“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods. “I can’t believe you’ve had to save me twice in one day.” She gives a bitter laugh.
My heart is beating double time, but I’m not sure now whether it’s the anger that was unleashed by the asshole or the lust that’s unleashed by Carly.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, watching her.
She looks up at me now and I meet her eyes. My breathing picks up. I’m not sure if I noticed before, but her eyes are a deep green. Moss green, I think they call it. Like my sister’s favorite pair of suede boots with the fringe up and down the sides.
“I was just walking by when I saw him. I came inside hoping to get away. Then I heard you singing. I couldn’t believe it was you until I got close enough to see your face.”
I scratch my head. “Well, I’m glad you ended up here, but now I’m worried about the next time if I’m not around.”
“I didn’t know musicians could fight like that,” she tells me, trying to detour the conversation.
I fight the urge to puff up my chest or flex my biceps or something. Fighting might be stupid, but if you can win one in front of a hot girl, you feel like you’ve conquered the world.
“Yeah, I don’t know that I’m much of a fighter, but I’ve had a few years of martial arts and I played hockey, so you know—lots of ice fights. Besides, that was more brains than brawn.”
She smiles at me. “Well, whatever it was, I’m very grateful. Thanks so much.”
“Sure thing.”
“I should let you get back to your job though…” She brushes off her hands on her jeans. They’re white—the jeans—and tight. They hug her ass like I’d like my palm to. Plus, she has legs that go on for miles.
I suck in a breath, trying to keep from reaching out and touching the sliver of skin that’s revealed along her waist as she moves around. “Do you have a way to get home?” I ask her, remembering that she’s not even old enough to be in the bar right now. She’s close to my age, but looks a couple of years younger.
“Um, no. I couldn’t get my car started earlier, so I just left it at the beach.”
Frustration rolls through me. What the hell would she do if big, bad dude was after her and she couldn’t get her car started? This girl needs help, but I know she won’t let me give it to her. I ought to just walk away. I’ve got a good life, it’s simple—I play music I love, hang out with women who are low maintenance, and have a few good friends. Carly is one big damn complication. She’s young, she’s in danger, she’s stubborn as hell. I shake my head and run a hand through my hair. Then I remember what her small hand felt like in mine at the coffee shop. Yeah, I’m going to keep getting involved even though I know I shouldn’t.
“Look, I need to finish up my set, but I’d be happy to make sure you get home safely. Will you wait for me? I can get you a seat up here by the front, some food if you’d like—whatever you need.”
She thinks about it “Okay,” she tells me with a small smile. “I liked listening to you play.”
“That’s great. I liked having you listen. Come on. I’ll get you set up.”
The next hour consists of me playing music while I watch Carly like she’s the last woman on Earth. Everything she does is fascinating. The way she eats the burger I had the waitress bring her, how she looks at me while I’m singing, the color of her hair when the lights play off it. By the time my set is done, it’s official that I’m a lust-struck moron.
After I’m done and packed up, I lead her outside to my truck. “You live in the dorms?” I ask as I help her up into the cab.
“Gabriel Hall,” she answers.
“I know right where that is.” I climb in my side and buckle up before I turn to her. “So, are you going to let me help you out now? I mean it’s pretty obvious the guy’s not going away.”
She gnaws on the inside of her cheek, her eyes turned to the lights blurring by the windows as we drive along the main drag toward the college. She drops her gaze to her lap, winding her fingers together nervously.
“I can’t,” she says. “I can’t let you get involved. I mean you’ve already put yourself in danger. He knows what you look like and where you work. You need to be careful.
“And you still won’t go to the cops?”
She shakes her head vehemently. “No. No cops. I know the way these guys work. I have a little money I can give them, and then if I just stay out of sight, they’ll get tired of hassling me.” She pastes a brilliant smile on and looks up at me. “It’ll all be fine. I’ve seen my dad go through stuff like this a hundred times. It always works out.”
I slow the truck down as we near the main doors to Gabriel Hall. When I roll to a stop she’s out the door before I can blink.
“See you around, Pax,” she tells me as she hops out.
“Carly—“ I call, but she’s already bounding up the steps and reaching for the front doors of the dorm. Damn.
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Acknowledgements
It’s hard for me to believe that I’m writing this for the fourth and final planned installment of the Lush series (although never say never, with enough encouragement I’m sure I could find more Lush stories to tell!). Writing this series has been as much of a roller coaster for me as it has been for the characters. From the moment A Lush Betrayal released my career was completely changed, and every time I’ve done something new with the series it’s reignited the love of Lush that so many readers share.
So, really, when it comes to the last “official” acknowledgement page for a Lush novel, I have to say the biggest thanks of all goes to the readers of Lush. You have all been amazing, and you’ve given me a journey I won’t soon forget. Your passion for these characters and their world is heartwarming and makes the thousands of hours of writing and editing on this series well worth it.
When you write books a lot of things come out of you that you haven’t really thought about consciously before. This entire series has had one overarching theme and that’s forgiveness. It’s been so gratifying to me to see so many readers respond to characters seeking to get and give forgiveness, and I hope that the spirit of forgiveness that the Lush characters have will be one of the things that sticks with us all. The books deal with some heavy topics, including infidelity, substance abuse, mental illness, religious differences, and teen pregnancy. But over and over in Lush I’ve had readers compliment me on how I handled difficult issues. I appreciate so very much everyone being willing to go on journeys that are at times personal and controversial. I hope that I’ve been worthy of your trust.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to characters you’ve spent so much time with, but I’ve learned a great deal from Joss, Walsh, Mike and Colin, and I’ll take that with me into my next series and into all of my future writing. I hope you’ll be there with me. Thank you for reading.
Selena.
About the Author
Selena Laurence is the Bestselling author of what she likes to call Edgy Contemporary Romance. Her books have been Amazon Top 10 bestsellers in multiple categories including Multicultural Romance, Hispanic Fiction, Urban Fiction, Military Romance, and Romantic Suspense. Her New Adult romance, Hidden, won the 2014 Reader’s Crown Award for Contemporary Romance of the year.
Selena lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and spends a hell of a lot of time at soccer games, on her laptop, and reading. She requires a Mocha Latte every day to function, keeps a goldendoodle at her feet most of the time, and has more kids than she or Mr. Laurence know what to do with.
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Published by C.P. Writes, LLC
Copyright 2015 © Selena Laurence
All rights reserved.
Cover Art by Book Beautiful. All rights reserved.
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reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced , stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media , and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
About The Lush Series
Books by Selena Laurence
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
The Bittersweet Chronicles: Pax
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Copyright Notice
A Lush Reunion Page 24