Kissed

by Ms. Carla Krae

  She evaded his arms. “No, you’re wet!”

  “Didn’t seem to mind a week ago.”

  “That was in the shower.” She dodged another grab. “Stop it. Expensive equipment in my hands.”

  “So put it down.” He stalked her like a cat.

  She could make a break for it, but he was a faster runner and had a bit of a stride advantage. Didn’t want to run with the camera, though—it was Mom’s. “I don’t feel like playing right now, Jacob.”

  He sighed. “Fine. What do you want to do?”

  “I was doing it before you interrupted me. Sorry we have different interests.” She so didn’t need his craving for attention right now.

  “Just horsin’ around. Don’t have to be a bitch about it.”

  “I’m not being a bitch. I was protecting my camera.” Now she wished she drove. The camera strap went around her neck and she turned for the stairs, grabbing her bag on the way up.

  There was a fruit stand across the road where she could sit in the shade. He could swim until he grew gills for all she cared…no one got away with calling her names.

  For once, he didn’t chase after her.

  What, I’m not worth chasing?

  Whoa, there, with the crazy talk.

  Well, he never lets me have the last word. What am I supposed to think?

  And even as she thought it, she saw him wait for a car to pass, then jog across the road. He was dressed again. She stopped peeking and pretended to find a cantaloupe very interesting.

  “Let’s go, Beth.”

  “Huh? Oh, hi. Hungry?” She walked to the register and requested, “One basket of the strawberries, please.” The girl handed over the berries in a paper bag in exchange for her money.

  “Done?”

  “Yes.” No cars were coming, so she crossed at a walking pace. “Where are we going?”

  “Home.”

  She had to open her door this time. “That’s mature.”

  “Don’t want to waste your time.”

  “God, you’re such a drama queen.”

  He drove onto the street. “You’re more interested in being with your parents right now. I heard it in your voice when you came back to the house. The camera’s just your way to avoid thinking about it.”

  “They teach you that in Psych 101?”

  “Beth, you didn’t talk the whole way down here.”

  “You had the radio on loud!”

  “So turn the bleedin’ thing down. Known you long enough to know when you’d rather be elsewhere, love.”

  “Sorry if my mother having cancer is inconvenient for you.” Of all the… If they weren’t so many miles from home, she’d get out of the car right here. “This morning was nice. I’m not the one that ruined it.”

  He shook his head and exhaled, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. Seriously, there was nothing he had to have a tantrum about. She wasn’t the one picking fights.

  Back in LA, he dropped her off in front of her house. She slammed the car door and stomped inside, not caring if he left or not. Her parents were in the kitchen putting away groceries.

  “Hi, honey,” Mom said.

  “Have fun, Elizabeth?” Dad asked, his head in the pantry.

  “Took some shots. I’ll be in the dark room unless you guys need anything?”

  “Nope.”

  She nodded to Mom and took her camera into her brother’s former bedroom. The roll she happened to have was only twenty-four exposures, so she’d gone through it fast.

  Working in the darkroom was therapeutic. Everything was timed and measured. Structured. She and Mom worked with an amber safelight to see what they were doing. As long as the light was at least four feet from the paper, there were no problems.

  First, Beth had to load the film on a reel in the dark. To process the negatives, she needed to put it through pre-soak, developer, stop bath, fixer, wash, wetting agent, and drying for at least four hours for them to harden completely. They hung the sheet with a weight at the bottom to straighten it. The strip could then be cut into individual images.

  It was around one o’clock when she started, which meant she could check the strip around dinner time to see about making prints. The AC vent was sealed off in this room to help the drying process, so the duration was usually shorter in summer.

  An enlarger was used to project the image of a negative onto a base for printmaking. A sheet of photographic paper was exposed with the enlarged image from the negative. The exposed paper was processed, first by immersion in a photographic developer, then halting development with a stop bath, and fixing it in a photographic fixer. The print was then washed to remove the processing chemicals, and dried. They spaced the prints out on a clothesline.

  She left the room and came upon her smiling mother. “What did you use this time?” she asked.

  “Color. It was what I had handy.”

  “I look forward to seeing them.”

  “Where’s Dad?”

  “Playing nine holes. He needed some man time after the visit to the alternative health center.”

  “I thought you were seeing a nutritionist?”

  “We did, but that’s where she’s at and we talked about stuff other than pills and injections. Research says you have better chances with a positive outlook, so we discussed spiritual wellbeing, too. That kind of thing makes your dad uncomfortable.”

  Beth followed her into the kitchen. “I can imagine. So, what’s this fancy diet?”

  “Completely organic, with the nutrient ratios specific to my body type to keep my strength up once I start chemo.”

  “But we don’t know that you’ll need that, yet. The doctor said—”

  “I’m only preparing. I’d rather expect the worst and be surprised by the best. Besides, the food is still good for me either way, so it won’t hurt.”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  How she could think about the badness, Beth didn’t know. It terrified her.

  Mom showed her the recipes in her new cookbook and talked about the yoga instructor she met. Beth guessed once Mom had a path, it was full steam ahead.

  They made dinner when Dad came home, then Beth went back in the darkroom.

  She worked on print after print, slowly seeing her subjects revealed. The photo of Jacob standing in the water took her breath away and she wondered again why he wanted her as a partner. He could rule the world with his charisma and ambition.

  She was just a scared young girl.

  DEDICATION

  Thank you to Mrs. Johns for teaching me I could create with words, Celeste for being so supportive of my writing through the years, and “Tech Guy” for providing twenty-four hour tech support and love.

  Thanks also to Sotia for being a fan of Jacob and Beth and encouraging me to keep going when words fail me. I value you more than you’ll ever know.

  A special shout-out to Pitizens, Purgatorians, and Divas. You know who you are.

  And last but not least, thank you to all the fans of Beth and Jacob since April 2011. This wouldn’t be possible without you.

  About the Author

  Fiction writer. Sci-fi lover. Trained vocalist. Cat mom.

  Debuting in 2011, Carla Krae lives in California with two crazy cats and a tech guy. When she isn't writing love stories, she likes to dabble in fantasy. Carla also writes as K.C. Taylor.

  Interviews: here and here.

  Join the mailing list for updates. Quickest way to get news. Then hang out at the fan forum.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading. Please drop Carla a review or message with your thoughts—they’re like virtual cookies.

  This series continues with Betrayed:

  Absence makes the heart grow fonder...or forgetful. Jacob is attending university in London while Beth stays in Los Angeles. The tender long-distance relationship falls apart when she believes he betrayed her on the same day she learns her mother's cancer has returned. Sometimes love doesn't have a happy ending, at least not the fi
rst time.

  Years after their relationship crashed and burned, Jacob is the world’s newest hot rock star, and running into him in a twenty-four-hour market is the last thing Beth wanted or expected. The biggest surprise? He has an offer for her she can’t refuse.

  Betrayed is the second of five books in the My Once and Future Love Revisited series exploring Beth and Jacob’s relationship with all its joys, flaws, and heartache. A New Adult Contemporary Romance saga.

  BETRAYED

  Chapter One

  Bright light hit Jacob’s face. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and rolled over to hide from the sun. Long hair tickled his nose. What the…?

  Beth. As the haze of sleep cleared from his mind, he remembered the night before, and falling asleep sated and holding her. She’d rolled onto her side away from him, the sheet tucked under her chin. He reached up and pulled the drapes closed above his bed, shutting out the offending light, and cuddled up to her back.

  “Mmm…what time is it?” she mumbled.

  “Don’t know. Sun’s up.”

  She squirmed her hips forward an inch. “Quit poking me.”

  “Morning wood. Can’t help it.”

  “Geesh.”

  He grinned and snuggled closer again. Holding her was really comfortable. He could get used to this. “Will you be missed?”

  “Nah. It’s Saturday.” She rolled partially onto her back. “We do our own thing in the morning.”

  He kissed her nose. “Good. Rather sleep in.”

  She smiled. “We were up late.”

  “Mmm.” He put his head down on his pillow. “Starting to like this weekend trend, Miss Lawson.”

  She rolled to face him. “Me, too.”

  He’d keep her in bed until their stomachs made too much noise to ignore if she let him. They’d christened his bed in a hell of a fashion, only stopping when she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. He pulled the sheet over their bodies, wrapped his arms around her with her head on his shoulder, and that was the last thing he remembered. Fell right to sleep for the first time in days.

  Her eyes were closed again.

  “You asleep, love?”

  “No,” she said, and yawned. “Sorry. Probably have morning breath.”

  “Nah.”

  She opened her eyes. “How long are you here?”

  “Long as it takes to box everything up.”

  “Are you going to miss the house?”

  A fair question. He’d lived here more years than he hadn’t. “Some. I’ll miss climbin’ over your wall more.”

  She smiled. “A lot of memories in two years. I’ll miss your mom being next door, too. You’ll both be so far away.”

  He kissed her pout. “I’ll miss comin’ back to the ol’ place, no question. When I left for uni, I thought I missed England…and I did, but L.A. might tip the scale of home a bit more.” He laced their fingers together. “And now there’s you.”

  “Jacob…”

  He kissed her before she started crying, before he laid his heart out too soon, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She moaned into his mouth, her hand clutching his shoulder. He loved her soft skin, especially when there was so much of it available to his fingers, and stroked her back, over her ass, and down her thigh. She curled her leg over his hip.

  She broke away from the kiss. “Do you have any more…?” Her brows rose, and he caught her meaning.

  “Don’t know.” He grinned. “Last night was intense.”

  She smiled back, but her cheeks turned pink. “Uh-huh.”

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Sleepy. And hungry.”

  He brushed her hair behind her ear. “Could see what’s around for breakfast.”

  Her nose wrinkled up. “You can move.”

  “I spend eleven hours on a plane and you want to be waited on?” he teased.

  “Yup.” She popped the “p” at the end.

  Now he was thinking about food, his stomach started gurgling. “Fine…but don’t think this’ll be a habit, missy.” He got out of bed and grabbed his jeans.

  She watched him pull them on, her hands propping her head up on the pillow. Though he knew he was a good-looking bloke, it thrilled him to see her admire him so blatantly. Put a bit more cock into his walk. He left the jeans unbuttoned.

  The refrigerator was mostly bare, his mother making sure she didn’t come back to a rotting kitchen. Too bad there was no milk for cereal…

  Beth never thought she’d be naked in this bed listening to Jacob hum in the kitchen. Even through all the years of wanting him to kiss her, she never thought further than I’d trust him to be my first. Now, she was thoroughly twitterpated, and had sex over two nights with her best friend, the change in their relationship just hours shy of two weeks old.

  Frea-ky.

  But awesome. This week would’ve been a lot harder without him answering her calls.

  Her bladder said it was time to get up, so she found her underwear and his t-shirt and used his bathroom. The girl in the mirror made her do a double-take. Her hair was a rat’s nest and she had a dark purple hickey on the side of her neck above her collarbone. There was no way of hiding that mark without wearing a turtleneck.

  She walked into the kitchen and slugged his arm. “Are you trying to get me in trouble?”

  “Hey! What are you on about?”

  “This. I told you not to leave obvious marks.”

  He touched it. “That’s a good one.” He grabbed the waffle that popped up out of the toaster. “Ooo, hot.”

  “Dumb-ass. My dad is going to freak when he sees my neck!”

  “Wear a scarf,” he said with his mouth full. “It’d be cute.”

  She rolled her eyes and grabbed the apple he left on the counter. “I don’t have a scarf, or a short-sleeve turtleneck, or make-up thick enough to hide this thing. You realize you have to flee now before he kicks your ass.”

  “Is he really going to notice with all that’s going on, Beth? A love bite’s a bit insignificant right now. Just hide it with your hair or something.”

  “Mom will notice and she’ll tell him, and she’s smart enough to put two and two together if they know you’re in town.”

  “What, you never made out in high school?”

  “No.”

  “Not ever?” He asked like he couldn’t imagine people existing with such a history.

  She looked away. “Kissing you was the first time I kissed anybody.”

  “Wow.” He took her face in his hands. “I’m honored.”

  She blushed. “Shut up. No fair being sweet when I’m annoyed with you.”

  He gathered her into his arms. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll take you shopping.” He looked down. “Are you naked under my shirt?”

  “God, you have a one-track mind.”

  “Didn’t answer my question.” His hands slid under the hem of the tee.

  She batted his hands away before he could distract her with their talents. “Quit that. I’m mad at you.”

  He grinned. “No, you’re not.”

  Okay, she wasn’t mad, but definitely inconvenienced. The hickey was not a good thing to come home with and she wished she could hide out until it faded, which, with her fair skin, couldn’t come soon enough.

  “Don’t wanna play, Jacob.” She sat on one of the dining chairs and bit into the apple.

  Seeing her genuinely put out, his demeanor changed and became more contrite. “I’m sorry, love. I’ll remember next time.”

  Guess it bothered her so much because it reminded her she was still a kid in some ways, and stuff like this was only the beginning of things that would chafe until she struck out in the world on her own. The dorm still awaited, but with Mom’s diagnosis… Well, she hadn’t decided if she could leave home, yet. On the one hand, she’d have freedom. On the other, she’d worry.

  He touched her shoulder. “Hey, what’s going through that head, kitten?”

  “Lots.” She ru
bbed her forehead. “Too much, lately.”

  He moved a chair close to hers, sat, and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him. “I’m here, okay?”

  “I know. Until you have to leave.”

  He didn’t reply to that and she didn’t ask him to. They sat cuddling until the mood settled and they could turn their attention back to food.

  After breakfast, she wanted to get dressed, but needed a shower somethin’ awful. They went through a round of you go—no, you go and ended up with him using his mother’s bathroom and her using his. She braided her hair over the side with the bruise, which sort of concealed it.

  “What would you like to do today?” he asked, leaning casually on the doorframe.

  “Aren’t you supposed to box up the house?”

  “Technically, but I think I’m allowed to spend a day with my girl.”

  She’d never get tired of hearing that—my girl. “I don’t know…” She looked in the direction of her house. “Mom might need something.”

  “We could go to the beach, take your camera, escape the heat a bit…”

  That smile wouldn’t sway her this time. “Let me check in first.”

  He sighed. “Alright.”

  He plopped on the couch in front of the TV and reached for the remote. Rolling her eyes, she left through the back to climb over the wall again. No one was in her yard or showing through a window, so she dropped to the ground and hurried to her room. The pencil was where she left it, allowing her to get back inside. She dressed properly, then reached for make-up.

  Caking on concealer hid the hickey a bit more, but not entirely, so she’d still need to be careful to keep her hair over it if she ran into her parents. She loaded a roll of film into her camera and left it on the desk next to her purse.

  Her room was at the start of the hallway to the bedrooms. There was a bathroom between it and her brother’s old room, then Mom and Dad’s was at the end. She walked out to the front to check the driveway first. No cars, but one could be in the garage.

  A note was stuck to the fridge:

  Elizabeth,

  We went to see the nutritionist for your mother’s new diet. Then we’ll stop at the store.