Forbidden Fruit: Volume 1

by Harley, Lisa M.

  She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. Everything in her screamed to run right into his arms where everything would be okay, but she couldn't. She didn't know what to say to him because part of her knew he was right. She was just too afraid to take that path, and something told her he knew it.

  “I can tell by your eyes you've already made your decision,” he said sadly. “I think one of these days you're going to wake up and realize everything you missed out on by not facing your fears.” He turned, threw the disorganized papers into his briefcase, and walked to the door. “Good-bye, Nora,” he said without turning back.

  Nora did the only thing she could do at that moment. She sank down to the floor and cried.

  ~*~*~*~

  It had been a week since Jackson had walked out of the courtroom, or perhaps she should say it’d been a week since she didn't face her fear and fight for what she wanted. There had been no contact with her father since the blow up in the courtroom. She’d left him multiple messages, but he returned none of them. A few times she thought about calling her mother, but the thought of explaining it all to her made her stomach churn. So instead, when she wasn't in class, she wallowed in her own self-pity in her dorm room.

  With her head under the blanket, she wondered for the thousandth time how she could have been so stupid. Yesterday she even tried calling, but he refused to answer his phone. The slamming of her door had her peeking out from underneath the covers.

  “I've had it!” Kara announced. “You are going to get out of bed and fight for Jackson.”

  She pulled the covers back over her head. “I can't,” she squeaked.

  Suddenly, the light from above was blinding her. Kara had ripped the overs off the bed. She covered her eyes with her arm. “You can't sit here and mope anymore.” Once again, Nora's eyes filled with tears.

  “How am I supposed to fight for something that everyone will eventually hate me for?”

  She sat down next to her on the bed and took Nora's hand in hers, pulling it away from her eyes. “What does it matter what anyone else thinks?”

  “But—”

  “No, let me finish. Your entire life, you've worried about everyone else. And for the first time, when I saw you with Jackson, you were truly happy. I could even see your happiness through the fear of me finding out about you two. Was it a shock? Yes. But I'm of the opinion that if someone makes you happy, their age doesn’t really matter.”

  Nora still was skeptical about the whole relationship, not because of Jackson, but because of her family. “And my dad?”

  “Nora, just give him more time.”

  “And if he doesn’t come around?”

  She shrugged. “Well, then he doesn’t come around. It'll be his loss. But you need to be ready to fight for Jackson and stand up for him when things get tough. And I’m not going to lie to you—things will get tough. You just need to always let your feelings lead you.”

  Nora nodded but didn't move from the bed. Kara picked up her bag. “Look, I'm going the library to get some work done. It'll give you time to think about whether or not you're willing to try and win him back. And please remember you are not your parents.”

  With that, Kara was out the door, and Nora was once again alone with her thoughts. She cared so much for Jackson, and Kara was right, she was so happy when he was around. He made every day brighter. Was the age difference a problem? Maybe for some people, but it really wasn't a problem for her. Instead, it was her fear of others’ reactions. She couldn't live her life for others any more. She’d been doing it as long as she could remember. With that thought, she hopped out of bed, deciding she needed to clean herself up to go see Jackson.

  When she arrived at his house, the nerves had kicked in. She wasn't sure if what she was doing was right, but she had to try.

  Chapter Ten

  When Jackson heard the doorbell ring, he didn’t expect what he found when he swung it open. She'd been gone for a week, and it had been torturous. It still amazed him how quickly she'd become so integral to his life. There wasn't much he could do without thinking about her, but he was doing his best to go on with his life... at least until he opened the door.

  “What are you doing here?” he snapped.

  “Can I come in?”

  “I don't think that's a good idea, we really don't have anything to talk about.”

  “I think we do.”

  He'd had enough of this shit. He'd already let her mess with his head once, he wasn't going to set himself up for the heartache again. “No, Nora, you should go,” he said, trying to shut the door in her face. She pushed against the door holding it open.

  “Jackson, would you please listen to me for a moment.”

  “Have you told you’re mother about us.”

  “Not yet.”

  He rubbed his is hand across his face and back through his hair. “I don’t think you have any intention of telling them about us and even if you do the second you get a negative reaction you’re going to run again. I care about you, but I can’t do that to myself. I’m sorry.” He used his strength against her and shut the door in her face. He decided to take a shower to relax the tension in his muscles and pulled his shirt over his head on his way to the bathroom. After stripping the rest of the way, he stepped under the hot spray, letting it take the aches from his muscles that had built from his restless nights. He was just thinking about weekend getaway when the shower door opened and Nora stepped in, completely naked. The sight of her had his dick hardening at an alarming rate. It knew who she belong to. If only she did.

  “Nora, get out of here and go put some clothes on,” he said, exasperation deepening his voice.

  Her eyes drifted down to his now fully erect cock. “I don't think you want me to leave, and I definitely don't want to leave.” Her hands reached out to lightly trace the muscles on his chest, and as hard as he tried, he couldn't keep the groan from escaping his lips. Missed was not the word to describe the way he felt about her. He'd been lost without her touch. But he didn't want this to go too far, so he wrapped his hands around her wrists to stop her exploration.

  “Nora, say what you came to say and then leave me alone.”

  Her eyes looked up at him imploringly. “I can't leave you alone; that's what I came to tell you. I was wrong last week, and you were right. I was afraid. My father's still not speaking to me, I haven't told my mother, but none of that really matter because it’s no one’s business but ours.”

  Everything she said was exactly what he needed to hear. He might be a glutton for punishment, but he was going to give her another chance. And the fact that she was rambling made it even sexier.

  “What I'm trying to say is that I really wish you'd take me back. I know I—”

  Jackson covered her lips with his to get her to stop talking, but the minute she slipped her tongue out to run it along his lips, he lost control and slammed her up against the shower wall. She moaned at the rough play, reaching down to run her hand along his dick. There was no time to come up for air as he bent down and helped her to wrap her legs around him.

  Breathing heavily he pulled away to ask, “You're on the pill, right?”

  Unable to speak, she nodded, and Jackson wasted no time thrusting up into her, his body forcing hers into the shower wall behind her. This time was going to be fast—they could talk and take their time later. His cock plunged deeper and deeper into her each time he thrust up, his mouth still connected to hers. It wasn't long before his balls were pulling tight to his body. Two thrusts later, her body contracted around him, setting of his orgasm, and he emptied himself into her. Panting, he used the wall to help hold her in his arms, his body drained. Sex had never ended so quickly for him, but then again, it had never been so satisfying. When he’d regained some of his strength, he lowered Nora to her feet. He needed one promise from her for him to take her back.

  “Nora, look at me, sweetheart. I need you to promise me something.”

  “Anything,” she breathed.

/>   “Promise me that next time you'll fight for us instead of running out of fear.”

  “I promise you, I'll fight for us until the end.” He bent down and took her lips, sealing their promises to one another.

  That night, after a slow marathon of make-up sex, he lay in bed with Nora asleep in his arms and examined the events of the day. Not once did he ever think she would show up at his door, much less apologize to him for not fighting for them. Lying in the dark, he knew they had a lot of obstacles facing them, but as long as she was willing to fight for them—the same as he would—they could overcome them together. He pulled Nora tighter to him, hoping like hell he never had to be without her again.

  About the Author

  Rebecca Brooke grew up in the shore towns of South Jersey. She loves to hit the beach, but always with her kindle on hand. She is married to the most wonderful man, who puts up with all of her craziness. Together they have two beautiful children who keep her on her toes. When she isn’t writing or reading (which is very rarely) she loves to bake and watch episodes of Shameless and True Blood. Rebecca is the author of the Forgiven Series.

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  Secret Obsession

  by

  Olivia Linden

  Chapter One

  Sylvia Davis couldn’t believe her luck. Well, the lack of it to be exact. Her day began thirty minutes late, after she slept through her alarm, and was ending with a flat tire. A flat tire, and a cell phone with no battery life because she was running late and forgot to grab her travel charger. She ignored the voice in her head that chided her for not just leaving the damned charger in the damn car. Shit! Ok, no time to worry about that now. Sidling out of the car, she headed to the trunk. The spare was hidden beneath her gym bag and the load of clothes she had yet to drop off at church for their clothing drive. Shaking her head, she managed to pull the donut out while only breaking one nail. Excellent! Now all she had to do was remember how the fuck you changed a flat.

  After thirty minutes of strenuous labor, the only progress made was removing two lug nuts from one tire. Sylvia wanted to cry in sheer frustration. It was moments like this when she wished she had a man in her life. A good man, not just the kind she usually dated who were only good for taking up space on her couch. If she was really lucky, they were so stellar in the sack that she’d forget how horrible they were out of it. Which now reminded her that she was horny, since she hadn’t been with a man of any kind in months. Seven months and thirteen days if you wanted an exact count. Sixty-five of those days had been spent in close quarters with the sexiest man she’d seen in real life. Unfortunately he was off-limits. The good ones always were.

  The threat of tears caused her eyes to twitch. The thick humidity of the July evening clung to her skin, like a wet towel. Weighing down on her. The work blazer she sported that day, was already discarded, and the sweat rolling between her breast was enough to grant her access to any wet t-shirt competition. Why had she taken this route home? If she would have just stayed on the main road another car would have driven past by now, and she could have at least flagged them down for the use of their phone. All around her, crickets and other noisy insects were taunting her. She had already swatted her neck three times with the fear that a nasty bug was trying to stowaway down her shirt. Sylvia wondered if Pennsylvania had a higher bug count than most states, or if it just part of her misfortune to be stranded in the middle of the most bug ridden field ever? So lost in her thoughts she was, that the distant sound of tires crunching over gravel eluded her.

  Finn Walters was intrigued. He wasn’t sure what was more interesting. Sylvia changing a tire, or Sylvia hot and sweaty on her hands and knees. The slight twitch of his cock in his jeans answered that question. Her thick dark brown, wavy hair was settled around her shoulders like a blanket, and the seam of the tiny top she wore rested just at her waist, leaving her plump little ass fully exposed. His step sister had the body of a porn star. He didn’t know much about her besides the fact that she moved back home from college, and worked in her father’s office all day. Oh, and she liked taking long showers. Many a night he had succumbed to massaging his own dick imagining her naked body as the water rained down her smooth skin, or of him joining her while she bathed. This real life image of her bending over with her ass in the air would now be put into rotation.

  He eased his pickup to a crawl as he approached her car. She was so engrossed with working the wrench, she didn’t notice him until his headlights were shining down on her. Finn sucked in a deep breath and groaned at the site of her up close. The thin cotton tank top she was wearing was plastered to her body, and her plump tits were on full display. He had been dreaming about how those lovely mounds would feel in his hand, and how good his cock would feel buried deep inside of her. Living in such close quarters with a woman who wore pajamas meant for a ten year old, with her tight behind barely concealed, had turned him into a sex crazed monster. It was the buzz his body went into whenever she was near him. The way her scent lingered in the air whenever she passed. Damn, he wanted her so bad.

  They locked eyes, and for a moment, Finn swore he saw what he was feeling reflected in hers. Right before she let relief flood her features. For some reason that pleased him. He liked that the sight of him gave her relief. Killing the lights on his truck, he took a few moments to adjust his crotch and compose himself before jumping out.

  Sylvia dropped the tool in her hand, conceding her defeat to the flat, and making room for Finn to crouch next to her. She tried to ignore the way his musky man scent made her dizzy with excitement. The ache between her thighs was almost unbearable and she squeezed them together, desperately trying to take the edge off. What was it about him that made her feel so wanton? Oh, it could be the fact that he was a 6’2 walking advertisement of muscle and brawn. His dark blond hair was perpetually on the verge of unruly and taunted her to sink both hands in and pull. His amber colored eyes always regarded her thoughtfully, and the few times she’d heard his deep baritone voice it had made her feel warm inside. Today he wore a navy t-shirt that was stretched across his well defined chest, and a pair of thoroughly worn jeans. The way his thighs bulged underneath the light blue denim made her want to reach out and touch.

  “So, I have a flat,” she nervously stated the obvious.

  “I see that,” he replied softly. His grin bringing attention the the deep dimple in his cheek. Sylvia forced herself to look away. He was overwhelming.

  “Well the good news is your donut looks good, and you have all the right tools here,” he said with a wink. Pure heat surged between them, and to be on the safe side he added, “Why don’t you wait in the truck? I’ll be done in no time at all.”

  It was the most Finn had ever said to her all at once, and Sylvia was dumb struck. Part of her wanted to sit right there in all her hot, bug infested glory, but the other part knew that she would just spend the time embarrassing herself by staring at him. At least the truck was cool and she could watch him covertly. Dusting off her hands, she smiled at him before she got up and walked away. Was she imagining the feel of his eyes on her? Should she turn around to see if he was watching? Yes. Fuck! He was watching, and the way his eyes darkened on her made her gasp slightly before turning away.

  Shaking his head, Finn returned his attention to the matter at hand. He’d been caught eye fucking her ass while she walked away, and that wasn’t good. He stayed away from Sylvia for this exact reason. She was too tempting. The perfect mixture of naive and sexy, bold but demure. And she wanted him, too. He could see it in her eyes, the way her breathing always increased around him, and the way her cheeks flushed anytime he looked at her. Every single one of those responses made him want to take a taste, to find out if she was as good as he imagined. What he shouldn’t be doing was fantasizing about her. His mother
would kill him if he ruined things for her.

  Harry Davis, Sylvia’s father, was helping to get the ranch back on track and his mother genuinely seemed to love him. Finn liked him enough, but he was much too old for a new daddy. So he distanced himself from his new ‘family’. He did his work around the ranch, and stayed away from his irresistible step sister, now sitting in his truck and probably watching him as he worked. Finn resisted the urge to look up. He’d deal with Sylvia later.

  For the next ten minutes Finn worked on that tire, while Sylvia watched him. Knowing that it would only cause her to sink deeper into her obsession. The brute force he used to work the jack was more than she could bear, and the delicate tension he used to tighten the lug nuts made her long to feel him touch her that same way. There were no feelings of shame for her forbidden thoughts about Finn. She was too far gone. Only the undeniable desire to have her body used by his remained. Judging from the hunger in his eyes when he looked at her, he felt the same way. She wanted him. Needed to have him. There was no way around it. For months she tried to deny her attraction, but right now her desire was so strong she could taste it. Little granules of lust for Finn, on her tongue. Sylvia watched as he finished up, putting the flat and all of her tools back into her trunk before making his way to the truck, wondering if he wanted her as bad.

  Chapter Two

  The tire hadn’t been much trouble at all, and Finn was grateful for that. He was anxious to get out of the heat. It was melting away his tattered resolve. Sylvia hadn’t gotten out of his truck yet, so that meant more conversation. Conversation with a girl who was quietly bewitching him. That had to be the explanation for his erratic desire to have her. Stretching his arms out in front of him, he used his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow. Wanting to get the tire dust and grime off his face, he needed to get his water and sweat rag out the bed of his truck to clean up. Making sure to walk on the drivers side, Finn retrieved the items he needed.