♾️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Format: ebook

”’You made me look beautiful.’
‘No. You’ve always been beautiful. All of you. You’re so fucking beautiful, Wren. And strong and brave and smart and… everything. You’re everything.’”

When I read Until You, I didn’t think it could ever be topped. I put off reading Steph’s book for that reason. But then I read And Then You, and while I still love Jude and Blake’s story, I just fell into a much deeper love with Steph and Quinn, and I knew for sure they could not ever possibly be topped.

And then I read Maybe You.

And Maybe You fucking topped God of Fury. And if you know me, you know what a big deal that is.

When we first meet Wren, he thrives on being invisible to the world. He doesn’t want to stand out or be seen by anyone. That crumbles when he stumbles upon Sutton—who seems to see a lot more than anyone else has in a very long time. He’s immediately smitten with Wren and while he constantly propositions him for sex, it’s also obvious that he just enjoys being in Wren’s company. Wren is hesitant at first, but they form this kind of weird pseudo-friendship that they’re both just drawn to.
↳”He looks at me, but this time it’s not the usual teasing arrogance I see in his gaze. This time the look is much more serious. Sort of inquisitive. It almost feels like he’s looking at me for the first time. I’m not sure what to make of it. I wanted to be seen, and here he is. Seeing me.”

Wren is very self-conscious about his scars, and it has negatively and fiercely affected past relationships and his sex life. With Sutton’s persistence in pursuing him and his general comfort towards him, he decides to finally take him up on his offer and see if he can ease himself back into having sex. Sutton spends an inordinate amount of time getting Wren out of his own head and making him feel relaxed. Worshipping his body and showing him how sexy and desirable he is. Taking things slow even as Wren tries to push himself past his comfort zone.
↳“‘We’re not in a rush,’ he says. ‘Rushing, as a concept, is pointless. I’d rather take my time with you. You know, if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.’”

And what’s supposed to only be a friends with benefits arrangement turns into friends having sleepovers every night, and Sutton helping Wren at work and with his papers for school, and Wren accompanying Sutton to a fundraiser and distracting him when he gets too overwhelmed, and hanging out with friends together, and Sutton sitting with Wren while he sketches birds in the park, and Wren posing for photos for Sutton. And they both just slowly begin to become better versions of themselves for each other.
↳”I can handle whatever baggage Sutton was talking about. I can. But maybe he needs further proof. Maybe he needs to see me handling my own baggage a bit better.”

Now for the spice. It doesn’t even feel right calling it that. Sutton and Wren never once fucked. They have been making love since the very first time—whether they realize it or not. The goal was never just to come. They thoroughly and reverently enjoyed each other’s bodies over and over again until they had them memorized.
↳“I get to see him like this. Not the put together, cocky, arrogant rich boy he shows the rest of the world. This here is mine. My Sutton.”

Problem is: “You can’t fall in love with me.
That was the one rule.
One rule.
And now here we are anyway.” Our smug, entitled boy is not as shallow as he tried to convince everyone he is. He likened himself to a puddle but he’s in fact as deep and vast as an ocean.
↳“I can’t,” he grits through his teeth and opens his eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I can’t risk you. I won’t.”

No one will ever love anyone the way Sutton Holland loves Wren Mills and that is a hill I will die on. The epitome of “If you love something, set it free,” because he would’ve rather lived with the pain of not having Wren in his life than the pain of ever hurting him. And he never really didn’t have Wren in his life because he watched him for weeks, and only showed himself to keep Wren safe—excuse me while I sob. Again. Because, trust, I cried multiple times reading this book. It’s permanently ingrained into my soul.

I know Briar Prescott isn’t personally attacking me, but it kind of feels like it more and more with every book. But, please, keep them coming.

”’And then I feel like running.’
‘How come you didn’t?’
‘You put birds on my wall.’”