by Coralee June
“Yep,” I replied, searching the counters for more booze. I’d need more liquid forgetfulness if this conversation dug deeper into my impulsive proclivities.
“Well then, maybe we should find you a college guy, someone that knows how to use his dick. My cousin attends Denver University. He could probably get us into a party.”
I smiled at her determination but had zero desire to go. I had this odd contradiction warring within my soul. I hated being alone as much as I hated being around people. Parties weren’t really my thing. Crowds made me anxious. But I was doing the whole teenage thing, drinking cheap tequila and laughing at all the right times. I’d even worn my tightest clothes and a shirt that showed off my toned stomach. There was a checklist of high school experiences, and I was ticking all the boxes tonight.
“Oh shit. What’s he doing here?” Nicole asked, nodding toward the hallway. I turned my head and rolled my eyes at the sight before me. Joel, with his smirking face and punk rock style, was strolling our way. I wanted to skip the awkward breakup stage and go back to just hanging out without expectations. Was it really so hard to be friends after you’ve sucked someone’s dick?
“You look good, Roe,” he greeted over the loud music.
Joel hovered over me, and I could practically taste the smoke on his skin. Bouncing in his Converse sneakers, he looked down at me. He was lean and smelled like pot, his jet black hair curled at the ends, kissing the tips of his ears. He sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as those sweeping cobalt eyes looked me up and down.
“Well, you look like shit,” I replied with a wink. I tried not to lean too much into the flattery of knowing he still thought of me. I didn’t want to lead him on, but validation was a drug and I was an addict. I was a bunch of things, actually.
“You going to stop hiding from me?” he asked.
“Nope,” I replied quickly. I never went back for seconds. Once I was done, I was motherfucking done. “I’m sure you can find someone here willing to suck your cock.”
He braced his hand on the countertop beside me and leaned in, his minty breath feathering over me as I stared down at his chest. He was wearing a gamer T-shirt boasting one of his favorite characters. He used to get so excited when he explained his nerdy games to me. I liked that about him. There was a simplicity about Joel that I connected with. There wasn’t much to learn about him because he wasn’t particularly complex. We had chemistry. He was easy to please. But I didn’t love the guy. I was a serial dater.
“Look at me, Rowboat,” he said. That nickname made me quiver.
I let out a slow exhale and looked up at Joel, following his command out of boredom, not respect. Swarms of onlookers crowded closer, eyeing us with curiosity and pity. “We had fun, didn’t we?” he asked.
“We did,” I agreed. There was no denying that Joel was fun to pass the time with.
“What happened?” he asked, making me frown. How could I possibly explain to him that the idea of liking someone scared the shit out of me? I was drawn to validation like a moth to a flame. I thrived on lingering looks and flirty touches. I blossomed in blissful orgasms and heady moans. But I clung to surface level relationships because they were easy. Anything deeper was like opening a wound. I just wasn’t capable of doing anything that wasn’t...easy.
“I just wasn’t feeling it anymore,” I deadpanned while glancing over his shoulder at the growing crowd.
“I figured you needed space, but it’s been a week. I really fucking cared about you,” he said, as if he were annoyed with himself for having such trivial feelings about me. “We can work through this.”
Letting out a huff, I braced both palms against his chest and pushed him away. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid. “While you were giving me space, you fucked the entire senior class,” I argued, cocking my head to the side. He staggered back, his mouth dropped open in surprise. He had to have known this was coming. What did he expect? “I’m not interested. Go find someone else.”
Instead of reacting how I’d expected him to, he smiled. “You’re jealous.”
“I’m done with this conversation.”
His smile quickly fell, and his eyes turned cold. “So I guess it’s true what they say,” he replied, straightening his spine.
“Oh?” I feigned ignorance. “And what exactly do they say?”
“You’re a tease. The worst fucking tease. You lead people on and drop them like it’s nothing.”
His words stung, but they weren’t wrong.
“Last I checked, we fucked like rabbits,” I offered. I was no fucking tease. I didn’t lead guys on. If I wanted to fuck, I made my intentions known. I didn’t like fluttering around the topic of sex.
He looked down at me with a sneer. “Yeah, Roe. We fucked. I fucked you hard. I ate that pussy like it was my last meal and claimed your ass while you screamed my name.” His voice rang out through Nicole’s house, echoing off the walls and forcing a ripple of attention to land on me. Joel was making a scene. Some stared and snickered. A few girls blushed. “You might not be a tease with your body, but you sure as hell tease with your heart.”
With those parting words, he turned on his heels and left me standing in shock, feeling like the damaged goods he accused me of being.
“Fuck you, asshole!” Nicole screamed at his back like the devoted friend she wanted to be. “What a dick! I can’t believe you dated that guy.”
I smiled before turning to her, no longer feeling in the partying mood. “He was good in bed, though,” I chuckled, though my humor felt empty.
Nicole shook her head and started reaching for more bottles of tequila. “We need to get you drunk. The nerve of that guy,” she said as I glanced at my watch. It was almost midnight, which meant that Uncle Mack would end his shift at the shipping yard and haul his ass up here and drag me home. I’m pretty sure he had a tracker on my phone. As if on cue, my phone pinged, indicating a message from him.
Uncle Mack: I’m on my way. You better be outside waiting for me or I’ll call the cops and shut down whatever party you’re at.
I smiled to myself before pocketing my cell. I knew with complete certainty that he would absolutely drag me out of here if I didn’t stumble onto the lawn in exactly sixty seconds. “I got to go,” I said to Nicole.
She pouted beautifully, her round face falling at my words. “You’re leaving? It’s barely midnight!”
“Yeah, my uncle is on his way. He’s threatening to break the party up if I don’t go. Sorry.” I couldn’t have timed his overprotectiveness better. I had no desire to stay here much longer but was glad to make an appearance and play the part. Now everyone could go home and gossip about how Roe Palmer was the town slut. I welcomed it with open arms, burrowing the truth deep in my chest.
At least it was better than what they said back in New York:
Roe Palmer is the daughter of that crazy woman.
Nicole wrapped me in an Oscar-worthy drunk girl hug, swaying both of our bodies as she squealed her goodbyes. “Okay, text me tomorrow! We can plot your revenge on Joel,” she called as I pulled away and started pushing through the crowd and outside.
Uncle Mack wasn’t here yet. I didn’t hear the familiar roar of his Camaro or feel his broody, pissed-off stare on my back. I walked over to the tree line, giggling to myself at the thought of his impending lecture. My heels sunk into the lawn with every step; the ground was soft from last night’s rain, and cold mud splattered on my bare legs. I found a tall tree and braced my back against the trunk. Staring up at the night sky, I counted exhales until my uncle arrived.
“Tired of the party, too?” a warm voice asked to my left. I snapped my head in the direction of the voice and flinched when I saw a figure leaning against another tree and staring at me. He wore a hoodie and had his arms folded over his chest. I couldn’t make out any of his features, but he carried himself like someone who had seen the world and didn’t like what he found. He had proud shoulders and long legs that were rooted to the grass, similar t
o the tree he was leaning against. I could feel his eyes on me, though I couldn’t see them. Even in my drunken haze, I sensed his energy. It was like drinking whiskey and letting it burn you from the inside out.
“I’m not much of a partier,” I answered before staring up at the stars. “You?”
“I’m not really a fan of them. It’s just a bunch of sloppy, stupid kids.”
I snorted at his gruff declaration. “Are you a student at Mountain Prep?” I asked. Turning to face him, I watched his chest rise and fall in beat to his breath. A long, pregnant pause filled the space between us, and then he chuckled.
“Nope. I graduated a while ago.”
“Ah. So you’re a creeper waiting on vulnerable, drunk high school girls,” I nervously teased as I reached for my phone. I might be reckless from time to time, but I was taught to read a situation, and something felt dangerous in his presence.
“Nah. I’m just looking out for a...friend. I wanted to be near in case something happened.”
“That’s what they all say,” I joked, but there was a sense of honesty to his tone.
I could practically feel his eye roll, though I couldn’t see it. It was pitch black outside. “So, if you’re not much of a partier, why are you here?” he asked.
It was a pretty personal question, and my flight or fight response perked up, waiting to see what I’d do. If I had wings on my back, I’d be midair. “I felt like escaping for a bit tonight,” I finally replied. Maybe it was the darkness of night, adding a sense of privacy to our conversation, or maybe it was the fact that I couldn’t see his face, making our entire exchange feel anonymous. I’d never see this man again. I didn’t even know his name. It felt like I was in a confessional all of my own. I didn’t need a cathedral, I needed the night sky.
“Why?” His question was simple but felt weighed down with curiosity.
“It’s a hard day for me,” I whispered. “It’s...it’s my eighteenth birthday. I don’t really like birthdays.”
He went silent, as if debating my words. It was an overshare, but I had the crutch of alcohol boosting my confidence and making me bold.
“Why not?”
The words got stuck in my throat. My tongue shriveled up and died on the spot, leaving his question to linger unanswered between us. Because I don’t like to celebrate being alive when my entire family is dead.
He pushed himself off the tree and took a step toward me. I felt myself leaning closer to him. “Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to ignore how you feel. I used to count the blades of grass in my backyard. I’d shove my headphones so deep in my ear and turn up the volume as high as it would go until my skull rattled with the heavy beat.”
I nodded my head. Even though I hadn’t told him what was bothering me, he got it.
The strange man took a step closer, and the spark of a very, very stupid idea settled in my stomach. “I do stupid shit to forget…like kissing strange men in the woods,” I hinted as my lips stretched into a drunken smile. I also made friends. I broke up with boys that loved me. I talked to strangers until my throat was raw, picking apart the little nuances that made them tick so I could focus on something else for a while. He counted blades of grass; I collected and discarded people.
I didn’t know if this man was beautiful or dangerous. I just knew he could pass the time between the painful beats of my heart, and right now that was enough.
He took another step closer. A rough palm cupped my cheek. He smelled like the woods. His presence felt steady. Time stretched, and his palm grew hot against my flushed skin. I breathed him in like I’d been holding my breath all night.
There were many types of kisses in the world, and I’d had my fair share. Something told me kissing this man would feel like pure anticipation. I loved the kisses that happened after hours of thinking of them. I might have only spent a few minutes with this man, but the building desire blooming within me felt like an eternity. “I’m not going to kiss you,” he finally whispered before pulling away.
I found myself leaning closer, trying to minimize the distance between us. “Oh? Why not?” I asked.
His chuckle sounded like bells and mischief. “Because I’m not some creep preying on vulnerable, drunk high school girls.”
“Roe!” my uncle yelled, snapping me out of our strange moment. I whipped my head toward the driveway and frowned when I saw my uncle standing by the hood of his Camaro, tapping his foot impatiently at me.
“Sorry,” I began. “I gotta g—” I twisted to face him, but the stranger was gone. “Go,” I whispered to myself before shaking my head. He was already gone? I guess I wasn’t the only runner at the party tonight.
“Roe! Get your ass over here!” Uncle Mack yelled again. I took a deep breath, then released it with a sigh, silently thanking the stranger for the brief moment of forgetfulness.
https://books2read.com/A-Lovely-Obsession
Acknowledgments
Hello, reader. We made it.
THANK YOU for being patient with me. It took me so long to find Nix’s voice and I’m thankful we finally made it to the finish line.
I am grateful to all of those with whom I have had the pleasure to work with during this book. I’d like to especially recognize my editor, Helayna Trask. She poured hours of tough love and attention into my manuscript. Without her, this book wouldn’t have been possible. I would also like to thank all the members of CJ’s Elite and The Zone.
Thank you Katie Friend for beta reading this book.
Thank you Kaydence Snow for being my soul sister.
Thank you Meggan for the hour long talk in the car where I plotted this book.
Nobody has been more important to me in the pursuit of this series than the members of my family. I would like to thank my parents, whose love and guidance are with me in whatever I pursue. Most importantly, I wish to thank my loving and supportive husband, Joshua, and my two wonderful children. Everything I do is for them. Everything.
About the Author
I’ve always been passionate about storytelling and impressed by the influence it has on people. I love engaging with the projects I work on, diving headfirst into developing real, raw, and relatable characters.
I like flawed and beautiful things.
I’m an English Major from Texas State University and my wild affair with literature began at a young age. I’ve always stayed up way past my bedtime to read the stories your mother wouldn’t approve of.
I love angst. I love to crack open a book and borrow the character’s emotions for a bit. It’s how I approach writing, too.
I live in Dallas, Tx with my husband and two beautiful, headstrong daughters. I enjoy long walks through the ice cream aisle at my local grocery store and listening to gangster rap in my minivan.
For more information about me, and my upcoming releases, please visit my website at:
www.authorcoraleejune.com
Also by CoraLee June
Paranormal Reverse Harem
•Void (Cowritten with Raven Kennedy) https://books2read.com/VoidCoraleeJuneRavenKennedy
•Wicked Webs (Cowritten with Raven Kennedy) https://books2read.com/Wickedwebs
Paranormal MF
•Prison Princess (Cowritten with Rebecca Royce) https://books2read.com/Prison-Princess
Contemporary Reverse Harem
THE BULLETS WORLD
•Sunshine and Bullets https://books2read.com/u/3yEzgp
•Summer and Smoke https://books2read.com/Summer-and-Smoke
•Love and Lead https://books2read.com/u/49ZlWw
•The Complete Bullets Omnibus https://books2read.com/Sunshine-and-Bullets-Omnibus
•Bitter Pills (Nix’s Story) Releasing 2020
•The Original Bullet https://BookHip.com/WVVCXG
LIES TRILOGY
•Lies and Other Drugs https://books2read.com/Lies-and-other-drugs
•Tears and Other Fears https://books2read.com/Tears-and-other-fears
•Dreams and Other
Things Releasing 2020
STANDALONES
•Saving Merritt (Cowritten with Stacy Jones) https://books2read.com/SavingMerritt
Contemporary MF
SAVANNAH HEIRS (COWRITTEN WITH RAVEN KENNEDY)
•Cruel https://books2read.com/Cruel-CJ-RK
•Tame https://books2read.com/Ohmygodfrey
•Wild https://books2read.com/WildCoraleeRaven
DEBT OF PASSION DUET
•A Lovely Obsession https://books2read.com/A-Lovely-Obsession
•A Lovely Confession https://books2read.com/A-Lovely-Confession2
STANDALONE
•Burn Out https://books2read.com/burnout
•Looking to Score https://books2read.com/u/bpORMW
•Aggro https://books2read.com/u/mBGQxA
Dystopian Reverse Harem
THE WALKER SERIES
•Wings of the Walker https://books2read.com/Wings-of-the-walker
•Heart of the Walker https://books2read.com/Heart-of-the-Walker
•Soul of the Elite https://books2read.com/Soul-of-the-elite
•Fight of the Walker https://books2read.com/Fight-of-the-walker
•Revenge of the Walker https://books2read.com/Revenge-of-the-Walker
•End of the Walker https://books2read.com/u/bQRdx0