Next to Forever: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Three

by Long, A. L.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Acknowledgment

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  About the Author

  New Releases

  NEXT TO FOREVER

  Shattered Innocence Trilogy

  Book Three

  By A. L. Long

  (Shattered Innocence Trilogy)

  Next to Forever

  Shattered Innocence Trilogy

  Copyright © 2015 A. L. Long. All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters , places and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used frictionally and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely fictional.

  Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

  Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

  Editing by: H Elaine Roughton

  ASIN: B01M02QXVE

  ISBN: 978-1537612928

  Acknowledgment

  To my husband, who has been so supportive of my writing. If it weren’t for him my dream of writing would have never been fulfilled. I love you, sweetheart. And to my family whom I also love dearly. Through their love and support, I can continue my passion for writing.

  To the many readers, who took a chance on me and purchased my books. I hope that I can continue to fill your hearts with the passion I have grown to love.

  A special thank to all of the people that supported me at SPS. If you would like to learn about what they can offer you to become a self-publisher, please check out the link below. You will be thankful you did. https://xe172.isrefer.com/go/curcust/allongbooks

  PROLOGUE

  “How could she do this? After everything we had together.” He contemplated his next move as he paced back and forth in the small hotel room that he had no choice but to check into. He wanted to give her so much. He knew he shouldn’t have stayed away so long. Now he couldn’t stay away. Not anymore. How could she find someone so soon? And for it to be the one man who had everything to offer. He couldn’t let this continue. He will not have her. She belonged to him. He will get her back if it’s the last thing he does. He just needed a plan. A way to get her alone. He had to make her understand that everything he did was for her, so they would never have to worry about anything ever again.

  First, he needed to find a way to get rid of Rade Matheson. If he was to ever have another chance with her, Matheson had to go away. He couldn’t wait to have her again. This time he wouldn’t wait. It would be different. Every inch of her would be his. The only sound that would come from her mouth would be his name as she screamed in pleasure. He couldn’t wait to be deep inside her. She would desire and want him just as much as he wanted her. She would beg him for more. Her need for him would be like a drug she’d never be able to live without. He would control her. There would be nothing that she wouldn’t do for him. He would finally have her beneath him like it should have always been. She will forget about Rade Matheson, because once he took her, he would be the only person she thought about. The only person she would desire. The last person who would take her. Rade Matheson might have power and money, but soon she would forget. None of that would matter once she was his. He could give her all those things and more. She would want for nothing. They would have kids together and live in a big house with a big dog. Maybe out in the country where no one could bother them. He would demand she home school their children so she would always be near him. He would never let her go. He had been so gentle with her before. No more. It was time she experienced everything he was going to do to her. He wished she was with him right now. How good it would feel to have her lips wrapped around his cock, licking and sucking him until his seed slide down her perfect throat.

  He only saw her before him. Picturing her kneeling before him, he imagined her mouth, taking every inch of him. There was no mercy, the intense pleasure took over his body. He only wished it was Dylan pleasuring him. He would take her every day, at least once, maybe more.

  Chloe would soon have Rade and he would soon have Dylan. Soon Dylan would be his.

  CHAPTER ONE

  It’s strange how one life could change with a blink of an eye. Everything she knew about this man was gone. The man she loved, the man she could see herself spending the rest of her life with, gone. How many more secrets were there? How could they ever be together now? Dylan promised that she would never leave Rade, but when she heard the news that he and Chloe were going to have a child together, all bets were off.

  It didn’t take her long to pack once she pulled herself together. She must have cried for what seemed like hours before she had shed her last tear. Rade was frantically knocking at the door the whole time. She couldn’t face him, so she ignored his pounding fists against the door. When the door to the bedroom opened, everything in her body told her to run.

  Rade saw the hurt and confusion as he looked at Dylan. The last thing he wanted was to cause her so much pain. Pain that he knew he would never be able to take back. He knew he should have told Dylan everything. Now his chance was gone. The last thing he expected was for Chloe to show up on his doorstep. She had taken everything from him. Everything that mattered to him. Rade couldn’t let Dylan leave. She needed to hear what he had to say. It was his last chance.

  “Dylan,” Rade said softly as he approached her.

  “Rade, I need to go. I can’t be near you right now,” Dylan muttered.

  “Before you go, would you please let me explain?” Rade pleaded, taking her by the hand. If he could let her know what happened, maybe she would understand how this could have happened and how he would never be with that woman by choice.

  Dylan didn’t resist Rade as he walked her over to the bed. Pulling her to his side, he sat down on the bed. Dylan looked beyond hurt. She looked as though the news she heard was the end of the world for her. Rade wasn’t about to let that happen. There was more to this whole thing than he even knew. It just didn’t make sense.

  “When I was taken, Alex was the one who kept me drugged. I don’t ever remember seeing Chloe at the house. It's starting to make sense, Dylan. She must have been there,” Rade declared, rubbing Dylan’s hands as he held on to her. “I would never willingly be w
ith her. She knew that I wouldn’t resist her in a drugged state. That must have been when she seduced me.”

  The more Rade explained his theory, the more it sounded far-fetched. But he knew Chloe and how she liked playing games.

  “Rade, do you know how crazy that sounds?” Dylan argued. “Why would she do that? When they rescued you, there was no sign that she was even there.”

  “I know how it sounds, Dylan, but I’m telling you, I would never sleep with that woman. She was there. I’d bet my life on it. I’m going to prove to you that she was,” Rade vowed. “When I found out she was pregnant, she told my father that I had raped her. She said that she had pictures to prove it. Dylan, you know me. I would never do that to any woman. I’m going to find out the truth and what her game is.”

  “I want to believe you, Rade. I need time to think. This is too much,” Dylan replied. Rising to her feet, she started walking to the bedroom door, leaving Rade sitting on the bed.

  Before she left the room, Rade murmured softly, “You can stay at the penthouse. I’ll stay here. Take the Audi.” Removing the keys from his pocket, Rade walked to where Dylan was standing. Placing the keys in her small hand, he leaned over. “I will give you all the time you need, Dylan, but please let me show you that I’m telling you the truth. Have faith in me. Have faith in us.” Rade cupped Dylan’s face in his hands, wanting her to know the pain he was feeling. She was his life and no one, not even Chloe, was going to take her away from him.

  Dylan left Rade’s home feeling numb. Her thoughts were all over the place. She no longer knew what was real and what wasn’t. She wanted to believe Rade. She knew how evil Chloe was. Maybe she was there at the house with Rade. Dylan remembered the doctor in Bethel saying that the drug given to Rade had Rohypnol and something else mixed with it that they were unable to identify. All she knew was she needed time to sort through everything.

  It was late by the time Dylan pulled into the parking garage at Rade’s penthouse. She was completely exhausted from everything that was going through her mind. Grabbing her small bag from the trunk, she headed to the elevator. Just as she was getting ready to step on, Richard was getting off. Richard was the last person she wanted to see. With everything going on, she wondered how much he knew about Rade and Chloe. Taking a chance, she decided to find out.

  “Hey, Richard,” Dylan said softly.

  Richard knew the minute he looked at her something was wrong. “Ms. Adams. I thought you and Mr. Matheson were at his home in Hampton Bay.”

  “Yeah, well, Chloe showed up. Did you know about them? I mean the baby,” Dylan asked.

  “Mr. Matheson informed me earlier today,” Richard began. “Dylan, I’ve known Mr. Matheson since he was a child. Whatever Chloe says, I’m pretty sure Mr. Matheson had no part in it. At least not willingly. You need to trust him. He will find out the truth.”

  “How can you be so sure, Richard?” Dylan replied, unconvinced.

  “Because he loves you. Before you, the only person he ever loved was his brother Isaac. You are the only person that showed him to love again. Don’t give up on him, Dylan,” Richard pleaded.

  When Dylan entered the penthouse, she felt an emptiness consume her. Her heart hurt. She no longer had any more tears to shed. Her life was beginning to crumble. Piece by piece, her heart was falling apart. She no longer had the strength to keep doing this. She felt broken, and all the kings’ men would never be able to put her back together again. With everything going on, she remembered that she no longer had a place to stay, even though Rade insisted she stay at the penthouse. When she agreed to move in with Rade, she ended her lease on her small apartment. Rade paid for the early termination fee to get her out of her lease. Even though she argued, he kept pointing out that she didn’t need her place, and since he requested she move in with him right away, he should be the one to cover the fee. Dylan wished she hadn’t given in. She couldn’t even stay with Lilly. Lilly already had someone renting her apartment while she was away in Paris. This was when it finally hit her. Her best friend was gone and she had no one that she could talk to. Sure, she could call her dad, but how would she explain what happened without him wanting her to come home? Besides, she couldn’t do that to her dad. Not while he was still recovering from his near-fatal accident.

  Tomorrow, she would put her life back in order. She needed to get in touch with Keeve and Mason and see if she could get her job back. She knew they hadn’t hired anyone yet to fill her position, so it was a matter of letting them know that her plans had changed. Then there was the issue about staying with Rade. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen now that a new life was coming into the picture. She wasn’t even sure what Rade’s plans were with the baby, Chloe, or them.

  Despite thinking there were no more tears to shed, Dylan’s tears came down once again. It only took one thought of Rade to bring on the waterworks. When Rade confessed to her that he loved her, she dreamt so many things for them. A house that they would share together. Sharing the birth of their first child. Only that wasn’t going to happen, at least the part where she would be carrying his child. It would be Chloe. His first child would be from a woman that had no right to be a mother. Chloe even took that away from her. How would she even feel knowing that the child belonged to the one woman she hated more than anyone, and was also a part of the man she truly loved? Would she even be able to look at the child, knowing that it was Chloe’s? Could she love that child, even though it was still a part of Rade?

  Dylan’s thoughts tormented her well into the morning. Somehow she needed to get past this. She knew how she felt about Rade. She knew she still loved him and that she would never be able to stop loving him. She just wasn’t sure if she could be with him.

  Taking everything she had, Dylan pushed from her bed and headed to the bathroom. As much as she wanted to wallow in her self-pity, she knew she couldn’t. She had to do something to get her mind off of everything. She thought that if she could focus on getting back into a routine, she would be able to take her mind off of Rade and the baby. Taking a long, hot shower, Dylan tried to clear her mind of all the pain and misery her body absorbed in the last twelve hours.

  Dressed and looking halfway presentable, Dylan left the penthouse with a purpose. She needed to see two men about getting her job back. She knew at the very least, Mason would be at the office.

  Getting to the BlackStone office in record time, Dylan parked the Audi in her designated parking spot. She was glad to see that they hadn’t yet removed her name signage from the plate attached to the concrete wall. Grabbing her purse and locking the car, she headed to the elevator. Dylan could feel the vibration of her phone in her purse as the elevator doors shut. When she pulled it out, she could see that Rade was calling her. She wasn’t ready to talk to him. She didn’t even know what she would say to him. She was still hurt by the news. She was even more hurt that he kept it from her. Declining the call, she tossed her phone back inside her purse.

  The office reception area was quiet. Dylan didn’t see Jessica or Lucy behind the reception desk. The more she looked around, the office seemed empty, at least until Mason rounded the corner. He was so preoccupied with a document that he didn’t notice that Dylan was standing only a few feet away from him.

  When she cleared her throat, Mason looked up. “Dylan, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

  “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting to be here either,” Dylan confessed. “Do you have a minute to talk?” Dylan was nervous about asking Mason for her job back. She knew they wouldn’t hesitate to take her back. She just wasn’t ready for the explanation she had to give him.

  “Sure, let me make a copy of this and I’ll meet you in my office,” Mason replied.

  Dylan waited in Mason’s office for what seemed like forever. When he finally appeared, she could feel her palms getting sweaty and her chest tighten.

  “So, tell me what this is about?” Mason asked as he took a seat behind his desk.

  Dylan didn’t know where t
o begin. She didn’t want to explain the sordid details of her love life, so she just explained what she was only willing to share. “I wanted to see if you would consider taking me back. I might have been a little hasty in giving you my two weeks’ notice.”

  “Well, this is unexpected. May I ask what changed your mind?” Mason asked.

  “I would rather not go into it, but let’s just say my plans didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to,” Dylan admitted. At least, she was telling him the short version of her situation.

  “We would love to have you back. Technically, you are still an employee here. Your things are still in your old office. I will let HR know that you won’t be leaving after all.” Mason wished that he knew why there was a change in circumstance. He suspected that it had to do with Rade Matheson. He hoped to get to know Dylan better, and he didn’t mean the employee to boss relationship. He really liked Dylan and he wanted to share so much more with her.

  Dylan felt an enormous amount pressure being lifted from her shoulders. At least she knew she had her job back. With that problem out of the way, she would be able to focus on what she was going to do about her situation with Rade. She wished she had a crystal ball so she could predict what was going to happen between them. Mostly she just wanted to know how things would end. Were they going to be okay? Was this whole thing just a bad dream and soon she would wake up?

  One thing she knew for sure was she would never let Chloe be the person that tore them apart. Dylan could never give her the satisfaction knowing that she finally got to her.

  Dylan decided to spend the rest of her day doing what she loved. As soon as she was back at the penthouse, Dylan changed her clothes, putting on a pair of shorts and a tank-top, and headed out to Central Park. It was still early enough in the morning that the temperature was still fairly cool. One thing she loved about Rade’s place in the city was that it was only a few blocks from the park. Finding her favorite running mix on her iPod, she headed out on her venture.