by Jade Oliver
Copyright © 2018 by Jade Oliver.
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.
The author acknowledges the trademark owners of various products, brands, and/or stores references in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
No part 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.
Edited by Missy Stewart Fournier
Ms. Correct All’s Editing and Proofreading Services
Cover Design by Nichole Witholder
Rainy Day Artwork
The Heart of Andros
Andros Island Book One
Jade Oliver
Contents
Acknowledgments
Warnings
Blurb
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Afterword
About the Author
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the following people:
The adventure we’ve taken throughout writing this book has been filled with highs, lows, and lots of in-betweens. There are so many people to thank that have helped us along the way but we can’t possibly name them all without writing a new book! But some special people we would like to give a shout out to...
Harper, Quinn, and Stacy for giving us invaluable advice, guidance, and encouragement. It has made all the difference, especially for us as new writers. Nic for her amazing cover, friendship, cheerleading, and advice as we wrote this book. Missy for being a rockstar editor and great friend with lots of patience. Thanks to all of our beta and arc readers - we could not have done any of this without your feedback. Special shoutouts to Mamaw, Becca, Vic, and Gina. Your comments and suggestions helped so much. Thank you Sosha and Caitlyn for everything you do. Last, thanks to our group for always interacting and lending us support.
Jade:
First, I need to thank my husband and kids for being patient and supportive while I not only graduated from college and worked, but also wrote a book. They stepped up and allowed me to have my “book time” with my bestie. I could not have done this without ya’ll supporting me and giving me this time to do it. You guys rock! And I love you with all my being.
Next, I have to thank my amazing bestie and co-writer, Kendall. I could not have gone on this journey without you. We have had so many starts and stops along the way but we persevered through it all and only came out stronger! My sincerest wish is to continue writing with you in the many years to come. I need my partner in crime, my soul sister, and my plot genius to always be there to have my back! I love you lots.
Kendall:
I’d like to thank my husband for his support, encouragement, love, and snacks to combat the hangry. My kids for being the adorably loving monsters they are and letting momma sneak off every now and again. You give me the strength to pursue my dreams just by existing. My momma for her help with the kiddos. This book wouldn’t exist without the support of others and I’m eternally grateful for everything. Last but not least, my extraordinary co-writer Jade. You’re my best friend and have never given up on me or this book. Through the good, bad, and ugly you’re my number one encourager and shoulder to lean on. We just click in writing and life. There’s no one else I’d rather do this with and I can’t wait for more.
Kendall’s Dedication:
“Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.” ― Natalie Babbit, Tuck Everlasting
To those I have lost along my journey, I carry your heart in mine and I am better for having known you, no matter how short the time. Because of you l’ve learned to live and this book is proof of my living.
Jade’s Dedication:
To my family, your unwavering support is what keeps me going everyday.
To my bookworld friends, your unlimited support is what has helped me through the past few months as I took the step from reader to writer.
Warnings
18+, sexual content, and light m/m
The history behind the story is modeled after real places and cultural groups. However, as this is a work of fiction, liberties were taken and fictional license used.
Blurb
Cultural anthropology graduate student, Adair Stafford, has the chance of a lifetime. After being selected to conduct a research study in the beauty of Andros island, she leaves behind her broken heart to pursue a lifelong goal.
All is going as planned until Adair and her research partner find themselves transported back in time, thrown into the very culture they came to uncover.
As Adair learns to adjust, she finds herself developing feelings for more than one complicated man while still trying to let go of the one who broke her heart.
Is there a way back to the future and, in the end, will she want to go back after finding her heart in Andros?
Prologue
May 1st, 2018
Brax
Adair's apartment looms in the distance as I sit and stare out the front windshield of my Honda. I am thirty minutes early to my designated pick-up time to take her out to dinner, and I make a futile attempt to stop the rush of emotions that threaten to overwhelm me. I grip the steering wheel in frustration, but my hands slip from the sweat coating my palms. It feels like my life has run away from me and I have no control over what happens next.
Tonight is my last night with her and she doesn’t even know. How do I tell her? I stare out the car window and watch the turbulent rain run rivulets down the glass. Once I knew my decision, I asked myself that question the rest of the week. How do I walk away from over six months of spending every moment I’m in town with this woman? From falling in love for the first, and only, time with the most intelligent and beautiful woman in the entire existence of the world.
I contemplate the last few months of my life and the person I am today because of her. Adair. I knew I’d have to make difficult decisions at some point. It was never my goal to fall in love. All I’ve ever known of love is that it’s like the wind. It blows in, stirs things up, and usually rushes back out to leave a cesspit of emotion. It’s not worth the time most people give it. I had no idea how love would feel, how one person could become your everything. What I was taught about love cheapened what I now know is the greatest experience in life.
Then I met her. I first saw Adair from the side as she rushed past me. I didn’t know it then, but she
is almost always late. She caught my attention not because she is classically beautiful but because she possesses a raw beauty that always shines through. She has that certain something most women want, spend a lot of time and money trying to achieve, but only few attain.
I sit here with the rain playing a song on my car and become lost in my memories of her when we first met. She walked by so quickly, almost running, she tripped over someone’s feet. Luckily, the guy she tripped over caught her before she could fall and really hurt herself. I can still feel the utter envy and jealousy that consumed me when his unworthy hands touched her. Being so close to her, he was able to feel her soft skin and be surrounded by the scent that I know now is uniquely Adair's. I knew then, in that brief encounter, that I wanted her, and it was more than anything purely physical. I wanted her to be mine.
Damn, it sounds so possessive and a bit primitive, but that's not it. I just wanted to get to know her, but getting to know someone who isn’t aware of your existence can be difficult. The next few times I saw her, I studied her, trying to find a way to introduce myself without coming off as a creep. She already had a few of those always approaching her. I figured out early that in this town, everyone appeared creepy until they knew you. They did not warm up well to strangers.
One day I noticed her drinking coffee from a local coffee place and devised a plan to meet her. Little did I know she was a barista there, but it worked out in my favor. It made her notice me. The first time she looked at me, I knew she felt something too. I walked up to the counter while she had been helping someone else. She glanced over to tell me she would be right with me and stilled. Her rich, sapphire blue eyes looked dazed, and honestly, a little lost, almost scared when they met my eyes. It was very at odds from the person I knew her to be from my observations. She shook it off and finished helping the customer, then strode over to me but said nothing.
The need to wrap her in my arms and never let go shot through me. I promised myself I’d do everything possible to keep her. Keep her feeling loved, safe, and happy. I felt a desperation, like I had never experienced, to wipe that look from her eyes permanently. Damn, I was in no position to give this to her. I wish I’d had the strength then to walk away and save us both. Instead, I let my overpowering need for her win, even though I knew I was going to fail and she’d hate me almost as much as I would hate myself.
The rain, which had previously seemed soothing, now drums angrily on the windshield as I take a couple of deep breaths. I try to relax and cling onto my resolve to do what’s right, no matter the consequences. If I take what I feel I don’t deserve, it will only make the inevitable pain so much worse.
I happen to glance up and see my reflection in the rearview mirror. My face looks haggard with worry and my blue eyes are full of resignation knowing I will never see her again. Never touch or kiss her again. Never get to know what it’s like to make love to her. I've wanted her so badly over the past few months, but I refrained from breaching that intimacy level.
Although if I’m honest with myself, we know one another on a more intimate level without sex clouding our limited time together. I know the very core of who she is. I am in love with her, but I am a soulless bastard for taking what never belonged to me. The least I can do is leave her body untouched and hope it will be a small consolation when I am gone. Her solace and my hell. I wanted to be the perfect gentleman for her and I have been. I am not going to allow myself to blow it now.
“Motherfucker!” My bellow fills the car. I sense movement to my right, and I look outside the car window to see a couple standing there staring. Shit. I must’ve been louder than I thought.
I realize after looking at the car’s clock that I've spent almost fifteen minutes inside my own head. Another quick glance at the mirror assures me my face appears slightly more relaxed and my eyes more neutral. It’ll have to do.
Fortunately the rain has become more of a drizzle, so I climb out of the car and start to run across the street. The street lights help me avoid stepping into any puddles as I make my way into her building still trying to keep as dry as possible. Less than two minutes later, I knock on her door. She must have been waiting because the door opens quickly, and I stand there stunned by the vision before me.
Damn, she is so fucking beautiful. She’s always gorgeous, but tonight? Tonight she takes my breath away, and I feel the resolve to keep my hands off her start to slip away and I twitch in my pants.
I study her gorgeous face. Her blue eyes shine and sparkle with happiness. As usual, she wears only light makeup, except for her luscious, plump lips outlined in a deep red color to form a most suggestive smile. My gaze trails down her body, the tight, little black dress frames her curves perfectly. Her breasts are outlined in the snug dress, which allows me to see her nipples harden under my watchful perusal, and my cock swells painfully. I continue my lustful gaze downward from her slender hips to her smooth, silky legs, and finally to see her feet encased in spiked red heels she matched with her lipstick.
Fuck me. I am so screwed.
When I look back up to her face, I see her blue eyes shining with hunger and mirth as she gives me a small, shy smile. I have no idea what brought this on, but I have a gnawing suspicion she is determined to seduce me. With that knowledge, I feel my resolve crumbling even more despite my attempts to steady myself. She is sensitive to rejection, and the last thing I want is to hurt her more than necessary, even though I know in the end I will anyway. My focus shifts from frustration to anticipation of spending one more night with her when she peers at me with want, need, and happiness.
She laughs. “Cat got your tongue Brax?”
With a smirk, I lean against the doorframe and cross my arms as I reply. “Not a cat. You, beautiful. What are you going to do about it?”
Her eyes darken with passion and she takes a step towards me. I watch her sexy, confident smile grow and know whatever she says I’ll do. This is probably going to blow my plans of dinner and keeping my hands off her before I leave. The tension between us has been building over the months as we’ve gotten to know each other. In this moment, I resent my decision to take the job I did.
Adair reaches her left hand out and runs it down my chest to the top of my slacks and grips the waistband to pull me towards her. I know she can feel the tip of my erection when her breathing deepens.
With a husky voice she asks, “What do you want me to do?” She pulls me further into the apartment and I let her. I reach back, shut the door, and turn the deadbolt to lock it. I also lock any resistance I had about loving Adair completely outside the apartment. I’ve made sure to not enter her apartment the entire time we’ve dated, afraid I would give in to our desires. She lets go of my pants, grabs my hand, and turns towards a door that leads to what I assume is the bedroom. What I need to tell her is forgotten as we lose ourselves in each other.
Hours later, I once again find myself looking out a window as I watch the rain continue its steady fall. I hear stirring behind me and turn around. Adair is restless, searching for me in bed. How will she be once I leave forever? I walk over to her and run my hand down her bare shoulder, giving in to my desire to touch her smooth skin. The sheet brushes lower and bares her naked breast and hardening rosy nipple.
When I crawl in behind her to hold her close one last time, I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me. My arms fit perfectly just under her breasts. She lets out a sleep muffled yet contented sigh as she scoots her body into mine and her ass rubs against me. We’ve already made love, but I harden anyway. I squeeze my arms to tighten my grip around her. If only I had more time…
No! There is only one decision and I have to stick with the plan. The plan I should have forced myself to follow and wanted to tell her last night before I became lost in my own needs. The plan I know will break both our hearts.
My arms remain wrapped around her as I lie there and savor every moment until my time is up. Slowly so as to not wake her, I carefully scoot away and take a moment to stand th
ere and memorize her beauty. Her long dark hair spread across the pillow. Her plump, kissable lips.
I lean down and press my lips to hers one more time, whispering in her ear, “I love you.”
Unexpectedly, she murmurs, “Love you too, Brax.”
Damn. Who would’ve known the words I’ve wanted to hear so badly, would also shatter my heart.
One
May 2nd, 2018
Adair
I awaken slowly and stretch. My hand reaches for Brax, but his side of the bed is cold to my touch. Brax must’ve been gone for a few hours, at least. Shit. I quickly open my eyes and look out the window. The soft light that shines through indicates that it’s most likely mid-morning.