MADversary
Jade C. Jamison
MADversary
Megan Walker doesn’t plan to attend her high school reunion, but her best friend Lisa begs her to come along. Megan doesn’t want to risk running into her old boyfriend Tyler Green, a man who has since become rich and famous as the frontman of a heavy metal band called Madversary. Lisa convinces her that Tyler would never show up for something like a reunion, so Megan gives in, only to regret it. Because when Tyler does show up, the spark reignites, and she doesn’t know that she can bear letting him go again.
Megan saw a park bench a few feet away and started walking toward it. She didn’t know what to say to Tyler. She only knew that he harbored no feelings for her, while she still had hidden feelings she’d forgotten about. She just wanted to go home and be alone. Reaching the bench, she said, “Suit yourself. I’m afraid I won’t be much company, though.”
She caught his eyes and his were searching hers, looking for something. She felt her lips part as though she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. There was a dull, throbbing ache in her core, and she felt like she’d starve the rest of her life without tasting him again. She took a deep breath of the cool night air and closed her eyes. It would be okay. Tyler Green would leave and her life would go back to normal.
But when she opened her eyes, Tyler’s nose was close to touching hers. He was leaning over, his body close, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. “That’s too bad,” he said, “because I was hoping to spend a little more time with you.”
All air escaped her lungs as Tyler’s lips met hers, enveloping them in a kiss. He was warm and electric, and she felt adrenaline rush through her veins, making her fingertips go numb and causing her to wake right back up. This was not the kiss she remembered, though. It was slow and sensual and, like the music he wrote today, more mature. But if she’d read Tyler right earlier, a kiss would be all she’d get.
So she planned to enjoy kissing him until her cab got there. Her hands finally responded to her brain’s demands and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her body right up to his, and Megan realized the Tyler Green of today was not the boy she’d dated back in high school. There was nothing sweet about his kiss; it was ravenous and greedy.
She was nearly breathless when the cab arrived and she didn’t know how she managed to become aware that it was there. She couldn’t bring herself to pull her body away from his, but she had to.
Tyler unlatched his lips from hers and whispered in her ear, “Should we tell the cab to beat it?”
That was all she needed to hear and it didn’t matter if she was just going to be the friend Tyler loved and left. She needed him and she wanted him now.
BOOKS BY JADE C. JAMISON
Tangled Web: A Steamy Heavy Metal Novella
Stating His Case
Fabric of Night
Worst Mother
MADversary
Then Kiss Me
Everything But (Tangled Web)
NICKI SOSEBEE SERIES
1 Got the Life
2 Dead
3 No Place to Hide
4 Right Now
5 One More Time
6 Lost
7 Innocent Bystander
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by Jade C. Jamison
Cover image © Walt Stoneburner
All rights reserved.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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http://www.jadecjamison.com
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Also by Jade C. Jamison
Chapter One
MEGAN WALKER’S FINGER slid down the row of cloth-covered books. She hadn’t realized how dusty the ones in this section had become. Without thought, she wiped the grime from her finger onto the side of her blue jeans. Then she pulled out the book she’d been looking for—a 1948 edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy. She saw dust particles begin to fly as she continued to tug on the book, urging it out into the light. The burgundy volume seemed far too comfortable next to its neighbors in its tight spot, and Megan thought that was a shame. This book should have been loved well and often; instead, as she blew the dust off the top of the book where the pages met, she realized it had been neglected like an unwanted bastard child.
She rubbed the cover with her hand as though comforting the book and walked down the aisle back to the desk where the teenage boy with shoulder-length brown hair stood joking with his blonde friend. “Here you go,” Megan said, offering the book to the young man.
He took it from her and turned it over in his hands. He opened the cover and squinted at the title page. “Hey, lady,” he said, “you got the guy right, but I said I need Dante’s Inferno, not this shit.”
Megan ran her tongue over the back of her top teeth, sucking in a deep breath. Ignorant little fuck, she thought, but she flashed a sweet smile just the same. “Maybe your English teacher didn’t tell you, but Dante’s Inferno is part of The Divine Comedy. It’s divided into three sections—Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. You’ll find what you’re looking for inside.”
“Yeah…dumbass,” the blonde kid said, slapping his friend on the back of his head, causing his baseball cap to fly to the floor.
The kid lowered his voice, but Megan heard him say, “Knock it off, fuckwad,” to his friend before stooping over to pick up his cap. He stood back up and asked Megan, “Can I check it out then?”
She nodded and walked back to her place behind the counter. “Do you have your library card?”
The kid looked befuddled for a moment, but then he reached in the back pocket of his knee-length jean shorts and pulled out his wallet. As he rifled through its contents, he asked, “You guys don’t have any of those Cliffsnotes too, do ya?”
Megan smiled, logging back into the computer. She said, “No, sorry. You’ll have to go to the bookstore for those.”
The kid handed his library card to her while his friend started snickering and jabbing his friend in the ribs with his elbow. “How long have those been in your wallet?”
Jesus, Megan thought. Had she ever dated boys this immature in high school? At least the kid would have a little challenging reading to help expand his brain, even if he did choose to just go with the Cliffsnotes summary. Or maybe he was just checking it out to take to school so his teacher would believe he was reading it, even if he wasn’t.
She scanned his card and his account popped up. He hadn’t checked out any books for over a year, but there was an overdue fee of two dollars and fifty cents from a book he’d turn
ed in then. She told him about the fee. “What book was that for?”
“The Grapes of Wrath.”
The blonde kid laughed once more. “You read that?”
“It was for another English class. That’s the only time I come here.”
The boy’s blonde friend continued to laugh, and Megan was ready to remind him he was in a library and needed to shut his mouth. Besides that, the brown haired boy was now blushing. For some reason, Megan started to feel some sympathy for the kid, and she was afraid he’d just tell her to forget the whole thing and throw the book on the counter and walk away. “Look,” she said, “how about I wipe the slate clean for you? How’s that sound?”
The kid blinked. “What do you mean?”
Megan fought the frustrated sigh that so wanted to blow out of her lips, but maybe reading the Divine Comedy would help this kid stretch his brain enough that he could better analyze situations. Did she really believe that? No, but she could hope at least maybe he’d stay in school. Good enough. “I mean I’ll take off your overdue fees, as long as you promise to return this book in time.”
The kid smiled, looking surprised that Megan would do something nice for him. “Really? You’d do that?”
She nodded and began tapping on the keyboard. While she did, she said, “Now, this book will be due in two weeks. The due date will be printed on the receipt I’m going to give you. If you need the book for longer, you can call us to extend the due date for another two weeks.” She tucked the receipt inside the front cover of the book. “If you lose your receipt, you can log in to our website and type in your library card number. It’ll show what’s checked out to you and give you the due date.” She held the book out to the young man after demagnetizing the book so he could walk out the doors without another embarrassing moment.
“Cool. I appreciate that, lady.”
She smiled. She’d managed to shut the blonde kid up, and that alone was worth it.
After the boys left, one of her coworkers, a wispy thin girl named Serenity also stationed at the counter, said, “You’re too nice, Megan. I would’ve let the kid have it with both barrels.”
Megan didn’t want to explain how she often lived her life by following her heart, but it was true. That was why she’d given the kid a break. In fact, that was why she worked at the Winchester Public Library to begin with. Most of her decisions, big and little, were made that way. So far, she was still alive and maybe not happy but certainly content. And that was good enough for Megan.
So that she wouldn’t have to discuss her life philosophy with Serenity, she walked over to the cart of returns by the check-in desk. Jeff had pulled all the books out of the drop box and scanned them in, and he’d also been keeping up with returns all morning, but he hadn’t put them away. That was fine with Megan. It was one of her favorite jobs (and one of the jobs everyone else despised). It gave her a sense of accomplishment to return her beloved books back to where they belonged. It also afforded her many opportunities to think without being disturbed. Most of her big decisions as an adult had also been made while shelving returned books. “Should I buy that car? Should I go out with that roguish guy who called? Should I move into that new apartment? Should I spend that much on a new computer?”
She looked down at the pile of books on the cart through her muted green eyes. What a mess. No one seemed to care about these babies like she did. She ran her fingers through her shoulder-length dark brown hair and then rolled her shoulders, ready to get to work. She put the books in order on the cart, then wheeled it over to the first part of the nonfiction section first. As she started putting several psychology books back where they belonged, she allowed her mind to wander. It was decision time.
She was going on a date tonight with a gorgeous guy she’d met at a concert she’d attended with her best friend Lisa. A couple of weeks ago, they’d decided to go watch a show with a couple of local bands at The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs. Shows of local bands always cost a lot less than the well-knowns and sometimes even put on better shows than those put on by big bands, because the local up-and-comers were usually hungry and played like it. This particular show had been full of raw energy, and she and Lisa had been close to the action. And the place had been jam-packed, so meeting Dylan was easier than the way she met most guys, and she knew right away that they had something in common.
She started putting away a comparative religions book, then had two legal books to shelve, rolling the cart along as she went. She knew part of the reason why it was hard finding guys to date was because of her job. Men didn’t come to the library with the intention of picking up women. Yes, she’d been asked on one or two dates at the library, but it just didn’t happen that often. And honestly? She was getting nervous. She wasn’t a desperate girl, but it was starting to feel like, over the last year, her opportunities to date good guys were fewer than before. She didn’t necessarily want the marriage-and-kids dream that other girls wanted, but she did long for a meaningful relationship. She wanted someone to wake up next to, someone to go to the movies with, someone to cook a meal with. She was tired of making connections that didn’t work. Yes, she loved men and she appreciated a good-looking guy, not to mention a satisfying romp in the sack, but she was tired of the dates that went nowhere. How could she seem to connect with a guy when they first met and then on date one somehow manage to wreck it? Was she too honest, too open? Maybe she’d try keeping to herself with Dylan tonight. It couldn’t hurt, could it?
Chapter Two
LISA’S BLUE EYES sparkled as a raucous laugh poured out of her mouth. She and Megan sat at a picnic table in the park across from the library. Lisa had brought her specialty—mandarin orange salad—for the women to eat at lunch. Lisa was on a perpetual diet and, therefore, the girl ate more lettuce than rabbits, and she had dozens of delicious salad recipes. Megan stabbed an orange with the plastic fork and nibbled on it, afraid to put it in her mouth in case Lisa started making her giggle too. She didn’t want to inhale an orange, only to have it get stuck in her throat. Imagine how the obit would read….
“Oh, my God, Megan. Would you stop worrying so much?” Lisa tossed back a lock of blonde hair behind her shoulder to keep it from dipping in her salad.
“I can’t help it. I just know something will go wrong on this date.”
“That’s a shitty attitude, girlfriend. Of course something will go wrong if you expect it to. You have to have a positive attitude.”
Megan screwed up the corner of her mouth. “Easier said than done.” She chanced the orange, wrapping her lips around the fork and pulling it into her mouth.
“All right. I gotta know. Have you given the high school reunion any more thought?”
Megan swallowed the orange. “Yes.”
“And…?”
“I haven’t changed my mind. I’m not going.”
“Oh, come on, Meg. I don’t want to go by myself!”
“Sorry, Leese, I just can’t find any good reasons to go.”
“Are you kidding me? Seriously? I can think of thousands!”
“Name one.”
Lisa used her fork to scoot pieces of lettuce glimmering with dressing and dotted with almond slivers around the paper bowl. She sighed. “Well, maybe it’s not a nice reason, but I’m dying to see what childbirth did to Summer and Monica.”
Megan swallowed the bite in her mouth. “That’s…unoriginal.” Summer and Monica had been co-captains of the cheerleading squad their senior year in high school. Both Megan and Lisa had thought the cheerleading girls would go on to do big things like most privileged daughters do, but instead both married their high school sweethearts. One girl’s said sweetheart was a year older and attending college in Boulder, while the other was a senior and did attend college…but in nearby Colorado Springs. The two of them “had” to get married so their bundle of joy could be considered legitimate. Summer and Matt Harper at last count had three children and he was now the manager of his father’s hardware store in downtown Wi
nchester. Monica’s future husband had attended CU in Boulder, and she went to school there after graduation as well but never finished. Once her boyfriend John graduated, they married, but last Megan knew, they lived in the Denver Metro area. “You know, they probably look just like we do. I doubt they look any worse off.”
Lisa waved her fork back and forth, the tines pointing at Megan. “Oh, no. I saw Summer a few years ago, and she looked haggard.”
Megan shrugged. “So what are the other nine-hundred ninety-nine reasons?”
“Aren’t there guys you’re dying to see? I mean…I always imagine one of the computer nerds will come back all rich and sexy and remember I was nice to him.”
“Also unoriginal, Leese. You gotta stop watching stuff like Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. That’s all total fantasy.” Megan picked up her napkin and wiped her lips. “That’s why you’re dying to go. You think you’re going to impress the hell out of everyone while laughing your ass off at the misfortunes of others.”
Lisa grinned. “Well, there is that…. But I also just want to see people I’ve fallen out of touch with.”
“I don’t. I’ve stayed in touch with the people I’ve wanted to.”
“Me, Megan. That would be me. You haven’t stayed in touch with anyone else.”
“My point exactly.”
Lisa sighed and stabbed another piece of lettuce with her fork. Megan felt a little guilty, especially seeing Lisa’s bottom lip begin to push out in a slight pout. But she didn’t feel guilty enough to give in. Lisa looked up. “Okay, fine. Give me some good reasons not to go.”
Like she hadn’t already outlined a solid case. “Well, I don’t want to see what ten years have done to everyone. I don’t care if Summer has big hips and stretch marks and doesn’t wear makeup anymore. I don’t care if every last computer and gaming geek I remember comes to the reunion loaded with dough. I just don’t care, Leese. There’s nothing there for me. And…” Oh, shit. She’d said too much.
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