He stares at me blankly and then points. “Evidence. Ok. Let’s talk evidence. In the years since you left home—you built a life and a successful business.”
I nod warily.
“You chased a dream that terrified you.” His gaze flicks to the guitar in the corner, and my fingers, turning a pick between them.
“You found a girl who was alone, who you had no reason to trust, and made her part of our family.”
I open my mouth to speak, but he barrels on, “You let me love you, even though it scared you.”
Spencer’s eyes are wide and scared, bright, and I gape at him.
“Spence,” I start.
“I love you.” He says again, like I could somehow have missed that little declaration.
“You shouldn’t,” I whisper. “I hurt the people who love me.”
He nods. “I’ve been in this for ten years, big guy. Do you think that’s some kind of revelation? But this—this not letting yourself love me, because you got fucked by an ex? Ethan. The only person you’re hurting with that is yourself.”
I make a noise and his eyes narrow a little, hungry. “And me. You’re hurting me.”
“Spence,” I whine and he moves suddenly, so fast I can barely react to catch him as he climbs in my lap, his hands digging into my hair.
“You self-sacrificing idiot,” He breathes and I hum against his lips before he kisses me.
He still tastes the same. But different, with a hint of coffee and mint, and I groan as his hands frame my face, tilting me up to him, his fingers threading into my hair as our mouths move together.
He kisses like I’m the air and he’s dying, and I can’t do anything but arch into it, take it, hitching him closer and groaning as he twists his hips, grinding dirtily down against me.
“I’m still mad at you,” he pants, biting at my mouth and I nod, frantic, kissing hard at his throat.
“But I’m in this. You know that, right? That I’m not going anywhere. This isn’t fake, Ethan.”
I stare up at him and he thumbs at the corner of my mouth, his eyes going dark and hungry when I nip at the ball of his thumb, sucking it into my mouth.
“It wasn’t ever fake,” he whispers, and I nod, because I know.
I wish I could say that I always knew. But I didn’t—I saw the lines I drew around Ethan, the ones that marked him friend and other and too important.
I forgot that Spencer never was any good at listening, and even if he saw the lines I drew, the boundaries I put up, they were only ever suggestions.
He kisses me and I whine.
“Gonna be mad at you for a while,” he mutters, and I nod agreeably.
“Too mad to let me fuck you?” I ask. He grins at me, wide and wicked, before scrambling off my lap and dragging me to my feet.
“Never gonna be too mad for that, big guy,” he says, and I stumble after him, toward my bedroom.
When I fall in bed, he’s laughing and watching me, and his hands are steady on my hips as he catches me.
About the Author
NAZAREA ANDREWS (N TO ALMOST EVERYONE) IS AN AVID reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories.
When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binge watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids.
She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, The Blood Scion
Saga, and The University of Branton Series, as well as Before & After and Fatal Beauty. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Street Team Sign Up
For Nazarea’s Newsletter
Books in the Wanted World
The Wanted Series (7 Books) ~ Kelly Elliott
Another Round of Whiskey ~ S. Moose
Beyond the Lights ~ Casey Peeler
Blurred Lines ~ Nazarea Andrews
Church Bells ~ Jennifer Rebecca
City Girl ~ Kahlen Aymes
Everything I Needed ~ Ellie Wade
Found ~ Kristin Mayer
Adored ~ Georgia Cates
Mercy ~ Andrea Johnston
My Unexpected Cowboy ~ Kenzie Rose
Wanted_Blurred Lines Page 7