by Iris Morland
He touched her cheek, but she turned away.
"Please." Her voice was a plea. Her throat thickened with tears. "I can't do this."
"Can't we at least be friends? Or polite acquaintances?"
So much flooded back to her—memories, images, sounds, emotions—and she couldn't catch her breath. He was right, though: it was like no time had passed at all. Maybe because in a way, neither of them had dealt with what had happened.
She swallowed. "I need to go." She pushed past him, stumbling, her heels getting caught in the soft grass.
Trent said her name and before she could go tumbling onto the ground, he caught her again.
"Dammit, Lizzie, you always do this. You always run away."
"And you always follow me! You won't leave me alone. I want to be alone." She wanted to hurt him; she wanted to scream at him.
She wanted to touch him; embrace him; kiss him—until nothing else mattered.
"Do you really want to be alone? Be honest for once. I know you better than anyone." He was a whisper away, his smell making her dizzy again.
"Yes. I do," she lied.
He laughed, low and almost sadly. "I wish I could leave you alone. It's my only wish. I've tried to move on, and yet—"
She could just make out his grimace in the low light. He let go of her arm, but it was only to cup her face in his calloused palm. He brushed his thumb along her cheek.
"I'm going to kiss you," he murmured.
Her mouth parted. The sounds in the distance faded away, because now all she could hear was the sound of her heart beating in time with Trent's.
She breathed him in. And then she replied in a whisper, "Yes."
The End
Thank you for reading If I Can’t Have You! I hope you loved Abby and Mark’s story.
And don’t miss Lizzie and Trent’s story in Dream a Little Dream of Me.
At seventeen, Lizzie Thornton left her hometown of Fair Haven to pursue her musical dreams—and to run from Trent Younger, the boy who broke her heart.
Now a successful singer, Lizzie returns to Fair Haven nine years later. When she runs into Trent at her brother’s wedding, she discovers he’s no longer the shy boy she left behind. He’s a sexy, confident man who knows what he wants—and what he wants is her.
One-click Dream a Little Dream of Me now!
Not ready for If I Can’t Have You to end? Sign up for an exclusive bonus chapter!
Find out how Mark proposes to Abby that night under the stars…
Be sure to sign up for my newsletter for so you always know when I have a new release.
And you can join me in my Facebook group Iris Morland’s Mermaids for exclusive reveals and giveaways.
Do you love free romances? Be sure to sign up for the Sugar and Spice Book Club, where you receive a free book every month! Discover new authors, new books, and enter to win awesome giveaways.
And turn the page for an excerpt from Dream a Little Dream of Me…
Enjoy this exclusive excerpt
From Dream a Little Dream of Me
Lizzie grimaced when she saw Terry’s number pop up on her phone. She let his call go to voicemail, and she avoided listening to his message the rest of the afternoon. But when he texted her, she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.
Lizzie, it’s Terry. The label called me today. They say if you don’t finish at least one song within three months, they’ll drop you from the label. I’m sorry. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear, but my hands are tied.
Lizzie sank down onto the couch and sighed. She couldn’t blame Terry—he couldn’t force the label to do anything it didn’t want. She hadn’t put out a new album in two years now, although she’d been touring up until last fall. She’d told herself at first that she was just too busy to write, but now she didn’t have that excuse. She couldn’t write. It was like something had literally blocked the words and the notes.
She stared at her guitar sitting against the wall of her living room. It looked almost judgmental right then. What’s wrong with you? it seemed to ask her. This isn’t that complicated. Just write the damn songs.
Taking the guitar into her bedroom, she set it in its case and pushed it under her bed.
She needed a break. She needed to relax. She needed—she didn’t even know. She’d never felt this lost before.
And it didn’t help that she kept dreaming about that night with Trent.
“I need to get out of here,” she muttered. It was late evening, and the bars would be open through the night. Maybe she could forget about everything for a little while.
Tonight Seth was out with Harrison and Caleb, the second-oldest Thornton, and Lizzie knew they wouldn’t be back for a while. Getting her purse, she walked to downtown, just a handful of blocks from the apartment she was renting with Seth. It was a warm evening, and the sun wouldn’t set until closer to ten o’clock. She heard laughter and music, and her heart lifted somewhat. Maybe she just needed fresh air and a walk to clear her mind.
She hadn’t planned on going to The Fainting Goat. She’d avoided Trent’s bar like the plague, but tonight she felt daring, if not downright defiant. She was not going to act like she had anything to feel ashamed of. Going inside the restaurant, she sat down at the bar and ordered a beer.
“Lizzie Thornton?” the bartender asked as he pushed a beer her way. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
She looked up, and although her brain seemed to want to recognize the man standing in front of her, she struggled to put a name to the face. He seemed to sense her confusion and laughed.
“It’s Colton. We were in band together in high school, remember?”
She vaguely remembered a kid in band with that name—did he play the trumpet? No, the trombone. She smiled. “Yeah, I remember you,” she lied. “How’s it going?”
Colton had grown up, although he wasn’t as tall as some guys Lizzie knew. She winced inwardly. I am not going there right now. Colton was good-looking, in a generic kind of way: brown hair, brown eyes, a nice smile. Yet looking at him, she didn’t feel anything except a slight interest in him.
“Good, good. Just working the daily grind. You’re a musician now, right? Are you home just for a visit?”
She didn’t want to talk about her career or her music, so she just shrugged. “Yeah, for a little while. I needed a break. Do you still play the trombone?”
That made him laugh. “Oh Jesus, no. That’s not really something you play to catch the ladies, you know?” He winked. “I prefer other instruments these days.”
Ugh. She almost got up to go to a booth, but Colton had to attend to the other customers. Lizzie drank her beer in silence, feeling morose, moody, and lonely. She knew it wasn’t a great combination. She wasn’t good company these days. Even Seth—her silent and secretive twin brother—had noticed.
She looked around at The Fainting Goat, and she couldn’t stop the pride filling her at seeing how popular it had become. Trent had done all this. Sometimes she had a hard time reconciling the shy teenager he’d been with the man he’d become, but she’d recognized a drive in him then that had resulted in his current success. It took a particular kind of person to start their own business, and not only keep at it, but capitalize on their success. Trent had begun his restaurant empire, making a name for himself in both Fair Haven and Washington State.
Lizzie saw touches of Trent throughout the restaurant: the irreverent prints on the wall, mostly of goats; the warm, homey decor that welcomed customers right as they entered; the variety of beers, wines, and liquors that couldn’t be rivaled in Fair Haven. When she’d seen the logo—an upside-down blue goat—she’d smiled. That had Trent’s fingerprints all over it. He’d always been good at thinking up catchy names and clever marketing, his mind always busy and thinking ten steps ahead.
She remembered when they’d been paired for their English project their senior year of high school. Lizzie had known Trent’s name, but nothing beyond that. She’d been popular an
d one of the rich Thorntons; Trent had been from a broken home and had only a few friends. She’d thought, from afar, that Trent was cute, but she’d never thought anything would happen. When they’d gone to the public library to work on their project together, he’d barely spoken more than five words to her.
Their second meeting at her house, though, had gone a little differently.
“I think we should perform something,” she’d said with her most winning smile. It had been the smile that made boys her age blush and stutter, and to her immense amusement, it had made Trent blush—but only a little.
“I don’t really do plays,” he’d said, looking away. “What about a book report?”
“That’s boring. Besides, we get extra credit if we perform something.” She sidled closer to Trent and looked up at him from under her lashes. “Come on. You can be Benedick, I’ll be Beatrice. We can switch things up or something. You can play Beatrice and I can play Benedick,” she added with a flutter of her lashes.
That made him laugh. “No way are you making me put on a dress.”
Right then, his gaze didn’t move away from her face, and she felt herself blushing. How had she never noticed how beautiful his blue eyes were? She’d never seen that color before. Or maybe she just hadn’t been paying attention.
She forced herself to look away. “No, I don’t mean you’d play a woman. I mean, we make Beatrice a man and Benedick a woman. If that makes sense.”
Trent considered. “That could work.”
“Awesome. Although if you’re sure you won’t wear a dress…”
He just rolled his eyes and told her she could find a new partner if that was what she wanted to do. That made her smile, which made him smile. Lizzie felt her heart speed up. Their gazes locked, and Lizzie became all too aware that they were alone in her room with the door only barely open. She hadn’t thought she’d need to keep the door open, but now…
Trent cleared his throat, looking away. “So, which scene do you want to do?”
After some practice and trial and error, they performed the scene in front of their English class. Their performance went so well that their English teacher, Mrs. Tremblay, asked them to perform their mini-play for the other English sections.
Maybe it was the love speeches, or perhaps just spending time together. But with each performance, Lizzie was more drawn to the boy she’d barely spared a thought for only months earlier.
He kissed her for the first time after their last performance. It was outside in a shadowy corner near the school, and when he touched her cheek and asked her in a low voice if he could kiss her, she knew she couldn’t protect her heart from this boy any longer.
“Need a refill?” Colton asked her, hurtling her back into the present.
Lizzie hadn’t even realized she’d finished her beer. She considered getting another one, but suddenly, she was too tired to be in public. She wanted to go home and sleep.
She didn’t want to think about the boy who’d kissed her that afternoon and taken her heart with him.
“Thanks, but I’m good on that refill. See you later,” she said with a tight smile. After leaving some cash on the bar, she headed out.
She didn’t walk home right away. Leaning against a tree outside that was secluded from the crowds, she gazed out at the sunset, enjoying the play of colors on the horizon. There truly was nothing like a summer here in Fair Haven. She’d missed this. She’d missed her hometown, and yes, even her crazy family.
“Lizzie? Hey, good, you’re still out here.” Colton ambled up to her, giving her a sheepish smile. “You left so fast I didn’t get a chance to ask you something.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Did you want to get a drink with me sometime?”
“Oh. Oh, thank you for asking,” she said in a kind voice, “but I’m not really dating right now. Thank you, though.”
Colton didn’t move from his spot; instead, he moved closer to her, touching her arm. Her eyes narrowed.
“You’re not with anyone right now, though, right? Why not have a drink with me? Come on. You won’t regret it.”
Lizzie forced away the irritation bubbling up inside her. “No, I’m good. Really.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t you have to work?”
“I’m on break.”
He’d gotten closer, and she realized he’d cornered her. Unless he moved away—or she pushed him away—she was stuck. Her heart started pounding.
“Look, I’m flattered. I am. But I’m just not in a place for dating right now.” She made her voice as firm as she could without sounding strident. She didn’t want to get Colton riled.
But her hopes were dashed when his lips twisted. “Seriously? You’re going to flirt with me inside and then turn me down?”
“I didn’t—”
“I don’t get women like you. You show your tits and smile and laugh and then you get mad when guys don’t ask you for a drink, but then when we do, you act like you didn’t mean anything.” His voice rose, a flush crawling up his cheeks.
Lizzie forced herself to stay calm. If she could duck under his arm, or push him away, she could get away and hide in the crowds walking down Main Street. But Colton had at least five inches on her and was beefy; she wasn’t sure she could push him away even if she wanted to.
When he grabbed her wrist, she bit her lip to stifle a yelp. “Stop, Colton—”
One moment she was watching Colton lean toward her to kiss her. The next, she heard a shout and then the sound of someone getting punched before Colton collapsed at her feet.
And there was Trent, breathing hard, his blue eyes flashing in the dim light.
“The lady told you to stop,” Trent growled as he took Colton by his shirt collar. “When a woman says stop, you listen to her, got it?”
Colton’s lip was split. “She led me on,” he whined.
Trent shook him. “Doesn’t matter. She has a right to say no.” He let Colton go with a disgusted sound. “Get out of here. And you’re fired. If I see you around my bar again, I’ll have you arrested.”
Wiping his lip, Colton spat near Trent’s foot and stood up. After giving Lizzie a dark look, he stalked off, mumbling under his breath.
Lizzie felt dizzy with fear. She clutched the tree behind her, desperately trying not to freak out in front of Trent. She was torn between immense relief that he’d helped her and annoyance that she hadn’t been able to save herself.
“Are you all right?” Trent asked her quietly. He looked her up and down. “Did he touch you?”
She took a shuddering breath. “I’m fine. He was just being an asshole.”
She moved to walk away, but Trent said, “Wait. Lizzie. Don’t go.”
One-click Dream a Little Dream of Me now!
Also by Iris Morland
Love Everlasting
including
The Youngers
Then Came You
Taking a Chance on Love
All I Want Is You
My One and Only
(January 2019)
The Thorntons
The Nearness of You
The Very Thought of You
If I Can’t Have You
Dream a Little Dream of Me
Someone to Watch Over Me
Till There Was You
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Heron’s Landing
Seduce Me Sweetly
Tempt Me Tenderly
Desire Me Dearly
Adore Me Ardently
About the Author
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.
Stay in touch!
* * *
irismorland.com
Iris Morland’s Mermaids
Newsletter
nter>