Chasing Carson
a U.S. Marshal series
By
Amanda Bennett
Copyright © 2014 Amanda Bennett
All rights reserved
Cover Art: Robin Harper w/ Wicked Cool Designs
This book is a written act of fiction. Any places, characters, or similarities are purely coincidence. If certain places or characters are referenced it is for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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. This book is not allowed to be offered for sale, discounted, or free on any sites other than Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks. This book may only be distributed by Amanda Bennett, the owner and Author of this work.
Other books by Amanda Bennett
Time to Let Go
The Broken Series
Beautifully Broken ~ Breaking Beautiful ~ Unbreakable Hearts
Misguided Heart
The Raine Series
This Love of Mine ~ This Trust of Mine ~ This Heart of Mine ~ This Courage of Mine
Faithless
Forever and Almost Always
The U.S. Marshal Series
Protecting Lyndley
Upcoming Releases by Amanda Bennett
Saving Tenley (U.S. Marshal Series #3) MARCH 2015
This Obsession of Mine (The Raine Series #5) APRIL 2015
This Family of Ours (The Raine Series #6) JUNE 2015
The Likeness Within (Within Me Series #1) TBA
For everyone who has ever felt love so strong that they wanted to fight until their dying breath for it.
Acknowledgments
To my beta readers, Kayla Kennedy, Kristy Davidson, Emma Clifton, Mechelle Lovell Jackson, Catherine Roberts, Leanne Martin, and Renee Lawther. Thank you so much for all that you do for me. Y’all are amazing beyond belief and you all push me to stay on track and I love you for it. There is absolutely no way I would have finished this book without y’all. xoxo
To all my amazing new and current friends on FaceBook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram, thank you so much for all the support and love you show me each and every day and for spreading the word about my books.
A huge thank you to my Indie author friends, y’all are an amazing bunch of girls and I am very blessed to know and consider you all my friends.
To all the amazing bloggers out there, thank you for helping spread the word about my books and for being so awesome. It is much appreciated.
Table of Contents
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty One
Twenty Two
Twenty Three
Twenty Four
Twenty Five
Twenty Six
Twenty Seven
Twenty Eight
Twenty Nine
Thirty
Thirty One
Thirty Two
Thirty Three
Thirty Four
Thirty Five
Thirty Six
Thirty Seven
Thirty Eight
Thirty Nine
Forty
Prologue
Carson
There was a point in time when I could’ve told you that I would’ve given anything to find the one I was meant to be with. Ever since I was a little girl, I strongly believed that there was that one person out there meant just for me. Now, I’m not so sure I can still believe in that. I’ve seen how happy my sister is and I yearn for that each and every day. I know I don’t need that in my life to make me happy, and I know it will not define me, but I long to have that one person in my life that I know no matter what, will always be there for me. I was certain that Ruger was that one for me. At one point I would’ve even been willing to put money on it, but that’s the funny thing about falling in love…sometimes the person you fall in love with isn’t exactly who you thought they were, and your entire world can go up in flames in mere seconds. Sometimes the ride is worth it, and sometimes you just get burned. Me? Well I suppose the jury is still out on that one. I’m still waiting for the answer to come to me and until then…I remain true to the only person I can, myself.
One
Ruger
For the last month I had been tryin’ my hardest to get Carson to notice me, but that seemed to be a bigger obstacle than I had originally anticipated. This girl was unlike any other girl I have ever met, and it was killin’ me that she wouldn’t give me the time of day. Usually all I would have to do is flash my badge and the panties would drop, but Carson was a whole other breed of girl.
“Ruger, what are you doing?” Ky’s voice boomed through the empty gun range.
“What are you talkin’ about?” I tried to pretend I didn’t know what he was talkin’ about so I wouldn’t have to admit anything.
“Are you gonna shoot something or what?”
Sometimes I really wanted a new friend. “Yeah, asshole. I’m just loading my clip.” This was a total lie. “Hey, when is your engagement party again?”
“Next weekend, asshat. Lyndley gave you the invite almost a month ago. Why?”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell him the real reason I was askin’, but somehow or another I knew he would find out eventually. Before I could open my mouth to give him the run down, he was already readin’ my thoughts.
“Carson asked if you were coming. What the hell is going on with the two of you anyway?”
Shit! “Nothin’ much. I haven’t spoken to her in a while. Why would she be askin’ if I’m goin’?” I was tryin’ to play it cool, but was failin’ miserably.
“Am I gonna have to step in and stop something that shouldn’t be happening? You know Lyndley will kill me if she finds out that the two of you are hooking up behind her back, right?”
Oh if he only knew. “It’s not like that, Wakely. Just forget about it.” I picked up my gun, aimed at the target down range, and squeezed the trigger as many times as I could. This was exactly what I needed today, and I was determined to keep my mind occupied with anything not pertainin’ to Carson. Maybe.
It wasn’t as if Carson and I had been datin’, or even seein’ each other on a regular basis, but the chemistry between us was absolutely undeniable, even though she tried with all her might to deny everything about it. I knew there were quite a few factors that made our situation somewhat impossible, but that just made it that much more of a challenge for me, and I loved a challenge. Luckily for me, she was about to have absolutely no choice but to be around me.
With all the chaos surroundin’ Lyndley and Wakely’s wedding, and the fact that I was his best man and Carson was Lyndley’s maid of honor, there were bound to be a shit ton of things for us to do, together. Just thinkin’ about Carson was gettin’ me all hot and bothered. That, and a nine-millimeter didn’t quite go hand in hand. I emptied out my clip, slid it out and set both of them down on the counter in front of me. I pulled my headset off and started makin’ my way out to the lockers. I sat down in search of my cell phone in my gym bag when I heard the metal doors swing close behind me.
“Dude, what’s goin’ on with you?” Wakely sat across from me with his elbows on his knees and
his face on his hands, rapidly blinking his eyes.
“You look like a fuckin’ girl.” I teased.
“Whatever, I’m just fucking with you. But seriously bro, what’s goin’ on with you?”
“Nothin’. So hey, how’s the next couple of months gonna go?”
“Jesus Ruger, how many times do we have to go over this shit? Okay, so next weekend is the engagement party, the week after that we have fittings for our tuxes and you and Carson have to get the bachelorette and bachelor parties planned and the brunch for the parents. Then in two months, it’ll be wedding day.”
“And you even said it with a straight face.” I laughed. “I’m just jokin’ man. I’m happy for you. I love Lyndley. I seriously couldn’t have picked a better person for you to spend the rest of your life with.”
He rolled his eyes as he mocked my words. “I’m so glad I have your permission that I never asked for. I think I can finally sleep well at night just knowing that my best friend approves of my choice in a wife.”
I knew he was just bein’ an asshole, but I seriously wanted to junk punch him and make certain that Lyndley would never get those babies she had been talkin’ about so fondly as of late. “And I thought I was an asshole.” I laughed as I stood and started makin’ my way out to the parking lot. I snatched my phone out of my gym bag and stood there starin’ blankly at the screen in front of me that was illuminated with a picture of Carson.
I had taken the picture on one of the many nights when we were all havin’ dinner at her parent’s house. She had been completely oblivious to everything around her except for Lyndley, who she was in a very in-depth conversation with at the time. She was absolutely breath taking. Everyone says that she was a spittin’ image of Lyndley, but when I looked at her, I didn’t see much of a resemblance. All I saw was light blonde hair that cascaded down her face, framin’ her unbelievably hypnotic green eyes. Eyes that I hoped one day she would only have for me.
I felt a hard smack across the back of my head, and instantly turned with my fist cocked back, ready to lay Wakely out. The only problem was, when I turned, Wakely was nowhere to be found and those emerald green eyes I had just been daydreamin’ about were now right in front of me.
“Were you really just about to hit a girl?” She stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, pushin’ her breasts up just enough to catch my attention. “My eyes are up here, Ruger.” She spat.
“I know where your eyes are, lil Lyndley. Honestly, I didn’t feel like lookin’ at them when I have these starin’ right at me.” I pointed at both of her breasts with a wide toothy grin splayed across my face. I knew what I said was about to piss her off, so I braced myself for impact.
“You’re an ass, and stop calling me that.” She tried to be all serious and shit as she spoke, but I could see the playful smile tuggin’ at the corners of her mouth.
“Am I? Because you look like maybe you enjoyed the fact that I was lookin’.” I teased.
“Whatever, Ruger.” She turned and started walkin’ in the opposite direction that I was goin’, and I couldn’t help but wonder why she was even here in the first place.
“Carson?” I shouted.
She turned and started walkin’ backwards. “What?”
“Why are you even here?”
“Don’t you wish you knew?” She winked just before she took off runnin’.
Tease. I swear that girl was gonna be the death of me. As much as I wanted Carson, I knew that she was bad for me. Actually, it was me that was bad for her. I was toxic. Despite how hard I would try, it was inevitable that I would hurt her, and Lyndley would murder me if that ever happened. So instead, I would play the little cat and mouse game we had goin’ on, and just wish that I could have her all for myself.
Two
Carson
It wasn’t as though I expected my life to go back to normal the minute after my beloved sister returned from the dead, but I didn’t expect to be cast in her shadow, yet again. I knew how selfish and inconsiderate I sounded, but the second she came through that front door, I went back to being Carson the straight A student who was headed to college, and she went right back to being Mommy and Daddy’s favorite. It was a never-ending vicious cycle and I was done playing that game.
When Lyndley jumped in the shower, I snuck into her room and checked her text messages, wondering where the guys were. I found it odd that the two of them weren’t around; only because for the last couple weeks they were everywhere I turned in the house. It was both annoying and extremely infuriating that I had to make sure I looked my best at all times. I knew how shallow I sounded, but I didn’t want to give Ruger a chance to realize that he really didn’t find me all that attractive¸ once he saw me without my makeup on.
When I found out they were at the gun range, I quickly snuck back out of Lyndley’s room and took off without saying a word to anyone, especially my father. As much as he had warmed up to Ky and even Ruger, I knew it was only because Ruger was Ky’s best friend and best man. He had already warned Ruger multiple times that I was off limits, and I didn’t want to get Ruger in trouble for something that was my idea to begin with.
I sat in my car and watched as Ky took off in the opposite direction towards his car, leaving Ruger all by himself, and giving me the perfect opportunity to mess with him. I didn’t expect him to turn around and almost sock me right in the face, but I guess that’s what I get for sneaking up on him. I wanted to stay and entice him into one of our bickering wars, but the tease in me wanted to leave him wanting me for a change. When I got back to my car, I slid behind the wheel and tried to think of what my next move should be. Unfortunately, I wasn’t left with much time to do so, because a few moments later Ruger was knocking at my window.
I rolled the window down, ready to give him a tongue lashing, but was immediately caught off guard when his beautifully lush lips pressed gently against mine. Before I could talk myself out of what was happening, I immediately reciprocated and let myself enjoy the brief moment of weakness. When his lips left mine, the cold breeze that was whipping through the air outside caught the small amount of saliva on my lips, and my body involuntarily shivered.
I forced my eyes open to take in the breath taking man in front of me, but just as I did, I instantly regretted it. I had seen the look on his face one too many times to count. Regret quickly settled into his expression and I couldn’t help but blame myself for putting it there.
“I’m sorry.” I muttered as my fingers grazed my somewhat swollen lips.
“Don’t be. That was my doin’, darlin’. I should’ve known better.”
Was he serious right now? Of course I knew we shouldn’t have let it happen, but how bad did he need to make me feel about it? “I have to go.” I growled.
“Carson, wait. That’s not what I meant.”
“I know exactly what you meant, Ruger. No harm, no foul. And don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody. I’m sure those were going to be your next words. See ya around.” Before he could respond, I started my car and took off down the road. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going, until I found myself turning at the next light and almost to my friend Trey’s house. I knew he would be home doing absolutely nothing, so I decided it was the best place to be right now.
As soon as I exited my car, Trey came running out the front door. He ran across the yard, pulled me into a great big hug and spun me around in circles. Luckily he set me down, just as I was about to throw up. Trey placed a chaste kiss to my cheek as he always did, and we skipped up to the front door.
“So what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Carson? Not that I’m complaining at all, I’m just curious.” Trey was always, just curious. It was the one thing I absolutely loved and loathed about him.
He threw his arm around my shoulders and led me into his house. I loved coming over to Trey’s. It was my sanctuary when I needed a little bit of normalcy in my life. Trey had been living on his own since he was sixteen, just shortly after his mom died. She le
ft him the house they lived in and a nice lump sum of money in the bank. But Trey wasn’t rich like my parents. And even though my father swears he didn’t like to show off his money, it never stopped him from adding onto the house or purchasing the newest gadgets and flat screen TVs.
I knew I had it easy compared to most, but I always made sure to never show it or rub it in anyone’s face. I had always stayed true to who I was. I would never complain about the enormity of our house or the fact that my room was practically the size of our living room, but it always left me feeling a bit empty and even lonely at times. When I was at Trey’s, I always felt right at home. His place wasn’t tiny, but it was perfect for him and his band equipment, and he even made up a spare bedroom just for me on the nights I just didn’t feel like being at home all by myself, which was usually a nightly occurrence.
“Whatcha thinkin’ so hard about over there?” Trey nudged my knee with his elbow and I was instantly brought out of my reverie.
“Oh, you know. Same ol’ shit.” I rolled my eyes in irritation.
“So, how’s it with your sister being back and all?”
I sat up and ran my fingers through my long locks of blonde hair, stopping to stare at the bright hue that no longer resembled my sister’s. “It’s great.”
“Liar!” He half-shouted back at me.
“Its like nothing ever changed. Honestly Trey, I don’t know how to feel about all of this. The angel daughter is back and I’m being tossed aside once again.” I held my hand to stop him from saying his smartass remark that I knew he was just dying to say. “I know I sound like a spoiled brat, you don’t have to say it. I think I’m just…I don’t know…You know, there’s just so much going on right now, and I…Oh and then Ruger kissed me, and well that was…Like I said, I don’t know…”
“Holy shit, girl. Slow the fuck down, I can’t keep up. Now I’m sorry, what was this whole thing about a kiss?” Trey was instantly at my side. “Now tell me everything.”
Chasing Carson Page 1
