Letting Go (Thatch 1)

“Merry Christmas, baby.”

I opened my eyes to see the clock on my nightstand reading 12:04 A.M., and smiled as I squeezed his arms. “Merry Christmas, Jag.”

The End

Acknowledgments

AS ALWAYS, THANK you to my amazing husband, Cory. I really could not do any of this without you, thank you for everything you do for our girls and me so I can get the stories written. Love you!

My amazing agent, Kevan Lyon, and my wonderful editor, Tessa Woodward: Thank you from the bottom of my heart! You two are incredible and I am so so thankful to have you both on my side. Right now you are both at RT14 and I’m pretty sure I sobbed because I didn’t get to be there with y’all again!

AL Jackson, words cannot express how thankful I am for you! Thank you for the sprints, thank you for the long phone calls so we could talk out our stories, and thank you for being an amazing friend! Love you, BB!

Amanda Stone, what can be said that hasn’t already been said? I love you, my days would be dull without you, and I honestly don’t know how we went so long without each other! You’re my best friend and Sef, and what would I do if you weren’t there to listen to the craziness that is my street caught on camera? ;)

To all the readers and bloggers who helped promote this story: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You all make my heart so happy, and I am beyond blessed to have your support with these novels. You’re all wonderful and I love communicating with you on social media whether it’s about randomness in my life, my stories, or someone else’s . . . I love it, and I love y’all!

Want more? Keep reading for a sneak peek at Molly McAdams’s next heart-wrenching and heart-warming story, Trusting Liam.

Kennedy

CRACKING AN EYE open, I immediately shut it against the harsh light coming into the room and bit back a groan from the pounding in my head. Making another attempt—this time with both eyes—I squinted at the unfamiliar hotel room and blinked a few times before letting my eyes open all the way as I took in my surroundings. Well, as much of them as I could without moving.

There was a heavy arm draped uncomfortably over my waist, a forehead pressed to the back of my head, a nose to the back of my neck, and an erection to my butt. What. The. Hell. I was naked; he was naked. Why are we naked, and who is behind me?! If I wasn’t seconds from screaming for someone to help me, I might have snorted. The why was obvious, there was a familiar ache between my legs, and my lips felt puffy from kissing and where he’d bitten down on them.

I inhaled softly. He. Him. Oh God.

Flashes from last night took turns assaulting me with the pounding in my head. Impromptu trip to Vegas with the girls after finals ended. Dancing. Club. Drinks. Arctic blue eyes captivating me. More drinks and dancing. Him holding me close, and not close enough. Lips against mine. Stumbling into a room. Hands searching. His tall, hard body pressing mine against the bed—still not close enough.

My eyes immediately went to my left hand, and I exhaled slowly in relief when I didn’t find a ring there. Thank God, the last thing I need is a marriage as result of a drunken night in Vegas. I rolled my eyes. The last thing I needed was a man in my life, period. And if my family wouldn’t kill me for it, I would have died from embarrassment if I had ended up with a ring on my finger after last night. Because unlike what everyone loves to believe so they can feel better about their dirty deeds while in Sin City, what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Trying not to wake him, I slowly slid out from under his arm and off the bed to search for my clothes. Once I was dressed, I told myself to just leave, but I couldn’t help it—I turned to look at him in the light. I needed to be sure I hadn’t made him up.

The images from last night tore through my mind again when I saw the large, tattooed arm resting where my body had just been. The muscles were well defined, even relaxed, and the face had a boyish charm now that he was asleep. Such a difference from the predatory stare and knowing smirk I kept seeing in my mind. Before I could stop myself, I gently ran my fingers through his dirty-blond hair that, now in the sunlight, I could see had a red tint to it. And I knew if he opened them, those arctic blue eyes would once again captivate me.

But I couldn’t risk that.

I’d already stayed too long; I’d already made a mistake with him. Drunken one-night stands weren’t my thing. Drunken one-night stands with strangers in Vegas were even worse.

Straightening, I turned and walked quietly from the room.

Chapter 1

One year later . . .

Kennedy

“WHY ARE YOU trying to doing this to me?” Kira yelled as she stood from where she’d been sitting on the couch.

I looked over at my identical twin to see a look of horror on her face, and waited for the freak-out that I knew was only seconds away. Shifting my attention back to our parents, I mumbled, “Told you it wouldn’t go over well.”

“But—you can’t—Kennedy, why . . . Zander’s in Florida,” Kira sputtered out, and I rolled my eyes at the same time as my dad.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Dad asked as he crossed his large tattooed arms over his chest.

Not willing to give Kira time to respond to that kind of question, I started talking over Dad before he could finish. “Did you ever think that maybe a little distance might be a good thing for the two of you? And did you not hear Dad? These guys are out of prison, Kira!” I shouted and punctuated the last few words, just in case she’d missed the memo the first time around.

“Maybe Zander will go with you,” Mom offered, a sympathetic look on her face that I knew was as well practiced as it was a lie. The worry was still there in her eyes, as was the eagerness to get us away from Florida . . . and it wasn’t exactly a secret that we all wanted Kira to get space from Zander.