Seared on my Soul by Cole Gibsen

Author:Cole Gibsen [Gibsen, Cole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fish out of water, blackmail, Entangled, Cole Gibsen, romance, new adult, military, enemies to lovers, NA, Written on My Heart
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2016-06-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Reece

Emily is all I can think about. Her smell. The feel of her body. The sound of her laugh. The way I claimed her when she was beneath me—for that brief moment, she was mine. And now, she’s another ghost I’m cursed to have haunt me. It’s my own damn fault for letting my guard down.

So damn weak.

The following Monday, I avoid the coffee shop where Em works. When I walk into school without my usual cup, Tonya questions me. I tell her I didn’t have time to stop, even though I made it to school thirty minutes early.

I avoid Em’s coffee shop again the next day, and the day after that. I tell Tonya the tar-like coffee at the chain place is so much better. She always answers with a skeptical look, but she never questions me. How can I admit to Tonya—or to myself—that it feels like the tattooed barista somehow unzipped my skin and wriggled her way inside? The more I think about Emily, the more terrified I become.

And I was already a terrified mess before she asked me out on that fake date. If she has me this messed up after one night together, I sure as hell can’t risk anymore. I want her out of my head. If that means playing the asshole, I guess that’s the role I’ll have to take.

Self-preservation. It’s what soldiers do. No matter how much it hurts.

The days of avoiding Emily turn into weeks, and the weeks stretch into a month. I still feel that little tug inside trying to pull me in the direction of the coffee shop every time I drive past. But every day that passes, every hour, every minute, our night together fades just a fraction more, loosening Em’s hold over me.

But it’s still not enough.

I’m pacing my apartment like a caged lion, even after riding my bike for an hour. Not even Sheila can lessen the itch this time. Anxiety buzzes beneath my skin like an electric current. For the first time in my life, I wish I drank. I’m on the verge of a bad attack. I can feel it rolling closer like the charge before a storm.

There’s only one thing that can help me when I get this bad.

The lake.

Too bad it’s a Thursday and I have class in the morning.

I’m desperate. Sometimes just getting ready for a fishing weekend is enough to calm my nerves.

I open my closet, grab my tackle box, and settle onto the couch. I have a couple fishing lures that could use a little tweaking. Unfortunately, after rummaging through my box, my needle nose pliers are nowhere to be found.

Damn it. I bet I left them on the shore, which means they’re long gone now. I slam the lid closed and snatch my keys off the coffee table.

With nothing better to do, and in desperate need of a distraction, it looks like it’s off to the hardware store I go. There’s a small, locally owned place not even five minutes from my house.

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