Easy

unremitting.
    “So my only question is this—do I want to live in Oberlin and commute to Cleveland, or live near Cleveland and commute to you?” His head propped on one bent arm, he gazed at me, waiting.
    I blinked. “What?”
    He smiled innocently. “Oh—didn’t I tell you that part? The company’s located in Cleveland.”
    “Cleveland, Ohio? You accepted a job in Cleveland, Ohio?” Cleveland was just over half an hour away from the college.
    “I did.”
    My eyes filled with tears. “But, why?”
    Arching a brow, he brought his free arm down and hooked my hair behind my ear. “You heard the pay, right? And also, to be near you.” Thumbing a tear from my cheek, he added, “Mostly, to be near you.”
    I considered everything I’d learned from following Kennedy, everything Lucas had sworn he’d never ask of me. “But all that stuff you said about me not giving up what I want to be or what I want to do to be with you—doesn’t that apply to you, too?”
    He cupped my face in his palm and stared into my eyes, sighing. “First, this is a great job, and I’m excited about it.” When he tugged me closer and kissed me, I leaned across his chest, one hand slipping under his t-shirt. I forgot that he hadn’t finished his explanation until he whispered into my mouth, “Second, I’m ambitious, but I can succeed almost anywhere.” Standing, he continued kissing me as he carried me into his room. When he let me slide from his arms to the floor, I yanked my tank top off, scooting into the center of the bed and watching him pull his t-shirt over his head. I could put him on replay doing that and watch it all day… if I didn’t know what was coming next.
    Crawling up from the foot of the bed, he lay over me slowly, dragging both of my arms above my head, gently, as he had the very first time he sketched me. With one hand, he crossed and secured my wrists. He’d taught me every possible way to escape this hold, but there was no way I wanted to get away. He was in a slow-motion mood—one of my favorites, though it meant I’d be driven crazy before we were done. I chewed the edge of my lip in anticipation.
    He stared down at me, and I examined his beautiful eyes up close, something I’d never tire of doing. “What I can’t do anywhere is be with you.” Leaning closer, he ran his tongue over my lips and his fingertips over my skin until I arched up and captured his mouth with mine.
    He released my wrists, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling our hearts beat in sync as lips followed a meandering path from my ear down. “Choosing to be with you isn’t a difficult decision, Jacqueline,” he breathed, pulling back one final time to stare into my eyes. “It’s easy. Incredibly easy.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    The world an author creates and the characters that inhabit it may come from her imagination alone, but few authors can wrestle the story that emerges into shape without help. My critique partners: Abbi Glines and Elizabeth Reyes, and my beta readers: Liz Reinhardt, Colleen Hoover, Robin Deeslie and Ami Keller, have been invaluable in that regard, especially with this book. Thank you for your unique insights, your nitpicking where needed, and your cheering in the face of my worries.
    I couldn’t have written Easy without the help of my husband, Paul. The creation of good fiction begins with raw, honest emotions—whether the author is penning a story about a mouse who wants dessert, or a sprawling epic of Tsarist Russia. The subjects touched on in Easy come with an even deeper obligation to remain true to those emotions. Paul encouraged me constantly to fearlessly portray my love of hidden connections, and my belief that our close relationships with family, friends and lovers—any and all of these, if we’re lucky—are capable of healing the trauma all of us experience in our lives.
    Thank you to Hillary Tayler Green for your insight into sororities, fraternities, and Greek life on the campus of a state university. I’m so proud to have watched you from the sidelines these past several years. Thank you to Hope Seggalink for the in-depth information on surviving college as a music education major, and the hours of dedication involved. (Note: Any mistakes on either of these subjects are wholly mine.)
    Thanks to my friends and family for their love and support, even when I seem to drop off the face of the earth for extended periods of time. Believe me, I notice you—hovering at the edges