Left Together
Authors: D.J. Pierson
Left
Together
By
D.J. Pierson
Copyright
© 2015 D.J. Pierson
All Rights
Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used
in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of
fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or
locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s
imagination and used fictitiously.
ISBN 13:
978-1507672891
ISBN 10:
1507672896
Cover by: Samantha
Bagood @ Cover Pub
http://coverpub.samanthabagood.com
Edited
by: Kim Young @
https://www.facebook.c
om/KimsEditingServices2013
DEDICATION
For my husband
.
No matter what life
decides to
throw
our way
,
the most important thing is
being
Left Together
.
One
Kacie
Moving
back home has gone much differently than expected. During the few weeks leading
up to graduation and the long drive home, I managed to convince myself nothing
would ever be right in my life again. Gram was gone, so how could anything possibly
be normal? The hole in my heart has been jagged, hollow, and irreparable since
the night she left. They say when a child is born, there’s supposed to be an
unbreakable bond that forms between a mother and her baby. When I was born, my
mother couldn’t be bothered, so she declined when the nurse tried to place me
in her arms. I was rejected by the one person who was supposed to love me
unconditionally from the very beginning. So my grandmother scooped up a
neglected newborn to properly welcome me into the world. Gram once told me how
she could feel the way she and I connected at that very moment. Trying to live
in a world without her has been difficult, to say the least. Every morning, instead
of easier, getting out of bed has been harder than the previous day. Coming
back to the home we had once shared made me feel abandoned all over again.
Desperately trying to hang onto the small things, like the sound of her voice
or the feeling of comfort that would fall over me when I was with her, is
heartbreakingly difficult.
And
then I met Evan Pierce.
I wish
I could explain exactly what happened. One minute, I was trying to find refuge
from the two people who refer to themselves as my parents, and the next, I was
broadsided by the most stunning crystal blue eyes I had ever seen. The first
time I saw him will forever be etched in my mind. He was facing me, leaning on
the bar between us. His sandy blond hair was an orderly mess, making him
intoxicatingly sexy. The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up to just
below his elbows. The muscles of his forearms had me longing to see what was
hidden beneath his work clothes. With arms like that, there was no way he
wasn’t built. As if the way he looked wasn’t enough, when I spoke to him, I had
his undivided attention. It was as if Evan and I were the only two people in
the club and he had absolutely nothing more important to do. While his eyes were
what originally caught my attention, his smile was what ended up stealing my
heart. I’m not sure what it was. Maybe it was the way his lips curled up, appearing
devilish and angelic all at the same time. Who knows? Who cares?
There
are some things I
do
know. The more time Evan and I spend together, the
more my heart heals. It won’t ever be whole again, but the jagged fragments
have somehow become smoother, not quite as sharp. Not quite as painful. The hollow
space is a little thinner than it used to be. Falling asleep and waking up
isn’t as difficult, especially when I’m not alone. I’ve been finding reasons to
get out of bed, other than just to put a stop to the nightmares or sleepless
nights. The best part is they are the simplest reasons. Wanting to see what the
weather’s like. Getting ready to meet one of my friends somewhere. Reading a
book. Working on lesson plans for the upcoming school year. Living the life I
was meant to live before Gram was stolen from me. And it’s all because of Evan.
He has given this back to me, although he claims it is me who has given life
back to him.
This
morning, I had to sneak out of bed to come down to the pool in order to swim a
few laps. Evan doesn’t really like when I do this, but it’s sometimes necessary.
When it’s a running day, I will generally wait for him. The company is actually
kind of nice to have, whereas I preferred to run alone before. It’s not that he
won’t come out to the pool with me. The problem is that he will. Typically,
I’ll be able to get in a lap, maybe two, before he starts with the glimmer in
his eyes. The glimmer that warns me of what’s to come. Once that happens,
there’s no stopping him. Why would I stop him? My body always does whatever he
wants it to. Normally, I’m a very independent person who tends to do the
opposite of what someone demands of me, but everything is different with him.
Not in a bad way. It’s not that being with Evan changes who I am. On the
contrary. Being with him allows me to be myself, minus the protective outer
layer I wear for almost everyone else. The only reason my guard has been
lowered is very simple. I’m falling for him. It doesn’t hurt that, every day,
he shows he’s feeling the same way. Take today, for example. At my birthday
party a month ago, I finally gave in to what was happening and decided to give
us a chance. He’s insisting we go out to celebrate what he says is the
anniversary of the best night of his life. It wouldn’t be polite if I let him
go by himself.
On my
last lap, I both feel and hear someone jump into the pool next to me. My quiet,
peaceful morning has come to an end. Finally. I don’t particularly like being
awake while Evan sleeps. Since he’s the manager of his uncle’s nightclub, we
don’t get to spend much time together. Once school begins and I start my first
year of teaching, there will be even less hours for us to see each other. Plus,
I recently inherited Gram’s share of Shining Stars Private Elementary School,
making me part-owner, so that will take up a lot of my time. Gram had entirely
too much confidence in me.
As I
break the surface of the water, a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist,
pulling me backward. Once my body collides with his chest, Evan brings his lips
to my ear. “It’s bad enough waking up without you when we can’t spend the night
together. Would you please stop leaving me to wake up alone when I shouldn’t
have to?”
My
heart begins to ache at hearing him say that. Maybe getting these laps in
should have waited until he left for work. I spin around to face him, running
both hands into his wet hair. His eyes close momentarily, as they do almost
every time I do that. “Evan, I wasn’t leaving you. I just didn’t want to wake
you up.”
“How
many times do I have to tell you?”
“I
know. I just don’t want you to be tired because of me. You work late and need to
get rest at some point.”
“Did
you forget I didn’t work last night?” We had ducked out of his aunt and uncle’s
Fourth of July barbecue while everyone else was distracted by the fireworks.
I
lower my voice to a whisper, “I beg to differ. As I recall, you worked
overtime.”
Evan
glances down to where my teeth are now embedded into my lower lip, then slowly
returns his gaze to my eyes. His sexy grin makes an appearance as he says,
“You’re so damn good at begging.”
I have
no one to blame but myself for the flush of red spreading across my cheeks. I
should have thought that through before speaking. Evan starts chuckling while I
try to break free from his grasp.
“I
don’t get it. Why the hell do you get embarrassed like that? It never seems to
bother you when you are saying things like ‘Don’t stop’ or ‘Harder’ or, my all-time
favorite, when my name rolls off of that very talented tongue of yours while
you gasp for your next breath.”
“If
you don’t shut the hell up right this second, you’re going to be doing more
things alone than just waking up,” I threaten. He can’t help himself. Teasing
me seems to be some kind of intriguing pastime of his.
“All
right, all right,” he surrenders. I stop trying to get away and allow him to
hold me again. “But really, Kacie, please wake me up before you get out of bed.
Seeing you first thing in the morning makes me happy, no matter how early it
is.” A sigh escapes me. “I’m getting enough sleep. Don’t worry about that shit.”
I run
my hand along his unshaven cheek and wrap my legs around him while he hangs on
to the edge of the pool, keeping us both afloat. “As your girlfriend, I will
worry about that shit, but I won’t leave you anymore.”
“Promise?”
Making the perfect puppy dog eyes is one of his overused abilities.
“Promise.”
He
kisses my cheek. “Thank you.” Now that he feels better about that situation,
his eyes start to glisten.
“Oh
no,” I say, unraveling myself from him.
“What?”
he asks, smirking.
“You
know what.”
He only
lets me get a few feet away before he’s tugging me back to him. Evan pins me up
against the side of the pool, blocking me in. “It’s hard enough trying to
resist you when you’re dressed. When you have no clothes on, it’s impossible to
keep my hands off you.”
“I
have
clothes on,” I inform him.
“Not
for long,” he grins. His damn tongue is on my neck before I can stop him.
Without conscious thought, my head tilts back, granting him the access he
needs. When a soft sound escapes me, I can feel his lips smile against my skin.
He knows he has me exactly where he wants me.
“What
about my neighbors?”
“They
need to mind their own fucking business,” he says as his hand slides under my
bikini top.
Just
as I reach for Evan’s swim trunks, one particular neighbor decides to stroll
into my backyard. “Knock that shit off, Pierce,” Jake calls out. “Save it for the
bedroom.” Jake and his sister, Jade, have been my best friends since childhood
and, quite honestly, I wouldn’t have survived this long without the two of them.
“Motherfucking,
cock blocking bastard,” Evan grumbles under his breath, pulling my bathing suit
back into place. “You really need to close off the opening between your yard
and his.”
“Can’t
do that. Jade would be pissed,” I tease.
“Come
on, man. Cut me a break,” Jake says, stopping next to the pool. “Jade and Kyle
just started making out at the damn kitchen table. I’m going to have to move
out if they don’t stop that shit.” Jade started dating Kyle right after I moved
back home. It’s about time she’s with someone who makes her happy.
“How
is that
my
problem?” Evan asks, obviously irritated.
“I’ll
make it up to you later,” I whisper in Evan’s ear.
“Damn
right you will,” Evan says, not so quietly. I feel him watching me swim over to
the ladder and climb out of the water.
I walk
over to grab the two towels laying on the lounge chair, throw one next to the
pool where Evan is lifting himself out, and wrap the other around myself.
“Morning, Jake,” I greet him.
“Hey,
Kacie,” Jake says, tossing a football up in the air and catching it. “Just so
you know, everyone noticed you two disappeared last night.”
“We
didn’t disappear. We left.” I’m hoping my cheeks aren’t turning color again.
Jake
laughs hard enough that his dimples show. “You left without saying goodbye. You
totally disappeared. Even Evan’s uncle was making jokes about it. Don’t worry.
Aunt Grace put a stop to it.”
Everyone
refers to Evan’s aunt as their own because she makes you feel that way. The
first time I met her, which was the day after my birthday, she hugged me tight
and started crying. She thanked me over and over again for being the reason her
nephew had been so happy. Before I could even utter a word, the woman welcomed
me into her family. Since then, I’ve had lunch and dinner with her and Meg a few
different times. We’ve even gone shopping. At first, I turned down their
invitations because it felt like I was interfering on their mother-daughter
quality time. Evan must have said something because before he left my house for
work one day, they showed up, refusing to leave until I agreed to go. It’s nice
hanging out with them because Jade has been spending more time with Kyle.
“How
much later did you stay?” I ask to shift the discussion.
“Another
couple hours,” he answers.
“Why
the hell are you up so early then?” Evan wonders. His shorts are practically
dry already, so he lays the towel over the back of a chair and holds up his
hands for Jake to throw him the ball.
Jake
backs up a few steps, then passes the ball to his friend. “Those of us who have
real jobs are used to getting up early.” Here we go again with their
reoccurring, childish argument over who has the better occupation.
Evan
returns the ball and replies, “Please, Quinn. No one wants to hear how much you
want to be me.”
“I’m
not listening to this bullshit anymore. Come inside for breakfast when you’re
done,” I tell them both, heading for the house.
“Hey,
Foster!” Jake calls out before I get to the back door. When I turn, he’s
holding the football behind his head, waiting to throw it to me.
“Yo!
Don’t throw that at my girl!” Evan warns.
“I’m
not throwing it
at
her. I’m throwing it
to
her,” Jake informs him
with a smile. “And I’m not going to be easy about it, either.” I wipe my hands
on the towel to make sure they aren’t slippery, then drop it to the ground. Am
I really going to have a catch with two guys while wearing a bikini?
Evan
starts walking to him. “If you hurt her…”
Jake
doesn’t wait for him to finish. He flings his arm forward and releases the ball
in my direction. I don’t dare take my eyes off of it to see Evan’s reaction.
It’s not straight at me, so I have to step to my left. I reach out and watch as
the ball lands safely in my hands. My attention darts to Evan, who looks both
relieved and shocked.