The Secret Crush (10 page)

A mountain of weight fell off my shoulders. I stepped closer to her, not able to keep the cheesy grin off my face. “I didn’t think you saw me as anything more than a friend.”

“I didn’t for a long time, but when all this started I took a hard look at everyone and realized that there was only one person I really wanted it to be. You.”

I didn’t wait to hear any more. I leaned over, cupped her face in my hands, and kissed her the way I’d wanted to for the last three years—hard, possessive, and full of all the pent-up desire I felt. The moment her lips touched mine, everything else ceased to be. I couldn’t get enough.

Hadley wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her chest into mine until I could feel how fast her heart was beating, mirroring my own. Her hands tangled in my hair, tugging at the strands in the back. I nibbled her bottom lip, causing her to suck in a breath. No longer willing to let an opportunity pass me by, my tongue slipped into her warm mouth and explored it thoroughly.

My hands ran up her thighs and settled at her hips, pulling her closer still. She moaned as her center pressed into my hard erection, only making me more painfully engorged. God, she was so fucking perfect. I wanted nothing more than to slip her clothes off her and lay her down right here, spending hours pleasuring her.

Breaking the kiss, I took a deep breath and moved a tiny step back. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t give to be with her, but this wasn’t the time or place.

Her eyes found mine, and we stared at each other. There was excitement in her gaze, and a smile tugging at her lips. I reached up and brushed my thumb over her bottom lip, eliciting a tiny whimper from her.

“I’m not done here, Hadley. This is only the beginning.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“But right now, we need to get this place ready for tonight. And after it’s all done, we’re going to finish what we started.”

She smiled. “I’d really, really like that.”

I helped her down onto the ground and took her hand. My chest was on the verge of bursting, and I wanted to scream from the rooftops that Hadley Monroe was finally mine.

EPILOGUE

January

S
NOW FELL OUTSIDE MY WINDOW
in big fat flakes. It was the perfect kind of snow for making snowmen and having snowball fights, like the epic one planned later between the fraternities and sororities. Every year at Westin University, after the first major snowfall, everyone would skip whatever classes they had, and there would be a huge snowball fight. It was the highlight of the season, with even the Dean joining in some years. This year, the snow had fallen on a Saturday, so no one had to miss any classes.

We thought for sure we’d get an early snowfall this season, but so far we hadn’t gotten anything but flurries. If the accumulation at the window were any indication, we had a good five or six inches already.

I fell back into bed and snuggled deeper under the covers next to Caleb.

“Did it snow, babe?” he whispered, still half asleep.

“Yes. It looks so beautiful out now.”

He pulled me close and kissed me. “You look beautiful now. What time is it? The sun isn’t even up.”

“Almost seven. I was too excited to sleep.”

His face nuzzled the crook of my neck. “Well since we’re both up . . .”

I giggled as the stubble from his chin tickled me. “You’re insatiable.”

“Damn right I am.” He nibbled my earlobe, making me moan. “And you love it.”

He always knew exactly where to touch me to make me forget everything else but him. Not that it was very difficult. Ever since Halloween, we’d barely been apart, and we certainly couldn’t keep our hands off one another.

For the next few hours, I forgot about everything else, becoming lost in a tangle of sheets and body parts until I was sweaty, panting, and starving. We’d burned a lot of calories and needed to recharge.

Caleb kissed my shoulder before sliding out of the bed. I lay there, wondering how I got so lucky when I heard the shower turn on. My body was blissfully spent, but I still found the energy to wrap myself in a big fluffy robe, get up, and start the small coffee pot in his apartment, pouring two steaming cups.

He found me staring out the window again, and I handed him a cup of coffee. “My sister texted. Everyone’s meeting at The Sugar Mill for pancakes. You in?”

My mouth watered at the thought. “Yes, that sounds great. I’ll hop in the shower.”

“Did you hear from your mom?” I yelled as I lathered shampoo in my hair. “I know she was really upset yesterday, getting the final divorce papers.”

“Yeah. She was going out for one of those painting nights where you drink wine with some of her friends. But she wants us to come over for dinner this weekend. Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

I turned off the water, wringing water out of my hair. After drying off, I found a purple sweater with a cow neck that was super soft, put a black cami under it, and paired it with a pair of black furry boots and skinny jeans. I was putting the finishing touches on my French braid when Caleb came back in, handing me my coffee in a to-go cup for the car and kissing my head, inhaling deeply.

“Do you have any clue just how sexy you are, Hadley? I swear, I can never eat a strawberry again without thinking of you. It has definitely become my new favorite smell.”

I kissed him hard. There wasn’t anything about Caleb I didn’t love. He treated me with adoration and respect. He never became possessive or controlling, instead trusting if I stayed out late with Piper and Chloe. Plus, he was a fantastic kisser. Just the briefest of contact of our lips sent me swooning. The best part was that we were already such great friends. We fell into an easy rhythm in our relationship, and the more time we spent together the more natural it seemed. I kicked myself, thinking about all the time we could have had if we had gotten together sooner, but honestly, I thought we came out stronger in the end because we did have that strong foundation of friendship.

Our kissing went on and on, each becoming lost in the other. We were only about twenty minutes late meeting everyone—which at this point, they’d come to expect. I wore Caleb’s hoodie still, having never given it back, and snuggled next to him in the booth. He placed his arm around me, his thumb lightly brushing up and down my shoulder as he chatted with Ethan and Aiden about the upcoming SuperBowl.

As I sat back and observed all the happenings around me, I sighed contentedly. So far in my senior year at Westin I’d put together a fundraiser that had raised over ten thousand dollars for Habitat for Humanity, I’d found the love of my life, and just yesterday I’d found out I’d been accepted into the same grad school as Caleb. I was truly the luckiest girl alive.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

The idea for
The Secret Crush
came to me one morning a few months ago and I was excited to write a story where both the audience and Hadley were left guessing who was behind it all. After all, guessing is half the fun! I wanted everyone to enjoy the mystery and the “ah-ha! I knew it” or “What?! I never saw that coming!” moment at the big reveal.

With that said, please remember if you leave a review to not spoil the surprise for future readers.

Thank you for reading
The Secret Crush
and I hope you enjoyed reading Hadley and Caleb’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

~Sarah~

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

While the process of writing a book is solitary, publishing a book is quite an undertaking, and one I could never do alone. I have an amazing team and I am extremely grateful to each of them for the role they played in helping me reach this point!

First and foremost, I must thank my husband, Steve, for all the extra responsibilities he took on while I slaved away in the writing cave. Without his support, not a single word would get written. I love you, babe!

I’d also like to thank the members of my amazing team:

My editors: Beth Shelby and Tawdra Kandle, whose input and red pens made this book so much better!

My cover designer and formatter, Donna Dull of Sharp Cover Designs, whose talent leaves me in awe.

My beta readers: Lisa Omek, Laurie Smith, and Sarah Geiger—Thank you all for your input each in each and every chapter!

Finally, I’d like to thank all my readers for always believing in me and my stories. Thank you for reading, sharing them with your friends, and for leaving reviews! It means the world! <3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah started her obsession with reading at an early age, often sneaking BabySitter Club and Nancy Drew books into math class. She would read any book she could get her hands on. Her love of reading quickly evolved into a love of writing and stories began to pour out of her. She grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from The University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English, and taught eighth graders to love reading as much as she does for several years. Sarah will always be a proud member of the Steelers' Nation, but couldn't take the cold and moved her frozen tush to Florida where she now lives with her husband, daughter, and two cats. You will find her now with her trusty Kindle in hand and toes in the sand! Sarah's debut novel,
AWAKEN
, released in January, 2012. Other novels include AVENGE, ATONE, ECHO OF AN EARTH ANGEL, INHALE EXHALE, and NEVER GONNA TELL.

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http://www.sarahmross.com

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Books by Sarah M. Ross

Patronus Series:

Awaken

Avenge

Atone

Avowed
(coming soon)

Earth Angel Trilogy:

Echo of an Earth Angel

Fate of an Earth Angel
(coming soon)

Stand Alone

inhale, exhale
—a New Adult Contemporary Romance

—a Young Adult Romanic Suspense

Going For Broke –
A Young Adult Romance (coming soon)