by S. E. Brown
S.E. Brown
Copyright © 2016, S.E. Brown
Cover art by elizdesigns
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews, without the written consent of the author.
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The Shore Series
The Shore
For You
Dedication
For you, Mom.
Prologue
Shit. Not again.
Madison thought she was done, but another wave wracked her body as she landed on her knees and hugged the cold white porcelain of the toilet. There was nothing left in her stomach to eject, and the dry heaves rolling through her body caused tears to spill from her eyes.
It was the third morning in a row she had prayed to the porcelain god, and she’d had enough. If this flu didn’t work its way through her body soon, she was convinced her insides would soon be on the outside.
As she slowly made her way to the sink and rinsed her mouth yet again, the phone next to her bed rang. She wanted to rush to pick it up but just didn’t have the energy.
“Yo bitch!” Jessa’s voice boomed through the answering machine. “You there? Are you in the shower again? You take the longest damn showers, girl. Hurry your ass up or we’re gonna be late for school!”
“Would you shut the hell up?” Madison groaned quietly when she finally picked up the phone. “My stomach is killing me.”
“Aww, poor baby. Does your tummy not feel good?” Jessa teased, her voice sounding like she was talking to a small child.
“Ugh, no. I just hurled three times, so cut me some slack, would you?”
“Man, I’m sorry. That sucks. Are you feeling any better?” Jessa’s voice had turned back to normal.
“It was better yesterday afternoon, same as the day before, but this morning it just hit like a tidal wave again.”
“I guess that means you’re missing school again today then, huh?”
“Yeh. With my luck, I’d get one whiff of that nasty cafeteria shit and blow chunks.”
“Gross.”
“Sorry,” Madison groaned as her stomach rolled at the thought. She gently laid on her side and hugged her pillow.
Neither of the girls said anything for a long minute, and Madison had nearly fallen back to sleep when Jessa began to speak.
“Um, Q?” That was the nickname Jessa gave Madison when they became friends. With a last name like Quinn, it seemed inevitable, and somehow, it had just stuck. “When, um, when was your last period?”
“Huh?” Madison asked, startled back to awareness. She wasn’t quite sure she heard Jessa correctly.
“Your period. You said you and Jeremy did it a couple times in his car, right? When was your last period?”
“Umm…” Madison raised her hand to her face and tried to think. “Remember when we went to the mall and I tried on that cute outfit for the trip to the beach? When was that?”
“Middle of July, I think? Why?”
“Because that’s when my last period was.”
“Q, that was more than TWO MONTHS ago!”
“Fuck. Fuck.Fuck.Fuck,” Madison whispered to the air as the realization hit that it may in fact not be the flu she’d been dealing with.
“Okay. Take a breath. Hang on,” Jessa rambled as she thought out loud. “I’m gonna leave here and I’ll stop by the drugstore on the way to your house, okay? I’ll get one of those pregnancy tests and then we’ll know, okay? I mean, that’s the only way to make sure, right?”
“Oh my God, Jessa. What if I’m pregnant?” The thought made Madison’s stomach roll again. “I’m only 15!”
“Let’s cross one bridge at a time.” Jessa paused to think, trying to figure out what that first bridge would be. “Are your parents gone yet?”
Madison turned her head to read the clock. “Not yet, but they should be leaving in a few minutes.”
“Okay. I’m almost ready to leave. I’ll be there soon.”
“What about class? If you get caught skipping you’re gonna get killed.”
“You’ll be in worse shape than me if this test comes back positive.”
“Shit.”
“Just … keep breathing, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Chapter 1
Madison was patiently waiting to get the bartender’s attention when a guy walked up and leaned against the bar.
“Hi.” His smile was nice enough, but it almost stank of desperation.
Madison smiled at him briefly then turned her head back to the bartender.
“I was watching you dance earlier. You’ve got some nice moves.”
Again, Madison faced him with a smile, although it was fake this time. She offered a quick “Thanks,” and turned back to the bar. Her patience was draining, and she wished the bartender would hurry the hell up so she could leave. Thankfully, a moment later he walked up as he slung a towel over his shoulder.
“Hey, Madison. What can I get ya?”
“A water and a Jack and Coke, please.”
“You got it.”
The bartender walked away, but the guy at Madison’s left remained.
“Madison, huh?”
Rolling her eyes to herself, she nodded. She didn’t want to be rude, but this guy was starting to annoy her.
“Mind if I buy your drink?”
“I’ve got this one. Thanks though.”
He really was being nice and trying so hard, but she just wasn’t interested. It wasn’t personal, he just wasn’t her type.
Unfortunately, he still didn’t take the hint. She’d had experience with guys like this before. Taking “no” for an answer wasn’t their style. Even if she walked away, he’d follow. If she went to the dance floor, he’d come up behind her and start dancing on her. If she excused herself to the bathroom, he’d be standing outside when she came out. If she truly wanted to get rid of him, she was going to need some help.
Looking back to where her friends were sitting, she tried like hell to send daggers to the back of Jessa’s head.
As if something had been whispered in her ear, Jessa’s head popped up and she immediately turned in her chair and scoured the club. She saw Madison standing at the bar, two drinks in hand, and a guy who apparently wasn’t going to leave her alone.
Chuckling to herself, Jessa interrupted the conversation she was having and stood up. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
There was already a look of relief in Madison’s eyes as Jessa started her approach. Knowing what her friend was about to say, however, was making it difficult to not burst out in laughter. It would ruin it if she did.
Playing along, Madison focused her attention on the guy.
Three. Two. One.
“Oh my God! Thank God I found you!” Jessa interrupted by grabbing her arm and shouting in Madison’s ear. She stood next to her friend, completely ignoring the guy trying to make his score.
“You have to help me,” Jessa hissed loud enough that the guy could hear. “I just shit my pants!”
Madison showed her surprise expertly.
“Come on!” Jessa tugged on her arm and dragged her back to where her friends were sitting. The guy who had been trying so hard was left behind, a look of shock on his face.
As they traversed the tables, they laughed, knowing their scheme had worked yet again. Who on earth would question them?
When they got to the table, Madison tried to control her laughter.
“You just did the ‘I shit my pants’ thing again, didn’t you?” Ryan looked at the tw
o of them and joined in the laughter.
“Yup! Code Brown.” Jessa grinned. “Besides, it was time for birthday cake anyway.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you…
Happy birthday dear Madison… Happy birthday to you! ~
Madison leaned over the cake holding thirty-six flaming candles. With everyone watching, she inhaled a deep breath, closed her eyes and made a wish.
I just want to have a good time tonight and enjoy my friends. And it wouldn’t be a bad thing if I got laid… Happy birthday to me!
Popping her eyes open, she started at one side of the cake and blowing across to the other side, successfully made the cake go dark.
The thought of being on the downhill side of her thirties, getting ready to barrel into her forties, had been making Madison anxious for weeks. She knew age was just a number, and she often did her best to do anything but act her age. This birthday, however, was getting to her. She was thirty-six, still single, still living her life fast and easy (which she loved, thankyouverymuch), but it felt like mid-life had her in its cross-hairs. And she didn’t feel ready. Not yet.
So tonight they were acting anything but like thirty-somethings while celebrating at her favorite club. Twenty-something was definitely the theme of the night. At least it was for Madison. The drinks were flowing like she didn’t have a care in the world.
Celebrating with Madison was her long-time friend, Jessa, Jessa’s current Mr. He’ll-Do-For-Right-Now-But-He-Sure-As-Hell-Ain’t-Mr.-Right, Trent, Ryan and Cody.
While they didn’t live in the same area for long, Madison and Jessa had stayed in touch over the years. Jessa left for Nashville right out of high school to follow her passion for songwriting and had done pretty well for herself. So well, in fact, she had a couple of Grammys sitting on a shelf in her home.
What they did discover, however, was the girls were two peas in a pod when it came to their men. They liked to play and they liked to do it without any strings attached. Madison was actually surprised to hear that Jessa had been dating this Trent guy for a few months. And the fact that he was traveling with her? Madison would need to get the dirty details about that situation later.
Tonight, however, she just wanted to drink and have fun. The serious stuff could wait.
As for Ryan, Madison met her when she started working at the same design firm in Charlotte. She had found Ryan crying on the bathroom floor one afternoon, and Madison just couldn’t stay away. She wasn’t one for letting her guard down, but the way Ryan was hurting drew them together. From that day on, they were virtually inseparable. Well, that is, until Ryan met Cody. Or as Madison liked to call him, Ryan’s sex-on-a-stick. Now the two were married.
It didn’t bother Madison in the least that she appeared to be the fifth wheel at her own birthday party. Knowing she came alone just meant she could take home whomever she wanted – if she wanted to. It was entirely up to her. And she liked it that way.
“Who wants a piece of cake?” the birthday girl asked and began cutting pieces of the ice cream cake melting in front of her.
And seriously, ice cream cake at a bar with Jack and Cokes and tequila shots flowing? Ryan tried to talk her into something else, but Madison had insisted. It was her favorite, a tradition that had started when she was sixteen, and there wasn’t a chance in hell anyone could change her mind.
Just as they finished with the cake, the DJ started playing “Dance” by Drake, one of Madison’s favorite songs.
“Fuck, yeh!” She downed the rest of her drink then grabbed Ryan and Jessa’s hands and dragged them to the dance floor.
The club was packed, the energy coming off the floor palpable, and Madison felt right in her element. The dance floor was dark with lights flashing from every corner, and the music was so loud Madison could barely hear herself think, which she loved. If she stood in just the right spot, she could feel the beat of the bass in her chest. This was her favorite club, where she could completely let go and just dance.
As one song led into another, they danced and jumped and grinded on each other and raised their hands in the air. A few guys tried to make an approach, but were quickly cut off. They were enjoying themselves without the addition of testosterone. Besides, Trent and Cody were watching from afar, although it didn’t take long before they joined the girls on the floor.
A couple songs later, Madison found herself dancing by herself. Jessa and Trent had gone back to the table while Ryan and Cody were getting damn close to having sex on the dance floor. Not that having sex on the dance floor was unusual for this club, but it was definitely not Ryan’s style. Madison was quite certain sex in public places was not in Ryan’s repertoire.
“Get a room you two!” Madison shouted over the music. “You’re starting to make a scene!”
Ryan pushed back from Cody to look at Madison, and even in the dark club, Madison could see the color light up her face as she leaned into Cody’s chest.
Cody laughed as he looked down at his bride. “Wanna get out of here?” His hands moved down her back to cup her ass.
Madison saw her friend’s head nod up and down so she danced over to give both of them a hug goodbye.
“You two go have fun,” Madison winked. “And before you even start, I’ll be fine. Jessa is still here.”
Ryan smiled at the birthday girl. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. It’s fine. Go be newlyweds. And seriously, you were about to tear his clothes off.”
Ryan blushed again. “Alright. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
Madison nodded.
Still holding onto Ryan, Cody gave Madison a one-armed hug and wished her a happy birthday with a kiss on the cheek.
When it was her turn, Ryan let go of Cody long enough to give Madison another hug and yell “Happy birthday!” in her ear then turned to Cody. She grabbed his hand and led them back to their table to tell Jessa and Trent goodbye.
Madison laughed as she watched them leave. Those two had been married less than six months and were still enjoying the newlywed bubble. Honestly, Madison was just glad Ryan had finally found someone that was good to her and made her happy.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Several drinks later, Madison was on the dance floor, far more intoxicated than she usually got and oblivious to who was around her. Her goal for the night was to feel no pain and she had definitely succeeded in that task.
Jessa kept a quiet eye on her from afar knowing Madison could handle herself. The girl was dancing like she didn’t have a care in the world … or who saw her. Not that she was a bad dancer - the girl had moves Jessa hadn’t seen before and was secretly cataloging them away for herself.
Looking around the perimeter of the club, Jessa noted a guy – tall, blonde, and no doubt built of rock solid muscle – checking out her friend. His eyes never left her, even when some woman approached him in conversation. Madison was lost in her own world and didn’t notice as the man dismissed the woman vying for his attention, set his drink down and started walking toward her.
Moving her body to the music, her hands raised high and her hips moving to the beat, Madison’s eyes were closed when she felt someone approach her from behind. It wasn’t that unusual since Madison had danced with most of the guys that were regulars at the club. A few had even been lucky enough to go home with her afterwards. She just hoped like hell it wasn’t the guy from the bar again.
She continued to move her hips side to side, making note of the feel and movements of the person behind her. He laid his hands on her hips and drew her body to his. After a few bars, his hands drifted from her hips to her front, pulling her even closer to his body, and she could feel his arousal through the thin material of her skirt.
She laid her hands over his, and when she still didn’t recognize the touch, turned herself so she could look at him.
What she found were cobalt blue eyes staring back at her, the hint of a grin and one hell of a sexy body.
She rested her
hands on his very broad and muscular shoulders while her hips matched his movements.
“I know you from somewhere.” Her words were hesitant as she ran her eyes down his body. He was covered in a plain black shirt that stretched tightly across his shoulders and a pair of jeans that accentuated the bulge below his waist.
His grin turned into a full-on smile when her eyes met his again, and Madison felt her body react.
“Where do I know you from?”
Still moving in time to the music, his hands reached around her back and slid down her ass.
As he pulled her even closer, her hands left his shoulders and slid to his chest. She could feel his pecs beneath his shirt as her arms created the only distance between them.
“Seriously. How do I know you?” she persisted, liking the feel of what was under her hands.
If she had been thinking clearly she would have known who he was. She would have known who had his hands on her ass and was pressing his body against hers. But at that moment, she couldn’t think straight. Between the alcohol, the fact that she hadn’t gotten laid in a long while (at least by her standards) and the feel of his body against hers, she could barely register coherent thoughts.
The man with the cobalt eyes and sexy grin lifted the red curls off her neck, lowered his mouth to her ear and placed a kiss on her skin.
The feel of his lips and subtle scent of his cologne sent a shiver through her body.
“You like that?” His voice was so deep Madison felt it rumble through his chest.
She nodded. His lips were soft and just the right amount of wet. She wondered briefly how they would taste.
“What about this?” With a smirk he again lowered his head and sucked her earlobe between his lips.
Madison’s hands wrapped tightly around his neck.
Oh fuck…
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He grinned as he pulled back to look into her eyes.
“Who are you?” The shivers he gave her had gone straight to her core. With the way this man and his lips and his hands were making her feel, she wasn’t sure she really cared who he was or what he wanted to do to her.