Reckless (The Reckless Series)

by True, Holli

  “Not at all,” Hailey assured her with a smile before walking through the door on the right, into what would be her future bedroom. I followed behind her, wishing I could scoop her up in my arms and celebrate this monumental time in her life with her.

  She didn’t say anything for a long time, moving from corner to corner, looking at her room from every angle. It wasn’t a large room, smaller than her bedroom at home, though much larger than the dorm room she shared with Shayne. The large windows on the North facing wall flooded the room with the April sunlight, which made the room light and bright, just like the living room.

  As she drifted to the middle of the room, she tucked her hair behind her ears and then folded her arms across her chest. “So, what do you think?” she whispered to me, staring out at the city buildings outside her window.

  I think it’s perfect for you. And it was.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  I do.

  “By the way,” Shayne said, peeking her head through the bedroom door, “we’re going to have to figure out some sort of girl code.”

  Hailey turned a palm up to ceiling in confusion, “Girl code? For what?”

  “Uh, for when we bring boys back to the apartment.”

  “Right. I should have known.”

  “Too bad apartments don’t have those handy Do Not Disturb doorhandle things like the hotels do. Think we could swipe one?”

  “Well,” Hailey said, ignoring the last part of her question, “if I see that your door is closed, I’ll just knock before entering. Problem solved. No girl code needed.”

  “I’m not worried about the bedroom. We need a code for the times we’re in other parts of the house. You know, something we can put on the front door.”

  “Oh my God,” Hailey said, erupting in laughter.

  Shayne stared at her blankly.

  Hailey’s laugh ended as quickly as it had started. “I thought you were joking.”

  She shook her head, “Why would you think that?”

  Hailey took a deep breath, “Can’t you just do it in your bedroom, Shayne?”

  “Every time?” she asked, sounding appalled. “That hardly seems fair.”

  “Fair to who?”

  “The sexually active.”

  Hailey pressed her fingers to her temples. “My roommate. The nymphomaniac.”

  “Exactly,” Shayne said with an approving smile. “I’ll figure something out for the code and keep you posted.”

  “Can’t wait,” Hailey muttered under her breath with strained enthusiasm. Once Shayne was out of earshot, she mumbled, “What have I gotten myself into?”

  Well, you should have seen that one coming from a mile away.

  “This is true,” she said beneath her breath. “Who knows, maybe I’ll bring you back to the apartment? You know, if you’re lucky,” she teased.

  I couldn’t hold back the smile that forced it’s way to my mouth, I definitely liked the sound of that. As I moved closer to her, she turned her chin toward her shoulder and softly closed her eyes. I knew she could sense that I was near, even though she couldn’t see me standing there, right beside her.

  I like the sound of that.

  “Good,” she smiled in return. “I was hoping you would say that.”

  . . .

  “You two are in love, aren't you?”

  “Yeah, something like that,” I said, unable to contain my smile.

  Charlie smiled back at me, slouching against the long row of book-filled shelves. He let his hands fall to his sides, looking deep in thought. “What did you tell her?”

  “Everything.”

  “And she didn’t freak out?”

  I laughed under my breath, “She totally freaked out. Momentarily, anyway.”

  “How did you tell her? What did you say?” he asked, turning his full attention to me, suddenly enthralled in the conversation.

  “She actually figured most of it out on her own, I basically filled in the blanks.”

  “You mean, she knew?”

  “Sort of. She could sense that something was off, so she called me out on it. I think there was a part of her that always knew, to be honest.” I took a deep breath, digging my hands into the pockets of my jeans as I shrugged. “And despite everything, she loves me anyway.”

  Charlie shook his head slowly, “That’s great, man. I’m really happy for you.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  “So now what?”

  I contemplated his question, knowing he was referring to the bigger picture. It was a question I didn’t really know how to answer, because I had no idea. What would the future hold for me and Hailey?

  “Now we wait.”

  “Ah, waiting. My favorite,” he said with heavy sarcasm.

  I laughed once. “At this point, we’re just taking it a day at a time. I have a lot of groveling to do when we get back home. Leo, her mom’s Guardian, isn’t exactly speaking to me at the moment.”

  “Sounds complicated.”

  “It is. But I love her.”

  He pursed his lips as he slowly shook his head. “Note to self, don’t fall in love with your assignment.”

  We both laughed.

  “Well, as complex as your current situation is, at least you’re living. That’s a hell of a lot more than I can say,” he continued, looking down at his boots.

  I didn’t know how to respond, so I didn’t say anything.

  “If you could change it, would you?” he suddenly asked.

  My eyebrows pulled together instinctively. “What do you mean?”

  “What we are. You know, if you could be one of them, permanently.”

  I took a deep breath, processing his question because it was a big one. Obviously, I had considered it a thousand times before, but, for whatever reason, I couldn’t seem to answer it. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “A human life with the girl you love, and you don’t know?” he asked in disbelief.

  “It doesn’t matter. It isn’t possible.”

  “I didn’t ask if you believed if it was possible or not, Jonah. Would you do it? Would you change what you are to be human? For Hailey?”

  I glanced down at my hands and in that brief second, all of the things I felt and had experienced with Hailey flooded me. Every word, every touch, every kiss, every look, every moment. All at once, the answer seemed to staring me straight in the face, forcing me to see. Meeting his eyes, I said with absolute certainty, “Yes. I would.”

  “Now that’s what I like to hear,” Charlie said with a smile. “It’ll all work out, Jonah. Have faith.”

  “Ahh, so you’re one of those glass-half-full kind of guys?” I quoted him, smiling broadly.

  He laughed, “I didn’t used to be.”

  “I remember,” I agreed.

  “What can I say? You inspire me, man. You’re proof that you don’t need to be a human to actually live.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m glad I inspire you because I managed to piss off several of our kind by breaking all of the rules.”

  Charlie shook his head, “Forget them.”

  “I wish I could.”

  “It doesn’t matter what they think. You love her, you fought for her and you prevailed. You don’t owe anybody any explanations and you sure as hell don’t have to justify your actions.”

  I nodded slowly, grateful to have him in my corner. “You’re a good guy, Charlie.”

  He flashed me a cocky grin. “I try. Just promise me one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “That you won’t ever take any of it for granted. Even if they won’t admit it, most of us would kill to be in your shoes, Jonah.”

  “I won’t,” I promised him in all sincerity. “Not one second.”

  . . .

  “What should we do today?” Hailey asked, craning her neck around to peer up at me.

  “Exactly this,” I said, gesturing to the blanket beneath us and the sun above us.

  Hailey giggled softly,
returning her head to the nook between my shoulder and my chest. “It is kind of amazing, isn’t it?” she said, resting her book on her stomach, glancing around the expansive campus lawn that surrounded us. She sounded so serene and content, just as I felt.

  Being with her, as a human, had become second nature. At times it even felt more natural than being who I was meant to be. That’s where the internal struggle really toyed with me. I was still learning how to come to terms with dealing with that.

  Though, there was no question, juggling the two was becoming much easier, as time passed. Hailey and I had fallen into a routine, carving time out of each day to be together. Sometimes we’d meet after her dance classes, in an aisle of the library or following one of her shifts at Fresh Press. We had also found a few secret locations throughout campus, which gave us extra time alone, which wasn’t always possible while she still lived in the dorm.

  It wasn’t always easy and there were definitely times that we both felt incredibly frustrated with the situation we were forced to be in. But, it was our reality and it was the only way we could be together. So we made it work and cherished those fleeting moments we were able to be together.

  “Jonah?”

  “Yeah?” I asked casually.

  “I really want you to meet my mom and Tom. Officially.”

  I took a deep breath, my eyebrows pulling together instinctively, as I considered her request. That was a delicate matter. I had to consider Leo and Abram’s feelings and in some ways, it almost felt like I needed their permission before I could. It felt like the respectful thing to do.

  My silence provoked Hailey to continue to plead her case. “I know it will be complicated for you and I really hate to put you in that position. But, it’s really important to me that my mom and Tom meet the guy I love.”

  There was no way I could deny her of her request. I would just have to find a way to make it right with Leo and Abram. “Hailey, I would love nothing more than to meet your family. Officially.” I assured her.

  She turned and beamed up at me, clearly pleased with my answer. “Thank you,” she said before lifting her book again, slipping into content silence.

  I was just relieved to see her so relaxed and free of the fear that had once shadowed her days. It had taken some time, but she was finally back to being the Hailey I knew and loved. Her days of worrying were only a faint memory now.

  It had been nearly four months since we’d seen or heard anything from Matt. Or Ethan, for that matter. No one was entirely sure where Matt had gone or what had happened to him, though a rumor had surfaced that he had been kicked out of school. Another had circulated that he’d been arrested for driving under the influence, while a girl from their Physiology class had insisted she’d seen him around town. For his sake, I hoped he had checked himself into a treatment center so he could regain control over his life. It was the only way he’d ever be able to fight and survive the demons living inside of himself. Literally.

  “What about a road trip?” Hailey suddenly asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Where you go, I go,” I reminded her with a lazy smile.

  “We could always go to San Francisco? Or Seattle?” Hailey said mindlessly as she turned the page of the paperback book she was reading.

  “Or both,” I offered, running a hand through a long strand of her hair.

  “I like the way you think.”

  I considered the idea for a long moment. “What about Christy and Tom?”

  “You want my parents to come?” she asked uneasily.

  “No, that isn’t what I meant,” I said with a laugh.

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Don’t you think they’ll be opposed to the idea?”

  “Well, I’ll be nineteen by then,” she said stubbornly, tossing her book aside.

  “You say that like it will actually mean something to your mom.”

  Hailey rolled onto her tummy, folding her arms across my chest to prop her chin upon. She pursed her lips, holding back a smile. “Well, in case you haven’t noticed yet, I can be very convincing when I want something.”

  “Is that right?” I asked with a short laugh.

  She giggled, grinning from ear to ear. “I have my ways.”

  “Yes, I know,” my tone was playful.

  “There is another option.”

  I waited patiently for her to complete her train of thought, smiling down at her with amusement.

  “We could always just load up my car and go. I wouldn’t say anything to my mom until we were halfway to San Francisco.”

  “Is this before or after you plan on introducing me to them?”

  “Before. Obviously.”

  “Obviously,” I echoed.

  “You know my mother. She would never let me hit the road with a guy she’s only just met. So, they’ll just have to meet you once we get back.”

  “Sounds logical to me.”

  “We can’t have them thinking you’re a bad influence on me, Jonah,” she grinned. “You can thank me later.”

  “I think you and I can agree that between the two of us, you’re the real rebel.”

  “Yes, but they don’t need to know that. It can be our little secret.”

  “We do have a few of those,” I acknowledged, holding her green eyes in mine.

  “Just a couple,” she said under her breath, wrinkling her nose at me.

  I reached out and stroked her cheek with my thumb, “I love you.”

  She turned her chin inward to my palm and kissed it softly. “I love you, too.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head toward my hand.

  If only things could always be just as they were at that very moment. Everything felt so easy. I could have spent forever with her there. Living without the fear of danger looming nearby had given us the freedom to feel pure joy in the simple things, like lying in the grass in each others arms.

  I wouldn’t have traded being there with her for anything else in the world. Except for one thing, of course— a human life with Hailey. But it was pointless to waste time wishing for something that could never be. And it was impossible to regret what I was, as it had linked me to her in ways few others would ever experience. She was the center of my universe, my reason for being, my everything.

  Hailey and I were destined to be together in a place where time didn’t exist. And when her life on Earth came to an end, she and I would cross over together, just as it had always been intended. Because, in the grand scheme of things, life was really just a blink of an eye.

  And eternity was ours.

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at

  BREATHLESS

  the enticing sequel to Reckless.

  everything

  JONAH

  Hailey rolled her eyes as she read the text message that had just come through her phone. She glanced down at me as her fingers moved by memory across the screen, “It’s Shayne,” she said. “She can’t find her keys.”

  I laughed under my breath, “Ben probably hid them from her.” It was his usual tactic to keep her from getting behind the wheel when she had been drinking. “Tell her to keep looking.”

  She smiled at me before turning her attention back to her phone, leaning a knee onto the bed. It could have been the morning sun spilling through her bedroom windows, causing her glow— or it could have been remnants of our incredible night together. Maybe it was both? Either way, she was absolutely radiant.

  The lightweight fabric of her soft pink tank top hugged her body in all the right ways, which I was finding completely irresistible as I watched her standing before me. And there was something about the way her tangled waves spilled over her nearly-bare shoulders that was driving me crazy. The three feet of space between us was growing increasingly unbearable to tolerate.

  She was typing another message to Shayne when I leaned forward and grasped a small handful of fabric bunched at her hip. As I gently tugged her toward me, her eyes immediately shifted to mine and her already fast fingers picked up a
dditional speed. A slow smile started to spread across her delicate lips, which only enticed me more.

  It took me three seconds flat to have her pulled back into bed with me, her phone all but forgotten.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she giggled against my mouth.

  I pulled back, cupping her beautiful face just inches away from my own. “Giving you an excuse not to get out of bed today, I hope.”

  “You’re not playing fair,” she said softly, leaning into my lips again. “I promised Rebecca I’d meet her for lunch, remember? We’ve barely seen each other since I moved back to town.”

  “Reschedule.”

  “She’ll kill me.”

  “I’ll protect you.”

  “She’ll kill you.”

  I rolled her onto her back, propping myself up on an elbow, keeping my other arm wrapped around her. “Rebecca doesn’t scare me,” I whispered with a smirk.

  Hailey’s eyes slowly traveled down to my mouth. Saying nothing, she reached up, brushing her fingertip across my bottom lip. A small sigh escaped her. It wasn’t until she lifted her eyes back to mine that she said, “I love this. You being here with me, us...”

  “I love it, too,” I said. And I meant it.

  “But I have to go. I should only be a couple hours. You should go so you can hurry up and come back to me.”

  Exhaling heavily, I reluctantly nodded. She was right. The sooner I left, the sooner I could come back again. And given how long I had already been there with her, I was looking at four or five hours before I could return. It was the toughest part of our relationship and we faced it on a daily basis.

  “Besides,” Hailey continued, “if Shayne comes home and finds you here, she’ll know you spent the night with me— and that will unleash a slew of questions I’m not ready to tackle this morning.”

  I bent my head down, pressing my mouth to hers for one final kiss before making my exit. As we pulled away several minutes later, we were both breathless and smiling. “Just a little something to remember me by,” I said in a husky whisper.