Table of Contents
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OTHER BOOKS BY AURORA ROSE REYNOLDS The Until Series Until November Until Trevor Until Lilly Until Nico Second Chance Holiday Underground Kings Series Assumption Obligation Distraction Until Her Series Until July Until June Until Ashlyn Until Him Series Until Jax Until Sage Shooting Stars Series Fighting to Breathe Wide-Open Spaces Alpha Law CA ROSE Justified Liability Verdict (Coming Soon)
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Text copyright © 2017 Aurora Rose Reynolds All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781542046800 ISBN-10: 1542046807 Cover design by Letitia Hasser
To my son and husband.
Contents Chapter 1 TROUBLE! Chapter 2 TOTALLY READ THAT WRONG Chapter 3 FLUSTERED Chapter 4 IT’S MY BIRTHDAY—I’LL CRY IF I WANT TO Chapter 5 A KISS IS JUST A KISS, RIGHT? Chapter 6 JUST ADD THAT TO THE LIST Chapter 7 BREAKFAST WITH CRAZY PEOPLE, AKA MY FAMILY Chapter 8 THE GOOD PART Chapter 9 WAY TOO FAST Chapter 10 SURPRISE . . . NOT SO MUCH Chapter 11 WHERE ARE THE GIBLETS? WHAT THE HELL ARE GIBLETS? Chapter 12 MISSING Chapter 13 PLAIN OL’ IN LOVE Chapter 14 ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. I LOVE YOU. Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author
Chapter 1 TROUBLE! LEVI Lifting my eyes off the pavement below my feet, I frown when I see a woman running toward me with her eyes closed and her hands in the air, waving from side to side. Jesus, what the fuck is she doing? I don’t even have a chance to get out of her way, and before I can prepare, she’s running into me at full speed and we’re both tumbling toward the ground. Attempting to keep my weight from crushing her, I try to spin us at the last second, but I only manage to turn us to our sides before we land and skid across the ground. Groaning from the impact, I roll over and move to my knees, rising above the woman, and scan her from head to toe. She’s tiny, so much smaller than me that I know I could crush her without trying. I just hope I didn’t. “Babe.” I wait for her eyes to open, and when they do I’m stunned. She’s beautiful in an unusual sort of way that reminds me of a fairy. Her blonde hair is a mass of wild curls. Her face is soft; her nose, tiny; and her lips are a
Chapter 2 TOTALLY READ THAT WRONG FAWN “I think we should get dressed up for Halloween and go out tonight. We never go out on Halloween anymore,” my sister Mackenzie complains as she flops down onto the couch next to Muffin, who then takes an opportunity to lick her face. “We went out last year,” my little sister, Libby, mumbles while frowning at her cell phone. “Yeah, we went to one of your stupid snooty clubs. The whole night was a complete bore,” Mac says, glaring at Libby, who lowers her phone to glare right back. If I didn’t know for a fact that we were sisters, I would think we were switched at birth because we are all so different. Mackenzie, better known as Mac, is the oldest and a complete tomboy. Okay, a tomboy who looks like a model when she dresses up. Mac has long, natural red hair and big green eyes, just like our dad. Our baby sister, Libby, is the beauty queen of the three of us, with dark-brown hair that ends at the middle of her back and crystal-blue eyes—she looks ju
Chapter 3 FLUSTERED FAWN “It will be fun, they told me. Live a little, they said,” I huff, staring at my sisters through our reflection in the mirror in front of us—and ignoring how horrifying I look right now. My makeup has melted off, and my hair is now a hundred times bigger than when we left the house. I look like something the cat spit up before dragging home. “It was fun.” Mac yawns, and I turn my head to glare at her. She shrugs. “What? Even you have to admit you had fun tonight.” “No part of being arrested is fun.” “We technically weren’t arrested,” Libby puts in, and I transfer my glare to her. She rolls her eyes. “Well, we weren’t—they didn’t even read us our Miranda rights.” “We’re sitting in an interrogation room at a police station,” I point out. She looks around, muttering, “This is true.” She bites her bottom lip like she just realized where we are. “God save me.” I drop my head to the top of the table with a thud, then lift it quickly and sit up straight in my chair whe
Chapter 4 IT’S MY BIRTHDAY—I’LL CRY IF I WANT TO FAWN “Time to pack up, guys,” I call from the front of the class, seeing that it’s two minutes until the bell will ring. “Remember, your permission slips need to be turned in tomorrow, so make sure you have your parents sign them tonight if you haven’t already,” I shout over the sudden eruption of talking, books slamming, and coats being put on. “Also, don’t forget that your book reports are due tomorrow, so bring your books with you to class,” I say, watching my students look restlessly from the clock to me, ready to escape as soon as the clock strikes three fifteen. I can’t blame them—I love what I do, but after being surrounded by four walls all day long, I’m just as antsy to get outside. Hearing the bell ring, I smile. “’Bye, guys.” “’Bye, Miss Reed,” they say one after another as they pass me on the way out of the room. Giving them all smiles or pats on the back, I wait until the last student passes, then turn around and grin when I
Chapter 5 A KISS IS JUST A KISS, RIGHT? FAWN Each breath I exhale as I run causes a huge puff of fog to appear out of my mouth. It’s cold; actually it’s freezing, but after last night I needed to get a run in before work so I didn’t spend my morning sitting around thinking about Levi. When he came back with Muffin after taking her out last night, he didn’t stay. He wished me a happy birthday once more, then left with nothing more than a tap to the end of my nose like I was a little kid he found cute. I was so confused by that gesture that I stood at the door for a good ten minutes with my hand on the knob debating whether to go over to his apartment and demand he tell me what the hell was going on. Instead I went to bed, where I tossed and turned most of the night tormented by thoughts of him once again until I gave up on sleep altogether, got up, put on my jogging gear, and went on a run. I need to talk to someone about him. I could call my sisters and ask them what they think it all
Chapter 6 JUST ADD THAT TO THE LIST FAWN “Hey, mamacita,” I greet my mom as soon as I open the door to my apartment. Throwing my arms around her, I hug her tightly while she rocks me back and forth. Pushing me away while holding my arms, she searches my face and smiles, then pulls me close again. “I’ve missed you, honey,” she whispers, petting my head the way she always does. “I missed you, too.” I breathe in her scent that hasn’t changed since I was little, taking comfort in its familiarity before she lets me go. Hearing my dad clear his throat behind me, I turn to find him with his arms open wide. “Daddio.” I grin, his laughter deep as he tugs me into him. “Kiddo,” he mutters, kissing the side of my head. “It’s been too long.” “I know,” and it really has been too long. I haven’t seen my parents since school started back up, and I miss them both like crazy. Talking on the phone every couple of days is not even close to the same as seeing them in person. Letting Dad go after a few seco
Chapter 7 BREAKFAST WITH CRAZY PEOPLE, AKA MY FAMILY FAWN Waking slowly, I soak in the feeling of the warm body I’m pressed against and blink my eyes open. Taking in the expanse of Levi’s naked chest and the feel of his abs under my palm, I grin, pressing my face closer to his skin, breathing in his scent. Last night after we made out for a while, we got up and took Muffin for a walk. Then we stopped at the Chinese spot on the corner and ordered lo mein to share. Once we got back to his place, we got into bed and ate while watching TV. I planned on getting up and headi
ng over to my place to sleep, but I must have fallen asleep at some point during our second make-out session. “You awake?” Levi’s rough, sleepy voice asks as his fingers tighten around my hip. “Kind of,” I murmur as he pulls me deeper into his side. “What time do your parents normally wake up?” he asks quietly. “Maybe eight,” I mutter as his fingers slide up my bare side and my eyes close. “It’s nine thirty.” “What?” I pr
Chapter 8 THE GOOD PART LEVI Hitting “Call” on Fawn’s number, I step out of my apartment, pulling the door closed behind me while listening to the phone ring as I head across the hall. “Levi,” her sweet, soft voice answers, causing something in my chest to shift at the sound of my name leaving her mouth. “Come to the door.” I need to see her; I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since I got called out this morning. “Pardon?” she asks, and through the phone I hear her moving, then realize that her parents might still be staying with her, which would fuck up my plans for the evening unless I can convince her to come sleep at my place. “Are your parents gone?” “Yeah, they left this evening around six,” she says after a long pause. Thank fuck. “I’m at the door.” “My door?” she asks, sounding adorably confused, and I smile. “Yeah, baby, at your door.” “Oh.” I hear more movement over the phone, and then I hear the sound of her feet on the wood floors getting closer. The sound of th
Chapter 9 WAY TOO FAST FAWN Knocking on Levi’s door, I chew on my bottom lip in nervousness. When I left him this morning to catch my train, I hadn’t planned on seeing him again until after the weekend. But once I got to my parents’ house out on Long Island and walked through the door, all I could do was think about him being home alone tomorrow on Thanksgiving. My mom, who knew exactly why I was in such a strange mood, pulled me aside and suggested I leave and spend the holiday with Levi. I didn’t debate for a second. I kissed my family goodbye and got back on the train to come home. Only now I’m wondering if I should have. Yes, the last two weeks with Levi have been amazing—magical, really. But we are still very new, and spending holidays together is a big, giant step forward, even if we have spent every night in the same bed and under the same roof unless he had to work. Hearing the locks click, I come out of my head and pull my shoulders back, feeling my stomach fill with nervous b
Chapter 10 SURPRISE . . . NOT SO MUCH LEVI Waking suddenly to heavy pounding coming from the front door of my apartment, I vow to shoot the motherfucker who’s ruining my morning. My first morning with Fawn after making her mine, the first morning of having her naked in my bed, the first morning I can slide into her. “Fuck,” I snarl as that thought leaves my head and the pounding gets louder. Throwing the blanket off, I get out of bed, wondering how the hell Fawn is sleeping through this shit, then, looking down at her sleeping form, I smile. Her wild hair is spread out across my pillow, her hand tucked under her cheek; the sheet only covers one creamy thigh. The other leg is crooked at the knee. I might or might not be the cause of her exhaustion. I couldn’t keep my hands off her last night. Every time I woke up, I took her, just to remind myself that she was real, that she was with me, and that she was mine. Finding a pair of boxers, I put them on, then slip on my sweats, watching Muf
Chapter 11 WHERE ARE THE GIBLETS? WHAT THE HELL ARE GIBLETS? FAWN “Who’s going to cut the turkey?” Mom asks, looking between Levi’s mom and me. I shrug, taking a sip of beer, which I normally hate, but I need alcohol to get through today and there is no wine in the house. “I think Levi should cut it since he’s the man of the house,” Lisa says, smiling at me, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes at her the way I would if my mom had just said the same thing. My reaction to her isn’t a surprise—after spending the day with Levi’s mom and mine I’ve realized why they were such great friends. They have the same personality, neither of them understands the meaning of boundaries, and they are both crazy as hell. I mean, they’re even wearing similar outrageous Thanksgiving-themed sweaters with sparkles and bedazzles. “Oh, I love it, Levi and Fawn’s first Thanksgiving together. This is just too perfect.” My mom claps as she looks at me, smiling. “Mom,” I warn—not that she’s paying me any mind. No
Chapter 12 MISSING FAWN “Miss Reed.” Looking up from the papers on my desk that I’ve been grading since school let out, I spot Tamara in the open doorway of the classroom. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I notice that it’s way past the time she normally gets picked up. “Is everything okay, honey?” “My . . .” Looking like she’s about to cry, Tamara takes a step into the room and pauses, dragging her backpack up higher on her shoulder. “No one has come to pick me up,” she says quietly, and I nod. “That’s okay. Come on in and take a seat. Let me just get my stuff packed up.” I smile at her, and she walks slowly toward my desk. “We’ll just call your mom and let her know that I’ll take the train with you. Okay?” Most of my students take the bus home after school, but some, like Tamara, are picked up. On occasion their parents are late, and when that happens I call the parent and take the train with the child to make sure they get home safely. “You can’t call my mom,” she says so quietly
Chapter 13 PLAIN OL’ IN LOVE FAWN Waking to the smell of coffee, I roll to my stomach, lift my head toward the clock, and frown when I see it’s only seven. Levi always sleeps late on the weekends, and last night—just like the three nights before—he didn’t get in until after midnight, so I know he must be tired. Doing a stretch, I roll out of bed and grab my dad’s old flannel shirt from the back of the door. Slipping it on over my tank top and sleep boxers, I head for the bathroom and clean up, then make my way back through the bedroom and open the door. Levi is sitting on his couch, shirtless, wearing a pair of sleep pants with his laptop open in front of him on the coffee table. “Morning, baby.” He grins as I crawl into his lap and cuddle against his chest. “Morning.” I press my lips against his neck, then turn to see what he’s doing on his computer, but he minimized whatever he was looking at. “You’re up early.” “Couldn’t sleep,” he says as his fingers run over the top of my bare thi
Chapter 14 ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. I LOVE YOU. LEVI Fighting against the heavy weight holding me hostage, I slowly climb to the surface of consciousness, only to have reality hit me as the smell of antibacterial cleaner and the sound of machines beeping reminds me of what happened. When Wesley called, he told me that our informant found out Juan was hiding at the apartment of one of his longtime girlfriends. When we arrived on the scene, two officers and SWAT were waiting for us. What Fawn didn’t know was that morning we’d finally been able to procure a warrant for Juan’s arrest after his SUV turned up in Brooklyn with blood evidence inside. We hadn’t gotten the DNA analysis of the blood samples back from the crime lab yet, but we suspected when we did we would find out it belonged to Elia Albergastey, Tamara’s mother. When SWAT went into the building to arrest Juan, Wesley and I went with them. It was all good until Juan’s girlfriend decided she wasn’t willing to let her man
Epilogue LEVI Looking at Fawn asleep in my arms, I wonder how the hell I got so goddamn lucky. I never thought for a moment that I would find someone so perfect for me, but somehow I was lucky enough to move in right next door to her. “Merry Christmas.” I kiss her ear, then watch a small smile spread across her pretty mouth as she sleepily rolls toward me and tucks herself even closer. “Merry Christmas.” Her sleepy eyes open to meet mine, and I know without a doubt that I will never get tired of waking up to her. “Are you ready for your first present?” I ask, and her eyes light up. “Yes. Gimme, gimme, gimme.” She claps excitedly, and I laugh. “A little bit greedy this morning, I can see,” I mutter, and she smacks my shoulder. “Whatever, I just love opening gifts. It could be a lump of coal, and I would still be excited about it.” She smiles as I pull out the card I tucked away in the top drawer of my nightstand. “A card, I love cards.” She holds it to her chest, and I laugh again. None
Acknowledgments First I have to give thanks to God, because without him none of this would be possible. Second I want to thank my husband. I love y
ou now and always—thank you for believing in me even when I don’t believe in myself. To my beautiful son, you bring such joy into my life, and I’m so honored to be your mom. Thank you, Mom, for being here and stepping in when I need you. Thank you to my agent, Susan, for believing in me. I’m so grateful to have you in my corner. Maria, thank you for taking a chance on me, and Melody, I loved working with you on this book. Thank you for all your help and advice. And thank you to the rest of the Montlake editing team—you are all amazing. To every blog and reader, thank you for taking the time to read and share my books. There would never be enough ink in the world to acknowledge you all, but I will forever be grateful to each of you. I started this writing journey after I fell in love with reading, like thousands of authors before me. I wanted
About the Author Aurora Rose Reynolds is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author whose wildly popular series include Until, Until Him, Until Her, and Underground Kings. Her writing career started in an attempt to get the outrageously alpha men who resided in her head to leave her alone and has blossomed into an opportunity to share her stories with readers all over the world. For more information on Reynolds’s latest books or to connect with her, contact her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorAuroraRoseReynolds, on Twitter @Auroraroser, or via e-mail at
[email protected] To order signed books and find out the latest news, visit her at www.AuroraRoseReynolds.com or www.goodreads.com/author/show/7215619.Aurora_Rose_Reynolds.
OTHER BOOKS BY AURORA ROSE REYNOLDS
The Until Series
Until November
Until Trevor
Until Lilly
Until Nico
Second Chance Holiday
Underground Kings Series
Assumption
Obligation
Distraction
Until Her Series
Until July
Until June