by Mia Ford
Take My Breath Away
Mia Ford
Copyright © 2018 by Mia Ford
All rights reserved.
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.
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Contents
Blurb
1. Rosalind
2. Sterling
3. Rosalind
4. Sterling
5. Rosalind
6. Sterling
7. Rosalind
8. Sterling
9. Rosalind
10. Sterling
11. Rosalind
12. Sterling
13. Rosalind
14. Sterling
15. Rosalind
16. Sterling
17. Rosalind
18. Sterling
19. Rosalind
20. Sterling
21. Rosalind
22. Sterling
23. Rosalind
24. Sterling
25. Rosie
26. Sterling
27. Rosalind
28. Sterling
29. Rosie
30. Sterling
31. Rosie
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Mia Ford
Blurb
I couldn’t wait to graduate from the local college and move on to law school. By move on, I meant I would live far away. I’d been at odds with my father for years now and there was nothing to stay for.
Well, Rosie was worth staying for, but our families hated each other. They despised one another. It was all in the name of business but that was the name of the game for them.
The best part about college was that we were far enough from our families to live our own loves and reconnect. I ended up drunkenly kissing her and realized that I wanted more. Soon, we were sleeping together as often as we could. It felt so good.
Graduation was around the corner and we both had plans. We had ideas of what we wanted to do and none of them involved staying together. We wanted to run and live our dreams, dreams that weren’t supported by anyone.
One night would change everything. It would ultimately affect our families and our own lives. It would make me realize feelings that I’d avoided for so long.
Could we rise above the tension in our lives and be together? Could we walk away from it all without looking back?
Life was about to get tough.
1
Rosalind
I stepped out of my shower and dried my long, curly dark hair. I was lucky to have a dorm with an attached bathroom, so I tried not to complain about how tiny it was. Once I was wrapped in a towel, I flung the door open and wiped down the round mirror. I knew that Violet wanted to take a shower before her classes as well and smiled as my blonde roommate poked her head in. I brushed my hair quickly and stepped out, offering her the room.
“We will never have similar schedules again, Rose. I promise,” she swore as I walked over to the desk by the window that held our makeup mirror. It was mostly her makeup, but I tried to look human most days. I reached for some powder for my pale skin and brushed it gently on, deciding how much concealer that I would need under my eyes. They were already a dark brown and seemed to highlight the flaws. I dabbed a little on my skin and added some dark liner to my lids before grabbing the mascara. I was finished with a clear gloss when Violet stepped out and glanced up with a smile.
I walked across the room to our closet and picked my favorite jeans and a purple Henley to go with the Seattle weather. I went into the bathroom to get dressed, drying my hair in loose waves as Violet did her face.
“We’re going to graduate from here in a year, Vi. Isn’t that crazy?” I asked as I stepped out into the room. She was braiding her hair, and she grabbed clothes to change into.
“It’s been a great time,” she said wistfully before she closed the door. We’d roomed together from day one. We were paired randomly, but she became my best friend instantly. I didn’t know what I was going to do without her when she returned to Texas and I stayed in the area. I heard a knock at the door and frowned as I went to answer it.
“Good morning, Rosie.” Sterling greeted me, holding a drink tray with three coffees. I allowed him to step inside and grinned at him as he moved to sit on my bed.
“You don’t have class until noon. What are you doing here?” I asked as I walked over to join him. He pulled one of the drinks from the tray and held it out to me. I inhaled the cinnamon and smiled at him.
I’d been friends with Sterling since we were in first grade. Our families lived in the same neighborhood and we were close from day one. I won’t lie. I had a crush on him for most of that time as well, but only watched him date other girls all the way through school. It wasn’t until college when we were on our own that he kissed me when he got drunk one night.
It led to other things and other nights, but Sterling still claimed to want to play the field. He was gorgeous with stormy blue eyes and tousled chestnut hair. I was already tall at five feet eight, but he was six feet two and muscled from his time at the gym. Sterling hadn’t changed much over the years apart from the fact that we were sleeping together now. He was the kindest to me since we’d been through a lot of shit together. We were best friends that had some benefits and it never ceased to confuse me at times.
“Look what the car dragged in,” Violet said as she left the bathroom in leggings and an orange tunic shirt with boots. She took the coffee that he offered her with a smile, thanking him.
“Good morning, Miss Violet,” he greeted her in an affected voice as she rolled her blue eyes.
“Thanks for the coffee, Sterling. We were up late studying.” She informed him as he nodded slowly.
“That’s why I’m up. All-nighter.” I looked closely at him and noticed how tired he looked. “I was getting coffee anyway, so I grabbed some for you.”
Violet brought me my backpack and went for her own before we all left the room. I walked with Sterling while Violet hung back, walking with another friend.
“Are you going to sleep?” I asked him as he shook his head. His hair was especially messy today, and I frowned worriedly. “You need to rest, Sting.” I’d started calling him that when the singer became so popular and because it was shorter.
“I will. Tests don’t last forever, Rosie. Besides, we’re done soon. We can sleep then,” he assured me as I laughed.
“I guess,” I said softly as we headed outside.
The sky was gray as usual. I glanced up and sipped my coffee again as we paused in front of the building.
“Where are you headed?” I asked as I looked into his beautiful face.
Sterling was staring across the campus and I followed his gaze to see a redhead waving at us.
“I’m going over there,” he said as I tried not to frown. He leaned down to kiss my cheek, and I smiled as he walked away.
“Thanks for the coffee!” I called to him as he turned around to wave at me.
“You have the biggest crush on him,” Violet told me as she moved beside me, watching him as well.
“I always have. I must be an idiot.” I murmured as the wind blew my hair around my face.
“He’s into you. He has to be with the stuff he does for you, but he is also a bit of a player.” She wrinkled her nose. “Fuck it. We’re in college and that’s the time to play. You should learn to play well with others.” I laughed. I wasn’t the kind of girl to sleep around. I never would be.
We walked to the building that held our classes and split up at the door to my creative writing class. I was looking i
nto writing either creatively or focusing on journalism once I was out of college. I stepped inside and sat down in the middle of the room, glancing up at the redhead that he went to talk to as she sat down. She was pretty, and I scowled for a moment before I glanced at my coffee. Sterling didn’t do that for her. I sipped it, savoring the sharp taste of cinnamon as it slid down my throat. I had better things to worry about than Sterling Norris. We had a good thing going and there was no reason to change anything about it.
I finished my day at school and yawned as I stepped outside. I needed a nap. It was Friday, so we had the weekend to relax or party, as Violet would want to do. I glanced around to see if she was around, noticing her chatting up a dark-haired jock with short hair. I laughed, knowing how much of a flirt she was. I turned to head back to the dorm, thinking ahead to next week and some papers that were due.
I grew up with money along with Sterling, but I wanted to support myself once I was out of school. He was even going to school for law himself, wanting a serious career. He certainly loved to argue. I could think back to many days where we fought about the smallest things, both too stubborn to give in. That never changed, and we still bickered… but we had a great time in bed. I blushed and glanced forward as I kept walking through the gate, turning right to our building.
I got to the room first and set everything on the desk before stretching my arms. I glanced at my messy bed and smiled as I walked over, dropping to my pillows, and closing my eyes. It felt so good as I reached down to pull my blanket over my body, hiding underneath it as I sighed.
2
Sterling
I was headed back to my dorm when I heard a girl call my name. I turned my head, seeing Cora walking towards me. She was a girl that I met in a math class last semester and hooked up with a few times. She smiled at me, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder as she approached me.
“Hey, you. What’s up?” I was so fucking tired and hoped that she wouldn’t suggest getting together.
“I’m finished for the day and saw you. There’s a party at the frat house tonight and I was hoping you’d join me.” She batted her long lashes at me, giving me a puppy dog look with her green eyes.
“Let me get back to you on that. I was up late studying.” I told her as she set her lips in a pout.
“Okay. Call me later.” She leaned up to kiss me and I kept it chaste, noting the look on her face. I wasn’t together with anybody and wouldn’t lead them on. Cora turned to walk away, and I watched her for a moment, admiring her ass.
I kept walking to my dorm, glancing at Rosie’s building, wondering what she was up to. I wasn’t in it this morning but when I got coffee, I bought cups for her and Violet as well. I was always thinking about helping Rosie out since she’d always taken good care of me.
I thought back to the night at the comedy club where we’d both had too much to drink. I acted on a lingering attraction to her and kissed her that night, surprised when she responded eagerly. Rosie was gorgeous with big, dark eyes and silky, wavy hair. She had curves for days and pale skin that made everything about her features pop out. I knew what guys said about her and appreciated the fact that she didn’t date. She was focused on school right now.
Who was I kidding? Rosie was clearly into me since she slept with me the night we were alone in her dorm. We’d already kissed several times, and each time got more heated between us. That night, we just kept going and before I knew it, we were naked. I slept with a lot of girls casually, but I always took the time to worship Rosie’s body. She was hot when she came for me and I wanted it a lot more than I let on. I just played that down and kept our friendship as the focus. I hated the idea of not having her in my life.
I stepped into my building and headed up the steps to my single dorm. I needed a nap badly before I considered any parties tonight. I changed into some shorts and dropped into my bed, closing my eyes. I couldn’t wait to graduate and decide what to do then. I was planning on law school which would be more time in school. It would pay off and my parents covered the cost for all of it. They had as much money as Rosie’s family did. We were both trust fund kids thanks to our grandparents and didn’t need to work. We just wanted to make something of our lives.
I woke up hours later to my phone vibrating across the room. I rolled to my back and stretched, groggy from my nap. Shit. I could just stay here and be happy.
I made my way to the small fridge for a soda. I grabbed my phone and checked it, seeing texts from a few friends and some voice mails. I wasn’t surprised that they were all about the party at the frat house or something else that was happening this weekend. It was great having the friends I did, but they were too much sometimes.
I noticed there was nothing from Rosie. She’d left me alone when we came here, seeing how quickly I fit into the social scene. The girls seemed to flock to me and the guys liked my easygoing personality. I saved my stubborn streak for close friends and family since there was enough going on in my day-to-day life. I sat back on my bed, yawning as I considered sending her a message. I liked the idea of watching a movie in here, just us. The idea of loud music and voices in the big frat house sounded a little overwhelming to me tonight.
What the hell was I doing? I wanted to spend more time with Rosie than ever before. We were tight growing up… very close. We all played together; her siblings and mine. Even now when we were home for holidays, the now grown kids got together and went for dinner and drinks. I looked forward to it every year though our parents weren’t at all close. I assumed it was a business thing since they both owned a lot of places in Seattle. They could be contenders, but I didn’t care. I liked Rosie and her brothers and sisters.
All I needed to do was talk to some friends before I found out that Violet would be at the party. She often dragged Rosie out of the dorm with her, so we could hang out. It wasn’t what I necessarily wanted to do with her, but I’d get to see her. Her smile made everything better.
I agreed to meet some of the guys there, heading into the shower. I got out and dried off, opening the door to let the steam out so I could finish. I chose a pair of my favorite jeans and a flannel that brought out my eyes, knowing it might be a bit chilly. I layered a gray t-shirt underneath it and styled my hair into the perfectly imperfect style that girls seemed to love these days. I slipped my feet into some Cons and glanced at my phone to see that I could grab some dinner before I left. Parties here never had good food, and I didn’t want chips to get me through the night. I slipped my keys into my pocket and went into the cafeteria, getting a burger and some sweet potato fries, swiping my card that Mom insisted I have. It allowed me to eat up to three meals a day though I rarely did.
I sat down, assuming that someone I knew would be walking through the doors. It was still early and dinnertime for most, and I scanned social media as I sipped my coke. It was the usual happy ass bullshit that everyone shared, and I swore I’d get rid of it someday. The only good thing was that I kept in touch with my large family this way. There were several cousins that I enjoyed talking to. I took a bite of my burger and noticed that my father was calling me. I sighed and picked up my phone, leaning my head against my shoulder so I could grab a fry.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?” I asked as I waited for him to speak. You never knew what you’d get with him.
“Good evening, Sterling. How are you?” He sounded friendly enough tonight.
“I’m good. Just having some dinner in the cafeteria. What’s up?” I asked in a light tone, leaning back to drink some soda.
“We were wondering if you wanted to come for Sunday dinner this weekend.” I groaned inwardly, cursing the fact that I went to college so close to home. We did this dinner a couple times a month, and I always tried to go. It was nice seeing the whole family and everything, but it was draining.
“Yeah. I’ll be there.” I wanted to ask to bring Rosie but being that they were always fighting in business, Dad wasn’t that open to our friendship. He’s prefer for me to hook up with a daugh
ter of one of his partners, so we could just build on the family investment company. He’d arrange it if that were a tradition with us. “Everyone else?”
“Yes, your siblings will be there as well as their families.” I had a couple of siblings that were married with young kids that I had a blast with. They were active enough to play with and their enthusiasm made me happy.
“Awesome. I haven’t seen Caleb and Brinna for a while.”
“We’ll see you at four. Dinner is at five,” he reminded me as I nodded.
“I’ll be there.” I killed the call and hung up, setting the phone down. I felt like he had something to say but there was no point in worrying about it right now. I finished my dinner and chose to walk over to the house since it was just a few blocks away. I did that to walk girls home that lived in the cluster of dorm buildings, mostly just to be polite. It worked out to more a lot of the time, but It wasn’t my reasoning behind the act.
3
Rosalind
I let Violet convince me to go to the frat party against my better wishes. I was much more of an introvert that she was, but we had a long week. We deserved to relax a bit. I chose jeans and a button up flannel shirt in red and white layered over a black cami. Small boots finished the outfit, and I tugged my hair into a ponytail before applying some clear gloss.