Prologue Eva #2
Bored and ready to abandon this lame party, I walk toward the other side of the house and away from the noise. It’s much quieter near the water, and as I slow my steps to take it all in, I trip on a small broken branch and fall onto the dirty ground.
“Crap!” I whimper as my knee begins to sting.
With great effort, I struggle to pick myself up, but a pair of black jeans appears in front of me. Slowly, I glance upward as Aston crouches to my level. His curly dark hair falls over his eyes, but he quickly slicks it back with his fingers to reveal his beautiful face.
“Already hitting the keg, huh?”
I shake my head, trying to cover my embarrassment. “I’m not Maddy.”
“No, you’re not my sister.” His smirk is annoyingly sexy. “Are you hurt?”
“A little.”
Aston extends his arm as I reach out for support. At a slow and agonizing pace, I manage to stand. Not only does my knee sting, but the fall also tore my jeans, so now there’s a big rip exposing a lot of skin.
“Sit down here.” He motions to a large log near the edge of the water. “Let me take a look.”
I take a seat while Aston kneels in front of me.
My pulse quickens at the smell of his cologne, making the simple act of breathing impossible.
His deep green eyes trace my body, causing me to shiver.
Then, his eyes gaze upon mine while a smile graces his lips.
He has one of those smiles that lights up his entire face.
Not that I’ve seen it often. Around me, he’s usually annoyed.
“I think you’ll survive. A little broken, but still pretty perfect.”
“I never was perfect,” I inform him as he takes a seat beside me. “Far from it.”
“We all see things differently,” he murmurs, then tilts his head slightly as if to better observe me. “Everleigh.”
I’m not fond of people calling me by my full name, but the way he slowly drags it out leaves me speechless.
As we stare out over the lake, I fidget nervously with my hands.
Maddy told me her father insisted Aston spend the summer in London to work with a business associate before starting college in the fall.
I decide to bring it up since London sounds pretty cool, and sitting here in silence is awkward as fuck.
“So, tomorrow is the big day, huh?”
His shoulders slump as he leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, the big day.”
“You don’t seem too excited. I’ve only read about London, but it looks like a beautiful city.”
“Well, when you’re following your father’s directions, it’s hard to get… excited ,” he answers.
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry about? The fact that I’m his firstborn son and heir to our family’s fortune? Or how he controls every aspect of my life for his benefit?”
I turn to face him, filled with this sudden urge to pull him out of whatever negative space he’s in. London is amazing, but no one should be allowed to dictate your life. At least my parents always taught me to follow my own dreams.
“So… say no?” I blurt out. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
Aston sighs dejectedly. “You underestimate my father’s control over our family.”
“That’s because you let him.” I raise my voice.
“Come on, you have everything going for you. You’re smart, a straight-A student without even trying.
Coach loves you. Your athletic ability is the best the school has seen.
I mean, I’m not one to watch lacrosse, but so I’ve heard.
Not to mention, you’re pretty. So tell me, why on earth do you think your father should dictate your life? ”
“You think I’m pretty?” Aston cocks his head with a playful smile on his lips. “Unusual choice of words, Miss Woods.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I don’t think I do.”
“Handsome, hot, sexy. But that’s beside the point. What I’m really trying to say is—”
Warm lips smash against mine, and I gasp. It takes me a second to realize Aston Beaumont’s kissing me.
Oh. My. God!
Aston Beaumont is kissing me.
His tongue gently pushes through my lips, and my heart beats like a drum inside my chest. A million thoughts are running rampant through my head, but the only thing I can focus on is how he tastes like perfection.
We find ourselves in perfect harmony, slow, sensual kisses igniting my entire body.
Then, he explores every inch of my mouth with desperation.
Desire travels right between my thighs as his hand slides beneath my sweater and against my stomach.
The tips of his fingers rub against my belly, causing me to gasp as he inches closer to the button of my jeans.
Am I about to lose my virginity?
I have only just lectured Maddy on being responsible, yet here I am, about to have sex with her brother.
With a desperate need to ignore any rational thoughts, I reach out to caress his face.
My bold move causes him to moan inside my mouth as the pop of my jeans button sounds between us.
Savoring the touch of his skin, I try to bring him closer to me, but then he pulls away, out of breath.
“I shouldn’t h-have…” he stammers, quickly rebuttoning my jeans. “I’m leaving tomorrow, and you’re Maddy’s best friend.”
I shake my head slightly to bring myself back to reality.
But the reality is my best friend’s older brother just kissed me, and we were moments away from something more.
I’ve been avoiding my feelings for the last year. Denial is a vicious game I play with my emotions, because it’s easier than getting hurt. The moment I admit to myself that I have a crush on Aston Beaumont will be the moment my life changes forever.
Surely, if he kissed me first, he must feel something.
I can’t be imagining all this.
And it’s not like we’re going to get married or anything.
Though we would make cute kids.
“It’s okay,” I barely manage to say, trying to catch my breath with this sudden burst of confidence. “I want this to happen. I think… um, I like you, Aston. I mean, I’ve had feelings for a while.”
A gentle wave crashes against the sand bank, shifting my attention momentarily.
This kiss, in this spot of all places, is something I will never forget.
I want to savor it all—the way the water glistens under the moonlight and how, if you listen carefully, the frogs become quiet as if they are at peace listening to the thrum of my heartbeat.
“Everleigh…”
The warning in Aston’s voice and the weight of his gaze make my heart stop abruptly, and suddenly the creatures surrounding us are loud and obnoxious. It’s as if they know something is wrong and are warning me of what’s about to come.
What the hell did I just do? Did I admit I wanted him to kiss me? Did I admit my feelings to the one boy who is completely off-limits to me?
Maddy would kill me if she found out.
Her stern words about Penelope Anderson ring in my head.
After Penelope moved to Cinnamon Springs and insisted on becoming friends with Maddy, it didn’t take long before she was showing up at all of Aston’s games—and the truth came out.
It was ugly, Maddy was furious, and to this day I don’t know if Penelope successfully got with Aston.
She ended up moving back to the West Coast before senior year, and we never heard from her again.
I’m far from a mean girl, but if someone befriends me just to get with my brother, the gloves are off and claws will be out.
It was all very dramatic, but still, those words stuck in my head and it often plays on repeat just to remind me my crush can go nowhere.
“I have to go.”
I place my hands on my stomach to try to control this overwhelmingly bad feeling,
I stand and run back toward the bonfire before he can say anything else. Suddenly, I want to be as far away as possible from Aston.
No one seems to notice my flushed cheeks or my torn jeans. Everyone is happily dancing away, even Maddy, who’s busy with some other guy now. And that doesn’t seem to bother Camden, who is making out with a girl who had her hands all over Aston earlier.
I sit beside the fire with a soda can in my hand, staring into the flames.
Aston’s lips felt like pure bliss. Every part of me ached for his kiss. My body felt like it was possessed, and nothing could stop me.
Until… Aston pulled away.
“Here he is.” Jake, another senior, chuckles as Aston returns to the bonfire. He avoids my gaze, taking a seat in an empty chair. I steal a careful glance at him. He doesn’t look happy.
“Are you ready?” Jake asks Aston.
“It’s so barbaric,” Tiffany, the girl kissing Camden, complains loudly.
“It’s a ritual, and who are we to break tradition?” Jake moves toward Aston with a needle and a small bottle. Aston removes his shirt as I watch in confusion, with a sudden thickness in my throat.
“What are they doing?” I quiz the guy beside me.
“He’s getting inked. To symbolize the end of an era.”
With the needle in his hand and some ink beside him, Jake begins to carve into Aston’s chest. Most of the girls are unable to look, squeamish at the sight of the needle grazing his skin. Aston doesn’t flinch, not even when Maddy turns pale and almost passes out.
Instead, he is staring directly at me .
My weakness has always been his eyes, the same green eyes that consumed me and drew me into a kiss I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
But something about his stare is worrying.
“Ready to leave this town, Beaumont?” Camden teases with an obnoxious laugh. “London has interesting women, not boring girls like this godforsaken place.”
Tiffany smacks his arm. “I’m not boring. You’re such a jerk.”
“Sweetheart, you weren’t calling me that ten minutes ago, when I gave you the best orgasm of your life.”
What a fucking loser. Thank God Maddy didn’t touch him. I glance over at her to make sure she’s okay, and, judging by her relaxed smile, I think she’s realized she avoided a walking STD.
“I’m done with this place,” Aston declares with a look so cold it makes me shiver. “And you’re right, I need a real woman. There’s no one left for me here.”
My lips begin to tremble, but I force myself to keep it together, refusing to show him just how much I despise him right now.
Aston Beaumont knew how to win my heart…
… and break it.
All in one night.
A mastermind, some may call him.
But not me.
He’s the biggest asshole to ever exist.
I could leave this party right now and allow my tears to get the better of me, or forget Aston Beaumont ever existed.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Tomorrow, he’ll be on a flight to London and gone from my life forever.
The perfect cure for my broken heart.