RECKLESS - Part 1 (9 page)

Rather than going to the coffee shop, I made my way to the cafeteria. While the free campus coffee was second-rate at best, and sludge at worst, it was better than chancing another run-in with Jace; after all, the coffee shop seemed to be the place where I bumped into him most often.

I was just on my way back, sipping at the subpar liquid in my Styrofoam cup, reading over my notes so I could dig into the feature as soon as I got back to the dorms, when I bumped into something. Or more accurately, someone.

My first reaction was to yell a string of obscenities; not only was my iPad soaked, the front of my body had just been covered in scorching liquid. But then I looked up.

Oh shit.

“J—J—Jace,” I stuttered. “I—I—I’m so—sorry.”

When the hell had I become the girl that stuttered over her words? When had I become a mindless sheep? Why the hell was he staring at me like that?

I shivered as his gaze ran over my entire body. And then I remembered just how God-awful I looked. Suddenly super-self-conscious, I started fiddling with my disheveled hair, trying to straighten it. Judging by the smirk growing on Jace’s lips, I was only making things worse.

Oh, God. Kill me now.

“Andrea,” he said, his voice husky and deep, laced with something I didn’t quite recognize.

My entire body stiffened, standing at attention, suddenly on high-alert, as if his voice had demanded as such. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a short gasp.

“What am I going to do with you?”

I gulped against the desert in my throat. “Do with me?”

“Yes,” he said, stepping so close to me, I was starting to feel dizzy from the heady mixture of metal, citrus, and mint. “I’ve tried to do the right thing. Tried to let you be. Tried to be the good guy. But seeing you… like this? In my shirt…“

I looked down, suddenly mortified. I hadn’t even realized it was his when I’d thrown it on earlier that morning. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry,” the words started flying from my mouth. “I’ve ruined it. I—I didn’t mean to. I’ll get you a new one…”

His thumb covered my lips, stopping the mindless chatter. The rest of his hand cradled my cheek. I didn’t even have a chance to process what was happening before his mouth collided against mine.

A loud smack filled my ears as the palm of my hand made contact with his cheek. My chest was heaving, but it wasn’t anger that had taken over my body. It was the way he was still looking at me, eyes full of hunger and need. And it was as if those eyes were somehow tethered to something deep inside of me, as if they were pulling and twisting at my insides, igniting a fire that burned hotter and hotter, until I feared it would consume me completely.

Like a woman possessed, I gave into the flames. I let them lick at my soul as they guided me closer to him. Without thought or care for consequence, I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, smashing my mouth against his. I was lost in a sea of flames as his soft but demanding lips welcomed mine, gently at first, but then with more force.

His tongue brushed against the opening of my mouth, and I allowed him access. Our tongues danced to a forbidden tune, sliding and moving in perfect synchronization. My hands went to his chest, bunching his shirt into my fists as I melted into him.

A breathless moan escaped my mouth as his arms encircled me. He tugged at the belt loop of my jeans, pulling me closer to him until my hips were flush with his. As my core gravitated toward his, I felt the hardness of his erection against my thigh… and that’s when it hit me.

I flew back, damn near crashing against the brick wall of the cafeteria. The roughness of it grounded me, concreted me to the weight of my current situation. My fingers immediately went to my tender, swollen lips. How could I…?

As I slid away from him, my back against the wall, Jace extended an arm in my direction. The heat in his gaze had given way to anguish and regret. “Andrea,” he said, stepping in my direction, his broken voice shattering my heart into a million little pieces.

I couldn’t speak. I just held my arm out protectively, shaking my head as I fled the scene of the crime—my crime of infidelity.

As I ran to my dorm, tears running down my face in hot, angry streams, a million questions swarmed my brain. What was I going to do? How would I ever begin to explain this to Sean? Would he ever forgive me? Had I ruined everything I’d worked so hard for?

I didn’t have any answers, but I did know one thing… this man just set my soul on fire!

End of Part 1

To Be Continued in Part 2…

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Part 1: October 10

Part 2: October 24

Part 3: November 7

Part 4: November 21

Part 5: December 5

Alice Ward is the author of the New Adult series, RECKLESS.

Reading and Writing romance is her passion and she writes with her true heart.

Living in Miami, the beach is her favorite place to relax with her laptop and write her next spicy romance.

However, when she is not reading or writing romance, she also enjoys being with her beautiful family.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 Alice Ward

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.