Rule: A Marked Men Novel
4/5
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About this ebook
Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters
Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight--A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn't want--and the only person she's never tried to please. She isn't afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won't listen.
To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother's girl. She lives by other people's rules; he makes his own. He doesn't have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she's the only one who can see the person he truly is.
But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.
The first Marked Men novel in Jay Crownover's combustible New Adult series.
Jay Crownover
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men and Welcome to the Point series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she’ll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.
Read more from Jay Crownover
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Reviews for Rule
413 ratings37 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be amazing and enjoyable. The author is praised for their writing skills and the ability to create realistic and relatable characters. The book has a great storyline and a down-to-earth feel. The relationship between the main characters is described as wonderful and unique. Overall, readers highly recommend this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5DANG! good book!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was okay, but nothing special. The whole story reminded me a lot of the movie Grease. Similar to my reaction to Grease, it does bother me a bit that in the end you find the girl covered in piercings and tattoos like the boy. Not that I'm against stuff like that, but I think it would make for a more interesting book if she kept her original classy look and stayed with the tattooed and pierced boy. THAT is what not caring what others think is about. The book was full of grammar mistakes and misspellings. It also screamed middle-aged woman author... the dialogue was often extremely unbelievable. Not worth the read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/53.5/5 Stars.I need to start off by saying that I love Amazon. I love that I can buy books for my Kindle for less than $3.00. I love that I am discovering so many new authors (self-published/Indie authors) that I would never have read before. I never would have found Rule without Amazon and I am very glad I did!I don't want to spoil the read, so I will keep this review fairly generic. Rule is about two dysfunctional people who have grown up together, lost someone they mutually loved, and only stay connected due to their standing Sunday "family" dinners. On the outside, Shaw looks like a well-put-together young woman who is going places. Rule on the other hand, looks like a guy who just got out of prison. The truth is that both Shaw and Rule are dealing with personal demons and some pretty big hang-ups. Shaw has always loved Rule, but Rule always saw Shaw as a privileged pain and his dead twins girlfriend. One night of drunken sex and they begin a slow process of falling in love. The sex scenes are steamy, but not over-the-top Fifty Shades scenes.I will say that the scenes between Rule and his mother are horrifically heartbreaking.Rule is a good quick read with some surprising depth. I am looking forward to the next book by Jay Crownover.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For the story itself, I enjoyed it. I love bad boys in books and always gravitate toward them. The relationship between Rule and Shaw felt natural and progressed at a believable pace. This story reminded me a little of Beautiful Disaster with regards to Rule & Shaw, but the rest of the story/plot is entirely different. If I had one complaint about this book, it would be the editing. It was horrid. So many typos and misspellings, some places there were entirely wrong words used, like its homonym, etc. So many of these errors could have been caught with a simple spell check. 1 can overlook a lot if I like the story, but this level almost became too much. That said, I still enjoyed it. There was just a lot to overlook. It's the only reason it didn't get 5 stars.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book is filled with grammatical errors. In the beginning, the story was fresh and engaging enough that I didn't notice. As it wore on, however, I found myself focusing more on the errors and less on the story. I made 15 notes in one chapter alone, and all of them were becaose of lack of editing.
The story was a good one, but sadly it got lost behind the lack of editing. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Okay I loved the characters in this story. Some parts of them were insanely broken, but the author made it work. This story also made me want to revisit getting a tattoo... thanks for that :)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5good read. It was an easy read with enough story plot to satisfy me. I thought it had a unique plot and it played out pretty well in the end. I will definately pick up the next novel to see how the author does.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow that's all I can say! I am not a fan of that much tattoos and piercings but oh my Rule worked for me ... I loved him .. shaw too ... I loved this book...
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow!! Just wow! This is one of those authors and books I've been meaning to read for quite a while and all I can do now is smack myself asking what the hell where you waiting for!! This is an amazing read and I can not wait to dive into the rest of this series. Great writing and amazing characters fill the pages of this book and had me up all night reading because I couldn't put it down. Absolutely a book I recommend to everyone.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Okay, so yes... Rule is my current 'pretend boyfriend.' I was worried about this, but he redeemed himself when he went back to the Mohawk ;)
Good story. Serious angst in Rule's family... I was appalled by some of the things his mother said to him, and actually yelled at my Nook at one point. It was sweet, it was hot, it was touching at times... all in all, totally worth the money!
But I have two issues with the book. First, and it's kind of an ongoing pet peevish type thing for me and these books, Rule didn't actually listen to Shaw most of the time. She said over and over she loved his Mohawk, yet later he decides that he should grow it out because she wouldn't be with someone with crazy hair. Umm... she already is with you, jackass. Way to pay attention to what she says and take her at her word. Second, it looks like Jet's book is next, and while you get to know Ayden a bit, Jet is barely in the book and only discussed a few times. At this point, I'd be way more interested in a book about Rome than Jet... or even Nash, as he's been around off and on.
So, yeah... not my fav of all time or anything, but I liked it and I'll read the others. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four stars all day long. What I loved about the book is I hated Rule and loved Shaw in the beginning. Yet, as I got deeper into the story I began to understand the depth of Rule’s pain. By the end I totally fell for Rule. Kudos to Jay Crownover, the author, for changing my mind about Rule. What a fun summer read and a guilty pleasure. Will this book win an award, probably not. It was a little bit on the cliché side and there were a few errors in the book…. But nothing I could not overlook.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5story ok. needs major editing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I liked the story very much, especially since there was a point to it. It wasn't something written just so it's out there. The characters were written amazingly, as they were complicated and deep and made me care about each one of them. I can't wait to read Jet's story :)
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I struggled a lot between 3 and 4 stars but in the end, I chose 3.
I liked the story and adored the characters, especially Rule and his friends. Although it took me a bit to warm up to Shaw as I perceived her as rather weak in the beginning and that's just not the kind of character I like, honestly she came across as a doormat. But later in the story when she grew more confident, I liked her just fine.
Rule certainly wasn't perfect either but I just have a soft spot for tattoo artists, tattoos and piercings.
But most important: both main characters show a development that I enjoyed to read about.
The story itself wasn't bad, it was enjoyable and kept me reading but I just didn't feel like it was something new. I'm not sure how to explain that properly, it's just the way I feel.
Last but not least: the grammar, spelling and typos. I did read the author's Q&A but it's just something that annoys me extremely (probably as much as the author is annoyed about the grammar comments). The thing is, if there's a mistake on almost every page and if I have to re-read a sentences more than twice (e.g. because the punctuation isn't correct an the sentence makes no sense) then I'm too preoccupied with correcting the sentences instead of enjoying the story and I kust can't overlook that.
I'm not saying that a book has to be perfect without a single mistake, we are just human and all make mistakes but this was on the extremer side. So if you have a similar problem with the mistakes mentioned above, do yourself a favor and read the edited version because you'll enjoy that one a lot more as I'm positive that would've been the case for me. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Amazing story that really pulls at your heart strings. I loved everything about this book and would highly recommend it to all new adult romance fans.Opening Sentence: At first I thought the pounding in my head was my brain trying to fight its way out of my skull after the ten or so shots of Crown Royal I had downed last night, but then I realized the noise was someone storming around in my apartment.The Review:Shaw London has the looks of a picture perfect life. She is a pre-med, straight A student and comes from very rich and influential parents. She has an amazing boyfriend that fits her perfectly or so everyone thinks. But Shaw doesn’t want perfect she wants the one thing she knows she can never have, Rule Archer. Ever since she was 14 years old she has been madly in love with Rule but he never looked at her that way. Shaw was best friends with Rule’s twin, Remy, and even though everyone thought they were a couple, their relationship was strictly platonic. Remy brought her into his family and they all treated her like she was the daughter/sister they never had. But three years ago Remy died in a car accident and it tore his wonderful family apart.Rule Archer lives his life however he wants to and doesn’t care what other people think about him. He is an exceptional tattoo artist and lives a carefree life with very little attachments. His relationship with his parents has never been great, but ever since his twin died it has been awful. Then there is Shaw, the gorgeous girl his twin spent all his time with. Everything about Shaw screams perfection and Rule is nowhere near perfect. But one night filled with the best sex he has ever had changes everything he has ever thought of the shy gorgeous Shaw. Can the hotheaded playboy tattoo artist and the level headed pre-med student make their relationship work and find love at last?I adored being inside Shaw’s head. She is beautiful, kind, and spunky, but she also has a lot of insecurities. Even though she grew up very wealthy and has the face of an angel, she wasn’t very popular when she was younger. She has always been a little awkward and had a hard time making friends. Then Remy came along and saved her by making her a part of his family. He made her see that she was someone special and that even though she came from a crazy family she still deserved to be loved. She fell in love with Rule basically the first time she met him and has never been able to get over it. Even after all these years and now that Remy is gone she still has undeniable feelings for Rule. Getting to know Shaw was fun and connecting with her just came naturally. She is one of those girls you can’t help but like and she will forever be one of my favorite protagonists.You really can’t get sexier then Rule. He has inhumanly good looks, tattoos covering every inch of his body, and some pretty adventurous piercings. He radiates sex appeal and the opposite sex has always noticed. He has never had a girlfriend and never really wanted to one. He has a temper and is very independent. He has always done his own thing and never cared what other people thought of him. Shaw has been like a little sister to him and now all the sudden he sees her in a different light. He has been completely oblivious to that fact that Shaw has always been in love with him even though pretty much everyone else already knew. Even though they are complete opposites in so many ways they are so perfect for each other. I loved Rule and he is a sexy love interest that I won’t soon forget.This was a raw, passionate, and emotional read that I loved. It’s actually hard to put into words how much this book affected me. I’m not usually a crier in books, but this one had me tearing up multiple times. But it also made me laugh, sigh, and totally blush at times. I thought that the romance was epic and very realistic. It had tension, drama, and a great buildup that lead to me completely falling for Rule and Shaw together. I have read a couple of other books by Crownover but this is by far my favorite book. Her writing is out of this world good and I would recommend picking up all of her books if you are a fan of new adult contemporary romance novels. This is the first book in her Marked Men series, and while it is my favorite the rest of the other books are great too. They all feature a different male and female lead so you can start the series in any order you want. Suffice to say, I obviously loved this story and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a sexy emotional read.Notable Scene:“I know what you can do for me to make this officially the best birthday ever.” I wanted to sound sure, to sounds sexy and sultry, but I’m pretty sure I just sounded horny and drunk. I didn’t care. I washere—the real me—the one who wanted him so desperately and always had. There was no chance at putting her back in her cage now.I didn’t think—didn’t reason—just used the grip I had on him to pull myself even taller and plant my mouth solidly over his. The ring in his lip was shockingly cold against my own; the rest of him was undeniably hot and hard. It was everything I had ever wanted, and even though he didn’t kiss me back, I still ranked it up there as the best birthday gift ever. I went to settle back down on my booted feet when something shifted, something changed, and Rule went from a passive recipient to something else entirely.FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy of Rule. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I loved the premise of this book, but there were too many missing or incorrect words used, or a word in the middle of a sentence that shouldn't have been there. It was also missing some punctuation, and that all made it really hard to get into the flow of reading. I did like Rule and Shaw, but I thought the book was a little long (which may have been due to having to re-read things because of the previously mentioned grammatical issues), and it just ended up being ok for me. I also got mad when Shaw decided to go to Rule's b-day party and apologize and try to get him back. I think she had done enough for him in loving him and trying to take care of him for years, and I think it was his turn to make a move since he messed up in the first place. Thankfully, my anger didn't last very long.
I am torn over whether to read the next book because I really liked Ayden, and I would love to see her get a HEA, but I don't know if it would be more frustrating than gratifying. I am very intrigued by Nash as well, and I wonder if all of Rule's boys will end up getting their own story? - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Having read Jay's newest book, Better When He's Bad, I thought I would give her other books a try. I thought it was cute. The background these two characters share makes for a pretty interesting story. Who doesn't love a bad boy? It just makes everything more complicated and brings about rough events. But in this case, the one thing I think that beats the bad boy is the girl who sees through it all and is having none of it. Most don't try to defy a bad boy, so I think that's awesome. The main character's close friends and family are also just as awesome. I like how the next book in the series will be one of Rule's friends. So it should be fun learning more about him and the rest of this fun group of people.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I liked some parts of the book and others not so much. There were times when I got incredibly frustrated with the characters, but the ending was really good.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shaw’s life has always been dominated by her family’s demands. Whether it's hanging out with the “right” people or going to the best schools, her family has always dictated when and where their daughter would go and what she will do. Until that fateful day when she becomes friends with the Archer boys and her entire world is turned upside down. Best friends with Remy and in love with Remy’s twin brother, Rule, Shaw finds herself having to navigate this new world on her own. Rule is so used to having Shaw around, he never even thought of her more than an annoyance. Friends with his brother, Rule seemed to just expect Shaw to pick up the pieces when life fell apart. When Shaw is unable to take anymore of the turmoil, Rule finally sees her as more than an annoyance. Tattooed and the ultimate bad boy, Rule finds himself wanting to be more than a good time guy. I adore the way Jay Crownover writes characters. She is able to get right to the heart of matters and deals with situations in a real manner. Messy and uncomfortable feelings, oh yeah, we have them and she writes them. Embarrassing moments you wish you didn’t have in life, she includes them. But those heart wrenching, emotionally draining moments in life that we live for...oh yeah, she can write the hell out of those! Rule’s book begins the Marked Men series and I’m looking forward to the rest of the boys’ books. Shaw and Rule deal with death, sorrow, and mourning but also newfound love with a fresh look at life. Intense emotional connections with the past crowd the present, but true love prevails. Who knew a tattooed bad boy would be oh so good with his hands and his heart? Super fun and uber sexy, I can’t wait to read the rest of the Marked Men series. Love it!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good book, some editing issues but still a worthwhile read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Such an amazing book and had a great story line. The one thing I like most about this book is that it's a more realistic book. I know the sounds crazy but this book has events that would and could actually happen in the real world. It's more down to earth then some of the similar types of books I have read. Shaw and Rule were just amazing together!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You are knowledgeable in terms of writing a novel, I really enjoyed it! Well done! ... If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to [email protected] or [email protected]
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book. Rule became another favorite character.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jet and Shaw have a wonderful weird relationship. Ultimately they are in love but it takes them a while. To get there.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really would love to read the entire book. it's really amazing. 100% amazing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dear god!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love it, I'm now reading jet and it's awesome as the first
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My new favorite, completely moved me!!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rule is my favorite Marked Men series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of my favorites
Book preview
Rule - Jay Crownover
Chapter 1
Rule
At first I thought the pounding in my head was my brain trying to fight its way out of my skull after the ten or so shots of Crown Royal I had downed last night, but then I realized the noise was someone storming around in my apartment. She was here, and with dread I remembered that it was Sunday. No matter how many times I told her, or how rude I was to her, or whatever kind of debauched and unsavory condition she found me in, she showed up every Sunday morning to drag me home for brunch.
A soft moan from the other side of the bed reminded me that I hadn’t come home alone from the bar last night. Not that I remembered the girl’s name or what she looked like, or if it had even been worth her while to stumble into my apartment with me. I ran a hand over my face and swung my legs over the edge of the bed just as the bedroom door swung open. I never should have given the little brat a key. I didn’t bother to cover up; she was used to walking in and finding me hungover and naked—I didn’t see why today should be any different. The girl on the other side of the bed rolled over and narrowed her eyes at the new addition to our awkward little party.
I thought you said you were single?
The accusation in her tone lifted the hair on the back of my neck. Any chick who was willing to come home with a stranger for a night of no-strings-attached sex didn’t get the right to pass judgment, especially while she was still naked and rumpled in my bed.
Give me twenty,
I said, my eyes shifting to the blonde in the doorway as I ran a hand through my messy hair.
She lifted an eyebrow. You have ten.
I would have lifted an eyebrow back at her tone and attitude but my head was killing me, and the gesture would have been wasted on her anyway; she was way past immune to my shit.
I’ll make coffee. I already invited Nash but he said he has to go to the shop for an appointment. I’ll be in the car.
She spun on her heel, and, just like that, the doorway was empty. I was struggling to my feet, searching the floor for the pair of pants I might have tossed down there last night.
What’s going on?
I had temporarily forgotten about the girl in my bed. I swore softly under my breath and tugged a black T-shirt that looked reasonably clean over my head. I have to go.
What?
I frowned at her as she lifted herself up in the bed and clutched the sheet to her chest. She was pretty and had a nice body from what I could see. I wondered what kind of game I had thrown at her in order to get her to come home with me. She was one I didn’t mind waking up to this morning.
I have somewhere I need to be, so that means you need to get up and get going. Normally my roommate would be around, so you could hang out for a minute, but he had to go to work, so that means you need to get that fine ass in gear and get out.
She sputtered a little at me. Are you kidding me?
I looked over my shoulder as I dug my boots out from under a pile of laundry and shoved my feet into them. No.
What kind of asshole does that? Not even a ‘thanks for last night, you were great, how about lunch?’ Just ‘get the fuck out’?
She threw the sheet aside and I noticed she had a nice tattoo scrawled along her ribs that curled across her shoulder and along her collarbone. That was probably what had attracted me to her in my drunken stupor in the first place. You’re a real piece of work, you know that?
I was a whole lot more than just a piece of work, but this chick, who was just one of oh so many, didn’t need to know that. I silently cursed my roommate, Nash, who was the real shit here. We had been best friends since elementary school, and I could normally rely on him to run interference for me on Sunday mornings when I had to bail, but I had forgotten about the piece he was supposed to be finishing up today. That meant I was on my own when it came to hustling last night’s tail out the door and getting a move on before the brat left without me, which was a bigger headache than I needed in my current state.
Hey, what’s your name anyway?
If she wasn’t pissed before, she was downright infuriated now. She climbed back into a supershort black skirt and a barely there tank top. She fluffed up her mound of dyed blond hair and glared at me out of eyes now smudged with old mascara. Lucy. You don’t remember?
I slimed some crap in my hair to make it stand up in a bunch of different directions and sprayed on cologne to help mask the scent of sex and booze that I was sure still clung to my skin. I shrugged a shoulder at her and waited as she hopped by me on one foot putting on heels that just screamed dirty sex.
I’m Rule.
I would have offered to shake her hand but that seemed silly so I just pointed to the front door of the apartment and stepped in the bathroom to brush the stale taste of whiskey out of my mouth. There’s coffee in the kitchen. Maybe you should write your number down and I can give you a call another time. Sundays aren’t good days for me.
She would never know how true that statement was.
She glared at me and tapped the toe of one of those awesome shoes. You really have no idea who I am, do you?
This time, even against my throbbing brain’s wishes, my eyebrow went up and I looked at her with a mouthful of toothpaste foam. I just stared at her until she screeched at me and pointed at her side. You have to at least remember this!
No wonder I liked her ink so much; it was one of mine. I spit the toothpaste in the sink and gave myself a once-over in the mirror. I looked like hell. My eyes were watery and rimmed in red, my skin looked gray, and there was a hickey the size of Rhode Island on the side of my neck—Mom was going to love that. Just like she was going to fall all over herself about the current state of my hair. It was normally thick and dark, but I had shaved the sides and dyed the front a nice, bright purple, so now it stuck up straight like a Weedwacker had been used to cut it. Both my folks already had an issue with the scrolling ink that wound around both my arms and up the side of my neck, so the hair was just going to be icing on the cake. Since there was nothing I could do to fix the current shit show looking back at me in the mirror I prowled out of the bathroom and unceremoniously grabbed the girl by the elbow and towed her to the front door. I needed to remember to go home with them instead of letting them come home with me; it was so much easier that way.
Look, I have somewhere I have to be, and I don’t particularly love that I have to go, but you freaking out and making a scene is not going to do anything other than piss me off. I hope you had a good time last night and you can leave your number, but we both know the chances of me calling you are slim to none. If you don’t want to be treated like crap, maybe you should stop going home with drunken dudes you don’t know. Trust me, we’re really after only one thing and the next morning all we really want is for you to go quietly away. I have a headache and I feel like I’m going to hurl, plus I have to spend the next hour in a car with someone who will be silently loathing me and joyously plotting my death, so really, can we just save the histrionics and get a move on it?
By now I had maneuvered Lucy to the entryway of the building, and I saw my blond tormentor in the BMW idling in the spot next to my truck. She was impatient and would take off if I wasted any more time. I gave Lucy a half grin and shrugged a shoulder—after all it wasn’t her fault I was an asshole, and even I knew she deserved better than such a callous brush-off.
Look, don’t feel bad. I can be a charming bastard when I put my mind to it. You are far from the first and won’t be the last to see this little show. I’m glad your tat turned out badass, and I’d prefer you remember me for that rather than last night.
I jogged down the front steps without looking back and yanked open the door to the fancy black BMW. I hated this car and hated that it suited the driver as well as it did. Classy, sleek, and expensive were definitely words that could be used to describe my traveling companion. As we pulled out of the parking lot, Lucy yelled at me and flipped me off. My driver rolled her eyes and muttered, Classy
under her breath. She was used to the little scenes chicks liked to throw when I bailed on them the morning after. I even had to replace her windshield once when one of them had chucked a rock at me and missed while I was walking away.
I adjusted the seat to accommodate my long legs and settled in to rest my head against the window. It was always a long and achingly silent drive. Sometimes, like today, I was grateful for it; other times it grated on my very last nerve. We had been a fixture in each other’s lives since middle school, and she knew every strength and fault I had. My parents loved her like their own daughter and made no bones about the fact that they more often than not preferred her company over mine. One would think with all the history, both good and bad, between us, that we could make simple small talk for a few hours without it being difficult.
You’re going to get all that junk that’s in your hair all over my window.
Her voice—all cigarettes and whiskey—didn’t match the rest of her, which was all champagne and silk. I had always liked her voice; when we got along I could listen to her talk for hours.
I’ll get it detailed.
She snorted. I closed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. I was all set for a silent ride, but apparently she had things to say today, because as soon as she pulled the car onto the highway she turned the radio down and said my name. Rule.
I turned my head slightly to the side and cracked open an eye. Shaw.
Her name was just as fancy as the rest of her. She was pale, had snowy white-blond hair, and big green eyes that looked like Granny Smith apples. She was tiny, an easy foot shorter than my own six three, but had curves that went on for days. She was the kind of girl that guys looked at, because they just couldn’t help themselves, but as soon as she turned those frosty green eyes in their direction they knew they wouldn’t stand a chance. She exuded unattainability the way some other girls oozed come and get me.
She blew out a breath and I watched a strand of hair twirl around her forehead. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and I stiffened when I saw how tight her hands were on the steering wheel.
What is it, Shaw?
She bit her bottom lip, a sure sign she was nervous. I don’t suppose you answered any of your mom’s calls this week?
I wasn’t exactly tight with my folks. In fact, our relationship hovered somewhere around the mutually tolerable area, which is why my mom sent Shaw to drag me home each weekend. We were both from a small town called Brookside, in an affluent part of Colorado. I’d moved to Denver as soon as I had my diploma in hand, and Shaw had moved there a few years later. She was a few years younger than me, and she had wanted nothing more than to get into the University of Denver. Not only did the girl look like a fairy-tale princess, but she was also on track to be a freaking doctor. My mom knew there was no way I would make the two-hour drive there and back to see them on the weekends, but if Shaw came to get me, I would have to go, not only because I would feel guilty that she’d taken time out of her busy schedule, but also because she paid for the gas, waited for me to stumble out of bed, and dragged my sorry ass home every single Sunday and not once in going on two years had she complained about it.
No, I was busy all week.
I was busy, but I also just didn’t like talking to my mom, so I had ignored her all three times she had called me this week.
Shaw sighed and her hands twisted even tighter on the steering wheel. She was calling to tell you that Rome got hurt and the army is sending him home for six weeks of R and R. Your dad went down to the base in the Springs yesterday to pick him up.
I bolted up in the seat so fast that I smacked my head on the roof of the car. I swore and rubbed the spot, which made my head throb even more. What? What do you mean he got hurt?
Rome was my older brother. He had three years on me and had been overseas for a good portion of the last six. We were still tight and, even though he didn’t like all the distance I’d put between me and my parents over the years, I was sure that if he was injured I would have heard it from him.
I’m not sure. Margot said something happened to the convoy he was in when they were out on patrol. He was in a pretty bad accident I guess. She said his arm was broken and he had a few cracked ribs. She was pretty upset so I had a hard time understanding her when she called.
Rome would have called me.
Rome was doped up and spent the last two days being debriefed. He asked your mom to call because you Archer boys are nothing if not persistent. Margot told him that you wouldn’t answer, but he told her to keep trying.
My brother was hurt and was home, but I hadn’t known about it. I closed my eyes again and let my head drop back against the headrest. Well, hell, that’s good news I guess. Are you going to go by and see your mom?
I asked her. I didn’t have to look at her to know that she had stiffened even more. I could practically feel the tension rolling off her in icy waves.
No.
She didn’t say more and I didn’t expect her to. The Archers may not be the closest, warmest bunch, but we didn’t have anything on the Landons. Shaw’s family crapped gold and breathed money. They also cheated and lied, had been divorced and remarried. From what I had seen over the years, they had little need or interest in their biological daughter, who, it seemed, was conceived in order to get a tax deduction rather than time spent in a bedroom. I knew Shaw loved my house and loved my parents, because it was the only semblance of normalcy she had ever experienced. I didn’t begrudge her that; in fact I appreciated that she took most of the heat off me. If Shaw was doing well in school, dating an affluent undergrad, living the life my parents had always wanted for their sons but had been denied, they stayed off my case. Since Rome was usually a continent away, I was the only one they could get to so I took no shame in using Shaw as a buffer.
Man, I haven’t talked to Rome in three months. It’ll be awesome to see him. I wonder if I can convince him to come spend some time in D-town with me and Nash. He’s probably more than ready for a little bit of fun.
She sighed again and moved to turn the radio back up a little bit. You’re twenty-two, Rule. When are you going to stop acting like an indulgent teenager? Did you even ask this one her name? In case you were wondering, you smell like a mix between a distillery and a strip club.
I snorted and let my eyes drift back shut. You’re nineteen, Shaw. When are you going to stop living your life by everyone else’s standards? My eighty-two-year-old grandma has more of a social calendar than you, and I think she’s less uptight.
I wasn’t going to tell her what she smelled like because it was sweet and lovely and I had no desire to be nice at the moment.
I could feel her glaring at me and I hid a grin. I like Ethel.
Her tone was surly.
Everybody likes Ethel. She’s feisty and won’t take crap from anyone. You could learn a thing or two from her.
Oh, maybe I should just dye my hair pink, tattoo every visible surface of my body, shove a bunch of metal in my face, and sleep with everything that moves. Isn’t that your philosophy on how to live a rich and fulfilling life?
That made me crank my eyes back open and the marching band in my head decide to go for round two.
At least I’m doing what I want. I know who and what I am, Shaw, and I don’t make any apologies for it. I hear plenty of Margot Archer coming out of your pretty mouth right now.
Her mouth twisted down into a frown. Whatever. Let’s just go back to ignoring each other, okay? I just thought you should know about Rome. The Archer boys have never been big on surprises.
She was right. In my experience surprises were never a good thing. They usually resulted in someone getting pissed and me ending up in some kind of fight. I loved my brother, but I had to admit I was kind of irritated he hadn’t, one, bothered to let me know he was hurt, and, two, was still trying to force me to play nice with my folks. I figured Shaw’s plan for us to ignore each other the rest of the way was a winner, so I slumped down as far as the sporty little car would allow and started to doze off. I was only out for twenty minutes or so when her Civil Wars ringtone jarred me awake. I blinked my gritty eyes and rubbed a hand over the scruff on my face. If the hair and the hickey didn’t piss Mom off, the fact I was too busy to shave for her precious brunch might just send her into hysterics.
No, I told you I was going to Brookside and won’t be back until late.
When I looked across the car at her she must have felt my gaze because she looked at me quickly and I saw a little bit of pink work its way onto her high cheekbones. No, Gabe, I told you I won’t have time and that I have a lab due.
I couldn’t make out the words on the other end but the person sounded angry at her brush-off, and I saw her fingers tighten on the phone. It’s none of your business. I have to go now, so I’ll talk to you later.
She swiped a finger across the screen and tossed the fancy device into the cup holder by my knee.
Trouble in paradise?
I didn’t really care about Shaw and her richer-than-God, future-ruler-of-the-known-universe boyfriend, but it was polite to ask when she was obviously upset. I hadn’t ever met Gabe, but from what I’d heard from Mom when I bothered to listen was that he was custom-made for Shaw’s future doctor persona. His family was as loaded as hers; his dad was a judge, or lawyer, or some other political nonsense I had no use for. I was sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the dude wore pleated slacks and pink polo shirts with white loafers. For a long moment I didn’t think she was going to respond, but then she cleared her throat and started tapping out a beat on the steering wheel with her manicured fingers.
Not really, we broke up but I don’t think Gabe really gets it.
Really?
Yeah, a couple weeks ago, actually. I had been thinking about doing it for a while. I’m just too busy with school and work to have a boyfriend.
If he was the right guy you wouldn’t have felt that way. You would have made the time because you wanted to be with him.
She looked at me with both blond brows raised to her hairline. Are you, Mr. Manwhore of the Century, seriously trying to give me relationship advice?
I rolled my eyes, which made my head scream in protest. Just because there hasn’t been one girl I wanted to hang out with exclusively doesn’t mean I don’t know the difference between quality and quantity.
Could have fooled me. Gabe just wanted more than I was willing to give him. It’s going to be a pain because my mom and dad both loved him.
True that; from what I’ve heard he was pretty much custom-made to make your folks happy. What do you mean he wanted more than you were willing to give? Did he try to put a rock on your finger after only six months?
She gave me a look and curled her lip in a sneer. Not even close, he just wanted things to be more serious than I wanted them to be.
I laughed a little and rubbed between my eyebrows. My headache had turned into a dull throb but was starting to be manageable. I needed to ask her to swing by a Starbucks or something if I was going to get through this afternoon.
Is that your prissy way of telling me that he was trying to get in your pants and you weren’t having it?
She narrowed her eyes at me and pulled off the freeway at the exit that took us toward Brookside.
I need you to stop by Starbucks before going to my parents’ house, and don’t think I didn’t notice you aren’t answering my question.
If we stop we’re going to be late. And not every boy thinks with what’s in their pants.
The sky isn’t going to fall on us if we show up five minutes behind Margot’s schedule. And you have got to be kidding me—you strung that loser along for six months without giving it up? What a joke.
That made me flat-out laugh at her. I laughed so hard that I had to hold my head in both hands as my whiskey-logged brain started screaming at me again. I gasped a little and looked at her with watery eyes. If you really believe that he wasn’t interested in getting in your pants, you aren’t nearly as smart as I always thought you were. Every single dude under the age of ninety is trying to get in your pants, Shaw—especially if he’s thinking that he’s your boy. I’m a guy, I know this shit.
She bit her lip again, conceding I probably had a valid point as she pulled the car into the coffee shop’s parking lot. I practically bolted out of the car, eager to stretch my legs and get a little distance from her typical haughty attitude.
There was a line when I got inside, and I took a quick look around to see if I recognized anyone. Brookside is a pretty small town and usually when I stopped by on the weekends I inevitably ran into someone I used to go to school with. I hadn’t bothered to ask Shaw if she wanted me to grab her anything because she was being all uppity about having to stop in the first place. It was almost my turn to order when my phone started blasting a Social Distortion song in my pocket. I dug it out after ordering a big-ass black coffee and took a spot by the counter next to a cute brunette who was trying her hardest to not get caught checking me out.
What up?
I could hear the music in the shop blaring behind Nash when he asked, How did this morning go?
Nash knew my faults and bad habits better than anyone, and the reason we had maintained our friendship as long as we had was because he never judged me.
Sucked. I’m hungover, grumpy, and about to sit through yet another forced family function. Plus, Shaw is in rare form today.
How was the chick from last night?
No clue. I don’t even remember leaving the bar with her. Apparently I did a huge piece on her side so she was a little pissed that I didn’t remember who she was, so ouch.
He chuckled on the other end of the line. She told you that, like, six times last night. She even tried to pull her top off to show you. And I drove your dumb ass home last night, drunko. I tried to get you to leave at, like, midnight but you weren’t having any of it, as usual. I had to drive your truck home and then take a cab back to get my car.
I snorted and reached for the coffee when the guy behind the counter called my name. I noticed the brunette’s eyes follow the hand that wrapped around the cardboard cup. It was the hand that had the flared head of a king cobra on it, the snake’s forked tongue making the L in my name that was inked across my four knuckles. The rest of the snake wound its way up my forearm and around my elbow. The brunette’s mouth made a little O of surprise so I flashed her a wink and walked back to the BMW.
Sorry, dude. How did your appointment go?
Nash’s uncle Phil had opened the tattoo shop years ago on Capitol Hill when it mainly catered to gangbangers and bikers. Now with the influx of young urbanites and hipsters populating the area, the Marked was one of the busiest tattoo parlors in town. Nash and I met in art class in the fifth grade and have been inseparable since. In fact, ever since we were twelve our plan was to move to the city and work for Phil. We both had mad skills and the personality to make the shop bump with business so Phil had no qualms apprenticing us and putting us to work before we were both in our twenties. It was killer to have a friend in the same field; I had a plethora of ink on my skin that ranged from not-so-great to great that chronicled Nash’s evolution as a tattoo artist, and he could state the same thing about me.
I finished that back piece that I’ve been working on since July. It turned out better than I thought and the dude is talking about doing the front. I’ll take it, because he’s a fat tipper.
Nice.
I was juggling the phone and the coffee, trying to open the door to the car when a female voice stopped me in my tracks.
Hey.
I looked over my shoulder and the brunette was standing a car over with a smile on her face. I really like your tattoos.
I smiled back at her and then jumped, nearly spilling scalding hot coffee down my crotch as Shaw shoved the door open from the inside.
Thanks.
If we had been closer to home and Shaw wasn’t already putting the car in reverse I probably would have taken a second to ask the girl for her number. Shaw shot me a look of contempt that I promptly ignored, and I went back to my conversation with Nash. Rome is home. He got in an accident and Shaw said he’s got a few weeks of R and R coming to him. I guess that’s why Mom was blowing my phone up all week.
Kick ass. Ask him if he wants to roll with us for a few days. I miss that surly bastard.
I sipped on the coffee and my head finally started to calm down. That’s the plan. I’ll hit you up on my way home and let you know what the story is.
I flicked my thumb across the screen to end the call and settled back into the seat. Shaw scowled angrily at me and I swore her eyes glowed. Really. I have never seen anything that green, even in nature, and when she gets mad they are just otherworldly.
Your mom called while you were busy flirting. She’s mad that we’re late.
I sucked on more of the black nectar of the gods and started tapping out a beat on my knee with my free hand. I was always kind of a fidgety guy and the closer we got to my parents’ house, the worse it usually got. Brunch was always stilted and forced. I couldn’t figure out why they insisted on going through with it every single week and couldn’t figure out why Shaw enabled the farce, but I went, even when I knew nothing would ever change.
"She’s mad that you’re late. We both know she couldn’t care less if I’m there or not." My fingers moved faster and faster as she wheeled the car into a gated community and passed rows and rows of cookie-cutter minimansions that were built back into the mountains.
"That’s not true and you know it, Rule. I do not suffer through these car rides every weekend, subject myself to the delight of your morning-after nastiness because your parents want me to have eggs and pancakes every Sunday. I do it because they want to see you, want to try to have a relationship with you no matter how many times you hurt them or push them away. I owe it to your parents and, more important, I owe it to Remy to try to make you act right even though lord knows that’s almost a full-time job."
I sucked in a breath as the blinding pain that always came when someone mentioned Remy’s name barreled through my chest. My fingers involuntarily opened and closed around the coffee cup and I whipped my head around to glare at her.
Remy wouldn’t be all over my ass to try and be something to them I’m not. I was never good enough for them, and never will be. He understood that better than anyone and worked overtime to try and be everything to them I never could be.
She sighed and pulled the car to a stop in the driveway behind my dad’s SUV. The only difference between you and Remy is that he let people love him, and you
—she yanked open the driver’s door and glared at me across the space that separated us—you have always been determined to make everyone who cares about you prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. You’ve never wanted to be easy to love, Rule, and you make damn sure that nobody can ever forget it.
She slammed the door with enough force that it rattled my back teeth and made my head start to throb again.
It has been three years. Three lonely, three empty, three sorrow-filled years since the Archer brothers went from a trio to a duo. I am close to Rome—he’s awesome and has always been my role model when it comes to being a badass—but Remy was my other half, both figuratively and literally. He was my identical twin, the light to my dark, the easy to my hard, the joy to my angst, the perfect to my oh-so-totally fucked up, and without him I was only half the person I would ever be. It has been three years since I called him in the middle of the night to come pick me up from some lame-ass party because I had been too drunk to drive. Three years since he left the apartment we shared to come get me—zero questions asked—because that’s just what he did.
It’s been three years since he lost control of his car on a rainy and slick I-25 and slammed into the back of a semi truck going well over eighty. Three years since we put my twin in the ground and my mother looked at me with tears in her eyes and stated point-blank, It should have been you
as they lowered Remy into the ground.
It’s been three years and his name alone is still enough to drop me to my knees, especially coming from the one person in the world Remy had loved as much as he loved me.
Remy was everything I wasn’t—clean-cut, well dressed, and interested in getting an education and building a secure future. The only person on the planet who was good enough and classy enough to match all the magnificence that he possessed was Shaw Landon. The two of them had been inseparable since the first time he brought her home when she was fourteen and trying to escape the fortress of the Landon compound. He insisted they were just friends, that he loved Shaw like a sister, that he just wanted to protect her from her awful, sterile family, but the way he was with her was full of reverence and care. I knew he loved her, and since Remy could do no wrong, Shaw had quickly become an honorary member of my family. As much as it galled me, she was the only one who really, truly understood the depth of my pain when it came to losing him.
I had to take a few extra minutes to get my feet back