COWBOY ROMANCE: Avery (Western Contemporary Alpha Male Bride Romance) (The Steele Brothers Book 3)

by Amanda Boone

  Ryan knew she wanted to make it difficult for him and said, “Sure, shoot it.”

  “Is there a deeper literary meaning for the word ‘mistake’? Can someone call a person as a mistake and still not mean it? What do we call that figure of speech?”

  Ryan chuckled and he had to admit that Sarah was a beauty with brains. He knew avoiding her was a mistake and so he said, “Class you may leave. Sarah, stay back. This is a good point to be discussed. As we have some time before the period officially ends, join me in my cabin.”

  Sarah definitely enjoyed the conversation and she said, “Okay.”

  As she walked into her cabin, she found Ryan had visibly relaxed. He had a smile, but he looked tired.

  “Hello, Professor.”

  “Sarah, I never called you a mistake. The problem is not you. It is me. I can’t really explain, but you are better off without me.”

  “I thought I was the one in charge of my life and I am adult enough to make my own calls.”

  “You do not know who I used to be.”

  “Well, as far as I recall, all the books of literature tell me that it doesn’t matter where a person comes from. What matters is who they turn out to be.”

  Ryan knew that convincing this girl would be difficult. He debated what part of his life to tell because it was hard to trust someone. He had made a new life for himself and had locked the nightmares of the past. He couldn’t allow himself to slip back into those times, but when he looked in the blue eyes of this sexy girl, he thought she deserved to know. He knew his secret would be safe with her. However, he also knew that she would walk away and he would never get to taste those lips or travel down to her girl parts ever again.

  As he realized that it might be their last exchange; he took a deep breath and said, “Okay, Sarah. I am going to tell you my tale. This isn’t your world of fiction where every guy is a handsome prince. Some of us have a dark tale and we often hide our faces beneath masks. I won’t hold a thing against you if you walk out on me. I would respect that. However, I need you to meet me in the coffee shop at Bull’s street because this is not the place to talk. 6’o clock tonight.” With this, he briefly hesitated and then kissed her hot and deep, right in his cabin and said, “Might as well be our last kiss.”

  Once again, he walked away leaving Sarah as confused as ever. She wondered if she should seriously give up on men altogether. Who said, women were difficult! It was the guys who needed a manual. She had no clue to know if her plan to seduce had worked or not.

  However, her stomach did a little flip-flop as she wondered of the secret so grave that would make her walk out on the hottest man she had ever met. She had nothing to do but brood and the whole day she waited until her classes ended.

  As the clock read 5:30, she headed for the coffee shop to get the answers she had started to dread.

  Ryan was already waiting for her, sipping his mocha latte and sitting on the perfect booth, overlooking the street. He wore a black shirt and a pair of jeans. The upper two buttons of the shirt were unbuttoned and Sarah couldn’t stop thinking about unbuttoning the rest of his shirt and throwing it away, like a piece of cake. She looked beautiful as ever, as she wore a blue colored dress that perfectly brought out the blue color in her eyes.

  She ordered a cup of hot chocolate and looked at the opposite street. It was drizzling and the sky was covered with clouds that looked like cotton candies. “You wanted to talk,” she said and reminded Ryan the reason for the meeting.

  “Yes, I want to talk to you. Firstly, I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean to leave you like that in the middle of the night, but I couldn’t stay with you. I saw the unadulterated look in your eyes and they reflected innocence in the purest way. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You are too precious to me, Sarah,” he said and held her hand. She couldn’t understand what Ryan meant to say. She was surprised how someone so flawless like Ryan could be in love with someone like Sarah who screamed imperfection out loud.

  “I don’t understand Ryan. Please tell me everything from the start,” she insisted. She wanted to know everything about Ryan and wanted to do something in order to make him feel better.

  “I don’t know from where I should start,”

  “Start from the beginning then!” She suggested and looked into his turquoise eyes. They sparked and she could see a reflection of city lights in his beautiful eyes. “Tell me about the last time when you were happy!” She added.

  “Honestly, I can’t remember the last time when I was happy or content. I can’t remember the last time when I had this feeling of being complete, of being whole. I always wanted to go home, but it took me a very long time to realize that my home was never a place but the road. The roads were my home. I was a part of a motorcycle gang, a bad one. We used to travel every day and the roads were my home. My home was not a single place, but it was where I used to sleep every night. People don’t understand this. They don’t understand the idea, the pleasure of living your life on the edge. I wanted to be something different. I wanted to break free. I wanted to run,” he said and looked at Sarah’s crystal blue eyes.

  “And did you – did you find the freedom you wanted?” Sarah asked him. For a moment, she couldn’t realize that her professor was once a bad boy, a part of a motorcycle gang and used to wander the street for months. Suddenly, everything started to make sense – the tattoos and the piercing, the laidback attitude, and that carefree walk. Ryan had always been one of those boys who make storms look like a joke when they entered a room. They make no sound, but when they leave, they destroy the identity of everything.

  “I think I did. I was limitless when I was with the gang. I used to feel strength and comfort in that lifestyle, both at the same time. I agree that often we used to do many things that were not legal, but there was a great thrill in breaking those laws. It used to make us feel that we were above the law and that we can do anything. We used to wander with no destination, no chains or boundaries. We used to ride for our love of the journey. But just like every other thing, it also came to an end. We started to argue over small irrelevant things that don’t even matter now. One of them planned of doing something illegal and the entire gang was split into two sections. The first section was with him, who wanted to do it, while the rest of the gang was with me, who was against it. The gang mostly had wild blood and we were outnumbered. We had to do it, and while doing the chase and plotting the scheme someone died,” he said and paused for a moment.

  “Who?” Sarah asked out of curiosity.

  “Her name was Agatha. She was my partner – curly hair, hazel eyes, tall and confident. She was my first lover. We planned on traveling the whole world, but the series of some unfortunate incidents tore us apart. I still remember the gunshots and the fire. Her screams still haunt me in the middle of the night. I wanted to save her, but I couldn’t. It is a bottomless pool of guilt which drowns me every night. I couldn’t save her and she died a lonely death. Deep within, I know that I was responsible for her death. I could have saved her, but I didn’t,” he stopped with those words. Ryan has a past that narrated its own story.

  “I know it won’t make any sense now, but it was all meant to be. It came like a wake-up call, which made you leave the gang and you made a life for yourself,” Sarah suggested.

  “Yes, it’s true. I said my goodbye to everyone and just left! I came here to the city of dreams and started living a new life. I have no regrets. But that day, when I was making love to you, I could see Agatha’s reflection in your eyes. You are very innocent and I believe that my company will destroy you. I want to preserve your innocence. I want you to be happy and there is a very strong part of me who believe that my presence can never give you happiness,” he said and regretted those words, as soon as they came out of his mouth.

  “Do you really think so Ryan? Do you really think that you are not a part of my happiness? Look at me once! I feel so terrible after that night as if a part of my being
has been robbed from me. I won’t tell you that you should stay with me because you are the only reason of my happiness. I want you to figure it out. I want you to figure out what you want in your life,” Sarah couldn’t stay there anymore, without breaking into tears. She couldn’t let Ryan watch her, being so vulnerable. She left the café and didn’t look back, even when every part of her being wanted to hug Ryan and kiss his red lips. Maybe, that was their last kiss.

  ***

  Days passed by and Sarah couldn’t step out of her room. Her grandparents were worried about her well-being and tried to talk her out of it, but weren’t successful as nothing made her feel better. Her grandmother knew that it was a matter of love and that it was related to Ryan, so when she Ryan stood in front of their house four days after the incident, her face lit up!

  “Someone is here to meet you, darling,” Sarah’s grandmother said and left, letting Ryan talk Sarah out of her remorse.

  She looked at him and her heart melted with this vision. He looked perfect like always and she couldn’t stop thinking about his lips. “What are you doing here?” she asked and resisted in making the move.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” Ryan looked at her and expressed his concern. When he didn’t see Sarah in the college, he sensed that something was wrong with her. He didn’t want to be the reason for her sadness. He wanted to keep her happy.

  “Okay!” She said and demanded an explanation.

  “I wanted to apologize. I wanted to make you feel better. The last couple of days were the worst in my life. I wanted to see you, talk to you, but your absence made a void in my heart. But they also made me realize your worth. I love you. I love you so much Sarah. You make me a better man. I want us to be together, Sarah.”

  “You are my happiness. Please allow me to be a part of your happiness too.” He added and walked a couple of steps. He stood in front of Sarah and was mesmerized by her lovely blue eyes. They were both living in the present and were unafraid about their future. They were no longer haunted by their past.

  He gave her a beautiful kiss on her lips and took control. Their bodies were ignited with a passionate fire and they found their oasis in each other’s hearts. Ryan undressed Sarah the next moment and she didn’t even realize how magically Ryan did his magic, tossing his shirt apart. He pressed Sarah’s bosom and she moaned with pleasure. He licked the top of her breasts and untangled her hair.

  Ryan knew how to seduce a girl and Sarah was no exception. This time, they weren’t in each other’s arms out of lust, but out of love. Their lovemaking was at its peak when Ryan circled his tongues around Sarah’s delicate skin and kept on making invisible circles around it. Sarah demanded more and he fulfilled his wish as he penetrated inside her – gradually in the beginning and harder each time. He delivered his masculinity to Sarah and pushed her hard while he pressed her bosom and bit her ears. They both came together and danced on the highest peak of their passion.

  Sarah opened her eyes and kissed Ryan. “We are never going to have a last kiss,” she said and kissed him one more time. They both wanted to be together and were unafraid. Ryan held Sarah’s arm and tossed her body on the bed. They made love to each other one more time and lay there, on her bed, naked, watching the sun set over the horizon.

  “Let’s go out!” Ryan said after a while. Sarah’s eyes sparkled a little with the idea. She desperately wanted to go out with Ryan. He was everything she ever wanted. “Let’s go then!” Ryan jumped out of the bed and dressed up.

  Sarah also wore perfect attire and they both ran towards Ryan’s car. They drove towards the end of the city, away from the civilization and the buildings, where they could be with each other. After driving for almost an hour, they looked back, and could see the entire city behind them. It gave a sense of excitement to Ryan, as he felt like his old days, breaking the rules.

  They were young, vibrant and carefree. Sarah looked at Ryan and his beautifully crafted face. She knew that Ryan was more than just her comrade; he was her lover, the core of her being. He was her guiding star, her lighthouse, and her north pole. She was extremely grateful to have him in her life, as she made her love herself. She became a better and more mature variant of herself, after when she met Ryan.

  Ryan also couldn’t think of his past or the terrible days he had spent on the road. He was with Sarah and she was everything he wanted. He wanted nothing else, wanted to go nowhere else. He was with Sarah and that was more than enough for her.

  The sun started to set on the horizon and it painted a beautiful picture. They kept driving and didn’t look back. They were with each other and had their entire world right in front of them. They were in love and could do anything they want. They were young and wild. They were infinite and beautiful.

  They were free.

  Finally.

  THE END

  Alien Romance Collection

  If you want more detail or to jump directly to one of the books, go to the Table of Contents, by clicking here.

  Surrender to the Alpha Publishing

  An Alien Sentiment

  Alien Shapeshifter Romance

  An Alien Sentiment

  Prologue:

  The name on the mailbox was Lewis. It wasn't his name. The house was not his. The body he wore was not the one he had been born into, in the traditional sense. He stood on the outskirts, and he watched. As the weeks drew on, he moved in nearer, watched more closely.

  That was when she moved in.

  He hadn't intended for any of it to happen the way it did. And yet, he thought sometimes, perhaps it had been meant to happen that way. Perhaps, after all, it was possible for two beings to be meant for each other, even when they came from such very different places.

  Chapter One

  Lily Frederick was not, in any way, extraordinary in her own mind. She was just another woman in the last years of her twenties, still unmarried, still looking for the place in life where she would fit. In the meantime, she worked a job she didn't particularly hate, lived in a house she didn't particularly like. It was a life in limbo. Or it might have been, if not for the thing that made it worse than that. If it had not been, she thought sometimes, for that, she might have been happy. Or almost happy, at least.

  She sighed softly as she let the door shut silently behind her, stepping out onto the little cement path that curved from the stoop to the edge of the driveway. The day was warm, summer officially settling in, but not yet so hot that it was uncomfortable to walk outside for a few minutes. Under a thick fall of auburn hair, her neck was a little warm, but she paid it no attention.

  Her flip-flops made a quiet flapping sound against the cement as she crossed the driveway to the mailbox. She wasn't really paying much attention to anything beyond her goal as she opened it and scooped out the letters that waited within. Turning back toward the house, she flipped through the minimal pile. Most of it was junk mail, destined for the trash. There was a letter from the bank. That would undoubtedly be unpleasant.

  "Lily," a voice called, jerking her out of her contemplation.

  She looked up to find the man who lived next door watching her, his own mail in his hands. He was dressed, as he usually was, in clothes that didn't quite match the summer look in a suburb—slacks and a button-up shirt—but the heat didn't seem to bother him. From this far away, she couldn't see the color of his eyes, but she knew from other encounters that they were dark. Dark like the slightly too long hair he wore brushed back from his face. It was a nice view. A good way to take her mind, for a few minutes at least, from the rest of her daily life. Her hand lifted in a wave.

  "Good afternoon, Corbin," she called.

  She turned before he could invite her closer, starting back toward the house. There was too much to be done to linger outside chatting with the neighbors. If he had planned to call her back, he must have thought better of it, because she heard his footsteps, and then the sound of a door closing. She stepped inside, door shutting behind her.

  In the house, it was di
m and cool, most of the blinds pulled shut. Her father was still sleeping upstairs, and he wouldn't be happy to be woken up. She set the mail on the counter and opened the newly finished dishwasher, putting dishes away with slow care so as not to cause too much a racket. They were hot in her hands.

  Her thoughts turned, as they too often did, to the man asleep in the master bedroom. He had been a good father once, she remembered. Someone she looked up to. As she pulled another set of plates from the dishwasher, she shook her head. Whatever he had been then, that had changed. He had never gotten over her mother's death. When the drinking started, it had all gone downhill.

  Now, he drank more often than he didn't. She'd tried to get him into rehab, but he'd walked out on the second day. If she could just have kept him there a while longer, she thought, things might have been different. But the drinking had only grown worse, and his body was threatening to succumb to its affects. They'd been to doctors, who had all told him the same thing: he had to stop. He'd never listened.

  Lily slid the few dirty dishes into the empty dishwasher and straightened up, tucking a lock of hair back behind her ear. It wasn't until then that she realized she'd been crying. She brushed the tears brusquely away and shook her head. Crying wouldn't do anything about it. Right now, all she could do was make sure her father had a roof over his head.

  It was easier said than done.

  Chapter Two

  The door closed behind her, and Lily took a moment to lean against it, breathing in and letting the air out on a slow sigh. It had been a long day. There were worse jobs, but working as the manager of a retail store wasn’t exactly relaxing.

  "Lily!"

  The shout made her startle. Reluctantly, she moved away from the door, setting her purse down on a convenient chair as she stepped into the kitchen.