The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories

by Brina Courtney

  I was sure I would hear a gunshot at any moment. Or actually more than one. When none came, I should’ve felt relieved, but that brought even more dread instead—maybe the gang captured Ethan quietly? What should I do now? All my belongings were in the cabin. That alone served as enough proof I was somewhere close by. What if they had a dog? If they did, they would find me for sure. These minutes were as agonizing as the time I watched Helen tortured and was unable to do anything.

  I bit my finger, trying to catch a nail between my teeth. My nails were already chewed to the quick, so it hurt. A metallic taste of blood swirled in my mouth. I hated it. I covered my mouth with my hand and pressed hard, trying to concentrate on that feeling. I had to remain calm enough to keep my anxiety at bay.

  Ethan! Where was he? I wanted him to be here; not to comfort me, but because I was afraid he was getting hurt. I didn’t want anything bad happen to him. I kept looking around, trying to see between the thick shrubs. This was a good hiding spot. I was invisible from the trail. But I needed to go deeper into the woods, hole up in the even thicker greenery.

  I crawled on my hands and knees, careful not to move the taller plants so if anyone was watching, my position wouldn’t be revealed. I really didn’t want to think again of a dog possibility. I would have no chance to hide, even in the densest of the undergrowth. I was sure that if the gang had dogs, they wouldn’t be friendly; not like Pasha was. Remembering Pasha’s smiling face and her sweet disposition helped my heart to slow down. Right then, I made myself a promise that if I ever got out from this whole mess alive, I would adopt a dog like Pasha.

  Pine cones, small rocks, and pieces of bark on the ground hurt my hands. But that wasn’t important. I kept on crawling, deeper into the woods. And I listened. No sound came from the direction in which Ethan disappeared. I wanted to stand up and see better, but that would be stupid. What if they were there? They would see me. I couldn’t let that happen. This time they would get me. Third time’s the charm, right? Now would be the third time.

  I crept between some dense bushes growing close to one another. They formed a circle around me as if protecting me from harm. I sat down on the forest floor and drew my knees to my chest, hugging them with my arms. I was shaking, terrified, and unable to find out what was happening around the cabin. The silence was scary. It made me think they got Ethan and were soundlessly closing in. No, I couldn’t stay here. I had to run. Fast!

  I got up to my feet but didn’t straighten all the way, only enough to peer around. Nothing. Not even the softest crack of wood breaking under a heavy boot. My heart pounded so rapidly I had hard time breathing, as if my lungs were about to collapse.

  And then I heard Ethan’s quiet voice, “Lisbeth. It’s me, Ethan. Come out, it’s okay.”

  My knees gave out, and I quickly grabbed onto a small tree. It was a miracle it didn’t snap in half. The trunk was no thicker than my wrist. I peered out from the cluster of bushes I was hiding in. Ethan was searching for me. Our eyes met, and I immediately felt lighter as if a huge weight was suddenly lifted off my shoulders.

  I was so happy. I had to stop myself from rushing to him and throwing my arms around his neck. Fortunately, my legs shook so much, I was sure I couldn’t do more than maybe walk slowly; definitely not run.

  “Oh, sweet Lord, Ethan. I was so scared. What happened?” My breath hitched and my chest constricted. I started to breathe much faster than normal. There was no way I could control that anymore.

  By now, my whole body violently shuddered. My vision went gray. I thought I heard Ethan say something, apologize for something maybe, but I couldn’t understand his words. They came like from under the water.

  “I’m... I can’t see...” was all I was able to utter before I felt his strong arm around me, lifting me.

  I leaned into him, and my legs gave out. He helped me down onto the grass and told me to slow my breathing. I couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying. My mind was on and off, as with a click of an invisible button. Was I fainting? It was a strange sensation, like falling but not hitting anything. I felt light, too light, and really weird. Did I step out of my own body? My limbs didn’t belong to me. They felt so unfamiliar.

  When I cracked my eyes open, I was lying down. Ethan’s concerned face hovered over me. It swam in and out of my view. Blue sky and the tops of the trees provided a fascinating background for his striking features.

  It was like looking at a painting of some beautiful angel. A beautiful fallen angel. There was nothing purely angelic about Ethan. Certain kind of darkness emanated from him—a dangerous but oh, so captivating. I closed my eyes to hold on to that image. It was too amazing to let it go.

  Getting enthralled by Ethan seemed like the most natural response from a woman. Was I plenty strong to fight the attraction? Was I broken enough to prevent more suffering? If these questions were asked about any other man, my immediate response would be hell yes. But with Ethan... no matter how much I wanted to fight it off, my battle appeared already lost.

  Chapter Twenty One

  ETHAN

  I inspected the spot where she crouched last. The grass was flattened by her boots, but that was it. I looked closer at the ground, searching for the footprints. None were visible, but then I noticed the grass farther away was trampled in two narrow, parallel tracks. She must have crawled away. I followed that path.

  “Lisbeth,” I hissed. “It’s me, Ethan. Come out, it’s okay.”

  A moment later, she stuck her head from behind a large bush about ten yards to my right. She looked small and scared. I had a strange urge to go to her and pull her into my arms. But I suppressed it immediately. I had to.

  “Oh, sweet Lord, Ethan. I was so scared. What happened?” her voice shook. She stepped out from her hiding spot but kept grasping tightly onto the trunk of a skinny tree.

  She trembled all over, and her breath came in and out too quickly. I went to her, afraid she might faint from emotional stress and hyperventilation. I recognized the symptoms. “It’s okay. There is absolutely nothing going on. I’m sorry to have frightened you like that. It wasn’t my intention.”

  The last thing we needed was another panic attack.

  Lisbeth looked pale—too pale. “I’m... I can’t see...”

  I grasped her around her back and eased her down to the ground. She closed her eyes but was still conscious.

  “Breathe slowly, not that fast,” I said gently, kneeling down by her and then sitting on my heels. “That’s it. Good girl.” I checked her pulse.

  Her breathing gradually started to slow down, and the color was coming back to her cheeks.

  She looked at me from half-closed lids and smiled weakly. “Uh-oh, I almost checked out.”

  “Yeah, it happens when blood flow to the brain decreases.”

  “It must be useful to have all that medical training,” she said feebly.

  I shrugged. “It comes in handy when a girl faints.”

  She chuckled a little and then turned her head to look up at the sky. Her eyes were clear, and so bright-green; beautiful, and intelligent. I wanted to run my fingers through her unruly hair, but that would be stupid, considering the earlier situation we had. So I hurriedly looked away, trying to concentrate on anything but Lisbeth.

  “I heard voices. Who were you talking to?” she asked.

  “Jack. The idiot is in the cabin,” I huffed.

  “Oh. Your cousin?” She seemed surprised and comforted at the same time. And very confused.

  I nodded. “Do you think you can sit up?”

  “I will try.”

  “Now slowly. No sudden movements.” I put one hand under her upper back and lightly grasped her shoulder with the other.

  “Yes, doc.” She smiled.

  “Far from being a doc,” I corrected her.

  “Enough for me.”

  What a tease.

  When she sat up I asked, “How are you feeling? Still lightheaded?”

  “No, I’m good.”

>   “Don’t get up yet. Drink some water.” I took my water bottle from my knapsack and unscrewed the lid.

  She accepted it without hesitation and put the bottle to her mouth. Those lips parted for me not long ago... why was I so tormented by this girl? How was she different from the other women I knew? I’ve never been affected like this before. Damn.

  “Thank you.” She returned the bottle to me, pulling me out of my reverie. “I will try to stand up now.”

  “Slowly,” I insisted, helping her up. “Good? How is your head?”

  “Fine. I’m fine.”

  “Can you walk?”

  She nodded. I held onto her in case she started to faint again. I was kidding myself—I just wanted her close to me. She didn’t move away, and that wasn’t making it easier for me. I had to force myself to let go of her.

  “Okay?” I asked.

  Lisbeth nodded again, keeping her eyes down. “So where is Jack?”

  “At the cabin. You can yell at him for worrying you.”

  “I might just do that.” She smiled a tight smile, but her face lightened up a notch. It looked lovely and open. I had to be on a constant alert not to do something stupid again. But just like that the tension between us lessened. It didn’t completely disappear, but it seemed less rigid somehow. Or so I hoped.

  “You have a gun,” she said quietly, watching me as we walked.

  “Yes. As a precaution.”

  “That’s smart.”

  I glanced at her. I expected her to question me, to freak out about the gun, or something like that. But I definitely didn’t expect her to praise me. Yes, she was full of surprises.

  “Smart? I like to be prepared. I mean, just in case.”

  “It’s a 9 mm, right? Beretta?”

  My curiosity peaked. I specifically respected females who appreciated firearms. “You know guns?” There was a definite note of disbelief in my voice, and I scolded myself for sounding like a freakin’ chauvinist, which I wasn’t. Many of my Marine comrades were women and they kicked a major ass. Girls weren’t fragile flowers or shit like that. They could fight, fire guns, and punch when necessary so it hurt like a son of a bitch.

  Luckily, she didn’t catch the unfortunate hint. I exhaled with relief.

  She was silent for a few heartbeats before she answered my question, “I lived on the streets for a while. Not just once, but many times. You learn stuff when you’re on your own. I had friends who did... stuff. I’m not proud of it, although that’s just the way it is on the streets—you stick with the others, and you learn from them all you need: the bad, the good, and the ugly.” Her face pinched with some distant memory, making her look much older than twenty-three.

  “I know what you mean,” I commented quietly. “I meet kids like that all the time. We’re often called to the fires that result from the homeless folks’ negligence. There’re teens and even younger kids on the streets. They usually run when we try to take them in. They don’t want Social Services or foster homes. It’s tough.”

  She nodded, deep in thought. By then we arrived at the cabin. Jack stood there, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot, hands in his shorts pockets.

  “Hello Gloria, good to see you again.” He stuck out his hand to shake hers.

  She took it and smiled. She didn’t give him her real name. “Good to see you too, Jack. I wish it was under different circumstances though.”

  His smile disappeared. “Are you doing okay?”

  “Yeah. It’s really peaceful here,” she said. That was a vague answer, but what else was she supposed to say?

  “Look, I’m sorry about earlier today.” He scratched his head, looking guilty. That was something to behold—Jack was one of those tough guys that rarely showed guilt or remorse. “I was an ass. Didn’t quite think this through.”

  She cleared her throat and tilted her head, looking at him. Jack squirmed under her scrutiny.

  “You gave me a scare for sure. I almost passed out when Ethan came back,” she said it in a matter-of-fact tone, no accusation, no anger.

  Jack rubbed his chin. His day-old stubble made a scraping sound against his hand. “Sorry, Gloria. I’m an idiot.”

  She giggled. “Okay. Apology accepted.”

  “Let’s go inside,” I told them, chortling inwardly. I was impressed with how she handled Jack’s unfortunate sense of humor. “Time for some lunch. I’m starving.”

  Jack’s truck was parked by Ryley’s cabin, not far from mine, because he didn’t want to leave any tire tracks on the ground here.

  Jack told us how he swept his footprints with a leafy branch so we wouldn’t see any signs of him walking around. Damn, like some freakin’ wannabe assassin. I bet he had a huge, toothy grin on his face the whole time while doing so. But I couldn’t be mad with my best buddy. He could be odd like that sometimes, still a kid at heart.

  He jogged back to get his truck. When he returned, he brought some food with him, including two extra-large pizzas from Dominos, bagels, cream cheese, milk, and—yes, some awesome beer. I hooted with appreciation when I saw that last item. He knew my favorite: Workhorse IPA and the Boneyard IPA.

  I clapped him on the back, “That’s what I’m talking about, bro. Colton drank all my good beer and left some piss as a replacement.”

  “Typical.” Jack snorted. “He’s an awesome dude, but his taste in beer is highly questionable.”

  I was glad Jack was here after all. He would provide a distraction from what was going on between Lisbeth and me. But then he told us that he’s staying in Ryley’s cabin. It was bigger and swankier than mine, but I knew Jack, and that couldn’t be a reason why he chose to crash in there.

  I looked at him suspiciously. “Why won’t you stay in the spare bedroom upstairs?”

  Before he answered, his eyes flicked between Lisbeth and me. It was a tiny movement, but I caught it and understood—the little shit got in his head that I’d already lured Lisbeth into my bed.

  “I told Ryley I wanted to spend my two days off by the Lake, and he was okay with it,” Jack said lightly, but I heard underlying notes of guilt in his voice.

  “Really? He was so eager to give you the keys just to do what? Kick around and relax here?” I doubted. Ryley and Jack weren’t on the best terms. I was sure promises were made, and now Jack had some serious obligation to my brother. It would be interesting to find out what kind of deal they made. Ryley was a hard ass who rarely made it easier for others. The truth was, my brother only cared about his own gain and comfort. Amazing how different he was from the rest of us, especially from Brooklyn, his own twin.

  Jack reclined in the bench and took an enormous bite of pizza. I waited for him to chew and swallow. He wasn’t getting out of this so easily.

  He wiped his mouth with a napkin and said through the mouthful of pizza, “Well... I was sure you didn’t want anyone to know you’re here, in case the whole McCoy clan decided an impromptu visit. So I asked Ryley.”

  “Huh.” I took a swig of my beer. “Interesting. Okay, fess up. The family didn’t know I was actually here anyway, and you didn’t have to inform anyone where you were going. One phone call to me would be enough. So why the conspiracy?”

  That got him. A fleeting look of uncertainty shadowed his good-natured features. “Uhm...”

  “Yeah, uhm.” I snorted.

  Throughout this whole exchange Lisbeth sat quietly, watching and listening. Her face was impassive. I couldn’t decide what she was thinking. Maybe she shared my reservations? Or didn’t quite understand what was going on? After all, she didn’t know Jack as I did. He would never hesitate to just pop in here. I wouldn’t make a fuss. That’s why him arranging an alternative accommodation was suspicious to me, but not necessarily to her.

  Jack chuckled, stretched his burly arms over his head, and looked at Lisbeth. Then at me—with a sheepish smile. “Okay, bro. Okay.” He knew what I meant.

  I shook my head and changed the subject, “You scared the crap out of us. What the hell
were you trying to do? Get yourself shot?”

  “I was just messing with you.” He grinned and winked. He fucking winked at me.

  Okay, it was time to make him talk, although not in front of Lisbeth. As if catching my thought, she stood up. “I’m going to sit on the dock. Water has such a soothing effect.” With that, she walked off toward the dock.

  “I thought it was the trees,” I called after her.

  “That too,” she said, turning her head.

  I watched Lisbeth sit down at the end of the dock, remove her boots and socks, and roll up her pants all the way to her knees. She lowered one foot, carefully dipping her toes in the water, testing it. Her second foot followed soon after.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Jack said in a low voice.

  Reluctantly, I pulled my eyes away from Lisbeth and looked at him. He was cleaning his teeth with a plastic fork. Some members of my family were classy; some not so.

  “What the fuck were you thinking? Why are you staying in Ryley’s cabin?” I asked, not too nicely.

  “You think I should’ve chosen Brooklyn’s cabin? Hmm, that’s a thought.” He pretended to pause, deep in thought.

  “Fuck you.”

  Brooklyn and Ryley each also owned a cabin on Devil’s Lake, but Ryley’s was the biggest and totally ritzy. That was Ryley for you—everything he owned had to be posh. He rolled in cash, so it was only natural for him to want all those pretty things.

  Jack grinned.

  “Are you done grooming yourself? Or are you gonna utilize this fine tool any further?” I pointed to the fork in his hand.

  He looked at it, as if not understanding my jab. “Does it have any other uses?”

  “Yeah, maybe it can serve as an adequate comb? Three-in-one.”

  Jack inclined his head in mocking contemplation. “Who would have thought?”

  “Cut the crap. Why are you staying at Ryley’s?”

  He yawned, shook all over like a freakin’ dog, and looked at me, prolonging the answer as much as he could. I was used to his ways. But I wasn’t backing off.