BLURB:
Will love be enough? Or will life as they know it become a forgotten yesterday?
Three years ago, Ruby and Brent, were brought together by fate.
They are joined by love and bonded by their past—a past that
has only brought them closer as time goes on. Standing by one
another, they are working toward a bright future.
Together their life has a path. When the unexpected happens,
this couple’s love, trust and faith in one another is challenged.
Forcing them to dig deep within themselves to make quick decisions
about their future, and whether or not it’s one they have together.
*Book Two in the These Days companion series
**This book contains mature content including profanity, alcohol use, and sexual situations/language. Suitable for ages 17+.
Releasing October 2013
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EXCERPT
“Happy birthday, gorgeous,” he says softly.
“Thank you.”
Leaning down, he kisses me gently, longingly, sweetly. It reminds me of when we were kids, making out by the lake in our hometown. I inhale deeply as if the air that I breathe needs to be savored. I can’t believe he still kisses me like this. With the amount of love and passion he gives into every piece of my soul, my heart pounds in my chest, almost bringing tears to my eyes.
I tenderly and slowly kiss him back. Wanting to be in this moment forever, I’m afraid to move because it might break the spell. His hand weaves into my hair, cupping my head, as I move both of my hands gingerly along his back.
Brent lifts his head up, just enough, so we can look into each other’s eyes. I lick my lips, awaiting his move, while I look deep into the soul of the man who knows my everything as much as I know his.
Forgotten Yesterday Chapter One
***Contains Mature Content Suitable 17+***
Chapter One (content may vary by time of publishing)
My body seeks the heat beside me when I wake up, and I settle my weight into the warmth. As my eyes flutter open and focus on the wall in front of me, they move and stare at the framed picture on the nightstand. Memories of when the picture was taken a little over a year ago begin to come back.
It was August. We took a day trip to Milwaukee for no special reason. We just wanted to get out of town. We had lunch downtown, walked around the city, and then made our way over to Lake Michigan. I’m not sure why, but the lake is more beautiful there than it is here in Chicago. Maybe it was the time of day or maybe it was the lack of crowds, but for some reason, the lustrous beauty radiated from the small waves as they lapped against the stone wall. We sat there, holding hands, as we watched the ships float by. I took that picture with my phone. His lips planted happily on my cheek.
“Ruby,” Brent rasps. “Are you awake?”
I turn over in his arms. His eyes are barely open, and his breathing is still even. I’m unsure if he’s truly awake.
“Hi,” I whisper, trying not to startle him.
Brent pulls me into him, tucking my head under his chin, as he presses my face to his bare chest.
We don’t live together, but we might as well. I tend to stay at his place almost every night since my dorm doesn’t allow overnight guests, and sneaking him in is a major pain in the ass.
Brent and I have been together since high school. I know it sounds cliché, like we’re from a small town or something. I’m just so happy with him. We’ve been through so much together. I don’t think I could have ever survived without him. I just don’t see us any other way, and I don’t want to.
When we first started school at the University of Chicago, my eyes wandered a bit, and I bet his did, too. That was all they did though. They looked. It was all so new, but we adjusted. We partied, we made friends, and I think we tested the boundaries a little, too. In the end though, we always stayed together.
So, yeah, the first year here was a little rough, but after we settled into our new environment, we fully made our way back to each other. We had a huge connection in high school, but it was nothing compared to what it is now.
The first year at college might have been a little more difficult for Brent because his parents decided to get a divorce. They waited until he was settled into school. They told him through an email, and he did not take it well. Brent was such a wreck over the whole thing. I was so worried about his impulsive behavior, especially when he partied too much. It wasn’t like him, but we stuck it out. He needed someone, and I knew that someone had to be me. Of course, we fought a hell of a lot, too.
***
“Are you kidding me?” I screamed.
I picked up my bag off of his bed and threw it over my shoulder.
“What do you care?” he shouted back, trying to act like it was no big deal.
“What do I care? This is the third night in a row you’re going to a party. Really?”
“What are you? The party police? You’re not my mother, so don’t worry about it.”
“Fine, you’re right, but don’t think I don’t know about all the girls that are going to be there. Maybe that’s why you’re really going.”
“I told you that you could come.”
“Yeah, and I told you that I have class in the morning. Come to think about it, you do, too. What the hell is wrong with you lately?”
“Ease up, Miller. You’ll break a fingernail.”
“Asshole.” I headed for the door, but before I left, I turned around to look at him. “I’m not trying to fight with you. I just want to understand why.”
He didn’t say anything, so I turned the knob to leave.
“Ruby, I’ll call you later.”
I nodded and left.
***
Needless to say, we ended up working it out. It was hard for a while, but during the last year or so, we’ve rarely argued. When we did, it was usually about stupid stuff, like the time he ate all the cheesy wontons. That really pissed me off. He knew I ordered those specifically for me.
Now lying here in his arms, I feel Brent’s breathing slow, once again becoming even. He must have fallen back asleep while I was daydreaming.
I would love to lie here all day with him, but I should get back to campus, so I can get ready for the day. I have class and then an appointment with my advisor. Next quarter is going to be really rough with all the upper-level classes, especially with the added graduate course, I’m planning on taking.
I stay still for a few minutes longer while I enjoy the feel and smell of his skin. Knowing I have to leave soon, I slowly start to ease out of his embrace. When I’m almost out, he pulls me back to him.
“Don’t go,” he mumbles into my dark brown hair.
“I have to.”
“But not yet. It’s still early.”
“I know, but I have to go soon. I have class.”
Brent’s lips touch my temple as his hand roves up my back.
“By the way, thanks for passing out on me last night,” I tease.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I think I might be coming down with something.” He leans back, resting his head on the pillow. “Did you have a nice time on your birthday?”
“Yeah, it was great.”
Last night, we celebrated my twenty-first birthday at The Signature Room in the Hancock Tower. It was nice to sit up there, looking out toward the amazing view of the city, lake, and pier, while we had dinner. Afterward, we walked down Michigan Avenue, watched the tourists, and ate some popcorn from Garrett’s. I love that place. It wasn’t too late, but we decided to call it an evening and head back to Brent’s apartment. I was a little surprised when he fell asleep so quickly. That wasn’t like him.
Maybe he is coming down with something.
“Do you like your present?” he asks, his finger moving lightly over the ruby pendant now hanging from my neck.
Since my eighteenth birthday, he’s given me a pendant every year. It’s become a bit of a tradition for me to move the old pendant to a charm bracelet, so I can wear the birthday pendant for the year. My charm bracelet now holds three pendants: a heart made from canoe paddles, an amber pendant he said matched the gold flecks in my eyes, and now the crystal star he gave me last year. He got me the last one because he said he loved to look at my face shining in the moonlight.
“Yes, but you really shouldn’t have.”
He kisses me quickly on the mouth. “You say that every year. Just tell me you love it.”
“I do love it, but really, this is a little more than what you usually do.”
“Just tell me you love it.”
“But—”
“Just tell me you love it.”
I begin to laugh a little. We do this all the time. He always calls me out on being modest about things. He’s right. I do love it. I love everything he’s ever given to me. I cherish all the things and all the moments, but I feel like he doesn’t have to do those things. I would still love him regardless.
“Fine. I love it. I love it to pieces. It’s the best thing ever. It’s like the lava in my volcano. It’s the crème to my a la crème. It’s fireworks on the Fourth of the July. It’s better than a million dollars in a bath of cream cheese frosting. It’s—”
“I think you’re selling it a little hard now, don’t you?”
“No, I really want you to know how much I love it.”
Raising his brows, his green-gray eyes look at me like I’m nuts.
I smile. “All right. I love it. I simply love it, but I love you more. So take that, sparkly red jewelry.”
“Thank you for making this easy.” He shakes his head.
“Really, I love it.”
Leaning over, I push his shoulders down, so he is flat on his back. I move to straddle him, supporting my weight with my hands. “I love it.” I plant a kiss on his neck. “I love these.” I kiss his lips. “I love this.” I kiss his chest, where his heart lies below. I linger there a little longer than necessary.
“Ruby?” He shudders. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you how much I love my present.” Inching upward, my lips trail along his skin until my mouth meets his.
“You must really like it.”
“No,” I utter, pressing all of my body against his, “I love it.”
“Well, I’m glad.” His fingers hook into my collar. “Is this my shirt?”
“Yep. I didn’t have anything else to wear last night. Wow. You really were tired, huh?”
“Yeah, I must have been.”
“Do you like me in your shirt?” I ask friskily in his ear.
“I like you out of my shirt even better.”
“Fine.” Sitting up, I grab the hem of the shirt and pull it over my head. “You can have it back. I’ll wear something else.”
I toss the shirt, and it gently lands on his face. I begin to move off of him and the bed.
“Nuh-uh.”
Grabbing my arm, he pulls me down and to the side. He rolls over on top of me as he moves one hand behind my head while the other grazes its way up the side of my half-naked body. Well, it’s now ninety-percent naked. I have a feeling that this thong only covers ten percent of my body. Okay, maybe it’s only three percent.
“Now, where do you think you’re going?” he asks.
“To get dressed.”
“You were already dressed.”
“Not really. You threw such a fit about wanting your shirt back.”
“No. I said I like you out of my shirt.”
“I can tell.” I hook my legs behind his back, pulling him against me. “I can tell you really like it,” I sass, referring to his hard-on.
“Yes. Thank you for stating the obvious.”
“You’re welcome.”
His mouth softly touches mine. With only my panties and his boxers between us, he grinds against me. I have to admit that this isn’t exactly how I expected to start my morning, but I’m not complaining. Brent is so incredibly sexy.
“Ruby. Why do you do this to me?”
“Because I can,” I barely make out.
Feeling his body all over me, I’m distracted by how turned on I suddenly am. His chest barely touches my nipples as his lower body continues to press against me.
“Brent?”
He knows what I want. We’ve been doing this for what seems like forever, but it has never gotten old. Our bodies just work so well together.
His mouth drifts to my neck where he gently nips his way over to my ear. One of his hands pulls my arm up over my head, clasping our hands together tightly, while the other removes the minuscule piece of fabric that some company has claimed to be called underwear. I move my legs in the direction he leads, and the thong is quickly forgotten.
Brent moves his lips down my chest where he mouths one of my nipples. As a moan escapes, I take my free hand and tangle it into his thick inky hair while I raise my pelvis upward, seeking what I want.
“I know, I know,” Brent says against my skin.
Before he has a chance to take any longer, I lift my foot to the waistband of his shorts and begin to skillfully move them down over his ass.
“Anxious?” he asks.
“And here I was trying to be subtle.”
Brent stops what he’s doing and helps me to remove his boxers. When we’re both fully naked, he lies on top of me, his green eyes meeting with my brown ones.
“Happy birthday, gorgeous,” he says softly.
“Thank you.”
Leaning down, he kisses me gently, longingly, sweetly. It reminds me of when we were kids, making out by the lake in our hometown. I inhale deeply as if the air that I breathe needs to be savored. I can’t believe he still kisses me like this. With the amount of love and passion he gives into every piece of my soul, my heart pounds in my chest, almost bringing tears to my eyes.
I tenderly and slowly kiss him back. Wanting to be in this moment forever, I’m afraid to move because it might break the spell. His hand weaves into my hair, cupping my head, as I move both of my hands gingerly along his back.
Brent lifts his head up, just enough, so we can look into each other’s eyes. I lick my lips, awaiting his move, while I look deep into the soul of the man who knows my everything as much as I know his.
Neither one of us takes our eyes away from the other as he pushes himself into me. I draw in a heavy breath as he moves deeper into me, and then I exhale audibly when he’s fully inside.
“God, I love that,” my mouth moves, saying the words.
“So much,” Brent replies.
When his eyes change slightly, I see it there. I wish I could call it love, but that word doesn’t seem big enough for what we share. It’s greater than that. It’s more than just two people coming together to grow into loving one another. I wish this thing had a word.
I move one hand to entwine my fingers with his as I place the other firmly on his backside. Never straying our eyes, Brent begins to rock into me, pushing in and out in time with my own rhythm.
“I feel you, Ruby.”
“I feel you, too.”
I want to kiss him, but I don’t want to lose this intense moment that we’re sharing. My breathing starts to labor, and soon, I can’t hold on any longer. I grip his ass hard, pulling him deeper inside of me, until I fall apart around him. Panting his name, my eyes never leave his. Pushing into me one final time, Brent squeezes his eyes shut, losing himself within me.
CHAPTER ONE LINK:
FORGOTTEN YESTERDAY BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/qEITqhiBRQc
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