Sierra shared her room with five other girls; they were the closest thing to friends she had. Kat untied her bikini top and threw it on the ground. “This thing has been cutting into my neck for the past three hours. I didn’t have a chance to slip away and put something e...
Lines of ink squirm and wriggle on the pages in my hand. I shuffle back and forth between them, trying to make them make sense, desperately pleading for the figures to add up into a confirmation that I will be able to survive another week, but it looks bleak. I check once, twice, but nothing is w...
She hadn’t meant to spend the night at the cabin, and when she’d opted to at the last possible moment, she told herself that she had to sleep in one of the smaller bedrooms. It didn’t matter which uncomfortable single bed she took, as long as she wasn’t sleeping next to Van. They weren’t ready fo...
A chill nipped at the air. Any other time, Miranda would have relished in such a morning. With Francesca's presence, and looming discussion, she had little time to dwell on enjoyment. Together, the women rounded the diner and headed to the back where extra parking situated beyond the eyes of eati...
She'd already drank a third of her glass, knowing there was a fine line to walk between loosening up and losing control. At the end of the table, Regan was taking quick sips, as if she were afraid her parents would change their minds about letting her have any. Only thirteen-year-old Morgan, wh...
Zhu had instructed them both not to give the phone numbers to anyone, so she was completely unsure how Helen had gotten it. Her stomach chilled over as she considered the horrible possibilities, but she only delayed a moment before she answered the call. “Helen?” “Bloody...
The thing was, while he had teased his friend mercilessly about his sudden interest in romantic relationship statuses, Lind did find himself thinking about where “this thing”—as Alec had put it—was going quite often. In fact, he thought about it pretty much around the clock. The Viper had never...
Her heart nearly stopped when he uttered them, but Gabby couldn’t bring herself to repeat the sentiments. Of course, she felt it. She was plain crazy about the man. He was the love of her life. No other man meant as much. No other person invoked the same feelings that he did. But saying them out ...
Her mind was still playing and replaying the sight of so many people gathered in the living room; she may have been a performer, but she had never felt more exposed. She felt judged, condemned, cursed. It harkened back to the days when her mother and Noel would send her upstairs to her room, then...
She and Parker tossed and turned in their borrowed pajamas, unable to get comfortable. He'd been quiet all night, ever since she'd asked him not to go. She knew he was frustrated and his pride was wounded, but she also knew she was right. Let him be mad. She might have saved his life by begging h...
She wasn’t safe here, she wouldn’t be safe in the penthouse, she wouldn’t be safe anywhere. Somehow, he had to convince these people that Olivia had killed herself in a wave of guilt. Hell, he wasn’t sure that the ice queen could have felt enough guilt to do herself in. But to the goddamn cops, i...
“And man, she was so fine; you should’ve seen her.” Lance is practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, trying to engage Dane in a story that he clearly has no interest in. Lance had never been particularly good at reading body language, and time didn’t seem to have changed th...
No one noticed as the two bikers stepped into the lobby. Hell, it seemed like there were far less patrons than average. The tellers spoke in hushed tones and an air of concern thickened the air. 'Collapse' and 'hospital' squeaked from quiet voices. His eyes instantly dar...
Grayson follows her inside, he doesn’t add that he’s so geared up that if he drinks any caffeine he’ll probably be climbing the walls. “I’ll give you the grand tour.” Adriana throws her jacket over the couch. “Kitchen,” she points to the tiny area wedged between the couc...
The plane was like something off a movie set—smaller than she expected, really, but still giving the impression that it was huge. There was a big screen TV, a table, chairs. She watched Alex speak briefly to the pilot, and then lead her back towards a small cabin over the wings of the plane. “I’v...
“Are you going to talk to me at all? Or am I just going to get the Dane Fletcher Silent Treatment?” She crosses her arms and looks up at him with concern in her eyes. “You want to talk, we talk inside, not out here.” He looks pointedly towards the shop floor and his...
Tanaka took him to a hotel. Alex was fairly sure they were in China, in one of the major cities by the amount of intensity he was seeing in the people and the buildings, but to try and guess where exactly they were would have been no more than flinging a dart at a map. The car pulled into a space...
The stroke was somehow familiar —and insistent. He came awake slowly, wincing before he even opened his eyes at the bright lights assaulting him. He groaned, and the voice of an angel broke through the nasty headache that was coming on like a sprinter towards a finish li...
He was tired, worried, and incredibly cranky. The others were steering clear of him today, and he didn’t blame them. In fact, he was very grateful; the last thing he wanted at the moment was to deal with people. Any people. He wished he could hole up somewhere and not emerge for a while. &n...
You know, I’ve been on this nasty cleansing diet for a week now, and I haven’t felt any better,” Bridgette told Susan, as they cleared the dishes together. “In fact, I just feel empty instead of bloated; but, that was a good, healthy, solid meal that settled my hunger without making me feel heavy...
For about the twentieth time it was on the tip of her tongue to ask how the oncologist’s appointment had gone earlier that week, but he hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with the information, so she didn’t dare ask. Dominic’s medical appointment had loomed on the calendar for a month now, an angry...
Ambient atmosphere drifted through his senses. Bitter sterility, chortling nurses, beeping machines. Every little detail sunk into his brain until it registered. Hospital. Bishop jolted upright and grunted. His eyes flew open just as pain laced ...
Lind cringed. Jacob was looking at him like he didn’t know him, and he could hardly blame him. “I’m just trying to piece it all together,” he defended weakly. Jacob stared at him. “Are you fucking her?” “No,” Lind all b...
She’s been gone for three days and you’re telling me that everything’s under control!” He paces around Adriana’s apartment, the place he’s finally come back to. He’s convinced himself that there’s a clue; something that he must have missed; or, something that will tell him where she is or how to ...
At least she’d found Tommy to talk to, but he was a ticking time bomb, about to pounce on any of the scores of girls that were circling him. “You know he hates this stuff, too.” Tommy’s voice interrupts Adriana from her not-so-subtle staring at Grayson.  ...
Zoey said, still working at blinking the sleep away from her eyes. She was sitting up in bed, the sheet tucked under her armpits. Alex had tried to sit, but found too much stress centered in his quads to allow it. He paced. It didn’t help, but it kept the muscles from itching from inactivity and ...
The rest of the parking lot was bare. In the sky, the sun hung low, turning the world a bluish hue. The cool evening air might have been relaxing, if it wasn't for the bomb Naomi just dropped. Miranda groaned as she turned to her friend, “You did what?” “Oh, come on, Mir...
The ride up the coast was wonderful. In Oceanside, near the pier, they found one of the little cottage places for rent. The man was happy to rent it for two days. “Two? You want to spend Sunday as well?” she asked him. “I thought the option woul...
Lizzy said as she made her way into Tess’s childhood bedroom. In spite of the dire situation, her rubenesque friend chuckled at the Backstreet Boys posters on her wall. “Really? You couldn’t be more middle America if you tried.” Tess rolled her eyes and accepted the beyo...
First they had made love three more times, an endless, breathless tangle of pleasure. Her hair was knotted and her thighs were sore and her lips were bruised, but sitting at the breakfast bar, wrapped in Parker's sweater, she had never been happier. He'd seared a steak so tender she couldn't be...