Romance: The College Bad Boy: A Young Adult Romance

by Veronica Cross

  I wore a little black dress because I wanted to be cliché… well not really, but it did look amazing no matter what. I put on my high heels and I knew he would not be able to take his eyes off me. My hair was curled in those kind of romantic curls, not a perm, and my red lipstick made the whole look come together. Maybe I did go a little bit too far with trying to look my best but I thought the time was right.

  He asked where I wanted to go but considering how amazing last time turned out (except the people who followed us of course), I just said that I wanted it to be a surprise again. I did warn him, however, that I will be wearing high heels so he should avoid the walking part somehow. I was excited to be dating again, there was something so fun about that part of a relationship - even though we had long gone over to the other side of the relationship, we had shared way too much of our lives with each other, we were so damn close, it was still nice to be able to go back a bit and enjoy the simple things.

  When we got out of the car he asked me to close my eyes and grabbed my hand. He was leading me somewhere and I just had to hope that he would hold me well enough and I would not fall and hurt myself, I was wearing high heels after all.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yes!” I replied and I was not just ready, I was excited.

  He told me to open my eyes and when I did it was like a movie. There was a table decorated with beautiful flowers, wine bottles and a fantastic smelling meal on the table. Behind it was another table full of all kinds of sweets, I love sugar. I couldn’t believe how great it looked, I am pretty sure my mouth was open because I was so surprised and finally surprised in a good way instead of bad.

  “Where are we?”

  “Red Rose Restaurant, I rented it for the night, it is all ours.” Just as he said that romantic music started playing and the lights were going around on the dancefloor, the whole dancefloor was just for us and the whole night was ours as well. I liked the privacy, I preferred it to a crowded restaurant where we can’t even hear each other.

  “This looks amazing,” I said and looked at him. He could definitely see in my eyes how excited and impressed I was. After all of that, we really deserved to have a good date together.

  “Did you prepare the food?” I asked while sitting down on the table.

  “Nah, it was the chef, they made the food right before they left, I didn’t want to poison you with my cooking.” The fact that we could joke about things now was a sign that everything was slowly starting to be ok again.

  He had accepted the loss of his mother and I was proud of him for being so strong, there was nothing wrong with mourning over a loss, but it was also good that he didn’t let that loss rule over his life forever. It was time to move on. All that had happened was a lot to take in, he lost his powers and his mom in such a short time. I helped him with everything that I could and it felt good to know that my help had actually been of use to him. He was standing strong and continuing his life.

  When we sat down the rest of our evening included wonderful conversation, laughter and a lot of sexual jokes, I liked his humor, it was a bit dark and dirty but that was exactly how I wanted it to be. Spending time with him was more than amazing and even though he had no powers anymore, he was still incredibly interesting. He had so many stories to tell me, I couldn’t stop listening to him, then I got to share some of mine and he was paying the same interest. I felt like I was hanging out with my best friend, although in this case I was insanely attracted to that friend.

  While I was taking a bite off my tiramisu cake, he took out some small package from behind the table. It was beautifully decorated in pink and I had no idea what it could be.

  “What is that?” I asked excited.

  “It’s for you.” It was a gift.

  “No, I can’t take it, you’ve already made all of this happen, this dinner is amazing.”

  “Look, Lana…,” He grabbed my hand over the table and put the box in it. “Please accept it for me, I could never have done this without you, you give me a reason to live, you excite me and you are everything that I could dream of, you deserve this and so much more.”

  I knew that I was blushing, that was so nice to hear my heart started beating super-fast.

  I started opening the box and gasped when I did. It was a beautiful necklace with flowers shaped on it, it was in silver and the little flowers were gorgeous like diamonds. It was so wonderful, both simplistic yet lovely.

  “Thank you,” I said and looked at him. He got off his chair and walked up to me, he took it and started putting it around my neck.

  “You know there is a reason I got you this necklace,” he said as he gave me his hand as if he was asking me for a dance. I got up and looked at his beautiful face. “The flowers can always remind you of our first date and of our adventure.” He smiled and hugged me. I loved the gift even more now, not only because it was incredibly beautiful but because it was also thoughtful. He had put a lot of thought in it and that is what counts the most. It isn’t just jewelry, it is a reminder that I can always have with me, because even though everything that happened wasn’t easy or always pleasant it was how our story began and for that we should always remember it.

  We got up and decided to dance together. Slow music was playing and he was holding my body close to his, I could feel the scent of his cologne and it was amazing. He kissed me and I felt like I was flying once again, every little kiss that we shared together was more than amazing, it was perfect. Having just one kiss with him, however, was impossible. Our kiss turned into a big make out session and before I could realize it we were on the ground making out.

  It got from romantic to hot in a few seconds. I unbuttoned his black shirt and started kissing him all over. He lifted my dress and started touching me. His hands all over my body was the best thing I had felt. I loved the way he touched me, it was electric.

  Not after long our clothes were at the other end of the dancefloor, the music was playing and we were playing with each other while using the rhythm to guide us. I couldn’t stop moaning and I really hoped that nobody would walk in because then we wouldn’t be able to rent out this place ever again. This time was even better than the last because we had nothing to worry about, we were free to explore each other and our bodies for as long as we wanted to and I knew that I never wanted to stop exploring. I was more in love than I had ever been, I knew in that moment that he was the right person for me and I knew that we would have a lot of moments like this in the future. I was ready to have a life with him and excited because I felt like I would never have to go through anything alone.

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  Taken by the Unknown

  A Sci-Fi Romance

  Danielle Weir

  Taken by the Unknown

  Copyright 2016 by Danielle Weir

  First electronic publication: July 2016

  All rights are 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. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.

  Taken by the Unknown

  Chapter 1 – Ashton

  T
he wind howls. A porch-screen door slams over and over. Rain falls in sheets as lightning illuminates the pealed green painted exterior of the old farm house. Upstairs, 23-year-old Ashton Alexander cuddles up under a thick old quilt while getting lost in her favorite book. A romance novel about a tall quiet cowboy who sweeps a northern socialite off her feet. The novel is growing worn with dog-eared pages. Glistening abs seen through a cowboy’s unbuttoned shirt splash the front cover.

  “Lucius ripped off her lacey bodice, revealing her heat flushed bosom. His weathered worn lips kissed roughly down her silky curves. She craved for him to be inside her.” Ashton bites her lip after quietly whispering every word of the book. She’s never had much luck with the opposite sex, or people in general.

  Nightly she finds herself living vicariously through her guilty pleasures: damsels in distress, knights in shining armor and sexy bad-boys-turned-good, to name a few.

  Her thick red hair is pulled behind her reading glasses into a makeshift ponytail. She rubs her fingers slowly over the nape of her neck. Her imagination plays out the page turning foreplay in her books. She yearns for a man to take her like that.

  “The once sweet socialite kneels down and undoes the rugged cowboy’s six shooter and chaps only to reveal his…”

  KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Startled, Ashton almost jumps out of her covers. She hides her book in a frenzy and pulls the covers around her.

  “What is it?” Ashton says twice, the first time barely being able to get out until she cleared her throat.

  “It’s Autumn Spirit, Pop says she’s ready to give birth” Faith, Ashton’s slightly younger sister, yells from the other side of her door.

  “Okay, okay… Hold your horses,” Ashton says, cracking herself up.“Ha ha, not funny,” Faith says while turning the door handle. “Why’s the door locked, anyway?”

  Ashton looks over at her romance book wedged in the side of the bed and yells to the door, “Something about nosey little sisters would be my guess.”

  She pulls the quilt off of her and places her reading glasses on the large wooden dresser next to her bed. Ashton, wearing only a t-shirt and panties, looks for jeans and a hoodie.

  Faith keeps knocking to playfully agitate Ashton. Ashton puts on her hoodie and glances out her window, overlooking the stable. Lightning strikes in the distance outlining the structure in the black of night. The rain hasn’t let up. She hears Faith knock again and quickly grabs another hoodie. She opens the door to Faith in mid knock and throws a hoodie at her shocked face.

  “You’re helping.”

  “But hey… I don’t know a thing about… It’s raining out there.”

  Faith pleads with Ashton, who runs past her down the stairs.

  “It’s not my responsibility”

  Ashton stops at the bottom of the stairs and jerks a look back at Faith. “Well, today it is.”

  Ashton heads to the front entryway. She grabs her boots and puts them on. Trench coats, jackets, trucker hats and cowboy hats hang from various coat racks by the door. The outside screen continues to slam from the wind.

  Faith makes it down the stairs in her purple t-shirt and slippers, still holding the hoodie Ashton threw at her. Her hair is blonde and frazzled from the drying.

  “I’ll help out under one condition.”

  “Okay, I’m all ears,” Ashton reluctantly says, while putting on a trench coat.

  “You go out with me tomorrow, no questions asked!”

  “Fine.”

  Ashton rolls her eyes and slides some boots to Faith.

  “Let’s go help Pops.”

  Chapter 2 – Autumn Spirit

  A white, spotted black mare exhaustively stares at Ashton while she combs her mane. Autumn Spirit has been ready for birth for weeks. It’s been a long pregnancy even for a horse, and Ashton is glad it’s finally time. The weather wasn’t helping, though. Hours earlier, Ashton had to use all her tricks and energy to calm Autumn from the outside thunder. Faith didn’t last as long. She’s passed out sitting on a bale of hay in the next stall. Ashton’s tired, but her animals are the only thing she loves more than her books.

  “It’s okay, Autumn, it’s okay. You’re going to be a mama, soon.”

  Ashton kisses the mare on the nose.

  “I bet your baby is going to a free spirit like you.”

  The barn door slams open. Ashton’s father plows in and labors to shut the door against the screeching elements. The door closes and with it the howling wind and cold breeze follows. He walks over to a wooden stool under a hanging lantern and undoes his trench coat with one hand. He reaches into an inside pocket to a grab a thermos with the same hand. Ashton’s father is a man with little emotion, despite his constant frown. He’s worked his farm his whole life, but after a tractor accident he’s had to reluctantly step back his role. He’ll be cursed for the remainder of his years with a gimp hand and a stiff walk. He motions the thermos to Ashton.

  “It’s warm, Darlin’. Where’s Faith?”

  Ashton motions her head to the nearby stall. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected too much more.”

  “Well, honestly I’m surprised you got her out here.”

  “True. Though, I may have sold my soul to do it. We’ll see tomorrow night I guess.”

  “Well, don’t be too hard on her. She’s just not like you, Ashton. Heck, she’s not really like any of us. Between you and me, if I didn’t see her come from your ma myself, I’d swear she’s adopted.”

  “Yeah,” Ashton laughs, then turns serious as she continues to comb Autumn. “I miss mama.”

  “I do too, kiddo. I miss a lot of things.” Ashton’s father looks down at his useless hand. “But I miss her the most.”

  “I love hearing how ya’ll met. At the Drive in. You spillin your drink all over her and her date. And you getting decked. What I would have given to be there.”

  “Yeah, your ma was always a sucker for taken care of wounded animals.”

  “So that’s where I get it from.” Ashton pats Autumn gently.

  Ashton’s dad maneuvers the thermos open and pours the steaming drink into its cup lid. “I called the vet. If the storm clears up, he’ll head out in the mornin’.”

  “Don’t know if she’ll last that long.”

  “So, Faith is making you get out tomorrow. That’s good Ashton. I want you to get out.” He brings Ashton the warm drink.” You shouldn’t be stuck here your whole life with this old man.”

  Ashton takes a sip of the cup from her dad. “Water!”

  “No, it’s hot chocolate, sweetie”

  “No, Autumn’s water broke.” Ashton puts her cup down and hollers for Faith. The horse whinnies and starts to sway back and forth. Ashton tightens the horse’s rein against the nearby post.

  Faith wakes up with a rush of energy.

  “What’s going on?”

  Ashton grabs her rubber gloves.

  “Time to deliver a foal.”

  Chapter 3 – The Lake

  An aged, white Chevy barrels down winding dark country roads. Mud from the truck’s wheels fling past its slightly open windows. Country Rock music blares from inside. Faith barely pays attention to the road as she applies lipstick on pouty lips through the reflections of a bedazzled visor mirror. She mostly steers with her knees, much to the horror of Ashton, her red-headed best friend of the same age, sitting shotgun. Ashton wears her emotions on her face. She’s always been nervous by Faith’s driving, and even more nervous about their destination - “Make-Out Lake.”

  In an attempt to distract herself from what feels like impending doom, Ashton turns the radio down and tries to figure out what Faith is getting them into. “You know I’m not a fan of your surprises.”

  “Well, big sis, as much as I loved seeing Autumn’s little filly being brought into this world, (I’ll have to burn all those clothes, by the way) so you owe me.”

  “Whatever, you slept through half of it. I should be at the stable right now. That’s gotta be more important than what
this is.”

  Faith blots her lips, puts away the lipstick and gives Ashton a mischievous grin.

  Ashton presses further. “Let me guess, boys from the other side of the river and beer?”

  “Don’t act like that’s a bad thing. Better than you sitting at home reading one of those worn out romance novels you love so much.”

  “God forbid you pick up a book. Can’t stay out too late, anyway…have to prepare our stock for the State Fair. Besides, the boys around here are so lame.”

  “Even Bobby Darren?” Faith teases, knowing he’s Ashton’s biggest crush.

  “Well, he’s alright. Is he going to be there?”

  “It’s Danny’s, his brother’s birthday. He’ll be there, and I’m sure the usual bunch of troublemakers.”

  Ashton can’t contain her smile as she looks out the window staring at the stars. She’s always liked Bobby - high school quarterback, a disarming smile and soft black hair she’d love to run her fingers through. She always acted uninterested, but Faith knew her too well and would catch her staring at him on the sidelines during the games and at practices. She especially took notice whenever he took his shirt off, which he always seemed to do during practices. Good thing for Ashton the bleachers were her favorite place to read from. Faith didn’t mind the bleachers too much, either. For her, it was under the bleachers that held her favorite hobby.

  “Sex!” blurts out Faith.

  “What?” Ashton snaps out of day dreaming about Bobby.

  “When’s the last time you got laid, anyway?”

  “Geez, Faith! I’m not like you. I don’t kiss and tell.”

  “Well, I hope you shaved and didn’t wear your granny panties tonight.”

  “You know you don’t have to say everything you think.” Ashton blushes and shakes her head in disbelief.

  “You know that’s why you love me.” Faith jokes, as she shifts gears and starts to bring the truck onto the lake road.