Title: Again (Fate, #4)
Author: Elizabeth Reyes
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 3, 2015
Organized by: As the Pages Turn
Synopsis
No regrets. Just lessons learned.
Having lived through the torment of losing his first love to someone else—all because he never spoke up—Sydney Maricopa vowed never to repeat that mistake again.
So when he finally admits he’s fallen for his new best friend, he refuses to lose her too, especially once he realizes his feelings for her might be requited. There’s only one problem.
Her perfect boyfriend.
Still, Sydney’s determined to fight for the girl he loves this time. He has what it takes to go up against Mr. Perfect. Most importantly, he and his new best friend have something even her boyfriend can’t compete with—their profound connection. One he intends to use to win her over.
Until he finds out what she’d be giving up if she chooses Sydney.
Something no one should ever give up. Would he dream of selfishly asking her to? Or should he do the honorable thing and sacrifice his own happiness for hers? Allow the girl he loves to sail off into the sunset with another man as he stands back and watches in agony . . .again?
Prologue
Again (Fate 4)
Copyright © 2015
Elizabeth Reyes
Sydney
It
took all of thirty seconds to figure out whose bed Sydney was in and
whose gorgeous ass cheek was peeking out from just under satin sleep
shorts. In the following seconds, the memory of what they’d done
last night, while choppy, began coming to him. Against his better
judgment, he’d agreed to come back to her apartment to finish
celebrating their birthdays—safely.
The
faint ache of the headache he knew he’d have for the rest of the
day, or at least all morning, made him squeeze his eyes shut. They
flew open the instant he felt movement in the bed.
Shit.
She’d
be up soon, and things would no doubt get awkward. His only saving
grace was they were both dressed. Well, sort of. His shirt was
unbuttoned, and visions of her playfully undoing the buttons while
giggling, her mouth so close to his he could almost taste it, had him
squeezing his legs together. It was bad enough he’d woken with his
usual morning wood. This was not helping.
The
thin silk camisole and satin sleep shorts she’d slipped into last
night after stripping out of what she’d called her frumpy work
clothes left little to the imagination. Once again Sydney was
assaulted with the visual of her perky tits with nipples so erect
they practically tore through the fabric of the tight and almost
see-through white camisole. The tiny shorts barely covered the swell
of her plump ass.
Squeezing
his eyes shut, he muttered under his breath then threw the blanket
she’d kicked off back over her. He had to before he had a
full-blown throbbing erection like the one that had tortured him most
of the previous evening.
This
wasn’t the first time he’d woken in the bed of someone who he
hadn’t anticipated ending up with. But it was the first time he had
with someone he considered a dear friend. He’d thought about what
it would be like to have her under him far too many times; he’d
just never anticipated it would ever happen, especially not
like this.
Sydney
may’ve had a bit too much to drink last night, but he was nowhere
as drunk as she’d been. He’d made sure he stayed in control.
Things had gotten pretty intense—pretty damn heavy even—but
luckily, drinking alcohol in excess as they had last night was a
foreign concept to her. It was why he’d agreed to come back to her
place initially. She’d already been pretty lit when they left the
bar, and he was certain he was just bringing her home to make sure
she passed out safely in her bed. He just hadn’t anticipated her
being so persuasive and getting him to agree to hang out a little
longer, getting playful, things getting heavy, and then his passing
out with her.
Just
because he remembered the details didn’t mean she would. In
fact, he was pretty certain she wouldn’t, and maybe that was a good
thing. Now he wondered if he should even mention everything she’d
done, said, and admitted last night when the liquor kicked in. He
couldn’t be sure how she’d react, but he knew her well enough to
know she’d be a little embarrassed, maybe even mortified.
With
that in mind, he considered the possibility of sneaking out. It
seemed like an ideal plan. He could grab his things, slip out her
bedroom sliding glass door, and then later he could call and ask how
she was feeling. He’d say he made sure she got home safely then
left and that was that. If she remembered anything, it would be even
choppier than how he recalled it. She’d been close to passing out
when she made one of her more profound admissions. She might even
think she dreamed some of it.
It
was perfect and he slid out of the bed carefully—quietly. He began
tiptoeing around the room, gathering his things: the shoes she
insisted he take off and the tie she’d done a little dance with
that lay on the floor now next to her three-inch heels. He’d
forever have the visual of her prancing in those sexy-as-shit heels.
Feeling
his cock come alive again, he grabbed the tie, muttering to himself.
“Just grab your shit and get out.”
The
sound of a knock in the front room made him freeze in place. His mind
raced. Was that what he thought it was? A knock at her door? The
doorbell rang this time, and she sat up, her eyes wide with
confusion. She glanced around the room. Sydney watched her facial
expression, catching the moment it all came to her, and she gasped,
bringing her hand to her mouth.
“Nothing
happened,” he said in a loud whisper just as another knock followed
at her door and he pointed. “Someone’s at your door. You
expecting someone?”
The
moment he asked, it came to him: the charity walk she’d be doing
this morning—with her boyfriend and the rest of her family
and friends.
She
jumped out of bed, covering herself as if she were naked, but she was
still in the attire she’d so audaciously pranced around in for him
last night.
“Sissy!”
her sister called out, knocking a little harder. “You in the shower
or something?”
“We
got you coffee.” Hearing her brother’s voice made his stomach
drop even further.
But
what really gave his gut a kick was her boyfriend’s voice. “I got
your favorite, babe, fresh poppy-seed muffins.”
“Oh
my God!” she gasped again, throwing on an oversized sweatshirt.
Already
one step ahead of her, Sydney finished picking up his other shoe and
coat from the chair on the side of the bed. His wallet on her
nightstand was a reminder of what he’d begun to consider last
night. He would never take advantage of a girl, especially not a good
friend. But with the way she was acting last night—the things she’d
admitted in her inebriated state—he’d begun to think he might not
be able to talk her out of doing what she’d been so hell-bent on
doing. It’d been a moment of utter weakness on his part. For a
fleeting instant, he’d considered that, if he couldn’t change her
mind, he certainly wouldn’t reject her. The least he could do was
make sure they used protection. Thankfully, it hadn’t come to that,
but now here they were.
“I’ll
go out the sliding door,” he said just after she called out for her
boyfriend and siblings to give her a minute.
She
nodded in frantic agreement. “I’m sorry,” she said in a hushed
voice.
“For
what?” He stopped to look at her.
“I
don’t remember much, but I do remember I was the one who insisted
we come back here. This is my fault.”
Sydney
shook his head, narrowing his eyes as he took one last look into
those beautiful, anxious eyes. “Don’t worry about it.” He
smiled. “If I hadn’t wanted to, I wouldn’t have. And for the
record, you may not remember, but we had a good time. At least I know
I did, but I’m pretty sure you did too.”
Her
face flushed and she smiled timidly, so different from her behavior
last night. He almost laughed, but he didn’t. She looked
embarrassed enough.
She
walked him to the sliding door where she thanked him again for
understanding, squeezed his arm, and said she’d call him as soon as
she got the chance. Sydney walked through the pool area and into the
other side of their apartment complex. The entire way up the elevator
and down the hallway to his apartment he was lost in thought.
She’d
shared with him last night some of the truths about her relationship
with her man. Even if she hadn’t said it outright, her
actions screamed far louder than any words she could’ve ever said.
She
wanted Sydney just as much as he wanted her.
Had
she meant everything she’d said? Or had it been just sexual desire
brought out by the alcohol? No fucking way. He clenched his jaw.
One
thing he knew about his relationship with his best friend was
that would never work. He’d never been one of those
men, the kind that felt the need to stake their claim on the girl
they loved—own her. He’d always thought the idea of such thinking
was ridiculous, insulting to the girl. Even when he’d been married,
he’d never felt he owned his wife.
But
last night changed everything. Seeing her the way he had and
witnessing the fire in her eyes when she’d gotten a glimpse of the
undeniable erection her dancing had given him—one so obvious even
his slacks couldn’t hide it—he knew one thing. If he ever got his
hands on that hot little ass—fucked her the way he thought
he could only dream of doing—she’d be his.
No
if, ands, or buts about it. He finally understood that carnal need to
claim the girl you loved and make sure everybody knew it.
There’d be no looking back if they ever went there, so if she was
thinking that’s all it could be, she was dead wrong, and he’d
told her so. Unfortunately, he was sure she wouldn’t remember. That
was when her last words came to him. She’d said them as he’d
indulged her by pretending he was getting into bed with her, and he’d
be holding her to them even if she didn’t remember because he’d
seen the look in her eyes when she’d said them. Just as he had when
he said them too, she meant them.
Then
she’d passed out.
Sydney
smiled. She was so beautiful even passed out. He hadn’t been able
to tear himself away from lying by her side, staring at her—listening
to her breathe—until he passed out too.
He
made it to the door of his apartment and reached in his pocket for
his keys. Instantly, he felt the panic. He reached in his other
pocket and searched his coat but felt nothing. Then it came to him.
They were right where he’d put them down next to his phone on the
table in her kitchen.
His
head fell back, knowing his sneaking out the back door had been all
for nothing. As much as he wanted nothing more than to be with her
now—make her his—she was still his dear friend, and he cared
about her deeply. He’d never do anything to purposely cause
problems or put her in an awkward position in front of her family,
even if he knew the truth now about how she felt. Sydney’s keys and
phone would be the first things her boyfriend would see sitting on
her kitchen table. She’d already mentioned the guy wasn’t
thrilled about her friendship with Sydney.
“Fuck!”
TEASER
♦♦ Again Purchase Links ♦♦
♦♦ Other Books in the Fate Series ♦♦
♦♦ About Elizabeth Reyes ♦♦
USA Today Bestselling Author, Elizabeth Reyes continues to answer to her calling on a daily basis. Since releasing her debut novel Forever Mine (Moreno Brothers #1) in 2010 she has now published 9 full length novels total and fast at work on the next. The excitement her Moreno Brothers, 5th Street, and Fate series have garnered has far exceeded her wildest dreams. It is with as much excitement that she’ll continue to put out books related to these series as well as introduce brand new ones very soon.
In 2014 she will take her next step in the exciting world of writing and publish her first traditionally published book with Simon & Schuster/Atria. But she will continue putting out self-published books as well.
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