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- PROLOGUE -

We make promises to the people we love because ant them to feel our loyalty, or maybe it’s a way to hold ourselves responsible We want them to kno much they mean to us and even if it seems impossible, we make these sometimes preposterous vows because maybe just maybe we actually believe it’s possible to keep them

Regardless of my promise that I would always love you no matter what or my absolute need to make it knoould always protect you, Ithem I could never fathom a time in my life that I wouldn’t love you The moment I first laid eyes on you,for you all this time

And God, had I been waiting You were the most beautiful person I had ever laid eyes on In that moment, I kneithout a shadow of a doubt I would lay my life down for yours and you would always come first I couldn’t see any other possibility How could life go on if there were no you?

You made me the luckiest man in the world… that is, until you were ripped from my hands so brutally Those promises I had sworn by were taken from me, and I was never even able to tell you I’m sorry I never meant for it to be this way I never wanted to break my promises They forced me to

And sadly, life does go on without you It’s as if I’ and every time I’m about to finally fade into the blackness, I’m pulled back up to the shore so I can be re faces around ain Soo Let the depression win out But then I think of you and your beautiful face How I hope so da for ain

So, I don’t give up and I won’t let them win I will find you and I will …

- ONE -

LANE -

Our heavy breaths were loud in the quiet of the sleeping house Her fingers continued to tug and pull at my shirt until she had it fully removed from my waistband As soon as it was allowed, she frantically slipped buttons from their holes and, in her frenzy, shoved the shirt fro it flutter leisurely to the stairs All I could feel ild, desperate hands and our hot

My liquor-filled brain didn’t function quite as fast as hers did, but I her stair, stopping her froh , blonde hair Nice rack Tight skirt that was about to be on the floor Shit, that worked for me

I returned to the arduous task of unbuttoning her shirt My fuh so her blouse ended up being a rippedbuttons to fly every which way My mouth had instant access to her bare chest No bra But let’s be honest, that was one of the reasons she was here right now Everyone in that bar knew she hadn’t been wearing much under her barely-there clothes

“Ethan” she gasped, as my lips touched her breasts I suppressed the chuckle as best as I could, because I had forgotten she thought that wasjackasses and decided to trade for the hell of it Shit, ht

When h, she moaned forcefully My hand instantly cla from between them

“Shhwe need to get to my room before you wake everyone up”

“Who else is here?” she asked, panting breathlessly I ignored her question and pulled her up the rest of the stairs Her hands continued to paw and bat at ing to ht door

She strutted around topless inside the rooertips across the edge of the bedspread

“Huh it’s kind of sht with a house this size”

“It’s a guest room,” I replied I stalked toward her and attempted to remove my shoes and unbutton my pants in the same beat

“Do you always take girls to your guest rooeous,” she tried to whisper seductively

Towering over her, I placed ers grazed across her flat stoether The fabric released, drifted down her fake-tanned legs, and she kicked it aside

“I want to” My hand was over herrequest

“You’re talking way too dairl” I flipped on my back and scooted until I met the headboard With my pants unbuttoned, I extended esture “This is where you get me Your call”

She sers pulled each of rabbed the hes Those quickly joined the socks on the hardwood Her eyes were is and I knehat her decision would be With a grin, I put ainst the headboard, watching as she crawled up my body

“You’re just going to lay back and let me do all the work?” she asked with a perfectly arched eyebrow

“Sweetheart, you’re the one that went houy who drank half the bar” I could feel h ed her shoulder casually and bent forward

Her hot reat In h clothes or skirts that barely covered their asses could do that kind of ith their mouths

When I felt more than a hot mouth wrap aroundface above ht and thankfully saw she had put a condom on for me Close call

What the hell just happened? Two seconds ago she was suckingme?

“You were enjoying that,” she whispered into my ear

“Yeah” Although I was pretty sure I had just fallen asleep Hey, point for me that I kept it up while I took a little nap At least she didn’t catch me

“You feel so good,” she called out excitedly I didn’t like the sound of her voice anymore It was too loud…too nasally Had it been like that at the bar? Surely Ethan would have told ain, he was probably more concerned hether she was about to have a wardrobe malfunction—we all were “Ethan!”

My hands grabbed a hold of her ass and I flipped her over onto her sto back in from behind Much better

As I puuys felt the need to have sex all the tiood, that was obvious It was fun and it shook up an otherwise boring day But in that irl It would feel good and then she would go hos for her, and no need to do it again There would just be nothing

Shit, I needed to tell Ethan nosap