by Rhonda James
To Christine Tovey and Sarah Piechuta for always standing behind me and believing in my boys.
I also want to thank my family for putting up with me while I’m always working. I’m sorry for all the neglected dinners and dirty dishes. My husband is a saint for always pitching in and picking up the slack so that I can fulfill my dreams. Dan, your support means the world to me. I love you.
My amazing editor, Julia Goda. Thank you for your patience and your willingness to throw caution to the wind and read my incomplete manuscript when I was about to throw up the white flag! I love you!!
My sister, Sandy, I love you more than you’ll ever know. Thanks for always understanding when I told you I only had five minutes to talk!
To my JERSEY GIRLS – Kelly Byrum, Shawn Garcia, Samantha Vaughn, Anita Ingram, Lisa Marie, Jennifer Green, Lynne Garlick, Jennifer Marie, Audra Ennis, Jamie Reinhardt, Sherry Farmer, Kristina Lindsey, Nikki Halvorsen, Stacy Aube, and Tammy Clevenger. I thank each and every one of you for sticking by me and helping me through the most difficult time in my writing life. All the laughs we’ve shared in B’s Room, and the crazy chat threads. All of it helped keep me sane when I thought for sure I was falling apart. I love each and every one of you so very much!
To my betas, you know who you are! Thank you for enduring all the little snippets and typographical errors. Your feedback helped make this story one that I am so very proud of.
A few special shout outs to those who’ve made this journey a hell of a lot more fun: Natalie Miller, Books and Boys Book Blog – for always being there and making me laugh. I hope you know how much I love you! Danielle Swainston, Books 2 Blog – for showering me with love and always putting a smile on my face. Love you!! Missy Borucki, One-Click Addict Support – for always supporting my books and embracing my crazy and matching it with her own. I always love our little chats and I love you, too! Candi Kane, Social Butterfly PR – thank you for everything you’ve done to help spread the word about this release. CP Smith, the best formatter on the planet – thank you for always saying yes, even when you probably should have said NO! Thank you for always making my words look pretty! My fellow authors, Anne Mercier, Melanie Harlow, and Kandi Steiner – for believing in me, even when I doubt myself, and for your kind words of encouragement and support. You’ll never know how much it’s meant, especially during this low point in my life: THANK YOU!
And to ALL the readers, bloggers, and reviewers, for reading my books and spreading the word about them. For the kind messages sent to me sharing how much you love my stories, for coming to see me at a signing…Every single one of you mean so much to me. None of this would be possible without your support. I’m honored and humbled by your love: thank you.
Check out and excerpt from JERSEY GIRL
(Book 1 in the Sticks & Hearts series)
CHAPTER ONE JERSEY GIRL
CASSIE
"Welcome to Ann Arbor," a soft-spoken female voice greets over the train's intercom.
It's two in the afternoon on a hot August day, and I'm dragging my oversized suitcase behind me, struggling to keep it upright due to the heavy contents I'd crammed inside. Standing on my tiptoes, I cup my hand over my eyes and scan the crowd for a recognizable face. After a few seconds, I spot him standing on the far side of the platform, hands shoved deep in his pockets, with a goofy grin plastered on his face. He takes five steps forward, and I abandon my suitcase to run toward him. When I get within three feet, I launch myself in the air, throwing my hands around his neck as he spins me around.
"Scotty!" I shriek loudly in his ear, then pull back to get a good look at him. He's changed a little since we've last seen each other. His hair is longer, and he's sporting a nice tan. "Nice color there, hot shot. Bet it feels good to play outside for a change." I ruffle my hand through his shaggy hair.
My brother is a hockey player. And a damn good one at that. Before finishing high school, he'd been recruited by Great Lakes University and given a full scholarship to be their starting goalie. Ever since he was a kid he's spent the majority of his year either playing hockey, or training for the upcoming season. This is his last year of college, and he's already been drafted to play for a professional team in Detroit after graduation.
"Yeah, Ashley made me drive her to the lake nearly every day this week," he takes a step back to admire me. "Damn, Cass, you've gone and grown up on me. You look great, kid."
I punch him lightly in the arm, hating that he still thinks of me as a child. "I'm not a kid any longer. I'm nineteen, hardly the giggling teenager you left at home."
"You'll always be my baby sister, no matter how old you are. Get used to it." He gives me a playful wink and walks over to collect my suitcase. I follow him to his car, a black Dodge Charger our grandparents recently gave him as an early graduation present. He lifts my suitcase and tosses it in the backseat as if it weighs nothing, then motions with his hand for me to get in.
A low whistle blows through my teeth as I rub my hand over the leather seats. "Nice wheels. Bet this sucker is a chick magnet."
"I wouldn't know about that. Ashley's usually with me whenever I'm driving," he responds with a laugh. "But, yeah," he says, grinning like a little boy, "it is pretty sweet."
Scotty and Ashley began dating at the beginning of their sophomore year. I like her a lot, and she seems to be good for him, because after they started dating he took to calling mom and dad more often. Ashley is very close to her parents, so it was only natural for her to encourage him to work on his relationship with our parents. Not that there were ever any problems between them; he just pulled the 'I'm away at college and free from the shackles of my demanding parents' card and would go months without calling home. Mom used to fret over it, but dad would always assure her he would come around eventually. Usually when he needed money.
We ride in silence as I look out the window, taking in the architectural intricacy of the buildings near campus. I'm arriving a few days early, so the campus hasn't been flooded with students yet. The thought of spending three days at my brother's apartment, hanging out and seeing the way he's been living the past few years, makes me giddy. I've missed him.
"Thanks for letting me crash here," I call out to him, dropping my suitcase near the door as I make my way deep into the house he shares with three of his teammates. "Where should I put my stuff?" I poke around and see the telltale signs of four guys living together. Beer can towers. Towels left on the bathroom floor. Posters of half-naked women hanging on the wall. The one thing that surprises me is that the fridge is stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables.
"Cage is gone for a few days. You can crash in his room until the dorms open up." He comes around and leans over my shoulder to peer into the fridge. "You hungry? I could make something. Or I could order something from one of these places." He turns and opens a drawer crammed full of takeout menus.
"Geez, you guys must order out a lot." I pull out a few and ponder my choices. Thai food. Pizza. Gyros from a place just a block down the road. I only know this, because someone has taken the time to write it on the menu. The Chinese food menu is tempting, but I steal a glance back over at the fridge and make a healthier choice. "I think I'll just have some of this fruit salad."
"It's nice to see someone eating it. Coach makes us meet with a nutritionist once a month, and she gave us a list. We're notorious for buying it and then letting a crap ton of it go to waste," he explains as I grab a fork and dig in.
"No one in their right mind would let food like this go to waste." I stuff a few bites of melon in my mouth. "This is how I eat when I'm at home."
"Come on. I'll show you Cage's room. He won't mind you're here. He's been up north, staying at Derek's family cottage and coaching a pee-wee hockey team for the last two weeks. Hell, I'll bet he's got some chick riding his—" His face turns a funny shade of crimson, and he cuts himself off mid-sentence.
"Is that your subtle way of saying your best friend is a player? Are you sure it's safe for me to sleep in his b
ed? I'm not going to catch anything, am I?" I counter sarcastically. I follow Scotty up the stairs, bowl in hand, and he opens the second door on the right.
He throws his head back and laughs, and I revel in the sound. I've missed this since he left for college. "No chance. I changed the sheets this morning. My room is just across the hall. If you need anything, just let me know. His room has an attached bathroom, and if you need towels, they're in the cupboard beneath the sink."
I take a look around the room, enjoying the masculine blue and grey color scheme. A large, king-sized bed takes up a huge chunk of the far corner. There's a desk in one corner, and a dresser on the other side of the room. I can't stop staring at his bed. It's freakishly huge. Who is this guy anyway?
"Is your best friend the Incredible Hulk?" I laugh and make eye contact with Scotty. The look on his face shows he doesn't get my humor. "That's probably the largest bed I've ever seen. You could sleep like six on that thing."
"I wouldn't be surprised if that theory hasn't already been tested," he looks over the room once more. "Listen, I have plans with Ash tonight. Do you think you'll be okay to hang here without me?"
"Oh, sure. I don't expect you to put your life on hold just because I'm here." I smile, doing my best to hide my disappointment. "Go. Have fun. I'll just curl up with a good book until I fall asleep. It's been a long day, so it probably won't take long." I offer up a wide smile to reassure him I won't fall apart in his absence.
"We'll hang out tomorrow. I promise."
"I'm going to hold you to that." I kiss him on the cheek and turn to pull a pair of yoga pants out of my suitcase. He lingers in the doorway for a moment before he smiles and turns to go.
I quickly change before heading back downstairs to have a look around. From what Scotty has told me, I know he lives with guys named Brantley, Jordan, and Derek, but I have yet to meet them. There's a flat screen television mounted on the living room wall, and the largest sectional sofa I've ever seen takes up the rest of the room. A small bookcase sits below the T.V., and I crouch down to check out their selection. Fight Club, Fast and Furious, Die Hard. All the typical choices a guy would make. Not to mention they have copies of every movie made in each series. I continue scanning and see a wide array of Adam Sandler movies, a few chick flicks, and a boatload of porn.
Rolling my eyes, I stand and come face-to-face with a shelf lined with picture frames, each one containing group shots of the four teammates. I notice how happy they look in each setting. In two of them they're wearing hockey gear and holding up a trophy from when they won the Frozen Four two years ago. Scotty has told me he believes they'll win it again this year, since most of the players are seniors who have kicked ass together over the last three years. One of the photos shows them in what looks to be a bar, standing side by side, arms draped over one another's shoulders, with a drink in one hand. The smiles on their faces tell me these guys are the best of friends. I pull that one down and run my finger around the rim of the frame, studying their faces. It dawns on me that I don't know anything about Scotty's life now. We'd always been close, but with him being two years older, and a guy, once he'd taken off for college, we practically lost touch. It's one of the reasons I chose to transfer to this college. I'm hoping we can reconnect before he leaves to play in the NHL and his life becomes filled with traveling and rubbing elbows with famous people. I have a feeling once he's gone, we'll lose touch completely. And this thought hurts me deeply.
I'm still holding the photo when my eyes land on one face in particular. I'm not sure which roommate this is, but he's standing next to Scotty. Where my brother and I have blond hair and blue eyes, this guy is the exact opposite. Dark, unruly hair falls down over his forehead, and the wide smile he's wearing makes the amber in his brown eyes sparkle. I trace a finger over his face, unable to turn away. Until the sound of a ringing phone pulls me out of my trance.
I place the frame back on the shelf and pull out my phone, swiping my thumb across to answer as I settle on the massive sofa.
"Hey, Justin," I answer wearily.
"Hey, babe. I miss you already. I was starting to worry. You never called to let me know you'd arrived safely."
"I know. I'm sorry, but Scotty brought me back to his house and I've just been getting settled. I was going to call." I rest my chin on a knee and aimlessly pick at my toenail polish. I'm not in the mood to have this conversation again.
"Don't worry about it. So, how is Scott? Tell him I said hi. You know what, just let me talk to him." Justin and my brother have known each other since we were little kids growing up in the same neighborhood.
"He's out with Ashley."
"Why would he invite you there if he wasn't going to be home? He shares that house with three other guys, right? Who else is there?"
"Calm down, Justin. I'm here alone. The dorms don't open for three days. Besides, I'm the one who told him to go out. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
He makes it sound as if he's worried about me, but where had his worry been when I'd caught him cheating with my best friend? I broke up with him immediately, but he refuses to let go.
"Justin, you do know we broke up. Right?"
A heavy sigh fills the silence, and I know he's trying not to lose his shit. Justin has a really bad temper, which is great when he's on the ice. Unfortunately, I've been on the receiving end of his wrath, and it wasn't pretty.
"Justin, you knew this is what I wanted," I whisper.
"It's just hard, you know, hearing you say those things. Christ, for two years you've been my girl." There's pain laced in his words, and I get defensive, because he's the one responsible for this pain, and I'm tired of hurting.
"We stopped having sex when I broke up with you," I remind him.
"Doesn't matter. In my heart you'll always be mine. And I'm not ready to let you go."
"Listen, I'll always care for you. You were my first love, and you'll always hold a special place in my heart. But I need this. This isn't easy for me either, Jus—," my voice breaks. None of this has been easy. I care for him. I'm just not in love with him anymore.
"Could have fooled me. I'm sorry, Cassie, but I think you're giving up on us too soon."
"Maybe so, but I'm ready to move on," I answer defiantly.
"This isn't the end of us," he warns.
I let out a shaky breath and steel myself to deliver the final blow. "It's over, Justin. When are you going to accept that you need to let me go?"
"I'll never let you go. Never," he threatens, reminding me why I needed to get away from Minnesota. I hadn't planned on switching schools, but his actions left me no other choice. I needed a clean break. From Justin. From Charlotte. From everything that reminded me of what used to be. Now I just need to move forward.
I hang up, without saying goodbye, and make my way to the bedroom where I'll be spending the next few nights. Letting go of someone you've spent a chunk of your life with isn't easy. Justin and I were friends for years before we started dating. I still remember the first orgasm he ever gave me. We were both virgins, or at least I was. At the time I thought he was as well. Looking back, it seems like so long ago. I have a lot of memories of our time together, and for a long time things were really good.
Until they went bad.
Coming here had been the right thing to do. Time to shake off the past and focus on moving forward. I wasted two years pretending to be someone I wasn't just to make Justin happy. It's time I learn what makes me happy.
CHAPTER TWO
BRANTLEY
It's two in the morning when I stumble into the house and make my way up to my room. I'm exhausted and looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. The house is dead silent, except for the snoring I hear coming from Davis' room. Doing my best to keep quiet, I duck into the bathroom to take a leak before stripping naked and crawling into bed.
I have a king-sized bed, and it's freaking huge. It takes up a good portion of my room, but at my height, I need room to spread out. Slipping b
etween the sheets after being away for ten days feels better than anything I've ever felt. Wait. Scratch that. Feels almost better than anything I've ever felt. There's only one thing I can think of that could top this, and it's been a while since that has happened.
Just thinking about sex makes my dick hard, and I seriously consider rubbing one out, but I really need to get some sleep. I want to get some time in at the gym tomorrow morning, and then I need to meet with coach and talk to him about how things went at camp. I roll over, curling up on one side of the bed, and I'm out before I even have time to reconsider my decision.
It feels as if I've only been asleep a short time when I'm awakened by the sound of a garbage truck. Cracking one eye open, I see it's now light out, and I'm in my own bed. But I'm not alone. A warm, female body is tucked into mine, ass pressed tightly against my now very awake dick, and my left arm is draped loosely over her body, while one hand cups a perfectly shaped breast.
What the hell?
I squeeze my eyes closed and open them again, checking to see I am, in fact, awake. Still not believing what I'm seeing, because I'm fairly certain I was alone when I came in here last night, I press my fingers together and pinch a soft nipple.
"Ouch!" The strange blonde squeals, just before she elbows me in the gut.
"Hrrumph." The groan falls from my mouth before I can stop it. Using one hand to cover my junk, just in case her elbow starts flying again, I roll over onto my back. "Why the hell'd you do that?"
"Me?" she squeaks, frantically rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I don't recall giving you permission to feel me up."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting to find a hot girl in my bed this morning. Thought I was dreaming, wanted to see if you were real."
I've had my fair share of women in this bed. Women I've known. I don't recall meeting this one, but one glance tells me I'd like to rectify that.
