notices that I shy around the topic of my past, leaving out absolutely everything about my family and Luke.
Even though the words never stop coming, we take a break to dance. As the hours have crept up, so too has the volume of the music, increasing to a decibel that’s close to making my ears bleed. I’m having such a good time that I forget to worry about what I look like. I don’t pat my hair to make sure it hasn’t frizzed, I don’t surreptitiously swipe my finger under my eye to make sure my mascara isn’t smudging, or even take a moment to get self-conscious about the fact that a light sheen of sweat dapples my skin.
It takes me a minute to realize it, to place the emotion and give it a name. I’m having fun. And not just that, but I met a guy. A great guy, whose touch makes my skin sing and almost makes me forget that Luke ever existed.
Almost.
From across the room, I catch Tara waving at me, apologetically pointing to the imaginary watch on her wrist. I have no idea what time it is, but if Tara’s ready to head out, it’s got to be really late.
Leaning forward, I get myself as close to Bryce’s ear as I can without letting my lips graze his skin. “I gotta go.”
His eyes flash up to mine, and he removes the hand that was resting on my hip to glance at the actual watch on his wrist. He laughs. “Wow. I can’t believe it’s so late. Look at you keeping me out past my bedtime.”
I grab his hand and twist it toward me—two forty-eight. Holy crap. And look at me, casually grabbing on to him like his touch doesn’t send my heart rocketing out of my chest. “I’m not even tired,” I yell back to him.
“Me either,” he says. Or at least I think he does. His words are carried away on the intro to a new song, and watching his lips is the only way I can even guess.
I regretfully drag my gaze up to his. His eyes crinkle at the corners like he knows exactly how hard I was just staring at his mouth. With a hand on my shoulder, he nudges me backward until we’re on the edge of the crowd. The noise is slightly better but not much.
“I’m going to give you my number.”
Immediately, my hand fishes out my cell phone, keying up a new contact.
“You ready?”
I nod and type in the first six digits. Looking up at him, I wait for him to give me the last four.
“Seven-three-four-nine,” he shouts.
I type them in. “Seven-three-four-five?”
“That’s me.”
My thumb presses down on the Save icon, and there’s something about it that seems so definitive. Like I’m not just saving his information, but saving him into my future. I give my head a quick shake, trying to dispel the love-at-first-sight nonsense that’s swimming through it. I’ve already been burned once by letting my heart get ahead of my brain, you’d think I would have learned by now.
“Alright,” I say. “Well, let me give you mine.”
“Nope.” He holds up his hands, palms out. “The ball is totally in your court. It’s completely up to you if this ends tonight.” In the next instant he inches close, so close in fact that his chest grazes mine. This time when he whispers in my ear, he lets his hand drift up to slip around my neck, his thumb resting on the edge of my jaw. “But Haley, I’m really, really hoping you’ll call.”
Before my liquefied brain can even start searching for a response, he drops the lightest, sweetest kiss on my lips. I barely feel it before it’s gone. And then he’s backing away, a smile stretching to every corner of his mouth.
I jump when a hand drops on my shoulder, another voice booming from a few inches away from my ear. “Hot damn, girl.”
“Right?” I smirk up at Tara.
“How’d you get to be so lucky?”
I almost snort at the word. Me? Lucky? That’s the last word I’d use to describe myself. But then I catch sight of Bryce weaving his way around the dance floor, and like he can feel me watching him, his eyes find mine one last time.
Alright, well maybe I am. I, Haley Mitchell, am so freaking lucky.
About the Author
Jamie Howard is a writer, a legal and compliance specialist for a worldwide brokerage firm, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art. When she’s not tapping away at the keyboard or capturing the world through her trusty Canon, you can find her binge-watching TV shows, devouring books, and perfecting her gaming skills. She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs in New Jersey, and is almost always awake early enough to see the sun rise, even on the weekends. Jamie is represented by Jessica Watterson of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
St. Martin’s Press ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Before
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
After: Five Years Later
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Excerpt from Until It’s Right
Chapter 1
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
UNTIL WE BREAK. Copyright © 2015 by Jamie Howard. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design b
y Crystal Ben
Cover photographs: couple © Chris Fortuna / Shutterstock; background by Shutterstock
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-08551-1
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: November 2015