Aiden’s hands find my hips and he helps me find my rhythm. Our mouths are fused together, tongues dueling, and it’s not enough. I want more of him. I want all of him. I break away from the kiss, my chest heaving with excitement. I slowly stand up. I can see the question in his eyes. I reach down, grab his hand, and pull him off the couch. I lead the way down the hall to my bedroom. Aiden stops me in front of his door.
“I need to see you in my bed. I’ve dreamed of that very thing for months. I’ll just hold you if that’s what you want, but I just need you with me…in my bed,” he says, almost pleading.
I reach for the handle and push open the door. Aiden shuts it behind us and fastens the lock. Liam and Allison aren’t here, but better safe than sorry. I walk to the bed and sit down. Aiden comes and stands between my legs. He rests his forehead against mine. “You are so beautiful. Are you really here? Please tell me this is not just a dream?” he asks me, my heart melting at his words.
“I’m here and I’m all yours.”
His lips find mine. Aiden picks me up and moves me further onto the bed, never breaking our kiss. We are laying side by side and I still want more. I sit up and pull my sundress over my head. I can see the shock and appreciation in his eyes.
“Hailey, we don’t have to-” I interrupt him with another kiss. I push his back down on the bed and I straddle his hips.
“Isn’t this where we left off?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer. Instead, his hands find my hips and he again helps me find my rhythm. I can tell that I’m close; that burning tightness is ready to consume me. Aiden sits up so we are chest to chest. He reaches around, unclasps my bra and throws it across the room. His lips instantly find a nipple while his hand teases and caresses the other. This is all it takes to throw me into full-blown orgasmic bliss. I throw my head back and scream out his name. “Aiden!”
This time is more intense and seems to last forever. When I finally come down to Earth, Aiden lays me down beside him and wraps his arms around me. I can feel his hardness through his khaki shorts pressing against my leg. I want to touch him. I want to give him what he just gave me. I want to make him fall apart at the seams.
I reach down, but hesitate. “Can I touch you?” I whisper, afraid that he’s going to turn me down.
He engulfs my cheeks with his big strong hands. “Baby, you can do anything you want to me. I’m yours: heart, body, and soul.”
I feel a rush of heat between my legs, holy shit, the affect those simple words have on me. Aiden lays on his back and I unbutton his shorts. I slowly slide the zipper down and gently stroke him through his boxer briefs. Aiden growls. I smile at the fact that it’s me he wants, and it’s me that’s driving him crazy. Aiden lifts his legs to allow me to pull off his shorts. He takes it a step further, and slides off his boxer briefs and chucks them just like he did my bra. My eyes widen at the size of him, standing at attention for me. I take my hand and softly place my fingers around him. I can feel him pulsating in my hand. It’s erotic and sexy, and I’m so turned on that I can barely focus.
Aiden gently brushes my hair out of my eyes. “I have no expectations for tonight. I would be fine just holding you all night long. You have to promise me that you’ll stop when you reach your limit,” he says with so much love in his eyes. This is really happening!
His words make me want to please him even more, to show him what this is for me. What he is for me. I begin to stroke him gently, and by Aiden’s growls of pleasure, I’m doing a good job. I place kisses up his chest until I reach his neck. I nip and kiss him there, all the while, continuing to work him with my hand. Aiden runs his hands down my body until he finds the center of me. I feel him run his fingers through my folds, and the pleasure of his hands being there is like no other. This is all new to me, not just loving the man of my dreams, but all of it. I’ve been as far as kissing and groping under the shirt, but his lips are the only ones that have ever touched my body intimately. Only Aiden.
I bury my face in his neck, enjoying he sensation that his fingers are causing. “Can I go further, baby? Can I feel you from the inside?” he whispers.
“Please,” I beg him.
He gently slides one of his fingers inside me, and the sensation has me begging for more. “You’re so wet and tight. Has anyone else ever been here, baby?” he asks softy.
“No, Aiden. Please,” I beg.
“Please what? Tell me what you need.”
“More! I need more of you, all of you, now, please.”
He increases his efforts by adding another finger and it feels amazing, but it’s still not enough for me. I want him inside me, all of him.
I place my lips next to his ear. “Make love to me, please, Aiden.”
His hand stills. “Hailey,” he croaks, “I can’t, not yet.” I start to pull away at his rejection, but he grabs a hold and stops me. “Just listen, okay?” I nod my head. “Once I’m inside of you, you’re mine. There will be no turning back. You need to take all the time you need to make sure that this is what you want, because when I make love to you, I won’t ever be able to let you go. You are too f*cking important to me, and I love you so damn much, without ever being inside of you. So when I finally am…yeah, you need to be sure.”
“I don’t need time, Aiden. I’ve loved you for a while now and I know you. I know how amazing you are, and I want nothing more than to be yours for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever,” he says, capturing my lips with another scorching kiss until we are once again both breathless.
I pull back and look into his eyes. “Make love to me, baby,” I say, and I can see that he isn’t going to fight me.
“I don’t have anything to protect you. I never planned on this, and I haven’t been with anyone else in over a year…I’m sorry, we can’t,” he says, disappointment in his voice.
“Hold that thought.” I jump out of bed and pull his t-shirt over my head. I rush to my room and dig through my bag. Luckily for him, I knew this is how I wanted things to go and I came prepared. I make a mad dash back to his room, shut the door, lock it, and rip his t-shirt from my body before crawling back in bed with him. I hand him the new unopened box of condoms and smile. “I wanted to be prepared if you were willing to take me back. This isn’t a spur of the moment decision that I’m going to regret in the morning. This is our forever,” I tell him.
Without another word, Aiden opens the box and pulls out a condom. He throws the rest of the box on the floor. He climbs between my legs and sits back on his. I watch in fascination as he opens the little silver packet and proceeds to sheath himself. “You have to promise me that if you need me to stop, you will tell me. You say stop and we’re done. No pressure,” he says softly as he rubs his erection through my folds.
“I won’t say stop. I want you.”
“I’ll go slow. I don’t want to hurt you.”
I nod and he stills his erection at my entrance. He leans down and places a soft, tender kiss on my lips. “I love you, Hailey,” he says as he slowly pushes inside.
There is a sharp burning and I tense at the pain. Aiden pauses, allowing me to adjust to his size and his entrance to my body. “Just breathe, baby,” he tells me. After a few minutes, I relax under the onslaught of his tongue on my neck. Aiden notices. “All right, just a little more and I will be all the way in. I’ll stop once I’m there and give you as much time as you need.”
“Okay.”
Aiden pushes in the rest of the way in one swift movement. He swallows my cries of pain with his kisses. “I’m so sorry, baby. F*ck, I hate that this hurts you.”
I grab his face in my hands. “I want you to make love to me. I’m good. I promise. The pain is gone. Now, all I need is you.”
Aiden studies me to make sure that I am indeed okay, before he rocks his hips into mine. Pleasure like I have never known consumes me. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck and hold on.
“Baby, I’m sorry, but I’m close. You feel so amazing…can’t…hold…on…much...longer,” he pants.
“Aiden!” I scream as my orgasm tears through me.
“Hailey!” Aiden shouts. He slows his rhythm until he is completely spent.
I pull his chest to mine and hug him tight. “Thank you,” I say into his ear. “I love you.”
He pulls back resting his weight on his arms, careful not to crush me. “I love you. No going back, Hales. You’re mine now.”
Holy. F*cking. Shit! Never in my life have I felt anything like this. Being inside Hailey, making love to her, I have no words to describe this feeling, these emotions coursing through me. I hate to let go of her yet, but I need to get rid of the condom. I drop a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right back, baby.” I quickly jump out of bed and head to the bathroom. I dispose of the condom and wet a washcloth with warm water. I make my way back to the bed and sit on the edge. I tap her legs softy. “Open for me,” I say. She does, no questions asked. I gently clean her up and toss the washcloth through the bathroom door. I’m not leaving her again, so that will have to do for now.
I crawl into bed next to her and pull her down on my chest. She fits perfectly. I pull the covers up over us and kiss her temple. “Sleep, baby. I love you.”
“Love you,” she says with a yawn.
I lay there holding her, gently stroking her back. I can’t believe she’s here. She’s mine after all this time. I’m going to fight like hell, and tell her every day what she means to me. I want forever with this girl. I hug her tighter, close my eyes, and fall into the best night of sleep I can ever remember, holding my girl in my arms.
I wake the next morning to someone knocking on my bedroom door. Hailey grumbles, “go away” and scoots closer to me. I chuckle as I brush the hair from her face.
“Morning, angel.”
The knocking continues. “Aiden, have you seen Hailey? She’s not in her room.” Allison asks through the door. Her voice is laced with concern.
Hailey giggles. “Aiden Emerson, you better not have a girl in there with you. Open this damn door,” Allison seethes.
I smile at Hales. “I think you should get it. It’s your giggling that pissed her off,” I tease her.
“Ugh.” Hailey climbs out of bed and throws me a pair of gym shorts. She grabs my shirt from the floor and slips it on over her head.
She starts for the door and I call out to her, “Hailey.” She turns and I motion for her to come to me. She does. “No matter what, it’s you and me. You’re my girl, nothing is going to change that,” I tell her.
She smiles her breathtaking smile, kisses my cheek, and saunters to the door shaking her fine ass as she goes. Damn minx.
She pulls open the door and Allison’s mouth drops open. She takes Hailey in and what she’s wearing. She looks over Hailey’s shoulder and spots me sitting up in bed. Sans shirt. I smile and wave.
“Did you…are you…” Allison can’t form a sentence, and I can’t help but laugh at her.
Hailey looks over her shoulder and smiles at me. “Yeah, we did, and yeah, we are,” she says, looking right at me. My hearts skips a beat just at the sight of her standing there in my shirt, voice still raspy with sleep. She f*cking gorgeous and she’s mine.
“Holy shit! Finally!” Allison screams as she tackles Hailey in a hug. I throw my head back and laugh.
Liam comes rushing into the room. “What’s going on? Why are you yelling?” His eyes are roaming over Allison, making sure she’s okay. After coming to the conclusion that she is, indeed, fine, his eyes move to Hailey. He takes in her appearance and I see the moment realization hits. “Are you happy, Hales?” he asks quietly.
“Deliriously,” she replies.
A smile breaks across his face. “Finally, you two have come to your senses. Now maybe, I can have my best friend and my sister back,” he teases.
I hop out of bed and join them at the door. I place an arm around Hailey’s waist and haul her against my chest. “What’s for breakfast?” I ask and we all laugh. Everything is right. Hales is mine and I couldn’t be happier.
The rest of the week flies by. Hailey and Allison hang out while Liam and I are at camp. At night, I spend time with my girl, and make love to her. Tonight is her last night here. She has to go back tomorrow because she starts nursing school on Monday. It’s going to kill me to let her go, but this is her dream. I want her to have everything she could ever want. I will be racking up some miles on the ol’ Tahoe.
“So, long distance. You think we can do this?” she asks as we lay in bed.
“Yes. No question in my mind. You are my life, Hailey. This has been the best week of my existence, and I want nothing more than to tie you to my bed and keep you here, but I can’t. You need to finish school and make your dreams come true. I’ll be here when you’re done. Actually, I’ll be there to pack your ass up and move you here with me. One year, baby. Twelve months. We got this,” I tell her.
“I’m going to miss you, miss sleeping in your arms,” she says softly.
“I will be there as much as I can, and when you get a break from class, you come to me.”
“We got this,” she repeats my words.
I hold her tight, not looking forward to tomorrow. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep for the last night for a while with my girl in my arms.
The last few months have been sweet agonizing pleasure. It’s been a little over five months since Hailey and I became an official couple, and I have never been happier in my life. It’s hard going all week not seeing her, and away games sucked, but she traveled to a few that were close and she made every single home game. Hailey loves school, and that makes the separation a hell of a lot easier to take. It makes her happy, which makes me happy. I thought I loved her then, those feelings pale in comparison to how I feel about her now.
Today is the day that my best friend marries my sister. Liam and Allison are getting married. It’s a small affair, just close friends and family. Allison doesn’t have any family other than me and my parents, so they are keeping it simple. Hailey and I make up the entire wedding party as best man and maid-of-honor. She tried her dress on for me last night, and I just about swallowed my tongue. She takes my breath away every f*cking time I look at her.
Liam, Allison, and our parents have been helping me with a surprise that I have planned for Hailey. Tonight, I’m going to ask her to marry me. I want every part of her engrained with every part of me, forever. I’ve been planning this for a while, since day one, I think. It was actually Allison who suggested I do it tonight. At first, I fought it, not wanting to take away from their day. They both insisted that it will just make the day more memorable. So here I am, in a small room in the reception hall. I’m standing on a ladder with glow-in-the-dark stars. I’m writing Marry Me on the ceiling. The inspiration comes from that night by the pond at Liam and Allison’s engagement party. The stars were so bright that night, an amazing background to the start of our future. Even though that night ended badly, the start of it was spectacular and I remember every single f*cking second of my time with her under the stars.
I place the final star as my cell rings. It’s Liam.
“Hello?” I say climbing down the ladder. I could have paid someone to do this, but I wanted it to be me. It means more knowing that I did this for her.
“Where in the hell are you? Hailey is starting to freak that you’re not here,” he says, frustrated.
“Relax, man. I’m in the building. I was just finishing my surprise. My mom is going to take care of the champagne, and my dad has the ring for now. I have your ring for Allie in my pocket.” I reach into my pocket for reassurance that it is, indeed, still there.
“Thank f*ck!” Liam says. I hope I can hold it together a little better when Hales and I get our turn. Who am I kidding? I’ll probably sob like a f*cking baby at the relief that she is legally mine.
“I’m on my way,” I tell him. I shut off the light and lock the door, placing the key in my pocket. I rush through a shower and dress quickly in my tux. My dad comes in to tell us that it’s almost time. He also goads Liam, telling him how beautiful Allison looks. My dad is walking her down the aisle. I can still remember how nervous she was to ask him. My dad welled up with tears at her request. She is our family in every sense of the word.
The wedding is simple and elegant, and very much Allison. I can tell that she had a hand in every single detail of the day. She and Liam both are wearing permanent smiles. My hand slides into my pocket and I grasp the box that my father slipped me after my best man speech. It’s time for me to surprise my girl and ask her to give me her forever. The song I requested begins to play. I chose Dierks Bentley “Breathe Me In”. That’s the same song that was playing at the engagement party when I asked her to take a walk with me. Fits well with the theme of the night.
Hailey is talking to our parents. They all know what’s about to happen. My palms are sweaty. I know she loves me, but there is always the unknown fear of rejection. I walk up behind Hailey and place my hand on her hip. “Dance with me,” I whisper in her ear. She looks over her shoulder at me, and smiles.
I grab her hand and lead her out to the dance floor. I pull her close and breathe her in, just like Dierks tells me to. Hailey goes up on her tiptoes and kisses me tenderly. This girl owns me. The song comes to an end and I almost miss it because of her kiss.
“Take a walk with me,” I whisper. She smiles, the one that she reserves just for me, and I know she remembers. My plan is falling into place. I lead her to the hallway and pull a thin black scarf out of my pocket. “I have a surprise for you, baby,” I tell her. “I need to place this over your eyes. I promise it won’t be tight and I will not mess up your hair,” I vow.
She laughs and there has never been a sweeter sound. “Who cares about my hair? The night is almost over,” she says.
I gently place the blind fold over her eyes. I make sure it’s not too tight. After I’m confident that she can no longer see, I place my hand in the small of her back and guide her down the hallway. I stop in front of the door. I reach into my pocket and pull out the key. I slide the key into the lock and it makes a clicking sound. “Aiden?”
“I just had to unlock the door, baby,” I assure her, leading her into the room. I shut the door behind us and turn the lock back into place. I need this moment to just be ours, I can’t risk our family busting in and ruining the moment.
I step behind Hailey and place a tender kiss at the base of her neck. The room is dark except for the glow of my heart spelled out in stars on the ceiling, Marry Me. Here goes nothing.
“Baby, can you tilt your head back for me and keep your eyes closed?”
“Yes,” she whispers into the quiet room.
I feel my way to the blindfold and untie it. I slip it from her eyes and shove it into my pocket, replacing the ring box. I walk around to the front of her and go down on one knee.
“Open your eyes, angel,” I say huskily.
I hear her gasp. “Aiden!” she says. I can hear the emotion in her voice. I clap my hands and a lamp turns on and illuminates the room with a soft glow. Yes, I used a clapper and I am proud of my well thought out eBay purchase.
I open the box; she places a hand over her mouth trying to drown out the sobs. She is crying big tears. If it weren’t for the huge smile lighting up her eyes, I would be scared as hell, but the look in her face, she wants this and my confidence rises.
“Hailey, you are the love of my life, the most important person in my world. You never leave my mind no matter what’s going on in my day. These past several months have been the happiest and the hardest of my life. I hate being away from you, but I love the fact that I know no matter where you are, you’re mine and I’m yours. My love for you knows no bounds. I love you with every beat of my heart. Will you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?”
Hailey launches herself into my arms and we fall backwards. She kisses me hard. I laugh because I can only assume that this means she’s saying yes, but I need to hear the words.
I sit up with her in my lap. I brush a loose tendril of hair from her eyes. I take the ring out of the box and slip it on her finger. “I need to hear you say it, baby.”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Aiden Emerson, you are my heart and I want nothing more than to be your wife.
I rest my forehead against hers. “Thank you for giving me your forever.”
I hear cheers outside the door and realize our families must be out there eavesdropping. They had to have heard Hailey’s triple yes. I laugh. “That would be our families,” I tell her.
“Do they know?” she asks.
“Yes, they know. I had to ask your parents’ for permission. I also discussed it with Liam, and by default, Allison. I told my parents because, well, they’re my parents.”
“You’re a dream come true, Aiden Emerson.”
“As are you, future Mrs. Emerson.”
Other works by Kaylee Ryan
Anywhere With You – August 2013
I have so many people that I want to thank. First and foremost, my husband for your never ending support and encouragement. There is no way that I could have made it through this process without you. To my son for all the times that mommy needed just a few more minutes. I love you both!
To all of my new author friends, you ROCK! Your support means the world to me and I will be forever grateful. Our group discussions help me realize that we are all out there doing what we love and supporting one another is essential to each of us and our success. (AS101)
Sarah Hanson of Okay Creations, another amazing cover. Thank you so much for your amazing talent!
Mary from Mary Elizabeth’s Crazy Book Obsession, girl you are amazing! Organizing the cover reveal, release day blitz, to the blog tour and creating the trailer. Your support means the world to me and I could not have done this without you!
Tiffany Aleman and Ashley Poch thank you for allowing an excerpt of More With You to be included in your new release Serenity Falls.
Tiffany Aleman thanks for the talks and support. I am truly blessed that we are friends and I can only hope that I am able to provide you with the same support that you have given me. I love ya girl!
To all of the bloggers out there…Thank you so much. Your never ending support of the indie community is greatly appreciated. I know that you don’t hear it enough so hear me now. I appreciate each and every one of you and the support that you have given me. Love Between the Sheets, Just Booked, Helenas Book Obesession, Bad and Dirty Books, LipSmackin Good Books, Stephanie’s Book Reports, Best Sellers & Best Stellars of Romance, Jodie’s Wine List. Thank you to all of you for the support that you have given me. I know that there are many others who have supported me through this process and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.
To Tami of Integrity Formatting you make it all come together in a pretty little package. Thank you!
To my street team, you ladies know who you are. I will never be able to tell you how much your support means. I will never forget all that you have done for me. Thank you!
Last but not least, to the readers. Without you none of this would even be worth the effort. I truly love writing and I am honored that I am able to share that with you. Thank you to each and every one of you for reading More With You.
Continue reading for excerpts from a few other amazing indie authors…
Looking for your next read? Read Very Bad Things, the #1 New Adult Romance from bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills. Available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks!
"Very Bad Things is maddening, passionate, heart-breaking, all-encompassing, and about a million other adjectives." Books to Breathe
Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She's an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She's perfect. Or is she?
Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she changes the course of her life, becoming a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.
Then through a chance encounter, she meets her soulmate. But he doesn't want her.
When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about...until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.
As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.
Welcome to Briarcrest Academy...where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things.
**Very Bad Things is a complete standalone novel without a cliffhanger.**
This is an excerpt of Luck and Faith, book 2 in the Luck Series written by Tiffany Aleman and Ashley Poch.
*This excerpt is unedited and subject to change*
Synopsis:
Moving forward is hard.
Forgiving yourself is harder.
After Derrick found Blake in an alley beaten and broken, life changed—for him and for her.
Circumstances force Blake back to the place where it all began. When she receives a call from her mother, her world suddenly slips from beneath her. After a chance encounter, will Blake be strong enough to keep the nightmares from suffocating her once again? Surrounded by her memories, can Blake finally accept that the past is just that… the past?
The sight of a battered, lifeless Blake forces Derrick to realize that forgiveness is necessary because mistakes are just that… mistakes. Derrick begins searching for the past that he has avoided for most of his life, hoping to close that chapter and begin a new story. Will the outcome free him to embrace the destiny he seeks and allow to move forward?
Some truths are hard to face. Landon learns this first hand. After learning he’s fallen in love with the same girl his best friend loves, truths and secrets are revealed. Will he be able to handle it?
Can Derrick and Blake learn from the lessons taught by their pasts? Will they come together through new life, stronger and prepared to face whatever life throws their way? Or will the shadows of the past attempt once again to tear them apart?
CHAPTER 1
Derrick
Pain. Excruciating pain tears at my soul as I watch the paramedics tend to Blake. Standing by helplessly in the shadows, I watch them poke and probe her battered body. The guilt is suffocating, knowing that my actions are what led her to run away. Numbness begins to swallow the pain. Everything’s in slow motion—every word, every sound, every movement. I can hear the paramedics talking. I watch as they wheel the gurney over to her body, I watch them lift her onto it. I know I should be trying to do something, but I’m a bystander frozen in time.
Ringing in my ears snaps me out of my haze. Reality slams into me like a freight train. Through blurred vision I watch as the paramedics lift Blake into the back of the ambulance. The only thing that comes to mind is—run. Sprinting at full speed, I shove my arm in between the ambulance doors just as they begin to close. I’m breathless as I rip the door open. “I have to ride with her.”
The paramedic must realize that I’ve left no room for reason. He nods his head, gives me his hand and hoists me into the ambulance. I climb onto the bench seat next to Blake, cradling her limp hand in between mine. My elbows rest on my knees as I rest my forehead on top of our joined hands. Teary eyed, I pray to God that she’s okay. Drowning out the screams of the sirens and the voices of the paramedics, my fingers drift down her wrist coming to rest on her pulse. I focus on the faint thud of her heart-beat. Instantly, I calm myself down matching my rhythm with hers.
I’m jolted out of my trance as the ambulance screeches to a halt. The doors swing open with doctors and nurses crowding the exit. I’m silently encouraged by the paramedics to move. A team of people help lower Blake out of the ambulance, I’m the last one to escape. With the medical team in tow, I watch as the EMTs rush her body inside and frantically relay her condition. I hurry behind them, trying to catch up with her. No sooner than I think that I’ve made it to her side again, a pair of hands grab my arms pulling me back. With my breath coming in spurts I hear a soft woman’s voice, “Sir you can’t go back there.”
“What do you mean I can’t go back there?” I all but shout at her. She waves her hand to the set of double doors with a sign that reads “Medical Personnel Only”. My knees buckle and I collapse to the floor below. My chest heaves up and down as the pit in my stomach sinks deeper and deeper. There really is nothing I can do. Everything that has happened from Blake and Landon, to seeing Blake’s barely lifeless body, to going into a blind rage beating the shit out of that guy, I fall apart. I. Literally. Break. Down. With uncontrollable sobs I say in between breaths, “She needs me. I love her. I need to be with her.” I say this mostly to myself. Warm gentle hands grab me below my arm. Slowly, the person helps me stand. I look to see the owner of the hands. Dressed in dark blue scrubs, a nurse guides me to the waiting room and helps me to sit. I try to compose myself as I rest my elbows on my knees cradling my head in my hands.
What seems to be hours later, is only minutes in reality, I sit up and run my fingers through my hair taking deep calming breaths. I can’t just sit here. I need to do something. I quickly stand and exit the waiting room, nearly running to the nurses’ station. Deciding to take matters into my own hands, I spot a nurse with salt and pepper hair and green scrubs sitting behind a computer. She smiles at my approach. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. What’s going on back there?” I ask with a slight edge to my tone.
“Who are you talking about, sir?”
“Blake Riley.”
Picking up a clip-board with paperwork attached to it she says, “Sir, why don’t you fill out this paperwork and I’ll try and see what I can find out, okay?” My eyes flicker from her to the clipboard. She’s serious. This woman wants me to fill out paperwork. My girlfriend nearly had the life beaten out of her and this woman is worried about me filling out paperwork.
In a deadpanned expression I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “I’m sorry, you want me to fill out paperwork?” My tone is condescending as I try to rein in my temper before I combust. I rake my fingers through my hair, tugging on the ends, I look back at the nurse and say in the calmest tone possible, “If you could please just tell me something—anything.”
Let Me In by Michelle Lynn
Synopsis:
Grant is damaged, selfish, and undeserving of love…or so he thinks.
Jessa is happy, in love, and has overcome her past…or so she thinks.
Grant and Jessa can’t stop thinking about one another since being introduced at a party a month ago. And despite their differences, they can’t seem to stay away from each other either. However, both are hiding secrets of less-than-perfect pasts, fearing what will happen when those mistakes come to light. As they grow closer, they each battle their own insecurities, and neither believes that they are worthy of the kind of love that they both still want. So if it’s true that opposites attract, what happens when the similarities begin to surface?
Excerpt
My mind races as I’m leaving the lecture hall. Pulling my gloves and hat on, I watch Grant’s large frame walk quickly in the other direction. How can your heart and mind be in two more different places? My heart screams for Grant every time we’re around each other, but my mind won’t let me take the step. Make that a giant leap.
The thing that scares me the most is that he doesn’t truly want it. I can feel his desire for me throughout my whole body when he’s near, but then he pulls back just as fast. Then again, the last thing I want is to stay with Rob just for the sake of having someone. I’m stronger than that and I know it.
Before Jason, I wouldn’t have thought twice about breaking things off with Rob and running toward Grant. F*ck Jason for making me doubt my self-worth. My therapist’s words ring in my head from my last session: ‘You have to live again, Jessa. Go, and be happy. You’ve done the work, now reap the reward.’ Dr. Hinkle was the one who convinced me to leave Boulder and start fresh somewhere else. And that’s exactly what I did last semester.
When I first met Rob, I was scared out of my mind, but I pushed forward like Dr. Hinkle said and let him in. Things were so great…at first. He took me home for Thanksgiving and it felt as though we were really going somewhere. That he could be the one and we’d fall in love and live happily ever after. Then he and his band agreed to play Grant’s fraternity party and our relationship started to shift. Dates stopped, the swooning disappeared, and suddenly, I’m being rushed through drive-thru windows to eat and propped up against anything but a bed to f*ck.
What the hell is wrong with me? As though the storm clouds have unexpectedly parted in my mind, it dawns on me. Regardless of Grant, I need to get rid of Rob. He’s not the one, and if I feel this strongly for someone else while we’re together, he can’t really be the love of my life.