Adrenaline: A Fall Away Series Bonus Content Collection (5 page)

Deleted Scenes

Jared and Tate originally didn’t go to Homecoming together…

My heels came off as soon as I stepped inside. The deep ache in my toes from being cramped into a too-tight space welcomed the cool hardwood floor. After locking the door and double checking the back door, I headed up to my room and switched on the heat on my way. 
Throwing my heels into a corner to be forgotten about until the end of time, I stood in front of my floor-length mirror to take another look at my dress before taking it off. Unzipping the back until it came down to the top of my rear, I caught sight of movement in the reflection of Jared’s bedroom window coming through the mirror.

Shit!

I hadn’t noticed that his light was on. I paused, holding the dress up with one arm under my breasts and another hand at the zipper. My gut told me to get my ass into the bathroom, but something held me back. He stood, paused like me, at his window.

He still wore the black pants from earlier, but he had changed into a clean white t-shirt. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, so I don’t think he noticed me noticing him. What the hell was I doing? Either zip up or clear out, I told myself.

‘You need to use the hammer’…Madoc’s words came back to haunt me. Jared’s game of tug of war had to stop. We’d move left and then right, but we really never got anywhere. Did he punch Madoc because he was jealous? Did he kiss me…twice, because he wanted me? Was I standing here almost naked, because I wanted him, too? The answer to all three was a ‘yes’.

I wanted him to come to me. I wanted him. Unravel him, I told myself.

I bowed my head, so my hair fell over my chest on either side, and I let the dress slide down my body slowly. The pounding in my chest hurt, but the blaze I felt on my skin was delicious. I stepped out of the dress and shoved it aside, and looked at myself, seeing what he saw.

My black, lacy boy shorts hugged my toned skin, and the rest of my body was bare to his eyes. Thanks to running and a summer of outdoor traveling, my skin still held some tan. I brought my fingers up and started threading them through my hair.

I couldn’t make out Jared’s expression, but he was still frozen in place and intensity rippled off his body like a shockwave. I’d never been naked, or almost naked, in front of a man before, other than the time Jared ambushed me in the ladies’ locker room. His dark eyes on me did powerful things to my body. The pulsing happening between my legs made me weak and turned my breath ragged. Before my knees gave out, I turned on the ball of my foot and sauntered into the bathroom as calmly and evenly as I could manage.

Letting out a long breath, I leaned my weight against the back of the bathroom door and fell to the floor. What was I doing? I was no match for him. I wasn’t cut out for this! The thought of him, the sight of him, kept drawing me in like a moth to a flame. My head bowed to my knees and I pushed air in and out of my lungs slowly.

I stayed like that for a while, and my breathing took several minutes to return to normal. Getting up, I grabbed a towel from the rack on the wall and wrapped it around my body before coming to stand in front of the mirror.

Assessing the red blush covering my skin, I decided to not do any more undressing in front of my window again. Ever.

Picking my toothbrush out of the holder, I got busy brushing, flossing, and rinsing before washing my face. Realizing I left my pajamas on my bed, I walked back into my room in my towel and nearly screamed when I saw Jared sitting in my chair next to the French doors. He rested one black boot over his knee as he leaned back. His pose was casual, but his stare was formidable.

Straightening my shoulders and swallowing, I fixed him with a forced annoyed look. “How did you get in here?”

“I have a key, remember?” Both of his arms rested on the arm rests, while his long fingers dangled off the edges. He looked strong, confident and bad for women.

I showed him my back as I turned around to grab some fresh underwear out of my drawer. The mirror that hung above the dresser offered me a perfect view of him. “You weren’t invited,” I stated calmly, even though my heartbeat was racing again.

“Yes, I was.” Chills covered my body at his stealthy and all-too-true comeback.

“So…now that you’re here, what are you going to do?” A slight grin adorned my face before I reached for the thin, white robe hanging on the hook on my bedroom door.

Watching him watching me, I pulled the towel off my body before slipping my arms into the robe. His breath hitched at the sight of my naked back. Nothing else was visible to him as I still wore my boy shorts, and the height of the dresser covered my breasts from his view through the mirror.

“What are you doing to me, Tate?” he whispered, his eyes zoning in on me like a warning.

Pretending to be interested in something on my dresser top, I replied innocently. “I can’t do anything to you, Jared. We’re not friends, remember? We never were. I mean nothing to you. Right?”

Jared suddenly stood up, causing my muscles to lock up, and crossed the room to come up behind me. I could feel his chest at my back and his pants grazing my behind. Both of his hands grasped the edge of the dresser on either side of me, locking me in. Déjà vu struck me as I recalled the last time I was in this position with him at Tori’s party a year ago. However, this time I wasn’t looking for an escape. His mouth brushed against my hair, and I closed my eyes momentarily indulging in his closeness.

“No, we’re not friends.” He spoke, and I opened my eyes to meet his deep brown ones in the mirror. “You thought we were best buds, or…some shit.” He smirked, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. “For me, it was like there wasn’t anything else but you. Even at ten, I knew you were it for me.” His eyebrows pinched together, and he looked sad. “And by the time I was fourteen, you were the only girl in my dreams. I couldn’t be your friend, Tate. I always wanted more.” Looking straight at me, he added, “I still do.”

“Jared…” My brain was trying to process what he had said, and while I had so many questions, it filled me with joy to hear him say all of those things.

Jared released one hand and dug his phone out of his pocket. Scrolling a couple of screens, he held up a photo of Madoc and me at the dance tonight. It was the one of us standing in front of the cab with his arm around my shoulder.

“He texted me pictures of the two of you tonight. He has his arm around you. Do you know what my first thought was?” His eyes left the picture and questioned me. “How badly I wanted to hurt him. He’s my best friend. He’d lie down in front of a car for me, and I had to talk myself out of hurting him. Or rather talk myself out of hurting him again.”

“Why would he text you pictures?” Was Madoc trying to make Jared jealous?

“Because he’s fucking with my head, that’s why.” Jared’s scowl erupted on me. “I thought the same thing about Ben, and every other guy who showed you attention over the years. I wanted to rip their hands off when they touched you.” His breathing got deeper as he tried to calm himself. Looking up, his eyes appeared hard and decisive. “That’s how I know I’m no good for you.”

I turned around and cocked my head to the side to look up at him. My fingers itched to touch him. His hair fell on his forehead, and I wanted to thread my fingers through it before taking him in my arms. The heat of his breath caressed my face. “What do you want from me, Jared?” I wanted to know, because I was confused as hell right now. If he’d just stop holding back, maybe we had a chance of putting the pieces back together.

We were like magnets, unable to break contact as he inched closer and our lips found each other. He grasped both sides of my face, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. Jared’s lips covered mine and his tongue moved inside my mouth overwhelming me with its heat. The fire surging up my chest and neck increased my need for more, and so I inched up on my tiptoes pushing my body into his.

Jared instantly pulled back, and holding my face in his hands, stared down at me with the same uncontrollable need as me. As I tried to inch back in and capture his mouth with mine, Jared pulled me to him again bringing his lips down on mine. He lifted me from the back of my thighs, and I wrapped my legs around his body as he carried us to my bed. Sitting at the foot, I straddled him and encircled his neck with my arms. We were lost. His soft, hot mouth trailed down my neck as his hands went to my ass, and I closed my eyes determined to just let go.

To just enjoy the feel of him.

I could feel him through his pants, and I found myself moving against him, needing more. He brought his hand up to my robe and pulled it off the shoulder as his kisses left my neck and moved downward.

A mild alarm shot through me as I realized I was too close to the point of no return. We wanted each other. And although we needed to get to know each other again, every one of my instincts told me that I was made for this boy. But I needed more answers before we could go farther.

“I need you, Jared,” I gasped out. “I’ve needed you so much over the years. Why did you leave me?” I choked out every word as Jared’s attention had me breathing hard.

He paused and breathed into my chest. “I was lost.” He stated plainly and searched my eyes for understanding.

I held his face between my palms. “Tell me what happened.”

He tried to look down, but I brought his face back up to look at me. “No. I’m never going there again. I’m sorry, Tate.” His lips pressed into a hard line.

Tears stung my eyes and threatened to fall. Didn’t he realize that I needed to know him? “You don’t trust me.” Climbing off him, I fixed my robe and stood up to face him. “When have I ever hurt you?” I demanded.

“Tate…” He uttered his warning through clenched teeth.

“Don’t you want this with me? I’m standing here, nearly naked, telling you that I love…”

“Stop!” Jared shouted, his deep growl cutting off my words. “Just leave it alone.” He stood and walked to stand next to the chair, looking out the windows.

Running his hands through his hair, he sighed. “This is what I meant, Tate. There are some things I’m not going to talk about. Some things I don’t want to be reminded of.” Jared’s head remained level, but his eyes looked down on me.

“There are things I need to know,” I said, walking toward him. My body hummed with the memory of his hands on me, and I tried to ignore the urge to forget my need for information and wrap myself around him again.

“I know.” He nodded, looking solemnly at the floor. “Which is why this won’t work between us.”

Character Conversations

Jax and K.C. in high school…

Jax: *ahem

K.C. What do you want?

Jax: Popcorn

K.C.: More? I just gave you a bucket.

Jax: It spilled.

K.C.: So where’s the bucket then?

Jax: In the trash.

K.C.: But you get a free refill on the large if you bring back the bucket.

Jax: It dropped on the dirty floor, K.C. I’m not eating from it again.

K.C.: Alright, but we inventory the containers. I can’t give you another one for free.

Jax: I’ll live. Can I have my popcorn now?

K.C.: *starts shoveling popcorn

Jax: ...

K.C.: I think you just keep coming back out here to annoy me.

Jax: Damn kids. We sure can be annoying.

K.C.: You’re not a kid.

Jax: No, I’m not. And you better remember that.

K.C.: *looks away * butters popcorn

Jax: ...

K.C.: You don’t have to watch me, Jax. I’m not going to spit in it.

Jax: Well, that would be one way to get you in my mouth.

K.C.: *gasp

Jax: *looks over counter* *smirks* You dropped my popcorn. I’m not eating out of that.

***

Jared and Jax at Jared’s bedroom window in high school. Tate and K.C./Juliet having a sleepover at Tate’s…

Jax: Do those girls know we can see through those sheer black curtains?

Jared: Believe me, Tate is always aware of what she’s doing to me.

Jax: *laughs

Jared: It’s not funny. On nights when her dad is keeping her on an extra-short leash, she uses that damn window to her advantage and fucks with me.

Jax: Nice.

Jared: Whatever. I’m going to get a shower. Close the blinds and stop looking at my girl in her nightie. *leaves room

Jax: *climbs out window *through tree *opens French doors

Tate: Jax! Get out!

Jax: Jared needs help washing his back. He asked for you.

Tate: *snort* Likely story.

Jax: I’ll babysit K.C.

K.C.: I’m older than you, dork.

Jax: And yet, I venture to guess I’m years beyond you in more ways than one.

K.C.: *arches brow

Jax: Tate, go give your boyfriend a kiss goodnight.

Tate: *looks to K.C.* Will you be okay?

K.C.: Please. I have heels scarier than him.

Jax: *smirks

Tate: *climbs outdoors, through tree

Jax: So, is that what you sleep in?