I narrowed my eyes at him in return.
“Fine. I’m sure my brother will be home soon,” he said and seared me with a fierce look before he stalked off.
“Are you okay?” Tyler wrapped his arms around me.
“I’m fine. He’s a bit of a jerk, isn’t he?” I pushed gently against his chest. I wasn’t looking for comfort. Maybe he was, though.
“Wouldn’t you be if someone pulled a gun on you?” A muscle ticked in his jaw as he gave me some breathing room. “I don’t know what spooked you, but what’s with the gun? I didn’t know you carried one.”
“I know how to use one, if that’s what you’re worried about. I practice a lot.”
Fear plagued his handsome features. “You’re only seventeen, Lacey. Do you know how much trouble you’ll get into if they catch you with that at school? Are you trying to screw your chances of making the baseball team?”
It was like I’d fallen into the frigid waters off the coast of Alaska. I wasn’t thinking about baseball when I drew the gun. I wasn’t thinking at all.
My shoulders slumped. He was right. I had to remember to take the weapon out of my car the next time. I didn’t want to throw away all my hard work. God, I’d been doing so well since we moved here. I still had nightmares, but little in the way of panic or anxiety attacks until tonight. Dr. Meyers had warned me about triggers. Certain stimuli could set me off.
“Hey,” he said, taking the gun and clip from me then setting them down on my front seat. “I know you’re scared.” He cupped my face with his large hands. “I can see the fear in your eyes. Kade wasn’t going to hurt you. He can be intimidating, though.” His head dipped slightly, but his blue eyes never left mine. “Okay?”
I let out a sigh and blinked. I wasn’t scared. Whatever expression he saw on my face wasn’t that. It was more irritation with myself for how stupid my actions were tonight.
“I’ll give you a ride. We’ll grab a bite another time.” He raised my hand to inspect the redness across my knuckles. “You’ll need to put ice on this when you get home.”
I yanked it away. “I’ll be fine.”
“Grab your stuff and let’s go.” Frustration roughened his voice.
I snatched my bag from my car, threw the dismantled parts of the gun into it, locked my door then slid into Tyler’s SUV.
As we drove in silence through Ashford, I gazed out the side window. Large houses dotted the tree-lined streets. An old man walked his dog at a leisurely pace, allowing the small animal to sniff every shrub and tree along the way.
Within fifteen minutes, Tyler rolled into my driveway. I lived in a modern New England-style brick home. In my neighborhood most homes were designed the same—three dormers, a deep front porch running the length of the house, two-car attached garage.
Stopping behind Dad’s car, he cut the engine. He turned and placed his hand on my knee. “Lacey, are you going to be okay?”
I stared at his hand. We were friends. Did he want to be more? “I’m fine.” I wasn’t. Christ, how stupid was I for grabbing my gun? What if I had panicked? Oh, yeah—I had. Okay. What if I’d shot Kade? I silently berated myself for my stupidity. Would Kade retaliate? That wasn’t something I wanted to think about. If he did, I’d probably roll over and ask him to scratch my belly.
“Thanks for tonight,” I said, holding the door, ready to jump out. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me this summer.”
“Get some rest,” Tyler said softly. “Tomorrow is your first day in a new school. It should be fun.”
I didn’t move from the vehicle.
“What?” Tyler asked.
“Who is that Kade guy?”
“He’s no one that you need to be concerned about. Now go.”
“Tyler, I just pulled a gun on him. You need to tell me more.”
“I will, but not tonight.” He glanced at the dashboard. “It’s getting late. You need a ride in the morning?”
I stared at him.
“Seriously. He’s not going to come after you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m not worried about him,” I lied. While a small part of me thought Kade would retaliate, a larger part of me worried I might fall for him. Getting involved wasn’t in my plans.
The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Only girl I know who would pull a gun on a badass dude like Kade Maxwell. Now, about that ride?”
“No, I’ll get my dad to take me. That way he can check my car, and he and I have an appointment with the principal anyway.”
“Then I’ll see you in school. Oh, and Lacey.” His tone dropped, and he lost his smile. “Trust me when I tell you, stay away from Kade.”
“Thanks for tonight.” I climbed out of his SUV.
“Put some ice on that hand,” he said.
I closed the door and waved. The engine faded as he backed out. I started for the house, examining my swollen knuckles. I grinned, thinking of how idiotic I was to punch that handsome guy, let alone pull a gun on him. Nevertheless, I had a sneaky suspicion I was going to see him again. I mean, a person didn’t let things like that slide, did they?
DARE TO KISS
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Bestselling author S.B. Alexander writes young adult and new adult romances that span the sub-categories of coming of age, sports, paranormal, suspense, and military fiction. Her writing is emotional, angsty, and character driven. She’s best known for The Maxwell and The Maxwell Family Saga series.
S.B. or Susan as she likes to be called is a navy veteran, former high school teacher, and former corporate sales executive. She’s a lover of sports, especially baseball, although nowadays you can find her glued to the TV during football season.
When she’s not writing, she’s a full-time caregiver to her soul mate of twenty-one years who got a bad deal in life when he was diagnosed with ALS. Her motto: “Life is too short to waste. So live every moment like it’s your last.”
You can connect with S.B. Alexander in the following ways:
Reader Group: http://sbalexander.com/sbareaderroom
Author Website: http://sbalexander.com
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Email: [email protected]
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Also by S.B. Alexander
THE MAXWELL SERIES
Upper Young Adult/New Adult Contemporary Romance
Dare to Kiss
Dare to Dream
Dare to Love
Dare to Dance
Dare to Live
Dare to Breathe
Dare to Embrace
The Kade & Lacey Collection Box Set
Dare to Kiss Coloring Book Companion
THE MAXWELL FAMILY SAGA SERIES
Young Adult Contemporary Romance
My Heart to Touch
My Heart to Hold
My Heart to Give
My Heart to Keep*
STANDALONES
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Unforgettable
Breaking Rules
Rescuing Riley
Holding On To Forever
THE HART SERIES
New Adult Romantic Suspense
Hart of Darkness
Hart of Vengeance
Hart of Redemption*
THE VAMPIRE SEAL SERIES
Young Adult Paranormal Romance
On the Edge of Humanity
On the Edge of Eternity
On the Edge of Destiny
On the Edge of Misery
On the Edge of Infinity
The Vampire SEAL Collection
*Coming Soon.
Visit http://sbalexander.com for all future release dates. Please note release dates are subject to change based on reader demand and the author’s schedule. Subscribing to the author’s newsletter or following her on Facebook is the best way to stay updated with planned new releases.
/> Copyright
My Heart to Keep
A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Four
Copyright © 2020 by S.B. Alexander
All rights reserved.
First Edition:
Print ISBN-13: 978-1-7342468-1-0
Visit: http://sbalexander.com
Editor: Red Adept Editing
Cover Design by Hang Le
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. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons-living or dead-is entirely coincidental.
My Heart to Keep: A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Four Page 21