Unexpected
Authors: Lilly Avalon
by Lilly Avalon
Copyright 2015
Jessica Sankiewicz
All Rights
Reserved
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Cover design
by
Marie Landry
Edited
by
Stephanie Parent
Ever had one of
those days? Alina Lyons is having one. Everything keeps falling
apart and going wrong. Just when she thinks it couldn't get worse,
it does. After a case of mistaken identity and a broken heart, she
finds herself questioning the things she thought she knew. She
wonders who she can turn to or trust anymore.
An unlikely bond
with her former best friend's ex, Ryan Wilcox, sends her life in a
new direction. He offers her a place to stay while she gets her
life back on track. His friendship is exactly what she's been
missing—what she's been needing. Alina's never felt this alive. As
time goes by, the dynamic of their relationship becomes more than
either of them expected—more intimate than it should be for two
people who are just friends. A few innocent kisses could lead them
in a new direction, but are they prepared for what's on the other
side?
Only one way to
find out.
Contents
Also by Lilly Avalon
:
Here All Along
Resist
More Than Words
Longing
Dedication
To the real guys
like Ryan—may you continue to inspire and encourage those around
you. And, I don't know, maybe one of you could marry me please?
"Have enough courage to trust love one more
time and always one more time." ~Maya Angelou
Chapter One
–
Alina –
It's been one of
those days.
You know the
kind—the one where you want to rename Murphy's Law after yourself.
No matter how hard you try to make it better, it just gets worse.
All you want to do is go home, crawl under the covers, and sleep
through the rest of the day. That's right. Now it's known as
Alina's Law.
The last
twenty-four hours of my life have been hell. It started yesterday
afternoon when I met up with my boyfriend, Drew, for coffee. When
he told me to meet him at the Mocha Shack, he made it sound
important. I thought maybe he got a raise or possibly promoted at
work. Turns out, he asked me if we could put our relationship “on
hold” for a little bit. His explanation—if you could call it
that—was that he's too stressed with his job and doesn't want to
upset me if he can't meet his boyfriend obligations.
This,
unfortunately, isn't the first time he's done this to me. Before I
left, I told him this is the last time I'm allowing him to play
this card. Next time he asks for a break, it's going to be a
break
up
. He reluctantly
agreed.
While I drove
home, my irritation over Drew turned into outright anger. His
previous “relationship breaks” happened not long after we started
dating. We reached the six-
month
mark a couple weeks back and had even been discussing moving
in together. Now he wanted to take a break? Again? As soon as I got
home, I sent him a text message telling him he'll have to grovel
for me to take him back.
Once I got
out of my car, I was stomping as I walked to my apartment door.
That's when I accidentally dropped my cell phone on the sidewalk,
cracking the screen. It was a brand spanking new phone, too—only a
week old. Practically straight out of the box. Since it was already
too late in the day to get a replacement, I had to
survive
without it the rest of the night.
I couldn't find the
obligatory pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in the freezer, so I
settled on the chocolate chip cookies I made Friday night. I poured
a glass of milk and watched a cheesy B-movie on cable. I tried to
stay up to talk about what happened with my best friend and
roommate, Victoria, but she must have stayed late at the sports bar
where she’s currently working part time. I ended up going to bed
before midnight to get enough sleep for my early shift at
Geoffrey's Diner.
I barely got
any sleep—I kept tossing and turning since I couldn't stop
thinking. Then this morning when I went out to my car, my back
right tire was flat. I had to wake up Warren, the neighbor from
across the hall, to help me fix it. As if I wasn't late enough
already, I
was
stuck for an
extra five minutes at a train crossing once I got on the
road.
Upon arriving
to work, I discover my Monday shift had been given away to someone
else. My jerk of a boss—
The
Geoffrey
of Geoffrey's Diner—told me I had no excuse
and I should
have called.
I showed him my
damaged cell phone, but he just shrugged and told me, “Sorry.” And
what do I do in response? I quit my job on the spot. I stormed out
the front door, and I may have flipped Geoffrey off as I was
walking away.
It's now
three o'clock on June first and we're approaching the twenty-four
hour mark of the start of Alina's Law. Everything is hitting me all
at once as I sit on my bed, replacement phone in my lap, the only
good thing about today. What
happened
? And
what am I supposed to
do
about it? It's too
bad Victoria is still sleeping. I could use someone to talk to
about this.
Leaning
forward with my elbows on my knees, I weave my fingers into my
hair. I wince at how greasy it feels. I took a shower this morning,
but apparently changing the tire reversed the effects. I sigh and
walk to the bathroom to take a second shower. When I flip on the
lights, one of the three bulbs burns out with a spark that causes
me to jump. “Really?” I say out loud to the universe, rubbing my
hand over my forehead. I turn to go find a new one, but throw up my
hands. I'm not in the mood to change it
now
. I'll take care of it later.
After stripping off
all my clothes and throwing them into the hamper, I climb under the
hot spray of the shower. I let the water wash over me, warming my
body and rinsing the last twenty-four hours off my skin. God, this
feels good.
When I'm done
showering, I'm going to change into pajamas and relax on the couch
with a good book. I have a few romance novels to catch up on
anyway. Who wouldn't want the distraction from life if they went
through what I just dealt with? I've met my quota of bad things for
the day. It's probably best for me to avoid leaving the house at
this point. Today can't get any worse if I do that, can it?
Out of the
corner of my eye, the bathroom door opens. Despite the lack of
light, I can make out Drew's silhouette through the shower curtain.
Looks like someone's already changed his mind.
He better be prepared to
grovel
, I think, smiling. I
expect him to say something, but instead he steps inside the shower
behind me. My jaw drops. Drew usually saves the sexual stuff for
the bedroom. Anytime I suggest something outside the box, he either
refuses or makes excuses. Him coming in here with me? Now
that's
how to grovel.
He touches my
shoulders, tracing his fingers down my back to my waist. He steps
forward, pressing his front into my back. The sudden feel of our
naked bodies touching causes me to shiver. Both of his hands come
around under my arms and up to my breasts. He caresses them, his
thumbs teasing my nipples in slow circles as he kisses along my
shoulder.
I'm entranced by
his touch; I've never felt anything like it before. Melting into
him, I reach behind me, grabbing his ass to pull him closer. His
hard length presses against my backside, making him growl. Still
holding on to me, he pushes me up against the side of the shower
wall. My breasts touch the cold tile as the hot water slides over
my back between our bodies
Damn, this is
sexy.
One of his hands
descends from my stomach, going lower. A finger slips between my
legs and I open immediately to the invasion. He strokes my flesh as
I let out a shivering breath. His finger slides inside me
once...twice...three times...then slides out. I bite my lips when
his expert fingers rub over my clit with featherlight touches. He
doesn't increase the pressure; he knows what he's doing. I can feel
the smile against my skin when he kisses my shoulder blade. His
other hand comes up to stroke the edge of my breast. Such a light
touch, and yet it's like lightning zipping through me.
Is it
possible to feel
too
good? Because this
almost is. It's almost as though one of my romance novels has been
brought to life to balance out the universe. I consider it a
victory. Screw you, Alina's Law!
I
want—no,
need
—to have him
inside me. Reaching back between us, I wrap a hand around his
length, slowly moving up and down. He growls again, making me feel
like a naughty girl. It's the first time I've felt like one with
him, the first time he's
allowed
me to
feel like one. Removing my hand, he spreads my legs apart a little,
sliding himself between my folds. My mouth falls open as he rubs
against my center, then directly on my clit. A low groan vibrates
from his throat and I want to swallow the sound as I taste his
lips.