Prologue
Now...
Aidan Carrington awoke with a start. He didn’t have to look at his cell phone to know that it was 11:15am. Thanks to his annoying internal clock, he was up at the same time every morning. Most people would be at work at this time, but he wasn’t most people.
Some mornings when he was wasted enough, he could picture her standing by the door. Sage. His Sage. She would give him a teasing smile; taunt him with one of her snarky wisecracks. Often her long, beautiful dark hair would be wet, as if she’d just stepped out of the shower, and she would slowly drop the towel and beckon him to come over.
Today she wasn’t at the door but he was drunk. His head was throbbing with pain, and he was about to get up when a slender hand slid over his chest. He looked at the sharp, claw-like nails resting on him and hoped they hadn’t made too many scratches on his back. He turned to look at the woman beside him. She was fast asleep, her red hair partially covering her face. He had no idea who she was.
Pushing himself off the bed, he almost threw up but managed to make it to the bathroom without retching. Lately he seemed to have horrible hangovers every time he went on a drinking binge, and today was no exception. He paid his respects to the porcelain gods for several minutes before stepping into the shower.
Later as Aidan glanced at his reflection in the mirror, he realized he had a black eye - which meant he had probably been in some sort of fight last night. Too bad he couldn’t remember it, but thank God for the internet. He wouldn’t know what the hell he had done half the time if it weren’t for people following him around and snapping pictures of him. By now TMZ had probably already posted what happened along with pictures of him next to his infamous father. Not only would they write about their striking physical resemblance (they were both tall and possessed a rugged physique) but would also discuss their similar destructive, violent personalities ad nausem. Aidan had learned long ago to ignore the false comparisons; he was nothing like that bastard. Nothing. As for his looks, he had his mother’s hazel eyes which meant he hadn’t inherited everything from his asshole of a father.
Wrapping a towel around his waist, he walked out of the bathroom and over to the closet to grab some clothes. The floor creaked, waking up sleeping beauty, but he ignored the soft moan that drifted into his ears. Slipping a t-shirt over his head, he dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of boxers and jeans.
“Hey gorgeous.”
Turning around, he caught his first glimpse of her face. She was hot. Without liquor in his system though, she did nothing for him. His expensive sheets were wrapped around her tight body, and she blushed under his gaze as he sauntered towards her. Typical. He knew the effect his good looks had on women. She wasn’t any different.
When he knelt on the bed, she puckered her lips in expectation of a kiss. Instead he leaned over her to grab the clothes that were strewn behind and handed them to her. From the stunned expression on her face, it was obvious she hadn’t expected that.
Shortly after, Aidan was downstairs and pouring himself a cup of coffee as the redhead came stomping down the stairs. She shot him a dirty look; he flashed a smile and tipped his cup at her.
“Asshole!” she bit out, slipping into her shoes.
He smirked. “What was your name again?”
She walked to the door but not before throwing one last parting shot at him. “Like father like son.”
His eyes turned cold; she took a cautious step back and left in a hurry. He figured she’d sell her story to TMZ, detailing their night together. Maybe he’d give it a read, considering he couldn’t remember most of it anyway.
He was taking a bite of his toast when a brunette on the TV screen caught his attention. She was beautiful, and attempting to seduce her partner in a bathroom. His mind flashed back to a similar incident with Sage from high school. She had sent him a text earlier that day, asking him to meet her in the bathroom on the third level. It was hardly ever used, but of course the moment they started making out they were interrupted by a freshman walking in on them. He remembered barking at her to get out while Sage buried her face in his chest with embarrassment. Later, rumors of him being sucked-off by some mystery chick had spread like wildfire through school. His friends had begged to know who the girl was. He’d said nothing.
He traced the thin chain around his neck, rubbing the infinity pendant between his fingers. No longer a symbol of their everlasting love, it was something he touched in anger when he thought of Sage. It was the only thing of hers that still remained with him, the last possession which still connected them together; he’d burned everything else a long time ago.
When he did find Sage again, and he would no matter how long it took, he planned to destroy the pendant - along with her.
