Wait for Always, page 21
I ripped my sunglasses off when I reached him, standing way too close for total strangers. Which his colleagues clearly thought we were and we were very much not.
“Hey, you,” I said with a grin.
“Hey,” he said on a breath.
I took his tie in my hand and threaded it between my fingers. His eyes were impossibly green this close. They stared at me with three years of distrust and confusion. I needed to end this or my knees were going to go weak and we just couldn’t have that.
“You know this isn’t your color,” I said, flipping the blue tie over his shoulder.
A knowing smirk crossed his sullen little mouth. “That so?”
“Green,” I said with a wink. “To match your eyes.”
“I’ll take that into consideration.”
One of his friends elbowed him. “You going to introduce us to your friend, King?”
Gavin and I snapped back into our bodies at the same moment. As if remembering that others were in front of us brought us down to reality. And reality was not a plane that I enjoyed existing on.
“Love to gentlemen,” I said, stepping back with a flourish. “But I have business to attend to. You understand.”
Gavin mouth turned into an “o” of confusion. I could see every single thing he wanted to ask on those perfect pouty lips. The what was I doing here and what business could occupy my time and how had he not know that I was in New York? A million things that I didn’t want to discuss and couldn’t bring down my mask enough to acknowledge.
So, I didn’t let him get the questions out. I wagged my fingers in farewell and shot him a wink. “See you later, King.”
I swallowed back my apprehension and sauntered away from the group. Another whistle followed my exit. I kept the smirk on my lips the whole way, tossing the sunglasses back into position before exiting Percy Tower onto the Manhattan streets.
It wasn’t until I’d cleared the front doors that my shoulders slumped and a frown replaced the ridiculous smirk. My hand dropped to the stone exterior of the building, and I took a steadying breath. Gavin King knew I was back in New York City. I’d survived that interaction. Barely.
It’d get easier the next time and the time after that. Like exposure therapy. The more I saw his beautiful face and that muscular physique and the skilled fingers, the more I’d replace the memory of him using all of that for my pleasure. The more I’d replace the look of betrayal on his face when I’d gotten back together with his best friend. The more I’d replace the horror when I left New York without so much as a good-bye.
I’d agreed to come back.
I knew what that meant.
I just hadn’t wanted to face the fact that I still had feelings for him on my first day.
Want to keep reading?
One-click CRUEL KING now!
A L S O B Y K. A. L I N D E
Like an angsty stand alone romances set in Savannah—
COASTAL CHRONICLES
Hold the Forevers
At First Hate
Second to None
Wait for Always
* * *
Like stand alone companion novels about one big family—
WRIGHT
The Wright Brother (FREE!)
The Wright Boss
The Wright Mistake
The Wright Secret
The Wright Love
The Wright One
A Wright Christmas
One Wright Stand (FREE!)
Wright with Benefits
Serves Me Wright
Wright Rival
Wright that Got Away
All the Wright Moves
* * *
Like adult Gossip Girl meets Cruel Intentions—
CRUEL
Cruel Money (FREE!)
Cruel Fortune
Cruel Legacy
Cruel Promise (FREE!)
Cruel Truth
Cruel Desire
Cruel Marriage
Cruel Kiss
Cruel King
* * *
Like scandalous political romance—
RECORD
Off the Record
On the Record
For the Record
Struck from the Record
Broken Record
* * *
Like angsty second chance romance—
AVOIDING
Avoiding Commitment (FREE!)
Avoiding Responsibility
Avoiding Temptation
* * *
Avoiding Extras
Avoiding Boxset
* * *
Like rockstars—
TAKE ME DUET
Take Me for Granted
Take Me with You
* * *
Like drama-filled sports romance —
DIAMOND GIRLS SERIES
Rock Hard
A Girl’s Best Friend
In the Rough
Shine Bright
Under Pressure
* * *
Like a heart-pounding love story of one girl desperate to find herself again—
Following Me
* * *
Like fantasy about a half-Fae, half-human who falls for a dark, cursed Fae prince—
ROYAL HOUSES
House of Dragons
House of Shadows
House of Curses
House of Gods
* * *
Like romantic fantasy about a girl who discovers magic in a world where magic doesn’t exist—
ASCENSION
The Affiliate (FREE!)
The Bound
The Consort
The Society
The Domina
* * *
Like vampire romance—
BLOOD TYPE
Blood Type
Blood Match
Blood Cure
* * *
Like a heist with a thief falling for a monster in an alternate day New York City—
THE OAK AND HOLLY CYCLE
The Wren in the Holly Library
Acknowledgments
Wait for Always is for the people who “chose the wrong guy.” Inevitably there’s always someone who loved the other hero in a love triangle and felt broken by the loss. As I dived into Ash’s story from the point of view of other characters in the series, I knew there was so much more to this hopeless romantic. And he deserved a love just as beautiful.
So thank you to all the readers who asked for more Ash Talmadge after the ending of Hold the Forevers. Especially Anjee Sapp, who was Team Ash from the start!
Special thanks to everyone on my team who helped bring this together: Staci Hart, Devin McCain, Rebecca Kimmerling, Rebecca Gibson, Danielle Sanchez, Ashley Estep, and Kimberly Brower.
As always, my husband Joel and two puppies!
The playlist for this book was primarily: You Are in Love by Taylor Swift, Happier Than Ever by Kelly Clarkson, Romantic Disaster by Lil Lotus, Against the Current, and Chrissy Costanza, Harry’s House album by Harry Styles, and Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush.
About the Author
K.A. Linde is the USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels. She has a Masters degree in political science from the University of Georgia, was the head campaign worker for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as the head coach of the Duke University dance team.
She loves reading fantasy novels, traveling to far off destinations, baking insane desserts, and dancing in her spare time.
She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas with her husband and super-adorable puppy, Hippo.
* * *
Visit her online: www.kalinde.com
* * *
Or Facebook, Instagram & Tiktok: @authorkalinde
* * *
For exclusive content, free books, and giveaways every month. www.kalinde.com/subscribe
K.A. Linde, Wait for Always
