Red Phoenix's Passion is for Lovers Collection (Boxed Set) (9 page)

“I love you, Luke! I will never stop loving you!” she declared to the heavens.

6 Weeks Later

The school instructed the students to clean out lockers before Spring Break. The custodians were going to paint them over the vacation. Tesse waited until the last second, not caring about school, vacation or anything. She hadn’t heard from Luke. Nothing else mattered.

Her relationship with her mother had changed after his sudden departure. Tesse no longer called her Mom, only Julie. Her mother had stopped calling her Pumpkin. The little girl Tessa was gone.

Julie kept up on the latest information concerning Luke. According to police, his father had been spotted near the school soon after their departure, but there had been no sightings since. Tesse held onto the fact that no news was good news. Luke had to be alive. She would have felt it in her heart if he weren’t.

As a personal gift to herself, Tessa changed her name legally to Tesse against Julie’s wishes. She felt like Tesse now. She had ever since Luke told her it fit. She didn’t care that everyone thought she was weird.

That afternoon before Spring Break started, Tesse threw her school crap into her backpack without any thought. She grunted as she picked up the last few pieces of paper. That was when she saw it—a piece of paper folded up into a tiny square.
Just big enough to fit through the slits in the locker…

Her hands shook as she unfolded it. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? Tesse held her breath as she read his words.

Dear Tesse,

I can’t believe this happened. I can’t believe the asshole found us so easily. We have to run. I hope you understand. My mom needs me. I have to protect her.

I’m leaving not only for her, but also for you. I couldn’t forgive myself if he hurt you, Tesse. I can’t come back until he is behind bars again or dead. But I will come back, I promise. Even if you have moved on by then, I want to see you again. I have to.

Thank you. Thank you for loving me in ways I never thought possible. I didn’t believe I was worthy of such blind affection and then you came into my life. You have changed me and you are right, I need to honor Randy by making something of my life. I hope to do it with you someday but even if that is not possible, I promise I will live, Tesse. Truly live. Your love has given me the strength to do that.

I am grateful for the last nine days. I have lived a lifetime in this short amount of time. I will always remember you, my beautiful Tesse. Wherever you go or whatever path you take, you will always have the support of a man who loves and respects you for the incredible woman you are.

Take care. Be strong and do not fail to live life to the fullest.

All my love,

Luke

Tesse sank to the floor with his letter in her hands. She clutched it close to her heart and allowed herself to cry. The pain she had carried the last six weeks transformed while reading his letter.

Luke loved her and was coming back. Tesse knew it in every fiber of her being.

A tale about sacrificial love

This sequel to In 9 Days is an emotional reunion

of the two long-lost lovers

Copyright © 2012 by Red Phoenix

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

[email protected]

Edited by RJ Locksley

Book cover design by Red Phoenix. Phoenix symbol by Nicole Delfs.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental.

Adult Reading Material

Disclaimer: The material in this book is for mature audiences only and contains graphic sexual content. It is intended only for those aged 18 and older.

The Countdown Begins

T
esse giggled into Jerrod’s shoulder. This was her third attempt to sing the most difficult part of the theme song to
The Phantom of the Opera
. Her voice struggled to reach the highest note.

“Don’t give up yet,” he encouraged. “You nearly had it that time.”

“I’m never going to get it. Mr. Reagan is going to murder me this afternoon. He expects perfection. We only have eight days until opening night and he’s already flipping out on the cast.”

Jerrod leaned towards her and whispered, “I believe in you.” His lips landed on hers before she could react, his kiss firm and inviting. Tesse pulled away, surprised by his boldness. Although she was attracted to Jerrod, they’d never kissed before—and at the courtyard in the center of campus of all places! He smiled down at her. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

Tesse’s cheeks burned but, in truth, she didn’t mind. They’d been friends for almost two years and he’d made it clear from the beginning that he wanted it to be more. She was the one who resisted because of her love for Luke. Luke—her first boyfriend; her soulmate. He had left her three years ago to escape his murderous father, but Luke had promised he would come back for Tess. He never had. No phone calls, no letters, nothing. It had been almost three years since that day and she knew she needed to move on. “You just surprised me,” she answered Jerrod.

“Then can I try again?”

She wasn’t sure why she felt uncomfortable kissing him, but she did. Thinking fast on her feet she blurted, “Only if I sing all my notes right.”

“Then let’s do the last scene. I’ll play the Phantom.”

“I don’t need to rehearse the ending. I can sing that in my sleep.”

“Prove it,” Jerrod said with a wicked little grin. In his best Phantom imitation, he demanded she make her choice.

Tesse knew the scene well. It was her favorite part of the show because it was the sexiest—and the saddest. The Phantom disappeared after Christine’s passionate kiss, just as Luke had in her own life.

Luke abandoned me…

The ache squeezed her heart like a vice. She used it to help her get into character and looked at the Phantom with painful resignation, singing that she would stay with him. Just as in the musical, Tesse kissed Jerrod with hesitation and then pulled away in surprise. She moved in for another kiss, giving into her desire for the Phantom.

The courtyard erupted in whistles and catcalls when Tesse finally broke away. She blushed a deep shade of red, waving off the attention. “Just practicing for the musical. Get over it people.” Tesse glanced at Jerrod. The lust in his eyes was almost comical. “Come on, Jerrod. I was just acting.” She grabbed her backpack and gathered her things, wanting to make a fast exit.

He shook his head. “I don’t believe it for a second, Tesse.
That
was a real kiss.” He slung his backpack onto his shoulder and followed her. “You’re not getting away from me that easily, young lady.”

Tesse hid her grin. She was grateful for Jerrod’s persistence. Any other guy would have given up on her by now. Tess needed someone who could see through her like he did. She’d had it once before with Luke, but he’d broken her heart and Tesse wasn’t sure if she was capable of opening it up to someone else. It was the reason she was running away from Jerrod now.

Just as she was leaving the courtyard, Tesse noticed someone out of the corner of her eye. For a second she thought she saw a tall man with sandy blond hair and red burns on his face. Tesse did a double take, but whoever it was had already disappeared into the crowd. Tesse was tired of seeing Luke wherever she went, but this time it pissed her off.

Her life had been on hold since Luke left her behind, and Tesse was sick of it. She stopped in the middle of the stream of students and wrapped her arms around Jerrod. Tesse kissed him with the pent-up passion of three years alone. This time when she pulled away, both of them were left speechless. She definitely felt attracted to him and it unnerved her.

Tesse scurried to her dorm, confused by her growing feelings for Jerrod. She heard him following behind her and said without looking back, “Meet you in the cafeteria for breakfast. K, Jerrod?”

His footsteps slowed down. “Okay…”

Tesse ran into the building and up the stairs wanting to avoid people. She shut the door behind her and collapsed on her twin-sized bed. Tesse stared long and hard at the picture of Jerrod pinned on the corkboard hanging on the wall. It was the one with the two of them sporting goofy grins while holding pints of green ale on St. Patty’s Day. Jerrod was her good friend and Tesse wanted to start something with him, but damn, her heart still ached for Luke.

“Stop haunting me!” she screamed up at the ceiling.

That night she had a dream about Luke. They were back in high school at his house sitting on the couch. The look in his deep blue eyes drew her to him like a magnet. She lovingly touched his scarred right cheek and leaned in for a kiss. Just before their lips touched, he disappeared. She spent the rest of the dream frantically searching for Luke but never finding him. Tesse woke up to a tear-stained pillow. The pain of his abandonment hit her fresh and raw, as if it had happened only yesterday.

8 Days & Counting…