Until the Lightning Strikes
Happily Ever Alpha World
Elle Christensen
Until the Lightning Strikes
Copyright © 2019 by Elle Christensen
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Published by Boom Factory Publishing, LLC.
Elle Christensen, CONTRIBUTOR to the Original Works was granted permission by Aurora Rose Reynolds, ORIGINAL AUTHOR, to use the copyrighted characters and/ or worlds created by Aurora Rose Reynolds in the Original Work; all copyright protection to the characters and/ or worlds of Aurora Rose Reynolds in the Original Works are and shall continue to be retained by Aurora Rose Reynolds. You can find all of Aurora Rose Reynolds Original Works on most major retailers. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage or retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, photocopying, mechanical or otherwise, without express permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, story lines and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales or any events or occurrences are purely coincidental.
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Contents
Blurb
1. Rachel
2. Liam
3. Rachel
4. Liam
5. Rachel
6. Liam
7. Rachel
8. Liam
9. Rachel
10. Liam
11. Rachel
12. Liam
13. Rachel
14. Liam
15. Rachel
Epilogue
Until Rayne Blurb
Also by Elle Christensen
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Blurb
Rachel Hill is struggling to get out of the life she was raised in. With only two more semesters to go, she’ll have her college degree and her ticket out of town. But, it seems as though bad luck is raining down on her and when the company she works for goes out of business, her income goes from meager to nothing. She’s desperate to find a way to pay for school.
Even if it means baring her body to a room full of strangers.
Liam Bennet’s career as an artist exploded in college but his roots are still in his hometown and he returns there to settle down. Despite having watched each of the Mayson brothers and his best friend find their boom, he doesn’t think it will happen to him. When the new model for his painting class steps into the room, everything changes. He doesn’t believe in soul mates.
Until the lightning strikes and he finds his BOOM!
1
Rachel
Breathing deeply, I handed the registrar a check containing almost every dollar in my bank account. Although I was freaking out about having no money, I felt relief knowing that my tuition, room, and board were paid. At least the meal plan would keep me from starving. I certainly wouldn’t be losing my hips any time soon. Not that I could really use their food as an excuse. The campus had a gym and as often as I said I’d go workout, was about as often as I ate a pastry—if I could afford pastries. Maybe I could convince the cafeteria to—Oomph. Someone bumped into me from behind, interrupting my mental rambling. It was a habit of mine, whether I was doing it in my head or out loud.
The woman narrowed her beady eyes, not an easy feat considering a very tight bun at the back of her head stretched her face. She tugged and finally, I let the paper slip from my fingers. It was done.
At least I didn’t have time to dwell on it since I needed to get my ass to work. Hurrying away from the window and out into the parking lot of the admin building, I adjusted my backpack over my shoulder and checked my watch. Crap. I didn’t have time to walk. I sighed, resigning myself to giving up two more dollars because I’d overslept. After my late night shift at the Insomnia Cafe, a small coffee shop not too far from campus, I’d come home and studied for my upcoming test in Topics in Modern and Contemporary Art, until I fell asleep. I woke up a half hour later than I meant to and had to rush through getting ready, then practically ran to the admin building, and now I was paying for it…literally.
I picked up my pace and jogged to the bus stop, hoping to catch the next one. I was exhausted, but I had to pick up all the shifts I could if I wanted to be able to pay for my next and last semester. It wasn’t like I could count on my deadbeat parents for anything. They’d already guilted me out of enough money before I finally got a backbone and stopped giving in. Now, they wouldn’t even answer when I called. Honestly, they were probably too drunk to even find their phone when it rang. The last I'd heard, they’d lost their trailer and were staying in a seedy, hourly motel on the edge of town--when they could afford it, which meant, when my mom was sober enough to show up at the club where she worked as a stripper. I didn’t know where they stayed when they didn’t have the money. My best friend and roommate, Rosa, was constantly telling me they didn’t deserve my worry, but they were still my parents and my only family. However, as much as it pained me, I couldn’t give them too much thought. The only thing I could do was focus on getting my degree, so I could get the hell out of town and start fresh.
Working so much made studying hard and I wasn’t even sure how I’d been able to maintain my 4.0 GPA. I dug deep and kept reminding myself that I could sleep after I graduated and to do that, I needed the grades to help me get a better job. Especially considering that I wanted to eventually work my way up to being a private art consultant someday. Which required prestigious internships and I’d be fighting for those positions tooth and nail and grades were often the tipping point. Okay, maybe sleep wasn’t in my near future.
The bus was waiting when I arrived, and I hopped up the steps, put two dollars in the machine, and took the first empty seat. There weren’t many people, so I was alone in the row and could set my backpack next to me. I relaxed into the seat and folded my hands in my lap. After a few minutes, I rechecked the time and groaned. It was going to be close, but I should make it on time. My manager, Francie, was always on a power trip and she loved to write people up for being late. She was lazy, terrible with customers, and utterly incompetent when it came to inventory, so we were continually running out of things. I used to wonder how the heck she kept her job until I met the owner one day. He was nice enough, but he was an airhead and so besotted with Francie that he didn’t seem to care about how she ran the place. Still, I had no room to complain because it was a job and despite the mismanagement, professors frequented the place because of the location, so the tips weren’t bad.
I watched the scenery pass by, and when my stop was next, I reached over the seat beside me and pulled on the wire that alerted the driver someone wanted to get off. The bus slowed, and I stood, then hefted my pack over my shoulder again. I gave the driver a wave before walking to the middle of the bus and descended the few steps to the double doors where I pushed them open and jumped to the sidewalk. My backpack was heavy with all my books and my ancient laptop, so I hit the ground hard, and twin spikes of pain raced from my heels up my calves. “Ouch,” I hissed and shook my legs out one at a time.
The coffee shop was only a few doors down, and I made it inside three minutes before my shift. Francie glared at me from behind the counter, her face twisted with annoyance. She wasn’t the most attractive woman in the first place, and I almost wanted to tell her that her pinched expressions weren’t helping the situation. But, I wasn’t stupid. Instead, I lifted m
y chin in greeting as I passed her on my way to the employee break room. I loaded my stuff into my locker and took my apron from the hook, slipping the halter strap over my head.
I tied the back as I made my way out to the front again and smiled at a woman waiting patiently at the counter. “Have you been helped?” I asked as I logged in to the register. She returned my smile and shook her head. “What can I get for you?”
She gave me her order, and since Francie had disappeared, I was on my own, so I quickly took her payment, then made her drink, and heated her pastry. After passing it over to her, I kept my smile plastered on my face as I helped the next customer in line. I went as fast as I could, but I didn’t want to get any orders wrong and risk making people wait even longer for me to re-do something. Even so, they got restless standing in line, and a few huffed in frustration as they stomped out the door.
The breakfast rush finally slowed down, and I was able to take a breath. I started to restock when Francie burst through the door that led to the kitchen. “You can go,” she said airily. My eyebrows shot to my hairline as I stared at her in shock. Did she really think she’d be able to handle the lunch rush on her own? I wasn’t sure if she even really knew how to work the register.
She sniffed haughtily. “We’re closing down for the rest of the day.”
What the frog?
I must have stared in confusion for too long because she stepped closer and spoke slowly, over-enunciating as though I were a child. “We. Are. Closing. Go. Home.” I wanted to argue because this meant losing hours of pay, but she’d already spun around and stalked into her office, slamming the door behind her.
In a bit of a daze, I wandered back to the break room and hung my apron back in my locker before grabbing my pack and slowly making my way to the front. Had I done something wrong? Were they shutting down for the day because of me? No way, I thought to myself. I was the only person who was actually working and keeping the place running.
I was almost to the door when Mr. Jenner hurried in with two men in suits following him. One had a clipboard, and his face was a mask of irritation, the other simply looked bored as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked around. “Rachel,” Mr. Jenner greeted me in a harried tone.
“Francie just told me that you’re closing for the day and I should go home?” It came out as a question rather than a statement.
“Um.” He shuffled his feet and glanced at the man with the clipboard. “We are shutting our doors for a while.”
No, no, no, no. I wanted to believe I’d misheard the man. “How long?”
“Indefinitely,” the man with the hands in his pockets answered, still looking bored.
“I’m sorry, dear,” Mr. Jenner mumbled. “We have to let everyone go.”
Son of a monkey! I was seriously screwed. Jobs around here were like freaking unicorns. A small town and too many students meant whenever there was a job opening, you better be the first one in the door to apply. And every unemployed student was a vulture. Hovering. Waiting. Watching.
I had no way to pay for school if I didn’t find a way to make money.
2
Liam
“When’s your next trip?” I asked Nick as I lifted my beer to my mouth and took a swallow. My best friend had married the woman of his dreams almost a year ago, and they’d spent the better part of the year traveling together. They were complete opposites, Nick Stevenson: a button up, loafer-wearing lawyer, and Rayne Summers: a free-spirited wanderer. But, they completed each other in a way that made me a little envious.
Before Nick could answer, our other best friend, Jack, arrived and dropped down into a chair with a huff. I raised a brow and used the neck of my bottle to push the one we’d ordered for him closer. He grabbed it and held it up in thanks before downing at least half of it.
“Tough day?” Nick asked running a hand through his messy, dirty-blond hair. He bent one leg and set the ankle on the opposite knee, holding his beer on his khaki covered thigh.
“Just more bullshit with the new recruits. Can’t get their asses to do anything right and I end up cleaning up the mess they make of our books every time they work at one of the shops.” Jack was an accountant. But not like any typical numbers guy you’d ever meet. He was a member of an MC the next town over and did their books as well as those for a couple of other clubs. His hair was in serious need of a cut, his neck was covered in tattoos, and both arms sported a sleeve, and his typical outfit consisted of ripped jeans, a ratty t-shirt, and his leather MC vest. He drained the rest of his bottle and grunted, “I need another fucking drink.” Then he made his way to the bar. Once he had a fresh beer, he stalked back to our table, his dark scowl clearing a path for him.
“Seems like more than just some new recruit bullshit,” I murmured before taking a drink to hide my grin. Then I took my small, black-framed glasses off my face and focused on cleaning them with my shirt so I wouldn’t laugh.
Nick didn’t even try to hide his smirk. “I’m willing to bet it’s a woman who’s got your panties in a twist.” Jack’s eyes narrowed, and his scowl grew even darker.
“My love life is not up for discussion,” he growled. I put my glasses back on and scratched at my close-cut beard.
“So, there’s a love life to discuss?” Nick probed. Jack reached out and punched Nick in the arm so hard I imagined he was going to have a pretty nasty bruise come morning. “Ouch! Motherfucker!” Nick yelled. Jack just smiled and went back to his drink.
I decided to take pity on Jack because I knew Nick would just keep digging at him. “Rayne decided where she wants to go on your next trip?” I asked, bringing the conversation back to my earlier question.
Nick looked down at his bottle and picked at the label as a secretive smile stole across his face, then he cleared his throat and looked up. “We’re staying put for a while. Rayne hasn’t been feeling very well the last few months, and I don’t think she’ll be getting better any time soon. Probably not for at least six months or so.”
My brows raised in confusion. “Rayne being sick makes you happy?”
Nick laughed and shook his head. Jack leaned in and whacked me on the back of the head, knocking my glasses askew. “What the fuck?” I glared at him and readjusted them, but he just rolled his eyes as he lounged back in his seat.
“She’s pregnant, idiot.”
My head whipped back to Nick who was now sporting a shit-eating grin. “Seriously? You’re having a baby?” I asked.
“Yep. Knocked my girl up without even trying.” I laughed, and we both stood, giving each other a one-armed man hug.
“Congrats, man,” I said as I pounded him on the back, then dropped back down into my seat. Jack raised his beer and gave him a high-five with the other hand.
“Nick Stevenson.” I leaned in and turned around so I could see who the feminine voice behind me belonged to. November Mayson, a tall, beautiful brunette with piercing green eyes was grinning at Nick. Her husband, Asher, stood protectively behind her, his eyes almost hidden by a baseball cap, his arms crossed over his chest, and his jean-clad legs set apart in an intimidating stance. “Seems you really did cave to the boom, didn’t you?” she asked with a smirk. “I had lunch with Rayne today.”
Nick clearly couldn’t help puffing up with pride as a wide grin split his face. “Can’t keep a good man down,” he quipped with a wink.
She laughed and shook her head. “I guess you are more like Asher than I thought.”
Asher practically growled, and when she glanced up at him and saw the way he was glaring at Nick, she rolled her eyes. “He has a wife and baby, Asher. Is this possessive schtick really necessary?” He just shrugged and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him.
She asked Nick a couple more questions about the pregnancy until a pretty blonde approached with Trevor Mayson following behind her, his eyes on her ass. I wanted to laugh, but I knew if he saw me taking a look at his view, I’d end up with more than one Mayson fist smashing
my face.
“Liz,” I greeted her when she stopped at our table. Besides being Trevor’s wife, I knew Liz because she owned Temptations, a small shop in town that had odds and ends, new and old. I’d been in there for some antique frames a time or two, but all the girly shit also made it the perfect place to find a gift for my mother and sisters.
“Hey, Liam,” she greeted. “I found another frame in the style you described. Come by the shop next week and see if it’s what you were looking for.”
I lifted my chin in acknowledgment and took another pull from my beer. The two couples chit-chatted with Nick for another moment, then headed to the back of the bar where Asher and Trevor’s other brothers were waiting.
“The boom,” Jack said as he shook his head. “What a load of crap.”
Nick sputtered since he’d just taken a drink. “I swear it’s real, dude. I wouldn’t have believed it but…” He trailed off. Jack shook his head again.
I laughed and gave him a speculative glance. “It’s going to be so fun to watch it happen to you, someday.”
Jack rolled his eyes to the ceiling as though praying for patience. Nick’s chuckle drew my attention, but I was surprised to see him looking at me, instead of Jack. “Ditto.”
I almost hoped Nick was right and that it would happen to me, but outside of the Mayson family, lightning never strikes the same place twice. I glanced at Jack, and despite my ribbing, I definitely didn’t see it hitting the same place three times.
Until the Lightning Strikes: Happily Ever Alpha World Page 1
