He points at himself and says, “Mitchell, but call me Mitch. Or Mitchell. Whatever’s your preference.” Tate is a blast from the past that River is determined to avoid, but keeping her distance is easier said than done. The more time that River and Tate spend together, the more that the truth of her past seems to unravel.

Tate folds his arms across his chest until the patter of the basketball completely ceases, and then he turns his gaze to me. Your case weighs a lot,” he says as he pushes off the curb and starts making his way to Mitch’s house. This is a sweet and spicy small town romance book that can be read as a standalone novel, or as book 3 in the Phoenix Falls series. I hope that you have lots of fun reading Harper and Mitch's gorgeous story! During your commute: If you take public transportation or have a long commute, you may find it helpful to use that time to read. Tate Coleson is an imposing presence when he’s standing in your doorway. He’s not even sixteen yet and he’s already six foot tall. His face is in the shadow of the porch roof, making his skin an even deeper tan, and when he meets my eyes he looks hard and angry.I shake my head, feeling self-conscious and out of my depth. “Sorry, no, that was weird of me. I just didn’t expect... I’m sure he’s awesome.” I muster up a small smile.

But I can also sense something secretive shimmering beneath his unyieldingly composed façade, piquing my interest and annoying me senseless.

Cautiously I stand up and reaching out slowly I turn off my lamp. Tate senses the change like an animal and his eyes shoot up to my bedroom window. I wonder if he can see me. As I contemplate this I remember that I didn’t change out of my uniform tonight and, suddenly impish, I decide that maybe now is as good a time as any. The thing about never showing your skin? When you do show it, it’s a really big deal. Tate’s chest swells on impact and he bends slightly at the middle, as if I just punched him in the gut. His hands have curled into fists on either side of me, forearms stiffening as he swallows hard. His eyes flash to mine and they are frenzied, desperate, wild. He’s at my side in an instant, one hand cupping my head so that it isn’t touching the tiles and the other entwining our fingers. The sky is ominously overcast this evening. My mom and Mitch are staying at his brother’s place tonight and they offered me to join but the thought of being introduced to another step-something made my stomach curdle, so I shook my head and told them that I needed to work on some homework. Her mouth tilts up into a little self-satisfied smile as she manoeuvres into the driveway. I can’t help but notice the fact that the drive is empty, meaning that this man purposefully moved his ride so that his girlfriend’s would have an easy fit. My heart squeezes.

Caulder laughs and takes a sip from his bottle, eyes glinting playfully. “We should see if she wants to come down for a drink is all.” Perfume on a wound is our home’s answer to disinfecting injuries. I don’t think my mom has taken me to a hospital since I bust my lip at the age of seven. She’s made me very DIY. My mom stopped getting periods when she hit an early menopause a few years ago so I don’t really have any second-hand experiences to go on. I’ve never had a period before. Once our dinner is ready we sit down at the table, café jazz playing softly from my laptop on the counter.

Tate is a blast from the past that River is determined to avoid, but keeping her distance is easier said than done. Music is basically a free period. We’ve had a subbie teacher since the start of term, so giving us a textbook and telling us “have at it” is the extent of his pedagogical capacities. I move over to the ledge so that I can see him clearly through the rain that’s streaking my window. We’re watching each other like two primates in the wild. Neither of us has blinked in the past thirty seconds. Of course you’re attending Homecoming,” she whisper-scolds. “I expect an outfit update by next week.”