A.D.I.D.A.S.: Get Some Series Read online

  A.D.I.D.A.S.

  Get Some Series

  Frankie Love

  C.M. Seabrook

  Edited by My Brother’s Editor

  Cover by Mayhem Cover Creations Copyright © and 2019 by Frankie Love and C.M. Seabrook

  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.

  Contents

  A.D.I.D.A.S

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue I

  Epilogue II

  Also by Frankie & C.M.

  About C.M.

  About Frankie

  A.D.I.D.A.S

  All Day I Dream About Sex

  I’ve loved her since we were ten years old, when she almost died in my arms.

  Dramatic? Not at all.

  I almost lost Joanne once, it’s not happening again.

  Thing is, she’s a scared little butterfly, living in a cocoon of her own making.

  It’s time for her to spread her wings. And her legs.

  Scandalous? Hell no.

  She wants it as bad as I do.

  I’m not the only one dreaming about it all day.

  But she needs to take a leap of faith and learn to fly.

  I’ll sure as hell be there to catch her if she falls.

  Dear You,

  Luca is a skydiving hero who’s ready to get some with the girl he’s always wanted.

  Pack a parachute and hold on tight because this naughty novella is gonna be a wild ride!

  Xo, Frankie & Chantel

  Chapter One

  Luca

  Teenage giggling starts the second I walk into the bookstore. This shop has always seemed too small to contain my six-foot-four build. The ceiling is too low, and the bookshelves are too close together, stuffed with a mix of used and new paperbacks, each of which I’m pretty sure Jo has read at least once.

  She’s sitting behind the counter now, and as usual, her nose is stuck in a book, her glasses riding low on the bridge of her cute, upturned nose, completely unaware that I’ve come into the store. The two girls, whose giggling has turned to whispering, continue to eye me in a way that I’ve gotten used to over the years.

  Sure, I know I’m good looking. But I’m not a douche about it. I give them a crooked smile, which results in audible sighs, before turning my attention to the woman I came here to see.

  “Hey, geek,” I tease, leaning a forearm on the counter, and using one finger to push her glasses up her nose.

  She startles slightly, her cheeks filling with color as she quickly closes the book she was reading. “Oh, hey. You’re early.”

  I give a small shrug. “The weather is crap, so I had to cancel my last jump.” I’ve been teaching skydiving for the past few years, and just recently me and my buddies started our own adventure junkie business called Adrenaline Rush. “Thought I’d swing by on my way home and pick you up. We’ve got big plans tonight, remember?”

  “Plans?” She frowns, shoving the novel under the counter, but not before I catch a glimpse of the man bun dude on the cover with ripped abs and unnaturally large pectoral muscles.

  Interesting. Since when did she start reading smut? The thought does something to me. Something it shouldn’t. Because Joanne Hamilton is off limits. Not only has she been one of my best friends since we were kids, but she’s also...Jo.

  Sweet, innocent, reserved, delicate, Jo.

  She’s not as fragile as she was when we were kids. Back then she’d been sick, before the surgery had corrected the holes in her heart. But there’s still a piece of me that wants to protect her, to make sure she’s safe. Plus, I just like spending time with her. She’s smart, and funny, and...mine.

  I push the last thought away, knowing I have no right to make the claim. We’re friends, nothing else, no matter how much my fucking cock has taken notice of those sweet curves she always hides under baggy sweatshirts.

  She’s blinking up at me now, a question in those dark green eyes. “What plans?”

  “It’s Friday night.” I grin at her. “Which means karaoke party at The Old Barn.”

  “Oh, hell no.” Jo groans, shaking her head and causing a strand of dark hair to fall from the messy bun on top of her head.

  I chuckle, resisting the urge to tuck it behind her ear. “It’s not a request. You still owe me for helping you move into your apartment. Karaoke is your penance.”

  “Public humiliation seems a little much for moving a few boxes.”

  I laugh. “Hey, didn’t you tell me you wanted to step out of your comfort zone?”

  “I meant like buying a new outfit or something. Not standing in front of a dozen people and proving I’m tone deaf.”

  Before I can argue with her, the two teenagers come up to the counter, still giggling when they sneak unsubtle glances at me.

  Jo rings up the magazine they place on the counter, and when they turn to leave, I hear one of them whisper-yell, “Oh my God, he’s such an Adidas.”

  “Looks like you’ve got some admirers,” Jo says.

  “What the hell is an Adidas?” I ask, shaking my head.

  Her cheeks turn crimson again and she looks away. “Not sure.”

  “Liar.”

  She huffs out a small breath, then mumbles something incoherent, but I hear the last word clearly - sex.

  “What?” I lean toward her, loving the way she twitches uncomfortably. God, she’s so innocent. Which is crazy, considering there isn’t a woman in this town half as gorgeous as she is. But then again, I’ve made it abundantly clear to any male in a twenty-mile radius that she’s off limits.

  Jo sighs, and says, “All day I dream about sex.”

  My brows shoot up and I smirk down at her. “Really? I didn’t realize you were so naughty.”

  She slaps my arm. “That’s what it means. It’s an acronym. A.D.I.D.A.S.” She slips off her stool, and walks around the counter, not making eye contact with me as she unplugs the Open sign and locks the front door.

  I watch her, all too aware of how hard my cock has gotten just from her mention of the S-word. Shit, Luca, my head warns, as I adjust myself, you need to push the thoughts away. But here I am reacting to her like a fourteen-year-old virgin with his first hard-on.

  But hell, I’ve been shoving these desires down for too long. It was only a matter of time before they surfaced. And I’ve seen the way she looks at me when she thinks I don’t notice. What would it hurt to give in to the need, the longing, the desire to pull her into my arms and take what I’ve wanted for so long?

  The answer is simple: It would hurt Jo. I would hurt her. Because as amazing as the sex would be, that’s all I can give her. It’s not that I’m afraid of commitment. I’m just not built for it. Shit, the longest relationship I’ve ever had was in junior high, and that lasted less than a month, only because I’d been too much of a pussy to break-up with the girl when I’d found out she’d been telling everyone we were dating.

  It was around the same time that my mother decided she’d be happier with some douchebag she met at the local dive bar than taking care of her kid and alcoholic husband.

  Yeah, that shit leaves a permanent scar, and I’m smart enough to know it’s got something to do with my inability to commit. That and the fact that the one girl I’ve ever truly cared about almost died in my ar
ms during a game of tag.

  A shiver runs down my spine when a flash of memory floods my mind. Jo’s pale face, her blue lips, wide, panicked eyes as she gasped for breath that wouldn’t come. How small and fragile she felt in my arms as I raced her into the school, screaming for someone to help.

  “Hey.” Jo places a hand on my arm and gives it a small squeeze. “You okay?”

  I blow out a shaky breath and force a smile. “Yeah.”

  Except I’m not sure I’ve ever been really okay since that day. Sitting in the waiting room with her parents for hours, waiting to hear if they could fix her heart, knowing they blamed me. And they were right too. I’m the one who always pushed her to her limit. Who teased her until she joined in whatever game we were playing. Who broke her heart - literally.

  And I made a promise that day, that I would do everything in my power to keep her safe, and to make sure no one, especially not me, ever hurt her again.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I repeat, dragging my fingers through my hair, all too aware of the heat that radiates between us.

  “How’s the business doing?”

  “Good. Really good, actually,” I tell her, glad to be thinking of something that doesn’t terrify me - jumping out of airplanes. “The advertising package that Jac put together has doubled our appointments.”

  “Yeah, I’m not surprised. That billboard off the highway is all anyone seems to be talking about.” She raises a brow at me. “I didn’t know you skydive half naked.”

  “That was all Terrance’s idea, by the way. He thought it would bring in more...” I clear my throat. “Female customers.”

  She chuckles. “Maybe instead of Adrenaline Rush, you should rename yourselves A.D.I.D.A.S.”

  I can’t help myself from leaning closer and grinning. “You think I’m an Adidas?”

  She holds my gaze, and something flashes there, heat, desire...fear. But then she blinks, and whatever emotions were there are gone. She shrugs and gives me a teasing smile. “I don’t know, I think Nash fits that description better.”

  A flash of jealousy stirs in my gut. “You have a thing for Nash?”

  “Would it be a problem if I did?” She tilts her head, not breaking eye contact.

  I swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat and feel my right eye twitch.

  Jo laughs. “I’m just kidding, Luca. God, your face.”

  “Ha,” I say, faking a laugh, hating the thought of her with anyone, especially one of my friends. “Come on,” I say, setting my hands on her narrow shoulders. “You’re stalling. Let’s get you on stage.”

  She twists her sexy little lips. “I suppose a deal’s a deal.”

  I chuckle - but deep down, I wish tonight wasn’t about karaoke and payback for helping her move. Wishing instead, that it was about her and me, finally becoming more than friends.

  Chapter Two

  Joanne

  I try my best to ignore the way Luca watches me, those sexy, dark eyes roam over my body in a way that leaves my core aching and my skin tingling with need. But it’s Luca. The boy I’ve been in love with since I was a little girl. The man who will only ever see me as something fragile, broken, needing to be protected.

  Except he’s not looking at me like that now. He’s looking at me with a possessiveness, a hunger that has my thoughts and emotions playing games with me. So I turn my back on him and busy myself closing up the store.

  My store. Sure, it’s not much. The building is small, the books crammed onto shelves that are too close to each other. But it’s mine. One day I’d like to buy the space beside me, and tear down the wall, expanding the store and making a small cafe and reading area. But the paperback book business isn’t the most profitable. People would rather read on their Kindles or phones these days. But for me, there’s nothing in the world better than holding a book in my hand.

  My parents have called the place my own personal glorified library. And in a way, they aren’t wrong since I’m pretty much the only person who ever reads any of them. But I’ve managed to stay in the green by adding a tween and teen magazine section.

  I’m not sure if I’d still have the business if it weren’t for Luca. The magazines were his idea. Plus, despite having read fewer books than he can count on one hand, he’s supported me every step of the way.

  And he pushes me, which is usually a good thing - except when it involves karaoke.

  “You’re seriously not going to make me sing tonight, are you?” I say as I grab my coat and bag from under the counter.

  “Yep.” He places an arm over my shoulder, grinning down at me when we walk out the door, and I lock up. It’s a casual gesture, one he’s done countless times before, but tonight it feels different. “Time to get your Taylor Swift on.”

  I groan. “I’d rather jump out of a plane.”

  He tenses, and drops his arm, before opening the passenger door of his truck. “Right. Leave the skydiving to me. You stick with karaoke, butterfly.”

  “I hate when you call me that,” I say, crossing my arms. “I’m not fragile, or broken, or whatever you think I am.”

  His brows draw down and I see his jaw twitch. “I didn’t say you are. I just—”

  “You think I’m afraid?”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He leans against the truck door, the muscles in his arms flexing and trying to distract me. But I won’t let it, because I’m sick of him treating me like I’m some frail creature with delicate wings.

  “I’m not a butterfly.” I poke my finger against his chest. “Just because I don’t jump out of a plane for a living, climb mountains or do whatever crazy things you do every day, doesn’t mean I’m scared.”

  “Okay, I’m just saying we’re different. You prefer to read about doing those things, not actually doing them. And that’s okay. Some people take risks—”

  “I take risks.”

  He huffs. “Like what?”

  “Like opening my shop, and...” I know there has to be something else, but I can’t actually think of it at the moment. A frustrated breath passes my lips. “Fine. Maybe I don’t take many risks, but it’s not because I’m scared. If I want to do something, I do it.”

  He leans forward, those dark eyes trained on me, his breathing heavy. “And what do you want, Jo?”

  You, I want to say. But I clamp my mouth shut over the word. Not because I’m scared - okay, that might be a small lie - but because I know that me and Luca would never work.

  I want the whole fairy tale. The happily ever after. And while Luca may be my knight in shining armor, he’s no prince charming. At least not the kind who settles down and marries the bookworm with too vivid an imagination for her own good.

  And God, I’ve let my imagination run away with images of Luca naked, in my bed, those large, calloused hands running over my body, his massive thighs pressed between my own, his hard length filling me until I’m screaming out in pleasure.

  “Jo.” Luca’s voice is rough, filled with desire, his face is so close to mine I can feel the warmth of his breath on my lips, tempting me to lean up and take what I want.

  I blink and take a step back.

  Luca sighs and straightens. “Maybe you do know what you want, but I don’t think you actually know how to get it, butterfly.”

  “You don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

  He grunts. “I know you’d rather spend time with your book boyfriends than a real man.” There’s a storm brewing in his eyes. A storm that begins to rage inside me as well. And I know we’re on the edge of something dangerous. “Have you ever even been kissed, butterfly?”

  Emotions whip around me, fire blazes, electrical pulses, and I know I have a choice. Step over the cliff or step back and let his words be my truth.

  He’s right, I’ve never kissed a man. Because the only man I’ve ever wanted to kiss, is standing in front of me, with a huge danger sign flashing in his eyes.

  I’m done being afraid.

  This time it isn’t desire t
hat has me leaning forward, it’s frustration, and a need to prove to him that he’s wrong about me. I press my body against his and grasp the back of his head, pulling his face toward mine. Standing on tiptoe, I crush my lips against his.

  He tenses and I can feel the shock tremble through him.

  “There,” I say, starting to pull back. “I’ve kissed—”

  My words are swallowed by his lips. He pulls me back against him, his fingers tangling in my hair, his mouth rough, demanding, hot, and so damn delicious as he kisses me for real. He moans, his tongue sweeping across my lips, parting them, and deepening the kiss.

  A small whimper forms in my throat, and I’m falling. At least that’s what it feels like. My body is weightless, the world around us disappears, and all that matters is him, us, now.

  And then he pulls back, not releasing me, but I can see the horror in his eyes.

  “Fuck,” he mutters.

  I try not to let his reaction hurt, but it does. Ice skates across my skin, mingling with the inferno that still blazes inside me.

  “Was it that bad?” I tease, not letting the tears that threaten to form.

  There’s some kind of war going on within him, I can see it, but what I feel is rejection.

  My face is flushed, those stupid tears pooling in my eyes.

  “Jo, we...this...shit...”

  I laugh, but it comes out sounding forced. “I know. But it was just a kiss, Luca. Don’t be such a prude.”

  He grunts, but I can tell he’s not buying my fake smile or the way I’m brushing it off like the kiss didn’t just completely turn my world upside down.

  A car horn blares from across the street, making me jump, but relief floods through me when I see my friend Aylee Grant waving me over.