explored more of Seattle today, and I wanted to bring you a little bit of Texas tonight.” He grabs a bag of food. “I couldn’t make the clouds all go away, so I thought the lights might look like stars.”
“This must have taken you forever.”
He shrugs casually. “You’re worth forever.”
Not Ready to Say Good-Bye?
Tyler Banks is getting his own book with Exploring the Rules, releasing October 1st, 2020!
Click here to Pre-order Now
If you missed Lincoln and Raegan’s story, you can read it now!
Download Bending the Rules
If you love New Adult Romance, please check out Becoming His or The Weight of Rain, A new adult sports Romance.
Read the first chapter of Becoming His on the next page!
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Also by Mariah Dietz
The Dating Playbook Series
Bending the Rules
Breaking the Rules
His Series:
Becoming His
Losing Her
Finding Me
The Weight of Rain Duet
The Weight of Rain
The Effects of Falling
The Haven Point Series
Curveball
Exception
The Fallback
Tangled in Tinsel, A Christmas Novella
A Glimpse of Becoming His
Chapter 1
Prologue
I shove another box into my backseat, using more force than necessary as I hear Steven approaching, whistling some happy show tune. His dress shoes slap against the pavement of my parents’ driveway as he ascends toward the house. I don’t need to look up to confirm that it’s him. The whistling is a dead giveaway.
I’ve never put much thought into whether or not I care for the sound of whistling. However, I now know I loathe it. At least these days I do. Which causes me to briefly ponder if it has always grated on my nerves or if it’s just one more thing life is ruining for me.
Glancing over the hood of my car I catch sight of him, and my eyes turn icy, glaring at his short, stocky stature. He doesn’t ever seem to mind my moody attitude or death glares, and today is no different. He smiles and gives me a slight head nod, causing a brief break in his stupid song that he continues to whistle as he makes his way past me, infuriating me all the more. I’m sure he’s relieved to see me going, and the revelation almost makes me want to defiantly rip the same box I’ve just loaded back out and stick around—almost.
My jaw clenches as the sudden impulse to hit Steven courses through every cell of my body. I want him to feel just a small taste of the pain that I’m feeling, like life has shredded every single one of his nerve endings, exposing them to every callous element that life can offer, reminding him that the pain can indeed always get worse.
The need overwhelms me and I have to consciously fight to keep myself from going after him. I’ve never been prone to acts of violence. In fact, I’m opposed to them, finding them both barbaric and unnecessary, yet every muscle in my body strains with the desire for my fist to connect with the cocky smirk he wears like an old suit that doesn’t fit quite right. I want him to go away and leave my family alone. He doesn’t belong here. He isn’t one of us. Yet he struts around like he’s been here every day of the last twenty years of my life.
Surely Kendall and Abby understand this hatred I feel, maybe even Kyle does. They know me better than most. Or at least they used to.
No one seems to understand me these days though. They don’t understand I just need some space. I need to get out of here.
I don’t belong here.
Not anymore.
Chapter 1
Thump, thump. Thump, thump. My quiet strides are the only sounds this morning aside from the music pouring softly through my earbuds. Along with the exertion of my muscles, it makes me feel nearly euphoric. Some people meditate to find peace and tranquility, me—I run.
Rounding the corner, I take a deep breath of the already warm Southern California air and focus on a growing shadow. Slowing my pace, I look up and see a guy in his early twenties, standing around six feet, with sandy blond hair sticking out in an organized disarray. His black mesh shorts and bright green cut-off T-shirt reveal toned muscles. He’s looking at me and talking, but my music’s too loud to make out his words.
I’m careful to maintain a ten-foot gap between us before I pull an earbud free and roll it between my fingers. “Sorry?” I ask, noticing