Spreading Her Wings

Spreading Her WingsThe Butterflies SeriesBook Three Meg Becker Contents PlaylistForewordContent Warnings1. Katie2. Auston3. Auston4. Katie5. Auston6. Katie7. Auston8. Katie9. Auston10. Katie11. Auston12. Katie13. Auston14. Katie15. Auston16. Katie17. Katie18. Auston19. Katie20. Auston21. Katie22. Katie23. Auston24. Katie25. Auston26. Katie27. Auston28. Katie29. Auston30. Katie31. Auston32. Katie33. Auston34. Katie35. Katie36. Auston37. Auston38. KatieEpilogueBooks By Meg BeckerAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2023 by Meg Becker All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected]. First paperback edition February 2023. Book design by Books and Moods Edited by Misha Carlstedt, Verity Ink Editorial Proofread by Hannah Green, Green Proofreads ISBN 979-8-3741-4431-4 www.authormegbecker.com I’ve always done the right thing, and I’m tired of being the good girl. KATIE I didn’t want any help, especially from my best friend’s aggravating twin brother. Auston Johannson took pride in his ability to test my patience, but he was handy. After he fixed my dryer, he reminded me that nothing is free, and when he needed a favor of his own, I wasn’t in the position to say no. A one-night arrangement quickly spiraled out of control. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, and for the first time, it felt so good to take a risk. AUSTON When I asked my twin sister’s best friend to pretend to be my girlfriend for a night, I didn’t expect her to agree to it. It was supposed to be one date and then we would break up. But somewhere along the way, the lines blurred. The loathing was replaced with the overwhelming need to see her smile. She got under my skin, and I shouldn’t have craved her the way I did. She wanted to do something that scared her, and I wanted to see her fly. For Sarah You’re my wing woman. …and for all of the ladies that have always been a bit too behaved. Do something that scares you. Playlist No Parachute by Devin Kennedy Butterflies by Kasey Musgraves Ripped Jeans by Devin Kirtz and Sophia Scott Sex in Public by Menna I Like That by Bazzi I Think I Like You by The Band CAMINO Used To by Brandon Ray Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At The Disco Not Like I’m in Love With You by Lauren Weintraub Hey Stupid, I Love You by JP Saxe Steady by Peabod It Is What It Is by Jamie Miller After You by Gryffin, Jason Ross, and Calle Lehmann Slow Dance by AJ Mitchell and Ava Max I Am Yours by Andy Grammar For the Rest of Your Life by Teddy Swims "There is freedom waiting for you, on the breezes of the sky, and you ask, "What if I fall?" Oh but my darling, what if you fly?" -Erin Hanson Content Warnings A NOTE ON CONTENT WARNINGS Spreading Her Wings is a contemporary erotic romance and is intended for mature audience ages 18 and up. This story contains content that may be troubling or upsetting to some readers. For a full list of content and trigger warnings, please visit my website. www.authormegbecker.com/content-warnings “Buy a house, they said. It’ll be good for you, they said.” I scoffed. The new dryer I’d ordered sat in the middle of my laundry room, and the hose that had been connected to it a minute earlier was now gripped in my right hand. “Son of a bitch!” They really should have said on the website the machine wouldn’t come completely put together. If they had told me a couple of hunky men in tight shirts were just going to drop this thing here like it was nothing and then leave without hooking it up, I probably would’ve thought twice about the purchase. “I’m a strong, independent woman,” I muttered, leaning over the top of the machine and trying to find where the hose was supposed to connect. Great, now I really am talking to myself. A strained groan slipped out when I stretched to reach. When I almost had the hose where I assumed it connected, my phone rang. The vibration against the metal of the dryer was loud, bouncing off the still-bare walls, and I jumped. Dropping back to my feet with the hose still in my hand, I answered. “Ugh, hello?” “Well, don’t you sound pleasant.” Andy. “I was just calling to see how the move into the new house was going. I’m guessing not so great?” My best friend sounded amused. “Why don’t they hook up the damn dryer when they deliver it, huh?” I tossed the hose, which rebounded off the wall and onto the floor at my feet. Andy chuckled. “You probably could’ve paid extra for that. They didn’t offer a full-service delivery option?” As she said the words, the image of “full-service delivery” scrolling across the top of the web page flashed in my mind. I should have clicked on it. Instead, I’d hit “add to cart” and “checkout” so fast my credit card winced. Online shopping was always my weakness. It was how I’d ended up with three drawers of socks I never wore but still had to sort through when I was packing, and now it was how I ended up here, glaring at a plastic piece of hose on my laundry room floor while my best friend laughed in my ear. “Well, I didn’t pay extra for it, okay? And now I have to figure it out!” The laundromat sounded more appealing by the minute. Her laughter didn’t stop, and she whispered something, likely telling her doting fiancé to give her a minute. From what I knew about Demetri Carlisle, he ignored her and was therefore listening to