TWIN PASSIONS: (A Logan Brothers Novel)
Page 18
I didn't need to respond with words. I stepped forward, sliding my hand onto her cheek, still streaked with drying tears, and kissed her. I heard her drop the bag, her arms and legs wrapped around me as she jumped into the air.
I leaned my head back and stared into her sparkling eyes. “So which way to you wanna go?” I asked, her smile growing even wider.
“South," she said, "let's go South.”
Epilogue - Gemma
8 Years Ago
Gemma
I sat in the yard outside school on a bench, the warm summer sunshine settling comfortably on my exposed shoulders. Beyond the yard was a wide wood, with glowing green trees and a tranquil, beautiful lake, nestled deep within. It was Friday and the end of another week, and Zack and I were doing what we often did at this time: we were going swimming.
I could hear the sound of other kids behind me, all shouting and chattering loudly as they were picked up by their parents or hurrying off in groups in search of trouble. Maybe Zack would get into trouble later, but not yet, not until we'd had our customary swim.
I felt a pair of hands suddenly descend over my eyes, blocking out the light of the sun, and a smile creased my lips.
“Guess who?” came the voice behind me. It was bright and breezy and so full of life.
I turned around quickly and saw Zack standing there, his backpack slung over one shoulder, his face tanned and beaming in a wide, white smile.
“Well come on then!” he said excitedly, “we're not going to get to the lake by sitting on a bench!”
He ran around the side of the bench and grabbed my hands, pulling me up to my feet. We began walking together, his arm hanging lazily over my shoulder, into the woods. The sound of swaying branches and rustling leaves filled the air, with birds darting this way and that, stopping to chirp and sing in the foliage above our heads.
We spoke as we went, catching up on the week just passed. It was my favorite time of the week: a time when we could walk and talk, alone, with no one else around. Soon I'd have to go home, my time restricted by my parents' draconian curfew, but for now it was just the two of us, and I loved every minute of it.
The woods were always so quiet at this time, something I could never work out. We'd see the odd hiker, trekking under the trees, but few of the kids bothered to go to the lake. It was like our own secret place, quiet and secluded.
It took us 30 minutes to get there, but the time always flew as we giggled and joked. Zack could always make me laugh, no matter what we were talking about, so much so my sides would often ache after an hour or two in his company.
It was less than a year that I'd known him, but it felt like a lifetime. He was the first boy I ever became friends with – proper friends, anyway. I mean, I knew boys at my last school, but never spent any time alone with them. Zack was the first, and we got along like a house on fire.
I swear I could smell the water as we got closer. Or maybe it was just because I knew where it was now, and my mind was just playing tricks on me. Soon I could see the light shining and sparkling off the water through a gap in the trees up ahead, ducks flying in and skimming down onto the surface.
When I dipped my foot in I felt the usual spark rush up through my body. It was cold, even on the shallow bank, and only got colder further in. But neither of us cared, we'd always get in and swim nonetheless.
We splashed around for a while, the water dripping off Zack's toned body. He was so lean and fit, his muscles beginning to develop and grow as he turned into a man. I'd noticed him change through the year, and so had every other girl in school.
But he never seemed to take much notice of them. Or, at least, I never saw him take any notice. Maybe he saw them at parties that I didn't go to? Maybe he saw them outside of school when I wasn't around. But I didn't care....when we were together it was our time; my favorite time.
We joked and laughed as we soaked each other to the bone. Then we'd swim to the other side, the sun beating down on our shoulders and backs as we gently glided through the clear water. He'd tease me, of course, telling me there were sharks and crocodiles creeping below the surface. At first I believed him, half panicking at the thought, but when I saw him almost drown with laughter, I knew he wasn't being serious.
It always felt so good to climb out onto the bank on the opposite shore, the warm rays of the sun warming my cold body. Sometimes we'd turn and swim back again, but today we decided to walk back around the lake, talking as we went.
When we got back to our things we sat under a tree, looking out over the shimmering water as light ripples swept across it. Zack reached into his bag and pulled out a small box, passing me a sandwich from inside.
We ate as the sun began to drop, neither of us talking for a while. But I didn't feel uncomfortable, I didn't feel awkward. I never did with him.
“This is like when we first met,” he said suddenly, out of the blue.
I looked at him and smiled. “Yeah, when you saved me down by the lakeside. Did I ever thank you for that...for introducing me to everyone and saving me the embarrassment?”
He shook his head. “You'll never have to.”
I kept looking at him as he turned back to the lake, the sun now painting a beautiful orange glow over the twinkling water. He looked content, his eyes set on the post-card sight ahead.
“We'll always be friends, right Zack?” I asked him. “You'll always be there for me.”
I saw his smile grow wider as he arched his head back over to me.
“Always,” he said.
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EXPOSURE (Kyle and Alice)
Exposure is the story of Kyle and Alice. Chronologically, it's the first of the Logan Brothers Series.
Here is the description:
Alice Newton doesn't live the college life she'd expected or hoped for. She's just lost yet another job, her college workload is mounting, and she's about to find herself homeless because she can't pay her rent. It's all in marked contrast to her best friend Tess, and seemingly everyone else on campus, whose parents can pay for everything. Alice, unfortunately, doesn't have that luxury.
Kyle Logan runs a club, a club offering very specific services. One of his best 'workers', Jenny, has just run out on a client, leaving Kyle on the hunt to track her down. The path leads him to Jenny's empty dorm room, a dorm she vanished from during the night, much to her room-mates confusion. That room-mate just happens to be Alice Newton.
When Kyle comes knocking, the seeds for a mutually beneficial relationship are sewn. And, just as a bonus, Kyle is just about the most delectable man Alice has ever laid eyes on. Those eyes, that square jaw, those dimpled cheeks. He's irresistible.
The question Alice needs to ask herself is: how much is she willing to risk to build the life she's always dreamed of, and is Kyle really all he seems?
The answers, and the results that lead from them, might just change her life forever, for better, or for worse.
CLICK HERE TO BUY EXPOSURE
CRASH (Crash and Elle)
CRASH is the story of Crash and Elle. Chronologically, it follows on from after EXPOSURE, but can be read before or after.
Here is the description:
Elle Harper is running scared. Running from a psycho ex boyfriend left behind in California. Runni
ng from the great life that she took over a year to build.
Crash Logan is troubled by the recent murder of his father, a death that puts him as head of the family. He's got businesses to run, a family to take care of, and the unrelenting thought of revenge on his mind.
When Elle comes rolling into town, she finds herself quickly embroiled in so much more than she bargained for. Her new room-mate at college, Alice, just happens to be dating one of the best looking guys she's ever seen, Kyle. That is, until she meets his older brother Crash.
As Elle begins to quickly build a new life away from her troubles, she finds that Crash Logan may not be the train-wreck that people would have her believe, and may just be the man she needs when her past begins to catch up with her.
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P.S. Editing problems referenced in negative reviews have now been fixed.
More by L.A.Shorter
Other Series by L.A.Shorter:
Always for You Series:
Only For You (Book 1)
Fight For You (Book 2)
Kill For You (Book 3)
Books 1-3
Across the Pond Trilogy:
Sunrise in Bali (Book 1)
Summer of Love (Book 2)
Across the Pond (Book 3)
Across the Pond Trilogy (Books 1 - 3)
Table of Contents
TWIN PASSIONS (A Logan Brothers Novel)
Table of Contents
Copyright Notice
Prologue - Gemma
Chapter 1 - Gemma
Chapter 2 - Cade
Chapter 3 - Gemma
Chapter 4 - Zack
Chapter 5 - Gemma
Chapter 6 - Cade
Chapter 7 - Gemma
Chapter 8 - Zack
Chapter 9 - Cade
Chapter 10 - Gemma
Chapter 11 - Zack
Chapter 12 - Gemma
Chapter 13 - Cade, Zack
Chapter 14 - Gemma
Chapter 15 - Gemma
Chapter 16 - Zack
Chapter 17 - Gemma
Chapter 18 - Cade
Chapter 19 - Zack, Cade
Chapter 20 - Gemma
Chapter 21 - Zack, Cade
Chapter 22 - Gemma, Zack
Chapter 23 - Cade, Zack
Chapter 24 - Gemma
Chapter 25 - Zack
Chapter 26 - Gemma
Chapter 27 - Gemma
Chapter 28 - Zack
Epilogue - Gemma
New Books and Discounts!
EXPOSURE (Kyle and Alice)
CRASH (Crash and Elle)
More by L.A.Shorter