Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 32116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
On his 21st birthday, Skyler is dealing with disappointment when he is stood up by a date (again). Men always want the fire he brings to the bedroom, but claim his fiery personality is too hot to handle. Time and time again, he ends up feeling used and discarded. But everything changes when he hears a desperate cry. Instead of unlucky in love, he finds himself eternally bound to a centuries-old, cursed vampire. What could go wrong?
*This low angst, insta-love paranormal story is for readers 18 and up! It is a blend of humor, heat, and heart. It contains no cheating or cliffhangers, and a very happy HEA!
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
Skyler
I pulled my ringing phone from my pocket and groaned at the name Josh that flashed across the screen. The douche canoe was supposed to meet me at the restaurant, but had left me sitting there like a dumbass for hours waiting for him. But he never showed, and now that I was walking to my car alone and embarrassed, he had the audacity to call.
My thumb hovered over the ‘decline’ button, but I couldn’t press it. What if something had happened to him? What if there had been an emergency, and he was reaching out to apologize?
Hope danced in my stomach as I pressed the ‘accept’ button. “Hello?”
I could barely hear his reply of, “Hey, Sky,” over the music and laughter in the background.
I plugged my finger in my other ear and asked, “Where are you? It’s so loud.”
“I’m at my buddy Dave’s house. He throws killer parties.”
“A party? You blew me off for a party? We were supposed to have a date!”
“Yeah, I uh…I didn’t make it.”
“No shit,” I snapped, glaring at my phone and hoping he could feel the heat.
“But listen, I’m getting ready to leave here and thought you could swing by my place for…you know.”
Rage bubbled in my gut as realization struck. “That’s all you want me for, isn’t it?”
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; Josh and I met on a dating app known for hookups. When we first met up, I was insanely attracted to him and we did end up going to bed together, but when he agreed to an actual date, I thought my luck was turning around. I thought I’d finally found someone who was interested in more than a romp before throwing me to the curb.
“Look, I’m not interested in anything serious with you. I didn’t even want to go on the date. I only agreed…”
His words trailed off, but I didn’t need them to understand. “You just wanted to get me in bed again.”
“Can you blame me? You are fire in the bedroom, but you’re too much to deal with for a relationship.” My eyes prickled at his blunt words. Even though I’d heard them before, they still stung. “So, are you coming over or not?”
“No,” I answered sternly. I never wanted to see him again. I wished I’d never met him in the first place, and I wished I’d never let him touch me.
“Fine. If you’re ever in the mood, feel free to drop by. Otherwise, good luck and take care, I guess.”
“You too,” I blurted out on instinct before I realized what I’d said. It was better than the shit wagon deserved. “And by ‘good luck’, I mean go fuck yourself. And by ‘take care’, I mean go fuck yourself.”
“Wow. That attitude of yours is why you’re going to die alone.”
The call cut off and I rubbed my aching chest. His words hurt; even worse than him ditching our date, which hurt a whole hell of a lot. I’d been used up and tossed away by countless guys, but this felt even worse. I had asked Josh out to dinner to celebrate my birthday because I didn’t want to spend another one alone.
My phone buzzed in my hand and I growled, “He better not be fucking calling again!” But when I looked down at the screen, I saw an alarm I had set to go off at this time; 11:59PM.
Technically, my birthday wasn’t until the following day, but I wanted to celebrate at midnight. I thought it would be fun for Josh and me to count down together, and maybe even share a kiss when I turned twenty-one. I thought it could be a fun, special moment for us.
But now it was just me, as usual. I sighed and rested my back against my car door as I watched the clock. I thought for a moment about going to a bar or club; to drink (legally) for the first time, and try to turn the night around.
But I quickly dismissed the idea. I’d just paid for a sympathy meal I could barely afford; I was trying to impress Josh with a fancy restaurant, which only backfired. It didn’t help that I ordered two desserts to dull my pain. I was broke, tired, and just wanted to go home, go to bed, and forget everything.
The moment my clock changed to 12:00, a piercing scream made me drop my phone as I slapped my hands over my ears, even though it didn’t dull the sound. I collapsed to my knees and whipped my head all around, but found that I was utterly alone in the alleyway.
I quickly realized the sound wasn’t coming from around me; it was ricocheting around my skull, coming from inside my own head. It blocked out my thoughts and made my brain ache. I removed my hands and looked at my palms, expecting to find that my ears were bleeding, but my hands were dry.