by C. A. Harms
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Epilogue
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Kyler
By C.A. Harms
KYLER
Copyright © 2018 by C.A. Harms.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: February 2018
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-320-7
ISBN-10: 1-64034-320-2
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication:
Sometimes the best things in life
are those things that are unexpected.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Epilogue
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Prologue
Ashlynn
’I’d never been forced to go without; everything ’I’d ever wanted or could’ve even hoped for had been laid out before me. Growing up, my parents did all they could to provide me with the best. The perfect home, the perfect setting, filled with all the most amazing things any kid could ask for.
Was it weird that honestly none of those things were truly what made me happy?
Don’t get me wrong, they were nice, but it was the simple things I loved most. A day by the pool with my mom or a night of old movies with my dad—those moments were the times that stuck. Not the fancy car I drove or the closet full of designer clothes. It was my parents’ love and the closeness that I adored.
I remember when I was younger, prior to my parents’ success, we’d find the craziest ways to entertain ourselves, and it was perfect in my opinion. Baking cookies with my mom or taking long walks with my dad, those were the memories I cherished.
But as the years went on those times became more limited. Now they just showed their love in different forms. The important dates they missed and the disappointment those actions caused were cushioned by a new outfit, or a fancy piece of jewelry. Sometimes I wished we could go back to the days when we lived in the tiny little house with an even smaller backyard and live that life. We were closer then, before our time was filled with nothing but social events and those exotic trips my mother would take to capture her next prize-winning photo.
My father is a real estate tycoon, one of the most successful agents in California. Okay, so he’s more than an agent, he owns the biggest firm in the Santa Barbara area with seven other locations throughout the state. He’s all about the job, all about the success, that sometimes I think he forgets he has a family.
My mother is equally successful and equally absorbed by her career. She is an amazing photographer who travels the world capturing the most beautiful images. She shoots for some of the top magazines as well as advertising firms throughout the U.S. She has an amazing eye for finding the beauty in just about anything.
I’m proud of my parents and how far they’ve come. But I miss them too.
They started out in a rundown home in San Diego, both with big dreams and high hopes. Most don’t get the chance to live out those dreams, but my parents did. A lot of hard work and dedication landed them in one of the most extravagant homes in our area.
I guess down deep I’m not the typical rich girl. I preferred the basics. Give me comfy clothes, a soft blanket, and old-time movies and I was happy. I ’didn’t need all the hype, I just want the calm.
But I’m a Prescott, which meant I should be wearing name brands, attending all the good parties, and shining as bright as my parents do. I have a hard time with that, but I do my best to play the part for them.
I wished for once all three of us could share even one day together as a family, one day filled with the simple enjoyment of one another’s company. We spent time together, if you could call it that. It was mainly in passing as one was getting ready to rush out the door while another was stopping by before the next event hit. I don’t even remember the last time we shared a meal together.
The life of one with money was at times a lonely life.
I guess that’s why I always seemed to seek out the wrong kind of attention. I had a bad habit of falling at the feet of men who played the game well. A game that led to them showering me with an overload of attention until they got what they wanted, then they split. It was almost like the arrogant assholes of the world had a way of finding me. I leaned more toward the cocky men with attitude. The confident ones gave me that uncontrollable rush of desire, the need to know more, feel more, and have more.
I wanted that epic kind of love that leaves you feeling helpless to stop it. That undeniable pull whenever in the presence of one another as if nothing else mattered but the two of you. The kind of love that would conquer the worst fears, outweigh the hardest times, and grow stronger with each day that passed.
I didn’t care about the possessions we held, the size of the home we lived in, I just wanted to be happy with the love we shared. I’d live in a one-room apartment in the most rundown part of town if it meant sharing that with a man who thought I was his world.
I’ve come to believe, though, that in the men department I was
destined for disaster, a long line of nobodies who gave me hope, only to crush it.
Chapter One
“Right there, don’t move.” I froze, feeling almost robotic, and my mother laughed. “I didn’t mean don’t breathe, Ashlynn.”
“You said don’t move”.” I laughed through the words, trying not to change my facial expression in the process.
“Well, now you just look like you’re in pain.”
I let out a deep breath and allowed my arms and legs to relax. Hanging my head, I brought my hands to my face and covered my mouth to hide my amusement. My mother was always using me as her muse, forcing me to pose during a beautiful sunset or sunrise. She loved to capture the way the light reflected off the ocean or glistened off our pool. It created the perfect silhouette.
Okay, fine, so it wasn’t all bad. I had been featured in a few magazines over the years, so it had its perks. Our home was filled with some of the most mesmerizing photos, and mixed in throughout were those of me. Sometimes it seemed surreal when I looked at them, seeing me captured in her world.
Times like these I have grown to treasure and love.
It was rare that she and I would get time together to laugh and be silly. My mother being home and the two of us sharing an evening together felt like it happened so rarely that when I did get the chance to spend the day with her, I didn’t care if it was full of being photographed in different settings.
“Just be natural and stop worrying about if you have your hand at the perfect angle, or your hair in the perfect place.” My mother repositioned her camera, triggering me to once again stand tall and take in a deep breath.
Once the silliness faded I turned my face toward the setting sun and allowed a solemn look to take over.
“Beautiful.” Her reassurance always made me feel like a kid again. It didn’t matter that I was now a twenty-two-year-old woman, I always loved her compliments. My mother is a beauty herself and most say she shouldn’t be hidden behind a camera. I agreed, she was breathtaking, but she was also where she wanted to be, holding the creativity of each photograph in her hands. “Absolutely stunning,” she added, making a calm settle over me.
“I agree.” I looked back toward my mother to see Beau walking down the steps behind her. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my mom’s cheek before flopping down beside her, so at home in his actions.
“Don’t go distracting my model now.”
She nudged his shoulder with her own before looking back toward me. “A few more shots, sweetheart, then I’ll let this handsome man steal you away while I go edit.”
Beau leaned back, a pleased smile covering his lips as he observed while my mother took a few more photos. Lowering the camera she offered me a smile of her own. “I think I got what I need.” She appeared giddy, almost like a kid being given a new toy. “I can’t wait to edit these and get them submitted.”
Just her smile alone made posing worth it. For me it was never about the photo, it was about the small window of time we got to spend together.
She blew me a kiss and skipped off toward the house just as Beau began to move in my direction. “Is my girl gonna be in another magazine?”
He didn’t give me the chance to answer before hooking his arm around my waist and pulling my body to his. I let out a surprised squeal when he nuzzled in close and began pressing kisses to my jaw and across to my lips.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered against my neck before nibbling his way upward.
“You’re the one ’who’s been so busy lately.” I tried to remain focused but when he kissed me the way he was it was almost impossible.
With his work schedule and meeting with clients it seemed we rarely had time for one another. Beau’s father was an attorney with big-name clientele. Beau was in training to become the next Lambert success. When he wasn’t in class, he was his father’s shadow, being molded into what his father wants him to be. Sometimes I felt horrible for him, because I knew he hated it, or so he said. But he, much like me, didn’t want to disappoint his parents, even if his father was the biggest jerk in Santa Barbara. I swear, I thought the arrogant asshole felt like the world owed him everything.
Beau rested his forehead against my own and took in a deep breath. “I think we should run away together.” I noticed the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and couldn’t help but smile too. This was something we did often when we felt like life was just too much.
“Someplace far off, where no one can find us. Where it’s just the two of us, no demands or expectations. Some exotic island maybe, where we can live off the fruit that grows on the trees and I’ll hunt. We can build some crazy wild tree house that expands throughout one big tree to another.”
“Reminds me of that movie, Swiss Family Robinson.”
Beau finally opened his eyes and looked down at me with a crooked brow. “Swiss what?”
“An old movie from the sixties, about a family shipwrecked on their way to New Guinea. They build this big tree house and live on the island. Invent contraptions that allow them to have running water.” He still looked at me with a strange scrunched up expression on his face. “It’s a great movie.”
“You are so weird sometimes.” I narrowed my eyes at him as he continued to look at me like I had lost my mind. “You always watch those old ass movies that are in black and white.”
“This one isn’t in black and white, I’ll have you know.”
“But it’s still old.” He tilted his head to the side, daring me to deny it.
“Fine, it’s old,” I said. He smiled, seeming pleased with himself. “But still amazing.”
“Whatever you say, Ash.” He leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss, making me forget about his teasing.
Beau and I had been together for close to a year. He was sweet on most occasions but had an arrogant side too. It was what drew me to him in the first place—his confidence and his swagger. Only now sometimes I found myself wondering how I could have considered his arrogance appealing. He, like me, came from money. The difference was he loved it. He loved the hype, fast cars, and wild parties. He always wanted more, which worried me. It was like no matter what he had he just strove for more.
It made me wonder if he’d ever be happy with the small things in life. Like me, for instance: would I ever be enough to hold onto him forever?
“Everyone’s getting together later tonight.” I tried to hold back the annoyed sigh that bubbled inside me. “Thought we could go for a bit, mingle maybe.”
“Don’t you get tired of drinking and going to the clubs? Wouldn’t it be better for once just to stay at home, alone?”
“Alone sounds good.” He stepped back so he could look at me easier. A spark of hope hit me that for once maybe it could just be the two of us. “But we can be alone after.” That hope faded fast. “All of our friends will be there and after working all week, I like letting go. It’s relaxing.” This was the same old thing, over and over, his excuse for everything. “Then we’ll go back to my place and finish the evening together.”
I only nodded my head because there was no point in arguing. In the end we would still go and I would feel defeated and exhausted from attempting to persuade him. Did I mention that Beau never accepted the word no? It wasn’t even in his vocabulary. He was stubborn and dedicated to getting whatever it was he wanted whenever he wanted it.
Each time I attempted to convince him that we should stay in, it only ended up with us arguing. Then he would still drag me off to whatever place he was desperate to be and proceed to ignore me all night because he couldn’t get rid of his irritation with me. Either that, or he’d drag me around doing his best to force me to enjoy myself. I’m not sure which scenario was worse.
I had long ago stopped trying to convince him there were other things in life more important to public appearances full of alcohol-induced arrogance.
“Can I get a few minutes to shower and freshen up?” I attempted to step around him, only he held me tighter.
&nbs
p; “That depends.” He licked at his lower lip as he scanned over me. “Do I get to join you?”
“My mother is home.”
“You could grab clothes and we could go back to my place.” It was tempting, but I knew it wouldn’t be as romanticized as it was playing out in my head. We’ wouldn’t stay in making love instead of hanging out in some crowded room with a bunch of idiots. It would be a quick bang in the shower and then I’d be rushed to get ready because we’d wasted time. It was a road I’d been led down often.
“We have later for that, right?” He nodded in response, though I could tell he still wasn’t completely happy with my choice. “Then I’ll just hurry up for now and later maybe I’ll let you wash my back.”
“Okay.” He kissed me once more and in that moment I realized how disconnected I felt from him. “But wear something that will be easy for me to take off later.” I offered a forced smile before wiggling free from his hold.
“Give me twenty minutes.”
I stepped around him, yet he continued to hold my hand in his as he turned to face me. He looked at me for a few silent seconds, offering that kind, sincere smile that reminded me of the man I’d fallen for.
“I love you.” He rested his forehead to mine and I allowed my eyes to close, letting my mind fall back to a time when being with me seemed like enough for him.
“And I love you.” I did, I just wasn’t sure it was enough anymore.
“I know I’m difficult.” My thoughts exactly, but I tried to hide that as he continued. “I know I can be an ass, but I need you to know that I adore you, Ashlynn.”
That moment, right there, was one of his sweetest. It’s what he did. Whenever I started to question what we had and if it was real, he blindsided me with a load of sweetness, leaving me breathless and only more confused.
“Through all the shit my father throws at me, and the hell of my long days, I have you to look forward to. It’s the best part of it all, knowing that one day I’ll be where I want to be, taking care of you like you deserve.”
