New Series Announcement

Savage Society of Emerald Hills is a dark (my darkest yet) series full of forbidden stories. Think father's best friend, step brother, priests, etc. It’s set in Emerald Hills, the fictional town located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains (in the Pacific Northwest), and it takes place roughly five years before my upcoming series Riot Boys of Emerald Hills Prep.

The series kicks off with Cole and Fallon, a father's best friend, age-gap (obv) forbidden romance. If breeding is your kink, you're really going to love this one, too!

I’m currently writing it, but if you want a sneak peek, you can read it here.

I’m doing a few things different with this series. For one, I’m not planning the entire thing out before I go. I’m letting my creativity take me where it wants to. The chapters are going to be much shorter than my usuals, but there will be more of them, so the book lengths should be relatively the same.

But the coolest new thing I’m doing is posting each chapter as I write them over on Patreon. If you read chapter one and can’t wait to read more, I’m posting new chapters daily over there so you’ll want to sign up.

Please keep in mind that with editing and rewrites, the story is subject to change before it's published, and once it goes live on Amazon, it will be taken down.

I’m really excited for this one and can’t wait for you to read it!

Hostile is Live!

Today for me is extra fun because two is my lucky number, so what better day for Hostile to make its debut?

That’s right, Indy and Penelope’s story is LIVE! Have you downloaded your copy yet?

If not, you can grab it here.

This book seriously tested me. When I was two thirds of the way through it, I decided it was missing something. See, every book I’ve written since Finding Zen/Fallen Star, I’ve gotten further and further away from writing what I wanted to write (or the stories I wanted to tell) and more in my head about writing things people will like.

Of course, ideally those two things would overlap and I’d write the stories that excite me and also people would enjoy reading them. But, it was when I was essentially having a breakdown over this book my husband said something so simple yet so profound.

“Stop writing what you think people want and write what makes you happy.”

Damn. The man’s a genius sometimes, I swear.

Anyway, for some reason that had never occurred to me. So it was at that point I postponed the release of Hostile and reworked the entire story. I did massive edits and rewrites on the first 2/3, cut SIX chapters from the end (which wtf was I doing? This beast did not need six additional chapters. It’s already over 100k as it is), and made Indy the kind of hero I love to read.

After that, the story practically wrote itself.

So, if you haven’t downloaded yet and you’re still on the fence about reading it, keep reading for a sneak peek of Hostile:

Penelope

“What made you change your mind?” He reaches over to the hedge wall closest to where he sits and plucks off one of the white blossoms, handing it to me.

I take it and tuck it behind my ear before biting my lip. It’s unexpectedly sweet, him giving me this flower as all his attention settles on me expectantly.

I don’t know if I want to confess everything to him, but there’s something sort of magical in the air right now. It feels like we’ve been transported to another place in another time where there’s nothing but him and me. It feels safe to confess my deepest buried hopes and wants, but there’s still the fear that he’ll reject me. Maybe he’ll laugh or tell me again how he’s not the kind of guy who does serious.

Still…

If I don’t take a chance, I’ll never know.

“I don’t like not talking to you.” I pluck at a nonexistent piece of lint on my dress, but eventually gather my courage to look up at him.

He blinks at me as his lips turn down into a frown and his eyebrows pull together like he doesn’t understand what I said. Maybe he can’t believe I actually admitted it.

My heart picks up speed as I decide I’m going to go for it. I’m going to ask for what I want to know. “Why did you run away?”

His expression shutters and he turns away, clenching his jaw. “We should get back.”

“You’re never going to tell me, are you?” Like I said, I knew this would be the result, but I had to try. It doesn’t stop the twisting in my chest or the blurring of my eyes as tears gather. The last thing I want is to let Indy see me cry again—especially not when he’s the reason I’m upset.

“No.” One syllable, so final in its utterance I swear it echoes through the stillness of the night like a death knell.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I say, jumping to my feet. “I want you off my security team. Now,” I tell him before lunging for the opening to get out. Suddenly the space is too small. His cologne is everywhere, his body heat warms my side, and I need to get away with a desperation that surprises me.

Indy has other plans, though, and when I rush for the exit, he grabs me around the waist and hauls me into his lap. I scream and try to throw myself off, pounding my fists against his chest and struggling but his strong arms are locked tight around me. It’s a waste of energy to keep struggling, but rage courses through every atom of my body as hot tears slide down my face.

“Stop struggling, Duchess.”

“Let me go,” I growl, digging my nails into his forearms. I don’t even stop to admire how sexy they are, which is a testament to how hurt and angry I am.

“No.”

I huff out a breath that blows my hair away from where it’s tangled in front of my face. “Is that your new favorite word?”

I’m so damn annoyed with him. He won’t talk to me, but he won’t let me go. I guess I should be grateful he made me angry because my tears have dried up.

“No,” he says and his lips twitch. Asshole.

Keep reading: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098BPGNMJ

Happy Birthday, Montana!

It’s our favorite feisty redhead’s birthday today, and in honor of that (and submitting the final manuscript of Chased!) I wanted to gift you a sneak peek of her story. Keep reading for an Indy x Montana scene…

Montana

"What are we watching, Red?" Indy asks, plopping down on the couch beside me. His arms are loaded down with snacks, and he drops them onto the coffee table. Whenever Ronin's out, Indy's become my movie buddy. This is our new routine, and I kinda love it. He's like my favorite girlfriend, except he has a penis and a male perspective if I ever need or want advice.

Sometimes he even gives his opinion without me asking, and it's times like that—even if I don't want to admit it—that I usually need to hear it most.

"Lost Boys or Karate Kid," I gesture at the screen, giving him the final choice.

"Eighties tonight? Love it. Daniel-san is going to have to wait because the grandpa in Lost Boys is my hero. That guy is a fucking legend. Cue it up."

Laughing, I start the movie and then look over his snack choices. Nothing seems particularly appealing until he pulls a package out of his pocket. He's got so much junk food spread out in front of us, I'm not sure how he managed to carry it all in one trip.

"Are those gummy worms?" I ask, leaning forward to snag the bag he just tossed on the table.

"Hell, yes, and not the ones with that sour crap all over them. These are the real deal." 

I tear into the bag, and Indy reaches in and plucks one out for himself. I snatch the bag away before he can take more, fully prepared to bite his hand if he tries. These are mine, and he's going to have to fight me for them if he wants them. My mouth is watering when I finally bite the head off of a green one. The burst of lime sweetness on my tongue is everything I've ever wanted until I chew some more, and it feels like something's missing.

Frowning, I forget about the movie for a minute and study the offerings before me. I lean forward and shove away a bag of tortilla chips to find a jar of queso underneath. It's the grocery store shit, the artificial and processed trash that's way more orange than it probably should be, but something about it keeps you coming back for more. 

Truthfully, I think that something is typically called alcohol or weed—you know, those nights where you go out and get drunk or smoke a joint and have the munchies? This is the perfect fake cheese for those situations.

Indy is fully invested in the movie, throwing a handful of popcorn at the screen when the mom asks for a job at the video store, but I'm focused on opening the damn jar. When the lid finally pops off, Indy notices and tosses me the chips, which I lift with my foot and kick away. "Keep your fucking chips on your side."

He raises his eyebrow and laughs. "What the hell are you planning to eat your queso with if you don't want chips?" Indy surveys the collection of snacks and then grabs a bag of pretzels and holds them up. I shake my head, and he grins. "Challenge accepted."

Then he really starts to dig, holding up everything from cookies to the bowl of popcorn propped between his legs. 

"Actually, I think I'll try this." I snag a gummy worm—strawberry this time—out of the package and dunk it into the jar of cheese until the tips of my fingers touch the room-temperature surface. If I thought my mouth was watering before, now it's a damn fountain as I hungrily eye the concoction I made. Indy's watching me with an expression filled with more horror than he had when he was paying attention to the movie.

"You're not going to actually eat that shit, are you?" He looks a little green, but I don't know what the problem is. I bet it'll taste amazing, and I'm proven right when I tilt my head back and drop the entire cheese-covered worm into my mouth, letting the salty-sweet combination paint my tongue in a kaleidoscope of flavor. It's creamy and kind of spicy, too. 

I moan and hurriedly reach in for another worm. Now that my snacks are sorted out, I'm happy to pay attention to the movie again, so I lean against the cushions and pull a throw blanket over my lap, careful to lift my snacks out of the way. Indy scoots closer and takes the other half of the blanket, so our shoulders are touching.

"You know that's disgusting, right?" He says, nodding toward my snacks, but I grumble and tell him to fuck off. It's not my fault he has shitty taste in sustenance, and I tell him as much.

Later, when the movie's over, and I've fallen asleep with my head leaning against Indy's shoulder, I wake up with cheese spilled in my lap, and I can't regret a single thing.

You can pre-order Chased here.

Two-Timing

Well, it’s official: I’ve lost my mind.

Yup, I’m about to dive into writing two books at the same time.

I mentioned it in one of my recent blog posts, but even then I wasn’t 100% sure I was going to do it. Now, it’s official because I’ve fully plotted both stories and have the set up all finished.

I’ve talked before about how I plot my stories, but the part that comes after plotting is what I’m going to talk about today. Once I do my general plot, I dig down into the details—both of which I’ve gone into before. I do that part by hand so once that’s done, I enter it all back into my plotting program.

Finally, I go into Google Drive. This is where I store everything for writing my books. I create a Google Docs file for every chapter and then I name them and format them for my editor (this is a new development since I started with her for Captive, but she’s amazing!). So, everything’s written in Times New Roman because that’s just how I roll.

(Quick side note: I read a study once that said people who write in Comic Sans are more productive, but fuuuuck that. Comic Sans makes me want to rip my eyeballs out of my skull).

After the files are all formatted, I copy over all my scene details from my plotting program into the appropriate chapter. It looks like this when it’s all done and ready for me to write:

Once that’s done, I’m all set to write and I don’t stop until I’m done. I set myself daily goals (I’ve talked about it before, but in case you missed it, I aim to write 4,000 words a day in 500-word blocks) and I have a writing partner who keeps me accountable.

So, now that you’ve had a peek behind the curtain, I’m gonna change the subject real quick. See, I’m honestly HORRIBLE at keeping writing news to myself. I don’t want to get ahead of myself and promise books that end up not working out, but now that I’ve got everything set up and am ready to actually dive into these stories later today, I feel confident sharing just a little hint of what’s coming in that top secret project I’ve been talking about.

So, now you have a title for book one: Crossed Souls.

It’s not up for pre-order, but here’s a sneak peek of the story aesthetic and maybe a couple of plot hints.

There’s no release date or pre-order or anything yet, but do you have any guesses what the story might be about? Leave ‘em in the comments!

British Heroes

So, right before I started writing Tempting Harrison, I was seriously kicking myself because what the hell was I thinking making him British? What do I know about writing a character who’s not even from my own country?

I seriously almost scrapped the whole thing while also trying to kick my own ass for putting myself in this situation (it works, I’ve got long legs).

But then I took a deep breath and did what I do best—I jumped right into massive amounts of research. And by research, I mean reading books other people have written that have British heroes and making a list of term equivalencies so I can be sure to use the proper dialect when Harrison opens his pretty mouth to speak.

Part of my list, if you can read it. Sorry about my handwriting but… it is what it is.

Surprisingly, it hasn’t been going too bad. I’m actually enjoying the challenge of writing the stuffy, arrogant Harrison. All I’m hoping at this point is that I’m not completely butchering his accent. You’ll get to find out come February. Oh, did I mention I pushed up the release date by a month?

Yep! Harrison will be hitting your Kindle on February 22, a whole month early.

Want a little sneak peek? Keep reading…

Harrison

“He hasn’t spoken to me in almost two weeks,” I protested, but Moon wasn’t having it. I eyed the emails piling up in my inbox and sighed, refocusing on where she sat in one of the chairs on the other side of my desk.

“It’s my birthday, Harrison. The one day where the birthday girl gets whatever she wants, and what I want most is you at my birthday party.” Her smile was devious like she knew I couldn’t refuse her. I especially couldn’t now that her husband was pissed off at me. If I upset Moon on her birthday, I doubted anyone would ever find my body.

“Really? That’s what you want most?” I cocked an eyebrow at her, and her smile turned devious as she nodded.

“You wouldn’t dream of letting me down, right?”

“Of course not.” I pulled up my calendar. “What time?”

“Tonight at eight. I’ll text you the name of the club once I decide, so keep your phone close.” We both knew my phone was practically a fifth limb, and I never went anywhere without it nearby.  

I nodded my agreement, and she stood, brushing off her clothes as she turned to leave. “Oh, your presence tonight will be gift enough, so please don’t worry about anything else.” She waved with her fingers and left my office. Despite the heaps of teasing she threw my way, I actually quite liked Moon. It was hard not to; she was so damn kind.

And if going tonight could get Jericho back on my good side? Even better.

Get to Know: Magnolia

Taming Griffin is upon us (eek, just 13 more days!) and now seems like a great time to introduce you to Magnolia Dawson, Griffin’s other (better!) half.

Magnolia’s fresh out of college, so she’s young like Griffin, and she’s already had a pretty rocky life. This book explores some dark subjects like domestic abuse, but I wouldn’t call the book itself dark. It’s more a redemption, a story of a girl finding herself and her happily ever after despite the circumstances she’s been through.

I’ve wanted to write a southern heroine for quite a while now but it wasn’t right for any of the stories so far until this one. Right off the bat, I knew Magnolia had to be from the south. I’ve lived in Texas a few times and there’s something about that part of the US that’s a little more welcoming, a little sweeter, and a little more relaxed and slower-paced that I love so much. But women from the south? They’ll be sugar-sweet to you while cutting your legs out from underneath you with their words and there’s something about that I love so much, I needed Magnolia to have that quality. Unfortunately, it’s been buried pretty deep, so she’s going to have to work to bring it back out.

Magnolia’s from Georgia, so she’s got that southern sass and a twang to match. She was raised by her grandmother (Grammy!) but spent most of her childhood lonely and without a lot of friends. She was determined to go to college because of a promise she made to her grandma, and that’s where she met her ex, Winston.

He plays a big part in this story, and in order to get the feelings and situations correct, I talked to a lot of women who’d gone through what I imagined Magnolia had been through, too. Since she met him, Winston’s always been a shadow hanging over her life, so this book will explore that in detail.

Our pretty southern heroine is in full-on survival mode in this book when we first meet her, but slowly she starts to open up and her journey from when we meet her to the end of the book is amazing to watch unfold. I can’t wait for you to read it. Griffin’s really the best, sweetest guy ever (even more than True—shockingly), and he’s there with her every step of the way.

All Magnolia’s ever wanted was a place to call home and a family to love since those aren’t really something she’s ever had the chance to have. You’re going to have to wait to read to find out if she gets them, but just for fun, here’s a little sneak peek:

Magnolia

My heart beat wildly in my chest because standing up to people and confrontation were basically my biggest fears, but I had to get over it if I was going to run this tour like it deserved. I couldn’t let her see my fear. “I’ll do no such thing. You’re going to pack up your stuff and get off my bus. I wasn’t notified you’d be traveling with us, so we don’t have room for you or him.”

She narrowed her eyes even further and I took a step back. I flinched and the triumph that flashed in her eyes made me hate what I’d become even more than I already did. I hated cowering when someone acted aggressively toward me, but I couldn’t help it. It was instinctual now. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled at me, though it was more teeth than anything. “Make me,” she challenged, and then her smile widened as she looked over my shoulder.

Wait until you see who she was confronting… and who’s over her shoulder. Are you excited for Taming Griffin?

Sorry For the Delay

I know, I know. It’s been a hot minute since I wrote anything on this blog, but there’s a good reason—promise! I’ve been hard at work writing Griffin. This book… it’s testing me, y’all. I’ve had to do so much research to try and get everything just right.

The Shadow Phoenix crew is going on tour in Griffin’s book, and while it’s not a huge tour, I want you to feel like you’re experiencing some of the places they go right there along with Magnolia and Griffin (and, of course, some of the other guys and girls from the group).

So, I plan on getting back into more detailed blogs soon, just as soon as I finish writing this book. I’ve got less than three weeks to get everything done and the stress is legit kicking my ass.

I’m off to get this manuscript finished so I can get it into your hands… or devices. But in the meantime, read on for a little sneak peek of a silly and sweet moment between Griff and Mags.

Griffin

Magnolia raised her eyebrow at me and I laughed. “What? You know I’m from Texas.”

“Yeah, but you don’t strike me as the kind of guy who listens to a whole lot of country music,” she noted, letting her stunning blue gaze run over all my tattoos and piercings and my body heated under her scrutiny. Again.

“Well, ma’am, give me any country song from the nineties and I could probably sing along,” I drawled, letting the twang I’d worked hard to bury pop out in an over-exaggerated way and she giggled. It was a sound I hadn’t heard from her yet, but one that had everything inside me lighting up. 

Instead of continuing our banter, she turned on the stage and looked out into the empty auditorium, breathing in deeply. “Just think about all the people who’ve stood on this stage in the last ninety-five years,” she mused. “The music that’s been played and all the people in the audience who had a chance to come out and see the show, no matter what was going on in their lives. They all came together to enjoy something special. It’s really incredible when you think about it.”

I stepped up beside her and looked out into the rows of empty seats. The Grand Ole Opry was a place of musical legend, and just like Magnolia, I never thought I’d be standing on this stage. This was one of those places on every musician’s bucket list--no matter how famous or not famous you were. “What show do you wish you could’ve seen?”

What I'm Working On

With the release of Playing Jericho, I haven’t been great about blogging. On the one hand, I was busy rushing to get it done on time. On the other hand, I’m fairly lazy when it comes to keeping up with my social media. Or anything, really, but that’s for another day (procrastination is another one of my many, many talents lol).

So… I did a thing. A sort of crazy thing that my husband challenged me to do—write my next book in just two months. I’m the type of girl who doesn’t appreciate when someone tells me I can’t do something so I went all challenge accepted on him and here we are. Me, writing Taming Griffin in just two months from start to finish.

Am I stressed about it? Sort of. But I’m surprisingly making decent progress on the manuscript and it’s going better than I thought. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Griffin and Magnolia’s story came really easy to me. Where Jericho and Moon were a total struggle every step of the way, I knew who Magnolia was right from the start.

Griffin… I always thought he’d fit in well with his brother in the loveable asshole category, but when I actually started writing him, he quickly let me know he was more like True than any of the other guys. He’s sweet and younger than the rest of the guys of Shadow Phoenix, and with his youth comes a certain naivety.

He grew up in a happy home with parents who always supported him, so he never really learned about the hardships the world has to offer. When he starts his journey with SP—a job he got pretty easily because of who his brother is—he has no clue about people’s nefarious intentions and motivations, or that someone might get close to him because of what he has to offer, not because of who he is.

Magnolia… she has some serious baggage she brings with her on tour. In Taming Griffin, we follow the band on a nationwide tour, one that Magnolia’s responsible for managing. She has her own reasons for wanting to be on the road and never staying in one place for too long, and none of them are good.

I’m excited to share more sneaks of the sweet but sexy Griffin, and the sassy Southern Magnolia. Read on for an unedited sneak peek!

Magnolia

“Did you enjoy the show?” a smooth, deep voice asked from right over my shoulder and I spun, throwing my fist right at his face. Griffin reacted so fast, he managed to catch my punch instead of letting it smash into his too-perfect face. “Damn, what’d I do to piss you off this time? I was coming to apologize.”

I jerked my hand out of the hold he had on it, horrified at myself for reacting that way. I learned a long time ago someone sneaking up on me wasn’t a good thing and now I reacted accordingly. “Hasn’t anyone ever taught you not to sneak up a woman?” I snapped, my heart racing a million miles an hour.

He studied my face carefully before lifting his hands in surrender and taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He raked his fingers through the damp strands of his wavy brown hair. “I wanted to apologize again for this morning. It was unprofessional of me to not even let you know I wouldn’t be able to make it, and it won’t happen again.”

Taming Griffin releases 12/22!

Playing Jericho Deleted Scene

When I write a book, a lot of the time I get inspiration from different places or songs or just random thoughts that pop into my mind. It’s usually not for a full scene, but I get snippets of dialogue or moments of interaction that I don’t want to miss out on, so I keep a file in my book folder called Bits and Pieces and I add to it throughout the entire process.

My actual folder for Playing Jericho and the aforementioned Bits and Pieces document.

I actually start a folder for each book and a Bits and Pieces document before I’ve even really plotted the book so I can add character details or anything that comes to mind, really.

Such was the case with the scene below. I wrote it, didn’t edit it at all, but realized that the scene I had in mind for it just wouldn’t fit. For one thing, the bit below was in Jericho’s POV and the chapter ended up being in Moon’s. There also just wasn’t a great place to fit it in when the whole thing was written.

So, now you get a little sneak peek in the form of a deleted scene. This scene takes place a music festival (think Coachella) where the guys were playing. Moon and Jericho spend some time together after the guys are done with their set, and this is the result.

Enjoy!

Jericho

She tugged me through the crowd. "You pick the band, I want to dance."

I thought for a minute before a smile tugged at my lips. "I know the perfect spot."

We pushed through what seemed like endless bodies until we stood in front of a stage. Her jaw fell open when she heard the song playing. "Is this Cruel Summer?" Her eyes lit up.

I nodded. "This band does all eighties covers. Ever since Wheezer covered Africa it's become a whole thing."

"I think it might have started when Limp Bizkit did Faith," she surprised the fuck out of me by saying. Moon knew her music.

"Yeah, but we don't talk about that. They butchered the shit out of that song."

"Then there was Tainted Love when Marilyn Manson did it," she pointed out, acting like I hadn't spoken and I wrapped my arms around her, reeling her into my body and burying my face in her hair as she rotated her hips against me. I was so fucking hard it hurt.

"You win. I can't think straight with all my blood in my dick," I growled into her ear. The music was so loud I wasn't sure she heard me until she dipped down and dragged herself back up my body inch by sexy inch.

Her sultry laugh carried over the music and the look she shot me told me she knew exactly what she was doing. “That’s right, I always win.”

And fuck if the challenge in her eye didn’t make me want her that much more.

Jericho Sneak Peek: Chapter One

Like I did with Maddox, I wanted to share with you the (unedited!) first chapter of Jericho. I’ve said it a thousand times and I’ll keep saying it but Jericho is DARK y’all. He’s damaged and gives zero fucks about making other people happy. He is who he is and likes what he likes. HEADS UP: This sneak is NSFW.

Jericho

“Is he dead?” one of the voices in my ear wondered.

“He’s on mute but he’s still there,” I answered, adjusting my headset. My eyes were locked onto the screen and I gripped my controller tightly in my hands. My team and I had spent more hours than was healthy over the last week trying to get past this mission and it looked like this would be the time if no one fucked it up.

“We have to wait for him to respawn,” the slightly husky and sexy as hell voice belonging to the only girl on our team responded and I tried not to notice how my already rapid heartbeat kicked up to a new level. That was nothing new where LunaGirl was concerned.

“Alright, he’s here. Let’s roll out,” DeathMinion, the fourth member of our team commanded and I tried not to bristle. Taking directions from others wasn’t something I easily did. Ever.

We crept along deserted streets, focused in on our target. Just as we reached the objective, all hell broke loose. We’d come prepared but the other team were better and we quickly got our asses handed to us. Again.

I repressed the urge to smash my controller against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath. “Fuck, I’m out. Maybe we’ll have better luck tomorrow,” DeathMinion said before signing off of the game. Once he was gone, FatUncle followed him and that just left LunaGirl and me. A devilish grin crossed my face.

“Hey, Luna,” I breathed into the mic, lowering my voice to almost a growl.

She laughed that throaty laugh of hers that always turned me the fuck on. “Hey, Wicked. Nice campaign, even if we did get our asses kicked.”

Flirting with Luna over this game was what I looked forward to most these days. It wasn’t playing sold out shows with Shadow Phoenix, the band I was a drummer for. It wasn’t accepting awards, doing interviews, or any of the other boring-ass shit that came along with being someone famous. Nope. It was this right here—LunaGirl and her sultry voice. Her and this game were the only places I let myself really be who I was deep down inside. The only safe places I had to let the darkness out to play because LunaGirl got off on my need for control.

“Speaking of asses,” I started, leaning back into the soft pillows on my couch and getting comfortable. “I bet you’ve got some hot as fuck silky or lacy panties covering yours, don’t you?”

Luna laughed again, softer this time and more mischievous. “Wrong.”

I licked my lips, leaning forward and resting my elbow on my knees. If anyone knew the version of me that I let LunaGirl see, they’d be shocked. To the rest of the world, right down to my closest friends and bandmates, parents, even my best friend, Kennedy, I was a shy, quiet guy. But Luna knew the real me, even if she didn’t know who I was in real life. 

And the real me was one twisted motherfucker.

I lowered my voice even further, adding a hardness to let her know I wasn’t to be fucked with. “You know better than to lie to me, Luna.”

“Oh, I’m not lying, Wicked. It’s just… I knew we’d be playing tonight and I decided not to wear panties at all.”

The irritation at her disobedience faded and my desire ramped up in its place, but I wouldn’t let her know.“Did I tell you you could play without panties?”

“No, but-”

“But nothing. That’s not how this works, you know the rules. When it comes to your body and your pleasure, who’s in charge?”

Her soft intake of breath was music to my ears. “You are.”

Luna’s compliance made my dick harden and I slid my hand down my body until my palm rested on my firm length. I squeezed to give myself some of the friction I craved and held back the groan wanting to escape my lips. Instead, I refocused my attention on the girl in my headset, the one giving herself over to me so freely.

“Yes. I am. Which means next time you don’t go without panties unless I say you can. Understood?”

“Yes,” she agreed, her voice breathless. That one word out of her lips turned my cock to fucking granite, her whispered agreement everything I needed and she was the only one who I allowed to give it to me.

“Good. Now, are you wearing a skirt like I told you to?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Put your hand on your chest and slowly slide it down every curve of your body,” I commanded, wishing like hell I could watch her do it. “And stop just before you touch your sweet little pussy.”

I leaned back into the cushion behind me again, undoing the button on my jeans and sliding the zipper down. Listening to every hitch in her breathing, every shift of clothing and skin, I reveled in the small whimpers and sounds of pleasure Luna made on the other end of the headset.

“I’m there,” she practically moaned and I knew if I was in the same room as her, she’d be on the verge of begging for me to touch her. To glide my tongue along her hot core until she quivered and screamed and came undone under my touch.

Instead, we had this. And I wasn’t complaining, but sometimes I wanted more. “Now, take those soft fingers and slip them down over your clit.”

Her breathing sped up as she obeyed, but I was only getting started. “Does that feel good?”

Her affirmation came as a moan that washed over my body. The sounds she made spread heat through every single vein until I was burning with a hunger so intense I might fucking explode. But still I wouldn’t let her hear the effect she had on me.

Based on the sounds she was making and the fact we’d done this countless times over the last six months, I could tell she was getting close to coming. “Stop,” I demanded, stroking my cock another couple of times while I listened to her let out a shuddering breath.

She whimpered. “What?”

“I said fucking stop.” I left no room for her to question me in my tone but she did it anyway.

“Why?”

“Not that I have to explain myself, but you knew the rules and you went against them anyway. Next time you think about doing something without asking me first, remember how this feels.” Yes, I was aware I could be a cold bastard. Cruel even. It was part of why I hid my true self from the world. Because I fucking liked how I was and that scared me sometimes. 

She huffed but didn’t argue. I’d trained her well. “Now, you don’t touch yourself until we talk tomorrow, Luna, or next time your punishment will be a lot fucking worse. Do you understand?”

“Fine, Wicked.” The irritation in her tone made me smile. It pissed her off that I wasn’t letting her come, but she liked this game we played just as much as I did. And I imagined that in her normal, real life she didn’t let anyone else boss her around or tell her what to do. We existed in this tiny bubble where we gave each other what we needed.

“Same time then?” I asked casually, aware that neither one of us were getting off tonight and tucking my still-hard shaft back into my jeans.

“Yes,” she snapped. Her frustration oozed through the headset and I grinned like I’d won a fucking prize. Why the fuck was I like that?

“Have a good night, LunaGirl. And remember what I said. No touching.”

“Go fuck yourself,” she grumbled so quiet I almost couldn’t hear her and I fought back a laugh. The girl had a toughness to her that I admired even if I craved her submission.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Talk to you tomorrow, Wicked.” 

“Not quite, Luna. I heard what you said and I won’t stand for that shit. And as you suggested, I think I will fuck myself. And you’re going to listen to me do it without touching your soaking wet pussy.” I pulled my dick back out and wrapped my fingers around it, moving my fist up and down as I imagined burying myself inside Luna.

Gripping my shaft harder, I flexed my hips upward, pushing my cock further into my grasp and stroking the tip, finding a rhythm that brought me closer and closer to relief. Distantly, I was aware of Luna’s irritated silence, but that only served to stoke my arousal. 

My cock got impossibly harder and I finally found my release, letting out a low groan of pleasure and coming all over my hand. My body shuddered as satisfaction carried all the way down to my toes curled into the carpet under my feet. I made a fucking mess but it was worth it. “Luna?”

“Yes?” she grit out, her annoyance palpable through the speaker.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, beautiful girl. And I hope you don’t deprive yourself tomorrow by misbehaving.”

She sighed. “Goodnight, Wicked.”

She signed off and then I was alone, how I usually liked to be. I pulled off the headset, relishing the quiet. It was a rare commodity in my life and when the band wasn’t touring or promoting a new album, I tried to spend as much time in the silence as I could.

But now I had energy to work off. Pent up sexual energy. Despite my climax a few minutes ago, I barely felt any relief. This thing I had going with LunaGirl wasn’t going to be enough for much longer. I briefly wondered whether she’d be interested in a more up close and personal relationship before dismissing the idea.

Standing up, my jeans fell to the floor and I stepped out of them before bending down to pick them up and folding them neatly. Crossing the house, I went into my bedroom and put them in their drawer before I pulled my boxer briefs down and stepped out of them. Digging through a different drawer, I found my favorite pair of swim shorts and pulled them on.

Grabbing a towel on my way to my backyard and the inviting pool there, my mind drifted back to thoughts of Luna. If my face wasn’t so fucking recognizable, meeting her in person wouldn’t be a problem. But all it would take was one picture, one recording, one video, or even just one well-timed story to any media outlet anywhere to fuck up my whole world.

I snorted, imagining what my parents would say if they found out the kind of man I really was. The kind filled with darkness he was afraid to let out. They already regretted adopting me. Despite my success, they never let me forget what a disappointment I was to them. They’d told me the story of how I’d come to be theirs a thousand times, but the weight of their expectations had nearly crushed me. The only child they’d ever have, brought into their life to fill a void they couldn’t fill on their own.

But I had to live my life on my terms, even if that meant a shitty relationship with my parents. Still, I didn’t want to embarrass them. In their minds, it was bad enough that I was a celebrity. They hated my fame more than I did. So, I kept my desires and my true nature well-hidden, locked deep down in a box wrapped in titanium chains. The only person who had the key was LunaGirl and even then, I kept her at arm’s length.

Tossing the towel onto the plush lounge chair, I dove into the lukewarm water, gliding through the liquid until my lungs burned and I was forced to come up for air. The weight of the water pressed against my body on all sides, and I found it comforting like I always did. This was where I found my peace, slicing through the water with the world muffled. Nothing could touch me here, not even the air. 

Lap after lap I pushed myself, kicking off the wall again and again until every muscle burned and I was gasping for air. I finally surfaced, pushing my hair back off of my forehead and wiping the water droplets away. I blinked up at the setting sun, wondering if it was still light wherever Luna was, or if, like her name, she was looking up at the bright moonlight. 

I also wondered if a day would come where she wasn’t the first thing I thought about when I woke up or the last thing I thought about before I fell asleep.

***

After wearing myself out in the pool last night, I fell into a fitful sleep. Visions of a faceless girl haunted me all night long and I woke up unsettled. But I had shit to do, so I couldn’t afford to linger on whatever the fuck my subconscious was doing.

Instead, I got up, swam my morning laps in the pool, and headed to the studio to meet the guys. We were recording our eighth album and I still couldn’t quite believe that shit. It blew my mind that anyone wanted to listen to the music we made, let alone millions of people around the world. 

Maybe if we weren’t so hugely popular, I wouldn’t have to hide my true self. But our following showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, we picked up more and more fans with every album we released. I was almost numb to it now.

Sometimes I wondered what my life would look like if I walked away. If I’d be free.

But there was a deep-seated need inside me to create. To express parts of myself that had no other outlet. And if I lost that, I wasn’t sure what I would become.

Walking through the nondescript front door of Mixed, the studio the label picked to record this album, the neon blue lighting tinted everything, including the five guys who were standing around waiting for me. I fucking hated being late and gritted my teeth, holding back the swell of annoyance and my desire to lash out. Instead, I pulled the drumsticks I always carried around out of my back pocket and started twirling them as I sat on the white leather sofa next to Maddox.

“Nice of you to join us,” his clipped words chafed at my need to cause pain, but I swallowed it down and adopted my usual mask of indifference instead. I never let my emotions control me. It was too dangerous. 

“I think so,” I retorted, ignoring his glare and instead focusing on spinning the wooden stick between my fingers in a calming rhythm. 

We were all feeling on edge, but I was the only one who kept that shit locked inside. Everyone wore their stress in the form of creased brows, scowls, and flattened lips. I could practically cut the frustration in the room with a knife. And it all centered on one man and one man only: Richard Bennett. 

“If you guys are ready, I’d like to get started this century,” the engineer slash producer snapped and I watched as the temperature in the room dropped a solid ten degrees and the tension skyrocketed. Maddox’s jaw ticked, Zen’s nostrils flared, and the arms folded across True’s chest flexed as if he were holding himself back from launching his fists at Richard’s face.

Even Griffin, Maddox’s brother who’d been hanging around the band for the past couple of months, had his eyes narrowed in the direction of the asshole who refused to do his fucking job. All of our band meetings before we ever stepped into a studio, all the writing sessions Zen had done, this fucking guy was ignoring all of it. Everything we knew we wanted, he didn’t give one single fuck.

If he got his way, this album would be whatever cheesy-ass washed out version of music he and the record label decided they wanted from us. But we had no plans of letting that shit slide.

No, we’d put up one hell of a fight if we had to. I almost hoped he wouldn’t do what we asked, because the part of me that craved violence and darkness would throw a goddamn party if I let it out to play with this asshole.

I wasn’t sure he was worth it.

“Maybe if you’d listen to our fucking ideas, we’d already be done,” Maddox grumbled next to me before lifting up off the couch and stalking into the booth.

Zen stared down Richard with a glare that could have melted steel, while True and I followed Maddox into the booth. Griffin settled himself into the couch while Zen was the last to move behind the glass, slamming the door behind him so hard the walls shook.

It was a really great environment to be creative in. Internally, I rolled my eyes at my own sarcasm. I stepped behind my drum set, lowering down onto the stool. True and Maddox picked up their instruments and Zen pulled on his headphones and moved in front of the microphone.

On the other side of the glass, Richard sat in the white office chair behind the mixing board. He leaned forward, pressing the button that let him talk to us in the soundproofed room. “Start whenever you’re ready.”

Zen glanced back at me and I nodded before smacking my sticks together a couple of times and then hitting them against the snare in front of me in a punishing rhythm. We had a vision for this album and we all felt as a band that we’d earned the right to some creative freedom. We’d done whatever the fuck the studio wanted us to for the last seven. This one was ours. 

Stopping us halfway through the song, I gritted my teeth to keep from snapping. Working with Richard over the past month was always like this. I was completely fucking over it.

“What now, Dick?” Maddox taunted, his voice laced with the contempt we were all feeling.

“Your bass line’s off. And why is there no chord change in the middle eight?” he demanded and I wanted to climb over my drum set and shove my stick through his goddamn eye. No fucking way was the tempo of my bass line off. I was a fucking legend when it came to rhythm and this douche expected us to believe I was the problem here?

“Yeah, I’m out,” I declared, standing up and tucking my sticks into my back pocket. The guys didn’t even hesitate, putting their instruments into their cases and filing out of the studio behind me. Griffin rose up off the couch and joined our parade past Richard and toward the door.

I held up my middle finger as I passed by the producer on my way out.

“Where the hell are you going? We’ve got the studio reserved all day!” Richard yelled, his face turning a fucked up shade of reddish-purple. 

“We’re done compromising our music for what you or the label thinks is right. Let us know when you’re ready to just let us fucking play and we’ll be back.” Zen pushed through the front door and we all followed. I gave Dick another one fingered salute before I followed Griffin outside.

“What now?” True asked, hefting his guitar case into the back of his Jeep.

“My house,” I said, sliding into my car. “We’ll record it the way we want and I’ll play around with the composition and see if I can get the sound we’re looking for.”

Zen nodded and Maddox and Griffin got into Mad’s Maclaren, pulling the doors down to close them. Fuck the label and fuck Dick. My adrenaline spiked as a spark of excitement took root inside me. I was itching to test out everything I’d been messing around with in my home studio and thanks to an incompetent exec at the label, it looked like I’d get my chance.

Are you getting excited yet?? Jericho releases 10/20/20.

What I Wrote This Week

This week, I spent most of my time revamping Finding Zen. The new version has been uploaded and is ready for you to check out! Keep reading to find out about why I felt the need to make the changes.

Why did you feel like now was the right time to spruce up Finding Zen?

I’m writing Shadow Phoenix, the prequel of the series right now. It’s more than halfway done, and between that and the character development and plotting I’ve done for Playing Jericho, there were some inconsistencies in who the characters had revealed themselves to be. So, before I wrote any more books in the series, I felt like it was important to make everything consistent.

What’s changing in Zen?

Most of the dialogue and interactions with the guys in the band have now been changed in some way. When I originally wrote Zen, I hadn’t fully fleshed out who the characters were going to be. I knew True would be sort of a hopeless romantic type, Maddox was an arrogant jerk, and Jericho? Well, I figured he’d be shy. But that was all I had on any of them.

As I’ve written their books and really done a deep dive into who they are, there were so many complexities that I didn’t reflect in the original version of Zen. It was time to go back and correct all of that.

Anything else?

Finding Zen was the very first romance novel I’d written (very first full length novel in general), and I was not at all comfortable with writing sex scenes. They were awkward and uncomfortable to write, and I think that reflected in the way they read, too. So I did some tweaking in those areas.

There were also some plot inconsistencies, things that didn’t work, and holes that needed shoring up. Thanks to my super awesome proofreaders and friends, fellow author Melony Ann and her boyfriend, Sergeant Brad, who’ve been instrumental in making sure all the criminal and law enforcement aspects to my stories were realistic and accurate, I think we got everything straightened out and the story’s a lot tighter than it was.

Turns out I’m not as good at catching errors and plot holes as I thought I was. Haha!

Why did Jericho need to be rewritten?

When I originally imagined the Jericho character, he was shy and quiet, geeky. Maybe even virginal, which I thought could make a really interesting character dynamic. A 28-year-old rock star virgin? So unlikely.

But, when it came time to actually plot his book, I must have spent a month coming up with different ideas, brainstorming and tossing them around with my writer friends and my husband. Nothing ever felt right, nothing stuck. And then I stepped back and realized it was because who Jericho was as a character just wasn’t right.

When I made that discovery, I threw everything out the window and stopped fighting him. With some great advice, I stopped trying to make him into who I wanted him to be, and instead just let him be who he was meant to be. And let me tell you… he’s not at all what you’ve been expecting. Of all the heroes I’ve written, Jericho is the darkest.

What about the Shadow Phoenix prequel? How do the changes play into that?

The prequel is going to come out before Jericho releases and I’m a little more than halfway done writing it. You’ll get a really intense deep dive into who the guys of Shadow Phoenix were around the time the band starts their rise to fame. They go through a lot, and you’ll be able to follow along for the ride. And the book will also prepare you for Jericho’s story. Things in Zen will make more sense. This prequel will tie everything in the SP world together with a messy bow.

What about that new cover?

Since I was revisiting the entire book, I thought it could use a new look, too. I have a blog post coming soon detailing the cover, but I gave the series a face lift and I’m in love with the new look.

What about the other books?

In the coming weeks, I’m going to be making a few small changes to Loving True and Saving Maddox to reflect the new character changes in Jericho. The other characters in those books are great as-is.

Do I have to do anything to get the updated version of Finding Zen?

Make sure your kindle is set to get automatic updates so that whenever I make changes, they download automatically. You can find the instructions on how to do that here. You don’t need to repurchase it, but if you’ve read and returned it in Kindle Unlimited, you will need to re-download it again.

So, there you have it! That’s what I’ve been up to this week. When you’re done reading the Finding Zen update, let me know what you think of the changes in the comments.

What I Wrote This Week

This past Tuesday, Saving Maddox released and now that it’s out in the world it was time for me to jump into my next project. If I’m not actively writing something at pretty much all times, I get twitchy.

Unlike every other aspect of my life, my writing process is really organized and linear. I start my projects by figuring out the two main characters and a loose plot line. I figure out where I want them to start and how I want the story to end. And then I jump into detailed plotting.

I plot every single scene I’m going to write before I write it. At least that’s typically how I do things. I also only work on one project at a time.

Way back when, I was super into knitting. And I was also super into starting a million projects and never finishing one so I had half-finished knitting projects all over the house. Knowing that about myself, when I started on this writing journey I told myself I would only start something if I finished something else. So far this has served me well, but I had two projects once Maddox was done that were tugging at me and demanding to be written.

So this week, I broke my self-imposed one project at a time rule. That’s right: I’m actively writing TWO books right now.

So what are they?

Well, the first is Playing Jericho. Out of all the books I’ve written so far, this one has given me the most trouble plot-wise. The character I originally envisioned for Jericho didn’t fit when the time came to start actually plotting the book and it took me a couple of months of plotting and replotting to finally figure out that the problem wasn’t the plot but the character instead. Which meant a complete overhaul of who he was as a person.

I had to stop trying to force him into what I thought he should be and start letting him be who he was meant to be. Once I did that, the plot flowed and the words came a lot easier.

On top of Jericho, I’m also working on a prequel. It’s working title is Shadow Phoenix (original, I know haha) and it’s the story of the four original band members and their friendship and their path to fame. It starts just before high school graduation and follows the start of their music career with lots of debauchery along the way. It’s been fun to write, and unlike Jericho, I’m not plotting the shit out of it before I write it. I’m just writing and seeing what happens.

So far I don’t have a release date set for the prequel, but I’ll let you know when I get closer.

It’s been hot, so I’ve been multitasking by spending time with my kiddo at the pool and writing.

So, here’s how this week breaks down:

Playing Jericho: 2 chapters written

Shadow Phoenix: 3 chapters written

A few done, many, many more to go!

A quick (unedited!) sneak peek from Playing Jericho:

Jericho

I repressed the urge to smash my controller against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath. “Fuck, I’m out. Maybe we’ll have better luck tomorrow,” DeathMinion said before signing off of the game. Once he was gone, FatUncle followed him and that just left LunaGirl and me. A devilish grin crossed my face.

“Hey, Luna,” I breathed into the mic, lowering my voice to almost a growl.

She laughed that throaty laugh of hers that always turned me the fuck on. “Hey, Wicked. Nice campaign, even if we did get our asses kicked.”

Flirting with Luna over this game was what I looked forward to most these days. It wasn’t playing sold out shows with Shadow Phoenix, the band I was a drummer for. It wasn’t accepting awards, doing interviews, or any of the other boring-ass shit that came along with being someone famous. Nope. It was this right here—LunaGirl and her sultry voice. Her and this game were the only places I let myself really be who I was deep down inside. The only safe places I had to let the darkness out to play because LunaGirl got off on my need for control.

Have a great weekend, and look for my “What I Read This Weekend” post on Monday for my favorite reads from the past weekend.

Sneak Peek: Saving Maddox Prologue

I’ve been busy writing away on book three of the Shadow Phoenix series - Saving Maddox! It’s coming along great and I can’t wait to share it with you next month. Maddox and Ryan are childhood best friends and are finding their way back to each other.

You can read the prologue below to get a sneak peek into how their friendship started.

Prologue

Ryan

“I bet she has a dick, too!” Tyler shouted through his laughter. 

Oh, no. Not again. 

I tried to curl into myself as my cheeks burned. I’d gotten used to Tyler and Jacob teasing me, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t embarrassing. Just because I wore pants instead of dresses and liked playing sports with the boys during recess didn’t mean I was a boy.

“What do you say, Ryan? How ‘bout we see for ourselves?” Jacob taunted as they moved toward me. I couldn’t let them pull down my pants in front of everyone. My heart was pounding and my eyes darted around, looking for anyone to help me. But all the other kids crowded around the bus stop were ignoring me.

As I continued to back up, step by step trying to put distance between me and my bullies, my chin wobbled. Even as my eyes stung, I refused to cry. These two boys had been bothering me all year. I didn’t wear a ponytail in my hair anymore because if I did, they’d pull my hair. I didn’t understand why they couldn’t just leave me alone. What did it matter that my parents had given me a boy’s name? I’d always thought my name was cool and different. I was proud of it.

At least until this year. Now I wished my name was anything else so I could blend in. My sister Charlie told me to ignore them, that they were  picking on me because they liked me. I didn’t believe her, though. Why would they call me names or hurt me if they thought I was pretty? It didn’t make sense. Why would they embarrass me in front of everyone over and over again?

My back hit the signpost that marked the stop and I tripped, falling onto the dusty dirt-covered ground and scraped my palms and knees. I tried not to show fear, lifting my chin and narrowing my eyes defiantly at the boys who towered over me.

“Leave me alone,” I said with a shaky voice.

“Boys aren’t allowed to cry, Ryan. If you cry, I’ll punch you.” Jacob moved his lanky body toward me. He was only ten, like me, but he was the tallest kid in my class. When he was standing practically on top of me, his shadow blocked out the sun and I looked up into his face. He wore a sneer that made him look like he’d smelled something bad. 

I was more convinced than ever that Charlie was dead wrong. These boys didn’t like me. They hated me. Tyler sauntered over to me and reached down, wrapping his hand around my upper arm and squeezing so hard it hurt. I flinched and tried to pull away, but he was stronger than I was. 

My lungs were burning because I was breathing so fast but I couldn’t lose focus. I kicked out my foot and hit Tyler in the shin and he squeezed harder. “Jake, grab her other arm.”

Jacob reached down and dug his stubby nails into my skin and even though I tried to completely relax my body so I’d be harder to pick up, they still dragged me to my feet.

“Please don’t do this,” I begged, hating myself for showing weakness. They looked at each other and then cracked up laughing which made me cringe. I hadn’t done myself any favors trying to get them to stop but I had to try. They’d humiliated me over and over, putting paint on my chair so I ruined my pants and had to walk away with red marks on my butt all day, tripping me when I walked up to turn in my homework. 

They’d done too much stuff to even count, every time breaking another little part of me down. This year, I’d gone from happy and carefree to the mess I was right now, shaking and on the verge of tears. Tyler and Jacob made me feel weak and I hated it. When I get bigger, I’ll never let anyone make me feel weak again. But right now, there was nothing I could do.

Even if I was strong enough, two on one wasn’t a fair fight.

Tyler let go of my arm and I swung back to punch him, but Jacob caught my flying fist and trapped both of my hands behind my back while Tyler gripped the waist of my jeans. He’d have to unbutton them to pull them down and I twisted, trying to keep the clasp away from his grubby fingers.

“Let her go.” A low, menacing voice came from behind me and relief washed over me. Someone noticed. Someone cared enough to take on my two bullies for me. It started to sink in that the group of kids at the bus stop wouldn’t be seeing my underwear today and I could cry from happiness.

Tyler laughed at my mystery guardian. He still stood behind me and I couldn’t turn myself to see who it was. “I don’t think I want to. What do you think, Jake?”

Jacob glanced uneasily behind me and back to his friend. “I don’t know, Ty. Maybe we should see Ryan during recess instead.”

Tyler’s hands were pried off of my arms and I shook out my wrists before turning around. I had to tilt my chin up to see him, but the boy who saved me wasn’t a stranger. He lived on the ranch next door and I’d met him a handful of times, but we weren’t friends. He missed more school than he went to, so I didn’t see him at the bus stop very often.

I guess today was my lucky day since he’d shown up and stepped in. His dark eyes locked on mine, anger and concern swirled in them and I didn’t want to look away. “Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Thank you.” I couldn’t think of anything better to say. 

He pulled me so I was standing behind him and straightened himself up to his full twelve-year-old height. “If you touch her again, I’ll kill you. Both of you.” The threat in his voice gave me chills. It didn’t feel like he was kidding to me and I think Tyler and Jacob felt the same way. They backed up, hands raised in the air and ran back to the rest of the group.

The boy stepped forward and grabbed my backpack, dusting it off before handing it back to me. “Those assholes shouldn’t bother you anymore but if they do, you tell me.” His eyes were hard and he cracked his knuckles.

“I will. Thanks again. By the way, I’m Ryan. I think you live next door, right?” I wasn’t in a hurry to move away from my protector. I glanced around him, eyeing Jacob and Tyler wearily. They were whispering to each other and looking my way. I didn’t have high hopes that they’d listen to the boy and leave me alone.

“I’m Maddox.” His lips tilted up on one side into a sort of amused half smile. “Yep, we’re neighbors.” He followed my gaze to Tyler and Jacob and his eyes narrowed before he looked back at me. “I mean it, Ryan. From now on, you wait for me in the morning and we’ll come to the bus stop together. After school, I’ll walk you home. If they bother you during school, I need you to tell me, okay?”

Tearing my gaze off of my bullies, I looked into his eyes, studying them. Did he mean it? The small golden flecks dotting the beautiful dark brown of his irises was mesmerizing. My cheeks heated again when he cleared his throat and I looked away. I’d never given a boy a second glance before but Maddox had saved me. His dark hair fell into his eyes and I suddenly wanted to reach up and brush it away so I could get another glimpse of the galaxy hidden in his gaze.

“What?” I finally managed.

His laugh was dark and low, like he knew he’d caught me staring at him and I shuffled my feet, kicking up some dust as the bus pulled up. “From now on, we go to and from school together. And you sit by me on the bus.”

“Okay,” I quickly agreed. I felt safe with Maddox. If it meant freedom from Tyler and Jacob, I’d gladly follow him around all day. A flush crept up my neck again when he reached for my hand, tugging me toward the bus. I’d never be able to thank him enough for what he did for me today.

The boy next door was a mystery, one I suddenly wanted to discover more than anything.