The Freshman (College Years 1)

Jackson: Can’t wait to see you.

He sends me a heart emoji.

Don’t read too much into that. Don’t do it. Don’t.

Me: I’m sure you have plenty of female

company.

Jackson: They’re not you though.

He doesn’t deny he’s with other girls, which I’m sure he is. Can’t focus on that though. That’s a downward spiral I don’t want to go down right now.

Me: I’m glad we’re friends.

There. What can he say to that? We are friends. And that’s all we’re gonna be. That’s all he’ll allow.

He doesn’t respond and I keep scrolling TikTok, my eyelids growing heavier and heavier. I’m tired. It’s already past two. I need to go to sleep. I work at eleven tomorrow, so I won’t get to sleep in as much as I usually do when I close.

Jackson: Sometimes I wonder why we’re not more than that, E. Why are you always so good to me? I don’t deserve you.

I stare at what he wrote, reading it again and again. He’s right. He doesn’t deserve me. And he doesn’t mean it when he says he wonders why we’re not more than that.

Me: Because we both know it would never work.

Jackson: Right. I’d mess it up.

Me: You would. Oh, and you’re right.

Jackson: What about?

Me: You don’t deserve me.

Me: You never really have.

Want more? Preorder The Sophomore, coming to Kindle Unlimited June 17th!

Things I Wanted To Say (but never did) Excerpt

This book is a complete standalone, and is by far my longest, darkest, sexiest book I’ve ever written! And I cannot WAIT for you to read it! Things I Wanted To Say (but never did) is coming July 29th! Here’s the blurb:

Things I wanted to say to my family, but never could.

Things I wanted to tell my friends, but never got the chance.

Things I wanted to confess to you, but wrote in my journal instead.

Whit Lancaster burst into my life like a storm. Dark and thunderous, furious and fierce. Cold, heartless and devastatingly beautiful, like the statues in our prep school gardens. The school with his family name on the sign. He can do no wrong here. This is his domain.

He’s a menace on campus. Adored and feared. Hated and respected. His taunting words carve into my skin, shredding me to ribbons. Yet his gaze scorches my blood, fills me with a longing I don’t understand. I count down the days until we graduate. And then I’ll never have to see Whit’s smug, beautiful face ever again.

When I stumble upon him one night alone, I find him broken. Bleeding. My instincts scream to leave and let him suffer, but I can’t. I sneak him into my room. Clean him up. Fall for his lies. Let him possess every single part of me until I’m the one left a gasping, broken mess.

When he leaves me alone in the dead of night, he takes my journal with him.

Now he knows all my secrets. My desires. My hate. My truth. And he promises to use my words against me. He gives me no choice but to do what he says, or he’ll expose me completely. And I can’t have that. I’ll be ruined if my darkest secret gets out.

That’s when I strike a bargain with the devil.