Alive (Mended Hearts #1) (9 page)

BOOK: Alive (Mended Hearts #1)
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“So
do you want to tell me what happened earlier?” I ask, patting the spot on the bed next to me, hoping she will sit down. She doesn’t.

“Honestly?” she asks.

“Of course, honestly. I don’t want you to lie to me, Maisie,” I reply. Why would I want her to lie to me? I just hope she tells me the truth now.

“Ok
, but I have to tell you about Monday first.” I sit patiently, waiting for her to start. I’m not going to lie. I’m nervous as hell to find out what’s wrong. I’ve never had to deal with these sorts of feelings before. “After I punched you in the face,” Maisie starts and cringes, but I just laugh. That was hilarious. “I was on my way to meet Chloe for coffee. Anyway, I go to walk through the door, and your blonde friend… Tiffany, is it?” she asks.

“Yeah, what about her?”
I ask, not liking where this is going already.

“Well
, Tiffany blocked my path, asking me if my name was Maisie. When she wouldn’t move, I said yes. Then, she warned me to stay away from you, or she would make my life hell. I just told her to do her best, and then I walked past her, into Cafe Blanc.” What. The. Fuck. I’m so angry right now. Who does Tiffany think she is, telling people to stay away from me, like I’m her property?

“Okay. And I’m guessing today has something to do with Tiffany
, as well?” I ask because, knowing Tiff, she doesn’t take people not doing as she wants politely. She will seek revenge until she gets her way. That’s what happens when you’re spoilt growing up. You think everybody will do as you say; everyone except for me, and she knows it.

“Yes
, but first you need to know something. I have to tell you before I tell you the rest of the story. I like you too, Jesse, a lot, actually. I know I’ve been a bitch to you since we met, but I decided to try to let you in and see what happens between us. I don’t want to live my life with ‘what ifs’. I want to live in the moment and see where life takes me. With you, hopefully.” I watch her cheeks go bright red at this revelation. And my heart? I think it just stopped beating. Fuck, I didn’t expect that at all. I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything. I reach over, gently rubbing her cheek with my thumb. God, her skin feels so good. It’s like silk. Maisie pushes her face into my hand, closing her eyes. She’s so beautiful, even with her make-up all over her face. I have to kiss her. Now.

“Can I kiss you? I want to taste you so badly
,” I ask. Please let her say yes. I need to taste the sweetness of her lips, feel the softness of them pressed against mine.

“Yes
,” she whispers into my hand. That’s all I need to hear. Tilting her head so she’s facing me, I stare into her eyes and run my hands through her velvety hair. Moving so that our foreheads are touching, I breathe her in. She smells like strawberries. I take another deep breath, and I know I won’t ever get tired of smelling her. Sweeping a loose strand of hair away from her eyes, I lean forward oh so slowly. I want to savor this moment. I’m classing this as our first kiss, except I already know it’s going to be amazing. My lips gently graze hers before I pull back, and they’re just like I remember, soft and sweet. Going back for more, this time I kiss her a little harder. Maisie responds straight away, letting out a small moan that turns me on so much, while kissing me back in sync, like we’ve been doing this for years. I pull her closer until there is no space between our bodies, my hands running through her hair, gently tugging. She puts her arms around my neck, gripping for dear life, like I’m going to vanish when she opens her eyes. I’m not going anywhere. I need more. I kiss her harder, our teeth clashing from the force of it. It’s still not enough. I don’t think it will ever be enough when it comes to her. I’m so hard right now, it’s painful. I have to stop before I can’t, and we end up doing something she’s not ready for yet. Breaking off the kiss takes all the power I possess. She whimpers, opening her eyes. Her eyes are shining, and I’m sure mine are exactly the same. I feel like the luckiest man in the world right now, and it was only a kiss.

“Wow,” Maisie says
, breathless.

“That’s about right.” I laugh. My hands
are still playing with her hair. “I really want to do that again.”


Then do it...”

“I can’t
.” The throbbing rod between my legs pulses painfully at the thought of kissing her again, reminding me why I can’t. Fuck you, self-control.

“Was it
not good?” she asks, her confidence disappearing with each second.
Shit. That didn’t sound good.

“God, no.
You were better than good. You were amazing. I just have a little problem downstairs,” I pause and point to my dick, “and I know that I won’t be able to control myself if I kiss you again. Oh, I definitely want to though, Maisie. Don’t think for a second that you weren’t good enough. This,” again I point to my dick, “is proof that you were definitely good enough.” She laughs. It’s music to my ears, the sound making my body tingle.

“I’ll let you off then. So, what does this mean for us now?” she asks, turning shy again. It’
s cute as fuck.


Well.” Trying to be funny, I get down on to one knee in front of her, holding her hand. “Will you, Maisie, take me, Jesse, to be your boyfriend?” That earns a full on belly laugh from her. I hope she doesn’t think I’m just joking, though. I’m being serious, but I thought I would put some humor into it to make the atmosphere not so strained.

“Are you sure?”
she asks when she has finally stopped laughing.

“Hell yeah,” I reply, giving her a cheeky smile, which she returns, equally as cheeky.

“Then, yes. I would love to be your girlfriend.” Picking her up, I spin her around. She squeals in my ear, causing momentary loss of hearing. I don’t care. She can squeal in my ear all day if she wants, because she has just made my day. Nothing can get me down now.

I sit
her down on the bed and take a seat next to her, suddenly remembering why I came here in the first place. My good mood instantly vanishes; so much for nothing getting me down. “We still need to talk about what happened earlier.” I hate to bring it up, but it needs to be addressed. The smile vanishes from her face. I miss it already.

“Oh.”

“We have to talk about it, Maisie. I have to know what happened.” She starts ringing her hands together, so I put mine on top to stop her. “Don’t be nervous. I’m here for you, okay?” She just nods her head.

“When it was half time, I went to the restrooms. Wh
ile I was in there, Tiffany came in with two of her friends. They knew I was in there. Her friend, Emily, I think, saw me go in there, so they waited. I knew they wouldn’t leave until they talked to me, so I left the cubicle, expecting a confrontation like last time. Tiffany had obviously been thinking about what to do to get me to leave you alone. She knows that I’m a nobody compared to her. She started saying how I wasn’t good enough for you, and that you deserve to be with somebody like her. Then, she threatened to make me out to be the local whore, saying that nobody would believe me over her. It’s true, Jesse. Nobody would believe me. She’s a popular senior, but me... I’m just a freshman,” she tells me sadly, fresh tears forming in her eyes. Tiffany is a deluded bitch if she thinks that we belong together. Nobody is more perfect for me than Maisie. She’s the only one who has ever caught my attention for more than a week.

Wip
ing the tears from her eyes, I tell her, “Maisie, Tiffany won’t do anything. I won’t let her. And if she does, then nobody will believe her because I’m more respected than her. I could destroy her in a second, and I will for you, if it means you’re protected.” I wouldn’t even think twice about ruining Tiffany. She’s only got where she is because of me. She needs to remember that.

“I don’t want you to destroy her
, Jesse. I just want her to leave me alone. If I’m going to be with you, I don’t want her causing me trouble at every turn. Otherwise, we will never work.”

“That’s not going to happen
. I promise.”

“How can you promise
me that? She may not listen to you,” Maisie says, biting that damn lip again.

Pulling her lip from between her teeth, I rub her cheek, looking into her eyes earnestly. “She will listen to me. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt this time
, because you asked me to. By the way, you’re too nice for your own good. If she doesn’t listen to me, though, I will ruin her, whether you want me to or not. Okay?” She slowly nods her head in confirmation. I’m glad she isn’t fighting me on this. She doesn’t know what Tiffany is capable of. I’m not going to allow someone special to me to be on the receiving end of Tiffany’s wrath. I’d rather die than see Maisie go through pain again.

“Good.
Okay, I better go. It’s getting late. Thank you for telling me what happened earlier, and thank you for allowing me to be your boyfriend. I promise I’ll try to be the best boyfriend I can be,” I say honestly, standing up to leave.

Maisie smiles shyly at me, melting my damn heart that I didn’t know I had until
about three weeks ago. “Please, just try not to hurt me, Jesse. That’s all I ask.”

Swallowing the rock sized lump in my throat, I reply, “I’ll try.”
I put my hand on the door handle and turn back to face her. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

“I’d like that.” I have to kiss her once more before I leave, even if it leaves me in pain on the journey home.

Pulling her into me, I wrap my arm around her waist, the other going into her hair. I can’t get enough of the feel of her hair running through my fingers. Leaning forward, I swiftly press my lips to hers, instantly tasting her sweetness. It makes my head spin. I press harder this time, I savoring the feel of her body against mine and her perfect lips pressed against mine, kissing me back in sync. My tongue asks for entry, pushing against her lips, and she willingly lets me in, brushing her tongue against mine. A moan escapes her lips, vibrating in my mouth. It’s the sexiest sound I have ever heard. I’ll be dreaming about it tonight for sure. My dick pulses against my leg, reminding me to stop before it’s too late. Fuck. When did I turn into a ten second man? Maisie does things to my body that I’ve never experienced before. It’s going to be amazing when we finally have sex, if kissing her nearly makes me squirt my load. I just hope I don’t embarrass myself when the time comes. Breaking off the kiss, I keep my eyes closed, just breathing her in. I want to engrain her smell into my head.

“Are you okay?” Maisie asks. She must think I’m a weirdo, I internally laugh to myself.

I open my eyes and stare into her beautiful brown orbs. “I’m more than fine. I was just engraining your scent to my memory. I’m not going to lie.” I laugh, thinking how creepy that just sounded.

“It’s strawberry cheesecake,” she replies, laughing.

“Huh?” I ask, confused. Strawberry cheesecake?

“My body lotion.
It’s strawberry cheesecake scented, just in case you wanted to know.”

“And where can I buy this body lotion?” I ask, deadly serious. I’m definitely going to buy it and keep it at
my house for when I miss her. Okay... I’m definitely turning into a creep. I need to leave before I start painting my nails with her nail varnish or stealing her clothes, just because they’re hers.

“Victoria’
s Secret.” I wink at her, thoughts of her in some sexy ass lingerie running through my mind. “Get your head out of the gutter, Jesse!” she says laughing, swatting at my arm.

“Goodnight
, Maisie. Talk to you tomorrow,” I say, giving her a final goodbye kiss.

“Goodnight
, Jesse,” she whispers in reply.

Stepping out the door, I wave, keeping my eyes on her
as I walk down the hallway. “Oh, Jesse, please don’t say anything to her about it. I just want to forget about it.”

I stop walking. “Okay
. If that’s what you want.” I’m still having words with Tiffany. I’ll just make sure Maisie doesn’t find out.

Only when she closes the door do I turn forward. Maisie really is
a dream come true. She’s amazing and beautiful, with just the right amount of fight in her. I just hope I keep my promise about not hurting her. I’m going to have to try hard to keep my demons locked inside; way down inside. I don’t need my past jeopardizing my future, and I definitely see Maisie in my future.

I hop
onto my bike and gun the engine, turning in the opposite direction of home. I have some business to sort out first; business that can’t wait any longer. Tiffany needs to be put in her place, and fast. I won’t have her hurt a hair on Maisie’s head for as long as I live, and the quicker she realizes that, the better for everyone. I promised Maisie I wouldn’t destroy Tiffany, but I’m going to give her a little taste of what’s to come if she messes with the people I care about, promise or not.

Chapter
7

Jesse

Once I make it to the beach, I kick the stand down on my bike, getting off on the sidewalk. I don’t need to know where the party is set up; the sound of the music helps me navigate there.

Looking around for Tiffany, she’s not hard to spot. She’s always the loudest, draping over the guys in the team. Usually
, it’s me, but I guess since I’ve blown her off, she’s had to find someone else. Oh well. Let them have her. I have a beautiful girlfriend now, who is being threatened by said girl.

Being reminded of why I came here in the first place, I spot my target and make my way over. I have to make my point clear
the first time and let her know that I mean business. I’m feeling more pissed off by the second, just from looking at her, so this shouldn’t be so hard to do. I don’t care if I’ve known Tiffany nearly my whole life. I have somebody who is special to me, who I would protect with my whole heart.

“Tiff, can I have a few words
, please?” I ask, standing before her, trying to act calm.

“Course.
I’ll always have time for you.” Somebody pass me a bucket. How did I never see how sickly she is? “What’s wrong?” she asks when we’re away from everybody else.

“Stay away from Maisie, Tiffany,” I say, getting straight to the point.

Putting her hands on her hips, I watch her welcoming mask slip into one of pure evil. It doesn’t surprise me; I’ve seen it before, just never directed at me. “Why do you care so much, Jesse?” Her upper lip curls in disgust. It takes all I have not to laugh at her, but that wouldn’t help the situation.

“I’m not going to warn you again. Stay away from her.” I don’t have to explain why I care so much. That will just give her ammunition to use.

“Jesse, you deserve better than a nobody. I’ve been waiting years for you to notice me for more than just sex, and then
she
comes along. You’ve forgotten all about me, Jesse. I can do so much more for you than she can.” I seriously think she’s insane. If she was my girlfriend, she would probably be sleeping with all of my friends behind my back. I laugh, earning a confused look from her.

“You are seriously insane
, Tiff. Don’t you realize that if I haven’t wanted to be with you before now, that maybe I’m never going to want to be with you? I can’t trust you as far as I can throw you, and I could throw you pretty far. Just stop all of this drama and walk away while you still have your friends and social status. If you don’t, well, you know I can destroy you. I’ll do exactly what you threatened to do to Maisie, only worse. I’ll make it so you drop out of college. Do you understand?” I say, my voice cold, held with a warning so that she understands that I’m not fucking around.

She visibly swallows, her body trembling
, even though it’s warm outside. She casts her eyes down to the ground, trying to regain her composure. I just wait patiently, not moving a muscle. I’m in control here. One movement could break the control that I’m holding over her.

“I said
, do you understand me, Tiffany?” I repeat after a few minutes have passed, my voice still cold and void of any emotion. She looks up, staring straight into my eyes.

“Yes
, I understand,” she replies, wringing her hands nervously.

“Good. This is the only warning I’m going to give you. Don’t speak to Maisie. Don’t go near her. Don’t
even breathe in her direction. If I hear that you’ve so much as given her a funny look, I’ll make good on my promise. Now, go back to your party.” I watch her turn around, her shoulders hunched, head hanging low. Waiting until she’s a few feet away, I dig the dagger in deeper. “Oh, and Tiff?” She turns around. “Have fun.” I smile at her, earning a confused look back in return. If anyone were to walk by, they wouldn’t think anything was off, which is why I smile at her. Nobody needs to know about this conversation, not yet anyway. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt for now, but people like Tiffany never change. She’s a snake, who when you’re not looking, will bite you on the ankles. I’ll be keeping my eye on her because, like I said, I can’t trust her as far as I can throw her.

Leaving the beach without people noticing me
is easier than I thought it would be. Everyone is too drunk to notice, which I’m thankful for, for once.

Straddling my bike, I kick the stand up, starting the engine.
I look over toward Tiffany one last time, and notice her staring at me with her eyes squinted. I give her the ‘I’m watching you’ signal, turn my bike around, and ride off.

I
’ve always known Tiffany’s had a crush on me, but I never thought she would threaten girls who I show some attention to. If it were any other girl, I wouldn’t have cared, but this is Maisie. She’s not like other girls. She’s beautiful and kind hearted. I can also see that she’s damaged, just like me. Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to her. I know I can’t be saved. I’m too far gone, but Maisie... Maisie can be saved. I see it in her eyes when I stare into them. She’s just lost, and I’m going to help her find her way back, if it’s the last thing I do.

 

Tiffany

 

I knew as soon as I saw Jesse, that the stupid whore had said something to him. Who was I kidding that she would keep it to herself?

I’m not going to lie; Jesse scares the living shit out of me. I’ve seen him destroy people before and
, trust me, it’s not pretty. I just never thought I would be on the receiving end of his wrath, especially over
her!
What does he even see in her? She’s just a plain Jane; a nobody. The captain of the football team should always be with the popular girl, and that’s me, not some new freshman that he met a few weeks ago.

I’ve been waiting patiently for years for him to notice me
, and he has. He’s always come to me when he wants something. Usually it’s for sex, but he still came to me. It was only a matter of time before his feelings changed for me, and he saw me as a potential girlfriend, instead of a sex partner.

That’s all fucked now. That whore has ruined it for me. After tonight, he will never give me a chance, and it’s all her fault!
That interfering little bitch! I’m seething mad right now.

I was having fun at this after party
, at least until Jesse showed up to threaten me. Now, I just want to go home. Not to cry or wallow in my misery; I’m not that kind of girl. I will never subject myself to being that pathetic. No, I’m going home to plot how to ruin Maisie once and for all. I don’t care what Jesse said. I can handle him. I’ll find something to use against her sooner or later. I just hope it’s sooner. I don’t have time to waste. I don’t want my Jesse falling in love with anybody but me. That’s why I have to leave now and get started. I’ll just have to be very careful, especially with Jesse watching my every move.

BOOK: Alive (Mended Hearts #1)
9.56Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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