~*SYNOPSIS*~
A simple girl.
A broken guy.
One horrible incident.
When Lea Amelia landed her feet in San Francisco for her overseas study, her idea of freedom was simple, like eating junk food ten times a day, sitting in front of the TV in her PJs, or going out late with her friends without the need to check in with her mother constantly.
Then she met Andrew Jaya, her brothers’ best friend. A twenty-two-year-old guy whose physical appearance looked like he was crafted straight from God’s heavenly hands, but possessed a past as bleak as if it was drawn by Evil himself. A conflicted guy who wore sadness like nobody’s business beneath his mask, a perfect-looking mask she slowly peeled away.
He was also the guy who hurt her.
Suddenly, everything about her was no longer simple.
Andrew Jaya had convinced himself that not feeling was good for him. He’d been doing it splendidly for almost his entire life. But that was before his best friend’s sister stepped into his life and ruined it. After weeks of knowing Lea, all of those warm and wonderful feelings he’d long ago denied to himself started to reappear. Problem was, the brighter the light, the bigger the shadows that came with it.
His traumatic past refused to let him go.
When the unthinkable happened, the easiest thing to do was to run. But life often proves that the easiest way is usually the hardest.
A broken guy.
One horrible incident.
When Lea Amelia landed her feet in San Francisco for her overseas study, her idea of freedom was simple, like eating junk food ten times a day, sitting in front of the TV in her PJs, or going out late with her friends without the need to check in with her mother constantly.
Then she met Andrew Jaya, her brothers’ best friend. A twenty-two-year-old guy whose physical appearance looked like he was crafted straight from God’s heavenly hands, but possessed a past as bleak as if it was drawn by Evil himself. A conflicted guy who wore sadness like nobody’s business beneath his mask, a perfect-looking mask she slowly peeled away.
He was also the guy who hurt her.
Suddenly, everything about her was no longer simple.
Andrew Jaya had convinced himself that not feeling was good for him. He’d been doing it splendidly for almost his entire life. But that was before his best friend’s sister stepped into his life and ruined it. After weeks of knowing Lea, all of those warm and wonderful feelings he’d long ago denied to himself started to reappear. Problem was, the brighter the light, the bigger the shadows that came with it.
His traumatic past refused to let him go.
When the unthinkable happened, the easiest thing to do was to run. But life often proves that the easiest way is usually the hardest.
~*EXCERPT*~
The cable car made a descending ride and Lea’s body swayed
forward, hitting him in his chest. Thank you, San Francisco’s hills and
valleys! Andrew placed a hand on her waist to secure her. He saw her smile
widened as she laid her cheek against his shoulder. Both of his arms instantly
went around her, cuddling her as if that was the sole purpose of him having
arms. To keep her close and to love her.
Wait a fucking minute.
No, no, no. Not
love, you miserable idiot.
He hadn’t thought about that
word in a long, long time. Once, he thought he’d found it. He was wrong. Love
was nothing but an illusion. A betrayal at hope.
He took a deep and long breath to calm himself down. Not the
right time to have such a thought. He closed his eyes and willed his mind to go
blank.
Focus. In San
Francisco. Focus on Lea. Lea… Lea…
His focus also detected that she had tilted her face up a
little, therefore bringing their mouths dangerously close together. He was
terrified to open his eyes, afraid to find what he desperately wanted to see in
hers. He was also scared shitless that she would be able to read the chaos
inside him, catch the haunting demons in the depth of his eyes, and back away
from him.
She kept moving her face slowly, as if it was the wind that
made her head move, not her own muscle. The tip of her nose and mouth made a
feathery connection with his jaw, creating one hell of a friction between her
soft, warm lips and his sharp, short stubbles.
Oh my good God, the
torture.
His ears picked up her soft moan, and his dirty mind
immediately conjured up an image of how her mouth had wrapped around the ice
cream’s spoon earlier and… fucking hell. His loving sensation was quickly
turned into a pure, hot lust. The speed of his blood rushing down south was
faster than any of those race cars in Formula One. As much as he tried to slow
it down, it was a moot effort since nothing could fight gravity. To make matter
worse, his dick had made it its mission to remind him that he hadn’t gotten any
in five long weeks, therefore it refused to be slowed down.
His body stirred awake with hunger, but it wasn’t the same
hunger he usually experienced when he was about to have sex with a girl. This
was a different kind of hunger. It was possessive, and though the emotion felt
foreign to him, it was not unwelcomed.
Her mouth made that sensual drag down to his chin now. He
stood so fucking still that the muscles in his body bleed from the stiffness.
Then he acted without thinking. Without fearing the consequences. He only
remembered his want, need, and longing. He opened his eyes and lowered his face
to hers. He couldn’t interpret what he saw in her expression, but it didn’t
stop him from dipping his face farther and catching her mouth with his. The
moment his lips touched hers, a thousand fireworks exploded inside him. Every
living cell in his body shot up, flying free and without burden. The only sound
he heard was the roar of his blood in his ears, wolf-whistling and shouting
barbaric encouragements at him. The only thing he could think of was her mouth
opening up to his and how good her body felt against his own. If he died at
this moment, he would die a happy man. A happier man than he could ever
imagine. Both of his hands reached up to touch her face. Now he kind of
regretted that he’d put her hoodie on. He wanted to be able to freely touch her
hair, her face, her neck. He devoured her taste like a madman. His tongue
pushed inside, hungrily caressing the hot walls of her mouth and the silkiness
of her tongue. She kissed him back, one important fact that Andrew would print
and hang in his Hall of Accomplishment.
She. Kissed. Me. Back.
~*ABOUT THE AUTHOR*~
Melly is a full-time mom, wife, and fangirl. She used to work in a school and she’s very passionate about education.
Melly has been writing children’s books since 2011 under the name mellyberry. She loves reading all kinds of books in her spare time, mostly MG, YA, NA, contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. She avoids horror and sci-fi as much as she can.
Melly was born in Indonesia and grew up in a multi-language environment. When she talks to people, she could accidentally string words from different languages into one sentence. When she does that, simply reminds her to speak properly.
Her ideal vacation always involves a beach; usually it’s the Nusa Dua beach, Bali. She spent a few years in USA to complete her Master degree. It was during that time that she’d fallen madly in love with San Francisco and the Bay Area. According to her, San Francisco is no doubt the most romantic city in the world.
Melly has been writing children’s books since 2011 under the name mellyberry. She loves reading all kinds of books in her spare time, mostly MG, YA, NA, contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. She avoids horror and sci-fi as much as she can.
Melly was born in Indonesia and grew up in a multi-language environment. When she talks to people, she could accidentally string words from different languages into one sentence. When she does that, simply reminds her to speak properly.
Her ideal vacation always involves a beach; usually it’s the Nusa Dua beach, Bali. She spent a few years in USA to complete her Master degree. It was during that time that she’d fallen madly in love with San Francisco and the Bay Area. According to her, San Francisco is no doubt the most romantic city in the world.
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