The Campus Jock: A College Bad Boy Romance

by Serena Silver

  Jasmine cut him off.

  “Don't tell me that I don't know things,” Jasmine said. “You don't know what the fuck I know. I know that you weren't thinking out there. That you pushed ahead because of a gut instinct, instead of keeping a level head. And that worked this time, but like my father keeps telling everyone, it's a way that will take causalities, but if it works--”

  This time Bradley cut her off.

  “Then it's worth it,” Bradley said. “Yeah, that's pretty much the way of things in the military. Sometimes people don't come back from missions, and that's just how it goes. In wars, big wars, or police actions, there are times when entire patrols don't make it back through the gates. That's just how it goes.”

  They both stood silent for a second, looking at each other with that veiled suspicion that couples get when they fight. There wasn't much they could do at this point, as far as Bradley saw. What was he going to do, leave the military?

  “I've talked to my father,” Jasmine said. “And, although he doesn't like it, he said that if you want to get out to marry me, he will figure out a way. Because of the way you helped pace training, and how you basically built a new way to assault rigs, the military is willing to allow you to get out of your contract while keeping all the benefits you would have earned. It's not a bad deal, and I think you should really consider it. Especially if you want to be with me, because, I'm telling you, right now, I don't see us being together for very long.”

  Bradley took a step back.

  “Jesus fucking Christ,” Bradley said. “Why do you have to be so confrontational about this?”

  “Why did you have to charge up a ladder and almost get hit by a fucking rocket grenade?” Jasmine shot back.

  Bradley thought about that. He had been acting on instinct out there. That was the way he always did things. He'd been brought up in a SEAL program that was passing by, literally. People were dying because they pressed forward instead of waiting for a few heartbeats to see what would happen next. It was the way that Bradley had been brought up to fight, to move continuously on the offensive. But the new Navy was starting to get away from that. It didn't like the causalities, no one did. And Bradley could understand why. There just weren't enough SEALs to treat them like they could lose one a mission. That's why the General had freaked out when a team had lost men.

  “I'll think about it?” Bradley said. “All right? That's all I can promise you, right now.”

  Jasmine threw her arms around him like she was drowning.

  “Please, please Bradley,” Jasmine said. “I need you. Please tell me that you'll walk away from all of this. We don't need it anymore, and you know it. Why can't we just run away together? We could make a life somewhere, anywhere.”

  Bradley's head was spinning. He liked the idea of what she was saying, but at the same time, he was terrified. The idea of leaving the Navy, a place that had been his home since high school, wasn't something that crossed his mind without causing some concern.

  Before Bradley knew what was going on, Jasmine was pushing him back onto the bed. But not for sex this time. Instead, this time, to hold each other and cry as they realized that their worlds were about to change more than either was comfortable with, and that was something they weren't ready for. But, like Bradley had pushed forward on the rig, they had to move on instinct if not on conviction alone.

  Chapter Ten

  The next few months flew by. Bradley decided to get out of the Navy to be with Jasmine. It was kind of a no-brainer, considering that he'd get to keep his retirement stipend and he'd just had an RPG fly past him. It wasn't the danger of the missions that bothered him, it was just the creeping certainty that eventually he wouldn't come back from a mission, and that was just the way things worked. He was getting on in his career as a SEAL, even though he was still considered young by civilian standards. It was the best time to transition.

  It had been hard for Bradley to say goodbye to the team, but everyone had been really understanding of his situation, and he'd appreciated the hell out of that. No one had jumped down his throat or called him a coward. That was something he'd worried about from a few of them, but there had been no snark. They'd each looked thoughtful about their own future as Bradley had spoken about his.

  Now, off the coast of Puerto Rico, living on a little fishing island, Bradley couldn't have been happier. And Jasmine, well, all of Jasmine's dreams had come true. She'd started her own business running tourist from fishing spot to fishing spot, and it had really taken off. Now she was in charge of a small fleet. It was something that Bradley hadn't expected, but then again, he hadn't thought he'd ever start a business that revolved around SCUBA diving.

  But that's how things had gone. He'd started pearl diving, and investigating shipwrecks, on his own. But as soon as he'd started to get in over his head when it came to projects, he'd hired on his SEAL friends who were out as well. They didn't storm rigs anymore, and instead of taking fire, their biggest worry was the weather. Which was a very real danger to them, and things were still touch and go sometimes with the sharks. But it wasn't like it had been, never knowing when things were going to go wrong, if victory would snatch them from the jaws of defeat or if the fates would turn their back on them. Because, in the end, for all of the SEALs who got out, it wasn't that they hadn't liked the work, it was that the work could turn on you and bite you even if you did all the right things. And, eventually, it wouldn't be a rig they stormed, or whatever the objective was, it would be part of a larger conflict, and the SEALs would be tasked to do something they were never intended to do. And then what? Because that was as certain as the finally taking a bullet, as far as Bradley was concerned. Higher only cared when SEALs died in mass, and that meant that, eventually, Bradley would be a statistic.

  And that wasn't what he wanted—had never been what he wanted. He wanted to have a little more control over his life than wondering if the people above him were using their heads or acting according to how they thought things would play out on paper.

  And not only this, Bradley had felt the old Navy leaving, even while he stayed on to greet the new Navy. He just hadn't been comfortable with how things were turning out as far as operations were concerned, something he and his SEAL friends and employees often talked about between dives.

  Besides all of this, he and Jasmine had a home life. That was somewhat strange for both of them, but it was something they thought they liked, at least. They'd never had a life outside of work before. Jasmine, for her part, hadn't had a life outside of the base and her father's influence. Bradley had thought of this as they'd packed up to leave, knowing that he was putting an awful lot of faith in Jasmine to go with her on this adventure when it was her first real one.

  Now they had each other each night, and not just sexually. That was something they still did, but as with most couples that are together long term, it had turned into something more special than titillating. Now they held each other each night as if it would be their last, even though that wasn't the kind of lives they led anymore. It was something they both thought they needed to try to hang onto as much as they could, even though it wasn't going anywhere—that's how special their love was to each other.

  The days went by, one after the other, and things just kept getting better. There seemed to be no end to the new joy they'd both found with each other, and it was something that they wanted to last forever.

  Maybe it could, Bradley thought, as he looked out over the waves toward the setting sun. For the last few months he and Jasmine had been trying to get pregnant, and it was something he thought about a lot now. As the sun blazed its glory across the evening sky, Bradley knew that his future with Jasmine was more brilliant than any sunset, and it amazed him that his choice to come with her had been absolutely everything that he'd ever thought it could be.

  Kidnapped by an Alien

  A Sci-Fi Romance

  Danielle Weir

  Kidnapped by an Alien

  Copyright 2017 by Danielle
Weir

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.

  Chapter One: Ashton

  The wind howls. A porch-screen door slams over and over. Rain falls in sheets as lightning illuminates the peeled green painted exterior of the old farm house. Upstairs, 23-year-old Ashton Alexander cuddles up under a thick old quilt while getting lost in her favorite book. A romance novel about a tall, quiet cowboy who sweeps a northern socialite off her feet. The novel is growing worn with dog-eared pages. Glistening abs seen through a cowboy’s unbuttoned shirt splash the front cover.

  “Lucius ripped off her lacey bodice, revealing her heat-flushed bosom. His weathered, worn lips kissed roughly down her silky curves. She craved for him to be inside her.” Ashton bites her lip after quietly whispering every word of the book. She’s never had much luck with the opposite sex or people in general.

  Nightly she finds herself living vicariously through her guilty pleasures: damsels in distress, knights in shining armor and sexy bad-boys-turned-good, to name a few.

  Her thick red hair is pulled behind her reading glasses into a makeshift ponytail. She rubs her fingers slowly over the nape of her neck. Her imagination plays out the page turning foreplay in her books. She yearns for a man to take her like that.

  “The once sweet socialite kneels down and undoes the rugged cowboy’s six-shooter and chaps only to reveal his…”

  KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Startled, Ashton almost jumps out of her covers. She hides her book in a frenzy and pulls the covers around her.

  “What is it?” Ashton says twice, the first time barely being able to get out until she cleared her throat.

  “It’s Autumn Spirit, Pop says she’s ready to give birth” Faith, Ashton’s slightly younger sister, yells from the other side of her door.

  “Okay, okay… Hold your horses,” Ashton says, cracking herself up.“Ha ha, not funny,” Faith says while turning the door handle. “Why’s the door locked, anyway?”

  Ashton looks over at her romance book wedged in the side of the bed and yells to the door, “Something about nosey little sisters would be my guess.”

  She pulls the quilt off of her and places her reading glasses on the large wooden dresser next to her bed. Ashton, wearing only a t-shirt and panties, looks for jeans and a hoodie.

  Faith keeps knocking to playfully agitate Ashton. Ashton puts on her hoodie and glances out her window, overlooking the stable. Lightning strikes in the distance outlining the structure in the black of night. The rain hasn’t let up. She hears Faith knock again and quickly grabs another hoodie. She opens the door to Faith in mid-knock and throws a hoodie at her shocked face.

  “You’re helping.”

  “But hey… I don’t know a thing about… It’s raining out there.”

  Faith pleads with Ashton, who runs past her down the stairs.

  “It’s not my responsibility.”

  Ashton stops at the bottom of the stairs and jerks a look back at Faith. “Well, today it is.”

  Ashton heads to the front entryway. She grabs her boots and puts them on. Trench coats, jackets, trucker hats and cowboy hats hang from various coat racks by the door. The outside screen continues to slam from the wind.

  Faith makes it down the stairs in her purple t-shirt and slippers, still holding the hoodie Ashton threw at her. Her hair is blonde and frazzled from the drying.

  “I’ll help out under one condition.”

  “Okay, I’m all ears,” Ashton reluctantly says, while putting on a trench coat.

  “You go out with me tomorrow, no questions asked!”

  “Fine.”

  Ashton rolls her eyes and slides some boots to Faith.

  “Let’s go help Pops.”

  Chapter Two: Autumn Spirit

  A white, spotted black mare exhaustively stares at Ashton while she combs her mane. Autumn Spirit has been ready for birth for weeks. It’s been a long pregnancy even for a horse, and Ashton is glad it’s finally time. The weather wasn’t helping, though. Hours earlier, Ashton had to use all her tricks and energy to calm Autumn from the outside thunder. Faith didn’t last as long. She’s passed out sitting on a bale of hay in the next stall. Ashton’s tired, but her animals are the only thing she loves more than her books.

  “It’s okay, Autumn, it’s okay. You’re going to be a mama, soon.”

  Ashton kisses the mare on the nose.

  “I bet your baby is going to a free spirit like you.”

  The barn door slams open. Ashton’s father plows in and labors to shut the door against the screeching elements. The door closes, and with it, the howling wind and cold breeze follow. He walks over to a wooden stool under a hanging lantern and undoes his trench coat with one hand. He reaches into an inside pocket to a grab a thermos with the same hand. Ashton’s father is a man with little emotion, despite his constant frown. He’s worked his farm his whole life, but after a tractor accident, he’s had to reluctantly step back his role. He’ll be cursed for the remainder of his years with a gimp hand and a stiff walk. He motions the thermos to Ashton.

  “It’s warm, Darlin’. Where’s Faith?”

  Ashton motions her head to the nearby stall. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected too much more.”

  “Well, honestly I’m surprised you got her out here.”

  “True. Though, I may have sold my soul to do it. We’ll see tomorrow night I guess.”

  “Well, don’t be too hard on her. She’s just not like you, Ashton. Heck, she’s not really like any of us. Between you and me, if I didn’t see her come from your ma myself, I’d swear she’s adopted.”

  “Yeah,” Ashton laughs, then turns serious as she continues to comb Autumn. “I miss Mama.”

  “I do too, kiddo. I miss a lot of things.” Ashton’s father looks down at his useless hand. “But I miss her the most.”

  “I love hearing how ya’ll met. At the Drive in. You spillin your drink all over her and her date. And you getting decked. What I would have given to be there.”

  “Yeah, your ma was always a sucker for taken care of wounded animals.”

  “So that’s where I get it from.” Ashton pats Autumn gently.

  Ashton’s dad maneuvers the thermos open and pours the steaming drink into its cup lid. “I called the vet. If the storm clears up, he’ll head out in the mornin’.”

  “Don’t know if she’ll last that long.”

  “So, Faith is making you get out tomorrow. That’s good Ashton. I want you to get out.” He brings Ashton the warm drink.” You shouldn’t be stuck here your whole life with this old man.”

  Ashton takes a sip of the cup from her dad. “Water!”

  “No, it’s hot chocolate, sweetie.”

  “No, Autumn’s water broke.” Ashton puts her cup down and hollers for Faith. The horse whinnies and starts to sway back and forth. Ashton tightens the horse’s rein against the nearby post.

  Faith wakes up with a rush of energy.

  “What’s going on?”

  Ashton grabs her rubber gloves.

  “Time to deliver a foal.”

  Chapter Three: The Lake

  An aged, white Chevy barrels down winding dark country roads. Mud from the truck’s wheels fling past its
slightly open windows. Country Rock music blares from inside. Faith barely pays attention to the road as she applies lipstick on pouty lips through the reflections of a bedazzled visor mirror. She mostly steers with her knees, much to the horror of Ashton, her red-headed best friend of the same age, sitting shotgun. Ashton wears her emotions on her face. She’s always been nervous by Faith’s driving, and even more nervous about their destination - “Make-Out Lake.”

  In an attempt to distract herself from what feels like impending doom, Ashton turns the radio down and tries to figure out what Faith is getting them into. “You know I’m not a fan of your surprises.”

  “Well, big sis, as much as I loved seeing Autumn’s little filly being brought into this world, (I’ll have to burn all those clothes, by the way) so you owe me.”

  “Whatever, you slept through half of it. I should be in the stable right now. That’s gotta be more important than what this is.”

  Faith blots her lips, puts away the lipstick and gives Ashton a mischievous grin.

  Ashton presses further. “Let me guess, boys from the other side of the river and beer?”

  “Don’t act like that’s a bad thing. Better than you sitting at home reading one of those worn out romance novels you love so much.”

  “God forbid you pick up a book. Can’t stay out too late, anyway…have to prepare our stock for the State Fair. Besides, the boys around here are so lame.”

  “Even Bobby Darren?” Faith teases, knowing he’s Ashton’s biggest crush.

  “Well, he’s alright. Is he going to be there?”

  “It’s Danny’s, his brother’s birthday. He’ll be there, and I’m sure the usual bunch of troublemakers.”

  Ashton can’t contain her smile as she looks out the window staring at the stars. She’s always liked Bobby - high school quarterback, a disarming smile and soft black hair she’d love to run her fingers through. She always acted uninterested, but Faith knew her too well and would catch her staring at him on the sidelines during the games and at practices. She especially took notice whenever he took his shirt off, which he always seemed to do during practices. Good thing for Ashton the bleachers were her favorite place to read from. Faith didn’t mind the bleachers too much, either. For her, it was under the bleachers that held her favorite hobby.