Filed to story: Swallow Me Whole (Sadie & Ashton) Book Free
“No way in hell. Do you really think I’d do that to you?”
Lowering her gaze, she stares at my work boots. “Until you straighten this out, I think we should just be friends.” She pauses, and I realize I’m holding my breath. “Or maybe we shouldn’t see each other at all.”
“Not seeing you isn’t an option, and I sure as hell don’t want to be your goddamn friend.”
She lifts a shoulder as if this isn’t pulverizing her innards like it is mine. “That’s all I can give you right now.”
Fuck this shit. I grab her by the nape and claim her mouth, making it known with every frenzied dart of my tongue that she’s not getting away so easily.
She’s mine.
Driven by pure instinct, I deepen my possession of her mouth until she’s whimpering on my tongue. I’ll be damned if this is the last time I get drunk off the taste of her. She can fight me, guns blazing, but in the end, I’ll come out victorious.
Before the kiss turns into something neither of us can walk away from, I tear my lips from hers. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you give up on us.”
She parts her lips, probably to protest or reason or appeal to me with her annoyingly infallible logic, but I press a finger against her mouth. “Don’t bother arguing. You won’t win this one.”
One…two…three seconds pass before I drop my hand.
I need to leave before I can’t. Before her watery jade eyes and quivering lips make it impossible to walk out the front door. Weakness is the ruination of fools, and I’m its bitch because I brush my mouth across hers one last time in a kiss so brief it barely counts.
Because if I truly made it count, we’d end up in her bed, the door to her room shut, clothing a discarded path on the floor, and I’d show her exactly how serious I am about not giving up on us.
For both our sakes, I leave her breathless in the hall and bolt into the rain.
Sadie
“No way,” I tell Mandy, my tone leaving no question about my feelings on this. As usual, she ignores my protests as she moves around the wasteland that is my bedroom, picking up dirty clothes off the floor and stacking dishes containing half-eaten food onto the dresser. She’s always been on the overbearing side, but she’s my best friend, so I let her get away with it.
Not this time.
“I’m not in the mood for going out,” I say, crossing my arms.
She wags her finger at me. “Uh-uh. You already begged off once, and I let you since you’ve been a heartbroken mess, but it’s time to get out there again.” She starts folding the clothes I left in the hamper a week ago when I mustered enough give-a-fucks to do a load of laundry.
“Comb your hair, brush your teeth, put on some clean clothes—just do something.”
I’ve been doing a lot of sleeping. I’m tempted to ask her if that counts, but I bite back the retort.
“I can’t stand to see you so depressed,” she says, heading over to my closet. “You need to have some fun.”
I also need to find a job, but that hasn’t been happening either, and my savings account isn’t big enough to enable an extended bout of heartache.
Ashton has completely wrecked me.
“I’m not in the mood for fun.” And I’m sure as hell am not in the mood to go on some blind date.
“It’s been three weeks, Sadie. You said you’d at least think about it, remember?”
“I did? When?”
“The night of your parents Jerry Springer style dinner.”
“That was before…”
“Before my brother got inside your head and turned you into a moping zombie queen, I know.”
“Moping zombie queen?”
“Would you prefer lovesick fool?”
With a wary sigh, I flop onto my bed and hug my pillow. “You said I should give it some time.”
“Time, yes, but ever since he barged into your bedroom, you’ve been a step away from needing Prozac. A little fun won’t kill you.”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Not a chance, so you might as well get dressed and turn that frown upside down.”
I’m too down in the dumps to laugh at her ridiculous attempt at cheering me up, but the corners of my mouth curve up, despite myself. “I don’t want to lead this guy on.”
“You won’t.” She slides several hangers to the side before pulling out a simple charcoal midi dress. Next, she selects a pair of strappy green heels and a matching clutch. A clunky sliver chain belt completes her ensemble. There’s no hiding my wince when she marches to where I’m eyeing her from the bed.
“Ashton will get pissed if he finds out.” Not only pissed, but any hint of me dating will destroy him. I know the thought of him with Corinne is destroying me.
We’ve talked via texts a few times since he told me about Corinne’s ultimatum, and on the few occasions I left the house to buy groceries or run errands, or—heaven forbid—actually went to a job interview, I happened to spot him around town with her.
Twice. Each time added another bleeding gash to my heart.
“My brother will just have to deal.” She lays the dress, shoes, and accessories on the bed. “There’s no reason you should sit at home like a spinster while he’s working shit out with his baby mamma.”
The term baby mamma is like claws on a chalkboard, and I cringe.
“Look,” she says. “I told Shane you aren’t interested in more than friendship. He understands. He’s not in a great headspace for dating either.”
“And this is a guy you think I should date?” My tone is more than a little dubious.
“No, this is a guy I think you should meet and have some fun with. It’s just a night out with friends. End of story.”
I can’t believe I’m letting her talk me into this.
An hour later, the four of us enter the place where Mandy works. For a Saturday night, Club Hoppin is low key, though it’s still too many people for my anti-social mood. We find a booth in the middle of the club, and I’m glad we steered clear of the tables in the corners, one of which I crawled under and all but attacked Ashton on the night that changed everything.
“Would you ladies like something to drink?” Shane swings his gaze between Mandy and me. The guy’s hot as hell, if you go for that clean cut, I-work-in-an-office type of thing.
Until recently, I did.
Until recently, I did a lot of things differently.
From what I can tell, Shane is nothing like Jake, even if he resembles him in style. Then again, I don’t really know him, and if my past judgments are anything to go by, I suck in that department.