Always Will: A Bad Boy Romance
Read Always Will: A Bad Boy Romance Online
Authors: Claire Kingsley
CONTENTS
Copyright © 2016 Claire Kingsley
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written consent of the copyright holder, except for brief quotations for the purpose of reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, events or incidents are products of the authors imagination and used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people, places or events is purely coincidental or fictionalized.
Edited by Tammi Labrecque of
Larks and Katydids
Cover and title plate by
Wicked Good Book Covers
Books By Claire Kingsley
Bad Boy Romance
Always Have (Braxton and Kylie)
Always Will (Selene and Ronan)
Always Real: A Short Story ~ Coming December 2016
The Jetty Beach Romance Series
Must Be Love (Nicole and Ryan)
Must Be Crazy (Melissa and Jackson)
Must Be Fate (Cody and Clover)
Must Be Home (Hunter and Emma)
The Back to Jetty Beach Romance Series
Could Be Forever (Finn and Juliet) ~ Coming January 2017
All the Jetty Beach Romances are full-length stand-alone novels, and can be read independently. They have interconnecting characters and are most fun if read in order.
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1: Selene
Aidan, my date, is talking about his day. I wrap my hand around my wine glass and cross my legs, trying very hard to act interested.
I should really be fair and call Aidan my boyfriend. We’ve been seeing each other long enough that this isn’t just a date. We’ve been on a lot of dates, and although we haven’t talked about it I know he expects we’re exclusive.
On paper, Aidan is perfect. He’s handsome, and tall—which, considering I’m five-eleven, is an absolute must. He’s smart, and has a stable career in finance. He’s a far cry from the bad boys I usually date.
And that’s precisely why I’ve been seeing him.
After two crappy relationships last year—one who was cheating on me when he went out of town on business with what my best friend Kylie called his
trip whores
, and one who tried to break up with me via text shortly after we got back from a trip to Mexico—I decided enough is enough. I always date the same kind of men: hot as hell, with a body to drool over and an attitude like they’re God’s gift to women. Why I find that sort of arrogance attractive, I don’t know, but clearly my radar is broken.
So I took a break from men while I focused on helping with Kylie’s wedding. She married my twin brother, Braxton, a couple months ago. If you had told me a year ago that Braxton would be married to anyone, let alone our best friend, I would have thought you were crazy. I didn’t think he had it in him to commit to someone. The three of us have been close since we were kids, and I always felt like I needed to protect Kylie from Brax. My brother is a great guy, but he was such a man-whore. The last thing I wanted was for Kylie to get hurt.
Little did I know that Braxton was crazy in love with her. I was almost responsible for ruining things for them, and I still feel horrible about it. In my defense, Brax lied to me about them being together, so what was I supposed to think? I always knew he had a thing for Kylie, but I figured he just wanted to bang her.
I’m really, really glad I was wrong. Watching them get married was probably the best moment of my entire life. There’s so much comfort in knowing they have each other.
After the wedding, I made Kylie a deal: she has to approve of all my dates. I have no idea what criteria she’s using, and the fact that the love of her life is my brother makes me question her judgment a little. But I needed someone else to weigh in. Clearly I’m not having any luck on my own.
She heartily approved of Aidan. I met him at my gym, which indicates he cares about his health. It took a while before he talked to me, even though we saw each other almost every day, which Kylie counted as a point in his favor. He asked me to go out for coffee, and I agreed so I could find out more about him. After that, I turned him over to Ky. She stalked him on social media and didn’t find anything alarming. His Facebook feed didn’t feature a bunch of women, or selfies showing off his abs. He seemed … normal. Just an attractive man, living and working, and possibly looking for love.
What’s not to like?
Aidan laughs, and I take another sip of my wine to hide the fact that I missed what was so funny. He’s wearing a pale blue button-down shirt, the top button undone. I love that look on a man. Usually it would make me want to slowly unbutton the shirt, revealing the muscular body underneath. I’m pretty sure Aidan has a nice set of abs. The guy works out enough, and he’s tall and lean, so he should. But looking at him, I’m not particularly tempted. We’ve been seeing each other for over a month, and we haven’t slept together—which Kylie keeps assuring me is a good thing—but the problem is, I’m not sure if I want to.
“I’m sorry, Selene,” he says. “I’ve been going on and on about me. What about you? How was your day?”
I know he actually cares about my day, and really, it’s quite sweet. I need to cling to that when I start feeling bored.
“Stressful, to be honest,” I say. “It’s been a long week. Brad, the owner of my company, has been in all these closed door conference calls, and he went out of town last week and no one knows why. I work closely with him, and he isn’t telling me anything, which makes me nervous.”
He reaches across the table and touches my hand. “Uncertainty at work is the worst. I’m sorry you’re going through that.”
I smile at him. He really is nice. So why am I tempted to excuse myself to the restroom and come back, pretending I got an important call and have to leave?
Our waitress appears. “Can I interest either of you in dessert?”
Aidan raises his eyebrows at me. “Anything for you? Dessert or maybe coffee?”
“No thanks, I’m fine.”
He looks at the waitress. “No, we’re finished.”
“No problem.” She hands him the bill.
He pulls out a credit card and hands it over. He always at least tries to pay, but he doesn’t get macho about it when I insist on picking up the bill. He’s so damn agreeable. And there’s never any expectation from him that I’ll go back to his place. Come to think of it, he’s never asked. We have dinner once or twice a week, and he always takes me home, walking me to my front door like a perfect gentleman. Maybe he’s waiting for me to suggest we take things to the next level.
At first, I thought it was a good sign. He wasn’t just trying to get laid. See? Nice guy. But at this point, I’m starting to feel like maybe I could use a man who put in a little more effort into getting me undressed. This slow and sweet thing was refreshing at first, but I wonder if he’ll ever turn up the heat.
Can
Aidan turn up the heat?
The waitress returns, and he signs the receipt. “Ready?” he asks.
“Sure.”
He walks me out to his car and takes me home. Like always, he kisses me at my front door. The kiss is … nice. Just like everything about Aidan. It’s sweet, without any pressure to do more. He steps away while I open my front door, like he’s fine with not coming inside, and says goodbye.
I sigh as I close the door behind me.
Kylie is on my couch, watching TV. She shuts it off when I come in.
“Hey, Ky.”
“Hi, babe,” she says. “How was your date?”
“It was fine,” I say, without much enthusiasm. “Where’s Brax?”
“Upstairs, asleep.”
I roll my eyes. “Please tell me you weren’t having sex in my kitchen again. I had to bleach my eyeballs after I walked in on you guys last week.”
She laughs. “That was
not
our fault. You never come home for lunch. Besides, you’re the one who asked Brax to come over and unclog your sink again.”
“I didn’t think plumbing was such an aphrodisiac.”
“Um, do you know your brother? He can make a sex game out of anything,” she says. “But no, we weren’t. He has a sinus infection, and he refuses to take a day off to get better. I forced him to lie down, and he fell asleep after about ten seconds. Then I got bored, so I came down here.”
“He’s such a guy.”
“He really is,” she says. “I hope it’s okay we’re here tonight. I guess I should have texted you first, in case Aidan was coming in. But I kind of figured he wasn’t, so I thought you and I could hang out.”
“You figured right.” I slip off my heels and sit on the couch next to Kylie. “And it’s always fine. You know that.”
“So … things still the same with him?”
“Pretty much,” I say. “He’s really very nice. He’s polite. We have a nice time.”
“But nice isn’t doing it for you.”
I put my feet up on the coffee table and sigh. “I guess I keep waiting for him to … I don’t know. Make another move. We’re in this holding pattern, and I don’t know why. He walks me up to my door every time he takes me out, and not once has he suggested he’d like to come in. Nor has he asked if I’d like to come to his place. Yet we keep seeing each other. If he wasn’t into me, he’d break it off, right?”
“You’d think,” she says. “You’re just not used to dating a nice guy. He’s taking his time. He wants to develop a good foundation first. I bet after a few more dates, he’ll show you a whole new side of himself. He’ll unleash the beast and fuck your brains out, and it will be totally worth the wait. You’ll have it all: a nice guy who treats you well, respects you enough to get to know you first,
and
can make your toes curl.”
“I don’t think that man exists.”
“Maybe it’s Aidan,” she says.
“I know. You’re right. And it’s not like I don’t enjoy being with him. I do.”
“Honestly, I don’t know what your hang-up is,” she says. “Everything you’ve told me about him is good. Your only complaint is that he’s not trying to get you into bed. You realize that, right?”
I laugh and smack Kylie’s arm. “It’s not that. I mean, yeah, it’s been a while and I’m getting a little antsy. But I’m just not sure if there are any sparks. I’d like to feel something. As it is, I’m kind of indifferent.” I lean down and put my head on her shoulder. “Is it too late to take up your offer to be lesbians?”