Prologue
I Keep on Falling
I have a piece of advice for you. Never fall in love with your best friend’s brother. Don’t fall for his boyish smile or his gorgeous big blue eyes. Don’t fall for his bulging biceps or his arrogant smirk. There’s nothing good that can come from falling for him. Trust me, I know. My name’s Alice, and I have the biggest crush on my best friend Liv’s brother, Aiden. He’s everything I want in a man, aside from the fact that he’s brooding, overprotective, annoying, and too devastatingly handsome for his own good.
Aiden Taylor is everything I wanted in a man, but he is the one man that I can’t have. He’s the one man I can’t let myself be with. I couldn’t afford to date him and then have everything go wrong. Liv is my best friend and like my sister, and if I dated Aiden and it didn’t work out, I’d be scared that it would ruin our relationship as well. Plus, I’m scared about what would happen if the truth came out. You see, there are secrets about Aiden and me that nobody knows about. Secrets that neither of us wants found out.
However, sometimes a secret has to come out. Sometimes it’s not the secret that’s the issue. Sometimes the issue is you.
Chapter One
Never Take Your Own Advice
“Alice, you need to learn to take your own advice.” Liv wriggled her eyebrows at me as she changed the channel on the TV. Her brown doe-like eyes gazed at me with a challenge, and I stifled a groan. I knew that look well. As well I should, as I was the one who had taught it to her.
“What advice is that?” I said as I casually picked up the bowl of popcorn from the coffee table and sat back. I took a couple of kernels and popped them into my mouth, enjoying the buttery sweetness as I waited for her to say the words I was dreading to hear.
“You need to have a one-night stand with Aiden.” She grinned at me and I groaned. “Don’t groan at me, Alice.” She grabbed some popcorn and sat back on the new tan leather couch we’d recently bought.
“Careful how you’re eating,” I said in a proper voice. “We don’t want butter on the new couch.” I laughed as she made a face at me. “Also, I’m not going to have a one-night stand with your brother.” I looked at the TV screen as my heart raced. I’m not going to lie, I’ve thought about sleeping (and when I say sleeping, I mean anything but sleeping) with Aiden for years. But he’s never seen me as anything more than his little sister’s best friend. And even then I don’t think he really paid much attention to me. Well, technically that’s not really true. There was one night that he saw me as more than ‘silly little Alice.’ There was one night that he saw me as a woman, but I’m not going to talk about that.
“I didn’t think I would have a one-night stand either, but I did and look at me now.” Liv muted the TV and looked at me. I watched as she fluffed her long brown hair and twirled a loose wave around her finger. “Who would have thought Xander and I would be—”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I said, cutting her off. I really wasn’t in the mood to hear about how wonderful her relationship was with Xander, her boyfriend. Xander James was handsome, sexy, rich, and supposedly really good in bed—and with his tongue. I’d been hearing about Xander James for the last few months, and I just didn’t get how one man could be so perfect. I was so happy for Liv; she was my best friend in the world, after all, but if I was honest, I was a bit envious as well. I wanted a guy who would sweep me off of my feet and fall head-over-heels in love with me. I wanted a guy who would look at me like I was the only woman on Earth. Right now, I got the guys who looked at me like I was a piece of discounted steak or like I was some sort of free entertainment. Hello, I’m not your personal stripper (unless you’re dropping thousands of dollars and don’t expect to be able to touch me), and no, I won’t dress up in my high-school Hooters outfit for you (again). The fact was that Liv had hit the boyfriend lottery with Xander, and I was scraping the bottom of the barrel.
“Am I being annoying?” Liv frowned as she gazed at me, her brown eyes crinkling in concern that she was acting like that friend whom we all love to hate. That friend who finds her man, falls in love and can’t stop going on and on about it. I didn’t mind her going on about it normally. I just didn’t want her to talk about her love life in the same breath as Aiden’s name. Not when he was someone I’d been craving for years.
“No, Liv.” I smiled widely, though inside I was grumbling that yes, she was being annoying. No one wanted to hear about their best friend’s perfect lover every day. Though I suppose I was being unfair, since Xander was really quite far from perfect. I smiled wickedly to myself as I thought about their relationship.
“What are you smiling about?” Liv’s eyes narrowed, and she moved closer to me. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Alice?”
“Maybe.” I grinned and started laughing as she sat there staring at me with a perplexed expression. I started to feel guilty when Liv’s face started to look worried. I knew then that she was starting to feel bad and most probably overthinking everything. That was Liv’s biggest failing and one of the reasons that I loved her. She was way too sensitive. She took on every emotion, and she was always super worried and anxious if she thought she was causing pain to anyone. “I’m just joking, Liv.” I leaned forward to squeeze her arm. “I’m happy for you and Xander. You deserved to find love.”