Luke (A Redemption Romance #1) (16 page)

Jake cleared his throat from behind me. I turned to face him and held Aurora to my side. We both looked at him, my look was expectant and irritated.

“Hey, Aurora, I…” He shook his head, obviously not knowing how to continue. “Fuck, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“You’re an ASSHOLE!” I heard Hope say from behind Rory.

A small smile crossed Jake’s lips, but it was fleeting. “Yeah, true enough. Look, I’m sorry I said that shit to you. I fucked up, I let my own shit hurt you, and I’m fucking sorry.” Jake’s apology was heartfelt at least, but her body was still tense.

I looked over at her, she had her bottom lip firmly clasped in her teeth, she nodded in acceptance of his statement but didn’t relax and didn’t move to hug him. I heard Hope muttering something to Amber from behind us, but had no idea what the women were talking about, I did hear the liquor cabinet open and several bottles were pulled down. I looked over and saw them looking at the bottles, then after pouring, were mixing drinks in the shaker.

This was not a good sign for how this night would go. I watched as both of them took a shot, then Amber brought one over to Rory. She downed it quickly and handed the glass back. Hope had already prepared another, before she poured the next round for each of them.

Jake moved back into the living room with the other guys and I heard Reed’s deep voice speaking to him quietly, but sternly. Reed had been Rory’s protector for a long time. For a while I’d thought they had something going, but he’d assured me many times over the years that they were just friends. I had no clue why he wasn’t attracted to her, but as far as I could tell, nothing had ever happened between them.

We all settled in, and the girls were getting drunk. Hope was drinking so much, I was a little worried about her. I’d never seen her drink like this, but I knew that with Nolan’s death and what Jake had thrown at everyone tonight, she must be hurting. After about an hour, we were all playing poker around the kitchen table. Hope stood from her chair and slammed her cards down on the table.

“Full House YOU ASSHOLE!” She was yelling at Jake, he had a three-of-a-kind and apparently, she was getting really into the game. The only problem was, she was slurring her words and swayed a bit on her feet. Jake completely surprised me, but jumping to his feet and catching her before she fell. I didn’t know how much she’d had to drink, but she was wasted.

Jake lifted her into his arms, thankfully he hadn’t been drinking, and while she ranted at him about what a dick he was, he grabbed his keys, walked out of the room and called back over his shoulder “I’m taking her home.” Then they were gone. That was it. I had no idea what that was about.

With Jake and Hope’s exit, everyone started to clean up. Amber was pretty tipsy herself, though not nearly as much as Hope. “Hey, Aurora? Can I crash in your guest room? I don’t think I should drive tonight.”

“Of-” Rory was cut off by Trent.

“I’ll take you.” His words were more of a command than anything else, and both women just shut their mouths. Amber’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t respond in any other noticeable way.

Once we’d seen everyone out, Rory and I made our way to bed. She was cuddled up to me, clutching me tight like her life depended on it. For a long while, I thought she was starting to relax, but then I felt a tear drop onto my chest. She was crying. I hated when she cried.

“Baby, don’t cry. Please baby, don’t, Jake is fucked up, he’s letting everything eat at him instead of trying to live. Don’t take on what he said.”

She shook her head against me and in a tearful voice said “I’m not, I’m so sad for him. He’s doing just what Nolan did. He’s letting everything get to him. He needs help, but I’m afraid for him.”

I let out a sigh of relief; that asshole didn’t deserve it, but she was crying for him, not because of him. I held her tight and kissed the top of her head. She was so sweet, her heart was so soft. She wasn’t angry with him for earlier, she was concerned. Someday, she would be the best kind of mother. It was with that thought that I drifted into a fitful sleep.

My dreams that night were snapshots from the day Dylan died, from the night Nolan died and messed up images of Jake and Rory alternating, sometimes they were bloody, sometimes they were angry and yelling. Aurora pulled me from sleep with her gentle shaking. She was sitting up on the bed, my T-shirt hanging over her amazing body, trying to rouse me from my hell.

I jerked awake from a particularly horrific scene, saw her and wrapped her in my arms. It wasn’t long before she was holding me and petting me. We made love until dawn. I’d gotten behind her walls and she wasn’t pushing me back anymore. Even with the evidence of my nightmare and the things Jake had said; that could easily have thrown her back into a dark place, she hadn’t retreated.

“I love you baby.” Kissing the side of her head, I nuzzled her neck, wanting to keep her right there forever.

Rory’s sigh was content and completely satisfied. “I love you too.”

She stayed here with me and I knew in my heart that she would be here forever.

It had been one hell of a ride, and I knew that it was just beginning. Rory had settled and fallen back to sleep. Holding her here like this was something I’d wanted for a long time.

Trying hard to not jostle her, I reached with my free arm, opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out the now-wrinkled cream envelope. The paper inside was more worn now, I’d read it every day since Aurora brought it to me. I would find a way to live up to the man she needed.

Luke,

Of everyone, you have a better understanding of what I’m going through than anyone. I’ve loved you like a brother since we were kids and that will never stop. No matter where I am, you will be my brother.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep going that I put so much on you. I didn’t have anything left.

Don’t take this shit on yourself. It isn’t your fault, you couldn’t have stopped me. No one could have. I couldn’t stand the nightmares, the pain and the fucking guilt anymore. I knew it wouldn’t never leave me, so I left it all behind.

Protect my sister, stop fucking around and wasting time. The man she needs is inside you. I know that you will be the one to heal her. She is so strong on the outside, always, but on the inside, like me, she is broken.

You can be the man for her that I should have been.

There is more to you though than being a cop, you are so much stronger than I am, you can do what I couldn’t. Heal yourself, heal her and move on to a happy life. My sister is everything to me, I know I’m fucking her up more with this. If I stayed though, it would only be worse. There’s nothing in me anymore. I’m a broken shell, no longer the brother she once knew. I never will be again.

Nolan

After holding the note to my chest, appreciating the beautiful woman lying next to me, I vowed to do just what Nolan had asked. I rolled and placed the letter back in the nightstand drawer, on top of the little ring box hiding inside.

THE END

Jake is the second book in the Redemption Series. It will be released in early 2016. Enjoy the following glimpse into Jake’s story. Edits and minor changes will occur before publishing.

Jake

The pounding at my front door was so loud, I wanted to shoot whoever was there. Fucking assholes. I could guess, it would be either Reed or Gavin. I wished it would be Hope; that would be nice. Unlikely, though, damn woman.

I rolled over in the bed and felt the stirrings of desire as I started to drift into sleep again. I’d somehow gotten my head underneath my pillow, which worked, the noises were muffled and my head would stop spinning.

“Are you fucking serious?” At the sound of Reed’s pissed of yell, I pulled the pillow tighter over my head. The sheet was ripped away, but I didn’t move. I was trying to remember if I was naked. A fight ensued, Reed grabbed the pillow I was gripping tightly and tried to pull it away too. I held on, not willing to let it go, but in my current state, my strength was no match for the annoying giant.

The asshole had turned the lights on, the piercing pain in my skull was about all I could take. I rolled to one side, trying to look at Reed and figure out what he was doing here.

“What the fuck do you want?” I wanted to scream at him, to get him out of here, but I didn’t have the strength.

“Get up, it’s time to talk.”

“What’s going on?” I grumbled angrily toward his general direction.

“You’re a fucking mess - that is what’s up.”

He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Thankfully, I was wearing my jeans from the night before, so I grabbed a clean T, took a piss and joined Reed in the living room.

“All right, here I am, big brother, why are you here?”

Reed’s glare didn’t help my mood. I knew I was being a dick, no question. The thing was, I didn’t ask for his interference and I didn’t want it.

“Aurora looked for you last week, she found this and wanted to bring it to you. You weren’t around, I thought it would be better if I found you, instead of her.”

Tilting my chin up to see what he was holding out, I saw a cream envelope with my name written in bold print on the front.

“What is that? They getting married already?” My tone was rude, no doubt, but I was sick of seeing the happy little couple all sweet. They acted like life was fucking great, no way could I understand that shit.

Reed audibly sucked in his breath and if it was possible, his glare got even fiercer. Apparently I’d pissed him off, oh fucking well.

“No, Jesus, Jake, can you pull your head out of your ass for two god damned seconds please?”

Since I didn’t reach out to take the envelope, he dropped it on the coffee table.

“What’s wrong with you?” He asked. I could tell he wasn’t kidding, how did he not know?

“Are you joking? Seriously? Life is fucking peachy, that what you want to hear?”

“No, I want the truth, what’s going on?”

I rolled my eyes back in my head and leaned back on the couch.

“If you don’t know, I’m sure as hell not going to tell you.” Childish? Absolutely, but really? Maybe I was taking Nolan’s suicide harder than the rest of them because Dylan and I had been so close, but whatever. In my mind, they were a bunch of unfeeling dicks.

“Aurora wants everyone to come over this weekend for a bar-b-que, try to crawl out of your hole long enough to show up, yeah?”

I gave him the obligatory chin lift in acceptance.

“Sober” he went on.

I opened my eyes and just stared at him for a minute.

“You smell like a drunk in the gutter right now, Jake, give me a fucking break.”

I didn’t respond, there wasn’t a damn thing I would say to him. I knew I’d been drinking more than my norm. I needed to settle it down some, but between the fucked assignment I just finished and the thing with Nolan, I needed a little peace. Not to mention Hope and her bullshit. After we’d fucked, she practically disappeared.

“Thanks for coming by.” I was dismissing Reed and he knew it. He slammed out of the house and left me in the quiet again. I fell back to sleep on the couch.

Rolling over on the lumpy sofa, I remember why I was out of my bed and saw the letter lying on the coffee table. Having no idea what it would be, I picked it up and read.

Jake,

I’m sorry for taking your best friend from you. I know it’s my fault that Dylan died. I’ve thought about it so many times; imagined what I could have done differently that day. I fucked up and hurt you more than anyone. I know you’ve never forgiven me and I get it, I understand.

The memories are just too much, the pain on your face every time you look at me, it’s all too much. I hope that someday you will find a way to forgive me for taking Dylan away from you.

I know what I’m doing is selfish, that I’m making Dylan’s death all about me, but really it isn’t. I just can’t outrun my demons anymore.

Maybe you will find a way to deal with your guilt and pain. I hope that you can find a way out of this feeling of total despair.

Thanks for everything man, I know you tried to help me, tried to pull me out of the muck more times than I can remember. You’ve been a good friend.

Make your life good, make it what Dylan would have wanted for you.

Nolan

Anna is an author of erotic and romantic short stories.  Over twenty books have been written and published, several achieving the Top 100 Bestseller distinction within the first couple of months.  The books Anna loves to write are erotic in nature. They swirl around an underlying theme of love, challenge, imminent heartbreak and always end with at least the possibility of a Happily Ever After. 

In her youth, Anna would frequently stay awake into the early hours of the morning, typing on an old typewriter.  Horrific stories of blood, murder and suicide plagued her young mind until they had to be released onto the page.  Her love of writing started at this early age, but over the years, her work has moved from the twisted and morbid to the more lascivious and pleasurable. 

Today, Anna can be found in her comfortable, red armchair, coffee in hand, staring out at the surrounding fields, dreaming up new and decadent stories. 

She shares her life with an alpha male of her own, a family and many animals.

Anna began to publish her books, thanks to the encouragement of a dear friend.  This special person is always a support, encouraging Anna at every turn.  She helps to focus Anna’s mind when the many facets of writing get to be overwhelming.