Chapter 1
BO
No. No. No. It’s a simple, one-syllable, commonly used word that rolls off the tongue with barely any effort... No. So why can’t I ever tell my sister no? Because I’m pathetic.
I glance down at the address, making sure this is the right apartment. It would suck if I broke up with the wrong guy again. Yes, again. It’s happened before, and it’s awkward, to say the least.
I take a steadying breath and check the mirror in the hallway of the grand apartment building. Yep. I look just like her—overdone makeup and all.
Most identical twins have some subtle differences. Bora and I look exactly alike. The difference between us? I’m an adult who can break up with my own boyfriends instead of having my twin do it for me.
Okay, so there’s one physical difference. I’m two inches taller, but no one ever notices, since she’s always in various high heels and so am I.
After shaking out my nerves, I knock on the door, ready to dump whatever loser Bora has been entangled with for the past two weeks. At least this one has his own place in a nice apartment building—a really nice apartment building.
I should be out of here in time for my lunch date—blind date.
When no one comes, I knock again. I never hear anyone say anything, or the warning patter of feet, before the door swings open. It’s not a grungy, hair-slicked back, half-dazed loser though… Not at all.
Holy hell.
My mouth is warring between going dry or watering enough for a pool.
“You okay?” the smooth, deep voice asks.
Dark blue eyes, soft, wet hair, and a perfect body that is only covered by a towel is my greeting. My eyes slide down his chiseled chest to his toned abs, and I get a peek at his V before the white towel hides the rest. Next to his perfect, deep tan, that towel looks almost blindingly white. He must spend a lot of time on the beach.
A few tattoos mark his chest and his right shoulder, traveling down his arm, making him seem just bad enough.
Jaxon Marshall is not the kind of guy you show up and dump. He’s the kind of guy you worship.
I didn’t prepare for this.
“Bora?” he asks, smiling while my lower lip trembles. “You coming in or drooling over me all day?”
“Yeah,” I say in a rasp whisper, answering both questions with one word. Because that’s all I can manage right now.
He tugs me in, draws me against his hard body, and presses his soft lips against mine, surprising me. I remember I’m playing Bora, and she really should give the guy a goodbye kiss. A really, really good goodbye kiss.
When his tongue sweeps in, my knees buckle, forcing him to grip me tighter to keep me from melting to the floor. I feel as though his tongue has an exposed wire embedded within it, because electricity is shooting through parts of me that have been dormant for too long. Hell, I can feel this kiss in my toes. It’s the most toe-curling kiss I’ve ever experienced, and it’s not even me who is being kissed—at least not in his mind.
How is it we look identical, yet she lands a guy like this, while I have to go out with some accountant my mother set me up with? And why the hell is she breaking up with him?
“Hi,” he says against my lips, smiling as his breath lingers deliciously close.
I’m desperate to resume that kiss, but then I remember why I’m here. Shit.
“Hi,” I say back, my voice shaky and unsure.
He’s all lean muscle and strategically placed tattoos. His jaw is strong, but subtle. His nose is slightly crooked—but sexy as hell—as though it has been broken before. And his eyes… Damn those blue eyes are amazing.
“Where’re your bags?” he asks while walking off, giving me a view of his back. Ah crap. It looks just as good as his front.
“Bags?” I ask absently, following behind him like a zombie in a trance, but he disappears into the bedroom.
Should I follow or stay? Stay. Definitely stay.
“Babe, we’re leaving in three hours. Don’t tell me you haven’t even packed yet.”
Packed? Leaving? Whaaa…???
I shake my head, trying to find some clarity, and ask, “Three hours?”
“Yeah. Airport. Hawaii with my family for three weeks. You didn’t seriously forget, did you? We just talked about it last night.”
A vacation for three weeks? What the hell? Bora has only been dating him for two weeks, and she swore it wasn’t serious. I’m going to kill her!
No wonder she actually asked me to dump this one. Usually she just ignores them until I take it upon myself to go dump them for her—because she knows I will. I also get stuck with her phone for a while in case they call, because Bora can’t be bothered with such things.
How can I break up with him when he thinks they’re about to go to Hawaii for three weeks?
“I... didn’t forget... I just—”
He walks back out when I stop abruptly, losing all the courage I had before coming here. This was supposed to be a drive-by breakup.
“You’re nervous. Don’t be. My family isn’t that intimidating. Mom’s the one who invited you to begin with, and she’s the hardest to impress. Meeting everyone else will be a breeze. And it’ll be three weeks in the sun, playing in the ocean, and walking on the beach. Don’t back out o
n me now.”