Forbidden Desires

by Jenna Hartley

  At that point, I was already in my last trimester, but it was fun to share the last bit of my pregnancy with Cora. What’s even better is to have the cousins so close in age. They already love each other like crazy.

  “Are you ready to throw some flowers for Aunt Jules?” Cora looks at Emmi, her sweet almost one-year-old cooing and throwing her little arms up in response.

  We knew it would probably be chaotic and maybe even messy to include the two little ones in our wedding, but we wouldn’t have had it any other way. Everyone’s been looking forward to our wedding, even though Carter might have been a teeny bit frustrated that it took us almost two years to get to this point, but I didn’t want this to be more stressful than it had to be.

  There was simply so much going on with healing after my accident and moving into the house. Then our baby boy was born and we wanted to wait until he was a little older and we had settled into our roles as parents.

  “Well, I’m ready for sure.” I get up from my chair and smooth down my dress. Growing up, I always thought I’d choose a puffy princess dress. Instead, I immediately fell in love with my simple lace dress. The second I saw it at the bridal store, I knew this was it.

  It’s ivory, fitted through the bodice and hips, and covered in vintage-inspired lace with an open back. It reminded me of my mom’s dress, is absolutely stunning, and most of all, it makes me feel beautiful on this special day, so I hope Carter will like it too.

  “You look utterly gorgeous.” My brother walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Mom and Dad would be so proud of you.” His voice is thick with emotion, and if the excessive swallowing is anything to go by, he’s trying to keep it together for me.

  “Thank you.” I take a deep breath and close my eyes before looking back at him, still trying hard not to cry.

  Cora comes up to us and gives us a hug, squishing Emmi between us. “Stop being all sentimental, or we’re all gonna cry. Since that’s not an option right now, I better head out. I’m sure people are starting to get antsy. See you guys on the other side.” She gives me one more reassuring squeeze and heads out, leaving us alone.

  “Let’s do this.” I grab my brother’s arm and pull, making him chuckle.

  “Now you want to hurry? You’ve made poor CJ wait all this time, and now you’re the one trying to pull me out of the room?”

  I laugh nervously, still feeling a little guilty for the long engagement, but that’s why we’re here. To fix that. “Exactly. It’s been long enough, and I’m more than ready to finally make it official.”

  “Fair enough.” He pats my hand for a second and nods. “Let’s get this show started then.”

  And off we go to meet my husband-to-be at the end of the aisle.

  Carter

  My nerves were shot long before they started playing Mendelssohn’s Wedding March. Just when I think I might pass out, my best friend opens the back door of our house, holding Julia on his arm.

  Finally.

  My Julia.

  She looks magnificent, as always. Her long dress gently flowing in the breeze, hugging her body in all the right places.

  I’ve learned to be patient over the last two years. Before waiting for this day to happen, I spent months waiting for our child to be born. It was easily the most agonizing experience I’ve ever had. Even though I’m so close to my goal, I feel more impatient than ever, mere seconds away from sprinting down the makeshift aisle on our deck, so I can throw my bride-to-be over my shoulder to get this over with.

  “Almost there, Carter. Don't lose it now.” Cora chuckles as she passes me, taking her place on Julia's side in front of the flower arch. Emmi is in her arms, playing with a few remaining rose petals she kept from her flower girl job.

  I give Cora a tight-lipped nod and focus on the aisle, noticing that Oliver and Julia aren't in sync with the music at all.

  Wait. Is Julia pulling her brother?

  A chuckle escapes my lips, and my mom shoots me a curious look. That Julia seems just as impatient as I am lifts a weight off my shoulders, allowing me to finally relax, especially since they reach me at that point too.

  “Hi.” She's in front of me, a little bit out of breath.

  So fucking beautiful.

  “Hi yourself.” I grab her hands, unable to keep from touching her a moment longer. I take a step closer and bend to kiss her, which results in a few chuckles from the audience.

  I stare into her pretty brown eyes and forget everything around me. Even though I hear someone talking, I’m in a daze, and almost miss my moment to say “I do,” but Ollie comes to the rescue and nudges me from behind, whispering the words.

  Julia grins at me, saying her “I do” less than a minute later. My mom comes up to us with Hayden perched on her hip. He's holding the little pillow with our rings in his arms, squishing it to his chest like it's his new favorite toy.

  “Dada.” He gives me a drooly smile, showing off the few teeth that finally broke through before his first birthday a few months ago.

  “Thanks, big guy.” Seeing my boy causes me to look around the small crowd of friends and family that came to celebrate this special day with us.

  Making today even more perfect.

  Julia and I exchange rings, before we're finally declared husband and wife.

  After a way too short kiss, Hayden seems to feel the excitement around us, starting to cheer and bounce in my mom’s arms before leaping into ours.

  Julia and I hug him tight between us, and everything my mom said finally makes sense. The journey might have been littered with mistakes, but ultimately love directed us to where we were meant to be.

  This is what I’ve been waiting for all these years, for this special connection—my special someones—to fill my heart and make me feel utterly complete.

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  Jasmin Miller is a professional lover of books and cake (preferably together) as well as a fangirl extraordinaire. She loves to read and write about anything romantic and never misses a chance to swoon over characters. Originally from Germany, she now lives in the western US with her husband and three little humans that keep her busy day and night.

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  Falling From Gravity by K.K. Allen

  K.K. Allen

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  Dear Reader,

  In an effort to give you an interactive experience, YouTube links have been included throughout this book with no copyright infringement intended. All links point to their rightful owners, and all owners have been contacted regarding the use of video in this publication. Viewing the videos is not required to read, however, my intention is to bring you the inspiration that went into creating this story while you follow along.

 
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  Enjoy!

  K.K.

  Chapter 1

  Amelia

  * * *

  A loud hiss shot through the air as I exited my car and stepped onto the shoulder of Latigo Canyon Road. I groaned as my eyes made contact with the damage. I wasn’t even five minutes away from my home when my silver Miata found its way into a pothole. Just my luck.

  I crouched slowly, staring at the deflating tire as a slew of curse words flew through my mind. I scolded the punctured rubber with a shake of my head. “You had one job.”

  I had approximately an hour and a half to get to Los Angeles, and with traffic, I was already cutting it close.

  Looking around, I debated who I could call to get me out of this mess. My parents would call for a tow then a car service to drive me straight home, where I was certain to get a lecture about being aware of my surroundings. Or I could contact my best friend and neighbor, Trinity, who I knew was in the middle of studying for her big chemistry exam.

  As much as I hated myself for choosing to interrupt Trinity, it was my only true option. Her response was instant.

  Trin: Help is on its way!

  My next breath was a deep one, whooshing out of me along with the tension I’d felt moments earlier. Trinity was the kind of friend who didn’t hesitate to help her bestie out in a jam, no matter what was going on in her life. I would buy her Starbucks and convince her to drive me to LA. She could study there.

  Ugh. My gut twisted at my selfish thoughts, but I couldn’t stay another day in Malibu. Everything I loved was in LA. Well, besides Trinity. She was the only reason I stuck around as much as I did. But with us both graduating in a few months, I couldn’t hang back while she studied to pursue her dreams. I had my own dreams to fulfill. Big dreams. And they all started with Gravity Dance Complex.

  Stuffing my disappointment deep into my chest, I crawled into the passenger seat of my car, turned up the volume of Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake,” and slouched in my seat, propping my heel on the open door.

  Not even a minute later, I started at the familiar sound of an approaching engine. No. My eyes widened, my cheeks burned red, and my chest immediately filled with panic. She wouldn’t. That wasn’t the sound of just any engine, and one glance through my windshield confirmed my suspicion.

  The newly restored white 1966 Chevrolet C/K was practically a celebrity in our town, always causing a stir wherever it appeared. And it was owned by none other than Tobias James—otherwise known as Trinity’s brother and Malibu’s quintessential heartthrob.

  “Malibu Gold” was what the locals called him: a star in the making. He was known best for his high school basketball shooting record, but that wasn’t the only thing we all found impressive. He’d also maintained a perfect GPA throughout school.

  Athletic, smart, and good-looking—that was Malibu Gold. Beyond the white sandy beaches and being home to a Pepperdine University campus, Malibu had Tobias to give the locals bragging rights.

  At least that had been the case until he’d bailed halfway through his first season of playing college basketball for the Pepperdine Waves with no explanations or apologies. He’d simply dropped out of school before winter quarter and stayed gone for months. No one could find him, and the police wouldn’t do anything since he was no longer a minor.

  When he’d finally returned a few months later, he didn’t try to go back to school, and the Waves had already ended their basketball season with a losing record, which—of course—they blamed on Tobias. He was the obvious easy target since he hadn’t even tried to defend himself, but it was still wrong. All of it.

  The once social butterfly was now a recluse, a drifter who came in and out of town as he pleased, picking up odd jobs at the local body shop or working on his truck. He was stoic, quiet, and disgruntled. The drastic change made me wonder how much of what Trinity had told me was true. She’d said her brother’s behavior was all for nothing. Or maybe there was something she was hiding. My gut, and Trinity’s inability to look me in the eyes, told me it was the latter.

  Trinity had mentioned he was in town again, not that she’d had to tell me with the way gossip in our neighborhood worked, but I didn’t understand why she would send him to rescue me. Tobias and I had barely spoken a word to each other since elementary school. Not only that, but every time I was around him, my senses jumbled into a big, tangled ball, triggering every inch of awkwardness I owned.

  He slammed the door of his truck, snapping me to attention as his long strides brought him to me. The slight angle to his jaw appeared hard as a rock, and there was a deep crease between his brows as he eyed the tire that had failed me.

  “What happened here?” he grumbled. My imagination was strong, but the utter annoyance in his tone was one-hundred-percent real.

  “Pothole.” I stepped out of the car and stood near him, folding my arms across my chest. “Shredded my damn tire.”

  His frown deepened before he knelt to inspect the damage. “Shredded would be the correct word.” He wiped his hands on his jeans and stood up. “Got a spare?”

  I pointed at the trunk. “Be my guest.”

  I watched him work in silence since I assumed that was how he would want it. While he did, I looked at him up close for what felt like the first time. His dark hair curled just below his ear lobes, and his wide shoulders stretched the white fabric across his back. His legs were so thick, I could see that even through his jeans, they carried a definition that could only be built by an athlete.

  I’d gotten good at pretending he wasn’t around when he very much was, because avoidance was better than the repercussions would be. Trinity would never approve of my attraction to her brother. She’d said as much when we were fourteen and mock-cheerleading a basketball game in our neighborhood park.

  “You can’t date my brother, you know?” Trinity had said, her eyes narrowed on me as I executed a perfect toe touch.

  I faltered slightly on my landing before doing a double take. Her stare was so accusing, like she knew about the crush I’d always had on her brother.

  “That would just be weird.” She let out a breathy laugh before rolling her eyes. “And we could never be friends again.”

  Why she’d decided to speak up in that moment was beyond me. Had I been staring? Probably. But it was her idea to show up in those damn miniskirts.

  When she jumped back into the cheer, like she hadn’t just crushed my soul, I’d made my decision to let whatever feelings that had been festering for Tobias go. My friendship with Trinity was too important, and I would never let a boy come between us.

  When he spoke again, my eyes jumped in his direction, locking on his grayish-blue ones. They appeared almost silver with the way the sunlight hit them, matching the key that dangled from a chain he wore around his neck. I was so busy staring, I completely missed what he’d said.

  “Do you have far to go?” he repeated, irritation seeping into his tone.

  “Um.” Where am I headed again? “Yeah. LA, actually.” My eyes caught on his grease-stained hands. “Thanks for taking care of this. I might actually make it in time.” I stepped around him and toward the front of my car, relief filling me in a rush.

  “Whoa.” His arm shot out, blocking my path. “You can’t drive to LA on that tire. You need to get it replaced with a real one.”

  My face fell, and I groaned, crossing my arms to hug myself as the weight of disappointment crushed my chest. I’d only waited my entire life for this audition. If I didn’t get to LA that day, my dreams were over. I couldn’t let that happen. This was my chance, and I could feel it so deeply, it reached my bones. My entire body ached at the vision of what waited for me by the end of the day. I just had to get there.

  When I peered up at him again, a thought struck me. “Can you take me?”

  His gaze snapped to mine so hard, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it triggered whiplash. “Take you where?”

  “To LA.”

  His chest rose, and lines began to g
ather on his forehead. “That’s an hour away, Amelia.”

  “An hour and a half with traffic,” I corrected. Probably not the best move on my part.

  He blew out a breath and shook his head. “Look, I promised Trinity I’d help you get home. She said nothing about driving your ass to LA. Don’t your parents have a driver or something?” He shook his head and shoved his fingers through his hair. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

  Panic quickly replaced the relief I had felt only seconds before. There was no way I could trust one of my parents’ staff to take me to LA without it starting up the dreaded conversation about my future.

  Ideas clicked through my mind until one fell from my mouth. “I could buy you dinner after.”

  The look Tobias gave me was tortured with disbelief. “What makes you think I’d want to go to dinner with you?”

  I swallowed my embarrassment then scrunched my face in frustration. He was right. There was no enticement in forcing him to eat dinner with me on top of it all. But I was getting desperate.

  “Then how about an I-O-U? If you ever need anything from me, just say the word.” He didn’t fight back immediately, so I widened my eyes, letting him know I was serious. “Anything.”

  He let out a frustrated growl, and that was when I knew I had him.