Brooke leaned back and held up her pink. “Pinky promise.”
Lucy giggled and linked fingers with her best friend, her heart aching equal parts sadness and joy. She was going to miss the hell out of Brooke, but she knew that they would always be friends.
“Now go finish getting ready. Our unicorns will be here soon!”
Jaxon
Jaxon drove to campus with Conner by his side. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with his brother. Jaxon had been spending all of his time with Lucy lately and Conner was doing the same with Brooke. They were officially an item now.
“So, have you got anything special planned for the big night?” Conner asked, giving Jaxon a fiendish wink.
Jaxon groaned. “Brooke told you, didn’t she?”
“Yep.”
Jaxon shook his head unable to hide his smirk. “Of course she did.”
“How’d you like the ol’ condoms in the takeout bag prank?”
Jaxon barked a laugh. “That was your idea?”
“Yeah, but my girl executed it brilliantly. She showed me the pictures.”
Jaxon grumbled half-heartedly. He wasn’t embarrassed that his brother knew tonight was the night for him and Lucy, but Jaxon was never really the kind of guy who liked to kiss and tell. He wanted tonight to be for just him and the girl he loved.
“I’m just messing with ya,” Conner said. “I’m really glad things have worked out for you two.”
“Thanks, me too.”
“I just wish we could’ve gotten somewhere with the hit-and-run,” Conner said, his jaw muscle twitching. “I haven’t given up. There’s still some options to pursue.”
Jaxon loved his brother even more for how fiercely he’d worked on the hit-and-run case for Lucy, but she and Jaxon discussed it and they’d come to a decision. “You know I appreciate everything you’ve done for Lucy with her accident, right?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but we’ve talked about it and we’re done pursuing it.”
Conner was quiet for a beat. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. We could spend our time chasing this thing or we could spend it enjoying the fact that her accident brought us together.”
“I hear ya,” Conner said. “But I still wish I could find that son of a bitch and make him pay.”
Jaxon nodded. That notion had been hard for him to let go of at first. But he had and he knew it was better this way. “We may not have gotten him, but he’s gotta live with what he did. Maybe that’s enough.”
It was enough for Lucy, and that made it enough for Jaxon, too. The accident had served a greater purpose; it brought Jaxon and Lucy together. And that’s all that mattered in the end.
“Well if you change your mind . . .” Conner offered.
“Nah. I think we’re happy walking away.”
Lucy
Lucy heard the boys arrive. Their rich voices filled the living room while she set up the last part of her surprise for Jaxon. Now all she had to do was wait for Brooke to send him into her bedroom, where Lucy was waiting.
Her nerves tingled as she heard Jaxon talking outside her bedroom door.
Good Lord, why was she so bad at waiting when it came to this boy?
She knew why. Because she loved him with all of her heart. And because she had been waiting for him all of her life. But as she watched the doorknob turn she knew she would wait all over again, because Jaxon was her everything. And he was definitely worth waiting for.
Plus, the wait was over. Tonight was their night—for a lot of things.
Jaxon
Jaxon let himself into Lucy’s bedroom after lightly knocking. When he saw her, his face lit up. She was standing in the center of her room in a jade green dress that hugged her body like it had been made for her. Her eyes sparkled, the green and gold startlingly vibrant against the hue of her dress. Jaxon’s eyes swept over her, from the gold and silver beads that embellished the sweeping neckline to the way the tapered waist fanned out into a short skirt, skimming the golden skin of her thighs. His eyes traveled down her toned legs and suddenly stopped.
His breath caught in his throat. “Your boot?”
She wasn’t wearing it. She was completely barefoot—not a brace or boot in sight. And for the first time, Jaxon realized she was standing on a stack of books.
He grinned. “What are you doing up there, beautiful?”
“Waiting for you.”
Goddamn, he loved hearing her say that. Jaxon closed the distance between them and kissed her. He could get used to her at this height; it was the perfect kissing level. Lucy leaned into his embrace and for a minute Jaxon considered skipping prom all together and just staying there, in that perfect moment with Lucy in his arms.
After a passionate kiss, Lucy pulled back, grinning at him. “So what do you think?” she asked, standing on her good foot and showing off the one that was now boot-free.
“Is this physician approved?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Then I think I like it.”
“You think you like it?”
“As long as you don’t think being healed is gonna stop me from wanting to carry you places. I want you in my arms all the time, Smalls.”
Lucy grinned so bright, Jaxon’s heart hurt. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Then she leapt into his arms.
Lucy
Brooke was right; prom was epic.
Lucy spent it dancing with her best friend and swaying to the music wrapped in her boyfriend’s arms—her heart lighter and fuller than it had ever been.
As the party started to wind down, Jaxon leaned in and whispered in Lucy’s ear. “I’ve got something I wanna show you outside.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Come on.”
Jaxon led Lucy out of the grand hotel ballroom hosting their prom and scooped her into his arms. She settled against him, happiness washing over her. There was no place she liked better than Jaxon’s arms.
“This is my favorite place,” Lucy murmured, tucking her head against his neck. Good Lord, he smelled heavenly tonight.
“I think I might have a new favorite place for ya,” Jaxon murmured.
“Not possible.”
“I don’t know . . . the place I’m taking you is pretty amazing.”
Lucy picked her head up and stared into Jaxon’s twinkling blue eyes. “Where is this so-called amazing place you think is better than your arms?”
He grinned. “You’ll see.”
Jaxon drove Lucy to a quiet spot overlooking the beach. The sun was setting and nostalgia washed over her. “This is just like our first date,” she said when Jaxon lifted her out of the truck.
“I’m hoping it ends a little better,” he teased.
Lucy poked him in the side and stuck out her tongue. “Just wait until you’re wine drunk, then we’ll see how funny it is.”
“Would you settle for champagne drunk?” he asked, pulling back the cover over his truck bed.
Lucy gasped. The truck bed was full of pillows and blankets and rose petals. Jaxon pulled a champagne bottle out of a small cooler he’d stashed back there and gave her a wink.
“Jaxon! I can’t believe you did all of this.”
He pulled her close, nuzzling her neck. “I told you it’d be worth the wait.”
Lucy’s heart swelled in her chest. “I never doubted it would be.”
Jaxon pulled down the tailgate and set Lucy on top of it. He carefully slipped off her ballet flats and nudged her knees apart so he could stand between them. He looked up at her, his blue eyes glittering like the surface of the ocean behind him. He brushed back a lock of her hair and ran the back of his hand slowly down her cheek. She leaned into his touch. “I love you, Lucy,” he whispered, and then they were kissing.
Jaxon’s firm lips slid over Lucy’s, claiming her over and over again. Her lungs burned as she kissed him back, wrapping her legs around his waist.
<
br /> “I love you too,” she said breathlessly.
Jaxon pulled her closer and she kissed him until she thought her lungs would burst. But she didn’t care. She never wanted to let him go. He made her feel bright and shiny and new. He was her heart, her home, her future—her whole damn world.
She truly loved this boy with her entire heart and as she shared his breath between passionate kisses, she knew she was ready to share more.
They had made it. The waiting was over. And so was the fear. Jaxon obliterated all the things that had haunted Lucy for so long. She knew that he was her forever. No matter what the future held, as long as they were together, they would make it.
As bliss stole over Lucy, a thought from earlier in the night drifted into her mind. Brooke had wanted to be sure her early graduation gift worked, so she made Lucy ask the Magic 8 Ball a question to test it out. Lucy played along, asking a silly question that she already knew the answer to.
Now, wrapped tightly in Jaxon’s arms, Lucy closed her eyes and let the question she’d asked her Magic 8 Ball swim back to her mind. “Can an accident save you?”
For once, Lucy agreed with the toy’s answer.
Magic 8 Ball says: Without a doubt.
To my readers,
I want to personally thank you for taking the time to seek out this great little indie book. Writing is truly my passion. I believe each of us can find a small part of ourselves in every book we read, and carry it with us, shaping our world, our adventures and our dreams.
Following my dream to write frees my soul but knowing others find joy in my writing is indescribable. So thank you for your support and I hope your enjoyed your brief escape into the magic of these pages.
If you enjoyed this story, don’t worry, there’s plenty more currently rattling around in my rambunctious imagination. Let me and others know your thoughts by sharing a review of this book. Reviews help shape my next writing projects. So if you want more books like this one be sure to shout it from the rooftops (or social media.) ;-)
- Christina Benjamin
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW HERE
Also by Christina Benjamin
YOUNG ADULT FANTASY/DYSTOPIAN SERIES
The Geneva Project - TRUTH (Book 1)
The Geneva Project - SECRETS (Book 2)
The Geneva Project - LIES (Book 3)
The Geneva Project - DESTINY (Book 4)
The Geneva Project - Complete Box Set
The Geneva Project - Prequels Collection
YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
(All Boyfriend Books are Stand-Alone Novels and can be read in Any Order)
The Practice Boyfriend (Book 1)
The Almost Boyfriend (Book 2)
The Goodbye Boyfriend (Book 3)
The Holiday Boyfriend (Book 4)
The Stand-In Boyfriend (Book 5)
The Maybe Boyfriend (Book 6)
The Accidental Boyfriend (Book 7)
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (18+)
Retreat To Me
Retreat Again
The Practice Boyfriend (Book 1)
Hannah Stark is a high school senior with a resume of straight A's. She's never stepped a toe out of line. But that's also why she's never had a boyfriend. While all her classmates are counting down the days until graduation, Hannah is dragging her feet. She feels like she missed out on the high school experience. Can a practice boyfriend change everything for her?
The Almost Boyfriend (Book 2)
Sam Connors always follows the rules. But when her father forces her to leave Boston to finish her senior year of high school at a posh prep school in Ireland she has no choice but to rebel. She’s determined to break all the rules with a little help from bad boy Devon James and to return to Boston by any means necessary. Her plan is crazy, but she’s convinced it will work—almost.
The Goodbye Boyfriend (Book 3)
Camille LaRue is a nobody, and she likes it that way. She has her senior year planned out and it doesn’t include falling in love. That’s why she’s quick to say “Goodbye” when Nate says "Hello.” But the handsome new transfer student from California is intrigued by Camille’s quirky NOLA charm and doesn’t give up easily. Will his persistence pay off or is Camille too far gone to risk her heart with so little time left?
The Holiday Boyfriend (Book 4)
Emma Rhodes is hesitant to return to Manhattan for Christmas. After all, she left for a reason. A tall, dark and handsome reason named Will Taylor. But Emma has been homesick for the city ever since she moved to Boston with her mother. So when the opportunity to spend her last high school holiday with her father presents itself, she can’t resist. Will there be magic in Manhattan for Emma and Will?
The Stand-In Boyfriend (Book 5)
Beth Bennett has it all—the world’s best friend and the world’s best boyfriend. As the last few months of school tick by Beth scrambles to balance being a girlfriend & best friend to the two most important guys in her life. But when her perfect Spring Break plans get ruined, Beth’s life spirals out of control as the boys in her life pull her in two different directions. Who will Beth choose…her boyfriend, or the boy who’s never let her down?
The Maybe Boyfriend (Book 6)
Megan has stars in her eyes and dreams in her heart. As a Boston University film student, she never could have imagined going to Ireland for a semester abroad. But that’s exactly what happens when her dream guy, Zander O’Leary’s company offers her a film scholarship. Their Irish adventure soon goes awry and things get dangerously close to revealing Zander’s dark past. Can Megan push past his walls …or will she decide that maybe, isn’t enough?
The Accidental Boyfriend (Book 7)
Can an accident lead to love? All signs point to yes. Lucy Adams meets the boy of her dreams during a car accident. Did fate bring them together for a reason? Armed with a Magic 8 Ball and a quirky best friend, Lucy decides to find out if this accident was meant to tear her world apart or put her right where she was always meant to be.
About the Author
Award-Winning author, Christina Benjamin, lives in Florida with her husband, and character inspiring pets, where she spends her free time working on her books and speaking to inspire fellow writers.
Christina is best known for her wildly popular Young Adult fantasy series, The Geneva Project and her bestselling Young Adult romance novels, The Boyfriend series.
The Geneva Project has won multiple awards and stolen the hearts of YA readers. Packed with magic and imagination, her epic tale of adventure hooks fans of mega-hit YA fiction like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson.
The Boyfriend series proves that book boyfriends are like Chocolate… you can never have enough. Check out the Boyfriend series for fast, fun, YA romance reads. These stand alone novels let you fall in love with new characters every time.
Christina loves to read and write across genres. YA is her favorite but she’s a sucker for a good love story. Don’t miss her romance, paranormal and historical fiction, as well as the multiple anthologies she’s been a part of.
Follow Christina’s Amazon Page to get updates when new books are released. Click Here to Follow on Amazon.
Interested in joining Christina’s Mailing List for news and updates or becoming a VIP reader? Click Here to Join Christina’s Mailing List.
Want to be sure you never miss a book? Join Christina on Patreon and subscribe to get a signed paperback every time she publishes a new novel.
For more information
www.christinabenjaminauthor.com
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank everyone who made this book possible. To Philip, my amazing husband and publishing guru. You are my unicorn. Your unyielding belief and encouragement forces me to pour my best self onto each and every page. Your unwavering love fills my heart and overflows onto the pages of each love story I write.
To Molly and Megan, two incredibly generous women who take time out of their busy lives to let me blab endlessly about
my books while they help make them shine. There’s not enough words in the world to thank you for all you do, but I will continue to bribe you with goodie bags and good times. I’m so blessed to call you friends and I think we need a Pints & Pies night very soon.
To Vince for literally sitting by my side during every word, edit and rewrite. You are the stinky heartbeat at my feet and I wouldn’t trade you for the world.
To all the weird and wonderful places I hid away to write this book.
To quirky, weird, strong women, who are bold enough to be who they are and brave enough to stick up for their friends. The world could use more Brookes like you.
To all the Jaxon’s and Conner’s out there, keep letting your magic show, the world needs more unicorns.
To everyone who has ever been brave enough to follow their heart.
To my parents for teaching me that love conquers all. And to all the people in the world who still believes in it.
And to all of you who are taking the time to read this to the very end.
The Accidental Boyfriend: A YA Contemporary Romance Novel (The Boyfriend Series Book 7) Page 29
