“If you were ready to sleep with me we wouldn’t be in this bar, but in my room not wasting any more time.”
— Stephanie Witter
“Wow, Skye.” He kneels in front of me, ready to put one of his huge, strong hands on my knees. I recoil suddenly before I catch myself. Someone normal doesn’t react like that at the mere possibility of an innocent touch. “Okay, I’m going to sit on your friend’s bed.” He does just that, his eyes locked with mine. I have the sense I’m trapped and I don’t like it. I don’t want to ever feel like that again. “You should go,” I say, my voice wavering and barely above a whisper.He takes a sip of his coffee absentmindedly, his eyes never leaving my face. I don’t drink mine. I don’t even feel the mug between my hands. I feel nothing besides the hammering of my heart in my chest. I’m having difficulty breathing, and my forehead and neck are sweaty under my hair.“Can I say something before I go?” he asks me in a voice calmer than he must feel if I take into account his clenched fist and the shaking of his hand holding the mug of coffee. I just nod, not sure I’m able to mutter a word through the lump in my throat. “I’m not the enemy. I’m not the kind of guy who would try to hurt you more when I know you’re already hurting, but I’m someone willing to hear you and understand you. I want to be able to help.”
— Stephanie Witter
“Maybe I shouldn’t trust him after all, just like he doesn’t seem to trust me fully. Shit, is it always so hard to get close to someone?”
— Stephanie Witter
“His grip on my shoulder tightens. His other hand behind my head caresses me softly and I sigh.”Touch me, Skye.”His voice is rough, almost sounding like a groan.”
— Stephanie Witter
“It’s fine, but don’t ask me to strip again or I’m going to wonder what your intentions really are.”
— Stephanie Witter
“With you and me, I don’t know what anything means. We’re pushing each other away and yet I don’t seem to be able to let you go.”
— Stephanie Witter
“I want him and even if it’s frightening, even if I may not be completely ready for a relationship, I want him. Now… And tomorrow, and all the following days.”
— Stephanie Witter
“I love you, Skye. You’re in my heart, in my head, under my skin. You’re my present and my future.”
— Stephanie Witter
“Maybe Duke was just the kind of person you don’t keep in your life, but the kind of person that changes your life forever.”
— Stephanie Witter
“He smiled wickedly, and my body warmed. “Girls dig bad boys.” “Unfortunately, that’s true.” “Is there a message, Bridge?” “In your dreams,” I replied with a roll of my eyes, but it was all an act because there was a message there. I wanted him. I was screwed ? Uh, bad choice of words.”
— Stephanie Witter
“No.” I pulled away just enough to lock my eyes with his. His crooked smile sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were a deep blue darkening more as the minutes passing between us were getting hotter. “I will be the one using you, and you’ll love every second, every breath, every stroke and every fucking inch of me,” he said, his lips ghosting above mine.”
— Stephanie Witter
“Believe me, I knew you enjoyed it without voicing it that way. It was like your body screamed for me to take you.” All too true, but I didn’t like it to be told aloud. I arched an eyebrow, something I couldn’t do when sober. “I’m pretty sure if I put a hand on your crotch, you’re sporting a boner. It works both ways.”
— Stephanie Witter
“Don’t see me as a girl. See me as a buddy of yours or something.” He cast his eyes downward and didn’t look back up to my face. I looked down and groaned. Such a guy. “My buddies don’t have boobs, as far as I know.” “Because you felt them up to be sure?” I chuckled, against my better judgement. Once again, his mouth dropped open.”
— Stephanie Witter
“Will you be able to touch me again without thinking about Sean? I don’t want you to be disgusted by me.”
— Stephanie Witter
“You know she needs you. Think for a minute instead of playing the wounded ego card.’’ — Derek”
— Stephanie Witter
“It only wakes up the burning desire I always feel whenever I’m close to this man and the shadows of my fears back away. — Skye”
— Stephanie Witter
“I love you to insanity. I’m not even sure if it’s a good thing.” — Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“Therapy can’t erase scars, it only makes it easier to live with them. — Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“It’s a matter of when I’ll stop fighting. — Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“At this very moment with my girl in my arms, I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do for her, for us. — Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“At least, for once I was there for her. I didn’t fail her. She wasn’t alone. — Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“There’s only so much a man can survive and as fucking weak as it sounds, I reached my limits when Skye disappeared. —Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“What a fucking charade.Happy. That shit isn’t in our cards. — Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“I listen closely to her breathing getting slower, deeper until her hand settles over my heart, only beating for her. — Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“The smoke burns slightly down my throat and to my lungs. I focus on this, and empty my head, empty the images of Skye’s beautiful face all bruised up. In the end, I can’t even give her what she’s rightfully asking. A kiss. Just a fucking kiss on her lips. Even that I’m unable to do. It’d be pathetic if our situation and our past weren’t so tragic. I take another drag of my cigarette and watch the smoke swirling in the room only lit by the moonlight. — Duke”
— Stephanie Witter
“Be myself. If only I remembered what it was like to be myself. I’m a fucking waitress in a crappy bar in a small town in the middle of nowhere. I was going nowhere. I had nothing to give him beside myself and my heart and he denied me.”
— Stephanie Witter
“He brought his forehead against mine and we breathed the same air, slowly to try and find our composure. But it was impossible for me as long as he’s so close to me. “You’re ruining me.?”
— Stephanie Witter
“I said nothing in my texts. You came up with your own conclusions and you were mad thinking about me being with someone else…’’ “Stop,’’ he said, his jaw tightening. “Touching another man…’’ “Stop it.’’ “Sleeping…’’ He ran to me and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me once, not hard, but enough to make me stop. “Quit it,’’ he whispered, his voice deep and dark.”
— Stephanie Witter
“I closed my eyes and immediately I pictured Brooklyn’s full lips parted on a moan, her eyes glassy and her pupils dilated, her cheeks flushed and her body…her smoking body bared only for me.”
— Stephanie Witter
“Quietly, under my breath, I mumbled a name and it wasn’t the name of the girl waiting in the other room. In my mind I pictured Brooklyn’s sounds as she came and I jerked in my hand, coming and coming. Something had to give.”
— Stephanie Witter