My life was no fairy tale. And in this kingdom called college, the rules went out the window. I'd known golden boy Theo Hunt was the one for me since we were kids. My heart was his for the taking, but I had become nothing more than the MVP of the campus king's friend-zone. Easton Cole was a storm I couldn't have predicted. He knocked me off my feet and stole my heart. But he was off-limits. Not only was he was Theo's frat brother, but he was the teacher's assistant in English 101, and I was acing every test. My heart was torn; my feelings, tangled...because as soon as I noticed Easton, Theo finally noticed me. I was in love with two guys, as different as night and day, but I could only have one. I only hoped I didn't choose The Wrong Prince Charming.
I ate leftover cupcakes and cracked macarons for breakfast.
I was ninety percent sure he simply ate up girls like me.
I was covered in paint splatters, cake batter, and sweat the first time I met him.
He was covered in badass tattoos and a smile that seemed to hold a secret I would never figure out.
Rule number 1 was never, under any circumstances, fall for the man who I wrote my lease check to.
So, I tucked him away in the "Fantasize Only" compartment of my brain and called it a day.
But he didn't make it easy.
He was arrogant, funny, and the biggest flirt I had ever met.
Most of the time, I didn't know if I was just a game to him.
If I didn't know better, I'd say he was on a mission to ruin my life.
And maybe my heart, too.
Nothing good came from listening to my heart.
It was careless and irrational and became way too invested when I read a romance novel.
So I put her under lock and key.
I only had a few rules, and I always stuck with them.
1. Never get attached.
2. Always run before the feels become contagious.
3. No matter what, under no circumstances, never fall in love.
He was a playboy who ran by the same set of rules.
What we had together was fun, it was hot, and it was temporary.
Until he screwed everything up.
We were never meant to be each other's happily ever after, but the harder I tried to push him away, the further I fell.
It was a bad idea from the beginning. He was my brother's best friend and the definition of unavailable. But I didn't care. I had loved him for as long as I could remember. He was worth the risk. He was worth everything. But then he broke my heart as easily as I fell for him. He watched me fall, spiraling out of control, and as I reached for him, he wasn't there to catch me. So I ran. Four years later, I never expected to see him again. He was still my brother's best friend, and he was more unavailable than ever. He looked every bit the bad boy I knew he was, covered in tattoos and a crooked smile. Guarding my heart from him was top priority because Parker James was where good girls go to die. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't a good girl anymore.
