by Kari Lemor
Faded Dreams
Storms of New England, book 6
Kari Lemor
Rycon Press
Faded Dreams
Sometimes Karma is a kick in the pants…
Lukas Storm never stays with a woman long enough to finish zipping his pants. With the reality check of deployment on the horizon, he rethinks his Casanova ways. He wishes, just once, he’d loved a woman of substance who’ll cry if he doesn’t return.
Murielle Russell has admired Luke since she was a genius pre-teen in his classes. Years later, a fateful night at her cousin’s wedding leads to more than soothing Luke before he leaves. Knocked up by the town player, Ellie hates that she’s reliving the sins of her mother.
As Luke returns, he’ll do the right thing by Ellie and his baby, but his reputation is a hard one to shake, her trust even harder to earn. As they prepare for their child’s arrival, Luke must learn about fatherhood, but more importantly prove to Ellie he’ll remain true.
FADED DREAMS © 2021 by Kari Lemor
Cover Art by: Karasel
Photos: depositphoto
RyCon Press
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First Electronic Edition: Sept 2021
ISBN - 978-1-954056-08-4
First Print Edition: Sept 2021
ISBN - 978-1-954056-09-1
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All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. 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 and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Books By Kari Lemor
Love on the Line – light romantic suspense
Wild Card Undercover
Running Target
Fatal Evidence
Hidden Betrayal
Death Race
Tactical Revenge
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Storms of New England – small town contemporary
Elusive Dreams – Erik & Tessa
True Dreams – Sara & TJ
Stolen Dreams – Alex & Gina
Broken Dreams – Nathaniel & Darcy
Lost Dreams – Greg & Alandra
Faded Dreams – Luke & Ellie
Forgotten Dreams (Christmas novella)
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Coming soon 2021
Sweet Dreams (Christmas novella)
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Last Chance Beach World
Secrets Under the Sun (Nov 2021)
Acknowledgments
So many people have helped me on this journey. Thanks to my husband and children who give me all their love and support. Kris and Meredith for so much support and encouragement, even when you are short on time yourself. Especially to Em, who has been the best editor I’ve ever had, giving me suggestions, guidance, and so much assistance making my books super shiny. To Donna for the honest feedback and suggestions. To the Gems authors who encourage and share my books with others. To all the amazing readers who have left reviews letting me know I have a purpose in writing. And especially to the fabulous Storm family. So many have asked to be adopted by you because you are so warm, loving, and accepting of everyone.
This book is dedicated to all the heroes who love their women with all their hearts.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Deadly Dreams
Chapter 1
About the Author
Chapter One
“Absolutely gorgeous.”
A deep voice shattered the peace and quiet Murielle Russell had come to the lakeside for. When she turned, her heart picked up and her stomach dropped. Lukas Storm. What in the world was he doing down here? The party was up at the resort, not here by the lake where she’d come to escape the noisy revelers.
“It is pretty,” she responded, gazing at the multi-colored sky over Lake Winnipesaukee in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
“Wasn’t talking about the sunset.” His smirk highlighted the double dimples in his cheeks, the ones every girl swooned over. If girls actually swooned anymore. More likely, they simply draped themselves over him in invitation. Something he rarely turned down. They’d known each other for ten years, since they’d been lab partners in Biology. She hadn’t seen much of him lately, except for a quick chat at the Fourth of July fireworks in town this past summer, but she still heard the gossip. Some things never changed.
“The view of the lake is great, too,” she added. No way he was talking about her. The geeky little girl who’d bested him at every test. Though, in her bridesmaid dress with hair and makeup professionally done, maybe she wasn’t ugly either. But he’d never seen her in that way.
Moving closer, he reached out and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t underestimate yourself, Ellie. You’re looking fine. Prettiest bridesmaid at the wedding.”
“But not prettier than the bride. No one can outshine the bride on her wedding day.” Her cousin, Nicole, had always been the one every guy had chased after. With her long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, they’d swarmed over her when they were teenagers. Elle’s hair could never decide if it was red or brown, though her eyes most definitely stayed in the dark brown category. Like mud.
“What are you doing down here? Don’t you have bridesmaid duties and stuff?”
Glancing back up the hill to the fancy resort where Nicole and her groom, Brad, had gotten married, she shook her head. “No, all I had to do was show up and march down the aisle. My Aunt Sharon and cousin, Jenny, took care of everything else. That’s what the Maid of Honor does. Bridesmaids are expendable.” Pretty sure she was only asked to balance the wedding party numbers.
“Saw you dancing with one of the groomsmen. Is he your date for the night?”
“He was assigned to be my partner. I think he was on the prowl for something a little higher class than me.”
Luke scowled. “Again with the put-downs. You look incredible. The guy’s an idiot.”
Shrugging, she said, “He knows I won’t put out simply because we got partnered together.”
“Because you have class.” Luke’s eyes narrowed and skimmed the horizon, his mouth in a tight line. What was that serious look for?
“So, what are you doing down here? You’re big into the parties. Got a lady friend meeting you here soon? There’s a nice little cabana right there. Perfect for a secret tryst. I can get lost so you can have some privacy.”
As she turned to go, he took her elbow and drew her closer. Man, he smelled good. Not a strong cologne scent. Something woodsy and all Luke. His soap, maybe.
“I came down to do some thinking and can’t really do it with all the noise of the reception.”
&
nbsp; “Won’t your friends miss you?” Elle searched the hill up to the party, expecting to see a gang of Luke’s friends converging on their location to find him.
“Brad’s got enough to keep him occupied with Nicole dragging him around to chat with the guests. The other guys have all scoped out booze and babes.”
“Not you? Isn’t that your usual MO?”
His eyes darkened, almost like she’d hurt his feelings. Since when did Lukas Storm, Casanova himself, ever care what people thought of his carousing?
“I’ve got a lot of other things on my mind right now. Brought a bottle down here to keep me company. Want some?” He pointed to the bottle of champagne sitting on the floor of the cabana.
“You said you wanted to be alone.”
“Not alone. Just not in the partying mood. I’d love some company.”
This was a different side to Luke that most people never saw. She’d seen it a few times when he had something serious going on. A difficult test coming up or college applications. Most people only saw the party guy who somehow managed to get straight As in all the advanced level classes. Or the talented jock who played three sports and excelled at all of them. Or the hot stud every girl wanted to be seen with. She’d been fortunate to see more.
“Sure. These shoes are killing me. I need to take them off or I might not be able to walk ever again.”
Luke flinched at her words. What had she said? Then, he scooped her in his arms and carried her to sit on the large swinging bench in the half-enclosed building. Holy smokes, Luke Storm had swept her off her feet. Literally. The cushions were soft and thick under her, and the swing started moving as soon as Luke sat next to her.
“Let’s see about fixing these toes.” He picked her feet up and swung them around until they lay on his lap, and she leaned against the padded side of the seat. What the heck? Wiggling, she tried to remove them, but he held on tight.
“Luke, what are you doing?”
“You said they were killing you. I can’t have that.”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “The shoes are too high and hurt my feet. They aren’t actually going to cause me any permanent harm.”
After slipping her shoes off, he massaged the instep on one foot, then moved to the other. Bliss. Nicole had insisted on the same shoes for all the bridesmaids since the dresses stopped at the knee. Surprisingly, she hadn’t broken a leg trying to walk in them.
“That feels incredible.”
He picked up the bottle, pulled off the top, and took a healthy swig. After handing the bottle to her, he went back to massaging her feet. The cool liquid slid down her throat, warming her insides.
Luke’s hands moved to her ankles, and Elle held her breath as they continued up to her calf. She stiffened, and he glanced up at her, but his hands didn’t stop their movement.
“Making sure you don’t cramp up.”
The smile he gave her caused her heart to do cartwheels and back flips. Those dimples were dangerous. She had them, too, but they never seemed to get the same reaction from guys. Maybe men were immune to their charms.
“It’s pretty here. Peaceful. Gotta soak up as much as I can.” His eyes had a faraway look as he gazed into the distance.
“Everything okay, Luke?”
Shaking her off, he smiled, those dimples blasting her way. “Yeah. So we didn’t really get a chance to chat very long at the Fourth of July fireworks. What are you doing now? I know you studied engineering, like me.” His hands squeezed her feet. He’d always said she had a great mind and would be an excellent engineer. She’d taken his words to heart.
“I work for Spectrum Engineering over at the Pease Industrial Park.”
His eyes widened. “I work in Portsmouth, too. My firm has a lot of government contracts and does business with yours often. Have you been there long?”
“A few years,” she answered. She’d seen him a time or two in her building. Of course, she’d never had the balls to approach him when he’d been there. “They’ve been paying for my master’s degree. Two more classes this fall, and I’m done.”
“Nice to get someone to pay for it. I finished mine last year courtesy of Uncle Sam.”
“Do you still do weekends in the Guard?” He’d been in ROTC in high school, and she shivered remembering how incredible he looked in his uniform.
“Air National Guard, yeah.”
Worry lines creased his forehead as his blue eyes grew unfocused. The dimming sky cast him in shadows. God, he was so good looking. His light blondish-brown hair was short but stylish. His strong jaw was covered in stubble, making her wonder what it would feel like against her skin. And those lean muscles that he’d honed to perfection called out for her to test drive. If only.
He’d removed his tie and opened the top few buttons of his shirt, so she got a peek of his chest hair. What she wouldn’t give to run her fingers through it. Don’t even think along those lines. More champagne. She tipped the bottle up for another swig.
A frog hopped across the floor of the cabana and onto her shoe.
Luke chuckled. “Remember in Bio freshman year, when we had to dissect that frog, and you made me do the whole thing.” His eyes gleamed, and she scowled.
“I was only eleven. Asking me to cut up a cute little animal was cruel.”
“I still can’t believe you did high school in three years and graduated at fourteen. Little genius.”
It hadn’t really been her choice to move a few grades ahead. But once her aunt and uncle, who she lived with, got wind of the fact her IQ was off the charts, and that the private school was offering a full scholarship for her, they’d jumped at the chance. She still wasn’t sure if it was to help her succeed or to get her into a different high school from their two girls. Her aunt loved her, but having your sister’s kid thrust on you when you’d only been married a few years and already had two children of your own, wasn’t easy.
“You weren’t too shabby either, getting a full boat to Brookside Academy.”
“Yeah, I was lucky.” There were his dimples again.
“Not too lucky. You ended up with me as a lab partner in Bio, Chem, and Physics. I still don’t know how that happened. In Bio, our names were next to each other in the alphabet, but not in the other two.”
“Let me tell you a secret,” Luke whispered, leaning in closer, making her breath freeze. “I sweet-talked the teachers into assigning us together.”
He had? “Why?”
“Because you were the best lab partner ever. You’re the smartest person I know, and you didn’t get all gooey-eyed when we worked together. I know I’ve got a reputation, even back then, but when I was in class, I was serious about my studies.”
“I liked that about you.” She’d liked a lot about him, but he’d never seen her as anything other than his super genius lab partner. The four-year age difference might have had something to do with it.
“And I liked that you spent so much time studying with me. Honestly, Ellie, you got me through a few of those classes.”
“What are you talking about? You were certainly intelligent enough to handle them on your own.”
“True, but I got distracted quite easily back then with…other more social endeavors.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “Girls. You do have a weakness there. Yet you took me to the prom. Because you felt bad for me.”
His hands stilled on her feet, and he took a swig from the bottle. “Actually, it was you who felt bad for me, and I’m glad. I was supposed to go with Taylor Markham, but she ditched me a week before to go with Graham Meisner. Guess captain of the football team beats track star any day.”
“Taylor Markham’s a bitch.” At the mischief in Luke’s eyes, she slapped her hand over her mouth and glanced around nervously. “Did I say that out loud?” Had she consumed too much champagne already? Alcohol wasn’t something she drank on a regular basis. She should slow down.
Luke nodded. “Don’t worry. She’s still up at the party trying to get her hooks into
Brad’s older brother. He’s a doctor. He trumps even an engineer.”
“What about a military man? Some women go crazy for a man in uniform. Is Taylor into that?”
Luke’s eyes darkened, and he stared off past the lake again. “Doesn’t matter if she is or isn’t. I’m not into her.”
“Not anymore.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Not anymore. She might have been my first introduction into—let’s say certain grown-up activities. I’d like to think I’ve matured since then.”
That wasn’t exactly what she’d heard. Elle might have lived in Portsmouth for the past two years, but it was still next to Squamscott Falls. Her cousins, Nicole and Jenny, liked to keep her informed of all the small-town gossip. According to them, Luke still had his wandering ways. Never too long with any one woman.
“I’m not looking for anything right now.” Luke’s mouth pulled tight as he peered at his hands. “I won’t be around for a while.”
The way he said it got her pulse racing, and not in a good way. “Where are you going?”
He lifted his chin and glanced at her, then stared at the lake again. “My unit’s getting deployed in a week.”
Chapter Two
Luke peeked over to see Elle’s reaction. Her cute, little mouth formed a big O, and her eyes widened. He got it. The thought of going overseas into a war zone scared the shit out of him, too.
