Until I Get You

UNTIL I GET YOU NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR CLAIRE CONTRERAS Copyright © 2023 by Claire Contreras 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, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Edited by: Gina Licciardi Formatted by: Champagne Formats Cover Design: Hang Le CONTENTS Letter from Claire Content Warning: Part I Prologue 1. Lachlan 2. Lachlan 3. Lachlan 4. Lyla 5. Lachlan 6. Lachlan 7. Lyla 8. Lyla 9. Lyla 10. Lyla 11. Lyla 12. Lachlan 13. Lyla 14. Lyla 15. Lyla 16. Lyla 17. Lyla 18. Lyla 19. Lachlan 20. Lyla 21. Lachlan Part II Prologue 22. Delilah 23. Delilah 24. Delilah 25. Lachlan 26. Delilah 27. Delilah 28. Delilah 29. Lachlan 30. Delilah 31. Lachlan 32. Lachlan 33. Delilah 34. Lyla 35. Lachlan 36. Lachlan 37. Lyla 38. Lyla 39. Lyla 40. Lachlan 41. Lyla 42. Lyla 43. Lyla 44. The accident 45. Lyla 46. Lyla 47. Lyla 48. Lyla 49. Lyla 50. Lyla 51. Lachlan 52. Lachlan 53. Lyla 54. Lachlan 55. Lyla 56. Lyla 57. Lachlan 58. Lyla 59. Lachlan 60. Lyla 61. Lachlan 62. Lachlan Epilogue Also by Claire Contreras Snippet of Half Truths Acknowledgments *There’s a content warning on the NEXT page. If you don’t like warnings, please skip it. Dear reader, I took a break from my mafia series to write the book I was dying to read, and ended up with a story that has a million tropes. I would describe it as hockey/college/new adult romance with an obsessive hero who falls first, and some suspense. “Dark romance” would not be my first description of it. However, it does have dark themes, so I provided a content warning on the following page. Thank you for reading! XO, Claire Ps. Lachlan Duke is my favorite hero to date. It took some convincing for me to share him with you since I wanted to keep him to myself, so I hope you fall as hard as I did <3 CONTENT WARNING: Possessive, obsessed hero Stalking Talk of suicide Violence Sexual Assault (enough to be triggering) They tried to knock you down, but you got up and stood taller. They tried to clip your wings, but they grew back stronger. They thought their threats would silence you, but your courage is deafening. I see you. Xo PART ONE PAST PROLOGUE LYLA Sometimes wings are built from despair. That was the thought at the forefront of my mind as I stared at my car, fighting the cold chill slithering down my spine. At first glance, it looked like a random act of vandalism, but I knew the truth. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, glass crunching under my shoes as I circled to the driver's side. I opened the door and used the t-shirt to wipe the driver's seat before sitting down. As soon as I shut the car door, the smell of cigarettes filled my nostrils, and I gagged. It was a visceral reaction. I tried to push through it by squeezing my eyes shut and tightening the CHAPTER 1 LACHLAN We met under a multitude of improbabilities. For starters, I almost didn’t go to the party that night. Earlier in the week, I’d been in a car accident. It was my brother’s fault. He’d veered off the road, trying to avoid hitting a deer. He was successful but killed two coyotes that were left wedged between the front bumper and an oak tree. Needless to say, Mr. PETA was a mess. He broke his left arm. I got a couple of stitches on my jaw. Our mother acted like the world was coming to an end. Local newspapers and magazines plastered my face across their front pages: Fairview Hockey Star in Car Accident. It was all