Blurb:
Clio’s summer in Malibu was supposed to be about sand, sunshine and healing, but that plan drowned the second her best friend’s dangerously sexy dad pulled her from the waves. One look at his smoldering eyes and chiseled body, and she knew she was in trouble.
Living under his roof only fans the flames. Every brush of his hand, every stolen glance, ignites a hunger she can’t deny. He’s older, forbidden, and completely off-limits, but the tension between them is unbearable-and when it finally snaps, it’s pure, unrelenting fire.
Now, every touch, every stolen moment, is a risk she’s willing to take. Because some temptations aren’t just worth it-they’re downright irresistible.
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Chapter 1
CLIO
“Clio, I’m telling you that we would have the time of our lives. You would love my dad’s beach house-it overlooks the water, and it’s huge, so you wouldn’t have to worry about privacy.”
I sighed as I transferred the rest of my clothes from my small dresser to my suitcase. Lila was attempting for the hundredth time to convince me to spend the summer with her and her dad at his beach house in Malibu. I appreciated her efforts, but I was so done with pity.
A few weeks ago, I’d walked in on my boyfriend having sex with the girl that lived three dorms down from me and Lila. I’d never expected to catch my boyfriend of three years in the act, but what was worse was the way Michael had reacted to my stunned expression. His words had been playing on loop in my head for weeks: “I don’t know why you’re so surprised, Clio-it’s not like you were putting out.”
The whole incident was humiliating enough, but Michael’s reminder that I was still a virgin just added more salt to the wound. It wasn’t like I’d set out to stay a virgin into my early twenties, and it wasn’t like I hadn’t had opportunities to do it. It just never felt quite right. Every time we came close to going all the way, something stopped me.
When I’d shared my feelings with Lila, she’d laughed out loud, then clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, girl, but if you were worried about upchucking right before you did the deed, then Michael clearly was not the one to be giving your V-card to.”
As if that wasn’t humiliating enough, Scarlet, the girl Michael was with, spread all the gory details-including the apparently “hilarious” look of horror on my face and what a prude I must have been. Scarlet’s gossip drove students I’d never even met to leave crude notes on my dorm room, offering to help me “loosen up.”
Honestly, in this day and age, I would have thought we were all evolved enough to not care. Apparently, I was dead wrong.
I had one semester left before I graduated-something I reminded myself of at least twenty times a day-and I hated how much of it was spent feeling like I was right back in high school. High school had been miserable. I’d been the girl who would do other students’ homework to avoid conflict, and I was on that track in college too, until I met Lila.
“Lila, you know I appreciate the offer, but I need to figure this out on my own,” I told her as I zipped up my suitcase.
Lila rolled her eyes. “Uhh, that whole ‘I am an island’ bull. There’s nothing wrong with leaning on your friends in times of need.”
“I know, I just think I need to do this on my own,” I told her. She opened her mouth to argue, but the text alert chirping on my phone interrupted her. “That’s food,” I said, slinging the strap of my purse over my shoulder.
Begrudgingly, she allowed my excuse to work, but not without another massive eyeroll. “You can dodge me now, but this conversation is not over,” she warned.
I smiled. “Yes, mother,” I called over my shoulder, ducking just in time to miss the pillow she threw at me.
As I walked across the courtyard, my steps felt lighter knowing she was rooting for me. Maybe I would reinvent myself and no longer be the woman people pitied or laughed at. As if I conjured it, I heard laughter behind my back.
I looked back, and there she was. Scarlet. She had her arms wrapped around Michael’s neck, grinning like the Cheshire cat. When our eyes met, her grin widened, and she kissed his neck. Next to them, one of Scarlet’s friends laughed maniacally when she realized what was happening.
I ripped my gaze away and rushed towards my destination, the Chinese restaurant across the street. My face burned as I hoofed it across, and it occurred to me how much I’d spent my life pretending everything was okay. I was so damn tired of soldiering on. I smiled politely at the cashier when I picked up my order, acting like I hadn’t just been humiliated yet again.
The cashier’s name was Sydney, a friendly girl I’d partnered with on a few projects. She took one look at me and said, “Oh no, what happened?”
Oh God, not now. Too late. My face crumpled, and tears streamed down my face like I’d sprung a leak.
“Oh no, Clio,” Sydney said, hooking an arm through mine and leading me somewhere private. Now, I was in the kitchen of Chen’s Cafe, bawling my eyes out while my former lab partner patted me on the back, encouraging me to let it all out. I spilled everything: what I saw, what had been going on, how I was probably going to be a virgin forever, and why I wasted three years on a man who couldn’t remember my birthday but knew all the words to Blink 182’s “All the Small Things.”
By the time I finished, Sydney was holding me, and Mrs. Chen, the cafe’s owner, along with a waitress named Alyssa, were circling around me. Alyssa shook her head in disgust. “Men are shit, remember that,” she said.
“Not all men,” Sydney countered.
“Yes, all men,” Alyssa retorted, scooting out with a pitcher of water.
Sydney sighed. “Well, I can’t say I agree, but as far as your ex-boyfriend is concerned-”
“Fuck that guy,” Mrs. Chen interjected.
For the first time in weeks, I laughed-a genuine laugh. Something about Mrs. Chen’s conviction lightened the weight on my chest.
“There you go,” Sydney said. “Look, things feel dark now, but you’re going to have a great summer. I just know it-I’m great at reading auras. Amazing things are ahead for you.”
“Thank you, Sydney, Mrs. Chen.”
Mrs. Chen nodded and told Sydney, “Two extra egg rolls in her bag, on the house.”
I sniffed. “I’m sorry for taking you away from your job.”
“No, don’t be sorry. I’m glad you could get it out.” Sydney handed me a notepad and pen. “Write your birthday and the minute you were born. I’ll do your chart-free. You just wait; your life is about to change.”
I didn’t really believe her, but I wrote it down because she’d been so kind. After thanking her, I left. Walking back to my dorm, I was sick of feeling embarrassed and crying over my dirtbag ex.
When I got in, Lila asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I think I want to come with you for the summer.”
“That’s awesome!” she squealed. We excitedly planned our summer adventures as carefree young women enjoying the beach.
While we laughed and ate, I vowed to work on myself-no more little miss doormat.