If you dare diamond devi.., p.1
If You Dare (Diamond Devils), page 1
Copyright © 2023 by Harmony West
Cover Design © 2024 by Beholden Book Covers
Mask art © 2024 by Zoe Maxwell
Published by Westword Press
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
ISBN (paperback): 979-8-9881181-3-8
Also by Harmony West
Diamond Devils Series
If You Dare
Drown in You
Devil You Know
Saint and Sinner Duet
Her Saint
His Sinner
Standalones
Always with You
Captivate Me
For the readers whose favorite hockey men are masked
Contents
1. After
2. Before
3. Before
4. After
5. Before
6. After
7. After
8. After
9. Before
10. After
11. After
12. Before
13. After
14. After
15. Before
16. After
17. Before
18. After
19. After
20. After
21. After
22. Before
23. After
24. After
25. After
26. Before
27. After
28. After
29. After
30. After
31. After
32. Before
33. After
34. Before
35. After
36. After
37. After
38. After
39. After
40. After
41. After
Epilogue
Read More From Harmony West
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter 1
After
I killed my best friend.
I didn’t mean to. I’d do anything to take it back. But that doesn’t matter.
I killed my best friend.
“Not guilty.” Outside the courthouse, my mother suppresses her sob with fingers covering her mouth.
Before Chloe, Mom was my best friend. But she hasn’t been able to look at me since she heard the news at the beginning of summer.
That her daughter is a killer.
I shade my eyes against the sunlight. No part of this world should be shining anymore without Chloe.
Mom and I make our way to the parking lot in silence.
Not guilty. I’m not guilty, at least according to a judge. But that doesn’t make me innocent.
The reckless endangerment charges carried a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a five-thousand-dollar fine. Even with a state-appointed attorney by my side, the judge decided to let me go. We were drunk; it was an accident.
From the courthouse, the Novaks emerge. What once was the perfect foursome, a family I loved and longed to belong to, is now a lonely threesome in semi-formal attire. Two parents who’ve lost a child and a brother who’s lost a sister.
All because of me.
Mr. Novak keeps his arm around his wife’s waist. She clutches her purse, nose red-tipped. They both flash me small smiles as they head for their SUV. Somehow, they don’t hate me for killing their daughter, even if I hate me.
Wes is another story.
From the shoulders down, he’s undeniably perfect. He always has been. Wes Novak, the most gorgeous hockey player at Diamond University. Hell, the most gorgeous guy on the entire campus. The last time I saw him in his black suit and gray button-down was at her funeral. He wore it again today hoping he’d be attending my funeral.
By the look on his face, he’s not at all happy to see I’m still alive.
His thick brows pull together, the square edge of his jaw hard as steel. He could crack a nut with those clenched teeth. His previously tamed-for-the-courtroom brown hair is now unruly where he dragged his hands through it after learning my fate. I can’t count how many times I’ve imagined running my hands through that hair.
His normally bright, mischievous blue eyes sear through me. Blazing with white-hot fury.
His parents may have forgiven me for the mistake I made that night.
But Wes hasn’t.
Chapter 2
Before
There’s a half-naked man in my dorm room.
He pushes off the bed with neatly made pink sheets when he spots me, nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. I nearly drop the heavy box of books in my hands. We stare at each other in silence, both of us at a loss for words.
He’s the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen in person. The kind of beauty that only seems to exist on magazine covers. The kind of beauty that embarrasses you just by noticing it because you know you’ll never be able to look away. Dark, wet hair that drips onto his bare shoulders, bulging biceps that make my mouth go dry, tanned stomach lined with a six-pack, and startling blue eyes that are like magnets, pulling me in.
He must be my roommate’s boyfriend. Good for her, though I’ll probably die of jealousy.
“You the new roommate?” He flashes a lopsided smile like he can read my thoughts.
“Yeah,” I squeak, immediately hating myself. “I’m Violet.”
Guys this gorgeous don’t know I exist, let alone talk to me. I’m completely out of my element. I have no idea what to say, where to look, how to stand. I’m starting to forget how to breathe.
“Don’t worry, I won’t make it a habit of walking around your dorm in a towel.” His low baritone sends tingles all the way to my toes. “I helped my sister move her stuff in, and I needed a shower. I’m just waiting for her because she has my student ID.”
Brother.
My heart practically dances before I remember that he could still have a girlfriend. A guy this gorgeous can’t walk around in girls’ dorms half-naked and not have a million of them lining up to date him.
He strides toward me, planting his hands on the box. My heart stops at his nearness. He’s a giant in front of me, his eyes a darker shade of blue the closer he gets. I pray he can’t hear me swallow.
“I’m Wes.” He takes the box and places it on the empty bed. To my horror, he pries it open.
“Wait, don’t—”
But he’s already picking up a book and examining the cover, then the blurb on the back. I want to melt into a puddle and not be conscious anymore. A romcom with a cutesy illustrated cover and a blurb about two coworkers who can’t stand working together until an assignment forces them to collaborate and they fall in love.
I cannot let my new roommate’s brother read my stash of alpha male romance novels.
“Wow, you read a lot of books. You must be smart.”
Some small ember deep in my chest flickers at the compliment.
Other than my mom—who heaps praise on me to counteract my nonexistent self-esteem—no one has ever said something positive about my book collection. Usually, I only get questions about why my nose is always in a book and why I’d rather be reading than just about anything else.
A slender girl glides into the room, her curtain of blonde hair trailing behind her. She grimaces when she spots Wes. “Ew, put some clothes on. You’re scarring my new roommate.” She flashes a megawatt smile and wraps me in a hug that has a lot more strength behind it than I’d suspect from someone so petite. “Hey, roomie!”
Chloe and I have been texting for a few weeks since we got the notice we’d be roommates, coordinating what each of us would bring and ensuring the other isn’t a serial killer. Like her brother, Chloe is absolutely stunning. Bright blue eyes, pearly white teeth, pert button nose. Angelic and lithe in a way that makes you want to poke her to make sure she’s real.
“You need help moving your stuff in?” Wes asks me.
“My mom’s helping me.” I glance over my shoulder, but she must still be chatting with the RA about how they need to keep an eye on me since I’ve never been away from home before. Naive and completely unprepared for the real world. For navigating conversations with beautiful half-naked men in my room.
“I’ll help,” he says simply.
My heart beats faster, already imagining our forced proximity for the next hour, getting to breathe in his cologne and watch him lift my heaviest belongings with those biceps that could crush my skull. “That’s okay. You just got a shower. I don’t have that much stuff.”
“It’s no big deal—”
“Stop talking to us while you’re naked!” Chloe shields her eyes and holds out his student ID. “Put some damn clothes on. You’re grossing us out.”
Wes flashes a cocky grin and gestures to his abs. “What do you think, Violet? Is my body gross?”
God no.
“Out!” Chloe commands and Wes finally listens, snatching his card and chuckling while he heads out the door.
As soon as he’s gone, Chloe glides across the room like a wraith and flops onto her bed, propping her head up in her hand. Her side of the dorm is already fully decorated with fairy lights, paper lanterns, a desk organizer, a photo rack full of pictures, and wall art of her skating across ice with a foot in the air.
She’s got that unobtainable, cool-girl aura. The type of girl who would’ve overlooked me in high school, surrounded by friends who were way more fun and exciting and bold like her. Nothing like me.
“You think my brother’s cute,” she accuses.
My eyes practically bug out of my head. If I was still holding my box of books, I’d definitely drop them. “What? No!”
She sighs. “It’s fine. Everyone does. But I’m going to tell you this now: my brother doesn’t date.”
“Hon, that RA is a cutie! If you don’t ask him out, I will.” Mom bursts into the dorm, dragging my suitcase behind her. She ditches it in the doorway when she spots Chloe and flings her arms out. “You must be the famous Chloe!”
My roommate hops off the bed to meet Mom’s hug like they’re old friends reuniting and not total strangers. “About time I got famous.”
“You’re a figure skater, right?” I ask.
“Future Olympian,” a deep voice cuts in.
Wes leans against the doorway, now completely clothed in long shorts and a white T-shirt. Even with clothes on, I still struggle to make eye contact with him.
“Says the future NHL player,” Chloe says. “Mrs. Harris, this is my annoying big brother, Wes.”
Mom takes Wes in before whipping her head around to me and whisper-yelling, “Forget the RA.”
Oh my god. I’m going to kill her.
Wes’s brows furrow. “What?”
Chloe loops her arm through Mom’s like they’re already besties. “Don’t worry about it. Come on. You said you’d move all of Violet’s stuff into our dorm.”
“I said I’d help,” he corrects, even as an amused smile pulls at his lips.
“I heard all.” Over her shoulder, Chloe winks at me.
I already have a good feeling about her. About both of them. Except I think I actually stand a chance at becoming Chloe’s friend.
But the gorgeous, totally unattainable hockey player? I don’t stand a chance with him.
Chapter 3
Before
I don’t have time to be a stalker.
Between morning classes, training on the ice or in the gym by afternoon, followed by practice, an hour of lectures from Coach, and studying before bed, my schedule’s fully booked.
Yet here I am. Here I’ve been since she showed up on campus. Following Violet Harris.
She’s oblivious to the shadow at her back. But in the few days since I met her, I’ve memorized her daily routine and her coffee order. I know the snacks she prefers from the vending machine. I know the smile she uses when she’s genuinely happy to see someone and the one she uses when she’s being polite.
Stalking isn’t in my blood. Girls chase me, not the other way around. Which makes my obsession with Violet Harris a total fucking enigma.
“Are you going to ask her out?” A bubbly voice half-shouts.
Chloe climbs onto a stool at my table. Violet’s ordering a sub twenty feet ahead of us.
Everything about her screams that she’s a girl who either doesn’t know how to stand out or doesn’t want to. Long, brown hair swept up in a ponytail, a gray shirt that’s way too big on her, and round hazel eyes like a scared bunny. Her thighs are incredible in those shorts. All I can think about is how they’d feel wrapped around my back while I’m driving my cock inside her.
“Keep your voice down,” I hiss. “And no. I don’t date.”
Chloe knows that, but she likes to pretend I’ll come around someday. “Good.”
I lift a brow. “Why’s that good?”
“Because Violet’s my roommate, and if you start dating her and break up, I’m stuck in the middle.”
I give her a sardonic smile. “On second thought, maybe I’ll make an exception for her.”
“Too bad, she’s forbidden.”
I don’t really give a shit who Chloe does and doesn’t want me to be with. I’ll never be interested in that shit again after what Britt did. I’m focusing on college, hockey, friends, family, and fucking. That’s it. Messing around with relationships and feelings and all that bullshit is the fastest way to fuck with your head and screw everything up. Not making that mistake again.
“Why would you think I’d be into her anyway? I just met the girl.”
“So why are you following her around like a stalker?” Chloe waves over her head, catching Violet’s eye.
She smiles and heads our way. My stupid heart stutters. “Making sure she’s not some psycho who will kill you in your sleep.”
Chloe side-eyes me. “I know you, Wes. You’ve never looked at a girl like that.”
Chapter 4
After
Returning to Diamond University was not in my plans. But Mom paid my legal fees and this is where she said I’m going, so I’m here.
“Don’t forget your box of books.” Mom doesn’t look at me when she says it. I can’t remember the last time she made eye contact with me.
My only friends in the world now exist inside these books.
Chloe should be here. We should be starting our sophomore year of college together and sharing a dorm room.
But I ruined that. I took away her future. Her life.
We’ll never have boyfriends together like we vowed to at the end of last semester. She’ll never get to read that book I keep saying I’m going to write. We’ll never giggle over our favorite smutty scenes again or fangirl over our latest celebrity crush.
This year, my roommate is a stranger. Probably a freshman from the looks of her side of the dorm. She’s already decorated her bed, desk, and wall with bright colors and soccer memorabilia. So bright and cheery, it makes me want to puke.
I begged Mom to let me go anywhere other than Diamond and tried to convince her that I can be an English major anywhere, but she doesn’t want to deal with the hassle of me transferring. I chose Diamond University—or, more accurately, Diamond chose me for a full-ride—and according to her, I need to stick it out. Since I’m destitute without her, I don’t have a choice.
While families in other dorms chat and laugh and cry, Mom and I stay silent while we move my boxes and bags into the room. Last year, Chloe and Wes helped us move my stuff in. I was so nervous, a doe-eyed freshman with no idea what the next year held in store for her.
I’d give anything to go back to that time. To try to undo the timeline of events that got me here, without Chloe.
As soon as all my stuff is in the dorm, Mom hovers awkwardly in the middle of the room while digging through her purse.
“Thanks for helping me move in,” I manage.
Someone outside the room squeals and a tall girl breezes in.
My roommate is absolutely stunning. Beautiful, flowing black hair and radiant skin, outshone only by her bright smile. Last year, her beauty would’ve stirred envy in my stomach. Now I can’t bring myself to feel anything at all.
“Hey! I’m Aneesa.” I expect her to jut her hand out for a shake, but she wraps me in a hug instead, her flowery perfume suffocating.
Last time someone hugged me, I was in the hospital and shivering with a towel wrapped around my shoulders, still in nothing but my wet swimsuit. Mom was crying with me in her arms. I couldn’t bring myself to shed tears for Chloe yet. Her death still hadn’t hit me.
Sometimes, it still hasn’t.
Aneesa pulls back but keeps her hands on my shoulders. “You’re a sophomore, right? English major? I looked you up.”
I manage a weak smile. “Right.” The reminder stings. An English major who hasn’t written a word or cracked open a book in months. My two greatest passions for my entire life, and I haven’t felt a pull toward either of them since she died.
Aneesa releases me. “I’m a freshman. Bio major, pre-med.” She flashes a smile at Mom. A beautiful genius who’s accustomed to validation from adults for being the smartest, most accomplished girl in the room.
“Nice to meet you, Aneesa. Good luck with your freshman year.” Mom clears her throat. “I’m going to head out, Violet. Let me know if you need anything.”
