by Vicky Owen
Returning to my bedroom, I close the door and quickly dab myself dry before twisting the towel around my hair and settling it atop my head.
I check my phone. No messages.
After throwing on a loose, oversized t-shirt and a similarly loose pair of jogging bottoms, I sit cross-legged on the bed, checking my emails for news about PhDs. As expected, the rejection from the mitochondrial project came through earlier in the week, but I’ve still had no word from the others.
Realistically, though, I’m not expecting any other responses this soon. I’m not looking at my email with any real hope of seeing something new, aside from the usual SU spam. I’m really just avoiding dealing with more pressing personal issues.
I resort to browsing blogs and forums to distract myself, but it’s all the same old crap. There’s not even any interesting news to lose myself in.
I reluctantly close the laptop and lean back on my pillows. Time to finish drying my hair, I guess.
Standing, I vigorously rub the towel over my hair—something Lexi tells me it’s not possible to do with long hair because you end up with a fuckton of knots, apparently. Once finished, I go back to the laundry basket and toss in the towel before returning to my bedroom.
And my phone is flashing.
It’s Jake.
I’ve got a gig tonight. Student Union. Please come.
I toy with the phone in my hand. Guess they have to make up for the one they didn’t finish.
Sighing, I lie back on the bed. I reach out an arm and pick up the hoodie he left behind last weekend, when he burst out of the building and warned Liam off. It still smells of him, and I bury my face in it, inhaling his scent.
I love him. I do. This is what I want. What I always wanted.
But I don’t want to be something he feels he has to keep hidden.
And then there’s the Ana guilt.
He wrote a song about missing you.
I put my hands on my face and do my best not to yank my hair right out of my scalp.
‘Everything okay?’
Lexi is standing in the open doorway. I nod, keeping my hands on my face.
‘Can I come in?’
More nodding.
She sits down on the end of the bed, and I feel the mattress sink a little near my feet.
‘Gig tonight. No Reckless. Student’s Union. Again. Want to come?’
‘How do you know about that?’ I ask, removing my hands from my face and sitting up.
‘Website.’
I sigh. ‘I don’t know.’
She reaches over and picks up the hoodie, raising an eyebrow at me. ‘Really?’
I groan and sink back down, hands covering my face once again. ‘I’m such a mess.’
‘Come on. It’s Friday night and we have no plans. Pretty sure it’s what you want.’
‘Fuck off,’ I say, knowing my voice is still audible through my fingers.
She laughs. ‘Be ready in an hour. I’ll even pay for a taxi.’
‘SAM’S COMING TOO.’
‘Really? I didn’t think she approved.’
‘She said she’s being supportive.’
‘That sounds more like Sam.’ The cab speeds up to make it through the lights in time. I grip the door. ‘Did we really need a taxi?’ I ask, lowering my voice to ensure that only Lexi can hear me.
‘We would have been late if we’d walked.’
‘Nothing to do with the dress you’re wearing then?’
She fidgets in her seat and pulls her jacket tighter around her. ‘No.’
I struggle to suppress a grin. ‘Come on. It’s been weeks. When do we get to meet this new guy?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she says, trying to shut my inquiry down.
‘Don’t play dumb. Who is he?’
‘Look, we’re here.’ The taxi pulls over and she pays the driver, visibly pleased to have dodged the question for now.
I get out and spot Sam on the other side of the road. ‘You’re late,’ she calls as Lexi and I walk towards her.
‘Obviously,’ I say, nodding towards Lexi.
‘They’ve started!’ Lexi squeals, ignoring my dig.
It doesn’t take as long to get in this time, although the Main Hall seems just as busy as it did before. The sound of girls screaming is deafening. I stand on tiptoes to better see the stage, and the reason for the screaming is clear.
Luc. Topless. Drumming.
They’re playing one of their louder songs, and I can only just make Jake out between strobe effects and rapidly-changing light colours.
I look at the girls. Lexi is mesmerised, probably by Luc. Even Sam can’t tear her eyes away from the band.
My attention is drawn back to the stage. Jake has seen me. He’s even hotter with the lights on him and sweat running down his neck.
He loves me.
But he doesn’t want to show me.
He turns his body slightly so he’s facing me. Singing to me.
As the song reaches its climax, the audience gets louder, and the screaming fan girls continue to scream in chorus long after the song has ended.
I try to relax. I’m here for the music, right? Music now, Jake later. Maybe.
Okay, next song. They’re just waiting for the screaming to die down a little, and then off they’ll go.
‘Hold on! Hold on!’ Jake holds up his hands but, even with the microphone, he’s barely audible over the crowd.
Gethin grabs a bottle of water and takes a few gulps while Harry takes his shirt off, revealing ripped abs and causing louder and even more enthusiastic screams from the audience. He, too, picks up a bottle of water, but instead of drinking it normally he opts to pour it into his mouth from height. It spills and flows down his chin, down to his midsection.
Jake yells something at Harry, who just laughs in response.
‘Okay, okay.’
After a few more screams, the crowd quiets to a murmur.
‘We’re going to play another song in a minute.’ More screams. More waiting. Then: ‘But I’ve got something to say first.’ He looks for me. ‘Cerys?’
Oh God. No. Not like this.
‘Guys?’
Whoever’s in charge of the lighting suddenly turns the spotlight on me, and I’m momentarily blinded.
‘Who here has heard a song called Missing?’
The crowd gives him what he wants. He grins and waits for them to calm down again.
‘Well, there she is. The girl who was missing. The one I lost. Somehow’—he pauses and I know it’s for effect, but I don’t care because I know it’s real too—‘I found her again.’
The audience’s response is overwhelming and, try as I might, I cannot stop the smile that’s taking over my face. Gethin and Luc are laughing and clapping, and a grinning Harry beckons me to the stage.
I shake my head, but Lexi’s hand is already on my lower back, nudging me forward.
Jake indicates to Luc. He clicks his sticks together and the band starts playing something new.
Something new and almost certainly about me. I know he writes all the No Reckless lyrics. I never even had to ask—I always knew. They are Jake, inside and out.
Sam joins Lexi and they push me forward together.
‘I can’t!’
‘He loves you!’
‘And you love him. What are you scared of?’
I shake my head. I’m not sure.
Nothing. Nothing but myself.
Eventually the crowd takes over and lifts me up, carrying me forward. I scream but, thankfully, I’m drowned out by the audience and the music. I crowdsurf forward, and as I approach the stage, Jake reaches down and lifts me onto the stage, like I’m completely weightless.
I stand there, enjoying my close-up view, the view that everyone else in the audience can only dream of having. He finishes the song before picking me up and spinning me around. He speaks into the mic, telling the audience that he loves me, but I know they can’t hear him over their own s
creams.
And I don’t even care.
‘I love you too.’
‘Stay?’
I nod. ‘You?’
‘Forever.’
EPILOGUE
Cerys
KISSES TEASE THE back of my neck, and I wonder if he knows I’m awake. The bed feels good. His arms around me feel even better, caging me and holding me close to him. I can feel his erection pressing into me from behind, but I decide to pretend I’m asleep for just a little bit longer.
I let my body relax as he kisses my shoulders, then my neck. His fingers gently trace the curve of my hip, dipping into my waist. His lips move ever closer to my ear.
‘I love it when you pretend to be asleep.’
His voice sends a melting heat down my back, and I fight to keep the smile from my face as I push myself against his erection. In response, he lets out a soft groan and pushes back a little, grinding against me.
I don’t know who I’m teasing more: myself or him.
The fingers tracing my hip slowly draw a line down towards my cunt, drawing my attention to how wet I already am.
No self control. Still.
His other hand cups one of my breasts, gently teasing my nipple.
‘And I really love your body,’ he breathes against my neck. ‘I love you, Cerys.’
I can’t take any more.
‘Jake…’ I push back harder before hooking my leg back over his and pulling him closer to me. He groans again, kissing harder at the back of my neck.
I feel him twist slightly and pull back momentarily.
Then he’s back, reaching around with one hand to tease my clit while guiding our bodies to connect…
AN HOUR LATER we’re still in bed.
‘You should move in with me. I’ll pay off your lease here.’
‘But what about my beloved gingham sheets?!’ I feign offence. ‘They won’t fit in with the pristine decor at your place.’
‘Fuck up. You don’t even like these sheets.’
I laugh. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. What about Lexi and Mylo though?’
He raises an eyebrow. ‘They can come over whenever you want. Or you can come here. Or we can come here. Whatever you want. I just want you in my bed every morning and every night.’
I can’t deny it: that does sound good. ‘Aren’t you worried it’s too soon? It’s only been a few months.’
‘A few months and several years. It’s not soon enough.’
I let him cuddle me into his chest for a few minutes, mulling it over. It would be easier. We’re already spending every night together as it is…
‘You’ve got a letter, Cerys,’ Mylo calls through, sliding it under the bedroom door.
I sit up.
‘Fuck.’ I scramble to get out of bed. Seconds later I’m back under the covers, letter in hand. ‘It’s so thin. What if it’s a rejection?’
‘Then you get to come on tour with me,’ Jake grins. I elbow him playfully.
‘Aren’t acceptances usually thick?’ I don’t want to open it. I can’t face it.
‘No idea,’ Jake says, sitting up. ‘Won’t know if you don’t open it, though.’
He’s right. I take a deep breath and tear it open.
‘Dear Ms Morgan,’ I read aloud, trepidation invading every part of my being, ‘we are delighted to offer you a fully funded studentship on the Cancer and Genetics—’
‘You’re in!’ Jake squeezes me in a hug. I don’t even know what to say. ‘Guess no tour, though?’
I bite my lip, unsure of how to tell him.
‘This sucks. For me, I mean. I’m so gutted you won’t be with me, but I’m even prouder of you for this.’ He kisses me hard. ‘And it’s with one of your lecturers, right? So you can still live in my house when I’m away?’
‘Jake, I—’
‘Sorry, sorry. Our house,’ he grins, winking at me.
‘Wait.’
His face falls. ‘What’s wrong? Fuck. Sorry. I don’t want to pressure you into moving in, I just—’
‘Jake! I don’t start the PhD until October.’
He frowns for a moment before realising what I’m saying.
‘I discussed it with my supervisor when I applied.’
‘So you can still come on tour?’ he says.
I nod.
‘Fuck, I love you.’
‘I love you, too.’
Thank you for reading Reckless Lust. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
For updates on future releases, including Reckless Play (the next book in the Reckless series), you can like my Facebook page at fb.com/vickyowenwriter
~
Vicky Owen writes sexy New Adult fiction. She tried writing a post-apocalyptic novel once but the ending was so sad she couldn’t finish it. (Her boyfriend still teases her for the crying.) After writing an anonymous guest post for a risque blog she decided to try her hand at romance, and found that she fared much better. Now she writes headstrong, nerdy female characters and the irresistibly hot men who fall for them.
When she’s not writing she can be found drinking rum, playing board games and spending way too much time in bed…
Vicky lives in the UK with her boyfriend, Joel, and their imaginary kitten, Smythe.
Table of Contents
Title
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
About Vicky
