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
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Keep Me Safe
Port James, Book One
Alyssa Coolen
Contents
About This Book
Dedication
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
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
About Alyssa Coolen
About This Book
The kiss was rough. Passionate. Completely wrong and inappropriate, though I was too lost to care.
Every night, I have the same nightmare: A dark room. An open door. And my stalker, waiting to attack me.
I've moved back home to heal, but even the comforts of my childhood don't seem to be enough. Until, one day, another part of my past catches up to me....
Knox Fitzgerald, my first love. Still as sexy as ever, he manages to sweep me off my feet as if we were just a couple of teenagers again.
I feel complete with him. Loved. Many years ago, he was my first, and now I want him to be my last.
Finally, I feel safe.
That is, until I get a package at my door.
He has found me.
He still wants me.
And now, he's not just after me.
The only man who can keep me safe is the man I pushed away for years. Will Knox protect me from my stalker and give me a second chance at life... and at love? And can I ever feel safe again, even in Knox's arms?
Knox’s eyes went to my chest and I knew he could see my nipples poking through the thin material of my tank top. He moved towards me slowly, purposefully, until I was backed up against the ropes. He was pressed against me and I could feel his cock against my abdomen. With fire in his eyes he whispered, “I bet your nipples are still as sensitive as they were the first time I touched them. I remember the way you shook the first time I put my mouth on them. Remember the first time I scraped my teeth against them? You nearly came.”
My cheeks flushed and I looked down, pressing my forehead against his chest. Shaking my hands back and forth I was thankful that the gloves were too big as they slipped off my my hands and fell to the floor. The instant they were off I was all over him. My fingers roamed over his back, kneading the strong muscles of his shoulders while he pressed hot, wet kisses to my shoulder, tugging the strap down my arm before sinking his teeth into the skin there, a moan erupting from me. My nails skated over the smooth skin of his abdomen and up over his chest until my arms were looped around his neck and our eyes were boring into each other.
Knox looked frustrated as he said, “As much as I want to fuck you right here right now, there are plenty of windows and I have no interest in letting anyone else look at your naked body. Come on,” he said and took my hand, leading me out of the ring. I waited as he turned all the lights off and made sure the door was locked before leading me to his office and closing the door behind us.
This is really happening. I’m really about to have sex with Knox Fitzgerald for the first time in five years. Shit.
Taking a deep breath and refusing to let my nerves get the best of me I backed up until my butt hit the edge of his desk. He eyed me, jaw clenched and nostrils flared as he moved forward, leaning down so that he was eye level with me and his palms were flat against the mahogany.
Knox leaned forward and kissed me, dipping his tongue into my mouth and exploring thoroughly until I was out of breath. Teasing me. Tasting me.
My mind was spinning and I couldn’t believe it was finally happening again. Me and Knox, wrapping myself around him until we couldn’t tell where he ended and I began…
Dedication
To Mom, Dad, and Mia for being my constant motivation and believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. I love you infinity plus infinity, and the whole world over. Twice.
Chapter 1
I’d been home for three days and I still hadn’t left my brother’s house. Did that make me a coward? Yes. Did I care? Maybe. Did that mean I was going to leave? Hell no.
I made my way downstairs with a soft blanket over my shoulders and took a glance out the window, estimating the time to be a little after six. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the first floor of the house and I inhaled deeply. Robbie was clearly already awake and, after filling an over sized mug with some seriously strong Colombian caffeine, I made my way out to the back deck, the screen door squeaking noisily and the warm wood soft and inviting beneath my feet.
I took a small sip of coffee and closed my eyes, feeling the ocean breeze on my face. It was going to be a beautiful day, I could feel it. Too bad I wouldn’t be leaving the house to enjoy it properly.
The familiarity of it all was overwhelming, and my chest tightened as I looked around at the white sand and pink and blue sky, The waves crashed against the shore and I smiled, thinking of all the memories I had on this beach. This deck. It took leaving for five years for me to realize Port James was the only place I’d ever call home and actually mean it. Especially after the last few months.
“You’re up early,” my eldest brother said from his place on one of his two handmade Adirondack chairs. They were painted a stark white and went well with the ambiance that the beach provided.
It was true, I wasn’t normally an early riser and I definitely never got up before the sun. But ever since I’d returned home, I was sleeping terribly. My mother blamed it on the soft mattress of Robbie’s guest bedroom. The family therapist blamed it on whoever had broken into my apartment and attacked me.
Truthfully, I was leaning more towards the latter.
I offered only a small smile, conscious of the fact that my bottom lip was still split. If I smiled any wider it would ruin the picturesque scene in front of me and I wasn’t ready to deal with more sympathy from my already sympathetic brother.
“I didn’t want to miss a beautiful morning,” I lied. The truth was that I tossed and turned for nearly two hours before caving and deciding to start my day early.
Moving forward, I sat down in the chair next to Robbie’s, unable to hide the pained expression on my face as pain shot through my left side. He arched a brow and stayed mum, looking away and staring out at the ocean with a tight expression on his face.
“I’ll feel better soon,” I said and took a large sip of coffee. “Doc said I’ll be sore for a week at most.”
Robbie shook his head and looked down with a heavy sigh, his overgrown brown hair hiding his expression.
Robert James Ashford Junior was the oldest, and most protective, of us three Ashford children. With hair that was too long and
a scruffy beard, he could easily look as mean as he wanted to. But that wasn’t Robbie’s MO. He was defined as the “nicest bachelor” in Port James, always willing to lend a hand or he a stranger.
“Maybe we should just put you in a plastic bubble.”
“Or maybe you should go save Mrs. Schumer’s cat from a tree again.”
“Hey!” he barked with a smile. “We don’t talk about that. I still have scars.”
I couldn’t help but give a small smile as I stared down into my coffee mug, the wind picking up for a minute. “Physical scars from cat scratches, or emotional scars from Mrs. Schumer grabbing your ass?”
Robbie gave a hearty laugh in response and put a hand on his stomach as he stared out at the ocean. It was blatantly obvious that the back deck was his happy place. “The women in Port James are something else.”
Port James was a small, coastal town on the southern shore of Massachusetts. What started off as a small fishing village in the mid-1700’s blossomed into a beautiful town and community, which was still relatively small with a population of just under eight thousand people. White sand beaches, an old as sin lighthouse, and all of the shops on Main Street turned Port James into somewhat of a tourist trap. Seriously, the town thrived in the summer and some people loved it so much they never left. Others, though, had lived here for generations. Including my own family.
“You feel like going out today? Simone’s working and she wants you to go pick up the earrings she made you.”
I froze. Go out? I’d been back in town for a few days and I kept promising my longtime friend that I’d go see her. But I couldn’t do that until all of the physical reminders of what happened were gone. I just couldn’t. My lip was split, my ribs were bruised and there was a fading black and blue bruise around my right eye.
People knew I was home. Thanks to my mother’s big mouth and incessant need for everyone to know our business, I’d received countless calls and texts, even a few tweets. I didn’t respond to the tweets though, choosing to stay radio silent on all social media for the time being.
Kidding. I didn’t respond to the calls and texts either.
It wasn’t that my mom was putting me on blast simply because she wanted people to focus on our family. She wanted everyone to know that I was home, that her only daughter was back. Growing up, there were times when her townie behavior drove me insane and, even now, there were times when it still did. But the truth was that, regardless of her antics and her wine intake, I missed my mom. I missed being someone’s daughter when I was nothing more than an ant in a big city.
“Abby,” Robbie said and pinched my cheek between his thumb and forefinger. Always in big brother mode. “I’ll park near the cafe and we’ll take the beach path up the back. The shop doesn’t open until nine and no one will be out on the path that early. Besides,” he ducked his head, trying to meet my eye. “You can’t hide forever.”
I leaned back in my chair and hugged the blanket tighter around myself, not saying anything. He was right, he was always freaking right. Robbie was cool, calm and collected.
He also wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“If you don’t get out of the house you’re going to go fucking crazy. Or you’ll drive me fucking crazy.”
My palms began to sweat. “I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”
“Like what?” came a familiar voice. I watched as a tall blonde walked up the back stairs and onto the deck, stumbling and looking disheveled. “A badass with battle scars?”
“Lo,” I greeted my other brother, leaning up as he leaned down to kiss my cheek. “There’s only one reason you’re ever up this early.”
“Two words: Molly. Hart.”
Robbie laughed and leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Two words: Sloppy. Seconds.”
Logan’s jaw dropped and I burst out laughing, not even stopping when my ribs ached. It was always amusing to watch my brothers compare insults or, in this case, past conquests. We were all two years apart- our parents adamantly refused to admit that was something they did on purpose- but being the youngest and the only girl, I was never really able to butt in and make my own jokes without either one of them wanting to kick someone’s, or my own, ass. Today, though, I didn’t mind. My exhaustion and aching body left me content to lean back and watch as Logan and Robbie made jabs at each other.
Logan sat down in front of us with his back to the ocean. He jerked his chin at me. “You seen mom since your first night back? She’s been running her mouth that her long lost baby is home.”
I shook my head and squinted against the morning sun. “She’s excited that I’m back. I can’t call her and tell her to keep her mouth shut about it. You know how she is.”
I could have added that I didn’t like being referred to as the long lost baby, but I didn’t. I wasn’t lost and New York was a four and a half hour drive away. But Genevieve Ashford was always making headlines and hosting some kind of event in town. She felt as though blurting out scandalous things that her children were going through would keep people talking. It wasn’t necessarily the greatest publicity but, as they say, all publicity is good publicity.
The woman was unapologetically herself; something that caused me to have conflicting emotions as I grew up. I was either faulting her for saying too much or praising her because of her ballsy attitude.
“You know last week she showed up on my doorstep with Father Hicks because she thinks I need to find God?”
Robbie and I looked at each other before falling into a fit of hysterics. I couldn’t help but feel for Logan. Being the middle child meant that he usually took the brunt of our mother’s antics. She was constantly fretting over him and calling me or Robbie for information. But the truth was that Logan was secretive. He was hard to read and disappeared for days at a time. We all worried about him, but our mom was worried to the point where she was ready to put some kind of tracking device on him.
“It’s not funny!” he protested and looked at us with wide, brown eyes. “She’s losing her damn mind.”
“She needs a hobby.”
“She needs a sedative,” he shot back.
Our family was the epitome of dysfunctional but we made it work. I knew that no matter how much Logan complained about our mom, he loved her. Maybe it was because, like her, he also was unapologetically himself.
All I knew was, in that moment, New York felt like a lifetime away. And for a brief moment, I could bask in the ignorant bliss of thinking that everything would be alright.
Chapter 2
Kalili Jewels, the shop that was owned and operated by my best friend, looked the same as it did when I left. Same back deck overlooking the ocean, same dark shingles and white painted window sills. I’d bet money that it smelled the same, too, like lavender and incense.
A knot formed in my stomach as I realized how long it’d been since I last saw my best friend. Simone came to visit me in New York once or twice, and we kept in contact with calls and texts, but life has a tendency to get in the way, priorities get screwed up, and I had spent the last six months living in fear and looking over my shoulder. It was a constant fear, and now that the worst had happened, I was beating myself up for not coming home sooner.
It started off sweet enough with what I thought was a secret admirer who would have flowers delivered to my house once a week. I was naive enough to think it was harmless, naive enough to think it would stop there. But soon enough strange things started happening; notes taped to my front door and flowers on my welcome mat every night. It was like clockwork. The last three months was when it became unbearable. Instead of flowers I was getting dead birds and mice. Love notes on my door were replaced by explicit death threats. Of course, I contacted the police and showed them every note and every dead animal I received over those few months, but all they had as proof was the parking garage surveillance cameras and even then the man always wore a hood. He was always turned just enough away to avoid showing his face as though he knew where ev
ery camera was.
A hand came down on my shoulder and I screamed and shoved myself away, landing on my ass in the sand.
Robbie stood over me with his arms up, his palms open and facing me. “Whoa, hold up. I’m sorry, Abby. I… I didn’t-”
“It’s fine,” I said harsher than intended. Taking a deep breath, I sat there for a moment and told myself to breathe, to relax, it was just my brother.
He’s not here, I thought as I tried to grasp what little sanity I had left. He can’t hurt you. My ribs ached as I stood and I hated every second of it because it felt as though my own body was betraying me.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly as I brushed sand off my bare legs. “I don’t… I just don’t like being touched right now.”
He nodded his head. “Don’t worry, kid. I’ve got you.”
I stood up straight and ignored the cramp in my side. Jesus, I was so embarrassed I could scream. The panic attacks were after effects of the attack and though the family therapist prescribed me something for it I never took them.
“I’m a mess,” I gave a hollow laugh.
He shook his head and scooped his hair back before tying it into a bun. “You’ll be alright. You’re an Ashford.”
We walked up the wooden back stairs that led to the open deck. On nice days, Simone would sit out and make her jewelry until the night arrived, and even then she’d keep going, lighting candles and bringing out oil lamps as a light source.
I heard my best friend before I saw her. Her screech started inside and worked itself closer and closer until all I saw was inky black hair and a bright orange dress flying towards me.
Still loud as ever, I thought wryly. She was always yelling when she was too excited, too angry, and too sad. Best friends since the age of five, Simone was front and center for every major thing that happened in my life and vice versa.
Keep Me Safe: A Small Town Suspenseful Love Story (Port James Book 1) Page 1