Stuck With You

  Stuck With You

  London James

  Copyright © 2019 by London James

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Description

  You drive me crazy.

  Why am I always Stuck with You?

  We’ve known each other since we were kids.

  Rowan was my best friend, my neighbor, my everything.

  Crazy how quickly things can change.

  How much the boy that use to sneak into my bedroom would change.

  Rowan was my first love.

  We even shared our first time together.

  Yet, in one day we became enemies.

  Years passed and we became worse than strangers.

  He became a billionaire.

  And I spend my days doing secretarial work.

  We’re worlds apart, our lives couldn’t be more opposite.

  But fate has a way of always bringing us back together.

  This time right under the same roof.

  Our shared tragedy brought about something we didn’t bargain for.

  A drunken night turned into a night we shared our vows.

  If only that was the only shocking thing that night brought!

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Stay With Me (Sneak Peek)

  Want More London James?

  Also by London James

  Prologue

  Everly

  His face is the only thing I see. When I close my eyes, when I dream, when I’m awake, and he walks right next to me—I am immersed in everything that is Rowan Michaels. We have been friends since we were five. We’ve lived down the road from each other our entire lives. From playdates to high school dances, there isn’t anything we haven’t done together. Rowan would even climb the vines up to my window and crawl into bed with me to watch tv, sometimes fall asleep, like best friends do.

  But I love him. I’m madly, inevitably, head over heels, in love with Rowan. I’ve loved him since forever. There hasn’t been a time where my heart doesn’t trip over itself every time I look at his handsome face. And every time I try to work up the courage to tell him how I want him to be my first.

  My first kiss.

  My first time.

  My first love.

  We are eighteen now, high school graduates, and in one day we are leaving to go to schools on opposite sides of the country. He is going to Cal-Berkeley, and I’m going to NYU. I want us to stay friends, but I know what happens when people get separated like that. An entire lifetime of memories has to be strong enough to make it through cross-country, right?

  “You aren’t wearing that,” Blaire says, flipping through a magazine that has an article of one of the bands she likes.

  I turn left and right, rubbing my hands down my tank top and tight jeans. It looks good. “What’s wrong with it? I wear this all the time.”

  She sighs, in her typical annoyed, emo fashion. “That’s the problem. You wear that outfit all the time. You need to wear something different if you want to grab Rowan’s attention.”

  Blaire rolls off the bed and onto her feet, walks over to my closet, and judges it silently. Like she always does.

  She is the only one who knows how much I love Rowan, and she is the only one who knows of my plan to seduce him tonight. Or try to. All the high school graduates are throwing a big party tonight in the woods. There is going to be a bonfire, music, probably booze from the more rebellious people, but I may have a drink tonight. I mean, why not? I’m an adult now, about to go to college. I deserve to celebrate.

  And a part of that celebration has to do with Rowan. Tonight, I’m going to kiss Rowan, maybe more, and it will be the best night of my life.

  “Rowan won’t look at you twice wearing that. He will see the girl next door, his best friend. You don’t want him to see that, do you?” Blaire continues, sliding each hanger across the pole in my closet.

  “Well, no. You know I don’t.” I battle with my hair in the mirror. Up or down? Up? I push my long, honey brown locks off my shoulder and in a messy bun. Or down? And let the thick strands go, letting it fall over my shoulders.

  “Wear your hair up. It’ll look great with this dress.” Blaire pulls a dark purple mini−dress out of the closest. That still has the tags on it because I never wear dresses. Ever.

  “Jeez, Blaire. I can’t wear that. He will think I’m easy or something.”

  “Oh my god,” she rolls her eyes. “Isn’t that the goal? Aren’t you trying to be easy for him? And it’s hardly easy when you’ve known each other since almost birth. Now it’s just natural. Like a step in the evolutionary process, for the world to get better.” Blaire rips the tags off the dress and tosses the skimpy material at me. “Try it on.”

  I know she’s right. Rowan won’t look at me twice if I’m wearing the same old get-up that I usually do. Blaire, while she sounds rude, is just honest. She doesn’t beat around the bush, and that’s what I love most about her. And if I want to lose my virginity to the man I love, it isn’t going to be in jeans that he has seen five-hundred times.

  “Do you think I’m stupid for doing this?” I ask, tossing the tank top on the bed and shimmying out of my jeans. When I slip into the dress, it’s already suctioning to my calves as I try and pull it up my body. I don’t remember it being this tight when I bought it.

  She licks her finger and turns a page in the magazine. “Nope. I think this is a long time coming. You and Rowan have been fighting this long enough. It’s time to give in to your desires. Let human nature take control.” She flips the page again, so nonchalantly, like this isn’t the biggest deal in my entire world right now.

  I finally get the bodice of the dress over my boobs and turn toward the mirror. “Hey, zip me up.”

  Blaire rolls off the bed again, and her fingers are cold as she pulls the material closer together, so the zipper glides up easier. “All done. Oh yeah, this is the outfit. No freaking way can he turn you down in this.”

  I swallow hard, my throat bobbing as I stare at myself. The plum dress is stark against my skin, making it look like snow. My green eyes are bright, even without makeup. The color of the dress brings the color out naturally. My small waist can actually be seen, and the dress stops mid-thigh, curving over the natural bubble of my butt.

  “Wow,” I marvel, feeling beautiful. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m a real, grown woman, getting ready to go get what she wants.

  “Oh, he has no idea what is about to hit him,” Blaire grins.

  Only time will tell, but I certainly hope so.

  Rowan

  I check my phone for the tenth time to see if Everly has texted me, but it’s been radio silence for hours, whic
h is unlike her. The only time we go that long without talking is if we are sleeping. A part of me is worried about her. This isn’t normal.

  “Rowan, are you listening?” Brittany, a senior this year, interrupts my thoughts by rubbing her hand down my chest. I take a step back. I don’t want her touching me. I don’t want any girl touching me. The only one that matters isn’t even here.

  I plan on telling Everly how I feel about her tonight. It has been a long time coming, and I’m not sure if she feels the same, but it will be worth the risk. If she doesn’t, it’ll hurt, but I know that no matter what happens, we will still remain friends.

  “Brittany, you’re a nice girl. I’m just not interested,” I repeat, for what seems like the hundredth time.

  She throws her drink down, and the beer soaks my boots. Great, now I’m going to reek of alcohol when I’m not even drinking. “You’re a stupid man, Rowan Michaels. Any guy here would want me.”

  “Then go to them! I don’t know how many times I have to tell you I’m not interested, Brittany. I’ve been nice about it, but that didn’t seem to work,” I sigh, rubbing my temples with my fingers. I’m getting a headache.

  “You’re such an ass!”

  She twirls on her heels because who the hell wears heels in the damn woods, and wobbles away.

  Maybe I should go. Everly isn’t here, and it doesn’t seem right to celebrate without her.

  “Hey, Rowan. Isn’t that Everly?” Liam, one of my good friends, points to a girl getting out of a red Toyota Camry.

  That is her car, but the person getting out of it can’t be her.

  “That can’t be her,” I shake my head.

  “Yeah man, that’s Blaire, isn’t it? I’d know that hot little punk goth babe anywhere.” Liam takes a sip of his drink as we watch the two ladies come forward.

  I lick my lips, and my heart races when I see Everly. She’s in a tight, purple dress. It hugs all of her curves, and her hair is up in a messy bun, showing off the elegant curve of her neck. Her skin is illuminated by the glow of the fire, making her look almost ethereal like she is out of this world.

  “Holy shit,” I gasp, slapping Liam’s shoulder as I watch her stop and talk to a few people.

  “I’ve never seen her wear something like that. She looks good. Are you finally going to ask her out?” Liam mutters, never taking his eyes off Blaire.

  Blaire is a cute girl, but I just can’t get past the black lipstick. Besides, all my attention has always been on Everly. How could it not be? Her long, creamy legs are so easy to imagine wrapped around my waist as I lay her down for the first time.

  Our first time.

  That is something she doesn’t know about me. I know she is a virgin because I’ve never seen her kiss or date a guy. She’s seen me date other girls, but I never had sex with any of them. It never felt right. I don’t know why I bother trying to be with other girls. None of them ever compare to Everly. I think it’s because I don’t want it to ruin our friendship, but something more is there. We just have to be brave enough to discover it.

  Another reason why I never took the leap is because I know what happens when people go to college—and on other sides of the country, on top of that. We will drift apart. She will find some fancy New York City boy and forget all about me. And that’s why tonight must be the night I tell her how I feel. I want it to be memorable, just like the last decade I’ve shared with her. A part of me hopes we won’t drift apart. Maybe we can be the exception to the rule.

  But the only way to know is to do it. And now, it is time to take some sort of action.

  Wait. Where did she go? She was there. She was just right there, walking toward me. I spin around, looking left and right, but Everly is nowhere to be found. I see Liam sitting on a tree stump trying to schmooze on Blaire, but she seems just as interested as a mouse wanting to be friends with a cat.

  There’s no way Everly would drift far from Blaire. It’s one of their rules. They’ll be roommates in college, for fuck’s sake. They can’t even be without each other for a minute.

  I look around again and do a double-take. My eyes flash red when I see Malcolm Grimlock pushing Everly against a tree. That asshole. He always did have a problem with touching things that don’t belong to him.

  Everly’s hands go to his chest. I stop marching forward, waiting to see if she actually wanted that creep’s attention, but she turns her head to the side to miss his lips. She tries to push him away, but he keeps trying to catch her mouth with his.

  I’ve never felt so much anger in my entire life. My fists clench, and my blood boils from uncontrollable rage. I bypass a few girls trying to talk to me, getting out of their reach. They huff and puff, but I don’t turn back. They aren’t important like Everly is. When I get close enough, I hear Malcolm trying to pressure her.

  “Come on. Just one little kiss. You want to, or you wouldn’t be wearing that slutty dress,” he sneers, his hand grabbing her thigh, trying to pull it up.

  I grab the back of his shirt with my hand and toss him to the side.

  “What the fuck, man?” Malcolm gets himself off the ground and dusts off his pants.

  I’ll deal with him in a minute, but my first priority is Everly. I stand in front of her, cup her face, and wipe the lone tear cascading down her cheek. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she whispers, but I can hear the fear trembling in her voice.

  She isn’t fine. She’s scared. I let my thumb linger over her cheek and bring my lips to her forehead. Everly sighs, seeming more relaxed.

  But I’m not relaxed. I turn around and push Malcolm’s chest. The force makes him fall again. And when I stomp forward, he crawls back, kicking dust up with his shoes.

  “She clearly wasn’t into it. And yet, you pushed anyway,” I snap, backing him into a tree, so he has nowhere else to crawl to.

  “Rowan, it’s fine. Let’s just go.” Everly wraps her delicate fingers around my arm, and some of my anger flees. She always has a way of calming me right before I cause mass destruction.

  I take a deep breath and nod, taking her hand in mine and turn away.

  “Wearing a dress like that, she’s asking for it,” Malcolm says from behind me.

  I move so fast, Everly doesn’t have time to stop me from doing anything. Malcolm has gotten to his feet, and he is wearing a smirk that I’m about to rip off his face. I swing my arm back and let my fist fly, catching him right in the jaw.

  He drops like a fly. Unconscious and back on the ground.

  “Does anyone else have anything to say about Everly?” I roar, waiting for the next asshole to step up and say something. Everyone is staring, slack-jawed, and the only thing that can be heard is the crackling of the wood in the fire. My chest heaves, and I’m doing all I can not to explode.

  “Rowan?” Everly’s sweet voice floats through the air, sweeping over me like a feather. She calms me again.

  “Yeah, Eve?” My voice comes out rough, like gravel.

  “Let’s go,” she pleads, pulling on my hand.

  I wrap my arm around her shoulder, kiss her forehead again, and guide her toward my truck.

  “Whatever you want.” I open the passenger side door for her, unable to keep my eyes from staring at her long legs. Her dress lifts up her thigh, and I should look away, but the tease of her pink panties hypnotizes me. I can’t look away.

  Not until she gets herself situated and buckled in the truck can I finally shut the door. I turn my head over my shoulder to see Malcolm still passed out on the ground. Someone shoves him with their foot, but his limp body just flops over. Good. I hope he wakes up with a killer headache and swollen jaw. He deserved more than a simple tap to the jaw.

  The breeze brings over the smell of the bonfire as I make my way around the front of the truck to my door. I’ve always loved the smell of wood burning, but I can smell that anytime. What’s most important is that I get Everly out of here.

  I jump in the truck and buckle up. The truck rumbles to l
ife, and I lean my arms against the black steering wheel. I glance to my right to see Everly fumbling with her hands in her lap, twisting and turning her fingers like she does when she gets anxious. “Are you really okay, Eve?”

  “I’m fine. Just a shock, is all. No one ever looks my way twice, then suddenly I’m flung against the tree. I told Blaire this dress was too much,” she mutters, tugging on the hem of her dress to pull it down her legs.

  “It’s not about the dress,” I say softly. “That guy is just an asshole. You don’t deserve to be treated that way; no matter what.”

  “Thank you,” she whispers.

  I let out a soft laugh to try to lighten the mood and put the truck in drive. “Anyway, you’re blind if you can’t always see guys looking your way. You’re beautiful. And tonight, Blaire was right. That dress looks amazing on you.”

  Her green eyes sparkle from the compliment as she pushes a long strand of her honey brown hair behind her ear. I love her hair. It always reminds me of the fresh honey I pour in my tea in the winter. A habit I got from my mother. In the winter the air will be cold, so cold, but crisp at the same time. And nothing beats a warm cup of tea at the end of a cold day.

  It’s my favorite time of year, and it just so happens my favorite girl has hair that goes with it.

  “I’ll make sure not to tell Blaire that you think she is right. She’ll run with that,” Everly giggles, and the sound goes straight to my cock. Everything about her makes my body react in ways I have never experienced before.