Bad Impressions (Revive Me #1)

by Franca Storm

  But something had shifted in him since last night. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it and I didn’t understand it. All I knew was that I liked the new side of him. And so, I’d decided not to say anything. I’d just let it be.

  Things between us were very new. Too new to have the where-is-this-going talk. Besides, I didn’t care about the future. I liked where we were. And I wanted it to continue exactly the way it was. I knew it was more than sex and that was enough for me. I’d been so shocked when he’d asked me out on an actual date and, judging by the look in his eyes when he’d asked me, so had he.

  “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” he asked, eyeing me curiously.

  “Nothing. I’m just happy…with you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Definitely.”

  He planted a chaste kiss on the top of my head. I titled my head up, wanting more, but he quickly pulled away. What’s that all about?

  Before I could ask, he said, “I come up here a lot to clear my head when Marsden gets a little too suffocating.”

  Is this him trying to open up to me? “Just like we used to as kids?”

  An awkward silence fell between us for a moment and I realized why. Ollie. The three of us had come up to the ravine a lot together when we were kids. Ollie had started a competitive rock-skipping game that we used to play for hours. He and I would end up driving Brad crazy with our sibling rivalry. Brad hadn’t cared about all of that. He’d just been there to enjoy himself and to pretend, for those few hours, that his hell of a home didn’t exist. The cloud that had always followed him everywhere back then had disappeared on those days.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

  “No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, darlin’. You don’t need to censor yourself around me.”

  He wrapped his arm around me and I melted into him. “Okay,” I murmured.

  I gasped as we finally reached the lake. It was gorgeous, surrounded by the heavy foliage of the fir trees standing at attention and safeguarding the crystal blue waters. Very few people knew about the little lake. It was hidden well. It had taken the three of us hours of exploring before we’d stumbled upon it one day.

  “Thank you for bringing me here,” I exclaimed, flinging my arms around his neck.

  He leaned down to meet me and our lips locked in a soft kiss.

  Instantly, I was overcome by the feel of him. It was like an addiction that I couldn’t control for the life of me. But I didn’t want to control it. I wanted to revel in it. He grunted as I deepened the kiss. His hands cupped my ass as our tongues danced together. Heat pooled between my legs and a powerful wave of desire gripped me. I rolled my hips. He was hard with need already.

  But then he suddenly pulled away, panting hard.

  “Brad, what’s—”

  He cut me off, asking casually, “So, how’s it going working with my mom?”

  Wow. Mentioning parents was a surefire way to kill the mood and I had a feeling that was exactly what he was trying to do. Why? Does he not want to touch me now, for some reason?

  “Uh…good...really good. She’s a good boss. And the work keeps me occupied.”

  “For now.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll get bored soon enough.”

  I didn’t like where that was going—into lecture territory. Just because he was four years older than me, didn’t mean that he had the right to give me shit like that. But I also didn’t want to get into an argument about it. The two of us fired one another up and, as soon as one of us got a little pissed, we took the other with us until it escalated into a full-on explosion of an argument.

  We were on a date—our first date—and I wanted to keep things light. Fun.

  I looked out at the lake and that was when an idea occurred to me. Before I could talk myself out of it, I undid my jeans and pulled them off.

  Brad stepped towards me, his eyes wide with shock. “What are you doing?”

  I didn’t answer him as I pulled off my gray tank top and tossed it onto the bank with my jeans. I grinned and ran towards the lake.

  “Soph! No! It’s Fall! The water will be freezing!”

  It was too late. I launched myself into the lake.

  As soon as I hit the water I screamed. It was freezing! Pins and needles prickled my entire body. “Oh my God!”

  I looked up at Brad and he was standing on the bank laughing. “Told you!”

  “Shut up! It’s lovely,” I lied, ducking my shoulders beneath the water to try to acclimatize to the freezing temperature. I couldn’t keep the grimace off my face though and I know he saw right through my bravado.

  “Get out of there! You’re gonna get sick!”

  “Come and get me!” I challenged.

  “You make me come in there and you’ll regret it,” he said, his eyes darkening.

  “Ooh…are you talking about punishing me, baby? You want to spank me?”

  “Worse,” he threatened.

  The look on his face told me he wasn’t kidding. It didn’t scare me. It sent a thrill through me. But as much as I wanted to deny him so I could find out what that punishment of his would be, I was too cold. I had to get out of there ASAP.

  I waded out of the lake, shivering like crazy.

  “Here,” Brad said, shaking off his leather jacket.

  He draped it over my shoulders and then pulled me against him, rubbing me roughly up and down, trying to get me warm. He snatched up my jeans and tank top and handed them to me. “Hold these.” I took them from him. A second later, he gathered me in his arms and started carrying me away from the lake.

  “No. Where are we going?”

  “Back to the truck.”

  “No. Not yet. We just got here.”

  “I’ll put the heating on so you can get warm. We can head back down here after if you want.”

  “Sorry,” I said, sheepishly.

  He laughed. “Don’t be. Seeing you bouncing around in your bra and panties is a sight that will be permanently burned into my memory. Mmm…so fucking sexy.”

  Now he’s flirting with me again? Talk about sending mixed signals. “You’re so confusing.”

  “I am?” he asked, eyeing me with a surprised look on his face. “How?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Never mind.”

  He regarded me for a moment, trying to figure me out. But he clearly thought better of it as he changed the subject, asking, “You hungry?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I could eat.”

  “After you’re dry and warm, we’ll head out. There’s a quiet diner just outside town. I’ve eaten there a few times. Good food.”

  “Sure. Sounds good. Then we can come back here after?”

  He chuckled. “Whatever you want, darlin’.”

  Chapter 13

  ~Brad~

  I stood watching her as I leaned against the bookcase beside the entrance to The Avid Reader. I’d been waiting for my mom to finish up with a customer when I’d caught sight of Soph. She was talking to a middle-aged woman and gesturing to two books in her hands. The woman was hanging on to her every word, riveted by whatever it was that she was saying.

  She was in her element, her eyes sparkling; an excited smile on her face.

  Her outfit was killing me, though.

  A tiny black mini-skirt and a short-sleeved white blouse with a plunging neckline. Her hair was wild and falling in waves. She looked so damn fuckable.

  The minute I’d spotted her, my dick had woken the fuck up. I’d already had to discreetly adjust my jeans once. But it would just have to behave itself. Just like it had for the last week since that day at the ravine.

  In between her schedule at the bookstore and mine at the bar, we’d managed to see each other every day, spending any time we could together. And I’d managed to keep it in my pants the entire time. She hadn’t been making it easy for me, though. Between the sexy little looks she sent my way and trying to take our make-out sessions much further, she’d been working har
d to seduce me. I deserved a goddamn medal for keeping my shit together.

  But I wasn’t sure she saw it that way. She was frustrated. She hadn’t said anything, but I’d known her long enough to be able to pick up on what she wasn’t willing to say.

  Didn’t she get that I was doing it for us? That I wanted things between us to be more…more than sex? Because I was so damn addicted to the feel of her, the only way I could limit it was to hold off entirely.

  She finished up with the customer, waving goodbye. I glanced around the bookstore and saw my mom disappearing into her office with a determined look on her face. She was still busy. I had some time then.

  I headed up to the second floor where Soph was still milling about. She was putting the books in her hands away. I grabbed her arm and pulled her deep into the stacks.

  She spun around in surprise and dropped the books she’d been holding in the process. Her face lit up when she saw it was me.

  “Hey,” she said, excitedly. Knowing that I’d put that look on her face sent a thrill through me.

  “When you taking your break? You wanna sneak off and have lunch together again?”

  The sneaking part was slowly doing me in. Even something as simple as having lunch together was a complicated operation, just to ensure that no one saw us together.

  It involved us each buying our lunch at separate places and then heading off to a secluded area of the park. We couldn’t even walk there together. We had to time our approaches a few minutes apart just to avoid suspicion. We each approached from a different route as well.

  It was a major headache.

  But telling Ollie would be far worse. And it wasn’t just Ollie. It was the whole damn town. They were nosy beyond belief. Soph and I were both worried that making our relationship public would put too much pressure on it. It was still new and we were still figuring it out ourselves. The last thing we needed was external interference.

  “Right now, I want to do this,” she said, lunging at me.

  Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me down to her for a kiss. I tried to keep it soft and slow, but she wasn’t having any of it. She deepened it quickly, thrusting her tongue down my throat.

  Fuck. I couldn’t hold back. I pushed her against the stacks and she gasped in surprise as her back jarred against the books.

  My hands slipped under her blouse, inching their way towards her incredible tits. I couldn’t wait to feel them in my hands again. Their softness, their perfect fit, the little moans she made when I showered them with attention.

  Someone cleared their throat noisily.

  Shit!

  We both froze.

  I pulled my lips from Soph and turned to my left.

  I blew out a long breath as I saw my mom standing there, smirking at us. I’d never felt such relief in my life. Fuck. If it’d been anyone else…what was I thinking? What were we thinking? Incredibly reckless.

  Soph pushed against me, reminding me that I still had my hands under her blouse. As soon as I released her, she moved behind me, trying to fix her mussed up state. I glanced at her over my shoulder. Her cheeks were flaming red. I’d never seen her so embarrassed.

  I cleared my suddenly dry throat. “Yes? Can we help you, Mom?” I asked casually, acting like she hadn’t seen what she had.

  I reached my right hand behind me and clasped Soph’s in an effort to reassure her.

  My mom couldn’t stop smiling. Great. “The list is in my office. I just need to explain a couple of things to you first and give you the key to the house.”

  “Sure.” I turned to Soph. “You okay?” I whispered.

  She just nodded, unable to look at either me or my mom. So damn cute.

  I followed my mom out of the stacks and down the steps towards her office on the first floor. I’d barely closed the door behind us when she started shrieking, “I knew it!”

  “Mom, please.”

  But she was already in that excitable state of hers. There was no hope. I’d just have to endure it.

  “Please tell me you two are together and this isn’t just one of your…hookups?”

  I couldn’t hide my smile. “Yeah, we’re together.”

  She clapped her hands. “Oh my goodness! Finally!”

  “Finally?” What the hell did that mean?

  “Come on, Brad. It’s been obvious for years how you’ve felt about that girl.”

  It has?

  “I knew she’d be the one you’d marry. Oh, this is great!”

  Marry? What the fuck? “Mom, take it down a notch. We’ve been together for barely a week.”

  She waved her hand dismissively. “You’ve known each other for years. You’re not starting at the beginning with her.”

  Suddenly I couldn’t breathe easy. What? Was she right about that? Were we picking up in the middle of a relationship, rather than at the beginning—the way that I’d seen it? Were we that far along already, because we had a history? Holy shit. Oh fuck.

  I was freaking out. I steadied myself against the desk as I tried to catch my breath.

  “You look pale, Brad. What is it?”

  “Nothing,” I choked out. “I’m fine. Let’s just…show me the list of things that need fixing up at the house.”

  She handed me the list. As she did, she gripped my hand tightly, her eyes boring into mine. “You take care here, Brad. That girl is perfect for you. Don’t pull away like you normally do. You can’t close yourself off now. You’re in a relationship. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes. Christ, Mom. Relax.” Because you’re freaking me the fuck out.

  “You should tell her brother soon.”

  “What?”

  “Sneaking off to the park to eat lunch together is gonna get tiring soon,” she warned.

  “How the hell do you know about that?”

  She grinned. “I’m very perceptive. Where do you think you get that from?”

  I rolled my eyes. This conversation is over. I glanced at the list in my hand. “So, you wanted to discuss a couple of the repairs first?”

  When she just kept grinning, I snapped, “Mom!”

  “Yes, right. Sorry. Of course. Well, first off….”

  Chapter 14

  ~Brad~

  As I locked up my mom’s house, I heard the crunch of tires on the dirt path that passed for a driveway. Strange. No one but Mom and I come down this way. She’s at the store for several more hours.

  I carried my toolkit to my truck. I hauled open the passenger door and stowed it inside.

  Slamming the door shut, I strode over to the driver’s door.

  “Hey!” someone shouted, stopping me in my tracks.

  I turned to see a Bentley pulling up beside me. Eric Guildford glared at me while Crazy Claire sat in the passenger seat crying and yelling God knew what at him, gesturing for him to turn the car around and drive away.

  He climbed out of his car and slammed the door shut in a fit of temper. “Stay in there!” he yelled at his wife.

  “Eric,” I greeted as he stalked over to me.

  “You piece of shit!” he thundered.

  Claire caught my eye and mouthed sorry. The crazy bitch had clearly told him. Fucking great. I drew in a deep breath and shifted my weight as he eyed me with disdain.

  “You fucked my wife!”

  I held up my hands. “We were both drunk. It was months ago. A one-time thing. I swear.”

  “A one-time thing. You think that makes it any better?”

  Before I could respond, he thrust his hands into my chest, trying to push me back.

  It didn’t work. I stayed firmly rooted to the spot. I was a big guy and I had the muscle mass to back it up. I had at least fifty pounds on the guy. He might be the shit in the corporate world, but when it came down to the bare bones of it, he was no match for me where it counted.

  But I didn’t retaliate.

  I couldn’t.

  I didn’t trust myself.

  Ever since that day with my dad…I couldn’t get int
o a fight.

  He seemed scared for a second when he realized he’d had absolutely no effect on me. It was probably his full-strength, too.

  But then his anger overrode his commonsense.

  “You’re trash, Marsh.”

  My blood boiled at his words. Uh oh.

  “You’re in your late twenties and working at a nothing bar. Fucking your way through slut after slut. You’re nothing and that’s all you’ll ever be. A good for nothing. Loser trash.”

  That’s it! “Believe me, if I could take it back, I would. Your wife is one crazy bitch. I stick it to her once and she’s stalking me for months. I’m glad you know. Maybe now she’ll get off my fucking back and stop making another grab for my dick.”

  His fist came at my face, slugging me hard. My head snapped to the side.

  When I made no move to fight back, he came at me again. Brutal hit after brutal hit.

  One retaliatory blow from me would’ve ended it.

  But I couldn’t risk it.

  So, I just let it happen.

  I let him beat the shit out of me.

  Adrenaline was coursing through me, threatening to spark my infamous temper and set off a deadly wave of irrepressible rage. I was struggling to hold on, to take it.

  I wasn’t a guy who took anything from anyone. It was against every fucking fiber of my being. Against my goddamn nature.

  But so was killing some guy from losing my temper.

  His designer shoe slammed into my gut and I stumbled, my back smacking into my truck.

  Shit. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold back.

  “Eric! Stop! That’s enough!” Claire screamed, hurrying out of the car.

  I watched her wrap her hands around his arm, trying to pull him away. She whispered something in his ear.

  Whatever she said worked, because he lowered his fist and stepped back.

  “Don’t come anywhere near my wife again,” he spat.

  It’ll be my fucking pleasure.