An all-new standalone romance is coming next week from Kylie Scott, and I have a little sneak peek for you.
Excerpt
He looks at me like he’s surprised to see me there. But his grip tightens. I don’t want to let him go either. “Alice.”
“Hey. Are you alright?”
“No, not really,” he says. “I want you to come with me.”
“What?”
Next he looks at the building, mouth skewed with distaste. “I have to go and you hate this place anyway. You said so. Come with me.”
“Where to?”
“Denver, Colorado. It’ll be an adventure.”
“Beck, you’re going home to bury your father. Do you really think now is the right time for—”
“We’re in the middle of something here,” he says, clutching my hand to his chest. There’s a manic energy to him now. An edge I haven’t seen before. If the cool and amusing persona is his mask, then this is a big part of what lies beneath. An iron will. I know because he’s currently trying to bend me to it. His grip on my hand and the look in his eye couldn’t be more intense. “Aren’t we?” “Yes, but…”
“I’m not sure when I’ll be able to come back, is the thing. My family is complicated.” He swallows. “Come with me. Please.”
“What, and just leave everything behind?”
“Yeah. For a little while, at least,” he says, leaning in close. “Don’t you want to see where this goes?”
“Beck…”
“I don’t want to go back on my own.”
My mind is in chaos. Too many thoughts and feelings and questions. And all I can keep thinking is that I’ve got two loads of laundry to do tomorrow. That I’m due at my parent’s tomorrow night for dinner. That there’s a crushing student debt hanging over my head. So much everyday nonsense. But that nonsense is my life. The mystery that is Beck and the thrill of being with him…it shouldn’t replace the small amount of stability I have here. I know better than to throw caution to the wind and put my life on hold for a guy I just met. Even if I have feelings for him. “I can’t just up and leave for someone I’ve only known for four days, Beck. I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. For losing your father. But I can’t.”
His face takes on that aloof expression I hate, and he gives my hand a final squeeze. The smile he gives me is all things false in this world. “Sure. I understand.”
I’ve let him down. Fuck it, I’ve let both of us down. Being an adult sucks. “You better go. They’re waiting.”
“Let me, um…I’ll walk you to your car first.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Something inside my chest hurts. And it only gets worse when he waits for me to lock myself in my vehicle before giving me another grim smile and tapping his knuckles once on the roof of my old sedan. For a long moment, we just stare at each other. We’re saying goodbye. That’s the truth and it’s fucking awful. I start the car engine and he stands there in the dirty little lot, watching me leave, while I watch him in my rearview mirror. Doing my best to block out the pain and remember every last detail. Everything about him and how being with him made me feel. Going, going, gone.
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