I swipe my mouth and giggle. “You know me, never want to miss out.”
Matt rests his foot on a stool and leans forward, his voice a low whisper. “No way am I going to let you miss out on anything. You know I’d break necks for the likes of you.”
“Oh, please, Matty. Like you could hurt a fly,” I say.
“Hey!” He stands straight, looking a little offended. “I could hurt a fly if I wanted to.” He points at himself. “You just haven’t seen my dark side yet.” His earnest look makes me laugh. He’s such a clown, but he’s also quirky and cute.
Matt shakes his head and snatches another cup off a stack, pretending to be mad. He mutters something under his breath while pouring himself a beer.
“I’ll see you outside, okay?” He waves me out the back door and I head for the steps to the lakefront.
The smell of a smoky bonfire wafts into the clear night air, conjuring sweet memories from my childhood. We used to go camping all the time and my dad would always make his specialty s’mores, the marshmallows burned just so. My sister, Jody, and I would fight over who got the first one and eventually he started making two at a time. I take another sip of my beer and glance up at the sky. The stars are out now—twinkling, bright jewels on a black canvas.
“Pretty,” I murmur and descend the back steps.
There look to be about twenty of us gathered down by the lake, a decent-sized group. Trent is on the edge of the party, his back turned to me. He’s tall and stands out from the crowd. His size is one of the many things I like about him; he makes me feel small and protected.
Making my way through the dewy grass, I stop short before he sees me. A girl with dirty blonde hair and a sultry smirk is practically hanging off him, her fingers pressed against his arm. Lauren. I narrow my eyes.
Lauren’s head tips back in laughter and she thrusts her chest at him, her hot-pink bra pushing out of her top. She’s the world’s biggest flirt, and she always goes after Trent. I don’t understand what this girl’s problem is—she knows that Trent and I have been dating for a few months, but anytime we’re in a group situation, she latches onto him. I can’t decide if she genuinely wants my boyfriend or if she’s just trying to annoy me.
The last thing I’m going to do is show her how pissed I am. I strut toward them, pasting on a smile.
“Hey, guys.” I thread my arm through Trent’s, pulling him down to me and rising on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. He sucks my lower lip before pulling away.
Lauren smiles back and crosses her arms over her body, the gold bands on her wrist clinking. “Trent was just telling me about the time you guys went skinny-dipping and were busted by those two old fishermen. That must have been humiliating.”
My cheeks burn and I’m thankful it’s dark out. I can’t believe he told her that story. I gulp my beer.
Trent’s long arm slides down my back, giving my butt a quick squeeze before pulling me close. I lean into him.
“Fun times, right, baby?” he asks.
“Oh, yeah, definitely.” He buys my lie and fake smile, just like he always does.
He’ll never see me, not really, and that’s just the way I want it.
Sipping my beer, I squeeze Trent around the waist and turn to the fire, staring at the open flames as though they can somehow save me. The dog tags stick to my skin and that deep longing stirs inside me again.
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Lucy Tate is on the run. After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, she's spent five years in hiding -- taking on different personas and faking her way through life. The authorities can't be trusted, so she remains in the shadows, always one beat ahead of the man who is forever hunting her. That is, until she meets Zach Schultz, a senior at Monte Vista High and the one guy she can't bear to leave. Suddenly, her natural instincts to lie, cheat, and run are overshadowed by something else...the desire to stay and, perhaps, love. It's her one shot at a normal life.
Curious by nature, Zach is immediately drawn to the new girl at school. How can a person look both confident and vulnerable all in the same moment? Determined to figure Lucy out, he sets out to unravel the mystery that is her and soon finds himself caught up in a cat-and-mouse game. For the first time in his life, he is faced with the reality that the truth can no longer set him free...if anything, it's going to get him killed.
The explosive conclusion to Lucy's story is Set Me Free - already available online.
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Acknowledgements
No matter how big or small a project is, it takes many awesome people to pull it together, and they all deserve to be acknowledged for their time and brilliance.
Kristin, the editor for this novella, plus my amazing group of eagle-eye proof readers. Thank you so much for your time and awesomeness.
Scott & Ruth - once again, thanks for your wealth of medical knowledge. Your expertise is so appreciated.
Eden Crane - thank you for the stunning cover. You captured exactly what I wanted, and I couldn't be more pleased.
Inklings - thank you for the critiques, girls. I always love getting your feedback. You make my work better with your excellent suggestions, and you make my life better by just being awesome :-)
Indie Inked - thank you to the girls who critiqued for me, and thank you to the rest of you, as well. Becoming part of this awesome group has amplified what is already a really cool job.
Alice - thank you so much for being one of my most active Street Team members. I feel like you deserve a special mention because you're always first on the scene to read my work. I love you for that xx
My precious family - as always, thanks for your constant support, belief and pride. I love you all so much.
My saviour - thanks. You know why :-)
OTHER BOOKS BY MELISSA PEARL
The Space Between Heartbeats
The Space Before & The Space Beyond (novellas)
The Fugitive Series
I Know Lucy — Set Me Free
The Masks Series
True Colors — Two Faced — Snake Eyes — Poker Face
The Time Spirit Trilogy
Golden Blood — Black Blood — Pure Blood
The Elements Trilogy
Unknown — Unseen — Unleashed
The Mica & Lexy Series
Forbidden Territory — Forbidden Waters
More books coming in 2016
The Songbird Series (18+yrs recommended)
Fever — Bulletproof — Everything — Home
Releasing Nov 18th, 2015: True Love
Find out more on Melissa Pearl's website: http://www.melissapearlauthor.com
ABOUT MELISSA PEARL
Melissa Pearl is a kiwi at heart, but currently lives in Suzhou, China with her husband and two sons. She trained as an elementary school teacher, but has always had a passion for writing and finally completed her first manuscript in 2003. She has been writing ever since and the more she learns, the more she loves it.
She writes young adult and new adult fiction in a variety of romance genres - paranormal, fantasy, suspense, and contemporary. Her goal as a writer is to give readers the pleasure of escaping their everyday lives for a while and losing themselves in a journey…one that will make them laugh, cry and swoon.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
The Space Between Heartbeats Teaser
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Acknowledgements
Other Books by Melissa Pearl
About Melissa Pearl
Connect with Melissa Pearl
The Space Before (The Space Between Heartbeats #0.5) Page 8