Addictive

by Jessica Prince

  He exploded from the door, launching himself toward the entry table. Throwing his arms across the surface, he sent everything flying off the table with a loud crash. He walked past the shattered glass and photos scattered across the floor as he made his way to the liquor cabinet.

  ***

  Embry let out a soft moan as she snuggled into the warmth of the strong arms around her. She was exactly where she wanted to be, and for the first time in almost a week she felt content, happy…except for the slight pounding in her skull. She cracked her eyes open, peeking out from beneath her lashes only to slam them shut again when the sunlight assaulted her too-sensitive vision. Ouch. She lay in the bed, waiting for the hazy fog to lift from her brain and her eyes to adjust to the bright light of day.

  The arms around her tightened and their owner let out a low, sleepy groan. Embry stiffened and her eyes popped open. Suddenly the sweet warmth of his body was a searing fire burning her bare skin and sending her into a panic. Slowly dragging herself from his embrace, she sat up in the bed. Her gaze traveled the room taking in her surroundings before looking down at herself and realizing her clothes were missing save her barely-there bra and panties. Taking a deep breath and bolstering her resolve, she turned to glance over her shoulder at the man asleep next to her. He lay on his back, his arm thrown over his head, his hard-lined chest and abs on display.

  Embry’s stomach dropped violently and tears began to fall freely from her eyes. Jeremy. Oh, no. No, no, no.

  Pulling her knees to her chest, she silently wept into her hands as she realized what she’d done. Searching her memory, she tried and failed to put together the pieces of the previous night.

  She’d been staying with Jeremy since the New Year, partying her pain away and desperately trying to drink Luke from her mind. But it hadn’t worked, and she was left feeling emptier than ever.

  Her heart ached for him, and in that moment she realized that no matter how far she ran, she’d never be rid of him. She was inexplicably tied to him. Bound. He’d fuck up and she’d run, but could she really stay away? She needed him. Too bad that realization came after doing something that meant he’d never want to see her again.

  A soft caress on her back caused Embry to jump. She turned and stared back at Jeremy, her eyes red-rimmed and wet with tears.

  “Bree?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

  She stared back, unable to speak.

  He sat up slowly, his wide eyes never leaving hers.

  “Did…” She choked on the words. The tears came faster and her chest heaved as she tried to form the question that she desperately needed the answer to. “Did we…did I…?”

  Pain sliced across Jeremy’s face before hardness crept over his features. “No, Embry,” he said sharply. “We didn’t.”

  “Oh! Thank God!” The breath whooshed from her lungs as she sagged in relief and turned to leave the bed, missing the hurt on her friend’s face.

  “Would it have been so bad?" he mumbled behind her.

  Embry paused to look back at Jeremy, but she couldn’t form a response. Convincing herself that she’d heard him wrong, she started to stand from the bed when his fingers wrapped firmly around her bicep, pulling her back.

  “Embry,” he said, his eyes boring into hers.

  Sadness swept through her and a tidal wave of emotion followed, causing fresh tears to escape down her cheeks. How much easier would it be to fall for Jeremy? He was handsome, sweet, caring, and there was no denying it anymore, he adored her. There would be no sneaking around, no lies, and she was sure he’d do everything in his power to make her happy. But as much as she wished she could feel something more for him, anything, it just wasn’t there. Her heart no longer belonged to her. It was with Luke.

  Jeremy reached up, his thumb sweeping away a stray tear on Embry’s cheek. He pulled her into his chest, his strong arms surrounding her, and she let him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  He kissed her hair and rested his chin on her head. “No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.”

  She pulled away looking up into his kind eyes. “I don’t know what to say, Jer.”

  He smiled sadly and lifted his shoulder in defeat. “You don’t have to say anything, Bree.”

  “I love him, Jeremy. I—”

  “It’s fine. I know,” he assured her. But she knew it was far from fine.

  Embry looked down at her mostly naked body, then over to Jeremy’s bare chest. “If we didn’t … then how did I—?

  Jeremy shook his head. “You were wasted again.”

  “So you decided to take my clothes off?” she joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

  Jeremy rolled his eyes and his mouth tilted up into a sly smile. “Yep, you know me. I’ll take it any way I can get it.”

  “Hey, I wouldn’t put it past you. You haven’t had much luck in our section yet. You could’ve banked big bucks on that bet with Morgan.”

  Jeremy pinched Embry’s side. “Go put some clothes on before I decide to try you on that.” His tone was teasing, but she could see the desire darken his eyes.

  “Fine, fine.” Embry got up from the bed and rooted around the room she’d been staying in, looking for the duffle bag full of clothes that Morgan had sent with Jeremy’s driver a few days earlier.

  “Just for the record,” Jeremy said, “I was the one that tried to get you to stay in last night. But nooooo.”

  “I needed drink and dance therapy.”

  “Yeah and a naked cuddle with your best friend?”

  “How did we lose our clothes?”

  “You came crawling into my bed saying you didn’t want to be alone and dragged me back here. You had already lost your clothes at that point,” he said, eyeing her exposed body, “and I sleep like this.”

  “There better be something on under that sheet,” she joked.

  Jeremy raised an eyebrow and slowly began to lift the sheet. “Want to find out?”

  “Keep that sheet where it is, buster.” She pointed a stern finger at him.

  “Or what?”

  Embry shook her head at her friend. She was glad they could fall back into their banter so easily without any awkwardness. Realizing that she was feeling a little too comfortable around him in her bra and panties, she grabbed her duffle and headed to the bathroom to pull on some clothes. When she came out, Jeremy had gone from the bedroom. She packed up the rest of her things and carried them to the living room. Jeremy was lounging on the couch in a T-shirt and shorts, staring intently at the computer on his lap.

  She dropped her bags and melted onto the couch next to him. “Whatcha up to?”

  “Grades,” he said, his eyes never leaving the screen.

  “Grades?” She leaned closer, catching a glimpse of the display and her stomach was suddenly in her throat.

  Jeremy nodded.

  “Grades,” she repeated, this time not a question. She’d been so wrapped up in her own world, doing whatever she could to numb her pain and ignore her reality, that it hadn’t crossed her mind. “How could I have forgotten?”

  Jeremy lifted his arm and pulled her to his side. “You’ve had a lot going on, Blondie. Want to see how you did?”

  Embry snuggled closer, wishing that Jeremy’s warmth would fill the emptiness inside of her. She shook her head and rested her chin on his shoulder, peeking at the screen in front of them. “No. How did you do?”

  Jeremy tilted the computer toward her. “See for yourself.”

  “B plus, A minus, B, B minus.” She read the grades aloud, her eyes widening with each letter. “Jer, you did great!”

  He tilted his head, smiling down at her. “I know. I can’t believe it.”

  “I can.” She beamed up at her friend.

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said, brushing off the compliment. “Time to check yours.” He logged out of the system and set the computer on Embry’s lap.

  Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Embry began chewing furiously. Did she want to know? Could she handle
it? What if she did horribly? Shaking her head, she handed the computer back to Jeremy. She stood from the couch and started pacing. “No. Yes. I mean I do…but, no.” She turned to find Jeremy smirking at her. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Shut up.”

  Jeremy’s hands shot up in the air. “I didn’t say anything!”

  “But you were thinking it,” she said, jabbing her finger in his direction.

  His expression was suddenly serious, the playfulness gone from his voice. “You have no idea what I was thinking, Embry. I guarantee it.”

  Nothing good would come from continuing that line of conversation, so Embry went back to the grades. “Fine. Can you look for me?”

  Jeremy’s eyebrows shot up. “You want me to check your grades for you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I can’t look.”

  “Serious?”

  Her eyes popped open again and she glared at him.

  “Okay, okay. Give me your info.”

  Embry gave Jeremy her username and password, then proceeded to wear a path across the living room floor as he logged into her account.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, softly.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, crim law—”

  “Wait! No,” she interrupted.

  “No turning back now, B. I’ve got your grades in front of me.”

  She stopped, staring at him. “Okay, fine. I’m ready.”

  He read the grades off one by one. “Crim, B plus.”

  She let out a relieved sigh.

  “Legal writing, A minus.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Torts, B plus.”

  A small smile grew across her face.

  “Contracts…”

  Jeremy’s pause frightened her. Could Luke have messed with her grade? Would he do that? Was it even possible? Had she been so caught up in him that she bombed the final?

  “A,” he said, breaking through her thoughts.

  “What?” she asked, distractedly.

  “A.”

  “A?”

  Jeremy nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

  Embry’s hands flew into the air as she whooped and jumped up and down. “Holy shit! We did it!”

  “We sure did,” he said, standing from the couch.

  Embry jumped into his arms. She wrapped herself around him, squeezing him tight. “We did it, study buddy!”

  Jeremy laughed as he held her tightly.

  Pulling back, she grabbed his face, beaming. “Oh! I’m so happy I could kiss you!”

  Jeremy froze, his expression falling. Pain and longing replaced excitement, and just like that, the moment was shattered. He loosened his arms around her, letting her slide down his body until her feet hit the floor. He backed away quickly and sat on the couch, busying himself with his laptop.

  “Jeremy.” She lowered herself next to him. His eyes met hers, and the hurt she saw caused guilt to sweep through her once more. “I should go.” She wasn’t sure what she was going to do—or where she’d go—but she couldn’t continue to hide out at Jeremy’s apartment, ignoring her problems and creating even bigger ones.

  He set the computer down and turned to face her. “You probably should,” he said with a sad smile. Reaching for her, he pulled her into his chest and placed a kiss on her head.

  She sat back and found his big brown eyes trained on her. “Thank you, Jer. For everything. You saved me this week.”

  “Anytime, Blondie. You know that.”

  She nodded. “I really do.”

  He smiled. “Charlie will take you home. I’m not heading back until tomorrow night, so I’ll see you in class on Monday.”

  Embry shook her head in disbelief. “Wow, that break went quick. Time flies…”

  “When you’re in a drunken haze?” he joked.

  Embry slapped his arm, chuckling. “Something like that.”

  He smiled. “I’ll see you in two days.”

  “Okay.” She leaned in, planting a kiss on his cheek. “See ya.”

  ***

  Embry stared unseeing out the window as the town car took her home. She couldn't keep Luke off her mind. She hadn’t spoken to him since she left him standing in her parking lot almost a week before. The look on his face was burned into her memory. He’d called, texted, left messages, but she hadn’t responded. She wasn’t ready. She’d spent New Year’s Eve crying in Jeremy’s arms and every night since had been a haze of alcohol and partying. Jeremy tried to convince her to stay in, calm down, even call Luke and try to work things out, but she didn’t want to think, didn’t want to feel. So she dragged him along while she self-destructed.

  She was still angry at Luke, and she had no idea where things stood between them, but for the first time in her life she was tired of running. She wanted to hear him out, give him a chance to explain. She'd taken her time away and all it had caused her was heartache. She fished her phone from her purse and scrolled through all of Luke's texts. Pulling up her voicemail, she pressed the phone to her ear and listened to his deep, Southern rasp. Her stomach fell when she heard his pleading voice.

  "Baby, it's me. I know you need your space, but please call me, text me, something. I need to hear from you. I need to know you’re okay. I love you."

  Her eyes clouded with tears but she shook them away. She was tempted to type out a quick text letting him know she was coming home, but she couldn't find the words. There was so much she wanted to say, but she couldn't do it over the phone, and she wasn’t ready to see him yet. She knew if she heard his voice, or worse, saw his face, she’d fall right back into his arms, forgetting all that had happened. She couldn’t do that, not this time, but she would hear him out. Eventually.

  The town car pulled into her complex a while later. Embry thanked Charlie, grabbed her duffle and headed up the stairs. She walked through the door and nearly tripped as her foot connected with a cardboard box. Looking around her apartment, emptiness seized her chest. In her drunken, emotional haze, she had completely forgotten—or more likely blocked out—the fact that she was planning to move into Luke's. Almost everything was packed away in boxes, ready to go to his house. She let out a deep breath. What now?

  Pushing a box out of the way with her foot, she dropped her duffle on the floor and headed for the bedroom. Clothes were strewn across her bed, shoes all over the place. What a mess. Stripping off her clothes and leaving them in a pile at her feet, she made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and examined herself in the mirror as she waited for the water to heat. Her cheeks were gaunt and her eyes hollow. The dark circles beneath didn’t help either. Late nights combined with a diet of not much more than caffeine and alcohol would do that to a person. She stepped into the shower and stood beneath the stream of steaming hot water. Leaning her head back into the spray, she ran her fingers through her hair, letting the warm water work her over and loosen her tense muscles.

  Embry’s eyes landed on the shelf in the corner of her shower, noticing a bottle of Luke's body wash. He'd started leaving a few things at her place for the nights he stayed over. She reached for it, popping open the top and inhaling the familiar scent. Her stomach twisted and filled with longing. Part of her wanted so badly to forget everything, but she wasn't sure she could. Dread washed over her. So much had happened between them, and once again she'd run instead of hearing him out. But did that really matter? He’d lied. Again. After all they’d been through. After all she’d shared with him…about Jack. She couldn’t believe he’d kept something so big from her.

  She didn’t know much of Luke’s past. Though it was obvious there were women, he’d never mentioned anything serious. It was easy give in to her anger and believe that he simply got off on sleeping with his students. But deep down, there was a reassuring voice telling her that she was different, that he truly loved her. She wanted to believe it, but her insecurities reared their ugly head and the
hurt pulled her under once more.

  She stepped from the shower, dried off, and wrapped herself in a robe. Her thoughts were ruled by the last few months as she searched her closet for clothes that weren’t already packed. She loved Luke, there was no question, but in the past few months she’d lost sight of herself. Their relationship came first and it came fast. If they were going to work it out, and that was a big if, things were going to have to change.

  Undone (Disclosure #1): http://amzn.to/1nTb6k8

  Unbroken (Disclosure #2): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20554001-unbroken

  About the Author

  R.E. Hunter is a native New Yorker currently living in Austin, Texas with her husband and their crazy kitten. Surviving solely on Starbucks Iced Chai and KIND bars, she spends her days writing angsty romance and chasing happily ever afters. When she’s not writing, you can find her on the beach with a glass of wine and a book in her hand.

  Website: http://rehunterbooks.com

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  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7046339.R_E_Hunter