My Aussie Guy (My Guy Series, Book 2)

by Liz Lovelock

  She nods and walks away with the other girls in tow. Aiden takes my hand and hauls me along. I know exactly where we’re going when he pulls me into his room and shuts the door behind him. I stand there like the fool that I am while he paces before me.

  “I am so sorry, Elsie. Please forgive m-me?” His voice cracks, and my heart tears apart.

  “Aiden, I—” My words are swallowed by his mouth as his lips press against mine. Our tongues dance and fight with one another. I know I should be mad at him, but it’s as if he’s washed away all my anger with a single touch of his lips.

  My arms wrap around his neck while his hand moves under my ass and he picks me up. I secure my legs around his waist as he walks me to his queen-sized bed. He places me down and presses his body to mine, grinding against me. His touch is like fire, and I crave it.

  “Aiden, stop,” I breathe.

  He does as I ask and sits up, moving his body to the edge of the bed.

  I turn on my side and rest my head in my hand.

  “Sorry. I got carried away.”

  I smile. “That’s okay. Look… I want you to know that I forgive you. Doesn’t mean you’re fully off the hook, because what you did hurt me in so many ways. But I forgive you, and I want this—us—to move forward and put it behind us with a clean slate and no more secrets.”

  Aiden leans over. “No more secrets,” he whispers before placing a featherlight kiss on my lips. “I love you,” he breathes against my lips, and the wind rushes from my chest.

  My eyes widen as I stare at him.

  “I love you, too.”

  I lean up and kiss him—his lips are my kryptonite.

  When we finally come up for air a moment later, he says, “Well, I guess there’s just one thing left to do to seal the deal.”

  My stomach lurches because I know what’s coming next.

  A week later

  “Are we really going to do this?” My legs shake as I stare at the ocean before me. Appearing daunting yet calm, it looks like it’s going to swallow me up. I guess the daunting part will eventuate when I actually jump off this rock, fall, and crash into the water below. Addison and Parker have already jumped, and the fear that’s taken hold has me cemented in place. Addison screamed as if she was about to be murdered the whole way down, which didn’t help me at all.

  “Come on, firecracker. You can do this.”

  Aiden and I teeter on the edge when a gush of wind makes me unsteady. A scream rips out of my throat. Aiden laughs, and I have an overwhelming urge to push him, but I don’t want him to not be prepared and hurt himself.

  Aiden reaches out and takes my trembling hand.

  “I’m not sure I can do this.” I start to take a step back when Aiden tightens his grip, stopping me.

  “Do you want to be a failure?” He winks, and my heart stutters in a good way, not the constant heavy beating that’s been wreaking havoc on my ribcage over the last few minutes.

  “Of course not. This is just so scary.” I peek over the edge like I have a hundred times already. Standing here for what feels like an eternity is really unnerving. I need to do this and get it over and done with.

  “Consider this a leap of faith into our relationship. You’re my girl, Elsie. Jump with me.”

  Tingles spread from the top of my head and down to my toes. He always knows the right words to say.

  I release a heavy breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  I stare at him and his big, goofy grin that has my girly parts all in a twist. I ready myself on the edge again.

  Aiden stands beside me, gripping my trembling hand. “Okay… one, two, three.”

  It’s like something else takes over, and I jump off the rock and scream the entire way down. Seconds later, my body crashes into the water. Swimming back to the surface, my head lifts up and I search for Aiden. He’s already swimming over to me.

  “How was it?” he asks.

  “Exhilarating and refreshing,” I breathe. My body’s still shaking, and my breath has left me, but it’s one experience I won’t forget.

  I make my way to the shallow water, and as soon as my feet touch the sand, I’m pulled into Aiden’s arms. His lips are against mine in seconds.

  “I love you,” he says between kisses.

  “I love you, too.”

  I mean every word.

  I don’t know what will happen when it’s time for him to leave, but I do know that right now, in this moment, he holds my heart, and I’ll probably follow him all over the country if I have to.

  I’m his firecracker, and he’s my Aussie guy.

  Thank you so much for reading My Aussie Guy. I hope you love Elsie and Aiden as much as I do.

  Turn the page to read the first chapter of My Forbidden Guy (My Guy Series Book 3)

  My Forbidden Guy (My Guy Series Book 3)

  Chapter One

  Paislee

  “Hey, what are you thinking about?”

  Lifting my head off Dane’s chest, I stare into his beautiful chocolate-swirl eyes and run my fingers through his now longish hair. This man takes my breath away.

  Dane’s hand meets my cheek briefly then brushes some stray sandy-blonde strands away from my face.

  “I was thinking about when we first met.” I smile. His touch causes my heart to skip a beat.

  Dane chuckles. “You acted like this stuttering little schoolgirl.”

  I recall the memory when he came to our house for the first time and Parker introduced us. I was such an embarrassment.

  I smack his bare chest while laughing. “Shut up!”

  Dane becomes silent as his eyes bore into mine. “You captured my heart the moment Parker introduced us. All I can say is that I’m glad you didn’t give up on us, even if it meant keeping things from Parker.” Tightness pulls at my chest, and it’s not a good one.

  Parker still doesn’t know, and we’ve both agreed it’s best if we don’t tell him. And now, here I am, lying in Dane’s bed, with my brother down the hall.

  I open my mouth to respond when voices echo outside Dane’s door. Our heads whip around when the voices become louder.

  “He should be up by now,” Parker yells down the hallway.

  Before I can manage to scramble up and out of bed, Dane sits up. His hands push my side, and he shoves me off the bed like one would do to dirty clothes. The wind leaves my lungs as I hit the carpeted floor hard. I go to stand and give him a piece of my mind when his door flies open, so I press my body as close to the bed as I can in an attempt to hide.

  Thankfully, whoever is at the door will not be able to see me from where they’re currently standing. I’m wedged between the wall and the bed. I can’t say I’ve ever been tossed from the bed like I was nothing before.

  To be honest, it doesn’t sit right with me.

  We should come clean about our relationship to Parker.

  It’s the right thing to do—for Parker and for us.

  It’s past time.

  These last couple of months and all this sneaking around have been fun, but I think we’re heading into the more serious part of our friendship. Or is it a relationship? I have no idea. You’d think we’re officially a couple, only we’re not. For some reason, we have been avoiding that conversation like the plague.

  Now, here I am, hiding from my brother who’s standing in the doorway.

  “Get up! We’ve got classes in thirty minutes.”

  “Yeah, who could miss you yelling down the hall,” Dane bites back as if he’s just been woken up.

  I don’t dare breathe.

  Please don’t walk into the room, I beg.

  “Shut up and get up.” I hear Parker’s laughter.

  These guys love to stir each other up.

  Sometimes, I think Parker wishes he had gotten a brother instead of me.

  The door finally slams shut, and I bounce off the floor like I am spring-loaded.

  “Sorry,” Dane whispers as he rushes off the bed
and goes to take me into his arms.

  Holding out my hands, I stop him. “Don’t. Perhaps this…”—I wave my hand between us—“whatever it is, has run its course. I’m not the kind of girl who deserves to be kicked off the bed and forced to hide on the floor,” I grind out through clenched teeth.

  Anger.

  That word doesn’t even begin to describe the feelings pulsating through my veins.

  Hurt.

  There’s so much hurt.

  Shame.

  I am totally embarrassed.

  I blink furiously, pushing away the wetness that wants to cloud my vision.

  “No, Pais. Please, don’t do this. I’m so sorry. I panicked.” Dane tries again to pull me into his arms, but I shove him hard in the chest then pick up my shirt and shorts from the floor. They were also pushed to the side by Dane so they wouldn’t be seen by my brother. Everyone else knows about us, although I’m not sure about Jimmy, Willow, or Jane. I don’t know them well enough to include them in my private business.

  Pulling my top over my head, I turn to Dane. His eyes widen.

  “Look, yes, I’m angry. Maybe you need to think about what it is you really want, and if I’m one of those things, then perhaps we need to make this official… and tell Parker.” His eyes meet mine, but now they’re bordering on rising panic. “I’ll give you some time to think about it.”

  Dane doesn’t reply; he simply lets me walk out the door where I dart across to the bathroom opposite Dane’s room. This is my usual escape route.

  “Pais?”

  I pause mid-step. Turning, my eyes raise to meet Addison’s, and I heave a sigh of relief. At least it’s her, because she knows our secret.

  “What are you doing here?” Addison’s voice is low. “Parker’s here.”

  Before I can open my mouth, I hear Parker’s voice from behind me. “Hey, Paislee, what are you doing here?”

  My heart hammers against my chest.

  “Oh, I’m just—”

  Addison cuts me off with, “She’s meeting me. I asked her over so we can grab a bite to eat.” Addison smiles sweetly at Parker, who simply shrugs and walks past us.

  “Okay, have fun. I’ll see you after classes.”

  “See ya,” Addison and I say in unison.

  When Parker’s out of earshot, Addison’s heavy stare turns on me.

  Dane’s door flies open. “Catch you later,” he says when he drops his gaze and slips around us.

  Great, now I’ve made things super awkward.

  “Perfect,” I mutter.

  Moments ago, everything was great.

  Now? I don’t even know where I stand with Dane.

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  (Lost series, #1)

  Prologue

  I don’t know how I’ll get through this day. It’s like I’ve been living in my own personal kind of hell over the last two weeks. Since finding out my sister, Abby, is gone, my world is so empty. My heart feels as though it’s been ripped out and stomped on a hundred times over. I never imagined my life without her. She was my best friend, someone I could always trust, and now… she’s gone.

  Abby was a friend to everyone. On my bad days, I would find myself feeding off her happy, fun-loving spirit to help build me up. That is, until Jacob Smith came along and ruined her life, and mine.

  I knew things were not right with him. Every time I saw him, the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach set off alarm bells, but Abby was so happy after she met him. She said he treated her like a princess, always sending her flowers and bringing her lovely gifts.

  One night when she came home after seeing Jacob, she had a bruised cheek. I questioned her about it, but she told me it was an accident and he didn’t mean it. From that night on, she began to shut down and close herself off from her friends, and even me. She would come home straight from work and shut herself in her room. She wasn’t there for me like usual, and wouldn’t let me be there for her either. I wanted to, especially when I heard her crying in her room late at night. She would never tell me what was bothering her. It hurt and made me angry how she wouldn’t confide in me.

  The day she came to me and said she was planning to leave Jacob, made me super happy. I noticed a change in her during the weeks leading up to the day she was going to leave him. She was happier and brighter than I had seen her in months. But she was unsure how to tell him, she was scared of his reaction. He was the type who flew off the handle, and no one knew what would happen. She started opening up to me before she left, telling me what he was capable of. It gave me chills, sending shivers down my spine, to think of what he might do to her. I told her I was going with her, but she didn’t want me to come. Hurt and afraid, I gave in and let her go alone.

  That is why I am to blame for what happened. When she left that night, I never thought it would be the last time I would get to see her. Then she was gone, missing. My world has never been the same again, and my heart is broken, shattered into a million pieces.

  We searched for her, put flyers around and even went to the local television stations, but found nothing. The hardest thing was hearing the police say they were now starting an investigation for a missing person since she’d been gone for more than seventy-two hours.

  When they interviewed me, I told them about Jacob and how Abby started coming home with bruises and how her personality drastically changed. I informed them of her plan to break up with him the night she disappeared.

  Upon searching his place, they found the locket I had given her for her eighteenth birthday in a pool of blood, along with blood-covered towels. He was arrested on the spot and charged with her murder.

  Then my two weeks of sitting through hell began.

  I’ve been sitting in this courtroom day in and day out, listening to the endless questioning from the lawyers to Abby’s colleagues and friends. How was Abby’s behaviour in weeks before she disappeared? Had anyone met the defendant, Jacob? Did they seem happy? Did she seem afraid of him? Hearing their responses has been excruciating, and I’m surprised to learn of all the things I didn’t notice, such as how she had stopped going to work and had often called off sick. I had no idea because she wasn’t at home much.

  What kind of sister am I?

  When they call me to the stand, my nerves are all over the place. I’m not sure if I’m going to burst into tears or vomit. After I’m sworn in, the prosecutor is first up with the questioning.

  “Miss White, Abby is your sister, correct?” She is an elderly lady with kind, brown eyes that urge me to answer her question.

  “Yes,” I respond, my voice cracking.

  “Did Abby confide in you about her relationship with the defendant?”

  “No. Not about what happened in their relationship. Not long after they started dating, she began shutting me out. She only opened up to me the night she left, telling me how scared she was at how Jacob was going to react.” My heart is pounding in my chest and I’m sure everyone in the courtroom can hear it.

  “Why did she shut you out?”

  “I questioned her about the bruises she began showing up with.” I look at Jacob, and his heartless, green eyes are staring back at me. I wish I could wipe that smug look off his face.

  “How often did she show up with new injuries?”

  “I can’t be too sure. I only saw them every now and then, so perhaps once a week, but then she started wearing more clothes and keeping herself covered.”

  “Describe Abby’s behaviour in the weeks leading up to her disappearance.”

  “Her personality and even her appearance changed. She didn’t seem to care anymore and dropped her normal standard. It was like her happy and caring soul had been taken from her. Seeing it broke my heart.
” My voice breaks and tears begin to fall. “Sorry,” I mumble into the tissue.

  “It’s okay. When you’re ready, could you tell us about the night she disappeared?”

  I nod and focus only on the prosecutor. I don’t want to look at my parents. I know my mum will be a complete mess. “Something with Abby had changed. She was a little happier, and she told me she was planning on leaving him.” I glance toward Jacob, giving him an ice-cold glare. I wish looks could kill. “I offered to go with her, but she assured me everything would be okay and she would see me later, but…” tears burn my cheeks again, “… later never came. I haven’t seen my sister since.”

  The prosecutor thanks me and I’m allowed to leave the stand since Jacob’s lawyer has no questions for me. I return to my seat beside my mum.

  Jacob is next to be called to the stand. When he gets up, he looks around at my family with a conceited look on his face. Arrogant arse. The anger within me is slowly reaching boiling point. I have so much hate and bitterness toward this man. I hope he gets what’s coming to him. I hope karma comes around and punches him right in the face. I’m not usually a violent person, but my parents and I have been through so much lately, and I can’t take much more.

  Jacob is sworn in and takes his seat. His lawyer is first up with questioning.

  “Mr. Smith, please tell the court your relationship with Abby White.” His lawyer is young, and I can only hope he’s fresh out of law school and does a terrible job.

  “We were in a relationship, a happy one and so very much in love.” His voice is full of confidence. Liar!

  He sits there all sure of himself, with his jet-black hair and shining fearless green eyes. If I had met him on the street, not knowing what I do now, I would have probably considered him a nice guy.