Hidden In Brutal Devotion (The Brutal Duet Book 1) (The Brutal Series)

Tia

I spent the night crying into Cole’s chest as he gently soothed me like a child. I can’t remember the last time that happened, a man being there for me. That’s a lie, I do remember. Yet he destroyed me.

I suck in a breath at the pain that memory still causes.

Thalia

Aged Sixteen

Jace strokes his hand up and down my spine tenderly while I rest on his naked chest. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.”

“I’m going to miss you.” He takes a hold of my chin gently. “You need to be strong, Thalia. As soon as I’m settled in college, I can pick you up for weekends. Okay?”

I nod gingerly, darting my eyes away, unsure of what he’s promising.

“Look at me, Thalia.”

Tears fill my eyes.

“Baby, listen to me. I know what you’re thinking. I know you think as soon as I leave here, I’m going to forget about you.”

How does he do this? How does he know my fears so well?

“I’m not. I could never forget you, baby, never. You hear me?”

I nibble at my lip nervously as I contemplate my next words, not wanting to anger nor disappoint him. I swirl my finger over his chest, watching as goose bumps break out over his skin. “What about . . .”

“Sex?” His nostrils flare, but I nod anyway. It’s a legitimate worry of mine; he’s a gorgeous seventeen-year-old guy who could easily pass for older. Plus, Jace has such a way with numbers that he’s been able to skip two years of school and achieve an all-‍expenses‍-‍paid scholarship to the top university in Hanover: the University of New Hampshire. So, yeah, I’m worried someone is going to try and snag my guy, no matter how many times he promises me otherwise.

“I told you, Thalia. You. Are. It. For. Me. I’ll wait.” His eyes bore into mine, the truth evident in his words, mirrored on his expression.

Gently, Jace’s lips meet mine in an all-consuming kiss that sends a tsunami of emotions flooding through me. A kiss of truth, determination, love. A kiss that tells me a thousand things without uttering a single word.

I’m his, he’s mine, and we’ll wait for one another. Because love is worth waiting for, and Jace Matthews loves me with every fiber of his being, he loves me with everything he has, everything he wants, and everything he’s going to become.

He pulls back from me and stares into my eyes. “One day, you’ll be Thalia Matthews, and until then, I’d wait a lifetime for you.”

I wish I knew then what I know now: How on that very morning of him leaving me it would be the last time I’d ever see him again. How all the whispered promises would be broken, shattered to a million pieces, destroyed by not only his actions but those he left me with.

I know now that when he walked out that door with trepidation in his eyes, he left knowing the trauma I was going to face time and time again, and the words of love and promises he made to me when he fucked me into the mattress with his condom-covered dick was just another of the multiple lies he told me.

I know that for years I’ve refused to let anyone get close to me with fear of not being able to trust in anyone‍—‍to confide in them‍—‍was all due to the barriers I created because of him. I also know that without the hurt of that boy I thought I loved, I’d have never been on the path that I’m on right now.

I’d never have found the love, comfort, and protectiveness I find when I stare into the eyes of Cole Maguire.

Jace Matthews may have shattered my heart, but Cole Maguire has rebuilt it.