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Chapter one
Jesse
Ican'tkeepdoingthis.
I take my bike down the Oregon coast, making a stop in Corvallis to get gas and rest for the night. As I walk into the motel lobby, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My wild hair and sunburnt skin are a reflection of my scattered mind.
I can't keep running away like this.
Running toward something I should never, ever run toward.
I check in and head to my room, where I spend the night tossing and turning. The next morning, I pack up my things and head out onto the road. The wind whips around me, and I realize that it's time to face my problems head-on.
Or...problem.
I ride for hours, lost in thought. Thinking abouther--the thing that keeps me heading back down the coast, even while I'm trying to make a life in Fern Hollow. I don't want to keep going to San Fran, but I'm locked in her orbit like she's the sun and I'm just a lonely planet.
I can't keep denying my feelings for her. It's time to confront her and figure out what we are to each other.
As I approach San Francisco, my heart races with anticipation and fear of what lies ahead. I park my bike outside her house, my palms sweaty as I ring the doorbell. When she opens the door, my heart skips a beat. The same unruly hair, the same crooked smile, the same piercing green eyes that I can never forget.
"Hey, Piper," I say.
She smiles. "Hey, Jesse. Come on in."
Chapter two
Piper
Itstartedoutinnocentlyenough.
As I was leaving Fern Hollow months ago, I stopped by Sadie and Jesse's house to give them a note for Caleb. I thought I was done with the Harts as I drove away, knowing the man I thought was the love of my life had found happiness with someone else.
Then I got a message from Jesse.
They really appreciated your gift. It was beautiful.
I replied.
Then he asked how I was doing.
We started chatting...
...and now he's here in San Francisco, looking every bit the bad boy, and I'm in deep.
He's come down to visit a few times--always perfectly respectful, always staying in motels. We're not doing anything other than hanging out. Getting coffee. Not drinks, because I'm sober after realizing I was going to lose everything if I stayed on the path I was on.
But there's something about Jesse that I can't ignore. He's got a way of looking at me that makes me feel alive in a way that I haven't felt in years. And every time he's here, I find myself wanting more.
Tonight, we're sitting on a bench in the park, watching the sun set over the city. He's got his arm around me, and I'm leaning into him. There's a tension between us that I can feel, a desire that's been building for months.
He turns to me, his grey eyes dark with hunger.
"You know I want you, right?" he says, his voice low.
I nod, my heart pounding.
"I want you, too," I whisper.
