I Carry Your Heart (Heart Series Book 1)

by C. M. King

  I Carry Your Heart

  C.M. King

  Copywrite © 2014 CM King

  All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  All characters in this publication are fictional and any resemblance to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To my dear Nan, my one true light.

  I miss you more than words could ever say

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 – Six Years On

  Chapter 2 - New Beginnings

  Chapter 3 - Party Time

  Chapter 4 – Changes

  Chapter 5 - Confession

  Chapter 6 – Hell

  Chapter 7 - The Morning After

  Chapter 8 – Moving On

  Chapter 9 – Apologies

  Chapter 10 - Heaven

  Chapter 11 - Secret's Out

  Chapter 12 - Recovery

  Chapter 13 - Holiday

  Chapter 14 - First Time

  Chapter 15 – Deceit

  Chapter 16 - New Job

  Chapter 17 - Big Mistake

  Chapter 18 - Hero

  Chapter 19 – The Big O

  Chapter 20 – Going Home

  Chapter 21 – New Home

  Chapter 22 - Birthday Girl

  Chapter 23 – Birthday Wish

  Chapter 24 – Ice (S)cream

  Chapter 25 – Birthday Surprise

  Chapter 26 – Halloween

  Chapter 27 – Darkness

  Prologue

  There was an inside joke in my family that regardless of wherever I was, the chances my nose would be lodged firmly between the pages of a book, were always pretty high. It was true, books were my world. I would spend endless hours becoming lost in each and every story, it was my favourite place to be. My Mother always said it would be my downfall, not concentrating on what was in front of me, and I guess on this occasion she happened to be right.

  I really hated when that happened.

  “Hey, are you okay? I watched you fall and hit the ground pretty hard.”

  Oh god.

  I suppose it was inevitable for someone to be around, to witness my not so ladylike moment. I cringed at the thought that he’d actually watched me face plant the pavement, because I’d been too engrossed in the book I was reading.

  A flush hit my face and I cursed under my breath, as my cheeks instantly highlighted the fact. Could this be anymore embarrassing?

  “Do you need a hand?” he asked, the concern laced in his voice causing them to flush even deeper.

  I didn’t want a hand, I just wanted him to go away, but I guess that wasn’t happening any time soon.

  I blinked several times to compose myself, almost hesitant to look up, in case the visual was as enticing as the silky, soft tones of his voice.

  His feet shuffled forward, distracting me from my busy thoughts. “It’s okay, I just want to help.” His voice was soothing but I was still reluctant to do so, instead I gazed down at the red converse that showed the obvious signs of being well worn. I smiled at the fact they were exactly like my own.

  The seconds ticked by and I knew I couldn’t prolong the torture any longer. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I turned slightly and peered up into his face. It took a few seconds for my eyes to slowly adjust to the brightness, before they quickly widened in surprise.

  Now I definitely couldn’t breathe.

  He was breathtaking, his beauty was overpowering, almost intoxicating. My body instantly reacted in a way that totally surprised me. I had never experienced anything like this before and it scared me. I felt a rush of heat sweep through me, filling each and every pore, as I stared in awe at the vision before me. My mind was a complete blur, I could barely process a thought right now.

  Oh god.

  Did he just ask me a question?

  I had to concentrate, I could do this, despite the fact my body was telling me something very different. I swallowed slowly, to catch back my breath. “Yeah, I really shouldn’t read while walking, I’m kind of clumsy. I should just stick to one thing at a time,” I replied, cringing slightly at my overly breezy voice.

  But despite my overwhelming embarrassment, my eyes refused to look away, becoming transfixed, just losing myself in his beautiful blue. No words could describe the colour, they were the purest sapphire I had ever seen. They sparkled as he spoke, hypnotising me even more. I was pretty sure right now I could have stared at him forever.

  The awkward silence grew between us, but I was too pre-occupied to even care. He smiled and looked slightly amused by my odd behaviour, before bending down. I looked on in horror, when his face began to move increasingly closer to mine.

  Oh no.

  All the air left my lungs at his close proximity. Our faces were barely inches apart, and my eyes dropped down to his full perfect lips. They twitched with amusement, as the familiar flush hit my cheeks once again.

  Oh god.

  I really hoped he couldn’t read my thoughts right now, but by the colour of my cheeks it was pretty evident where my mind was wandering.

  His soft, warm hands brushed up against my skin, and I shuddered slightly when he gently placed both hands in mine, slowly easing me up off the ground. I groaned with the pain and stumbled a little, gripping both biceps to steady myself.

  Wow, those things were impressive.

  The muscles twitched beneath my fingers and I quickly released them both, as the awkwardness of where my hands had been was beginning to set in.

  I blushed again feeling his eyes upon me, when he began surveying my injuries. But it was all too much, I really needed to get out of here.

  Right now.

  I pushed away from him and grabbed my heavy bag, quickly retrieving my book from the ground. I muttered a quick thank you over my shoulder, walking away as nonchalantly as I possibly could.

  Footsteps quickly approached me from behind, he had to be jogging along to keep up with my fast pace, but I continued taking long, lean strides. I needed to escape this beautiful stranger for my own sake, my reaction towards him had awakened something inside, and was scaring the hell out of me. But it was all pretty futile in the end, as he managed to catch back up to me within seconds.

  The weight shifted from my body and he instantly groaned. “What the hell are you carrying in here bricks?”

  I laughed at his remark. “Books, I’ve just been to the library.”

  He shook his head in a jokey disapproving way, throwing one of his arms over my shoulder, before pulling me into him protectively.

  My eyes bulged at his proximity. Oh god he was now touching me. But deep down I knew I was enjoying it way too much then I cared to like, and that thought alone worried me.

  “You do know it’s the school holidays and that you should be having fun, not sitting in the library reading all day.”

  I blushed at his remark. I was a twelve-year old nerd and reading books were my form of escapism. I didn’t lead an exciting life, but I was guessing he probably did. He had the kind of perfect looks and body that screamed popularity. But I’d never seen him at school before, as I clearly would have remembered a face like that. He looked like he would be more at home modelling on the catwalks for Calvin Klein. God he was jaw dropping, like it should be
illegal to even look that good.

  “I’m Joel by the way,” he said smiling. His eyes pierced deep into mine and I lost myself for a moment, hesitating before I spoke. “Errm Izzy.” I blushed wildly.

  Great!

  I was fast becoming a bigger idiot by the second. Trust me to go all dumb in front of the one hot guy I meet, I seriously couldn’t be cool if I tried.

  “Well errm Izzy, I wished we’d met under different circumstances. Your face is going to be pretty swollen tomorrow. Thankfully it’s the holidays so you’ll have time to recover.” His eyes rested for several moments on my swollen lip and I gulped, swallowing the large lump down. His tongue flicked over his bottom lip and my eyes zeroed in on that perfect pout. I suddenly felt the urge to press my lips against his.

  What the hell was wrong with me?

  I shook my head in a vain attempt to snap myself out of thinking anymore inappropriate thoughts.

  Yeah, like that was really going to help.

  “Hmm yeah, I don’t want to go to school with a trout pout.” There were enough of those already. We both laughed together, though mine was slightly more awkward. I watched as the smile slowly slipped away from his face, as he abruptly stopped, turning me to fully face him.

  His thumb gently skimmed over my swollen lip and I winced with the pain. But then instantly regretted it, when his hand dropped down from my face.

  “Sorry,” he whispered, as I stared deep into his warm eyes that were full of concern. He chuckled at my blank, open-mouthed stare, but I seriously didn’t care. He soon pulled me back round and we began walking again.

  Every few steps I hesitantly took a sneak peak, to check he was in fact real. Each time he just got better, it was like his beauty was growing deeper in front of me. On the last time he caught me looking, and his sexy half grin told me I hadn’t been as discreet as I thought.

  Dammit!

  But I couldn’t help myself though.

  He was perfect, too perfect.

  He would no doubt have girls lining up to date him. I snorted when a stupid thought entered my head, it was ridiculous and I quickly brushed it away. I was just some twelve-year old nerd that he happened to feel sorry for. He was just passing by in my hour of need, only doing his gentlemanly duty in helping me home.

  Nothing more.

  I inwardly chastised myself for being an idiot and getting carried away. I was too deep in my thoughts to realise we were now actually outside my house. His arm still remained around me, as he guided me up the driveway. I raised an eyebrow silently questioning how he knew where I lived.

  He chuckled at the confused expression crossing my face. “I’m friends with your Brother, I just moved here a week ago, we met through football practice.”

  My Brother Mike was three years older than me. He was overly protective in an annoying way, spending most of the time teasing me mercilessly. He was like me in appearance, we both had the same large, chocolate brown eyes and rich dark brown hair. Where mine was long and fell all the way down my back, his was short and spiky. He was good-looking and athletic, as he played a lot of sports. But he was not in Joel’s league when it came to god like looks.

  Unlike myself he was well known throughout school, forever dating different girls that barely held a brain cell between them. There was always someone new hanging off him, desperately vying for his attention. He would certainly enjoy being friends with Joel, as that would improve his pulling status ten fold.

  The thought of Joel flirting with other women made me frown. My heart sunk at the prospect of someone else staring deep into those beautiful eyes.

  What the hell was wrong with me?

  How the hell had I develop feelings when I’d barely known him five minutes?

  But then I was pulled out of my thoughts by a nagging question. “How did you know who I was though?” I asked, stopping abruptly, as I turned to face him. I had never laid eyes on him until a few minutes before, so how did he recognise me?

  A broad grin spread across his face. “I saw your school photo when I came in your house the other day.”

  I groaned loudly in disgust.

  I hated that bloody photograph!

  I made a mental note to hide it, where no one else would ever find it. Ever again.

  He laughed, sensing my annoyance. “It’s a good photo.”

  “Yeah whatever,” I said dryly. He squeezed my shoulder, waiting patiently for me to look back into that gorgeous face of his.

  “Hey, you should see some of my photos, they are awful.”

  Yeah, like he could ever take a bad photo. Ever.

  He smiled at my annoyed face, pushing the door open and guided me inside. I felt bereft the moment his arm slipped off my shoulder. I wanted his arm around me forever. I was already mourning its loss, when Joel brought me back again to the present.

  “You’ll be okay Iz,” he whispered gently in my ear.

  My heart beat faster at the way he had shortened my name. I loved the way it sounded rolling off his lips.

  He lifted up the bottom of his shirt, gently wiping the dripping blood from my lip. Not even caring he’d probably now ruined it, as I just stared on in sheer disbelief.

  He smiled and his fingers softly stroked my face, looking deep into my eyes. I gasped as his sweet, soft lips gently brushed up against my forehead. It only lasted for a few moments, but it was enough to spark something inside, to make me lose complete control.

  His touch made me dizzy and my knees buckled in reaction. It was only thanks to the doorframe I was maintaining an upright position.

  I motioned to open my mouth to thank him, but the words never left my lips. I just stood there in stunned silence, watching him begin to walk away.

  I closed my eyes remembering his kind, sweet words, the image of his face becoming so clear. Brushing my thumb along my swollen lip, I recalled his warm, gentle touch only moments before. I knew within that short space of time he had changed everything. He had ruined me for any other man that came along. I would always be drawn to him regardless of whether he wanted me or not.

  Chapter 1 – Six Years On

  I dragged the shirt over my head, cursing loudly, quickly discarding it down onto the pile that was slowly growing by the minute. For the majority of the morning I’d been making my way through the entire contents of my wardrobe, without any luck.

  I didn’t know what it was about fashion but even the word alone scared me. I just didn’t get it. I was completely clueless when it came to clothes, I guess I was a tomboy at heart, preferring comfort over style.

  I stood despairing at my reflection in the mirror, studying my frame. Nothing remotely girly suited me. I had witnessed that in the last few items I had just tried on, I literally couldn’t be feminine if I tried.

  Appearance wise my hair was long and a rich chocolate brown, along with my eyes. The stark contrast in colour only accentuated my translucent white skin further. My skin was pretty flawless, apart from a sprinkling of tiny freckles that covered my nose. I had the typical English rose complexion, which my Mother said most women would kill for and that I should embrace it, rather than fight against it.

  I was 5ft 9” and taller than the majority of girls at school. Some said I should be a model, but I didn’t quite see it myself. I just didn’t think I had the looks, confidence or attitude for it. I was slim but athletic, as I loved to dance, which helped keep me toned and in shape. It was my one true passion and luckily for me, I was just about to enrol in the D and B School of Performing Arts, studying Musical Theatre. It was something I had aspired to do since I was young, to be on stage at the West End. I always remembered as a child being mesmerized, watching in complete awe, falling under the spell of the performers on stage. They were my inspiration, my motivation and I had no desire to do anything else.

  Weekends were my favourite part of the week, being part of a local dance group, we met up every Saturday and Sunday. We spent our days studying, learning different styles of dance and techniques and
endless hours practising routines, till we were fit to drop. It was the one thing that brought me out of my shell, for a short period of time I became someone else. It helped to escape the chaos in my head as I lost myself wholeheartedly in the music. It was my heaven and the only time I truly felt alive.

  I quickly dressed wearing my usual attire of rock t-shirt and jeans, completing my outfit with my old faithful converse. They had seen better days but no matter how battered they became, I’d wear them till they literally fell to pieces.

  I cleared away the remaining discarded clothes and breathed a sigh of relief. I hated any form of mess, my room was my pride and joy. It was where I escaped to when I needed time alone. I took great pride in the fact I had decorated the room myself, much to my Mother’s displeasure, painting it a deep blood red, along with the dark furnishings, it gave it more of a gothic edge.

  The walls were adorned with framed posters of all my favourite films, each one iconic in my overgrowing collection. I had watched them all countless times over. I was pretty sure I’d need to buy extra copies as replacements, from overly abusing the originals.

  My phone let out a dying bleep, reminding me of its imminent low battery. My eyes automatically flicked over to the shelf, where it usually sat only to find an empty space. I didn’t have to be Einstein to know where it would be, charging a certain idiotic Brother’s phone no doubt.

  The familiar shooting, shouting and chatter spilled out, as I marched right though into Mike’s room. I didn’t bother knocking, after his unwelcoming visit into mine, I decided to pay him the same courtesy.

  My plan soon fell flat when I took in a sharp breath, instantly becoming hit with the all too familiar tidal wave that crashed over me. It stopped me dead in my tracks, ripping all air from my lungs, as desire coursed though each and every vein. My heart beat so rapidly I could barely function. I felt my knees buckle, in response to the perfect vision right in front of me.

  My eyes locked on the sight of Joel, lying spread out across the bed. His elbows propped up his large, muscular upper body, as he stared engrossed in the game, with his fingers avidly working the controller.