Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
For my Hart Beats:
I am so very thankful for each and every one of you. Your love and support truly means the world to me. Huge hugs to you all! xo
Can’t Slow Down
Copyright© 2015 Lizzie Hart Stevens
Cover Design by Michele Catalano Creative; Copyright © 2015
www.michelecatalanocreative.com
Formatting by Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means such as electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Except for the original material written by the author, all songs and song titles mentioned in the book Can’t Slow Down are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
I’M FOCUSING HARD on trying to beat Level 4 of Donkey Kong when my mom and dad walk over to tell me goodbye. It feels different this time, although I’m really not sure why.
“One sec, Mom.” My thumbs are going as fast as they can, pressing the keys in a perfect rhythm.
“Yes! Got it!” I throw my arms up in excitement. “Sorry, Momma, I just had to beat that level!”
Mom kneels down on the floor so that she’s eye level with me and places her hands on my knees. She looks so pretty in her new blue dress and high heels. Her brown hair is curly today and she’s wearing makeup. Momma doesn’t always wear makeup.
“Coen, sweetie, Daddy and I are going to a wedding tonight. You’re going to sleep here at Aunt Sarah’s and we will pick you up in the morning.” I hate when my parents leave me with Aunt Sarah. It’s so boring. I’m not allowed to touch anything.
As if Momma can read my mind, she places her hands on my cheeks and looks me in the eyes. “You be a good boy and listen to your aunt, okay, baby? Dad and I love you very much.” She kisses me on the forehead.
There are lots of breakable things at Aunt Sarah’s. I’m not even allowed to get close to the wooden cabinets with glass doors that hold her special things. But I’ll listen to Mom.
I don’t want them to go, but I don’t want my mom to feel bad either. “I love you too, Mom and Dad. I’ll be good. I promise. See you tomorrow.” I stand up and hug Dad. He’s wearing a dressy button-up white shirt and a pair of black dressy pants and shiny black shoes. His hair is shiny, too.
“Love you, son. Mind your manners. We’ll see you in the morning.” He lets go of our hug and ruffles my hair.
“I will, Dad. Love you too.”
I sit back down on the couch and dive into the next level of Donkey Kong on my Gameboy. I can hear Mom and Dad saying thank you and goodbye to Aunt Sarah as they head out the door.
I’M AWAKENED IN the middle of the night by the sound of the phone ringing. I rub my eyes and roll over to look at the digital clock.
3:32 AM
The phone isn’t really ringing. It was all a dream. Every fucking night, for the past nineteen years, I wake up at this time. It’s a constant reminder of what I lost that night when I was just eight years old. The time when I found out I would never get to see, hear, talk to, or hug my parents, ever again. The only two people in this world who cared about me . . . gone.
I swore that day that I would never love anyone again. I was left in a world of darkness and hurt when my parents were taken from me. They were hit head-on by a drunk driver on their way home from the wedding they were attending that evening. Killed instantly. Everything I’ve ever known, crashed into oblivion.
Aunt Sarah wasn’t thrilled about having to raise me and I can’t say I was exactly excited about it either. I spent my teenage years at the skate park with my best friend, Derek, and mowing every lawn I could. Not just to make money, but to get out of the house and away from my aunt and her insane list of chores. She basically used me as her personal slave.
I saved every last dollar I made and combined it with the money my parents left in their savings for me to buy my first car the day I turned sixteen. I spent every dime I had fixing up that old car. Dad would have been so proud. I used all of my free time reading up on anything and everything car-related. Engine parts, wheels, horse power . . . racing. I started picking up Derek on Friday nights and we would head over to Sulley’s Raceway. I felt at home there; still do, like I belong. I’m accepted for who I am. I eventually started working there a few months later.
What little time I had that wasn’t being spent at the track I spent either at the tattoo shop or the gym. The muscles and the ink really drew the ladies in, but I never could bring myself to commit to any of them for longer than a week or so. The longer they were around, the more attached they would get. And I couldn’t go having any of them fall in love with me. Love just ends up in heartache and pain.
And then I met Lexi Taylor. She’s the first one that has made me actually want to give the whole relationship thing a try. She’s gorgeous, fiery, and spontaneous. And the added bonus . . . her tits fit perfectly in my hands. Not too big. Not too small. Just abso-fucking-lutely perfect.
I’M SITTING AT MY desk just finishing up work here at Sulley’s Raceway for the day. Finalizing next week’s schedule for the staff and making sure all of the supplies have been ordered. I can’t seem to stay focused or get out of here fast enough today. All I can think about is getting to Lexi’s to pick her up for our date. I’m not used to this whole dating thing, but she’s just one I can’t let get away. After all, running into the same beautiful girl three times in one day kind of makes it hard to stay away from her. Especially once I saw firsthand what a piece of shit her ex is. That dude is lucky he can still walk after the stunts he pulled yesterday. I feel this overwhelming need to protect her. Although I have a feeling she can hold her own if she has to, no woman ever should have to.
If my Aunt Sarah ever taught me anything, it’s that a real man should never cause a woman pain. He should provide for her and he should do anything to protect the one he loves. I only just met Lexi yesterday, so I would be crazy if I even think that I love her. But what I do know is that she doesn’t deserve to be treated like a piece of gum someone scraped off their shoe on a hot day.
Tonight I plan on showing her how a man should treat a woman. Candles, slow sensual music, and my undivided attention to her every need and desire. I can’t wait to have my hands all over her amazing body again. I’ve been aching for her all day.
I straighten up the stack of papers on my desk, stand up, and grab my keys on my way out. On my way down the stairs from the office above the press box I can hear the roar of the cars get louder and louder the closer I get to ground level. One loud rev of their engines while they burnout following the purring exhausts as they idle their way up to the starting line. Just as I’m walking out the door the lights flash, yellow, yellow, yellow, GREEN! The sound vibrates through my entire body and roars through the stands as both cars are at the opposite end of the track in the blink of an eye. The crowd cheers and I see Charlie, one of our maintenance guys,
on my way to the parking lot.
“You’re not stickin’ around tonight, Coen? It’s ladies night!” he asks, waggling his eyebrows in excitement.
“Not tonight, Charlie.” I wink at him and grin as I continue walking towards my car.
“Ooh, say no more, my man! Enjoy your evening!” he shouts across the parking lot as I’m opening the car door.
“I fully intend to! Don’t worry!”
I hop inside and start the car and decide to text Lexi to let her know I’m on my way, turning up the air conditioner full blast. It’s a hot one tonight.
Hey there, Sweet Cheeks! See you in ten!
I PULL INTO LEXI’S driveway around 7:15 p.m., shut the car off, and go knock on her door.
“Lexi! You there?”
I knock again. There’s still no answer. That’s when I look down and notice a folded note sticking out from under the doormat. I look around to see if anything looks out of place. Nothing is.
I open the note on my walk across the street to my best friend Derek’s. He lives across the street and seems to be home. Maybe Lexi is over there hanging out while waiting for me to pick her up.
I unfold the note.
If you want any chance of seeing her again bring $500,000 to the abandoned warehouses off the quarter mile. Don’t bother calling the cops. Come alone. You have until 7:30 p.m. If you’re even a minute late, the little slut will get what she deserves. Clock is ticking . . .
What the fuck?! I stop dead in the middle of the street in shock as someone just barely misses me in their car, honking their horn and screaming at me out the window. I look at my car and back at Derek’s place and then at my watch. Fuck! No time to get Derek. And they said to come alone. I only have ten minutes to get there and if I did the speed limit it would take me fifteen. No time to waste. No time to get that kind of money. I shove the paper in my back pocket and run back to my car. It’s barely started before I peel out of the driveway. That should get Derek’s attention.
My car swerves in and out of traffic. I’m blowing past stop signs, running red lights, and passing cars while drivers are blaring their horns and giving me their middle fingers. Just barely escaping an accident at every intersection. Derek calls during the chaos and I press the button on the steering wheel to answer. I don’t give him a chance to say anything.
“Meet me at the abandoned warehouses! Please! Someone has Lexi! No time to explain!”
I hang up the call just as I pull into the parking lot of the warehouses and spot a car parked next to the building at the end of the alley. Thank God I managed to avoid the cops, although I’m sure my car’s description has been called in by quite a few people after all that.
My heart is about to beat out of my chest by the time I get out of my car. I grit my teeth and crack my knuckles as I start to sweat. And then I hear the most earth-shattering scream I have ever heard in my entire life. Worse than the scream I heard from Aunt Sarah at 3:32 that night.
It’s 7:31 p.m.
WHY DOES MY HEAD hurt? It’s dark in here and it smells like old blood. My heart starts to beat hard in my chest. I’m sweating. My wrists hurt. I try to move them but I can’t. I can’t move my feet either. Panic starts to set in. Where am I? How did I get here? Why am I tied to this rusty chair? I try to scream but there’s something tied around my mouth, muffling the sound.
I hear the sound of a door squeaking followed by a slam that makes me jump, at least as much as I can jump while tied to a chair. Then footsteps that echo on the cement floor. I squint my eyes to try and make out what this person looks like, but it’s just not light enough in here and they’re still too far away.
“So you thought you could just get rid of me that easily, did you? You stupid little bitch.”
His voice gradually gets louder as he stalks closer to me. Oh my God. It’s Patrick! He’s gone completely off the deep end. The closer he gets to me¸ the more I can smell the strong odor of alcohol. I bet he hasn’t stopped drinking since I broke up with him a couple nights ago.
His hand grips the back of my hair and he pulls my head back hard. Tears sting my eyes but I refuse to let him know he’s getting to me. I sneer my nose and turn my gaze to the far wall. His face is so close to mine that I can feel his hot, rancid breath on my cheek. I swallow hard, trying to hold back the tears.
“Fucking look at me when I’m talking to you!”
SLAP!
I gasp and try hard to scream through the fabric tied around my mouth. If looks could kill I would have gutted him by now. My face stings, but instead of wanting to cry now there is a rage deep inside of me, and I want nothing more than to hurt him like he’s hurting me. I wiggle and squirm trying to free my hands or my feet, but it’s no use.
Patrick roughly let’s go of my hair, throwing my head forward, and starts pacing around me, looking down at his watch repeatedly.
“You know, Lexi, I thought we had a good thing going.” His voice is a little calmer now and eerily quiet. He’s still eyeing his watch as he paces back and forth in front of me.
“I know I lose my temper once and awhile, Lex. But deep down all I ever did was love you.” He suddenly stops pacing, taps his watch three times, and sighs. He removes the gag from my mouth. “Don’t make a sound or this is going back on that pretty little mouth of yours.”
My heart is still beating hard in my chest and the pulse thumps loud in my ears. I feel a shiver run down my spine when his demeanor changes again. His eyes now flicker with hatred and fire. He wouldn’t kill me . . . would he? I start to feel the bile rise up my throat but I fight to keep it down.
“Looks like your new boy toy isn’t going to show up to save the day.” Patrick looks at me with an evil grin, tilting my chin up with his index finger. Tears threaten to sting my eyes again. Coen. He’ll think I stood him up. I remember now! I was getting ready to head home with Jo to get ready for our date tonight. My heart sinks. I have to get out of here. I have to get back to Coen. I struggle, trying to free myself again, and I scream in hopes that someone, anyone might hear me. Patrick stops and shoves my shoulders down hard and sticks the gag back in my mouth.
“It’s no use, Lexi. No one can hear you out here.” My shoulders hurt as he squeezes them harder. He leans in close to my face again. “I left him a little note on your doorstep.” He shoves his watch in front of my face and taps the face of it. “It’s 7:31 p.m., doll face. Your new lover boy had until 7:30 to bring me five hundred thousand dollars and I’d leave you two alone. But I don’t s—”
Patrick groans as he’s knocked to the floor.
I can’t see well enough in the dark to tell who it is, but their cologne is familiar and comforting. I try my best to scream again and fight against my restraints. The chair screeches and rattles as I scoot and bang it on the cement floor of the warehouse trying everything I can to break free, but there’s still no budging these ropes. Looking over to where Patrick lies on the floor I see the shadow of him starting to stir.
“Lexi, are you okay?”
Oh, thank God! It’s Coen!
I’m so relieved to hear his voice that I forget I can’t speak clearly.
“Oh God, Lex, are you gagged? Where are you? I can barely see in here.”
Coen manages to make his way over to me, almost tripping over me in the chair.
“Whoa, babe.” He steadies himself and removes the gag from my mouth. “Are you okay? Am I too late? Did he hurt you?” He caresses my cheeks and tries to study my eyes, though the darkness of the warehouse makes that almost impossible.
“Coen!” I scream. He and I both duck as Patrick stumbles to his feet and tries to swing at Coen. He’s too drunk and too disoriented from Coen’s hit to make contact with either of us. Coen swings around and they both stumble back into the darkness. All I can hear is grunting and bones cracking, no clue what sound is coming from whom. Punch after punch echoes through the warehouse and I can’t hold back the tears anymore.
“Coen!” The only sound I can hear now is t
he pounding of my heartbeat in my ears and my sobs as I cry uncontrollably.
I MUST’VE PASSED out, because when I open my eyes I’m no longer in the warehouse. I’m lying back on the front passenger seat of Coen’s car. Streetlights appear as streaks of orange as we speed down the city streets. I’m a little groggy, but I reach down to find the lever that adjusts the seat back upright. The movement of me sitting up gets Coen’s attention. He quickly glances over at me and places his right hand on my leg.
“Just stay still, Lex. I’m taking you to the hospital to get checked out. Does anything hurt?” His eyes bounce back and forth between me and the road as he waits for me to reply. He stops at a red light and I can see well enough to tell that his eye is a bit swollen.
“I have a headache, but it isn’t bad. I just want to go home, Coen.” I look to him with exhausted, pleading eyes. After the day I’ve had, all I want to do is curl up in my favorite blanket and go to sleep. “Are you okay? Maybe you should get checked out?” I slide my palm under his and lace our fingers together. My thumb caresses his as I turn myself towards him, waiting for him to answer. The light turns green. Coen shrugs and continues driving.
“It’s just a black eye, Lexi, I’ll be fine.” His hand grips mine a little tighter and his foot presses a little harder on the gas.
I decide to take his word for it. For now. I’m too exhausted to argue with him. Taking my eyes off him to look out at the road, I see that we’re coming up to another intersection. If we go left, we’ll be on our way to the hospital, if we go right, we’ll be just a couple more minutes closer to my bed.
“Please just take me home, Coen,” I plead. “No hospital tonight. I just want a nice warm bath and my bed.” He stops at the stop sign and puts the car in park.
“What are you doing? You can’t park in the middle of the road!” I check the mirrors and turn around to see that thankfully, there’s no one behind us.
Can't Slow Down (Consumed by Love #2) Page 1
