Stronger With Him

by JA Hensley

  Stronger With Him

  Book #1 of The Strength Series

  JA Hensley

  Copyright © 2014 JA Hensley

  All rights 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 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.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual situations. It is intended for adult readers.

  Cover design by Creative Pear Designs

  Ebook Formatting by AMJ Publishing

  Paperback Formatting by Katherine K. Henry

  This book is dedicated to my dear friend, S.E.N.

  Thank you for letting me use some of your life experiences in my book. I love you!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1-Rebecca

  Chapter 2-Rebecca

  Chapter 3-Colin

  Chapter 4-Rebecca

  Chapter 5-Rebecca

  Chapter 6-Colin

  Chapter 7-Rebecca

  Chapter 8-Colin

  Chapter 9-Rebecca

  Chapter 10-Colin

  Chapter 11-Rebecca

  Chapter 12-Colin

  Chapter 13-Rebecca

  Chapter 14-Rebecca

  Chapter 15-Colin

  Chapter 16-Rebecca

  Chapter 17- Colin

  Chapter 18-Rebecca

  Chapter 19-Colin

  Chapter 20-Rebecca

  Chapter 21-Colin

  Chapter 22-Rebecca

  Chapter 23-Colin

  Chapter 24-Rebecca

  Chapter 25-Colin

  Chapter 26-Rebecca

  Chapter 27-Colin

  Chapter 28-Rebecca

  Chapter 29-Colin

  Epilogue-Four weeks later

  Acknowledgements

  Connect with JA Hensley

  Chapter 1-Rebecca

  "Are you fucking serious?" I say to the fridge. "I can't believe I don't have any wine."

  Slamming my refrigerator closed, I stomp out of the kitchen. Can this day get any worse? I know the answer to that question so I don't actually ask it out loud for fear of giving karma another reason to shit on me.

  The sound of the doorbell brings me out of my pity party. Before I can get there, it swings open and my best friend Stephanie walks in brandishing her key. Christin, who happens to be holding a large paper bag, follows her.

  "We've got what you need, babe," Christin says with a big smile. She sets the bag down on the table and pulls out two large bottles of wine. I drop to my knees and bow down to her.

  "You have no idea how much this means to me. I really need this tonight," I say while looking up at them.

  "Get up, you whore. Let's get drunk," Stephanie proclaims as she walks into the kitchen. She returns quickly with glasses and a corkscrew.

  "We know you've probably been sulking around here all day and we've come to rescue you from yourself. Drink up, bitches, it's time to party." Christin and subtlety don't get along.

  I pour each of us a full glass and we settle on the couch. My girls have never let me down and I’m glad they're here now. I just don't know if I'm ready to talk about it.

  Stephanie raises her glass. "Men suck. If we didn't like the one thing they have that we don't, we wouldn't need them at all."

  I can't help but laugh. She's right. Of course there are other things, too, but now's not the time to talk about that.

  We clink our glasses and take large gulps of wine. The room is quiet for a minute until Christin asks, "So, what the fuck happened, Becca?"

  I knew this was coming. I shrug and try to play it off, but I know how relentless Christin can be. Stephanie gives me a sympathetic look, but I know she's wondering the same thing.

  "I don't know." I feel a tear run down my cheek. "This isn't something that I ever thought I'd have to face. Ron and I are done." I can't look at them, so I focus on my glass and stopping the tears.

  "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. Please don't cry. Why don't we go out tonight and get your mind off things? We can go back to that new club and check it out again. We haven't been since the night they opened. What do you say?" Stephanie is always trying to cheer me up. It's one of the many things I love about her and why she’s my best friend.

  "I don't think I'm ready to be in public. I really just want to crawl in a hole right now."

  "Well, that settles it, we're going out. I'll pick something out for you to wear. Go take a shower because this bus is leaving in thirty minutes," Christin declares as she takes my wine away from me. I know there’s no point in arguing with her. I get up and head to the shower. I know they think they're helping, but I meant what I said about the hole. I just can't believe my life has changed so much so fast.

  Once I'm out of the shower, I put on my robe and Christin makes Stephanie work on my makeup and hair while she rummages through my closet for "something decent" for me to wear.

  "You know she means well and wants you to be happy, right?" Stephanie asks while she applies my eyeliner.

  "I know. I just want to wallow in self-pity for a while. She’s always right about these things, so I'm going to trust you both to get me out of my funk." I smile weakly at her.

  "He's such an ass, Becca. When you're ready to tell me exactly what happened, I'll be there for you."

  I take a deep breath to keep the tears at bay. I don't want to mess up Stephanie's work. "Thanks, friend. You'll be the first one I call."

  Stephanie smiles and nods. I know she understands. She's had her share of heartbreak, too. Christin walks into the bathroom with a dress and heels. Thankfully, she chose something with sleeves.

  "This is just going to have to do for tonight. Tomorrow I'm taking you shopping for clothes that don't look like they belong to my grandmother’s. What were you thinking, Becca? Everything in there is made for an old lady, not a twenty-four year old in her prime. I’ve obviously neglected your fashion education." She's always been a little more adventurous than my other friends. That's probably why I love her so much.

  "I'm not like you, Christin. I don't have a smokin' hot body and beautiful blond hair. I dress for my shape." It's a weak defense, but it's the best I've got.

  "You're full of shit and you know it. You just haven't been in the right stores. We’re going to fix this tomorrow, I promise you. Now get dressed so we can go."

  When I finally meet Christin's standards, we head out. Stephanie agrees to be the designated driver tonight since she didn't finish her wine and Christin said that my task is to drink, have fun, flirt a little, and maybe give someone my number. We'll see how that works out.

  * * * * *

  The club’s called Stars and it opened a few weeks ago. It's not like the clubs you find in big cities, but it’s nice. The music is loud enough to dance to but you can still carry on a conversation. They advertise that there are a few private rooms where the noise is blocked. There's a pretty big dance floor, a bar on both sides of the building, comfortable chairs, and low tables. I'm not a fan of those high ones that are in some bars. I feel like I'm going to fall when I'm getting off the chair and I'm fairly certain my ass shows when my dress hikes up.

>   Once we get inside, Christin heads to the bar. She orders us both shots and Stephanie gets a club soda. We throw back our drinks while the bartender mixes my margarita and Christin's cosmo. We find a place to sit and watch the activity in front of us.

  "So, Becca, when are you going to tell us what that asshole did to you? I know you don't like to talk about stuff like this, but you've got to get it out or you'll drive yourself crazy."

  "I know, Christin, but it's all so raw still. I don't want to cry here. Can't we just forget about him for now and try to have some fun? You're the one who dragged me out of my cozy apartment to come here."

  "I guess, but you're not getting off that easy. You’ll talk about it, we'll support you, you'll cry, we'll probably plot ways to cut off his dick, and then you'll feel better."

  Stephanie starts laughing at that and almost falls off her chair.

  I can't help but laugh, too. "That sounds great. For now, let's drink, dance a little, and drink some more. Can you handle that?"

  "I think I can. I'll go get us another round." Christin heads back to the bar. A couple guys at a table near us are watching her walk by. She always draws attention. She's gorgeous and confident; a deadly combination for these poor suckers. Stephanie notices, too, and shakes her head.

  "How the fuck does she do that? She doesn't even try and they're practically begging for her attention. Makes me sick."

  "I know. She can have anyone in this place. I think that's part of it. She's not really interested and they like the challenge. You don't seem to have any trouble getting men to notice you, either, Steph." I drink my margarita as fast as I can. I need to numb these jealous feelings I have toward my friends. It's not their fault they have great genes.

  "Stop it right now, Becca. I know what you're doing and it's crazy. You're gorgeous and any man would be lucky to have you. Just because Ron has his dick up his ass doesn't mean that you get to beat yourself up. Now, let's concentrate on who we're going to tease tonight. We need to pick our targets before we start dancing."

  Well, there you go. My friends are the best. Christin comes back with our drinks and we all sit in comfortable silence while checking out the patrons.

  I don't see anyone that really catches my eye. I just don't care. After two margaritas and the shot, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm ready to dance and then the perfect song comes on, Tonight I'm Getting Over You by Carly Rae Jepsen and Nicki Manaj. I don't even look at the girls when I head to the dance floor. I just need to work this out.

  Once I hit the floor, I close my eyes and start to move. These lyrics really speak to all I'm feeling right now. I keep dancing and singing to myself when I feel a hand on my arm. I look up and see my girls right here with me. I smile and keep going. Christin starts grinding on me and I'm sure we’re putting on quite a show, but I just can't care. I'm finally starting to feel a little better.

  When the song ends, I'm ready to go sit down, but LMFAO comes on so we stay out and dance to that. Some guy comes up behind Stephanie and puts his hands on her hips. I give her a look that says "go with it, he's hot" and she keeps dancing. I step away from Christin so I can dance by myself. I get so caught up in the music I don’t notice the person behind me until I step on their foot. I turn around to apologize and I have to tilt my head back to see his face. Holy shit, what a beautiful sight it is.

  "I'm sorry," I stutter out. I can only imagine what my expression looks like: probably a mixture of awe and fear. This man is a god! He's got to be at least 6’4”, solid muscle, dark hair and the greenest eyes I've ever seen. I take a step back but my heel goes to the side and I start to fall. He grabs my arms and pulls me to his chest. It's hard, but I don't mind and he smells incredible. Some cologne I don't recognize, but I doubt I'll ever forget.

  "Are you all right?" His voice is deep and Oh. So. Sexy. I think my panties just disintegrated. I nod because I can't seem to find my voice. Then he smiles at me. Wow. Just wow. He has a dimple on his left cheek and the most perfectly straight white teeth. I'm speechless and I'm not sure if I'm even breathing.

  "Come on, let's go sit down. You look like you need a drink." He takes my hand and leads me off the dance floor. I follow behind him in a daze of lust, staring at his beautiful ass as we walk to the bar.

  "What would you like?" I know he's speaking to me, but I can't seem to speak. I blink a couple times and will my lips to move. He smiles and I'm lost in that dimple. I have to look away to have any chance of speaking.

  "I would love a strawberry margarita, please." I can't believe that I actually formed words. He orders my drink and a beer for himself. Once our drinks are served he leads me over to a table in the corner. I sit down and try to concentrate on what he's saying.

  "I'm Adam, and you are?"

  "Rebecca. Nice to meet you, Adam." So far so good, at least I'm talking. I look around to find my friends. I see Stephanie and she waves, letting me know that she's knows where I am.

  "So, Rebecca, what do you do?" He smiles again and I can't believe how gorgeous he is.

  "I'm in graduate school. What about you?" I hope I'm doing this right. I haven't flirted with a new man in a while.

  "I'm a stockbroker. I work for a local firm. What are you studying?"

  "Psychology. I want to be a school psychologist, but I just got started, so it’ll be a few years before I reach that goal." He really seems interested. This is so strange. Most guys talk to my friends first. He's probably just being polite.

  "Well, that sounds like a great goal to have. I saw you here on opening night. You seem different tonight." He's noticed me? Really? This beautiful man who could have any woman in the place has noticed me?

  "I've had a rough week. My friends thought I needed to blow off some steam." I can't meet his eyes for fear he’ll see what’s really going on in my head.

  Adam leans over and whispers in my ear, "I have a sure fire way to blow off some steam, if you're interested."

  I don't know how to respond to that. I look up and he’s smiling at me as he leans in to kiss my lips. Oh God, his lips are soft. I hesitate for a second, but the alcohol and the music pulsing in the club makes me feel like I'm floating. I lean in and kiss him back, opening my mouth enough for him to slip his tongue in. Damn, this guy can kiss. He puts his hand on the back of my head to hold me where he wants me. I have no idea how much time passes while I let him explore my mouth but I’m lost in a haze. It's nice to forget about my life for even a short time. Adam pulls back and I immediately feel the loss. I let out the breath I’ve apparently been holding and look into his eyes.

  "Well, that’s one good way to blow off steam." I smile at him. Adam tips his head back and laughs. It's a deep sound that hits me between my legs, leaving me with an ache that probably won't go away anytime soon.

  Stephanie and Christin choose this time to come up to the table. We have a standing arrangement to give each other a few minutes if a guy buys us a drink, but we check in to make sure everything is okay.

  "Ladies, I'd like you to meet Adam. These are my friends, Stephanie and Christin."

  Adam smiles at them. "Pleasure to meet you, ladies. Won't you join us?" Adam is quite the gentleman.

  "Actually, we’re going to go back and dance, we just wanted to check on Becca first," Stephanie says not taking her eyes off Adam. I think she's just as intoxicated by him as I am.

  "I don't want to monopolize her. Becca, did you want to go back and dance with your friends? I'll be here when you get done." I'm not sure what to do. I want to go back to kissing him, but I don't want to give him the wrong idea. I'm such a mess.

  Christin decides for me. "Come on, Becca. They're playing your favorite Pitbull song. Let's go tear up the floor." She grabs my hand and pulls me out of the booth. Adam is laughing and as I look back at him, he nods but keeps watching us as we walk away.

  "What the fuck? You were making out with a guy you knew for less than five minutes. Not that I blame you, he's fucking gorgeous, but still. This isn't like you." Christin is
shouting at me over the music.

  "You're the one who told me to relax and have some fun tonight." I shrug and keep dancing, but I want to go back over there and pick up where Adam and I left off.

  The music is loud and the bass is thumping in my chest. I dance like I don't have a care in the world. Every time I look up, I see Adam watching me. It makes me feel sexy and I shake my ass a little more in his direction. When the song changes to Rhianna, I feel someone's hands on my hips. I know it's Adam because I can smell his cologne. We dance and grind to Diamonds and Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. I feel Adam's erection against my back and the ache between my legs gets worse. I’m going to kill the batteries on my vibrator when I get home.

  "Let's get out of here," Adam says in my ear. "I have something I want to show you."

  I'm sure he does. I can already feel it. But my girls and I have a rule that we always leave together, no matter what.

  "I can't. I have to leave with my friends. I appreciate the offer, though." I smile as I wrap my arms around his neck. He has to bend over for me to reach, but he does and kisses me again.

  "You sure I can't convince you?" He pulls my body up against his and shakes his hips a little. I want to use him to forget so badly right now, but this is why we made our rule.

  "It's very tempting, believe me, but I'm going to have to say no." I try to smile seductively, but I'm not sure I pull it off.

  "Can I at least call you? Maybe we can go out, just the two of us, sometime." That's a tempting offer. I'm not ready to start dating again, but something casual with him might be what I need to get over Ron.

  "Sure, why don't you give me your phone and I'll call mine so you have my number?" Adam hands his over and I dial myself so I’ll have his as well. Stephanie comes up and says that we're getting ready to go.

  "I'll call you, Becca. I had a great time." Adam leans down and gives me a quick kiss on the lips. I smile as I walk away. Stephanie’s dragging me away from Adam and toward the door where Christin is waiting.

  "Well, you seemed to have a great time," Christin says as we pile into Stephanie's car.