Until You
An Until Novella 4
Cristin Cooper
Contents
copyright
Also by Cristin Cooper
Glossary
1. October 2015
2. October 2015
3. October 2015
4. October 2015
5. October 2015
6. November 2015
7. November 2015
8. November 2015
9. November 2015
10. December 2015
11. December 2015
12. December 31, 2015
13. January 1, 2016
14. January 2016
15. January 2016
16. February 2016
17. March 2016
18. March 2016
19. April 2016
20. April 2016
21. April 2016
22. May 2016
23. June 2016
24. June 2016
25. June 2016
26. June 2016
27. June 2016
Epilogue
FREE BOOK
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books In Series
Preview
copyright
Until You
Copyright © 2016 Cristin Cooper
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
* * *
Cover Designer: Cristin Cooper
Cover Photo: Bigstockphoto
Editing: Nichole Strauss at Perfectly Publishable
Also by Cristin Cooper
Always Series
Love, Ryan
Love You, Always
Love Me
* * *
Always Novella
Safe Love novella
* * *
Until Series
Until Now
Until Here novella
Until Us
Until You novella
* * *
Juliet Chronicles
Juliet Chronicles Book One
Juliet Chronicles Book Two
Juliet Chronicles Book Three
To all my online gaming friends. You know who you are. Thank you for your friendship and all the laughs. I miss you guys.
Glossary
Gaming Glossary:
Guild: A group of players who play together under a group name.
Guildmates: Other players in a guild.
Raid: An instance in a game where a group of players get together to defeat monsters or bad guys.
Vent: Voice chat software used to communicate with other gamers.
DPS: Damage per second.
DPS meters: A way to track damage per second for each player in an instance.
PVP: Player verses player.
Chapter One
October 2015
Alexis
“Good raid, guys! I’m logging off, but I’ll see you Thursday night. Don’t be late.” Alexis smiled when a chorus of mumbled g’night, later and for the Horde followed. Nothing beat spending two nights a week killing monsters with her online gaming friends.
Just before logging off, Belakor, a Tauren Hunter, messaged her in the game.
Belakor: Sleep tight.
Alexis had met him six months ago after they joined the same guild on the same day. Soon after, they began competing for the top DPS spot in their raids. What started out as friendly in-game competition turned into a different kind of friendship. They never shared their real names or talked about where they lived. Alexis thought he might work in customer service and she mentioned she was a student, but that was it. They based their friendship on having fun and playing the game together.
Nysterie: You too.
Belakor: Since we’re not raiding tomorrow, you want to work on our Alliance characters?
Nysterie: Sounds good. Talk to you later.
After slipping off her headphones, she logged out of the game and stood to stretch. Sitting for three hours straight while raiding made her body tense and stiff. Since she loved playing the game, she tried not to complain–too much. In game, she had a camaraderie with her guildmates that she didn’t have anywhere else.
In her real life, people judged Alexis on her looks. They made preconceived notions about who she was before they even met her. But online, she could be anyone. She wasn’t a model or a college student. She was Nysterie, an undead mage, and she preferred it that way.
Slumping back into her chair, she felt the weight of reality sink back in. The grief that had hung over her for weeks abated for the few hours she was online but it always came back the moment she was alone and then there was… As she chewed on her nails she thought about her growing discomfort in one of her college classes. Being harassed and catcalled had become normal but when it happened in the classroom it made her anxiety level rise.
For weeks, two guys in her biology class had been making snide remarks about her being a dumb blonde. They went as far as quizzing her to see if she actually knew anything. Even after she answered their questions correctly the harassment didn’t end. Today it got worse. Another student brought in a photo from an international underwear ad she did a few years ago. The guys in her class passed it around like they had never seen a girl in underwear before. Maybe they hadn’t.
Each time they harassed her or tried to shame her for modeling, she would put a smile on her face and try to ignore them or walk away. She tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that she owned her home and had a large savings account. And unlike the jerks who bullied her, she would be leaving college without debt. As much as she hated modeling, she would never let anyone make her be ashamed of it.
“Knock knock,” Katie, Alexis’s roommate, said from her open office door.
Alexis swiveled around in her chair and gave her a half smile. “What’s up?”
Katie leaned against the doorframe giving her a forced smile. It felt like ages since Alexis had seen a sincere smile on Katie’s face. Not that she could blame her, Alexis struggled too. Three weeks and six days ago, they lost Eric, Alexis’s older brother. He was also Katie’s long-distance boyfriend—and father to her unborn child. He had died in a plane crash on his way to see Katie for the weekend. Katie’s pregnancy might have been a surprise, but it became a balm for Alexis and her parents’ grief. They found peace knowing Eric would live on in his and Katie’s child.
“I just wanted to remind you of my ultrasound tomorrow. Your mom is planning on picking me up from The Coffee Pot.” Alexis could hear the false cheerfulness in her voice but didn’t comment on it. She tried not to judge Katie for her indifference to her pregnancy. Especially since Alexis had no idea how she’d react if she found herself pregnant, single and nineteen.
“I remembered. Mom is picking me up after my class then we’ll stop and get you.” Alexis’s stomach dropped when she realized seeing Jason, Katie’s boss, was a possibility. Every time she went to his store, he would glare or make snide comments under his breath. It was made worse by her stupid physical attraction to him. He was her type. Tall, dark and handsome. Eyes so brown they were almost black. His skin, a natural tan, and dark brown hair that in the light had a reddish tint. It was unfortunate that his personality sucked rocks.
The first time she walked into his shop, The Coffee Pot, she fell in love with the place. Alexis imagined spending her days studying or gaming at one of the private tables. A lounge area with leather couches and chairs was placed in the back corner. The perfect place to hang out with friends, she thought.
Katie had described him as brisk and a hard worker, but he was just a jerk. Alexis was used to people judging her at first glance. Usually, she could get people to warm up to her and see she was more than a pretty face. But it was guys like him who made her insecure about herself. And no matter how much she tried to not let other’s opinions affect her, his did.
“Well, I’m going to…” Beeping from an incoming text interrupted Katie. She lifted her phone and a soft smile appeared on her face. It must have been Tyler, Eric’s best friend. He seemed to be the only person who could get her to do that.
After Eric’s funeral, Katie and Tyler flew to Alaska to clean out Eric’s house. When they returned, they began talking and texting every day. Even though Alexis was glad Katie had someone she could talk to, she wished it were her instead of Tyler.
Katie typed a message then stuffed her phone in her pocket. “I can’t keep my eyes open. I’ll see you in the morning.” Her mouth opened in a large yawn proving her point.
Alexis stared at the empty doorway wishing her friend would hang out for a little while.
She had met Katie online a little over a year ago after putting an ad on Craigslist looking for a roommate. Right away Alexis could tell they would hit it off.
The night Katie moved in, Alexis introduced her to Eric, who was visiting for a few weeks. Their attraction had been instant and from then on, Eric made monthly weekend visits to see Katie. But in between his visits, she and Katie spent at least a few nights a week hanging out together.
Their evenings consisted of them talking about anything and everything while Katie made dinner. That was when Alexis found out how much she enjoyed having a girl as a friend. But since Eric’s funeral, Alexis barely saw her. Katie either had work, or school, or was too tired to hang out. She missed Katie almost as much as she missed her brother.
Chapter Two
October 2015
Jason
Jason watched his favorite employee, Katie, flip through a pregnancy book. Her usual smile contorted into different facial expressions depending on what she read. He understood completely. Three years ago, Sandy, a one-night stand, turned up at his apartment with a positive pregnancy test. He remembered reading book after book about pregnancy, babies, and parenting. Six months later, he became a dad. That was ten parenting books ago.
Growing up as an only child to a single mom, Jason had a vague idea what it would take to raise a child. But he found out early on that it was so much harder than he ever imagined and now Katie would have to go through the same thing.
He had felt a connection to Katie from the day she walked into his coffee shop and asked if he were hiring. With her easygoing personality and friendly demeanor, she managed to squirm her way into his affections. He liked her, and though he would never tell Katie this, he would do anything for her. She was like the little sister he never had. He wanted to take her under his wing and show her that if he could be a single parent, so could she.
Caught staring at her, he turned away and wiped down the already clean counter.
“What?” she said with a half groan.
He dropped the towel and lifted his hands up to ward off her emotional outburst. “Don’t get hormonal on me.”
Her brows furrowed and she shook her head in irritation. “Jason, why do I even like you?”
He bit back a laugh. Like an older brother, he found pleasure in annoying Katie. He enjoyed getting a rise out of her, especially since it rarely happened. “It’s probably my sparkling personality,” he stated with little expression.
Rolling her eyes, she turned back to her book and mumbled, “I’m pretty sure it’s not.”
With her less than humorless reply, he realized the stress had caught up to her. He had known her for over a year and had never seen her like this. Even on the worst days she seemed to find humor in life.
Taking two tentative steps until he stood side by side with her, he bumped her arm with his elbow to get her attention. “I know things are hard right now, but I want you to know I do care about you.”
There. He said it. Sharing his feelings was akin to being run over by a dump truck, but he did it and lived through it. Most of the time, he saved all his affections for his two-and-a-half-year-old son, Benji, who was the light of his life, but Katie was safe. She brought out the less cynical side of him.
“Oh, and I’ll fire you if you tell anyone I was nice. I don’t want people getting the wrong idea about me.” She knew better than to believe him. He’d never fire her, and not just because she brought in more tips than any of his other employees.
He felt a warmth in his chest when he heard her laugh. After everything she went through the past few months, it was music to his ears.
Curious about her reaction to the book she read, he asked, “Don’t you have something better to do?” Before she could answer, he grabbed the book and read the highlighted text.
“Nope.” She shook her head.
Amused, he chuckled. “You’re grossed out that pregnant women can have sex? You do know how babies are made, right?”
Waving a hand over her pregnant but still flat stomach, she said, “I don’t have a problem with sex. Obviously, but the fact that Billy highlighted it means he and my mother…just eww.”
A few months after Katie moved to Portland for school, her mother married, and now Katie had a baby brother who would be not much older than her own child. Jason chuckled at the idea and handed the book back to her. “What time is your appointment?”
“In about forty-five minutes. Alexis and Tracy should be here any minute to pick me up.”
Just hearing Alexis’s name put Jason on edge. He muttered, “Great,” under his breath. His reaction to Alexis annoyed him to no end.
The first time she walked into his coffee shop, he wanted her in the most basic way. He reasoned it was because he hadn’t been with a woman since Sandy. He didn’t have time to meet women outside of his coffee shop let alone date.
Jason’s stomach twisted thinking about that day. Perfect was the only way to describe Alexis. He had never been into blondes until he swore an angel walked into his store. Alexis’s long blonde hair shimmered from the light coming in through the front windows. It made her appear to have a halo. Besides a scattering of freckles that added to her appeal, her creamy skin didn’t have a single blemish. Shiny pink lips drew his eyes to her heart-shaped mouth and bright smile. Jason’s chest felt tight as he looked her up and down and then did again trying to control his desire. He imagined her long legs wrapped around him as he…
Taking a deep breath, he tried to shake his dirty thoughts and the memory of that day. The fantasy came to a screeching halt when he realized she was Katie’s roommate—the model. He bristled at the idea. Of course, she had to be a model. A model who didn’t wear makeup and came in wearing geeky T-shirts that made him laugh against his will. That day’s t-shirt read, ‘Never trust an atom. They make up everything.’ He grinned just thinking about it.
After Sandy abandoned their son for her acting career, he labeled all beautiful women in the “industry” self-centered and superficial. In the back of his head, he knew he was being a judgmental asshole and should give her a chance. But the deep-seeded anger he held out for Sandy shadowed his opinions.
“Speak of the devil.” He looked to Katie wondering why she didn’t sound happier. It wasn’t like her, especially when it came to Alexis. He watched as Katie forced a smile then he turned to look at the two women coming in his store.
He drew in a deep breath and tried to avoid looking at the object of his many fantasies. No matter how hard he tried not to think of Alexis in that way, he couldn’t help himself.
“Hey, Katie, you ready to go?” Tracy’s, Alexis’s mother, excited voice filled the room. He smiled and said hello to
Tracy then glanced at Alexis catching her staring at him with a half-smile. She fidgeted with her bag, and he debated whether or not to say anything to her.
“I just need a minute. Do you want a drink to go?” Katie offered.
“I would love one,” Alexis said.
Just the sound of her voice made his pulse race.
Standing behind the counter, he faced away from her and drew in deep breaths. Alexis’s slightly husky voice tortured him. He didn’t want to like it. The least she could’ve done was have an annoying high-pitched voice that grated on his nerves. It would give him a legit reason not to like her.
“Do you mind making one for her?” Katie asked him. He returned her question with a glare then agreed, but he imagined firing her for putting him in this situation.
Facing Alexis, he noticed she no longer smiled, but seemed to shrink.
“What would you like?” He tried to keep his voice even but failed. He immediately regretted his harsh tone when she flinched. She recovered quickly and gave him a small smile and her order.
He went to work making her an iced latte with skim milk. Even that annoyed him since it was his favorite drink. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find anything really wrong with her except for the fact she modeled.
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