by Tina Saxon
Blinding Echo
Tina Saxon
Blinding Echo
Copyright © 2018 by Tina Saxon
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales or events is entirely coincidental.
ISBN Digital: 978-0-9987762-6-2
ISBN Print: 978-0-9987762-7-9
Cover design by: Hang Le
Photographer: Golden Czermak @ Furious Fotog
Model: Chase Ketron
Edited by: Ellie McLove @ My Brother’s Editor
Proofreading by: Petra @ My Brother’s Editor
Contents
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
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Other Books By Tina Saxon
Prologue
Everly
Love stories typically begin with boy meets girl. Ours did. Yet, our story is anything but typical.
I had always thought the heart led us to ‘the one.’ But, I’ve learned the heart doesn’t have a memory. Its beat is steady until our brain triggers an emotion, making the beat so unmistakable it takes your breath away. It’s blinding, life-altering and sometimes earth-shattering. The feeling of true love. We grow up with the grand illusion there is only one person made for us—our soul-mate. But what if your memories are stripped from you? Your soul-mate forgotten. The unmistakable heartbeat gone. The love that completely filled your heart, now an empty space.
That was my heart. Vacant.
He was a stranger, determined to make me fall in love with him. He made it easy. Even though I didn’t know him, he felt familiar. The scars that riddled my body, illustrating my past, he made them feel invisible. Made me feel like I deserved to be cherished and loved.
He was also lying.
Doctors told me my memories were locked in my brain. Eighteen years of my life was under lock and key inside my head somewhere. It was Pandora’s box.
I wish I had never found the key.
Our love story began with boy meets girl. Now…
I love two men.
He loves two women.
Chapter One
Kase
The second she opened her eyes I couldn’t look away. Gray fog rolled in, blanketing the blue in her eyes, the storm was about to release and wreak havoc. Her fist cocked back and landed right smack on his cheek. I heard a crunching sound; I wasn’t sure if it was his cheek or her tiny fist. Cheers erupted around us. “That’s for snapping my bra,” she screeched at the boy doubled over, crying. In that second, I knew I needed her in my life. We were ten, and I was already sure I would marry that sassy girl.
“Have I told you how much I’m going to miss you?” I trace the lines in Everly’s palm with my finger.
“In the last hour? At least, fifty times,” she giggles, squeezing her hand shut on my finger.
“Overkill?”
“Absolutely not. You can tell me every second of the day, and it still wouldn’t be enough,” she pouts. She sits up and straddles me in the bed of my truck. “It won’t be forever though.”
I try to hide the satisfaction of her sitting on top of me. She can’t fault me for having a hard-on. I’m eighteen. It takes one kiss and I’m hard. But when she’s sitting on me, holy shit, all bets are off.
“It’ll feel like it.” I swallow, trying to ignore the heat coming from her core. “Eight weeks is a long time.”
“Don’t remind me.” She wrinkles her nose at me and jabs her finger into my chest. “Have you told your dad?”
Why would I do that?
“Screw him,” I growl as I focus on the cloudless blue sky before finding her gaze again. “He won’t even notice I’m gone.”
She doesn’t push the subject. It won’t make a difference. My mom died five years ago. The cancer was God’s way of setting her free from the devil himself. My dad. I begged her to leave him. She wouldn’t, no matter how hard he hit her. I wasn’t old enough or big enough to stop it. When she died, things got worse. He turned his rage on me. I took it for a couple of years. The hits, the bruises, the pain. Those exact things lit the fire inside me, making me stronger so that one day he would never touch me again. I didn’t run. I fought back.
It makes me smile, thinking about the day my dad tried to hit me two years ago. He ended up in the hospital with two broken ribs and a broken arm. Nothing compared to what he’d done to my mom or me over the years. The cop looked the other way when my dad tried to bring charges against me. Everyone in town knows what type of man my dad is. A coward. God should have taken him instead.
“I’ll notice that you’re gone.” She bends down again and kisses me softly on the lips. Her pouty lips are one of my favorite things about her. Their plump softness makes me go crazy every time they touch my skin. Wrapping my arms around her narrow waist, I pull her closer.
“I love you, Everly,” I whisper before our lips fuse.
The shade of the tree offers little to no relief from the heat coming off her body. Or maybe that’s just my body. Either way, it’s freaking hot. Tires spinning on the dirt road drown out the buzz of the surrounding locusts. We both sit up and stare at the black Ford pickup coming at us.
“Great,” Everly says, sarcastically. “Why can't Wayne understand you’d rather spend time with me right now?” I smirk. He knows. He’s just being an ass like normal, feeling left out.
His truck slides to a stop next to mine and he sticks his head out the window. “You better make it to the water tower tonight,” he says.
I open my mouth to respond, but Everly beats me to it. “Really, Wayne? Do you have a phone?”
“I sure do.” He smiles and holds up his phone, taunting her. She rolls her eyes.
“Well, why don’t you use it? You didn't have to come out here to interrupt us.” Her huff is adorable. These two have fought like brother and sister since we were ten. He’s my best friend, she’s my girlfriend and I’m stuck in the middle.
“Dude, we’ll be there,” I say to diffuse the situation. The faster he leaves, the faster those lips will be back on me. He’s throwing me a going away party tonight. I leave for boot camp on Monday. Ei
ght weeks without either of them will be hard. But I’m ready for the challenge. I’m ready to leave this town.
He points at me. “You better be. I’ll come hunt you down.” We’ve been best friends since we were babies. Our moms were best friends until my dad’s hot temper turned physical. Wayne’s mom tried to talk her into leaving too, but instead of taking her advice, my mom shut her out of her life. She forced her way back in the day mom told everyone she had cancer. She’s been like a second mom since my mom died.
He drives forward, does a quick U-turn, creating a cloud of dust and drives past us going back the same way he came. He yells, “Bye, Buttercup.”
“Jerk!” Everly yells back. I laugh at how red her face gets every time Wayne calls her that. It’s the nickname he made for her when we were twelve because she ate so many Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups she got sick. Now, she won’t even eat peanut butter without gagging. She turns her red face toward me and lifts her brow. “Are you laughing right now?” She acts mad, but she’s not. I can tell when she’s mad; she clears her throat and her eyes turn gray. Right now, she’s biting her bottom lip so she doesn’t smile.
A squeal comes out of her mouth as I grab her and flip her on her back. The blanket underneath us gives a little cushion to the ridges of the truck bed. “I am. What're you going to do about it?” I stare into her eyes. Today, they're green. Her eyes are like a mystery door, you never know what color you will get from one day to the next. She tries to tell me it’s what she’s wearing, but my theory is it’s more like a mood ring. Green is horny. It’s what I’m telling myself right now as I squeeze her ass. And after years of staring into them, I’m usually right.
Her hands run up my back and through my hair. “I would tell you, but I don’t want to think about Wayne right now.”
“Me neither.”
My hand crawls up her thigh, underneath the skirt she intentionally wore, and she squirms as I run my finger along the edge of her cotton underwear. Her breathing quickens, and she hums as I slide my finger under, tracing her opening. The second I feel her wetness, I groan. Something inside me ignites, and it wipes my mind of everything except one thing. Everly Cole.
Our hands tangle in a mad rush to unclothe each other. We’re hidden away in our special spot on my grandfather’s land. Wayne is the only person who knows where we go, but that’s only because the asshole followed us one night to see where we always disappear.
I reach into my shorts pocket to grab a condom. Feeling nothing, I flip the shorts over and switch pockets. I curse under my breath.
“What’s wrong,” she asks, her voice as sweet as the sin we’re about to commit.
I dig my head into her shoulder and groan as my dick shoots out a pain knowing it’s not getting any action. “I can’t find the condom. It must have fallen out somewhere,” I mutter.
“It’s okay. I’m on the pill.”
I jerk up, propping myself up with my elbows. “Since when?”
“Since last month.”
“Do your parents know?” That’s a stupid question. If her dad knew, I’d be six feet under right now. Jake Cole is the town’s sheriff. No one messes with him. He’s never been a fan of me, but he learned early on it was better to keep his enemy close because his daughter was going to date me whether or not he liked it.
“Kase. I’m eighteen now, they don’t need to know everything I do.”
I’m trying hard to think with the right head because right now my dick is the hardest it’s ever been. “Are you sure?” I murmur, studying her face for any hesitation. When she reaches down between us and wraps her warm hand around my hard dick and guides it inside her, I know she’s sure. The heat alone almost makes me lose my shit. It’s never felt this good.
It’s perfect.
She’s perfect.
She’s mine.
Chapter Two
Everly
Kase messes around with his friends in the middle of the circle outlined by truck beds. High school kids fill the beds, dancing to loud music, making out or drinking beer that Trey had his older brother get from a county over. This is what we do every weekend. The spot might be different, but the setup isn’t. Every road in town leads to an open dirt field. Tonight, we’re at the water tower. Tomorrow, might be the watering hole.
Welcome to Barrow, Texas, the small town with a population of 8,251. Susie and Mike Crow added that last one when they had a baby last week. Kase owns this town. He’ll never admit it because he hates it here. Hates the memories of his mom’s death and especially hates his dad.
Jerry Barrow, founder of Barrow Oil, which back in the day controlled the majority of the oil in the US, was Kase’s great-grandfather. The land this town sits on and every mineral right underneath it has been passed down from generation to generation and it ends with Kase. Jerry Jr. died from a heart attack after his mom passed away and left everything to Kase. His fortune is tied up in a trust fund until he’s twenty-eight with other stipulations no one knows about.
“I can’t believe he’s leaving,” Stacy says, leaning on my shoulder. I nod and sigh. Me too.
And without me.
This wasn’t the plan. I always thought we’d leave this town together and never look back. I don’t hate it here like Kase, but there's so much more out in the world, but I can’t leave here on my own. I’m not strong enough to leave my parents without him by my side. Being their only child, and as much as Kase has tried to make me gain independence, I’m terrified of being on my own.
Going to the doctor and getting on the pill was the first thing I’ve ever done by myself. I wanted to surprise him before he left. A part of me wanted him to see I’m trying to be independent. He says he loves me, but what happens when he gets out in the world and the options for women are endless? I’ll be stuck here in good ole Barrow, Texas.
I remember the day he told me he wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I cried for days. He swore he was doing it for us. For our future. He hated school, even though it came easy to him, so the last thing he wanted to do when he graduated high school was go to college. He was using it as a way to leave this town. I had our life planned and him leaving for the military was not in the plan. Now, I’ll be going to the community college by myself.
“Hey, beautiful. You from around here?” Kase jumps into the back of the truck, strolling over.
The last year, he’s been working out every day, getting ready for the SEAL physical test. He was hot before, but now he’s hot with muscles and I can’t keep my hands off him.
“Nope, just visiting friends,” I say, leaning back on my hands, acting disinterested.
Stacy giggles and hops off the cab. “You two are so freakin’ cute,” she mutters as she walks away.
“Guy friends?” he murmurs, uncrossing my legs so he can squeeze between them.
“Nope. Just a fun weekend with the girls before I leave for college.” I try to keep my tone aloof, but it’s hard when he’s touching me.
His fingers trail up my bare thighs, stopping right at the hem of my denim skirt. I swallow as goosebumps pebble my legs. Thoughts of us making love just a couple of hours ago, warm my insides.
“How much fun you wanting to have?” he asks in a suggestive tone, wagging his brows.
I laugh, sitting up. “I had that type of fun earlier. Now, I want to dance.”
He yanks me forward, my skirt bunching up my thighs. “Lucky guy.”
“He better always remember how lucky he is,” I say, flashing a sly smile.
“I have a feeling he’ll never forget.” His lips slam against mine in a heated kiss. He kisses me until we’re both gasping for air. “I love you,” he whispers.
“From my nose to my toes,” I reply. He belts out a laugh. The first time he told me he loved me, when we were thirteen, that’s what he said.
“I love you from your nose to your toes.”
It’s been a joke between us because I was so upset his love stopped at my nose. He picks me up, setting me on my feet. “C’
mon Evie, let me show you my dance moves.” I playfully growl at the nickname. He knows I hate being called Evie, but I let it slide with him.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see this. Maybe this time, you’ll show me more than just the sprinkler,” I joke. He slaps me on the butt as he pushes me to the middle of the circle where everyone is dancing.
“Just for that,” he says, pointing to me with a devilish grin. “I’m doing this all night long.”
The guys around join in. And there it is, folks.
The sprinkler.
“Don’t forget about me,” I hiccup through my tears. He cups my jaw, catching my tears with his thumb. People rush around us getting in the security line. My eyes are everywhere except on his. I can’t look at him without going into hysterics.
“Everly, eyes on me,” he softly demands. I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. “Please, baby.” I open them, biting my quivering lip. His eyes glisten with tears. “Someone would have to rip my heart out to make me forget about you. And since boot camp isn’t that bad, it’s safe to say, that won't happen.” I nod. “I love you, Everly Cole.”
“I love you, Kase Nixon.”