by C. R. Jane
We’re all silent as Connor drives us down the road, the car rattling as it goes over branches and rocks. I’m expecting a tire to blow out anytime from how rough the road is.
There’s a palpable sigh of relief when we finally get to the main road twenty minutes later. “This is ten miles from the entrance of that parking lot you all use. They’ll probably have scouts everywhere, but at least they won’t be expecting this car or for us to come out this way,” Connor says.
I nod gratefully, too exhausted to say anything at the moment. I reach over and squeeze his hand though, and he shoots me a look loaded with what almost looks like love. I quickly retract my hand, not knowing how to respond. To terrified right now to feel anything but my pounding heart.
We drive for hours and hours, only stopping for gas which we pay for with cash. The guys take turns driving and sleeping so we can keep going. I switch who I’m sitting on so it’s not too uncomfortable for the guys.
We don’t stop until we get to Florida. We don’t have a plan at the moment, and the guys haven’t really talked despite the long hours we’ve spent together on the road. Each of them has lost their entire lives and futures in a matter of a day. It’s hard for me to swallow down the guilt I’m feeling about everything they have given up for me.
We somehow end up on the beach, right as the sun is rising, and it feels like a new beginning. I stand in the sand, wrapped in Finn’s arms with the others around me.
I’m not sure who I am or why my life journey brought me to these men. But I somehow know that we’re meant to love each other, to provide solace and an ease to our troubled hearts.
I look up at the same time as Finn tips his head down to capture my mouth with his. He tries for soft, but we’re too hungry for slow. We bite away at the horror of the last few days and in the depth of this kiss is our pledge. Our flawed fairytale is full of happy and sad, good and bad, and through it all I have to believe we’ll all stay together from here on out.
There can be no other end for us.
TO BE CONTINUED IN SCHOOL OF BROKEN WINGS.
GET YOUR COPY HERE: books2read.com/schoolofbrokenwings
Sneak Peek
Keep reading for a sneak peek at The Naughty List, a fun and sexy contemporary standalone.
THE NAUGHTY LIST
C. R. Jane & Mila Young
Copyright
The Naughty List by C. R. Jane and Mila Young
Copyright © 2019 by C. R. Jane and Mila Young
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review, and except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
For permissions contact:
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The Naughty List
We're going to spend the holidays getting me on Santa's Naughty List!
I've always been on the 'Nice' list. Never been one to stray too far from the beaten path, and managed to make it to senior year without doing well... much of anything. Until I ended up stranded in Chicago during the worst snowstorm of the century, away from my family, and days before Christmas.
And then I meet them.
Two of the most insanely gorgeous guys I'd ever laid eyes on.
Charismatic. Sexy. Daring.
I've wanted to escape my life for Christmas for so long...and they offer me a chance I just can't pass up.
What else is a girl going to do while stranded in a strange city on her own?
They insist that they can get me into Santa's Naughty list in less than three days.
So I accept the challenge.
But that's if I can keep my heart... I mean head, in the game.
Because losing my heart was never part of the rules...
Naughty List #1: Get Drunk In The Middle of the Day
"Flight 793 to Chicago, will be boarding soon. Please make sure that you have all of your belongings with you," a robotic airline employee’s voice said over the intercom.
It was Christmas break, something I'd been dreading the whole semester since it meant that I'd be returning home. A home that was the epitome of hell ever since my father had decided to remarry a woman who I was pretty sure doubled as Maleficent in her spare time. Add in her psychotic son and we were set to have a holly, jolly Christmas.
I picked up my shoulder bag and made sure that my carry-on was still in one piece. I had the luggage forever, and one of the zippers was broken. I was forever worried that all of my underwear was going to spill out in the middle of the airport one day...yet I never bothered to get a new one from a lack of funds.
I began to walk over to the gate entrance. I was one of those people that even though my zone would be one of the last called, I had to be ready. Flight anxiety I guess.
As I weaved through the rows of chairs, I couldn’t help but notice some eye-candy sitting over by the windows.
Eye-candy didn’t really do them justice though. I was reasonably sure they were the most attractive guys I had ever seen. They were about as far apart in looks as possible. One was a blonde Adonis while the other one looked like a fallen angel with hair so dark that it almost looked blue under the airport’s bad lighting.
They looked like they had been carved from marble with their bodies that were so good even under their clothes that I wasn’t sure if they were real...I was drooling. I hadn’t thought it was possible to actually see a six-pack through clothes, but the proof was right in front of me.
The dark-haired dreamboat caught me staring just then and shot me a wink with piercing blue eyes that threatened to do me in. I quickly averted my eyes and walked faster to where people were starting to gather to get in line. I could feel a hot blush creeping up my neck at the fact that he had seen me staring at him. Ugh.
First class was called and of course the two perfect specimens got up and strolled to the line. We wouldn’t want them to have those looks and be poor.
I couldn’t help but watch them as they headed down the tarmac. I felt a little bit like a stalker. They slipped out of sight, and I suddenly got antsy to get on the plane myself, just so I could stride by them again.
Get your crap together, I muttered to myself, causing an old lady in front of me to give me a sharp glance.
The airplane was almost full when they finally called my section, perks of buying the cheapest flight available...which honestly still wasn't that cheap since it was the holidays.
Someone bumped me from behind and I dropped my bag. The top of it ripped open, and I moaned when some books tumbled out. I was so flustered by the time I got on the plane, that I'd all but forgotten the two hotties from before.
That changed quickly when I began to walk through first class and saw them. The dark-haired one was already nursing a beer, and the blonde one held a tumbler in his hand full of some kind of amber colored drink, probably a fancy liquor.
It must be nice to have that kind of money, I thought to myself a little bitterly as my bag popped another stitch, threatening to spill its contents all over the aisle.
I tried to keep my eyes from gazing at them as I passed by, but of course I couldn't do that. They were both looking at me when I turned to gaze at them, and I was sure that my face turned a bright cherry red when our eyes met.
The dark-haired one winked at me again while the blonde just watched me stoically. I hurried past them, bumping the person in front of me who shot a glare over his shoulder. I was still blushing when I got to my seat. Of course, it was the middle seat in the very back row.
At least I won't have to go far for
the bathrooms, I tried to reassure myself as I heard a toilet flush through the thin wall behind me.
I picked up my phone to check Facebook before the flight took off.
I had a message waiting for me from Todd, the creepiest stepbrother you could imagine. He was a year older than me, but there was some kind of screw loose in his head. Whenever I went home for breaks, he always managed to be there as well. I couldn't tell you the number of times my butt had been groped passing him in the hallway and I always made sure to lock my door while I slept just in case he decided to creep in while I was sleeping. I shivered and deleted his message without reading it. No, thank you.
My thoughts flickered to the guys currently sitting in first class. Why couldn’t my stepbrother have looked like one of them? Not that I would ever have done anything with a hot stepbrother to begin with, but...
I was the quintessential good girl. I'd really never done a darn thing out of line in my life. See, I couldn't even say the word d-a-m-n. Probably the naughtiest thing I'd ever done was to pick a college in California when my dad had wanted me to stay close to home.
Not that he cared about that after step-monster came into the picture.
I leaned back into my seat and sighed.
I had one semester of college left after I got back from Christmas break, and what did I have to show for three and a half years of angelic behavior? Nothing. My grades weren’t even all A's.
My phone buzzed again just as the flight attendant reminded us to turn off our phones in preparation for take off.
Can't wait to get close to you this break.
I gagged. It was Todd again. I didn’t know what his deal was. Not responding once again, I turned off my phone and closed my eyes, trying not to lean too far left or too far right and bother my seatmates. The one to the left of me had a bad case of body odor. I opened my eyes once the smell got to be too much, and I leaned over to grab my bag, pulling out my favorite peppermint lotion. I knew it was bad etiquette to open something that smelled strong on an airplane, but I was fairly positive that everyone in these back rows would much rather smell “Holiday Peppermint” then my neighbor’s smelly underarms.
The plane began to accelerate down the runway as I finished applying my lotion. Leaning back in my chair, I put on my headphones, turned on Taylor Swift, and settled in for the flight.
I woke up suddenly when it felt like the plane was falling out of the sky. My stomach rose up to my throat, and I looked outside. We were flying through a white-out. Far different than the sunny skies we had left behind in California.
I had never liked flying, especially in turbulence like this. I let out a small squeak when the plane shuddered once again. The seatbelt sign flicked on and an announcement came on just then from the pilot.
“Sorry folks, looks like we will be experiencing some turbulence until we get to Chicago O'Hare. The storms a lot worse than anticipated. Please stay in your seats and we’ll let you know when it's safe to get up.”
I began to grip my armrests for dear life as he finished. I loved how he had said "some" turbulence as the airplane once again felt like it was falling out of the sky. Another thirty minutes passed like this, and by the time the pilot announced that we were descending, my nerves were shot.
We landed, and I was so glad to be on the ground that I didn't even mind when my smelly neighbor let out a fart that sounded, and smelled, like it had come from an elephant.
When I stepped off the plane, I wanted to kiss the ground. Looking out the windows of the airport I could see that this was a really bad storm. My flight to New York was probably going to be just as bad with turbulence. I shivered just thinking about it.
I grabbed a Starbucks, my favorite white chocolate peppermint mocha of course, and set off for my gate. Chicago O'Hare was huge, and it took me ten minutes to get there. As I walked up to the gate I was dismayed to see that the flight had been delayed by two hours.
I walked over to the front desk to talk to the airline employee and get more details. There was a line of anxious people, all complaining about the delay to the stressed out employee.
I moved closer to hear what she was telling everyone.
“Sorry, ma’am. Until we are given the all clear, all aircrafts are grounded. We are hoping the storm passes soon and flights can recommence. It’s going to be at least a few more hours though,” the flustered employee told the woman standing in front of her who looked like she was about to cry.
The employee’s eyes flickered over to me and she smiled softly, probably a practiced smile she offered all commuters stuck here.
I decided not to bother her since she wasn’t going to say anything different to me. I stepped aside from the crowd of people that continued to line up to hear the same terrible news. Looking through the floor to ceiling windows that all airports seemed to have, I watched the snow blanket everything in sight. The planes. The runway. The buildings in the distance. The wind howled, blurring the view with white dust. I shivered just looking at the horrible weather.
The storm of the century had hit the day I landed in Chicago, leaving me and everyone else stuck due to our delayed flight. So what now? From the looks of it and the weather report I had pulled up on my phone, it didn’t seem like it was going to be a delay of just a few hours.
Glancing down at my phone, I sent my best friend, Myles, a quick message.
Stuck in Chicago. Flight to NYC delayed due to storm. Hope it’s just a few hours.
…
I waited for her response to pop up.
The weather is nasty here too, but I’m sure it will pass soon. In the meantime, find a hot guy. Tell him you’re not wearing any underwear then walk away. He’ll buy you drinks all night to pass the time.
My cheeks flushed just reading the words, and I looked around in case anyone had read her reply over my shoulder. Myles always sent the most insane messages. I quickly typed back a response.
Don’t tell me you’ve actually done that?
Maybe. But girl, you’ll never guess who I saw at the mall today. Your douche ex, Liam.
I furiously typed back, my blood boiling just reading his name. The dick had cheated on me, then tried to blame me, and dumped me via text.
Let me guess, I typed. He got into another fight?
He was with this girl, but don’t worry, she wasn’t that pretty and had greasy hair. They were kissing, so I bumped into them and told her he’s a pig.
I laughed to myself as I typed, You go girl.
“Oh, look she’s smiling,” a guy said, flirtatiously, and I glanced up to see the infuriatingly cute dark-haired guy from the plane with those blue eyes I could easily lose myself in.
“I’m standing right here? I can hear you,” I answered, feeling like I was back in high school.
His friend with the blonde hair and sharp cheekbones that looked like they belonged on a moviestar, nodded. “Pretty sure she’s smiling because she’s going to join us for a drink at the bar.”
I rolled my eyes and snorted before turning back to my phone, although my cheeks were blushing from their attention. Myles hadn’t responded yet but her suggestion on passing the time slid over my thoughts. I stiffened. Not in this lifetime. That wasn’t who I was.
“What have you got to lose?” Blondie asked.
“Hmm let me see. My life if you two end up being serial killers.”
Sexy Blue Eyes burst out laughing so hard that he teared up, drawing attention from the line-up of angry passengers. I mean, I couldn’t deny that the sound of his laugh was the most delicious thing I’d ever heard. Loud, deep, and sexy as hell. Both of them were so hot it ought to be illegal.
“Thanks for that, Perky. I needed a good laugh.” Blue Eyes’ gaze dropped to my chest in a fleeting moment, and I resisted the urge to cross my arms.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, you haven’t given us your name, and you seem to have a super “perky” personality,” the Blonde replied, his green eyes staring at me with a secret h
unger. His friend smirked, hands deep in the pockets of his jeans as he tried to recover from laughing so hard.
I narrowed my eyes at them, and I pushed aside the tingling in my gut that these two hot guys were actually talking to me. “You know you could ask me what my name is. How would you feel if I called you muscles and your friend… I don’t know.“ I glanced around for a clue as my mind was foggy in their presence and having two against one had me flustered. My gaze swept over a poster of a salad. “Cucumber,” I blurted and the moment the word left my mouth, I froze. What had I been thinking. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
“I’d say you were very accurate,” Blondie answered in a droll voice, his amused gaze never leaving me. I could feel the heat shooting up my spine and over my neck and cheeks. I wasn’t sure if the fire was my embarrassment at these two for teasing me or just me daydreaming because two gorgeous specimens were talking to me. I would go with the first one even though it was a lie. Good thing I could give back as good as I got.
“I'm not in the mood for douchebags today, thanks.” I spun on my heel with my beat up handbag under my arm and dragged the wheely onboard luggage behind me.
My body burned up from the inside out, and I felt their eyes on my back. Somehow I ended up putting an extra swing in my hips before merging into the chaos of crowds...which was so unlike me.
Then I ran to the bathroom.
Who in the world did they think they were? Perky, please.
I stood in front of the full length mirror near the sinks. My nipples were at full mast, pressed against my white shirt, and I almost died. Shit! I rubbed them with my palm until they settled down. My cheeks burned the color of a cherry, my hair was sticking upward on one side, and I had a black smear on one knee of my jeans. Kill me now.