Jace: Rebels Advocate (Book 4)

by Sheridan Anne

  © 2018 Sheridan Anne.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Cover Design by: Sheridan Anne

  Photograph: Shock

  Editing and Formatting by: Sheridan Anne

  Introduction

  Cami

  Two years ago, I fell in love.

  One year ago, I learned what it was like to taste his lips on mine.

  Seven months ago, he did things to my body that I could have only ever dreamed of.

  He completely consumed me. My heart and soul was his, all he had to do was take it.

  But instead, he broke me and I ran.

  Now I’m back and what I see before me…

  It’s gut wrenching.

  Jace

  She’s the sun in my sky and the reason I breathe.

  I fell in love with her the moment I saw her, and man, I fell hard.

  She wants me and I have no choice but to push her away.

  Every time I break her, a piece of my soul crumbles.

  I tear her to pieces over and over again in the hopes she’ll finally move on.

  She never does, so I destroy her again.

  When will she learn that I’m not good enough?

  Why can’t she see that she deserves so much better?

  My heart be damned.

  WARNING: Jace is a steamy romance with a HEA and NO CLIFFHANGER. It contains sexual content and coarse language. It is recommended for mature readers. Please be aware that some scenes may cause stress for some readers.

  The Rebels Advocate series is made up of standalone novels, however, for maximum enjoyment, it is recommended that readers start with the Kings of Denver series.

  Contents

  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

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek – Miller – Kings of Denver (Book 1)

  Author Biography

  Other books by Sheridan Anne

  Chapter 1

  Cami

  I step off the plane and the relief hits me like a freight train.

  I’ve spent the last seven months living it up on beaches and exploring the wonders of the world. I’ve been to so many destinations that I guess it qualifies me to be one of those hoity-toity bitches who shove their opinions up other people’s asses.

  You know, when someone says “Oh, I’d really love to visit ‘fill in the blank’ county,” and you pull out your big girl knickers and the arrogance of an asshole before replying with, “Oh, no, no, darling. You couldn’t be more wrong. You should be visiting….blah, because of… blah.”

  I mean, nobody cares for my opinions on the places I’ve been, they want to experience it for themselves.

  My opinions suck.

  My whole trip sucked.

  I suck.

  I’d like to think that I’m this sophisticated world traveler who has her shit together and that my trip was long awaited and well thought through, but truth be told, I was running. The man I’ve been so desperately in love with for the past two years shattered me. He tore me to pieces and I ran.

  I couldn’t stand the pain of constantly having my heart broken. Over and over again. I mean, how pathetic am I to have fallen for the one man who’s incapable of pulling his head out of his ass? Well… I guess he was able to pull it out halfway to tell me he loves me, and then, BAM. He shoves it right back up there and leaves.

  How stupid was I to have gotten into bed with Jace King?

  It was easily the best night of my life. He made me feel things that a woman shouldn’t be capable of feeling. I mean, the way he moved had me desperate for more. He was like an avenging angel thrusting every ounce of pleasure he possessed upon my body.

  One thing is for certain. Jace King is an animal in bed… in all the right ways. It was delicious. Mouth-watering. He’s a sexual deviant and if anyone told you otherwise, they’re lying. His body is carved from the hardest stone and his eyes burn into you like the fucking sun.

  He’s beautiful. He’s the man I had hoped to spend the rest of my life with, and in that moment, I thought I was going to. In that moment, I had it all.

  I was so sure it was finally going to happen. I was sure he had finally gotten past whatever ridiculous excuses he’d built up in his head. He told me he loved me and finally touched me in the way I’d been craving for over a year and a half. He made me feel alive.

  He made me feel safe.

  Come morning, he was gone. I woke to a cold bed and I knew straight away, he waited for me to fall asleep and he walked straight out the door.

  I couldn’t stand being the pathetic girl who always went back for more. The girl who allowed a man to dictate her life. It’s like a never-ending cycle between me and Jace. He pulls me in with those eyes and that smile. I fall hard. He makes me believe there’s finally a shot for us. He pushes me away. I break.

  Repeat.

  Over and over and over again.

  I woke, wrapped in the dirtied sheets to realize he was gone. He’d walked out the door and taken my heart with him. I crumbled as the pain completely consumed me. I cried and I hated myself for how weak I’d become over this man.

  Without even thinking twice about it, I booked myself a one-way ticket on the first available plane to get out of this town. I have no idea what I’m doing when I get there or where I’m actually heading, for all I know once I land, I’ll probably be boarding another plane, anything to get as far away as quick as possible from this life and from him.

  I know I’m running and I know Rylee won’t agree with me and that’s why I’m doing this now because she would do what she does best and talk me off the edge, that’s what’s she’s always done, I know this, because I do the same for her but all I know right now to break this cycle is to leave. Rylee is going to be so pissed at me, hurt even, but this is for me it’s the best thing to do, I know it is. Call it self-preservation or whatever the fuck you want to call it, but I need to go and I need to go now.

  So that’s what I did, I slipped away in the middle of the night and didn’t tell a damn soul. I deactivated my email and all my social media accounts, I left my mobile phone and tablet behind on my kitchen counter along with a note to my best friend before walking out the door and locking it behind me. Leaving the past just where it needs to stay. Behind me.

  Jace had pushed me away for the very last time, so I gave him exactly what he wanted. I disappeared.

  I quickly realised six months wouldn’t be enough. Who was I kidding? No amount of time would ever be enough. Every day my heart hurt, knowing I would never have his love. I just wasn’t what he wanted in life or would I ever be and the stupid thing is, I know that now because he told me every time.

  Every. Single. Time.

  I’m such an asshole. I was trying to force him to feel things for me that he clearly didn’t feel. I know he said he loved me, and h
e probably does in some small way. But that’s it. And that’s all it’s ever going to be. It’s not his fault my love for him consumed me. I see that now, so I need to stop running and I need to pull my head out of the sand. The time to get back to reality has come and now I need face the consequences of my actions and pray I still have my shop because running didn’t solve a damn thing.

  It’s time to fucking adult.

  I need to forget the way the touched me. I need to forget the feel of his fingers running down my body, leaving me burning with need. I need to forget the way he looked at me as though I was the only girl in the world.

  I need to forget Jace King.

  I explained everything in my note to Rylee... well mostly. I told her I had to get away and I won’t be back for a while. I apologized and let her know that I’ll reach out every now and then to let her know I was alright.

  I never did.

  I can’t imagine how much she hates me right now. Rylee and I have been friends since before I can remember. We’ve never gone a few days without talking and I know she’s going to be upset with me, but she has Cole now so she would have been ok.

  I couldn’t bring myself around to talk to her. She would have asked me what I was doing and why I’d left, but I couldn’t talk about it. Every time Jace entered my mind, my heart broke all over again. So, I avoided it altogether.

  I didn’t give anybody a way of contacting me, and now that I’m home, it’s time to pick up the pieces.

  After flying here and there and never allowing myself a break, all I want to do is get home to my apartment. There’s so much I need to do, but first, I just want to sleep.

  I hail down a taxi and the driver helps me to haul my shit into the back. After giving him my address, I sit in the back with my head falling off my shoulders, mentally going through all the things I’m going to have to do.

  I was the most irresponsible business owner and left my store for six months. I mean, I have my girls who run the place and they are more than capable of keeping things together, but I can’t imagine what a shock it must have been for them. They would have had to pick up a lot of slack and I’m going to owe them big time. Hell, I haven’t even checked in, who knows if the place is still running. Though, I know even with Rylee hating me right now, she would have checked in and made sure they were alright.

  I’m going to have to check in with my parents and let them know I’m alive. I’ll have to make sure all the bills are paid and the electricity to my home is still on.

  Hell, there’s just so much to do, but the thought is too daunting, so I push it aside and try to clear my mind. I can worry about it all tomorrow. Right now, my only thought is about paying the driver and getting my ass up to my apartment.

  The second he drives away, I lug my suitcase through the door and over to the lift before waiting patiently for it to come down and take me home.

  I hit the button for level three and close my eyes as it takes me up. I’m so close to my front door. I can practically smell the freedom of my bed just a few steps away, but those few steps are exhausting and seem like a lot of work.

  I drop everything at the door and begin rifling through my handbag for my key. My fingers finally curl around the metal and I don’t waste a second before jamming it into the lock.

  I wiggle it a few times and have to drop my handbag on the floor so I can use both hands. What the hell? Why isn’t it going into its stupid little hole?

  I wiggle it a bit more before double checking I’m trying to open the right door. I look up and down the hallway and even check the big number three on the wall to make sure I got off on the right level.

  It’s definitely my door.

  I yank the key out to check that it’s not broken or has any rust or something that could be causing it to jam, but there’s nothing. The key looks as good at the day I got it.

  I let out a frustrated groan and drop my keys back into my bag before letting my forehead fall against the door with a bang. I stand here for a moment, contemplating why everything has to be so damn hard.

  A tear comes to my eye as all I want in this world is to get inside my home and rest, yet even that seems impossible. The frustration is almost too much to bear and I bring my fist up and slam it against the hardwood of my door. “Fuck you,” I tell the door.

  My whole body is jolted forward as the door opens before catching on the chain. I try to catch myself against the door but end up smacking the side of my face into the wood.

  I push myself back with a cringe as I try to work out what the fuck is happening and how the hell the door just opened by itself.

  “What the fuck do you want?” A deep voice questions from the other side.

  What the fuck? Is somebody in my home?

  I look through the small slither of the open door and right there, staring back at me is a disturbing excuse of a man. I gasp and stumble back a few steps. “Who the hell are you?” I shriek.

  “That’s none of your damn business, now stop making suck a racket out here and get lost, I’m trying to sleep.”

  “Excuse me?” I grunt, stepping closer to the door once again. “This is my home. What the hell do you think you’re doing in it? You need to leave. Now.”

  “It’s my home now, princess,” he says with a scoff before slamming the door shut in my face.

  What the fuck is going on here? “Hey,” I demand, slamming my fists on the door, over and over again. “Open the fucking door.”

  “Get lost,” I hear him call back from inside.

  I stare at the door dumbfounded. I mean, what the hell is this? Did I seriously just get home to find a squatter living in my apartment? Sleeping in my bed. Using my bathroom. Scratching his dirty balls on my couch.

  For fuck’s sake. Is this punishment for being such as ass to all my friends?

  Holy shit. What am I going to do?

  I grab my bag off the floor and start searching through it for anything that could help. My fucking keys are useless. My lipstick isn’t going to do much. My iPod would probably help to calm me down, but apart from that, I’ve got nothing.

  I can’t even call the police because I don’t have my phone. I was a stupid ass and left it inside my apartment where this fucker is currently living. I mean, my car keys are in there too. My whole life is inside those four walls.

  “Fuck,” I curse before slamming my fist against the door one more time. Think, think, think, Cami. There must be something I can do besides standing out here all day and waiting him out. I mean, this guy could be dangerous for all I know.

  “What’s all this noise out here?” I hear a voice from down the hallway. I glance down and see my neighbor, Kelly, sticking her head through the door and looking right at me. “Oh, Cami. It’s just you. What are you doing here?”

  “I just got back from my trip,” I tell her. “There’s a squatter living in my apartment.”

  “What?” she grunts. “Are you serious? I hadn’t seen you in so long that I figured you’d moved out and this asshole was my new neighbor.”

  “No,” I tell her. “I certainly haven’t moved out.”

  “Shit,” she says wide-eyed.

  “Yeah,” I agree. “Can I use your phone? I’m going to have to get a little help with this one.”

  “Yeah, sure,” she says before ducking back into her apartment.

  I grab my suitcase and handbag off the floor before walking down to her place and standing by the door. She appears a moment later with her phone in hand and she passes it over. I get straight to work, first calling Cole, who doesn’t answer, then Rylee, who naturally, also doesn’t answer. “Shit,” I grunt.

  I don’t know Caden or Luke’s numbers off the top of my head and there’s no way in hell I’m calling Jace. “They’re not answering. I’m going to have to go and find someone,” I tell Kelly who gives me a sympathetic smile.

  “Maybe you should try the police?”

  “Yeah, I probably should,” I say, but to be honest, I just don’t have
the energy to deal with all that. “I’ll give them a call if my boys can’t handle it. Do you mind if I leave my bag inside your door?”

  “Of course,” she says as she reaches forward and wheels it in beside her entryway table. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  I give her a thankful smile and head straight back over to the lift with tears pooling in my eyes. How the hell did I get so unlucky?

  I get myself back down to the busy street and quickly hail down another taxi. Not able to remember the actual address of Cole and Rylee’s place, I navigate the driver around every little bend until he pulls up at their front door. I ask him to wait while I dash out and knock on the door.

  I wait for a moment before knocking again. Nobody answers, though I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s the middle of the day. Rylee is most likely at her club while Cole is probably at Rebels Advocate.

  With a sigh, I get back into the taxi. I don’t want to tell him to go to Rebels Advocate, but it’s my last option.

  Ten minutes later, the taxi comes to a stop before the building I promised myself I’d never step into ever again.

  I hop out of the taxi and thank the driver before sending him on his way. I mean, out of Cole, Luke, and Caden, one of them should be available to drive me back, even if I have to wait a little while.

  I take a step towards the door and dread fills me. What if he’s here?

  I didn’t want to see him so soon, in fact, I was kind of hoping I’d never have to see him again. Just the thought of running into him and having to face everything that happened between us is way too much to handle right now. I need a decent sleep and a few bottles of wine before I can climb that mountain.

  I let out a shaky breath and push through the doors.

  The first thing I notice is that it’s deathly quiet here today. I mean, it’s fact that this place is never this quiet. I look around the front reception desk where Jess usually stands but she’s not here so I look past her desk into the front office. Nothing.

  Shit. I was kind of hoping I could avoid walking deeper into the place.