Harkham's Case (Harkam's #1)

by Chanse Lowell

  It was like a whirlwind swept her away, taking her from her nightmare and plopping her straight down into a dream.

  Adam. Her boyfriend. It was all him.

  Water ran down her face and into her mouth as she savored her shower, but she kept grinning like a dork anyway.

  He did that to her. Nothing much seemed to bother her a whole lot anymore. He simply made everything better.

  Just a week ago, in the spur of the moment, he’d insisted they get married and drove them straight from school, taking them halfway from Phoenix to Las Vegas, before coming to his senses, turning around and heading back home.

  Her ring finger almost twitched with the memory of it—almost taunting her and making her heart rate pick up.

  Good God, how she adored him.

  “Ahhhh,” she released a loud sigh. It was girlie and dorky, but she had to.

  There were times like now as she bathed alone, that parts of her wished she had kept her mouth closed and not objected that day, so she could have him in here with her.

  That one time they showered together a few weeks ago had been so wonderful.

  He received his first blow job, and she received her first real, hard-hitting moment of being utterly consumed by him and all that he was. In the process, she discovered she honestly couldn’t live without him.

  How could she? Nothing was the same ever since he entered her life. There was no going back to either of her divorced, frustrating parents—both an absolute mess all on their own, and even worse when expected to care for her, their daughter.

  She fought off nasty memories of them and hummed instead. That was what Adam did to fight the numbers. She smiled again.

  What would Adam do if she let him in this shower at this very instant? Beg for her mouth on him? Beg to pleasure her? He was so unpredictable at times, and she loved that about him.

  There were other times, though, that she knew exactly what he was going to say . . . Adam talked about that failed Vegas trip a lot. Mostly at night when they’d sneak into each other’s room, lay in bed together, talking and making out. Reminders of how they could be married already and he could have his dick inside her, would come up when he was beyond horny and before they had to separate and she had to go back to her own room to sleep in.

  The water continued to invade her mouth because she couldn’t seem to stop smiling so wide, her lips had to stay parted.

  Damn. He was such an amazing man. There was no one like him.

  “Oh Adam,” she said with a sigh to herself. “God.”

  She shook her head, trying to rid herself of errant thoughts about stepping out of this shower, going and finding him, then dragging him in here with her.

  So many times, she wanted to say fuck it. She was eighteen, and Adam was twenty-one, but still . . . She cared about what Dustin Latham, her future father-in-law, thought about her.

  She lathered her hair for the second time, sighed for the tenth time and kept smiling. What surprises would she run into today with Adam?

  She finished her shower, stepped out and dried off.

  “Jesus,” she groaned, glancing at the paper on the counter. That fucking thing was calling to her.

  She couldn’t help herself—she had to read his note from yesterday one more time. The one he’d left on her pillow as a surprise and she’d found after her morning shower.

  It was shameless, but she’d been carrying it around with her all over in her pocket so she could see it whenever she felt the urge.

  Like now.

  She flattened it out on the counter and was careful not to drip on it as she read—

  Dear Abandoner,

  I really don’t like to wake up to an empty pillow beside me. Why must you torture me so?

  Why aren’t we married already? This is not cool.

  My little heart can’t take it, not to mention my sore spot. I wake up aching for you, and only you know how to touch me right to make my morning wood feel as pleasant as possible before I can chop down this tree. Okay, well, I wouldn’t actually do that. Chopping would hurt real bad, but I will stroke it until it’s flaccid—but you knew what I meant. I was trying to impress you and sound smarter than usual, but I think I failed. Man . . . See what happens when I wake up to no Mari in my bed?

  But back to the morning wood. You’re very smart like that—knowing what I need. Please, wake me up before you leave on the nights you sneak into my room and sleep with me. It’s the least you can do since I gave you three very beautiful orgasms last night with my skilled fingers, and I didn’t even tell anyone at all how happy that made me to do that for you and to watch you climax in my bed.

  I know I beg and plead and pull you back into the bed when you try to get up so I can have more snuggles, but it’s really rather rude to abandon me so cruelly. Just a word and a kiss, sweetheart? Please?

  If you do not comply, I will be forced to lie in wait behind the shower curtain and sabotage your abandoning plans in there. Don’t make me set my alarm on my phone, ‘cause I’ll do it, you know.

  Tomorrow I expect a grope too on my crotch when you wake me up, to make up for your flagrant disregard of my absolute need for more Marissa Cole in the morning. I need my cuddle time and my girl all to myself before others take you away from me.

  You need breakfast. I need morning loves. Let’s make the mornings better with more skin, okay? Better for everyone.

  And no one has to know. Promise—I won’t say a word about it to anyone. I won’t even show them the books or articles that taught me how to make you come so hard on my fingers, even if they were exactly right and very enlightening.

  Let’s at least do this until I can steal you away for another Vegas road-trip. One that will be completed next time.

  Love,

  The Abandonee

  Good Lord, but he was the most adorable man alive.

  She set it aside and went back to her morning routine.

  Reading his note this last time would be enough to keep her in this delirious state of happiness.

  Well, that note and memories of what took place less than an hour ago . . .

  Really early this morning—way before his dad would be awake—she woke him as he requested, gave him a quick handjob, then when he fell back asleep, she crept out of his bed and hopped into the shower in her own bathroom. The one she shared with his sister, Samara. A Jack and Jill bathroom was less than fun when she knew it meant more ways for Adam to figure out how to break in. And that man was genius at doing that type of thing.

  She wiped down the entire bathroom and removed all traces of herself, including her note she kept fixating on. Samara would never even know she was sharing a bathroom with another teenage girl.

  Or at least that was always Mari’s goal since Samara hated her so much.

  It was best to stay out of that tiny, dark-haired, judgmental girl’s way. Mari could only take so much before she might snap and hit her for being such a controlling, psycho, little mother-hen to Adam most of the time.

  His dad was getting better at least, now that Dr. Harkham was backing Mari, and telling him that she had done wonders for Adam and his issues. Dustin was nearing a neutral attitude toward her, so she couldn’t complain. He didn’t avoid her, but he didn’t seek her out or talk to her a whole lot either. It was as if he was neither upset nor glad she was here. At times, it felt like he accepted it the way a man on death row might swallow his fate and stop contesting it.

  A lump formed in her throat and in her gut. She swallowed, trying to dislodge the one higher up, but it did nothing for her. Thinking of Adam’s dad and sister always made her tense up and feel like her insides were twisting into pretzels.

  It always made her feel guilty, to know his dad probably felt stuck as her ward, and because of it, she would redouble her efforts to cook and help out more around the house, to earn her keep and stay on his good side.

  She finished getting ready, then opened the door to her tidied-up room, leading out into the hallway. Adam wa
s probably downstairs, eating breakfast already. She took a backward step as she scanned the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

  “Mmmnnnhh.” A grunt came from the ground as her foot knocked into something solid.

  She turned at the hips but kept her feet stationary.

  “Adam . . . ? What’re you—”

  He was lying on the ground, asleep in nothing but his pajama pants.

  She looked around to make sure nobody else in the family was seeing this.

  What the hell was going on?

  She crouched down and jostled him, but he didn’t wake.

  Her next tactic was to grab his arms and drag him into her room.

  He was heavy, but it was easier than she thought.

  She toed the door shut, slumped down to the ground, sat crossed legged and massaged his back while kissing his temple to rouse him.

  “Adam . . . Time to wake up,” she said.

  He stretched, then grabbed blindly for her.

  She lay down next to him and spooned. “Why were you asleep in the hallway outside my door?” she asked, stroking the back of his neck.

  Goose bumps erupted on him, making her smile and blow in that same spot to keep them there.

  “You said not to break into your room anymore—especially when you’re showering. I got tired of waiting, so I closed my eyes. I didn’t like being out here. I needed to touch you.” He reached back, grabbed her hand and wound her arm around him as he settled her hand in his. He placed it on his chest and snuggled into the ground like it was a comfortable place to be.

  “I was with you all night, cuddling as we slept.”

  “I know. It’s not enough.” He hummed.

  “But when I didn’t live here, you slept alone every night. What’s changed?”

  “I wanted to be in a bed with you then, too, but it wasn’t an option. Now it is. Stop leaving my bed.” He sighed like he was content to stay here forever.

  “I knew this was a bad idea . . . I never should have started sleeping in your bed each night. This isn’t good for you to be this dependent, and we’re gonna get caught. I need to get a job immediately and get my own place,” she said and stopped the light touches on his back and neck.

  “No!” He flipped over and held her head still with one hand while peering deeply in her eyes. “Stay.”

  “How can I? Your dad’s never gonna allow you to sleep with me every night, and I can’t let you sleep in the hallway outside my door.” She stroked his bottom lip with her thumb, then kissed it.

  “I’ll convince him. And, besides, we’re not sleeping together, because it’s not sex.”

  She grinned. “That’s right—this is not about sex at all,” she said with a facetious tone.

  “This is all about sex. It’s all I want to be the happiest me I can be—lots and lots of yummy Mari sex—but he doesn’t have to know that bit. I’ll keep quiet about it this time.” Her face dropped. He cleared his throat and added, “This isn’t lying—I’m not doing that. I’m just making sure I keep private things, private.” He smiled like he had it all figured out, and he was the smartest man in the world.

  He was, but still . . .

  “Your dad remembers what it was like to be a horny young guy. He’s gonna say no without even considering it.” She moved his hand off her head and pushed herself up to sitting.

  “How do you know?” He sat up, too.

  She straightened out her clothes and hair.

  “Because, I wouldn’t allow it if you were my kid—not under my roof if you weren’t married. He has standards and expects you to uphold them.” She stood up. They were gonna be late to school.

  “That’s an ancient way of thinking. We’re living in today’s world where people have sex without being married.” He paused, and his shoulders sagged. “And I wanna be part of them. Either that or we head back to Vegas. No turning around this time until it’s done.”

  “We’ve discussed this. Vegas isn’t an option.”

  He grinned. “Fine by me. I don’t need to be married to have sex.”

  She smirked back. “Oh, you plan to be promiscuous, huh? I’m sure that’ll make Daddy proud.”

  Adam looked up at her and scowled. “It’s not funny. Do you know how much it hurts me that I can’t have you when we both want it? It’s one hundred times worse than being denied soda! What the hell are we waiting for?”

  Afterword:

  Harkham’s Case to date has been my most popular fan fiction story I’ve written. It garnered over 2700 reviews, and that was quite a shock to me. It was received very well from the start—also surprising to me, since I was only writing it for fun as a way to blow off steam when my personal life was less than fabulous.

  I was also blown away by how many of my readers actually asked me if Adam’s condition was real. Wow. I must’ve made it sound pretty convincing because some of them had autistic family members and a few even tried to look this disorder up online…

  That’s when I knew that I must’ve hit a chord with people—that they were feeling something so strong for this character, that Adam felt real to them. And that’s the best compliment any writer can ever receive, so I was very humbled and honored by that.

  After all the love it received, I have to say, it was a difficult decision to publish this story. I agonized over it long and hard. I’ve always remained neutral on the debate on whether or not pull to publish is ethical and should be done. I understand both sides of the debate. And I love my readers. I don’t ever want them to feel like they’re being abused or manipulated. I try to give out free ebooks of my published works to people all the time—especially fan fiction fans. But at the end of the day, when it all comes down to it, I had to do what I needed to in order to take care of my family.

  They need me to provide for them, and if I can do that better by sharing this story I created and love so much, then that’s what I’ll do. My family always comes first. I care about my readers and their feelings too, but my hope is that we can all be understanding of each other’s situation. It’s hard to be a newly single mom and support children, which is where I now find myself. Those of us in this situation do the best we can. We try to make ends meet any way possible. I’m no exception to this rule.

  I love writing. I love publishing. I usually try to stick to publishing new works, rather than pulling down stories I’ve published for free on fan fiction. Now that I’m returning to school to pursue my BA in creative writing, along with other training so I can return to the work world and provide better for my kids, my time is more limited. So writing new works is going to be more complicated. That factored in to my decision to publish the Harkham’s series as well. I also felt this story was unique enough that I wanted to share it with a broader audience—with those who aren’t fan fiction readers.

  Adam has a story to tell, and I’m excited to share it with more people. I’m hoping that others will want to hear what he has to say, because he loves to share. Consequently, so do I! Enjoy the Harkham’s trilogy. Books two and three will follow shortly… Adam’s not known for his patience, but he is known for his impulsive Vegas road trips. Oh, how I love that man. *sigh* Mari’s not the only one that has a hard time saying no to him. I find it downright impossible. When he speaks, I write. Period.

  That’s how amazing he is… I’m hoping others who read his story will agree.

  I will also note here, I have never been to Alta. I don’t know a whole lot about it, other than the few things I mentioned in the story about it being a skiing town. I meant no disrespect to anyone from that area or that town. I just needed a small town with those exact qualifications. I’m sure it’s a lovely place and not at all as Mari describes it in the story. She has a jaded response to it for very good reasons.

  I would also like to mention that no disrespect is intended toward anyone with autism in this story as well. I have nothing but respect for people who deal with it. I actually became friends with a man with a severe case of autism in his
late fifties a few years ago, and I was constantly impressed with his brilliance, his sharp mind, cleverness, sense of humor, sweet attitude and zest for life. He was one of the happiest people I’ve ever met. His mother absolutely adored him, and consequently, so did I. He’ll always be remembered by me. He touched my heart and soul, and he changed my perception about what it means to deal with various handicaps. I learned from him—we all have handicaps in some shape or form. Some are just more obvious than others. It’s up to us if we allow it to hinder us as individuals or to make us stronger and more courageous. Adam doesn’t let his stop him, and I admire that about him very much. Mari, too. She has a different set of disadvantages, but they cause her issues all the same. They are survivors and warriors in my mind. And those are the types of people I gravitate to most, because they truly know how to live life to the fullest. They are what inspired me to write this story, because these were characters I could get behind and wanted to know.

  Current novels:

  Sleeves (scifi erotica) http://bit.ly/SleevesErotica

  Kel isn't at all the animal locked in a cage that he appears to be. Secrets keep him there, hidden from those who hunt him. But what does a man do when he needs physical contact to survive, but can't stand the burning pain that comes with another's touch? He’s found a way to get a small fraction of his needs met at the nightclub, Sleeves. What happens when he lets in an unknown woman with a healing hand? Casey can see past the vulgar mouth to the affection-starved man hiding inside. When she does, all hell breaks loose, and the past finds him. Will he be able to avoid the agency, or will they add Casey to their twisted experiments? She entered the cage with him, and now it seems there's no way out.

  Slick as Ides (scifi erotica) http://bit.ly/SlickAsIdes