Liam added to Ramsey’s machismo when he came from around the back of Ramsey’s car carrying another box and said, “The sooner we get you girls barefoot and pregnant, the sooner you’ll accept your goddamn roles.”
“Liam McCellan!” I shrieked. “Quit being a dick.”
“I’ll show you some dick,” he retorted, huffing as he walked into the house. Emerson laughed as Ramsey picked up the box he had dropped and followed Liam. Deke was right behind them with another box of my stuff.
Emerson crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against Liam’s car. “You have to admit,” she said, “nothing is sexier than watching a bunch of hot-looking guys do manual labor.”
I couldn’t argue there. “Amen,” I muttered.
She laughed, and I glanced over at her. “I don’t think I told you how very sorry I am that you and Ramsey had to get in the midd-”
Emerson smiled and waved away my apology. “Roselyn, trust me when I tell you, Ramsey and I are going to fight like demons a million times over during the lifetime of our relationship. It really is okay. I’d defend you all over again if I had the chance to do it again.”
“The intensity of your fights doesn’t scare you?”
Ramsey and Deke chose that moment to exit the house for another trip of moving boxes and I watched as Emerson’s eyes found Ramsey and her face said it all. She looked back at me and said, “Nothing can shake what Ramsey and I have, Roz. No fight. No guy. No girl. No parents. No anything. Nothing in this world will ever come between us.”
Liam came out of the house next and watching him walk to Deke’s car to get the boxes out of there, I understood her sentiment. “That’s how I feel about Liam,” I told her. “I feel like…if Liam and I don’t make it, it will be because we ruined each other and no one else.”
Emerson eyed Liam as he disappeared behind Deke’s car and said, “That boy will never let you leave him, Roselyn. I think that’s something you still aren’t grasping. You mention you guys not making it like that’s an option for Liam. It’s not. Trust me. I saw him when you drove off in my car.” She shook her head. “That boy will never let you go. And when he let the entire school know that Brandon and Tiffany were the result of messing with you…damn, girl.”
“It’s kind of…unreal,” I replied. “That…intensity at such a young age.”
We watched the guys take their loads back into the house before Emerson said, “They’re definitely not like another other 18-year-olds that I know.”
I let out a sigh. “Come on,” I grimaced, “let’s go get to that decorating and organizing we were defending.” Emerson laughed, and we made our way not the house. Once we hit the foyer, Emerson looked at me and said, “I’m going to go in the kitchen and get the guys some water.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’m going to go upstairs and see what all they’ve been doing with my boxes of stuff,” I chuckled, and leaving Emerson, I headed up the stairs.
I walked into Liam’s room…well, I suppose, our room now, and saw boxes scattered everywhere. I didn’t have much in the way of home décor. I just really had the basics of personal possessions. I had packed my entire room, except for the furniture, and cleaned out my bathroom. Everything else in that house had belonged to Joseph, my mom, or Brandon.
And Brandon had been another story altogether.
When Liam, Deke, Emerson, and Ramsey had shown up to the house this morning, he had come out of his room, but hadn’t spared any of them a glanced. Instead, he had looked at me and asked what was going on. When I explained that I was moving in with Liam, he had actually looked regretful.
I still wasn’t sure how I felt about him because, no matter where we were right now, what he had planned for me could never be forgiven. I just knew that I was going to have to find a way to live with it because I wasn’t ready to ruin my mother’s marriage for a lesson he’s already been taught. Brandon and I would never be friends, but we didn’t have to be active enemies either.
Liam had been very generous in his welcoming and had basically told me I could put my stuff wherever I wanted, but I didn’t want to be rude. This was still his house, and this was still his room, even if I lived here with him now.
I felt a pair of strong, muscular arms wrap around my waist, and my body automatically fell back into their embrace. “That’s a lot of boxes,” I joked.
“Good thing this room is fucking huge,” Liam chuckled.
I wrapped my arms around his as I asked, “What happens when we have our first huge fight and neither of us can leave because we both live here now?”
Liam turned me around so I could face him, but he still kept his arms around me. “If our first big fight results in you not being able to stand looking at me, I can always go to Ramsey’s or Deke’s to cool off, Roz,” he told me. “Besides, this house has a billion extra rooms. Seriously. If you’re ever that pissed, I can crash in one of them.”
“This is kind of scary, you know,” I said, voicing my fears. “It’s not that I’m not sure about us, it’s just…we’re still in high school for Christ’s sake, Liam.”
“I know it seems a bit much, but there’s no way I’m going to be without you, Roselyn,” he replied. “This is as real as it gets. And I need you here every day to show you just how serious I am about us.”
“I’m going to have…pockets of doubt from time to time, Liam,” I warned him.
He just snorted and dropped his arms from around me. I watched him walked towards the bed and open up one of the boxes. “Of course, you are,” he retorted. “You’re a girl. You guys overthink the shit out of everything.”
I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head at him. “Well, someone has to do the thinking in this relationship,” I deadpanned.
Liam turned to look at me. “I do think,” he replied. “I think about you all the goddamn time, Roselyn. Trust me on that.”
He turned back to start pulling items out of the box as I walked towards him. This time, I wrapped my arms around him from behind, and he leaned back into my embrace. “I love you, Liam,” I murmured against his back.
“I sure to hell as hope so, Roselyn,” he smirked. “Not sure what I’d do if you didn’t.”
“You promise I’m not stupid for it?” I asked, still feeling a little raw.
Liam sighed, and he turned around in my arms. His arms wrapped around me and he squeezed me against his chest. We stayed like that for a while before he finally said, “I know it’s going to take some time, Roselyn, but I swear to you, I’ll make sure you never regret forgiving me. And I promise that, from now on, we’re a team. I’ll never pull a stunt like I did that morning ever again.”
I leaned back and looked up at him. “We’re a team,” I repeated.
Liam nodded at me. “We’re a team,” he confirmed.
I had two choices, surrender to the fears of ‘what ifs’ or surrender to the possibilities of forever.
I chose the one that would make me happy.
“How rude would it be if we shut this door and ignored our guests?” I teased.
Liam’s head dropped back, and he let out a beautiful laugh. When he stopped laughing, he looked down at me and said, “Rude as hell since they helped us move all morning, but ask me if I care?”
“Do you care?”
He shook his head. “Not one bit, baby. Not one bit.”
Epilogue
Roselyn – Ten Years Later~
This baby shower was going to be the death of me.
Oh, not because it’s a pain in the ass to organize. But because it was a female-only baby shower.
Liam, Deke, Ramsey, and Ace were going to watch all the kids while we had a day spa-inspired baby shower for Delaney at Serenity & Salvation Spas.
I think it’s the first time the guys have all taken a weekend off together from work. After graduation, us girls had gone off to college, while the guys had started up their own financial consulting firm. Ten years of hard work and endless hours had made them wealthier than their
parents combined, and while we all had our own careers, we still benefitted from what Liam, Ramsey, and Deke had built.
We were in the kitchen where I was throwing my keys and phone into my purse and Liam was laughing at me. Sure, it might look like he was just smiling, but I knew he was laughing at me.
“Seriously, Roz,” he said, “we’ll be fine.”
Leaving the guys behind with the kids meant leaving them behind with our kids, Chance, Neo, and Gideon. Ramsey and Emerson’s boys, Ramsey Jr. and Maddox. Deke and Delaney’s boys, Dash, Crew, and Zane. And, then, Ava’s two sweet girls, D.J. and Maggie. That was four men against ten kids. The odds were not in the adults’ favor. And they were definitely the underdogs when you considered the oldest child was no older than eight. Ramsey Jr. was only a few months older than Dash, but eight was eight.
“If even one of those kids comes up missing a limb-”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know,” he smirked, “make sure it’s not one of the girls.”
My eye bugged out. “That is not what I was going to say!”
“Well, if it comes down to it, we gotta save the girls,” he said seriously.
“Jesus Christ,” I breathed. “What were we thinking?”
Liam let out a laugh. “Roz, baby, it’s going to be fine,” he replied. “We know how to take care of our own children.”
I cocked my head and raised a brow. “Well, Deke does,” he amended, “so, that’s good enough. Besides, it’s not like we don’t know how to dial 911.”
“I’m going to kill you, Liam McCellan,” I threatened. “You aren’t not doing anything to make me feel better about this.”
Liam rounded the kitchen island and reached out to run his hands up and down my upper arms. “The kids will be fine, babe,” he assured me. “Have I let you down before? Well, minus the credit you gave me?”
I couldn’t help it.
I laughed.
“You’re such a jerk,” I chuckled.
“Guilty,” he admitted.
I looked up at him and thanked God that I hadn’t given into my fears all those years ago. Forgiving was the most selfish thing I had ever done because I had a perfect life because of it. The past ten years have been nothing but growth, change, and hard work, but we all had remained close friends, and we were all living blessed lives.
I wouldn’t change a thing.
“I love you, Liam,” I told him.
“I know you do, Roselyn,” he replied as he pulled me in tighter.
After a few seconds, I said, “Maybe my mom-”
Liam laughed as he stepped away from me. “Go, woman,” he said interrupting me. “We got this.”
I grabbed my purse, flung it over my shoulder, and headed out of the kitchen with Liam right behind me. When I walked into the main seating room, I pulled out my phone, because how could I not?
Ramsey had one kid in his arm, one on his back, and another wrapped around his leg. Deke had one on his back and another hanging around his neck. Ace had one of his girls on each of his shoulders saying, “Nope, Nope, Nope,” to Dash and Gideon. And as soon as the other kids noticed us, they ran towards Liam and he was toast.
My arm out, phone in hand, I was recording this for the girls. There’s no way this couldn’t be preserved for all time. Our lives. Our loves. Our family.
The End.
Battling the Enemy
◆◆◆
Copyright 2019 Monica Clayton
Published by M.E. Clayton
All Rights Reserved
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. The entire content is a product of the author’s imagination and all names, places, businesses and incidences are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), places or occurrences, is entirely coincidental
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the express written consent from the author, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Formatting: Smashwords
Cover: Adobe Stock
Warning: This book contains sexual situations and other adult themes. Recommended for 18 years of age and over.
Table of Contents
◆◆◆
Author's Note
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Prologue
1. Deke
2. Delaney
3. Deke
4. Delaney
5. Deke
6. Delaney
7. Deke
8. Delaney
9. Deke
10. Delaney
11. Deke
12. Delaney
13. Deke
14. Delaney
15. Deke
16. Delaney
17. Deke
18. Delaney
19. Deke
20. Delaney
21. Deke
22. Delaney
23. Deke
24. Delaney
25. Deke
26. Delaney
27. Deke
28. Delaney
29. Deke
30. Delaney
31. Deke
32. Delaney
33. Deke
34. Delaney
35. Deke
36. Delaney
37. Deke
Epilogue
Playlist
About the Author
Other Books
Contact Me
Newsletter Sign-up!
Author’s Note
◆◆◆
Facing the Enemy had originally been a standalone work, but due to so many requests, I decided to write Roselyn’s, Liam’s & Deke’s stories, and so, the Enemy Series was born. So, while I did my best to write this book in a style that can be enjoyed as a standalone, I suggest reading Facing the Enemy and Engaging the Enemy first, so that the supporting storyline might flow better.
Also, as much as I tried (because I know how much everyone loved Ramsey’s and Emerson’s intensity), I couldn’t quite match the madness because…well, Ramsey’s a psychopath, whereas Deke’s just a lunatic. I hope you still enjoy the book, nonetheless. Now, because Facing the Enemy was supposed to be a solo work, it was a challenge to match its intensity for the other three books, but I did my best, folks. I so promise I did my best.
I had also never planned on a fourth character, but upon writing Deke’s story, I fell in love with Ava, and how complicated she was, so Provoking the Enemy came to life. I also added a short closer as proof that everyone did live happily ever after.
I know half of you will enjoy that everyone got a happily-ever-after, while the other half will be disappointed that Roselyn didn’t spend the rest of her days being worshipped by Liam and Deke, but, at heart, I’m a one-woman-man type of personality, so I felt compelled to make sure everyone ended up with a love of their life.
Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy the series, and thank you, once again, to everyone who loved the book so much, you pushed for the additional stories.
And just a couple of things before I let you go and get your read on. While I am doing my best to work with better editing and proofreading software, all my books are solo, independent works. I write my books, proofread my books, edit my books, create the covers, etc. I have one beta who gives me feedback on my stories, but other than that, all my books are independent projects.
That being said, I apologize, in advance, for the typos, grammar inconsistencies, or any other mistakes I may make. Since writing is strictly a hobby for me, I haven’t looked for commitme
nts in regard to publishers, editors, etc. My hope is that my stories are enjoyable enough that a few mistakes, here and there, can be overlooked. If not, my books are probably not for you.
Thank you, all, for turning this hobby into something exciting and magical!
Acknowledgements
◆◆◆
First, foremost, and always, I want to thank my family for their support. They continue to support me unconditionally and they were so excited for me when I told them how these books came at the request of my readers.
Second, and always, will be Kamala. Next to my family, she is truly one of the biggest parts of this journey. I can’t thank her enough for being the best beta ever!
And, of course, I want to thank everyone who took a chance on me when they bought this book! I understand the risk when you spend your money on a new name. Thank you, so much, for being a part of my experience.
Dedication
◆◆◆
For all the readers who wanted Deke’s story –
I just hope I wrote it to your expectation!
Prologue
The one thing about Melissa Randall was the bitch sure did know how to suck a good cock.
The party was in full swing, with the bonfire blazing on the sand near the shoreline, and uninhibited teenage kids everywhere drinking, dancing, snorting up coke, popping back ecstasy, or flat out fucking. We were a dangerous lot, that’s for sure; teenage kids with too much money and no supervision. It didn’t matter that we were underage. It didn’t matter that half the shit going on here could land us in jail.
We were untouchable.
The children of the One-Percent who didn’t answer to anyone.
When we arrived at the party earlier, I had no intentions on hooking up with anyone. I had showed up just to drink and hang out. But Melissa had been on my shit all night and, admittedly, it’s been a while since I unloaded down a girl’s throat.
The Enemy Series Page 38