by Adele Niles
Liberty
Copyright
First Edition, July 2019
Copyright © 2019 by Adele Niles
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and situations are the product of the author's imagination.
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written consent from the author.
License
This book is available exclusively on Amazon.com. If you found this book for free or from a site other than an Amazon.com country specific website it means the author was not compensated for this book and you have likely obtained this book through an unapproved distribution channel.
Table of Contents
Liberty
Copyright
No Regrets
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About This Book
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Epilogue
Scorched
Chapter One
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About This Book
Liberty
Getting over her ex hasn’t been easy for Liberty, but it’s something she’s determined to do. Even if it requires spending a long week at a secluded resort with no access to phones, the internet or social media. It’s exactly what bestie, Kylee, had planned for them. Cold drinks, hot men and fireworks over the fourth of July.
Surfer and handyman Cooper Vance has one focus, keep the resort running and live life to its fullest. When a maintenance call comes in, Cooper finds himself face to face with someone who he’s more than willing to fix, the curvy and gorgeous, Liberty.
But can Liberty really leave it all behind for a chance at real fireworks and love?
Warning: Liberty is a hot and steamy holiday short that will have you reading in the shallow end of a cool pool. It’s an over the top instalove book you will hate to put down.
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Chapter One
Libby
“Lib, this is exactly what you need. Getting away from everything, and everyone.”
Kylee kept saying this vacation would be good for me, and I was trying to believe her, but it was difficult.
Driving all night wasn’t the best way to kick it off, though.
I was tired. I’d spent all day at work, and then I’d had to rush home to pack. Kylee had picked me up at ten, and now we were on the road. Thankfully, Gulf Shores wasn’t too far from Oxford. We’d be there by morning.
I sat in the passenger seat, scrolling through Instagram. In the driver’s seat, Kylee was cruising down the interstate and singing along with whatever she had playing on the radio.
I sighed loudly.
Ryan, my ex, looked so happy in all of his pictures.
And I hadn’t posted a single selfie since we’d broken up.
I lifted my head as the music suddenly got quieter.
“Liberty Ann, are you stalking him again?” Kylee scolded.
I looked to Kylee, as I shot her a frown. I hated it when she used my full name. I hated it when anyone used it. I didn’t feel like a Liberty. Libby fit me better. It seemed to fit my curves and long blonde hair.
Kylee’s name fit her perfectly. She was so pretty. Fit and petite, with blue-gray eyes and brown curls, and stylish clothes. She’d been my best friend since we were little, but I couldn’t help feeling jealous of her sometimes.
And she was doing the mom thing again.
She’d been doing it since the break-up, and I was trying to be patient, but sometimes it got old.
“I’m just—I’m bored, and trying to stay awake.”
“Stop. You aren’t doing yourself any good looking at that asshole on social media.” She sighed dramatically. “I swear, I’m gonna throw your phone out the window.”
“No you’re not.”
“Okay, well, I’m going to block him from all of your social media profiles and change your passwords until you’re finally over him.” Kylee giggled, but I knew she was serious.
“I can still have it until we get to the resort. Once we get there, I’ll follow whatever rules you have.”
“You won’t have a choice. There’s barely any service out there, and no wi-fi. You’re supposed to enjoy your surroundings and live in the moment.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know why we had to pick somewhere so far and isolated.”
“Because.” Kylee reached over the console, nudging me. “You, ma’am, need a break from your phone. You need a week without Instagram and Facebook so you can stop thinking about your douchebag ex.”
“He’s not that bad.”
“He’s definitely that bad.” Kylee shook her head.
I huffed in response and locked my phone. “Then why did you let me date him for so long?”
“Because you were happy! We didn’t figure out he was an asshole until the end.”
She was right.
Kylee kept talking. “It’s been six months, Libby. You keep saying you’re over him, but you look him up online all the time. You need a distraction.”
I groaned. “Okay, okay. Fine. The beach will be a distraction.”
She smiled. “Exactly. You’ll have a week to detox, and then you’re going to block him on all social media and move on.”
“Okay. All right. Detox, then block him. I got it.”
Kylee nodded. She went quiet for a moment, then smiled. “And if you find a guy to hook up with, you should go for it.”
“What?” I looked at her, mouth half-open. “No! I’m not—I’m not just gonna hook up with a stranger!”
“Why not? Use a condom and don’t get attached. Cut loose a little.”
“It’s only been six months!”
“Six months is plenty of time, Libby, c’mon.” Kylee laughed. “Don’t be a prude.”
“I’m just—I don’t know. I’m not really the type for a hookup.”
Kylee huffed. “You’ve gotta learn to have fun, girl.”
“I have plenty of fun! I’m so fun to be around!”
“Yeah, I mean, you are, but…”
“But what?”
“But please don’t tell me you plan to spend the whole vacation reading by the beach.”
That had definitely been my plan. I had four paperbacks in my suitcase and planned to tear through
them all in the next seven days.
“What’s wrong with wanting to read?”
Kylee groaned. “Nothing, just…we’re going to do some other stuff, too. Okay? They have surfing and snorkeling and boat trips. We should do some of that.”
“All right. Snorkeling sounds cool. I do like fish.”
“Snorkeling, all right. I’ll get us signed up for one of the trips when we get there.”
“Cool. Thanks, Kylee.”
“No problem.”
* * * * *
The rest of the drive was fine. We stopped at a truck stop diner around three a.m. to eat, and I napped in the car for a little while. I woke as we got into Gulf Shores, and stayed awake to help Kylee navigate to the resort.
We turned into the parking lot where the GPS told us.
Kylee slowed the car, frowning. “Whoa. Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
I looked up, squinting through the low light. Every car I could make out looked old. Vintage. Classic. The kind of car men loved to put money into and drive around with other guys who had classic cars.
It was kind of cool.
“It says we are,” I said. “The sign back there said Gulf Retreat, right? That’s the place?”
“Yeah. I just didn’t expect all these fancy cars.” Kylee shrugged. “Let’s find a spot, huh? Sun’s gonna rise soon. We should watch it.”
“That sounds good. And then I’m sleeping all day.”
“Oh, same.” She laughed, starting down the aisle again.
We found a spot close to the beach. We grabbed some towels from the back seat and carried them down to the shore. There were a few boats out on the water, likely fishing; gulls swarmed over them, diving into the water and swooping back up.
The sky started to lighten.
I leaned back on my towel with a sigh.
It was comfortably cool out still, and there was nobody else on the beach.
I wished it would stay this quiet the whole time, but there was no way. It was the week of the Fourth; people would be packing the beach and partying all night.
But it would all be distracting.
Maybe Kylee was right. Maybe this would be good for me.
We didn’t talk for a while, just enjoying the quiet, the cool sand, the colors of the sky over the ocean. I don’t know how much time passed. It was almost meditative, listening to the waves and the birds.
It was so relaxing that it took me a second to realize Kylee was talking to me.
“What?” I looked toward her.
“There’s some people surfing, look.” She pointed toward the water.
I followed her gesture. A group of guys, five of them, were taking turns paddling out into the water to catch waves back in toward the shore. I’d never actually seen people surf before, only on TV, and I found myself watching with interest.
They all looked like they were good at it. Not that I really knew, but still. It was fun to watch, different from anything I’d seen before.
As the sun came up, they all started to pick up their boards, walking up the beach. Kylee sat up a little straighter, playing with her hair.
She was definitely on the lookout for a fling.
I just glanced toward them, still in my hoodie and leggings from traveling, and tried to be as invisible as possible.
But one of the guys paused. He looked at us, smiling.
He was tall, tan, and dark-haired. Kind of rugged-looking. Strong.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His board shorts fit him snugly, accentuating his firm ass, and apparently a pretty big package up front. I bit my bottom lip as he locked eyes with me, smiled, nodded his head, then kept walking.
Kylee turned to me. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “He was checking you out.”
“What? No. He was just being nice.”
“He was looking, Libby. Maybe he’s your fling.”
“I’m not—I don’t—I don’t know.”
She sighed and shook her head. “C’mon. Let’s go get checked in. I called ahead for early check-in while you were sleeping, so it should be ready.”
“Perfect.”
* * * * *
Our room was stunning. Kylee had gotten us a view of the ocean, and we were up pretty high. I felt like I could see for miles over the Gulf. The water was clear and blue, and the beach looked gorgeous.
“We should go lie in the sun!” Kylee smiled, dropping her suitcase on one of the queen-sized beds.
I smiled. “That sounds good.” But then I paused, looking around. “Can you turn the air on, it’s a bit hot in here.”
“Maybe you’re just thinking about that guy from this morning,” Kylee giggled as she walked over to the wall unit and pushed the button a few times. “It’s on.” Kylee groaned. “Guess we’re calling maintenance.”
Chapter Two
Cooper
I sat down in the bar at the resort, a pint glass full of IPA in my hand. It was only noon, but a little day drinking never hurt anybody.
The bar was hopping, too. People had started to roll in for the Fourth already. Lots of guys who’d brought their cars for the Cruise-In, lots of beautiful women with a pinup flair.
The week was going to be amazing.
I glanced up at a pair of women in checkered bikinis, both wearing sarongs low on their hips. They had flowers in their long hair and full faces of makeup. These beauties were here to lounge on the sand or by the pool, not swim.
I was still going to look at them.
One of them, the blonde, caught me looking and smiled. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.”
She leaned on the counter. Her friend turned to glance at me as well, looking me over.
It always felt good to get checked out like that.
The blonde gave me a once-over, biting her lower lip seductively. “Are you coming to the barbecue tonight?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “I’ve got some stuff to catch up on, but it sounds fun.”
The girls smiled. They looked away as the bartender brought them drinks, fruity cocktails in plastic cups to go to the pool. The blonde looked at me again and smiled. “See you later, then.”
Maybe they would.
But at the same time, I kept thinking about that girl on the beach—the one in the hoodie, who’d barely made eye contact with me.
I wanted to know more about her.
She was gorgeous, even if she looked a little shy. I wanted to know what her deal was.
I hoped I’d see her around the resort, or out on the beach.
I looked to the bartender and smiled. “I’m gonna finish this in my room.”
She laughed. “Sure thing. I’ll put it on your tab,” she said as she shot me a wink.
I winked back and put a five on the counter—a tip. She reached for it as I rose from my stool and walked away.
I went back up to my room in an empty elevator. I let myself in with my keycard and immediately headed out to the balcony. The day was beautiful. The sun was hot, but the breeze coming off the Gulf was perfect. I sank down on one of the chairs in the shade of the balcony, taking a long sip of my beer.
The only way it could have been better was if I had a woman with me.
I thought about the girl from this morning again and sighed. I felt myself begin to grow harder. That smile and those eyes.
I’d have to keep an eye out for her. I wanted to know more, and soon.
I stayed on the balcony until my beer was gone, enjoying the view. I needed a shower. I’d be down at the beach again, but it was nice to wash the salt and sand off after a good session on the waves.
I pulled my shirt off, tossing it to the floor. I was already thinking about how good the hot water would feel.
Maybe I’d think about the girl while I was in the shower, too—her curves, her pretty face, those warm hazel eyes.
I wanted to see her in a swimsuit.
I wanted to see her naked.
I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water, my coc
k already growing hard at the thought of what I was about to do.
My phone was rang in the other room.
I sighed and went to answer it. “Hey, Cooper here.”
“Cooper, hey.” I recognized the voice—Missy, from the front desk.
“What’s up, Missy? Need something?”
“Yeah, room 212 called and said their air conditioner isn’t working? Can you go check it out?”
“Yeah, sure.” I hung up the phone and ran my hand over my throbbing cock. That would have to wait.
* * * * *
I knocked on the door to 212, tool bag in hand.
No answer.
I knocked again.
Still nothing.
Maybe they’d gone down to the beach. If their room was too hot, it made sense.
I pulled my master key from the pocket of my bag and slid it into the lock. It opened immediately.
I pushed the door open and walked in.
As I my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, offset by the glare from the outside, I saw her outline. Then everything else came in to focus. She was half dressed, wearing nothing but the bottoms of a swimsuit and a set of wireless headphones. Her curves were perfect and the hard on I had lost earlier began to flood back between my legs.
Her head jerked up and she screamed, covering her tits with her arms.
And then I recognized her.
The girl from the beach this morning.
Fuck.
She ripped one of the headphones out of her ear. “What the fuck? Get out of our room!”
“Sorry! Sorry! I’m maintenance! I’m here about the air conditioner!”
Immediately, her demeanor changed. “Don’t you knock?”
“I did, twice.”
She looked at me, frowning, and turned away to grab a loose cover-up dress from the bed. She pulled it on before turning to face me.
Her nipples were hard through the fabric of the dress.
The sight made my cock twitch and grow bigger.
She looked nervously at me, then spoke. “I know you…surfing this morning?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I was. Did you have fun watching the sun rise?”
She smiled. “I did. Oh, um. I’m Libby. Nice to meet you.”