SCOTT, dies in a tragic accident. Devastated and burdened with guilt, he finds it impossible to move on.
internship at a big city news station, but he’s still losing himself in alcohol
and women to numb his pain.
About the Author
Dannielle Wicks currently lives in the town of Kingaroy, Queensland in Australia. She is a TV show nerd and lover of cars. She’s always had a love for writing, even in school. She used to hide her writing notebook inside her textbooks just so the teacher wouldn’t notice what she was up to. She loves reading, especially paranormal romance. When she’s not writing or working, she competes in Speedway Sedan Racing across the state.All of the books in the HARDEST MISTAKES series are based on a different main character, so you don’t really need to read them in order, although all the characters link back to each other in some way…
(P.S. if you ever reference any of my books or myself on a social media site, be sure to use the #HardestMistakes hashtag or @DWicksAuthor)
Author Links:
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EXCERPTS
1-
A smile creeps into the corner of her mouth and she nods. “So, how was lunch?”
I exhale the breath I was holding and stretch out on the bed beside her. “It was hard. I’m not very good at being around people.”
She frowns. “But we had lots of friends and family back at home.”
Inhaling sharply, I turn my head and gaze at her. I know she can see the pain in my eyes, I can see it reflected back at me from her own. “Not anymore, Jess. Not since you.”
She leans in closer so we’re almost touching all the way down our bodies. She doesn’t say anything; just presses her lips to mine tenderly. I pull her closer, letting my need consume me. I need to touch her soft lips, I need to feel her skin under mine. I need her. I push her back and climb on top of her.
2-
“I’m not going out.”
She laughs; it’s the most beautiful noise I’ve ever heard. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her laugh properly like that. My mouth drops open slightly before I pull myself back together. She pretends to wipe her eyes and grabs hold of my hand again, pulling me through the open door. “It’s adorable you think you have a choice.”
I swipe my keys off the counter as the door slams shut behind us. “Where are we going?” I ask. She doesn’t answer, instead she keeps a hold of my hand as we jog down the staircase and once we reach the sidewalk outside, she turns to me with a smile.
“The stars are beautiful tonight, aren’t they?”
I frown in confusion, and then tilt my head back to look up at the sky. I didn’t realize you could still see the stars this close to the center of the city, but there they are, shining dimly amidst the light pollution. “I suppose.” She laughs again, shaking her head at me and dragging me down the street. “What’s so funny?” I nearly have to run to keep up. She pauses at the end of the block and lets go of my hand.
“You, Kristian. You’re funny. What have you been doing with your life? Why have you got such a bleak outlook on everything?” I open my mouth to answer, but she stops me with a finger on my lips. “No, don’t answer. When you’re ready to tell me the truth instead of the bullshit you were just about to make up, just remember, I’ll be here to listen.”
She looks up and down the street and then crosses the road without looking back. I stand frozen to the spot, staring after her. I don’t have any words to describe how I feel. Exhaling a heavy breath, I look both ways, then jog across the street to catch up.
3-
I narrow my eyes. “Stop calling me that.”
“Never.” She laughs, doing her best to sound evil. The wet strands of her hair flop in front of her face. Without thinking, I reach out and brush them off her cheek. She goes completely still, her eyes wide as she gazes up at me.
I only just stop myself from backing away like a coward.
Before I can over-think it, I lean in and kiss her. She’s stunned at first, and then her lips come to life under mine. She’s so soft and warm. Her arms wrap around my neck, bringing her closer.
I pull away slowly, holding her bright blue gaze. I feel as if I can’t breathe, my hands are shaking. I don’t know what I was expecting, but that definitely wasn’t it. The kiss was short and quick, but it was different. I swallow and take a step back, turning my face away from her.
“I…”
She presses her finger to my lips, silencing me.
“Don’t, Kristian. You’ll ruin it.” She watches me for a moment longer and then takes a slow step back before spinning around and dashing away into the dark rain.
4-
“Wh-what are you doing? Why are you getting naked?”
“Do I look naked to you?” she asks sarcastically, pulling her jeans off and walking to the edge of the pool in only her bra and underpants. What is she doing? She kneels down to touch the water, pulling her hand back quickly at the freezing temperature. Glancing back at me, she lifts the corner of her mouth in a dare.
Can I do this? Do I do this?
I suck in a deep breath, stand, and start undressing. When I’m left with just my boxers, I make my way to the pool to stand beside her. I look at her briefly, at the way her half naked body curves in all the right places, and I’m momentarily distracted. She arches a brow at my gaze.
Pulling my thoughts back together, I grasp her hand. “On the count of three?”
Her grin is wide as she nods, and on three we jump in.
The freezing cold water envelops us. I feel like I’ve been dropped into a bucket of ice. Somewhere under the water I lose my hold on Bailey’s hand. Kicking at the water, I sputter to the surface, shivering uncontrollably. Bailey surfaces near me, her lips tinged blue.
“Whose idea was this?” she asks, her teeth chattering.
I chuckle, gliding back to the edge of the deep pool. “I’m pretty sure this was your fault. What a stupid idea.”
“Yeah, weird,” she says, gliding up beside me. “Usually it’s you that makes the stupid decisions.” I narrow my eyes at her, and then lunge, dunking her head under the icy water. She screams when I let her up, but by the time she tries to reach me for payback, I’m already climbing out of the water.
I jitter my way back into my clothes, which takes twice as long as usual because of my shaking fingers, then lean over the edge of the pool and extend my hand to help her out.
She grasps my hand with a mischievous grin. “You know I could just yank on your hand and pull you back into the water. Your clothes would be soaked.”
“Yes, you could, but if you do I might catch a cold. Then it’ll be your turn to play the good friend and sit and watch girly movies with me while I sniffle away into a tissue.”
She considers this for a moment and then nods. “Touché.”
5-
I barely hear her words as her fingers trace the line of my lips and then down my chin. I’m holding my breath. She’s still speaking, but I’m not paying attention. I’m watching her soft, full lips as they move. Before I know what I’m doing, I dive forward and crush my lips against hers, cutting off whatever she was saying. She makes a small noise of surprise as my fingers weave into her hair, holding her face to mine. Her tongue runs along my bottom lip and I shiver.
I slide closer on the bed until our bodies are pressed up against each other all the way down. My hand leaves her hair and runs down her back to her waist. She presses closer and runs her fingers under my shirt and up my stomach. I can’t tell if I’m breathing, but I definitely feel alive. Her fingers are shooting tingles along my skin everywhere she touches me.
Somewhere deep down, I know what I’m doing, but I can’t seem to pull myself far enough out of the haze of my mind to stop.
Bailey pulls back, gasping for air. I take a deep, shuddering breath and run my hand over her hair, smoothing it with my fingers. She looks uncertain as she searches my face, like she’s waiting for me to explode.
“What?” I ask quietly.
“I’m trying to figure out if I brought my best friend home, or if I’ve accidently picked up someone else,” she breathes.
I huff out a short laugh and pull my hand back. “It’s me.”
She narrows her eyes. “I’m still not sure. The Kristian I know would have bolted by now.”
“Oh,” I say a little ashamed of my previous behavior. “Well, I’ll just go then.”
I move to get off the bed.
“No!” She grabs my arm in a panic and pulls me back down. “Please stay?” I grin and settle back onto the bed.
Book Playlist
Let Her Go – Jasmine Thompson
Until The End – Quitedrive
Ghost – Ella Henderson
Ever After – Marianas Trench
Uneven Odds – Sleeping At Last
Dead In The Water – Ellie Goulding
Sing It Out – Switchfoot
Latch – Kodaline
Ghost Lights – Woodkid
Forever and Always – Parachute
You and I – Paper Route
I Wont Give Up – Jason Mraz
The Memory – Mayday Parade
Not About Angels – Birdy
We Might Fall – Ryan Star
All Of Me – John Legend
Another Love – Tom Odell
Sunrise – Our Last Night
You Are Enough – Sleeping At Last
(All of the songs on my playlists are available on iTunes)
Amy Reece 