Page 2

Chapter 1

AGE 18

“I am not banging the dude with the mullet.” The proclamation was punctuated by the slap of my hand on the shiny wooden table.

“But did you see the size of his bulge?” my friend Holly Draper asked, her hazel eyes rounder than usual. “Good grief! He’s like a one-man meat packing plant. You know how they say mullets are business in the front and party in the back? Well, this dude’s front is screaming party to me. A big party.”

I laughed, along with my other four friends, at Holly’s antics. We’d just finished eating dinner at the casual beachside restaurant at our resort in Mexico, and now we were relaxing with our second round of margaritas. Or was it our third?

Madalynn Papadopoulos, a Greek goddess in human form, dabbed her perfect lips. “I agree. The damn thing stared right at me like a one-eyed monster every time he walked by us on the beach today. But the man only had eyes for you, Evie Bouvier.”

Her twin, Emersyn, who wasn’t quite as well-groomed as Mady, shook her head. “I disagree. No peen is worth that hairdo.”

“Let’s vote on it,” Holly said, her pearly white grin a sharp contrast to her dark skin.

“No!” I shrieked. “My love life is not up for votes. This is not a bitch-ocracy.”

My best friend, Juliette McNamara, giggled beside me. “Evie’s right. It’s her choice, and she chooses not to run her fingers through the party in the back.”

Madalynn and Holly booed good-naturedly while the other member of our party, Arya Beck, shook her head, straight red hair bouncing in the slight breeze coming off the ocean.

“I think his mustache has herpes,” she declared. “Avoid herp ’stache at all costs, Evie.”

I hooted with laughter, so happy I’d come on this Spring Break trip with my college friends. I’d gone to Texas last fall, not knowing a soul except for Juliette. She and I met as kids when we were assigned to be roommates at a summer camp in Arkansas. As soon as I’d arrived, Juliette had unashamedly thrown her arms around me and declared that we were going to be besties.

And she wasn’t wrong. I freaking adored Juliette McNamara. She was funny, sweet, and a complete dingbat. Juli was an English lit major who could tell you anything you wanted to know about practically any book ever written, but when it came to street smarts, she was severely lacking. Which only made her more endearing. The woman was completely gullible; she’d literally been named Most Likely to Buy an Ice Bridge at the Equator in her high school yearbook. I’d seen the proof with my own two eyes.

Stirring the last dregs of my frozen margarita, I sucked down the contents. “I didn’t come here for random hookups. I came here to spend time with all of you.”

“I can do both,” Madalynn announced with a flip of her long raven locks. “I’m talented like that.”

“Then you hook up with mullet guy,” Emersyn shot back, and then added with faux sweetness, “and let me know if you want me to go to the clinic with you when you’re done.”

Mady eyed her sister with a glare. “Great, I think the clinic is right beside the salon. Maybe they can wrangle those caterpillars you call eyebrows into submission.”

Emersyn responded with a waggling middle finger in her twin’s face. These two… they loved each other, but they fought like… well, like sisters.

“So what are we doing tonight?” Arya asked, breaking the sibling standoff.

Holly’s face lit up and she brushed a hand over her short, spiky hairdo. “Oooh, there’s this club in town that’s supposed to be hot as hell.”

My shoulders slumped. “I can’t. I promised my brother I wouldn’t leave the resort.”

“Awww, please, Evie? It will be so much fun!”

“I know, and I don’t care if you all go. I just swore to Monty that I would stay on the grounds. He worries about me.”

“How is your younger brother?” Madalynn asked, wiggling her perfectly plucked eyebrows.

“Still madly in love with Kassie,” I told her pointedly.

Her smile turned catlike. “And what about Auburn? Is he in love with anyone?”

Scoffing, I shook my head. “I’d be surprised if my big bro ever fell in love.”

She twisted a finger around one strand of hair. “He needs a good Greek girl.”

“Too bad you’ve never been a good girl a day in your life,” her sister retorted, and we all laughed.

Mady glared at her twin before tossing that piece of hair over her tanned shoulder. “That may be true, but I’m a very, very good girl at night.”

“Ewww! That’s my brother,” I whined.

I was no stranger to women panting after my brothers. Objectively, they were very good looking with their blue eyes that matched my own and hair that was a few shades darker than mine. Auburn was five years older than me, and Monty was a year younger. I idolized both my brothers, but I was much closer to Mont.

“What are you doing for your birthday this year?” Arya asked me.

“I’ll fly home the weekend before and spend it with my family,” I told her. “Monty and I share a birthday, and I don’t really want him to be alone this year.”

“Because his girlfriend just had a miscarriage?” Emersyn asked, with a sad downturn of her lips.

“Yeah, and then Kassie’s been ghosting him. I love her to pieces, and I know it’s different because she’s the one who was actually carrying the baby, but I’m not sure she realizes how hard Monty is taking this. He was so excited about being a dad.”

Madalynn shook her head. “That’s so sad for him. He seems really sweet. There aren’t many teenagers who are happy they knocked up their girlfriend.”

“Yeah, it was a shock for them both, but from day one, he supported her. He never missed a doctor’s appointment and always made sure she had every single thing she was craving.” I handed my debit card over to the waitress to take care of everyone’s meal tonight when she brought the black folio. “I’m sure Kassie will get in touch with him soon. Those two are end game.”

“Maybe she’ll come back for his birthday. Speaking of that, you’re the last one of our group turning nineteen,” Juliette commented. She, Holly, and the twins had all turned nineteen during the school year, and Arya was already twenty.

“Yep, I’m the baby of our group,” I laughed, “and my brothers treat me like I’m the baby of the family even though I’m the middle child.”

“Is your father sending his plane for you?” Mady asked, as if that was the most normal thing in the world. And it was for my family and the Papadopouloses. Not so much for Holly and Juliette, whose families were firmly middle class, or Arya, a scholarship pre-med student who was from a low-income family. Her father wasn’t around, and her mother had… issues.

“He is,” I confirmed. “And I can’t wait to see my family again.”

“You didn’t have to stay behind with me,” I told Juliette as we stepped into the elevator later that evening. “You could have gone to that club with the other girls.”

“Nah,” she said, pushing the button for the third floor. “I’ve actually been working on something, and I wanted you to see. Will you come to my room?”

“Of course. What is it?”

She bit her bottom lip, showing a bit of nerves as the car rose. “I’ve been writing a book.”

“No way!” I exclaimed, my eyes popping wide. “What kind of book?”

She scrunched her adorable nose. “It’s a romance novel, and I think I love it. I still want to become a librarian, but… I don’t know… I have all these words and stories inside me that are dying to get out.”

“You can do both,” I assured her. “And there’s nothing wrong with romance novels. There’s a huge market for it, and the genre only seems to be growing.”

She unlocked the door to the room she shared with Arya and led me inside before pulling out her computer. Thirty minutes later, I blinked in awe at the screen.

“Juli, this is awesome! And I can’t believe you named your main character Evie.”

“You don’t mind?” she asked, her pretty eyes intent on mine.

“Heck no. In fact, I want to be Book Evie. She’s certainly getting more action than me.”

Juliette laughed. “Okay, but let me know if you want me to change the name. I can do that easily.”

“Don’t you dare,” I said, leaning over and giving her a big hug. “I’m honored. I know it was only fifteen chapters, but what you’ve written so far is fantastic. I can’t wait to read what happens next. Are you going to publish it?”

“I’m looking for an editor. I joined some Facebook groups for romance authors, and the ladies there are so nice. Very willing to give suggestions to aspiring authors. There’s one author named AK Landow who is amazing. Her books are so funny and hot.” The smile widened on her beautiful face. “She reminds me a lot of you. She’s super sweet but also so fucking sarcastic. She’s really helped me a lot.”

“That’s so cool that she’s willing to help.”

“I know,” Juli said, her aqua-blue eyes wide. “We even talk on the phone sometimes. We had an hour-long conversation the other day about whether or not lube is necessary for anal sex.”

I tried not to scrunch up my nose. “I’m voting yes on that.” Though I was by no means an expert since I’d never actually done that particular act. “I’m really proud of you, Juli, and I want to buy the first copy when you publish it.”

“ If I publish it,” she insisted.

“ When you publish it,” I insisted harder. “Also, where can I find a Colton in real life?”

“If I figure it out, I’ll let you know while I’m trying to find out if he has a brother or something for me.” Juli reached out and squeezed my bicep. “You deserve a good man, Evie. You haven’t even seemed interested in anyone else since you broke up with Marty McFly.”

That’s what she called my ex-boyfriend, Marty, since we broke up a couple months ago. “You know me. I’m a prude.”

“You’re not a prude,” Juliette said firmly. “You’re selective about who you share your body with, and that’s okay. Better than okay. The way Mady and Holly are with guys… that’s fine for them, but it wouldn’t work for you.”

I nodded. I’d only had sex with two guys in my life. The first was my high school boyfriend, and the other was Marty, who I met at a party a few weeks after starting college. Our relationship had been going strong. Or so I’d thought until I overheard him telling a friend he was only with me because of my family.

Marty was majoring in fashion merchandising, and my family owned one of the biggest fashion companies in the United States. Bouvier clothing had been worn on every newsworthy red carpet for the past few decades, and apparently, Marty wanted a piece of the Bouvier pie.

Juliette wrapped her long blonde hair into a messy knot on top of her head. “You’ll find a man who’s worthy of you when it’s your time, Evie. Marty was a fucking prick, and he can go suck a big fat donkey cock.”

I laughed at that. My bestie had the face of an angel, with delicate features and wide crystal aqua eyes. That mouth of hers though… It was comical hearing those words come from her sweet face in that melodic voice of hers.

“How are things going with you and Bryan?” I asked, leaning forward and lowering my voice as my eyes darted toward her laptop. “And was that hot-as-sin sex scene based on actual experience with him?”

She laughed. “Oh hell no. Bry has a big dick, but he’s still learning how to use it effectively. It’s just kind of in-out-in-out procedure without any real finesse at this point. We’ll get there though.”

“He’s only twenty-one. Plenty of time to let his sexual prowess mature.” I lifted my arms over my head in a long stretch before cautiously saying, “He’s got a lot of maturing to do in several areas.”

“No doubt. His parents did everything for him growing up. I’m convinced he would have died by now if he didn’t have good roommates when he moved off to college. The other day, he told me his dad informed him it was time for an oil change, but he didn’t know where to go or what to do.” She rolled her eyes with a dramatic flair. “I, on the other hand, learned to change the oil in a car when I was twelve in my dad’s shop.”

I snickered. “You’re like Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny .”

“Oh my god, she was such a boss biotch in that movie. I love her!”

“Me too,” I said, stifling a yawn. “I think I’m going to hit the sack.”

“What are we doing tomorrow?” Juli asked, taking my seat in front of her laptop when I stood.

“Beach day, and then the resort is hosting the bonfire and beach party tomorrow night.”

“Oooh, that’s going to be so much fun. I think I’m going to bang out another chapter before bed.”

“Will Book Evie be doing any banging?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows at her.

“Oh girl, I’m gonna do you right. Book Evie is about to get bent over every flat surface in that restaurant.”

I laughed and headed toward the door to go up to my room on the seventh floor. “I can’t wait to live vicariously through my fictional namesake. See you tomorrow, Jules.”

She gave me a distracted wave as she trained her eyes on the screen in front of her, already lost in her writing process.