Authors: Jade Allen
Bad Boy Romance: Nick (Romantic Suspense Alpha Male Romance) (New Adult Rock Star Contemporary Short Stories) (Hard Rock Star Series Book 2) (74 page)
****
Damian tried hard to come into
work the next day, but he couldn’t get further than his doorstep. Everything in
his apartment reminded him of Becca, even though they’d only been seeing each
other a month: a keychain from the Museum of Modern Art; a finger trap they’d
gotten caught in before the first night he dipped his tongue between her legs;
a t-shirt she’d danced around in after finding out she had one more vacation
day she could take this month. That day, they’d stayed in his bed and eaten
pizza while watching movies and kissing the breath from each other’s lungs. Her
hair left a scent on his pillow each night, no matter how long she laid her
head on the case, and he breathed her in while he had slept.
By the third day, he was dodging
calls as well as concerned emails, shutting down all queries with a single,
artful word. Some of the customers wanted monetary restitution—would he make a
statement?
No.
The shareholders wanted to be
reassured that nothing out of sorts was going on at IQID. Would he send an
email?
No.
A new employee has been hired,
can he sign off on the forms?
No.
Was he okay?
No.
The ache after the initial pain
was somehow worse than the sting itself. Damian couldn’t believe how hollow he
felt, like a straw had just been pulled from his back. Even after the end of
the first week, he couldn’t feel anything stronger than mild annoyance; then,
one day, he broke a mug Becca had given him. Instead of being upset, he’d
gotten angry, and he’d stayed angry since—though sometimes the bubbling rage
cooled to a gently meandering acidic river. He poured his energy into pure
loathing: of the mailman, of the birds outside, of bicycle bells; even a
delivered lemon tart wasn’t exempt from the irrational hatred that kept him up
at night. The only place his hatred never ended up was around the thought of
Becca.
He never considered why because
he never directly thought about Becca. Damian forced himself to think of other
things, and it worked splendidly—until it didn’t anymore, and he was lost in a
pit of despair again. One night he made the mistake of wandering around the
city and ended up that dive bar where he first met Becca. Against his better
judgement, he even went in.
Everything was exactly the same.
It gave him more than comfort, and Damian signaled for a Fat Tire as he settled
into the same stool. The room was just as empty as before, which wasn’t
surprising, because it was a Wednesday morning. The bartender eyed him as he
handed over his credit card, and he felt the stubble on his jaw as she plucked
it from his fingers. He felt a flash of hatred for her, but it was
half-hearted.
Hate Becca,
he told himself.
Why don’t you hate Becca?
The answer was simple: love.
Damian had never been so in love with someone in his life, and part of him was
happy to stay head-over-heels for her as long as he’d let himself. The other
part of him was tired of being walked on, though, and it was hard and
unyielding inside him. But what had that part gotten him since he’d developed
it? Nothing, he realized. In fact, it had lost him more than anything else.
He’d just had a chance at an incredible love, and it had withered away because
he didn’t want to forgive. Damian gulped his beer, tears burning the backs of
his eyes as he realized he may never have another chance.
“Bad beer?”
Damian nearly choked. Becca was
standing beside him, holding a glass of Fat Tire out to him with her brown eyes
held wide and careful. He started to rise and leave, but the hope in her eyes
was too fresh to kill.
I’ll hear her out,
he decided.
Though nothing
can fix this.
Becca sat on the stool and
stared at her hands for a moment. Damian felt another flash of hatred, but this
time for himself—he wanted to kiss her already, and she hadn’t even begun
speaking.
When she did, it didn’t get
better. She raised her eyes to his, and a ripple of need passed through him.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t say it enough. I’m so sorry. But I have to tell
you—I never lied about anything else.”
Damian snorted. “Right.”
Becca winced. “I deserve that,
but I’m telling you the truth,” she said urgently. “And I think I’ve figured
out how to show you.”
She pulled something from her
purse and set it on the bar, sliding it over for him to examine under the dim
light. Damian saw that it was a laminated identification badge for her
newspaper. His thoughts descended into a confused chaos, but his heart pounded
in acknowledgement of what this must mean.
“I quit,” Becca said. “And
before you say anything…I didn’t quit
for
you. I hated my job anyway,
you know that. I would have quit if a better job offer came up.”
Damian smiled. “But?”
Becca smiled back. “But…I did
quit because of you. Because you reminded me that I can be passionate about
things, and love things with all of my being. You taught me that I’m still
alive, so I should be living…and that starts with love.” She placed one hand on
his, and the warmth made him ecstatic. “You made me rediscover what it felt
like. Even if you don’t forgive me…thank you. I can go chase my dreams now. I
feel like my heart was clogged, and you snaked the drain.” Becca blushed as she
finished speaking and dropped her eyes. “Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say.
You don’t have to talk to me anymore.”
Damian watched her study the
glass of beer before her, brown eyes anxiously tracking the bubbles as they
zipped around the glass. A part of him wanted to leave—just turn around and
walk out of Becca’s life, never to see her again. It wouldn’t be hard to avoid
her with the amount of money he had—but it would be hard on his heart. It was
clenching even as he watched her frown, just knowing she was unhappy; Damian
desperately wanted to kiss away her tension and sadness until she laughed like
the first night he met her. Could he forgive her after her betrayal? Could he
love unguarded again?
Damian made several decisions at
once. He drank the rest of his beer and set down a tip for the bartender before
he turned to Becca. She gazed at him hopefully, the warmth in her honey brown
eyes heating him to his core.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly.
“There’s only one way I’ll forgive you.”
Becca’s hopeful smile faltered.
“If we’re going to be together,
we need to work as a team—and this team likes kayaking. I have a little house
in Maine that’s right on a river; I know you’re afraid of deep water because of
your little mermaid stint, but I need you to at least try for me.”
The smile that spread across
Becca’s face was infectious. He was grinning as she leapt into his arms, and
Damian stood and spun her around as her arching laughter filled the darkened
bar. The patrons shot them dirty looks as they celebrated, but neither Damian
nor Becca noticed—they were far too comfortable in their steely bubble of new
love. One of the yellowed lamps above them fizzled and blew out, but their lips
touched as the bulb darkened; Damian’s heart pounded in his chest, heavy with
joy in the realization that Becca’s love brought him the key to feeling like a
real person again. He was never letting her go.
THE END
Also Available From Jade
Allen:
North
Hard Rock Star Series, Book
1
I was a rock star in one of the most successful bands
in the Miami area.
I had a new woman (or two.. or three… or four) every
night…until I met HER!
Ain’t life a motherf*cker.
Can you f*cking believe it? I had to go to rehab “for
my own safety.” Pffft!
F*ck it. I’ll spend a few weeks doing some bullsh*t art
projects and waste some time listening to a bunch of idiot addicts bitch about
how their parents never loved them.
Just my luck, while I was just chillin’, waiting for
my dealer to find someone else to blame for his stolen stash, I met my hottest
wet dream in the form of a counselor who wouldn’t just let me slide.
Just when I thought I couldn’t be in a worse
situation, one little f*ck-up—a little fun in the art room with this counselor,
the hottest piece of ass I’ve ever laid eyes on—and we were both on our asses
in the street.
To make things worse, the chick that I thought was my
“hottest wet dream” became my angel. And I’m not about to let anyone—not even
Big J and not even my own stupid f*cked-up self—ruin the little taste of heaven
she gives me.
***This is the first book of the Hard Rock Star
Series. Each book within this series is a standalone and may be read in any
order.***
Book 1: North
Book 2: Nick
Book 3: Julian (Coming Spring 2016!)
Grab Your Copy
HERE
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About
The Author
Jade Allen
is an author of steamy romance novellas crafted with twists and turns, keeping
her readers on the edge of their seats. An avid traveler, Jade gets inspired by
her exotic adventures around the globe. She loves spicy food and is a
self-proclaimed cappuccino addict. Jade lives in Manhattan with her cat, Sydney,
and her long time beau.
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