Chapters (250)
- Dedication
- A NOTE TO READERS
- WELCOME TO EDEN MIXTAPE
- PROLOGUE
- 1. The Summer Before Seventeen
- THE SUMMER BEFORE SEVENTEEN
- NORA
- 2. Don’t Forget The Curly Fries
- DON’T FORGET THE CURLY FRIES
- NORA
- PRESENT DAY
- 3. Busted
- BUSTED
- NATE
- 4. You’re Only Sixteen Once
- YOU’RE ONLY SIXTEEN ONCE
- NORA
- 5. Specks With Colossal Problems
- SPECKS WITH COLOSSAL PROBLEMS
- NATE
- 6. Vodka, Lime And Old Flames
- VODKA, LIME AND OLD FLAMES
- NORA
- 7. Connor James
- CONNOR JAMES
- NATE
- 8. Breathe In, Breathe Out
- BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT
- NORA
- 9. Last Summer
- LAST SUMMER
- NORA
- 10. Never Drinking Again
- NEVER DRINKING AGAIN
- NORA
- PRESENT DAY
- 11. You Should See The Other Guy
- YOU SHOULD SEE THE OTHER GUY
- NATE
- 12. Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones
- STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES
- NATE
- 13. Bitches And Bonfires
- BITCHES AND BONFIRES
- NORA
- PRESENT DAY
- 14. Late Night Swims
- LATE NIGHT SWIMS
- NATE
- 15. The Beginning Of The Downfall
- THE BEGINNING OF THE DOWNFALL
- NATE
- 16. Lost Stories, Found Words
- LOST STORIES, FOUND WORDS
- NORA
- 17. Lads Day Out
- LADS DAY OUT
- NATE
- 18. Carnivals And Confrontations
- CARNIVALS AND CONFRONTATIONS
- NORA
- 19. Cotton Candy And Daisy Bracelets
- COTTON CANDY AND DAISY BRACELETS
- NATE
- 20. I Got You
- I GOT YOU
- NORA
- 21. Seeing Ghosts
- SEEING GHOSTS
- NORA
- PRESENT DAY
- 22. Pieces Of A Puzzle
- PIECES OF A PUZZLE
- NORA
- 23. The Thing About Odds
- THE THING ABOUT ODDS
- NATE
- 24. Sunrises And Cinnabons
- SUNRISES AND CINNABONS
- NORA
- 25. A Part Of Me Died
- A PART OF ME DIED
- NORA
- 26. What's His Name?
- WHAT'S HIS NAME?
- NORA
- PRESENT DAY
- 27. Late Night Drives
- LATE NIGHT DRIVES
- NATE
- 28. You’re Naked
- YOU’RE NAKED
- NORA
- 29. The Quiet Destruction
- THE QUIET DESTRUCTION
- NATE
- 30. Wanna Fly?
- WANNA FLY?
- NATE
- 31. Frosted Flakes At 2Am
- FROSTED FLAKES AT 2AM
- NORA
- PRESENT DAY
- 32. You're Safe With Me
- YOU'RE SAFE WITH ME
- NORA
- 33. Happy Birthday Jake
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE
- NATE
- PRESENT DAY
- 34. Expect The Unexpected
- EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
- NORA
- 35. Ripples Of The Past
- RIPPLES OF THE PAST
- NATE
- 36. Drowning In Truth
- DROWNING IN TRUTH
- NORA
- 37. Reckonings
- RECKONINGS
- NATE
- 38. Just Like Old Times
- JUST LIKE OLD TIMES
- NORA
- 39. Parallel Lines
- PARALLEL LINES
- NATE
- 40. Front Row Seats To The Shit Show
- FRONT ROW SEATS TO THE SHIT SHOW
- NORA
- 41. Nora's Mixtape #17
- NORA'S MIXTAPE #17
- NATE
- 42. Sorry On Repeat
- SORRY ON REPEAT
- NATE
- 43. Seventeen
- SEVENTEEN
- NORA
- 44. The Rent Is Free In My Head
- THE RENT IS FREE IN MY HEAD
- NATE
- 45. The Geometry Of Almost
- THE GEOMETRY OF ALMOST
- NORA
- 46. Fresh Paint Over Old Cracks
- FRESH PAINT OVER OLD CRACKS
- NATE
- 47. Found Family
- FOUND FAMILY
- NORA
- 48. Deaf Or Blind?
- DEAF OR BLIND?
- NATE
- 49. Sixty Seconds
- SIXTY SECONDS
- NORA
- 50. Where Shadows Meet
- WHERE SHADOWS MEET
- NATE
- 51. The Alchemy Of Letting Go
- THE ALCHEMY OF LETTING GO
- NORA
- 52. Father Figure
- FATHER FIGURE
- NATE
- 53. A Very Unhappy Fourth Of July
- A VERY UNHAPPY FOURTH OF JULY
- NATE
- PRESENT DAY
- 54. Like A Bull In A China Shop
- LIKE A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP
- NORA
- 55. The Responsible Adult
- THE RESPONSIBLE ADULT
- NATE
- 56. The Call
- THE CALL
- NORA
- 57. Magnata
- MAGNATA
- NATE
- 58. The Aftermath
- THE AFTERMATH
- NORA
- 59. He Won't Hurt You Anymore
- HE WON'T HURT YOU ANYMORE
- NATE
- 60. I Know What You Did Last Summer
- I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
- NORA
- 61. Restoring What's Broken
- RESTORING WHAT'S BROKEN
- NATE
- 62. Three Words, None Of Them I Love You
- THREE WORDS, NONE OF THEM I LOVE YOU
- NORA
- 63. He Can’t, But I Will
- HE CAN’T, BUT I WILL
- NATE
- 64. A Wrinkle In Time
- A WRINKLE IN TIME
- NORA
- 65. A Flicker Of Hope
- A FLICKER OF HOPE
- NATE
- 66. Name
- NAME
- NORA
- 67. Did We Just Become Best Friends?
- DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?
- NATE
- 68. Dancing In The Dark
- DANCING IN THE DARK
- NORA
- 69. No More Hiding
- NO MORE HIDING
- NATE
- 70. Mic Drops And Bombshells
- MIC DROPS AND BOMBSHELLS
- NORA
- 71. The Sins We Inherit
- THE SINS WE INHERIT
- NATE
- 72. Blink And Gone
- BLINK AND GONE
- NORA
- 73. God, Can You Hear Me?
- GOD, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
- NATE
- 74. Blur
- BLUR
- NORA
- 75. Dancing With The Devil
- DANCING WITH THE DEVIL
- NATE
- 76. Becoming Through Breaking
- BECOMING THROUGH BREAKING
- NORA
- 77. Broken Promiƨeƨ
- BROKEN PROMIƧEƧ
- NATE
- 78. Choices
- CHOICES
- NORA
- EPILOGUE
- NICK
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The way he looks at me—like I'm his salvation and destruction all at once—makes my heart stutter. His gaze drops to my lips, and before I can respond, his mouth crashes against mine again, stealing every coherent thought. It's overwhelming, intoxicating, the way he takes me apart piece by piece. I arch into him, needing more, craving the way his touch sets me on fire and soothes me at the same time. He pulls back just enough for his eyes to lock onto mine. There's something raw in the way he looks at me—primal and unrestrained—like I'm the only thing he's ever wanted.
He moves, and the next thing I feel is his hand sliding down, warm and deliberate, as if he's savoring every second. When his finger enters me, my breath leaves my lungs in a sharp gasp and the sheer sensation has me clutching onto him like he's the only thing keeping me grounded.
"Nate," I manage, his name breaking on a moan.
"I've dreamt of you like this," he whispers into my ear, his breath hot against my skin, sending shivers cascading down my spine. "For so fucking long. Come for me."
The word falls from my lips before I can think, a breathless whisper that's equal parts surrender and certainty. "Yes."
A devilish grin tugs at the corner of his mouth, wicked and devastatingly beautiful.
"Good."
My body arches against him, desperate and willing as he moves with an intimacy so devastatingly raw it feels like he's branding himself onto my soul.
"Nate…"
"What is it, Nora?" His tone is teasing, but there's an edge to it, a hunger that matches mine.
"I…"
"You what?" His smirk grows, dark and knowing as his pace quickens.
Every time he moves, my body screams for more. It's like nothing will ever be enough with him. He's unrelenting, driving me to the brink of madness, and I barely form the words, but I force them out.
"More."
"More what, Len? Tell me."
"I need more," I whisper, the plea cracking through the tension.
Another low, devilish laugh escapes his lips, and his eyes—those dark, amber-flecked eyes—grow impossibly darker, pulling me into their depths like a vortex.
"You want me to take you right here?"
I nod, but it's not enough for him.
"Words. I need your words."
It's possessive and tender, and it sets my pulse racing like a drumbeat.
"Yes, Nate. Yes, I want you to fuck me right here," I say, the words tumbling out, raw and unfiltered. “Please.”
An animalistic groan escapes him, low and primal, and I feel it reverberate through his chest, straight into mine. His hands tighten on my hips, and his lips crash against mine with a ferocity that's intoxicating. He devours me like he's starved, his movements deliberate and intense, his body pressing against mine with the kind of need that makes me feel like I'm the only thing keeping him alive.