Can’t Help Loving You
Eve Kasey
Publication date: March 29th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Ava
What happens when you meet the boy of your dreams in a bookstore?
You pretend you’re not leaving for college in the morning, and instead spend the night falling hard for his blue eyes, dimples, and creative soul – even if Maddox is a poetry hater.
You pretend you don’t get that tattoo in his honor.
You spend the next ten years telling yourself that a corner of your heart isn’t taken by a boy from your past.
When you see those blue eyes again, you pretend you don’t feel seen—awake—for the first time in a decade.
You remind yourself that you said yes to a man you didn’t want to marry, and now you’re stuck.
You tell yourself that this is the life you wanted.
But it isn’t. Not anymore.
Maddox
What happens when you run into the woman you haven’t stopped thinking about for a decade? The wild-haired, free-spirited sunshine girl from your past?
You pretend she’s not at that brewery with her fiancé, your new friend. Leo. The man who can make or break your design career.
You pretend neither of you see that Leo is keeping secrets and close to breaking.
You pretend you don’t know how miserable Ava is with her life, how she only lights up when you’re around.
You tell yourself you don’t ache for the one woman you can’t have.
But you do. You want her as badly as she wants freedom, and the time has come to stop pretending.
Excerpt:
Ava thought the music had her heart pumping? Now her pulse was sprinting, erratic, her heartbeat as loud in her ears as the drums.
Maddox sat there—lounged there—like
a king on a damn throne. People flanked him, mostly women. If not for his
aquamarine eyes and casual grace, she might not have recognized him. His curls
had been slicked back. He wore charcoal monochrome, a thin sweater painted onto
his frame and tight slacks that showed off his ankles. Sleek. Simple. Sexy as
sin. Ava barely registered the paisley loafers before his gaze crashed into
hers.
Shock crossed his face. All his
muscles seemed to jerk at once. His eyes moved up and down her body before
landing back on hers.
Ava’s stomach dropped to her feet.
She knew that look. She’d memorized that look on a beach hundreds of miles
away.
Maddox wanted her.
Ava’s exposed skin ignited. She
remembered vividly being wanted by this man. Wanting him in return. She
remembered how good it felt to give in to that want beneath the waves and again
on the beach.
But that was a long time ago. Far,
far away.
Flustered by his reaction, and hers,
she raised her hand in a wave, trying to force a smile onto her lips.
Maddox leaned forward, fingers
steepled in front of his mouth. He shook his head, a small, sin-soaked smile
curving behind his fingers.
Frozen in place, Ava frowned. Had
she just been rejected?
His gaze lingered on hers before
dropping down her body again, slowly, inch by torturous inch. Lust had crowded
his features. He held up a single finger, eyes begging. She felt her heartbeat
speed up as she finally understood.
They were pretending. Maddox was
pretending not to know her.
At that moment, she wasn’t his
friend or Leo’s fiancée. No, Ava was just a stranger in a club, a woman Maddox
only knew he wanted. He was asking for more time to dream.
She should march forward and shove
her way into his little group. She should call out his name to shatter the
illusion. But she didn’t. Instead, Ava straightened her spine and let herself
be devoured.
With no one to stop him, his gaze
roamed freely. Heat followed in his wake. Sweat. Goosebumps. Ava felt Maddox
exploring her skin as if he’d caressed her. He seemed especially intrigued by
her legs. So help her, flames erupted in her core as their little game went on,
as he worshipped her with his eyes.
Ava found herself wondering what
kind of lover this Maddox would be.
Would his fingers find their way
underneath her dress while they danced? Was he the type to smother orgasmic
cries with a kiss? Would he be the kind of lover who lifted her up against the
wall before sinking inside? Or was he the type to find an empty bathroom, spin
her around, and take her from behind?
The flames in Ava’s body reached
dangerous levels. She blinked out of her daze and realized Maddox was heading
straight for her. She turned, panicking, heart in her throat.
God, his hands hovered so close. His
body, his warmth, all too close.
She felt his fingertips creep toward
her elbow, near her skin but not connecting. His breath grazed her ear. “I’d
give anything—everything—to know what you’re thinking right now.”
Maddox could not touch her. Under no
circumstances would she allow it, even if the building were on fire and her
feet were melting like the wicked witch.
She kept her eyes on the couch he’d
vacated, on the women who watched their interaction with obvious interest. She
did not look at him. “I’ll never tell.”
“Good. Keep your secrets.” Ava
shivered at his whispered words, at his breath on her neck. “I’ll try to keep
mine.”
Author Bio:
Eve Kasey started composing stories in childhood, both in her head and with an electric typewriter loaded with pink paper. She writes for a design firm by day and reads independently published romance novels by night.
Eve writes contemporary romance that balances sweetness and steam while aiming to teach readers something new. Her books are where nerdy meets dirty. She believes romance novels can be a platform to portray healthy relationships and attitudes towards sex.
Eve lives in Washington state with her very stylish husband and two children.
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