Page 3 of Love Without Control

“Yeah, it was a shock for them both, but from day one, he supported her. He never missed a doctor’s appointment and always made sure she had every single thing she was craving.” I handed my debit card over to the waitress to take care of everyone’s meal tonight when she brought the black folio. “I’m sure Kassie will get in touch with him soon. Those two are end game.”

“Maybe she’ll come back for his birthday. Speaking of that, you’re the last one of our group turning nineteen,” Juliette commented. She, Holly, and the twins had all turned nineteen during the school year, and Arya was already twenty.

“Yep, I’m the baby of our group,” I laughed, “and my brothers treat me like I’m the baby of the family even though I’m the middle child.”

“Is your father sending his plane for you?” Mady asked, as if that was the most normal thing in the world. And it was for my family and the Papadopouloses. Not so much for Holly and Juliette, whose families were firmly middle class, or Arya, a scholarship pre-med student who was from a low-income family. Her father wasn’t around, and her mother had… issues.

“He is,” I confirmed. “And I can’t wait to see my family again.”

“You didn’t have to stay behind with me,” I told Juliette as we stepped into the elevator later that evening. “You could have gone to that club with the other girls.”

“Nah,” she said, pushing the button for the third floor. “I’ve actually been working on something, and I wanted you to see. Will you come to my room?”

“Of course. What is it?”

She bit her bottom lip, showing a bit of nerves as the car rose. “I’ve been writing a book.”

“No way!” I exclaimed, my eyes popping wide. “What kind of book?”

She scrunched her adorable nose. “It’s a romance novel, and I think I love it. I still want to become a librarian, but… I don’t know… I have all these words and stories inside me that are dying to get out.”

“You can do both,” I assured her. “And there’s nothing wrong with romance novels. There’s a huge market for it, and the genre only seems to be growing.”

She unlocked the door to the room she shared with Arya and led me inside before pulling out her computer. Thirty minutes later, I blinked in awe at the screen.

“Juli, this is awesome! And I can’t believe you named your main character Evie.”

“You don’t mind?” she asked, her pretty eyes intent on mine.

“Heck no. In fact, I want to be Book Evie. She’s certainly getting more action than me.”

Juliette laughed. “Okay, but let me know if you want me to change the name. I can do that easily.”

“Don’t you dare,” I said, leaning over and giving her a big hug. “I’m honored. I know it was only fifteen chapters, but what you’ve written so far is fantastic. I can’t wait to read what happens next. Are you going to publish it?”

“I’m looking for an editor. I joined some Facebook groups for romance authors, and the ladies there are so nice. Very willing to give suggestions to aspiring authors. There’s one author named AK Landow who is amazing. Her books are so funny and hot.” The smile widened on her beautiful face. “She reminds me a lot of you. She’s super sweet but also so fucking sarcastic. She’s really helped me a lot.”

“That’s so cool that she’s willing to help.”

“I know,” Juli said, her aqua-blue eyes wide. “We even talk on the phone sometimes. We had an hour-long conversation the other day about whether or not lube is necessary for anal sex.”

I tried not to scrunch up my nose. “I’m voting yes on that.” Though I was by no means an expert since I’d never actually done that particular act. “I’m really proud of you, Juli, and I want to buy the first copy when you publish it.”

“IfI publish it,” she insisted.

“Whenyou publish it,” I insisted harder. “Also, where can I find a Colton in real life?”

“If I figure it out, I’ll let you know while I’m trying to find out if he has a brother or something for me.” Juli reached out and squeezed my bicep. “You deserve a good man, Evie. You haven’t even seemed interested in anyone else since you broke up with Marty McFly.”

That’s what she called my ex-boyfriend, Marty, since we broke up a couple months ago. “You know me. I’m a prude.”

“You’re not a prude,” Juliette said firmly. “You’re selective about who you share your body with, and that’s okay. Better than okay. The way Mady and Holly are with guys… that’s fine for them, but it wouldn’t work for you.”

I nodded. I’d only had sex with two guys in my life. The first was my high school boyfriend, and the other was Marty, who I met at a party a few weeks after starting college. Our relationship had been going strong. Or so I’d thought until I overheard him telling a friend he was only with me because of my family.

Marty was majoring in fashion merchandising, and my family owned one of the biggest fashion companies in the United States. Bouvier clothing had been worn on every newsworthy red carpet for the past few decades, and apparently, Marty wanted a piece of the Bouvier pie.

Juliette wrapped her long blonde hair into a messy knot on top of her head. “You’ll find a man who’s worthy of you when it’s your time, Evie. Marty was a fucking prick, and he can go suck a big fat donkey cock.”

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