by Haley Travis
Love in the Darkness
A shy girl alpha male romance novel
By Haley Travis
Copyright 2020 Haley Travis. All rights reserved. Cover design by Lexie Renard.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted or duplicated in any form whatsoever without express written permission of the author. This book is intended for sale to adults only. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual people or specific locations or details is completely coincidental, or intended fictitiously. All characters are over 18, no sex partners are related, all sex is consensual. This is fantasy. In the real world, everyone practices safe sex at all times. Right? Right.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROLOGUE - Kayla
CHAPTER ONE - Kayla
CHAPTER TWO - Liam
CHAPTER THREE - Kayla
CHAPTER FOUR - Liam
CHAPTER FIVE - Kayla
CHAPTER SIX - Liam
CHAPTER SEVEN - Kayla
CHAPTER EIGHT - Liam
CHAPTER NINE - Kayla
CHAPTER TEN - Liam
CHAPTER ELEVEN - Kayla
CHAPTER TWELVE - Liam
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Kayla
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Liam
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - Kayla
CHAPTER SIXTEEN - Liam
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Kayla
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Liam
CHAPTER NINETEEN - Kayla
CHAPTER TWENTY - Liam
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - Kayla
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - Liam
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - Kayla
EPILOGUE ONE - Kayla
EPILOGUE TWO - Liam
Other Stories & About the Author
PROLOGUE
* Kayla *
Life was never fair for anyone. It was one of those hard truths that I understood, but couldn’t stand.
For years I’d set up my life so that I didn’t need help from anyone. Independence was of utmost importance. It was comfortable.
Digging through my closet, I flung old clothing into a clear garbage bag so that I could donate them. Trying to think of my space clearing as making room for new opportunities, I knew I wasn’t in the right mental place for change, but had no choice.
I realized I didn’t even know where my aversion to being cared for came from. I guess I was just born this way. Since I had never seen eye to eye with my parents or older sister, moving to a new city to go to school had been easy. Working a random selection of part-time jobs to pay for university, and my tiny apartment felt good. I’d been so worried about needing help that I’d actually saved six months’ worth of expenses, just in case.
Living cheaply, studying, and occasionally visiting with a few acquaintances made me feel centered. In control. My version of happiness.
But as soon as I had felt genuinely stable in my new world, life had to kick down the door, barge in and turn something upside down.
My right eye, which had been operated on three years ago, had started drifting outward again. It was bad enough that it made people look at me strangely, but it made both of my eyes light-sensitive and exhausted from my constant reading.
Studying became harder and harder, until I finally had to go back to the doctor to see what we could do to fix it. I detested his solution. Surgery on both eyes at once, causing me to be bandaged for a week.
Muddling through with just one eye had been obnoxious enough for three days after the first operation. Being completely blind, even temporarily, was a thought that made my blood run cold.
The pain, the possible dizzy spells, the possible headaches, and ongoing light sensitivity could all be handled. Sure, whatever. Lots of people had health problems. I would find a way to cope.
Requiring help for a week? Needing someone to come into my home and take care of me? What a vile concept.
When I was tiny, needing help made me feel like a burden. When I was in university, asking for help made me feel stupid and weak. Maybe I looked too frail, or people thought my crooked eye was a symptom of a bigger issue. Maybe people thought I was a freak.
Proving myself, my worth, my intelligence and independence was a mission that I took on every single day. I didn’t want to need anyone for anything. I wanted to be fierce, and left alone.
Yet there was nothing I could do about the frailty of suddenly having no sight for a while. Feeling helpless would drive me crazy. Slipping in the shower or burning the building down would be much worse.
The logical and emotional side of my brain had an outright war for about two days before I found a home nursing service to discuss my options.
It happened fast. The date for the surgery was set. A nurse was ready to take care of me. I would be under someone else’s control for a week while trying to deal with my complete lack of sight.
Now that I was cleaning my closet to make way for clearing every room to make things trip-proof, the reality of what was about to happen was far too real.
I knew that some people had much bigger hardships, so I didn’t feel that I had the right to complain. The right to feel uncomfortable and awkward? Definitely.
The strangest thing of all was that this entire planning situation had made me feel lonely for the first time ever. This feeling was not familiar. I didn’t know what to do with it. I wanted to lock it in a corner or sweep it under something. But it kept crawling out, waking me up in the dead of night in the days leading up to my operation.
I was alone to the point where I had to hire someone to help me, and that fact made me feel like something was wrong. I was an island – that was the way I had always wanted it. No nearby family and no giant circle of friends was usually very convenient. Angie, my only close friend, now lived across an ocean.
Now that I knew I was going to be helpless, I felt a strange sense of longing for a partner.
All through high school and university, I’d been too busy to date. Wasting my time with guys who didn’t seem to have their lives together seemed pointless. I’d never felt strongly about anyone.
Knowing about love and romance had never been my department, but it was generally accepted that there should be some sort of spark. I’d never met a man who made my stomach flutter. That made me feel tiny and girlish. Maybe I’d never met a real man.
Dragging the bag full of old clothing to my front door, I looked around my space with a different focus. I’d be walking around here totally blind for a week, so I had to memorize where essentials were, and find ways to navigate. It was odd to shift into a new headspace like this, and I was nervous. I was even more nervous about having a stranger here.
There was nothing that I could do about it. Every time that thought popped into my head, I felt trapped. Cornered. Helpless. The loss of freedom and space was likely hard enough for social people but for a quiet little loner like me, it might be an exhausting week.
CHAPTER ONE
* Kayla *
Sleeping in the dark, waking in the dark. I was starting to lose focus. My alarm went off even though I wouldn’t be leaving my apartment. I knew sleeping for more than nine hours would make me feel groggy.
Reaching out to turn off the beeping, I rolled to the side then sat up slowly, remembering the doctor’s warnings about potential dizzy spells.
I kept trying to tell myself that it was sort of the same as having a wisdom tooth pulled. Uncomfortable, painful and awkward, then it would be over and I would feel much better.
But this wasn’t a dental issue. I was lying in bed with my eyes bandaged, having been blind for two days. I had five days left before the doctor could check and see if the surgery was a success.
Everyone had been very sweet to me, even while addressing my questions and fears as if I were some sort of hysterical woman. I needed to know the precise success rates and healing times. I wanted the data. That wasn’t too much to ask. They made everything sound like it was completely routine. But there was nothing normal about having to go through your apartment with a nurse, practicing being blindfolded so that I wouldn’t hurt myself.
I was extremely relieved that they sent Gwen from the Armstrong Agency. She was a sweet lady in her late thirties or early forties, who answered all of my questions, and seemed intent on making me as self-sufficient as possible.
Since my only close friend lived across an ocean, Gwen took me to my surgery. Then she brought me home and put me to bed after, even spending the first night on the couch.
It was actually a relief to have her assisting me for the first day. We kept busy with food and tea, and she timed my painkillers precisely. She also supervised my nap time, always arranging pillows to keep my head propped up carefully.
Gwen’s slightly snarky attitude was hilarious, and we got along quite well. After making sure that I could still navigate my apartment, she went home last night assuring me that she would be back in the morning.
I appreciated her no-nonsense attitude and gentle teasing. Now that I only had to survive five more days of blindness, I felt like I was actually going to get through this.
When Gwen was over an hour late in the morning, a prickle of worry ran up my spine.
I had set my phone up so that voice commands could tell me the time, or play audiobooks for me. I managed to get dressed, tie back my hair, and make tea in the microwave since I didn’t trust myself to use the stove.
When Gwen was two hours late, my heart began to speed up with a slight wave of panic. I guess I had the nursing agency’s number in my phone, so I could call, but I didn’t want to seem high strung quite yet.
I ate a granola bar and had another cup of tea to feel like I was doing something productive. Keeping busy, and working on the computer or reading at all times was my life. Not being able to study and do research was driving me a bit mental already. I had planned this surgery for the second I finished the school term, but usually I’d still be studying or working part-time. Having a week of absolutely nothing was extremely odd.
I wasn’t supposed to exert myself, so I couldn’t exercise. I stretched my back out gently, then laid on the couch, wondering at what point I should call the agency.
If nothing at all happened, I’d be fine. But the tiny shadow of doubt about what I’d do in case something went wrong began to eat away at me until I became genuinely nervous.
CHAPTER TWO
* Liam *
My beeping phone felt the full force of my glare. Sunday was my day to sleep in, and nobody but Gwen would be disturbing me at the moment. It was a bit early in the morning for my sister to be calling, so I answered it. Even though I hugely preferred texts to voice calls.
“Don’t freak out,” she said quickly, “I’m okay. But I’ve been in a tiny little incident.”
I could feel my shoulders tighten as I jumped up. “Explain.”
“I’m fine. I’m going to say that twice so that you don’t freak. I’m fine.”
“Okay.” We were close enough that she could likely hear me waving my hand impatiently to imply that she should get on with it.
“I was riding my bike to work when some asshole cabbie swerved into the bike lane. Then his idiot passenger jumped out right in front of me.”
“Holy shit – Sis, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. My ankle is sprained, and I need to stay off it as much as possible.”
“Can I do anything to help?” I asked. “I could come over right now and bring you anything you need.”
“I did groceries last night, so I’m okay. But I need you to help another way.”
“Anything.” Gwen had helped me so much over the years that she knew all she had to do was ask and I’d come running. She somehow didn’t exploit my deep need to care for women, even when it was her.
“Glad to hear you say that.” She paused. “I have a nursing gig this week, and I can’t get there, obviously.”
“So the agency has to send someone else?”
I heard her sigh. “No, they’re already totally overbooked. Four nurses are out with the flu already. My patient isn’t considered a high priority since she’s not really on medication, and is technically healthy. I even called a couple of other places, but they’re not picking up on a Sunday morning, and I don’t really trust them anyway.”
“Oh. What can I do?”
“Liam, I need you to go care for this patient. She had surgery two days ago, and her eyes are bandaged for several more days, so she’s temporarily blind and helpless.”
“Um, can you just send in a replacement like this?”
Gwen laughed. “Not really, but I can’t leave this poor girl alone. Even though she’s very self-sufficient.” There was a pause. “Actually, I think she really doesn’t want help. But she needs it. She doesn’t know how to operate without sight, and she’s supposed to be completely resting. All you’ll have to do is spend most of the day with her, make sure she has food that’s easy to eat, and make her comfortable.”
I nodded to myself, thinking. “Yeah, I could do that. Sandwiches, finger food, audiobooks. Conversational company.”
“Cool. Thanks so much, little brother.”
My chuckle always amused her. I was a year younger, but she was tiny compared to me.
“Get over to my place quickly to get her key,” she said. “I’ll write out instructions, and I’ll always be a phone call away.”
“On my way.” So much for a week of catching up on much needed rest, and my backlog of editing. Packing my laptop and a few things in a knapsack, I rushed to Gwen’s.
I had barely knocked on her door when she called out, “It’s open!”
As I went inside, I tried to glare at her where she sat with one foot propped up on a pillow on the coffee table. “You left the door unlocked?”
Her eyes rolled hard. “I unlocked it the last time I got up for ice.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked. She looked exhausted and slightly disheveled, but I didn’t want to point that out.
“Achy, but as long as I’m not putting weight on it, it’s okay.” She flashed me her weird, quirky smile. “Thanks so much for doing this, Liam.”
“You’re welcome.”
She gave me a key with a purple ribbon, and three pages of printed instructions. “Thorough, much?” I kidded.
Then Gwen pinned me with her sisterly glare. ‘Tell me that you’re seeing Sarah again.”
I rolled my eyes. “No. That was just for three weeks, and it ended over a year ago. Why?”
“Dammit.” She shook her head. “The most important thing isn’t on those pages. Liam, do not fall for her.”
I shook my head. “Sis, I’m not that lonely. Come on.”
“Seriously. I know your type, and I know you love a damsel in distress. This girl is pretty pissed off that she needs any help. So she’d likely kick you to the curb the second she could see again.”
Taking a deep breath, my shoulders drooped. “Gwen, I’d never get close to a woman if I wasn’t damn sure she could handle my face.”
“Come closer so that I can smack you,” she grumbled, reaching out wildly, but I was a few steps too far. “No quality woman would care about that.”
“You know they do, and it’s okay,” I said gently, smiling as she folded her arms across her chest. “I’m used to it. I’ll treat your patient as professionally as I can. Do they still have that roller coaster at Wonderland where you ride backward in loops? I bet she’ll love that.”
Gwen picked up an imaginary baseball
from the coffee table and threw it at my head. She always did that when she was ticked off at me. I ducked to the side, pretending to be offended.
“Okay, I’ll behave, I promise.”
“You’ll check in with me every day,” she commanded.
“Yes, ma’am.” I tucked her paperwork into my knapsack, gave her a sharp salute, and left before any of my sister’s imaginary projectiles became real.
CHAPTER THREE
* Kayla *
A knock at the door scared me to pieces, but maybe Gwen lost the key. I got up, walking with my hands out so I could feel the hallway wall, approaching my front door.
“Kayla? Are you there?” It was a man. A very deep, resonant, low voice.
My entire body froze, not sure what to do. Could somebody have found out that I was here alone, and they were coming to rob me? Could the landlord have picked today of all days to do an inspection?
“Kayla, it’s Gwen’s brother, Liam. She sent me here. I have the key, but it would be better if you opened the door so I don’t feel like a burglar. Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. I trusted Gwen, so if she sent her brother, there must be a good reason.
I unlocked the door, opening it and standing back up against the wall. I felt and heard him come in and lock the door behind him. He put some bags down.
“Hi,” he said softly. He reached out to take my hand from the wall and shake it gently. From the direction his voice was coming, he was very tall. His hand was warm and huge. “I’m Liam, Gwen’s little brother.”
“No offense,” I said, desperately trying to make casual conversation, “But you sound bigger than she is.”
His deep rumbling chuckle made me smile. He took my hands, placing them on his shoulders, which made me reach up higher and wider than I would have expected. “Yes. I’m a big guy. So if you need any heavy furniture moved, let me know.”
