Hearts Attached

by Scarlet Wolfe

  Hearts Attached

  Scarlet Wolfe

  Copyright © 2014 Scarlet Wolfe Books

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  ISBN-13: 978-1499175424

  ISBN-10: 1499175426

  Contents

  Notes

  Dedication

  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

  Epilogue

  End Notes

  Acknowledgements

  Notes

  This novel is written from the point of view of

  Luke and McKenzie

  Dedication

  To Mom for keeping and loving me when you were practically a child yourself. Thank you for raising me to be the person I am today. I love you.

  Chapter One

  McKenzie

  “Remember when we would constantly play outside? We never wanted to be indoors,” I say, looking at Luke. He’s flipping through a hotrod magazine as he sits on his bed. His wavy, dark brown hair is pushed up in the back, from his head leaning against the wall above his headboard. It looks funny, so I fight a giggle.

  “Yeah, just like we never wanted to sleep, and now we do it any chance we get.” He never looks up as he flips to the next page.

  “We would get so dirty. Then Mom would make us take baths together. It was gross,” Liv says.

  “You’re right; it was gross, and I don’t want to think about it,” Luke adds.

  Liv Harris, short for Olivia, is my best friend. Her twin brother is Luke, and honestly, we’re closer, but I can’t tell Liv that or Luke either, so as far as they’re both concerned, I’m her best friend.

  The three of us have been inseparable our whole lives. We’re seventeen now, and only one house has separated us since birth.

  Our parents had to apologetically inform the three different families who have moved into the house between ours that Luke, Liv and I would be continually wearing a path through their yard.

  Liv is stretched out across the foot of Luke’s bed, and I have my head on her stomach with my feet toward Luke. He looks up from his magazine with a smile on his face.

  “Do you two remember how we used to play with those helicopter seeds that fell from the trees?”

  “Yeah, I remember,” I reply.

  ***

  Age 6:

  “The hewicopters are falling again from the wind! Wook, Wuke,” I say, jumping around as they fall from the trees.

  “Let’s see how many we can catch. Do you want to play, Wiv?” Wuke asks.

  “It’s Liv, and when are you two going to learn to talk right?”

  I watch Wuke frown. I go over and whisper in his ear. “Don’t wisten to her. I wike the way you tawk.”

  “Our moms said not to tell secrets,” Wiv says, putting her hands on her hips. She’s bossy. “He’s my twin brother, Kenzie. Only I can tell him secrets. You should go home.”

  My eyes get watery. She’s mean to me sometimes. Wuke takes my hand. “Don’t go, Kenzie. Wiv, we can aw pway together. Come on, hep us catch hewicopters,” he says, smiwing and taking howd of Wiv’s hand, too.

  ***

  “Back to earth, Kenzie,” Luke says.

  I glance up, and he’s smiling at me.

  “Huh?” Why does he have to appear hotter daily?

  “I often wonder where your mind wanders off to. Can you take mine with you? I’d prefer it over thinking about all the bullshit that goes on around here.”

  “Please, what bullshit do you have to deal with?” Liv asks.

  “Oh, I don’t know, Liv. How about all the people who are on my ass to make sure I keep my shit together? I’m not the only kid in this house. Someone else I know needs to have the heat put on them for a while.” He glances up long enough to glare at her.

  “Poor, Luke. You’re the most popular guy at school because of how good you are at sports. I have a hard time feeling sorry for you.”

  “I didn’t ask for your sympathy, and what’s your deal?”

  Liv pushes forward, signaling she wants up, so I raise to a sitting position and cross my legs. I’m now at Luke’s feet.

  “I have to listen to girls talk about you daily. They’re always using me to get to you, and I’m sorry if that becomes tiresome for me.

  “You need to date one of them already. I’m going to see if Mom needs help with dinner.” Liv is off the bed in seconds, flipping her long, dark hair before she goes out the door.

  Luke shuts his magazine and launches it across the room. “How have we managed to put up with her all these years?”

  “Give her a break. She lives in your shadow, and it wasn’t like that before high school.”

  “You’re too nice, Kenzie.”

  It’s always awkward when he gives me compliments. I flip my hair, like Liv often does, and look up to the ceiling. She’s as prissy as it gets.

  “It’s a gift. I can’t help it.”

  He chuckles before his gaze averts to the other side of the room. “Um, I heard Stewart asked you out.”

  “Yeah, he did.” My long hair is everywhere now, so I attempt to pull sections to their proper places.

  “Well, did you say yes?”

  “I told him I wanted to think about it.”

  Luke nods his head thoughtfully but still doesn’t look at me. “So you like him?”

  “I don’t know. He’s cute and has always been nice to me. I thought I’d see how he is at school, when we start next week. Do you think he’s only looking for one thing?”

  Finally, Luke’s eyes meet mine.

  “If you go by Stew’s history, then I’d say yes, but I’ll deny I told you that.”

  “Maybe it’s time I did it.”

  Luke pulls away from his wall and sits straight up.

  “You’re considering having sex with him?” he asks, sounding surprised.

  “Not him, necessarily. I meant that maybe it’s time period.”

  Luke covers his ears. “This conversation is done. If you start doing it, then that means Liv is or will be shortly thereafter, and then I’ll have to kill someone.”

  Grinning, I stare at his handsome face.

  “It’s adorable when you get protective of your sister.”

  “You’re calling me adorable? How girly is that? I think it’s tickle time.”

  Luke

  McKenzie is only in a tank top and shorts since it’s August, so it takes only a second to get to her armpits. I tickle her there before moving to her waist. She falls back on my bed and attempts to pull her knees up.

  It’s her signature move, but I’m on to her tactics, so I put my left arm across her thighs as she begins to bring up her legs. She works
to remove my right hand from her waist, giving me no choice but to bring her wrists together and wrap my hand around them.

  Moving them above her head, I hold them there snugly, but this causes me to fall over on top of her. I’m struggling to keep her legs down when it hits me that my left arm is stuck between us, somewhat across her ... you know and her smooth thighs.

  Ah shit. Now that we’re older, it’s different when I tickle her. I mean, her body keeps changing. Kenzie is still laughing and breathing heavily.

  I stop moving, so she slowly does, too. Trying to get her breath, she turns her head to cough before swinging it back and looking at me.

  Her light brown hair that’s woven with golden strands is pretty, and blue eyes that I swear couldn’t get any lighter gaze up at me. Will the day come when she stops getting prettier?

  “You’ve figured me out. I need new moves,” she says, appearing nervous.

  I can’t stop staring into her eyes. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this close to them. I feel her breath on my face, her body pinned beneath me, and I want to cover her mouth with mine. Why the hell is this happening again? I buried that feeling a year and a half ago. Well, I tried to, anyway.

  Ah, shit, I feel an erection coming on, so I fly off of her. “Kenzie, I–I’m sorry.”

  She sits up and quickly straightens her clothes and hair. Right after, Liv comes in the room and eyes us suspiciously.

  “Dinner’s ready. What’s with the serious looks?”

  “Oh, um, Luke was making me spill the beans about Stewart asking me out.”

  “I can’t believe you’re telling him,” Liv says before shooting daggers at me. What’s new these days? “Leave her alone, Luke. You’re friends with Stew. You’ll probably go tell him everything she says.”

  “Liv, give me a little credit. Kenzie’s more of a friend than any of those guys. I wouldn’t do that to her.”

  “I have to go.” Kenzie jumps off the bed.

  “But you said you were staying for dinner,” Liv says, noticeably irritated.

  “Sorry. I forgot that Mom was going to be home this evening. I never get to eat with her since she works so much.”

  In a split second, Kenz is running out of my room faster than I can do the hundred yard dash.

  “See, Luke. She doesn’t want to talk to you about guys. We’re getting too old for that.”

  I scowl at her. My sister is on my last nerve, but I actually owe her one for walking in when she did. I have a feeling the situation would’ve been even more embarrassing had I been left alone with Kenzie any longer.

  Chapter Two

  McKenzie

  Classes only started yesterday, and I’m already sick of it. It’s also hot outside, and I guess the school wasn’t expecting it, so they don’t have the air cranked up like they should. It’s not typically this warm in Hanover, New Hampshire in late August.

  Liv and I sit together at lunch with our friends, Amanda and Shelby. I glance over at Luke as he sits with his buddies. He’s been distant since the incident in his room, and I don’t know what to make of it.

  He has spoken to me but hasn’t made eye contact once. I would know since he has the most unique eyes. They turn from shades of blue to green depending on the color he’s wearing.

  It’s been impossible to miss how much cuter he’s become over the last several years, too. Even before he was tickling me, I was admiring him from the other end of the bed.

  He’s all I’ve thought about since, and I don’t know what the hell to do about it. One time last year, I mentioned to Liv that he was hot, and she completely freaked out on me.

  She said it was disgusting that I was even thinking it since he was her twin and a good friend of mine, so after her outburst, I knew she’d never accept Luke and me being together. Besides, he made the decision not to let that happen a year and a half ago.

  She gets jealous if she even thinks I’m enjoying myself more with him. She’s matured some, but she’s not where she should be for our age. I swear I felt him getting a boner while he was on top of me.

  I guess that’s a natural thing to happen to a guy when pressed against a girl, so I doubt he likes me. He’s probably avoiding me because he’s embarrassed. I need to find the key I obviously lost and lock those feelings right back up.

  “Kenzie, I heard you turned Stewart down for a date. Are you insane?” Amanda asks. She’s pretty and the only girl I know who can rock short hair that good.

  Her eyes are as dark as her hair, giving her a sort of mysterious look. The guys love it. She’s also ... how can I put this nicely. Easy. Yeah, that’s the nicest word I can find.

  Amanda is the friend who has educated us on sex. She’s had it with four boys already. I personally think that’s a lot for seventeen. There are also a few different guys who she’s done other things with.

  “He’s too intimidating. Even if I didn’t sleep with him, everyone would assume I did just from dating him,” I reply.

  “Would that be such a bad thing? You’re kinda considered a prude around here,” Shelby says.

  “Well is that such a bad thing? I haven’t met a guy yet that I’d like to lose my virginity to.” That’s not true, but I can’t share that with them. Luke. No, McKenzie, get the thought out of your head.

  “What about you, Liv? When are you crossing over to the wild side?” Shelby asks with a smirk.

  Shelby is pretty, too, with her shoulder length, light brown hair. Her eyes are hazel and remind me a little of Luke’s. There I go again. Maybe it’s because I have a perfect view of him from where I’m sitting. I’m blaming it on that.

  “I’ve come close,” Liv replies.

  That is true. She almost went all the way with her last boyfriend, Christian, but backed out at prom this past school year. He dumped her the next day, and she spent the entire Sunday crying in my bed. Luke came over and demanded to know what happened.

  The following Monday, Christian was tormented the entire day on a rotating schedule, which Luke and the rest of the ice hockey team put into play. Needless to say, he was told never to even look in Olivia’s direction again. The problem with that is every other guy in school is afraid to go near her. I begin giggling.

  “What are you laughing at?” she asks.

  “I was thinking about Christian. Maybe by winter break, when the guys at this school see that Luke hasn’t killed anyone, some of them will ask you out again.”

  “It isn’t funny, Kenzie.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll get a guy to ask you out. Who are you interested in? Name him, and I’ll go talk to him right now.”

  “Bullshit. You don’t have the nerve.”

  I was trying to show I was still her loyal friend, but I have a feeling this is going to backfire big time. She takes a swig from her water bottle and scopes the cafeteria before a big smile spreads across her face.

  “OK. I’d like to go out with Dalton.”

  “Liv,” I say, whining.

  “You said you’d do it. Are you too scared?”

  “Liv, your brother will kill me. He’s never going to let his closest friend go out with you.”

  “You know I’ve had a crush on him since freshman year.”

  I feel my stomach twisting into knots.

  “Can I do it later? He’s in my English class.”

  “Nope. You have to go right over to their table, pull him aside, and talk to him.”

  Liv doesn’t think I will. It’s the only reason she is challenging me. She’ll die if I really tell Dalton she likes him. Oh, I’ve so got to do this, but I want to vomit.

  “Fine,” I say as I stand from our table. I begin my stroll over to where there are at least ten guys eating together. I hear Liv yelling for me, so I look back over my shoulder in time to see her burying her face in her hands.

  I’m a senior. I’m supposed to be brave enough to do crap like this, right? Then why do I feel the vomit rise to my throat?

  As I get closer, Luke glances up at me and
appears nervous. Dalton is sitting next to him, and Stewart is across with his back to me.

  “Hey, Kenz, whatcha need?” Luke asks with a faint smile. Stewart’s head snaps up toward me. I’m standing between him and another guy.

  “McKenzie, how’s it goin’?” Stew asks.

  “Great, thanks.”

  “I have a seat right here if you need one.” He pats his lap and chuckles.

  Several of the guys at the table snicker. I’m still looking at Luke, who’s now glaring at him. How dare Stew try to embarrass me in front of almost every popular guy in our class?

  “Aww, Stew. I don’t think I could find your dick that easily, but thanks for the offer.”

  “Oh, burn,” I hear from someone at the table.

  “She shot you doooown, bro,” Noah says. He’s Stew’s best friend. Every guy is laughing, especially Luke.

  “Kenzie, what do you need, hon?” Luke asks, getting his composure back after chuckling. Aww, he hasn’t called me a pet name in a while.

  I point next to him. “I’m actually here to speak with Dalton.” I smile brightly at the guy I’d consider the second most gorgeous male at our school. Luke is the first, of course.

  Um, maybe I had an ulterior motive in doing this. I can’t imagine Luke will like it. Did I really come over here to see Luke and make him jealous?

  “Will you walk with me, Dalton?”

  I glance back to Luke. His mouth is hanging open, and he’s staring me down.

  “Sure thing, Kenzie.”

  “Mc–Kenzie,” Luke says, still staring at me.

  Dalton shakes his head as he gets out of his chair. Yeah ... Luke doesn’t like it if anyone besides Liv calls me Kenzie. Dalton follows, and when I glance over to Liv, her eyes are huge, and now, she looks like she might vomit.

  When we reach the hall, he shoves his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts.

  “What’s up? I can’t say I’m not curious.”

  He peers at me, a bashful smile curling from his lips. Dang, he’s cute. He has thick, blonde hair and long eyelashes that set over a pair of light brown eyes.

  “Um, what do you think about Olivia?”

  “Olivia Harris?” he asks with a smirk.