Then she was able to spit out the words. “I love you, Kiefer.”
He smiled. “I know.”
She laughed then, in spite of what a wreck she felt like, and the endorphins flooding through her body felt good. “How Han Solo of you.”
He laughed then too and held the notebook up so she could see it. “Katie gave me this.”
Heather blinked. Oh. It was her poem from in the library. “How? When?” The words stopped again.
“I found her after you left your room and then she said she knew who the poem was about. We had a long talk about you, and I’m sorry I did that behind your back, but Katie said she knew you had struggled with some things for a long time but she didn’t know what they were or that they were so bad. And she said, when I came to her, she knew then that the poem you had written was about me and that I needed to see it. After that, she felt really bad that she’d shared it with me.”
“But?”
“You really think I could read that poem and not know that you feel the same way about me that I do about you? ‘I want to find a way/ for you to fit in my life.’ I think that pretty much tells me all I need to know.”
She felt a warm feeling flood through her body. “Okay, so we try…but what if I fail?”
“Why do you think you will?”
“Because I’m so weak.” The tears started spilling again.
“Weak? Are you kidding me?” She leaned her forehead into his chest and let the sobs continue. “Heather, you’re one of the strongest women I know. To become who you have and not lose who you are inside…to continue to be so sweet in spite of what you’ve been up against—that’s strength.”
His words just made her cry all the more. She stayed in his arms until she had cried herself out and then said, “So what now?”
He smiled. “I say we take it slow, day by day. We ease into it. You make sure you’re comfortable with it all.”
There was no question. When she’d arrived at Katie’s and discovered Kiefer was the guy she’d been intensely attracted to at the bar—but Kiefer had been her best friend online for years already—she’d drawn a line. She didn’t want more—or so she’d thought. But she was finding that Kiefer had a way of making her see that he was worth the effort, worth her time, and his presence amplified the hollowness that had been her life before. She no longer wanted to go back to the way it was. There was one issue, though, and she didn’t know where Kiefer stood. “I don’t need to ease into it. This week took care of that for me. But I need to know that this will work for you, Kiefer. I mean…you now know my secrets. You’ve seen what I’m capable of. Can you even trust me?”
Kiefer beamed at her, his light a beacon in her world of darkness. “We all have flaws and scars, Heather. I love you enough to want to help you past them—just like you’ve done for me. I don’t think you realize how you’ve changed my life. I hadn’t felt anything deep or lasting for anyone since my grandpa. I’d learned to just take people at face value and not expect shit from them. I lived day to day and never expected anything more. And you’d think fame would help, but that just made it worse. You’re surrounded by fake people, people of no substance, people who just want to use you for who you are, and it makes you feel worse. It makes you feel alone.
“And that’s the difference. I don’t feel alone when I’m with you. I feel whole…and that’s why I don’t want to lose you.”
Heather blinked. She felt the same way—that Kiefer somehow completed her. Another tear dashed down her cheek and then fell onto her breast but she wasn’t paying attention to it. Her eyes, her mind, her thoughts, and her heart were all focused on the man holding her, the man who promised that life from here on out was going to be very different from all that had come before. She nodded and touched his cheek. “I’m just afraid—”
Kiefer touched his finger to her lips. “No way. It’s you and me. There’s no room for fear. You got problems, yeah, but have you ever had anyone beside you to help you through them?”
The buoyancy this man made her feel—like she was light, able to scale any wall, like nothing was insurmountable—told her everything she needed to know. “No.” Could she do it with someone by her side? “But I’d like to give it a try.”
“That’s all I needed to know.” With that, Kiefer kissed Heather with a passion, fire, and love to rival the ages…and somehow she knew she really would have the strength to conquer the world as long as he held her hand through it.
A Note from Jade
Hello, friends!
So...you know I like realism. Heather and Kiefer not recognizing each other at the beginning of the story is something I struggled with, and one of my beta readers also had an issue with it. I discussed it at length with several of my betas and tried to "beef up" the hows and whys, but I wanted to write this little note to say that I realize some of you will still take issue with it. For that, I'm sorry.
Bottom line, though--it was the way the story began in my head. There was no moving forward for me without that first scene. It lets you know of Heather's problems right off the bat without giving you the details you get later.
I hope most (if not all) of you love the story as it is and, if not, I hope you love it in spite of it.
--Jade, November 2014
Other books by Jade C. Jamison:
The Tangled Web Series
Tangled Web
Katie Logan has had a secret crush on her best friend Johnny Church since high school, but he’s never looked at her the same way. So when Johnny—now a famous rock-and-roll guitarist—comes home to visit, Katie can’t bring herself to tell him she’s engaged to be married. She should have, though, because she soon discovers that maybe the attraction is mutual…
Everything But
High school English teacher Erin Lancaster is stuck with the unwelcome job of filling in for the injured cheerleading coach, but she wants to back out when she discovers she has to be auctioned as a date during the annual spring fundraiser. She’s horrified to find her rock star crush Riley Schultz, former frontman of Spawn, will be playing emcee for the event, but she’s even more shocked that he also happens to be the highest bidder for her affections, and sparks fly when she discovers that maybe their attraction is mutual.
Riley’s been in the music business long enough to know that true love is not in the cards for him, but the cute blonde he’s dropped a wad of cash on would be a welcome distraction during his vacation. He has no idea there’s more to her than meets the eye.
Will one week together be enough for them to quell the flames, to enjoy everything but?
Punctured, Bruised, and Barely Tattooed
Companion Novel
Kory McCallister has had her eyes on tattoo artist Stone Bowman for quite some time—so long, in fact, that no other guy will do. Stone pushes every turn-on button Kory has—he’s tattooed from head to toe; he’s hot; he’s funny and charming; and he’s also mysterious. So when Kory’s friends dare her to ask Stone out on a date, she can’t believe she actually finds the guts to do it.
More surprising? He takes her up on the offer.
She discovers that, while his past might not be quite as dark or mysterious as she’d imagined, it’s bigger than she’d expected, and it’s something she will need to contend with if she decides she wants to keep him around to color her life for good.
Other reads:
Bullet:
An Epic Rock Star Novel
What if you discover the man you want is toxic?
She’d tasted a little bit of heaven with him, and now they’ve gone through hell and back, but can their relationship take anymore?
Valerie Quinn is a naïve college freshman when she meets on-the-rise rock star Ethan Richards. He’s an idealistic, handsome, reckless young man, but he’s captured her heart. She doesn’t give up on him and eventually his walls crumble down. By the time Valerie has given herself to him completely, she discovers he’s damaged and may be beyond help. Can she save Ethan and their r
elationship before he implodes, or will he self-destruct and take her with him?
Then Kiss Me
Casey Williams has left a loveless marriage and is trying to rebuild her life. She finds that, even though you can never go home again, you can find lust again, and she finds a love interest in Scott, her coworker. She also discovers his secret, that he’s a drummer for a heavy metal band, and falls hard for him…just in time to find that, between his questionable friends and psychotic maybe-ex-girlfriend, he might not be the right guy for her. But her heart beats like a drum for him, and she finds herself willing to play with fire to get closer.
Quickies
Sexy Short Stories and Other Stuff
Quickies is a collection of miscellaneous words that really don’t fit elsewhere and certainly can't stand alone. A mixture of poetry, short stories, and bite-sized nuggets, Quickies is full of small stuff that won't consume an entire day of your life but that you'll enjoy just the same. Stories like “Drawn to Him” and “Dancing on Air” are hot and sexy...and fun. And there’s also a bonus for fans of Jade's book Bullet—all the stories she wrote for fun for blogs (as well as one deleted scene) are also collected in Quickies. So enjoy Quickies...because sometimes you want it slow and steamy, but other times you want it super-hot, nasty...and quick!
The Nicki Sosebee Series
The character Nicki developed out of Jade’s need to read a strong heroine, and do we mean strong! Nicki has a sailor mouth and can keep up in that department with her rough-and-tough best friend, Sean Ramsey. And don’t get her started talking about sexual freedom. She’s all about it. Granted, it stemmed from a lost opportunity at love (with said best friend), but she appreciates sex as much as any man ever thought of. She’s still finding her way through life too, but she’s figuring it out.
Got the Life (Nicki Sosebee #1)
Nicki Sosebee wants her first headline, but she doesn’t want it to read “Reporter found dead.”
Nicki Sosebee has been working low-paying jobs ever since she finished school, but now that she’s older, she wants more. She’s a novice reporter trying to learn the ropes. Just as she’s getting her career goals on track, though, her love life gets worse and worse. Sure, she has no problems picking up good-looking guys for brief flings, but relationships? Out of the question. Maybe it’s because Sean, her gorgeous best friend, just can’t see her as more than a buddy. So when Sean encourages her as she pursues her first headline-producing story, Nicki realizes that her life’s pretty sweet…if only she can live long enough to see tomorrow’s front page.
Finger Bang
Orgasmic Meditation? Therapeutic?! Kaylee Baker is horrified when her girlfriends suggest a trip to artsy Boulder, Colorado, to check out the latest craze. What her friends don’t know about Kaylee is that she is a little repressed, bordering on frigid, and the idea of a complete stranger bringing her to orgasm—therapeutic or not—is horrifying.
Blaze Donahue has admired Kaylee from afar for quite some time, and part of the reason he’s kept his distance is because he’s had no indication that she might even be interested. But when he’s given the opportunity to offer her his own version of OM with no strings attached, he makes an offer she has a hard time refusing.
When there are undeniable sparks between the two, Kaylee runs, afraid of the overwhelming feelings she has for this gorgeous, sensitive guy. Blaze feels compelled to convince her otherwise but wonders if he’ll be able to crack through the ice surrounding this sweet girl. Can they find true love or will it just be a one-time O?
And more! Jade just won’t shut up!
BOOKS BY JADE C. JAMISON
Punctured, Bruised, and Barely Tattooed
Substitute Boyfriend
Finger Bang
Quickies: Sexy Short Stories and Other Stuff
Old House
Then Kiss Me
MADversary
Worst Mother
Fabric of Night
Stating His Case
TANGLED WEB SERIES
1 Tangled Web: A Steamy Heavy Metal Novella
2 Everything But
3 Seal All Exits
BULLET SERIES
1 Bullet: An Epic Rock Star Novel
2 Rock Bottom
3 Feverish
4 Fully Automatic
NICKI SOSEBEE SERIES
1 Got the Life
2 Dead
3 No Place to Hide
4 Right Now
5 One More Time
6 Lost
7 Innocent Bystander
8 Blind
9 Fake
WISHES SERIES
1 Be Careful What You Wish For
COMING LATER IN 2014 AND 2015:
Boiling Point (Feverish #1.5)
Christmas Stalkings (Bullet #4.5)
Slash and Burn (Bullet #5)
Savage
Stalk me! I don’t bite (well, not too hard anyway)!
Visit Jade’s website:
http://www.jadecjamison.com
Follow Jade on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/@JadeCJamison
Follow Jade on Instagram:
http://instagram.com/jadecjamison
Send Jade an email:
[email protected]
Like Jade on Facebook:
http://facebook.com/JadeCJamison
Sign up for Jade’s newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/TOMCH
If that’s not enough, you should stalk my Street Team as well:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JadeCJamisonStreetTeam
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/@JCJStreetTeam
Seal All Exits (Tangled Web #3) Page 17
