by J. D. Rivera
“Fine,” she huffed and walked out of the room.
Half an hour later, I was standing in the living room when Vanessa came down the stairs. She had on a pink dress that made her look like a dream. I sucked in a deep breath and took in each step she took.
She took one last step to stand in front of me.
“You look stunning,” I told her.
“Thanks, you look pretty handsome yourself. Where are we going all dressed up? For the life of me, I can’t remember what this would be a memory of.”
I smiled. “A new memory.”
WE TOOK the elevator to the forty-ninth floor to Vast. It was an upscale restaurant that overlooked the city from the tallest skyscraper. I figured it would be a great place to make her feel special.
I let the hostess know of my reservations and we were escorted to our table situated near the windows.
“Oh wow, Jackson, this is really nice,” Vanessa whispered.
“I’m glad you like it.”
The waiter came and I let him know we were there for dessert only and we placed our drink order. I let her pick whatever she wanted for dessert then waited for the waiter to return to our table and leave before I began our conversation.
“Vanessa, I need to talk to you about something.”
She looked up into my face with a worried expression. “Okay. What is it?”
“I know you wanted to get to know each other and be friends and it’s only been a couple of weeks since we talked about that,” I began.
“Okay.”
“Look, I just feel like we can get to know each other while we’re more than friends. I want us to be together. I want to tell people I’m with you. What I feel for you is way beyond friendship.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you feel for me?”
I took a deep breath. “I’m not sure. I guess I would say that I’m falling in love with you.”
“Oh.”
“So… yeah. That’s how I feel.” I felt really nervous. I had never been that nervous before. Ever.
A slight smile crept over her face. “I’m falling in love with you, too. I mean, I just got divorced so maybe I shouldn’t be falling in love with another man already, but I am.”
Relief. Relief is what I felt hearing her words. “Thank God. So does that mean that I can call you my girlfriend?” As soon as I said it, I felt like I was in junior high.
She giggled. “I guess. As long as I get to call you my boyfriend.”
“You better tell everyone that I’m your boyfriend. I want everyone to know that we’re together.”
She giggled. “Oh please, as many places as we’ve been seen together today, it’ll be front page news.”
“Good. That saves me the trouble of telling every guy that you’re taken.”
She leaned in closer to me, wrapping her arms around my neck, giving me the biggest kiss. I kissed her back, not even caring that we were in the middle of a crowded restaurant.
After gasping for air, I pulled back, looking her straight in the eyes. “I lied. I’m not falling in love with you. I’m already in love with you.”
Other books by J.D. Rivera
First, I need to thank all of my readers. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy lives to sit and read this story. I hope that you love Vanessa and Jackson as much as I do.
To my husband and children: Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. It means the world to me! I love you so much!
I have to send a big thank you to my wonderful editor, Tara Entwistle -Clark. You’re amazing!
I really have to thank Emily Mah Tippetts, Jandra Hahne, and Sara Celi. Thank you for supporting me during all of my bad days along with the good days. I am very thankful to have you in my life.
A huge thank you to my beta readers: Donna, Jennifer, and Liz. Thank you so much for reading this story and helping me make it better. You guys rock!
J.D. Rivera lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two boys. Her life consists of school projects, homework, cartoon shows, and little league sports. She loves Diet Mountain Dew, the OKC Thunder, costume jewelry, the beach, and reading.
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Guarded
Copyright © J.D. Rivera 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
One - Vanessa
Two - Jackson
Three - Vanessa
Four - Jackson
Five - Vanessa
Six - Jackson
Seven - Vanessa
Eight - Jackson
Nine - Vanessa
Ten - Jackson
Eleven - Vanessa
Twelve - Jackson
Thirteen - Vanessa
Fourteen - Jackson
Fifteen - Vanessa
Sixteen - Jackson
Seventeen - Vanessa
Eighteen - Jackson
Nineteen - Vanessa
Twenty - Jackson
Twenty-One - Vanessa
Twenty-Two - Jackson
Twenty-Three - Vanessa
Twenty-Four - Jackson
Twenty-Five - Jackson
Other Books by this Author
Acknowledgements
About the Author
About the Book Designer
Copyright Notice
Table of Contents
Title Page
One - Vanessa
Two - Jackson
Three - Vanessa
Four - Jackson
Five - Vanessa
Six - Jackson
Seven - Vanessa
Eight - Jackson
Nine - Vanessa
Ten - Jackson
Eleven - Vanessa
Twelve - Jackson
Thirteen - Vanessa
Fourteen - Jackson
Fifteen - Vanessa
Sixteen - Jackson
Seventeen - Vanessa
Eighteen - Jackson
Nineteen - Vanessa
Twenty - Jackson
Twenty-One - Vanessa
Twenty-Two - Jackson
Twenty-Three - Vanessa
Twenty-Four - Jackson
Twenty-Five - Jackson
Other Books by this Author
Acknowledgements
About the Author
About the Book Designer
Copyright Notice
