Excerpt of Kaleidoscope Hearts by Claire Contreras

“What do you want, Oliver?” I whisper against his lips. “What do you want from me? You want to kiss me? You want to fuck me? You want to come into my life like the hurricane that you are and tear down everything I’ve rebuilt before you disappear again?” His lips brush lightly against mine—just a breath of a touch—yet he’s crowding me like he’s about to devour me. He won’t though. He never goes in for the kill. He just casts the lure, reels me in and then cuts the line. As expected, his hands drop, and he pulls away from me as quickly as he’d approached. I feel a pang deep inside me that I desperately wish wasn’t there. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly, shaking his head in a movement that makes his hair sway back and forth. His eyes are soft on mine now, and I can almost hear his thoughts: I should never have kissed her. I should never—