Savage Love (Ash and Innocence 2)

He was practically a god to them, and I was nothing.
They saw me as the scarred, broken girl who had run from tragedy.
And he thinks he can break me. Torment me. Claim me.
He says he'll steal my heart, whether I like it or not.
But my heart can only be given. And he'll have to earn every piece of it.

Fire is a funny thing. It can destroy, but those few things that survive it come out stronger. They're hardened. Unbreakable.

I survived. I carried on, even when it felt like there was nothing to live for.

Then we moved back to Silver Falls. Just when I finally started to piece my life back together, he happened.

He's all dark lines and rigid muscle. Heart breakingly gorgeous with a dirty reputation. He's the star runningback of Parker High's football team, and his family has enough money to buy the entire town.

Cassian Stone.

The boy I used to chase fireflies with. The boy who came home with scuffed knuckles and broken lips because he got in fights for me.

The fire hardened my backbone. It taught me not to bow to any one or anything. To be resilient. For Cassian, all the fire did was harden the walls around his heart. It made him cold and savage.

He wants my heart for a prize, but all I want is to free his from its cage.