Table of Contents
Dedication
Forbidden
1. | Summer
2. | Forbidden Connection
3. | Judgement
4. | First Date
5. | Wrong
6. | Party
7. | It’s not you, it’s me
8. | Let’s make a deal
9. | Office Tour
10. | Ambush
11. | Secret
12. | State Fair
13. | Hide and Seek
14. | Games we play
15. | Party
16. | Fireworks
17. | Understand
18. | Lies
19. | Truths
20. | Insane
21. | Secret Note
22. | Forbidden
23. | The Last Kiss
24. | The First Kiss
25. | Guilty
To all the people that made my summers beautiful and exciting.
To my Nana
To all the people I love.
Forbidden
Copyright © 2020 Melissa Adams
Published by Melissa Adams
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced/transmitted/distributed in any form. No part of this publication shall be shared by any means including photocopying, recording, or any electronic/mechanical method, or the Internet, without prior written consent of the author. Cases of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law are the exception. The unauthorized reproduction/transmitting of this work is illegal. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Description:
A first kiss at a party: that kiss haunts me to this day, no kiss after that has ever made me feel anything comparable.
But It happened during a party game, the
lights were turned off, so I have no idea who kissed me.
That summer, I fell for two amazing boys: Chase and Reid.
Everything fell apart when they became my stepbrothers and things between us changed.
Our friendship ended and was replaced by indifference and distance.
Three years later I’m back in Star Cove and so are Chase and Reid with their two hot and friendly best friends Bryce and Parker. This is the summer before college and I’m stuck in the past, between my forbidden stepbrothers, the boy I’m dating and a kiss that’s lost forever.
Warning: this book is part of a trilogy and ends in a cliffhanger. This is a why choose story where the heroine won’t have to choose between her different love interests and has sexual scenes, swearing and mild violence. Suitable only for readers aged 18+
1.
Summer
Kaya
“I’M SO EXCITED ABOUT this summer! I missed you. Star Cove is so fucking boring in the winter!”
Nic hugs me tight and then we walk through the huge lounge and exit the house by the patio door that leads directly to the Olympic size pool.
We settle on two loungers and Nic immediately begins updating me about everything that has changed in Star Cove since last summer.
Which isn’t a lot, as this sleepy little coastal town in Northern California doesn’t see a lot of shocking events. Even the amount of tourists is pretty limited to a few rich people looking for the Californian lifestyle without the hustle and bustle of LA or San Francisco.
This is my third summer in Star Cove and I absolutely love it here: I love the weather, the friends I made, and the more relaxed schedule compared to my hectic life at a posh boarding school in New York City.
“By the way, this house is freaking amazing! You’re so fucking lucky!”
My friend gushes looking around what can only be described as opulence.
“To be honest, Nic, I kinda miss the little house on the beach we stayed in until last summer.”
She shakes her curly blonde hair.
“You can’t be serious! That was a shack compared to this mansion!”
“Yeah but you were right next door. We wouldn’t have met if I’d been staying here three summers ago.”
She’s totally right; the small house Mom had rented had two bedrooms and a small backyard with a low fence and a rickety wooden gate that led directly on to the white sand of the beach.
But the house was cozy and Mom and I had real quality time together, it was our fresh start.
A fresh start after she divorced my daddy when she found out that he’d been cheating on her with his commanding officer.
Nic must know where my mind went because she takes my hand, squeezing it supportively.
“Did you hear from him?”
I shake my head, immediately feeling a familiar lump forming in my throat.
“No. He’s on a deployment. Nine months in the Gulf. Kuwait mostly.”
That was the part that hurt Mom the most: after years of sacrifices for Dad’s career in the navy, after virtually raising me alone due to his constant absences, he dumped her and asked her for a quickie divorce to marry his commanding officer who he had gotten pregnant.
So I have a baby stepsister that I don’t see much and neither does Dad. He’s repeating the same mistakes he made with Mom all over again.
Not that Mom has got any time to even care about it anyway.
Our summer in Star Cove changed everything for both of us: she met Dustin, a rich guy who was here for a sailing event.
Dustin had just bought most of the empty space by the marina and built a huge sailing school and he began organizing a regatta that became immediately famous worldwide. He normally builds any type of sailboats and catamarans, that’s how he made his fortune and he’s obviously into the sport aspects of sailing.
Mom met him at the inauguration of the sailing center and it was love at first sight. The pair was engaged by the end of the summer and married by Thanksgiving the same year.
My mom marrying a billionaire completely changed our lives: I got sent to boarding school after she quit her job as a history teacher and began following her new husband on his world travels.
I’m not mad at her, she deserves some happiness at last and I see how Dustin looks at her, so I know that he loves her the way my dad never did.
I’m getting the best education money can buy at the most prestigious all girls boarding school in Manhattan and I miss seeing Mom every day but her and Dustin spend all the school breaks with me. So even though I don’t have the family life I’ve always wanted, I’ve come to appreciate Dustin and I definitely have a better relationship with him than with my own father.
“Any word on the whereabouts of the step-hotties?”
My hands immediately close into fists at the mention of the twins.
Chase and Reid are Dustin’s sons from his first marriage. They’re three years older than me and the only way I can describe them is ‘hot assholes’.
They were here that first summer and I admit to crushing on them at first, before I got to know them better.
Or more than know them, I should say ‘observe them better’ because those two barely even acknowledged my existence, after being initially friendly.
I was only fifteen and they ran with an older crowd, breaking hearts everywhere they went and if the local gossip is anything to go by, sleeping with every hot girl in sight.
“No. Honestly, Nic, I haven’t seen them since the wedding two years ago. They started at Bridgeport U the summer after our parents got married and I guess Europe or Hawaii are more interesting than Star Cove in the summer.”
“Aww. So y
ou think they won’t show up? Not even this year?”
I shrug.
“I doubt it. I think they weren’t happy with their dad marrying my mom to begin with, so since we’re here they’ll stay away.”
“What a fucking shame!”
I roll my eyes at her reaction but I know that she isn’t alone: for the last two summers, virtually every single girl aged between sixteen and twenty-two has been asking if the twins were going to show up.
They really made an impression three years ago by throwing epic parties and winning the under twenty-one category of the regatta.
I’m glad that they won’t be here because I honestly don’t like them: I did at first when they were nice to me, the first few times our parents made us all hang out. But right before our parents got engaged on Labor Day, their attitude totally changed. They started looking at me as if I were the scum stuck to the bottom of their shoe, ignoring me at best and being outright hostile most of the time.
“Who cares about the twins! There are more interesting guys around. Marc texted me saying that he’ll be arriving tomorrow.”
Nic’s eyes immediately light up.
“Do you know if Nate will be here too?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
She squeals and hugs me.
“That’s fucking awesome! Come on, let’s go get our nails done and get new bikinis! You’re gonna make him ask Nate to double date, right?”
I chuckle at her puppy dog eyes. “Sure. If he’ll even ask me out ...”
My bestie covers her eyes with her hands.
“You’re fucking hopeless! Of course he will! He’s super into you! Why else would he write you letters every month from military school? And call you whenever he has access to a phone? Plus, last summer he kissed you!”
I don’t remind her that it was such a fleeting peck on my lips that lasted all of two seconds because I don’t want to spend the whole afternoon arguing if that kiss counts or not. But thankfully, my bestie is too excited at the thought of a double date, so she continues begging me.
“So, please, pretty fucking please with a shiny cherry on top, make him convince Nate to double date? We’ll have the best summer ever with two hot cadets!”
I sigh and promise that I’ll speak to Marc and make sure that he brings his friend along.
“Well fuck, don’t look as excited as if you were going to get a root canal! What’s wrong?”
I shrug and she guesses immediately.
“Not that again! Girl, you gotta seriously forget about that kiss. It’s fucking ruining your life.”
We walk back toward the house to go put some clothes on over our bikinis and I let myself think about it, just for a minute.
That kiss.
My first kiss, three summers ago, right before Mom and Dustin got engaged.
I got invited to a party, one of the cool ones with all the older kids. It was at one of the bigger houses behind the marina, not far from the mansion on the hill where we’re staying now. I can actually see that house from here.
There was booze, people dancing and making out everywhere and I admit that I felt very much like a fish out of water, wandering around the different rooms and observing other people having fun with the feeling that I didn’t belong there.
I’d arrived at the party with Nic, Chase and Reid. The twins had immediately split from us, telling us to stay out of trouble and going to find their own friends.
I didn’t know many people aside from Nic, I’ve never been the kind of girl that makes friends all that easily, maybe because of the constant moves due to my dad’s career. Nic was really an exception and I was thankful to have a bestie, someone to spend my time with, aside from Mom.
But when Nic bumped into an old crush of hers, I found myself alone and began wandering from room to room.
I was in the living room, on my way to the kitchen, when someone switched the lights off in the entire house, leaving us in complete darkness.
“Random kissing time!”
Someone shouted and that’s when it happened: I felt a gentle hand on my waist and I was pulled against a strong chest.
I didn’t feel worried because the gesture was comforting and protective and I felt safe, regardless of not being able to see who was holding me close.
I know it was a boy because the chest was definitely ripped with hard muscles that felt warm and defined under the soft cotton of a t-shirt.
“Hey, who—”
My question was interrupted by soft, warm, velvety lips crushing against mine and for the first few seconds I completely froze, barely registering that I was being kissed. That was my first kiss and when the realization of that fact dawned on me, my heart began beating erratically in my chest because I didn’t know what to do.
Did I move my lips, did I just wait until something else happened?
How do you ‘kiss someone back’? The answer came when I felt the stranger’s lips moving against mine, gently at first and with very little pressure but when I attempted to move my lips the same way he was, the pressure increased and I felt his tongue tease at the seam of my lips.
I opened my mouth and the feeling was warm and exciting at the same time.
His tongue massaged mine with firm but gentle strokes and I followed matching his movements, completely wrapped up in how good that contact felt, in how it made the rest of my body feel alive, abuzz with sensation.
He tasted delicious, fruity and vaguely sweet, like cherry coke and he smelled like fresh cotton with a hint of something more masculine.
I have no idea how long that kiss lasted for, those lips made me forget about everything else around me. I gave myself to it with my eyes closed and my heart feeling increasingly more full.
The kiss ended, just a second before the lights came back on and by the time I opened my eyes, the guy was gone.
“Dude, stop it! You’re thinking about it right now!”
Nic’s voice brings me back to the present and I sigh, knowing that I’m totally busted.
I know that she’s right, that my obsession with that kiss is completely unhealthy, especially because since that night, I’ve compared every single kiss to that one and nothing has ever come even close to it.
Every time I’ve kissed someone, no matter how much I liked them, I’ve been disappointed.
“I know, Nic. It’s just that—”
“Kaya, do you wanna know what I think?”
I narrow my eyes in mock annoyance.
“Does my answer matter?”
She giggles.
“No, because you’re getting my fucking two cents anyway. I think that it’s been three years since that kiss and that party was crowded with virtually every teenager in Star Cove and Shell Cove. You know better than me that Shell Cove is full of tourists and most people are just passing by for a weekend or one single summer. It’s impossible to tell who it was, so you have to let it go. Moping about it won’t bring you any happiness and as your best friend, I want you to be happy. So, let’s go get pretty before your ‘beau’ gets here tomorrow and let’s have a fun, hot summer.”
I sigh and accept Nic’s hug. On a rational level, I know that she’s completely right, but tell that to my heart.
I dream about that kiss every night before I fall asleep, I think about him every day.
Sometimes, when I’m sad or worried, I write him letters, even though I have no idea how the guy even looks. But I felt this overwhelmingly strong connection and I imagine that he would understand, that he would take me in his arms and kiss the rest of the world away.
But yeah, Nic is right and I solemnly swear that I’ll give this thing with Marc a fair shot.
Marc is handsome and great to talk to, so I need to stop thinking about Mystery Dream Guy and date a very real guy who is actually interested in me.
I open the front door, completely lost in my own thoughts but I find way less resistance than expected and I’d have been sent flying face first down the front steps to the ho
use if I didn’t land against a rock hard body.
“Hey! Sorry, are you all right?”
A deep voice asks with a concerned tone and as I look up, I see that it belongs to a tall, smoking hot stranger.
The guy is about six foot four and has sandy blond hair and vibrant green eyes, a perfect jaw and a dimple that appears on his cheek when he smiles, softening the utter perfection of the lines of his face.
“Yeah, thank you. But who are you? This is a private residence, can I help you?”
A hard voice I haven’t heard for three years cuts into my attempt at a conversation with the hot stranger.
“Yo, Bryce! Hands off my little sis. She’s barely fucking legal anyway. Get your ass back here and help us unload the car.”
The stranger steps back from me with an apologetic smile still etched on his face and I hear Nic’s muffled but excited squeal coming from behind me.
“Oh my fucking God! The twins are back!”
2.
Forbidden Connection
Bryce
THE THREE HOUR DRIVE from school in Bridgeport U to Star Cove started with us all in really high spirits.
My parents are getting a divorce and right now they’re too busy fighting over every asset they own.
None of our holiday homes were safe from them eventually showing up to have one of their legendary rows.
So when my frat brothers and football teammates asked me if I wanted to join them at their beach house down on the coast, I jumped at the chance.
Reid and Chase are both going to work as interns at their father’s company, their old man builds boats and he’s one of those men who’s convinced that before taking over the family business you need to learn the ropes.
So the twins will work a few days a week, learning all aspects of their father’s business. Parker and I had been offered summer jobs too but we both declined since neither one of us needs a job and this is the last summer before we graduate college. Sure, we might get part of next summer to have fun but let’s face it, we’ll probably be busy applying for jobs and shit, so in my mind this is the last summer of real fun times before adult life takes over with all its responsibilities.
Forbidden (Perfect for them Book 1) Page 1