Title: Tail Lights
Author: ConnieL. Smith
Release date: 18th November 2014
Preston and
Nick endured the breakup of all breakups when Nick accused her of cheating on
him. He insisted, and she denied while the rain pounded against her driveway
and thunder roared in the distance. Then they both ran – Preston to a
life of Rock and Roll, and Nick to a career in the Army.
Over four years
later, they’re damaged and broken almost beyond repair. He’s carrying baggage
from his military days, and she bears the scars of living a lifestyle she’s
grown to hate.
When Preston’s
label forces her to take time away from music, their paths cross in a parking
lot not twenty-four hours after her hometown return, anger and sparks flying in
a confusing blend. But regardless of the feelings neither has been able to
shake, too many lies and secrets stand in the way of the one thing they need in
order to recover.
Each
other.
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Surprisingly, he was
leaving his apartment when I reached his floor, and he smiled at me like no
animosity existed between us. “Hey, Preston .”
“Hey, Preston,” I mocked, then held up the figurine and
fastened a glare on him. “Take it back.”
He had the nerve to smirk. “How do you know I gave that to you?”
“Who else would leave a dolphin on my doorstep besides the guy who
knows I love dolphins and wants to suddenly fix four years’ worth of betrayal?”
His smirk disappeared, and I shoved the object closer to him. “Take it back.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want it back.”
“Well, I don’t want it ether.” When he arched a brow, I rolled my
eyes. “Okay, it’s cute. It’s absolutely adorable, and it would look fantastic
on my end table, but I can’t take this.”
“Why not?”
“Because I know what it means! You made a mistake, and you’re trying
to make up for it. But it’s too late, Nick. And if I take this, it’s like
saying that you have a chance to make things right, and you don’t.”
His brow again lifted. “You sure about that?”
I frowned. “Which part?”
With a grin, he shrugged in an almost casual manner, far too
comfortable in a conversation that made me anxious. Evidently he’d meant what
he said about mending things between us, and he wasn’t about to let my
reservations ruin his determination. “You’re absolutely right about what the
dolphin means, but are you sure I can’t make things right?”
“I’m so far beyond sure that sure isn’t even in my line of sight
anymore.” I held the dolphin farther out, hoping that he’d take it. “I can’t
keep clinging to things that weren’t good for me in the first place if I want
my next four years to be any better than the last four years.”
Then he scowled. “And you think I wasn’t good for you in the first
place?”
“I know you weren’t. If you were, you wouldn’t have believed Dad and
dumped me, and…” Sighing, I waved the figurine in his direction. “Take it.”
“Your sentence trailed off,” he pointed out, a small smile forming on
his lips. “That’s a good sign for me.” Eyes on me, he stepped closer, completely
invading my personal space and causing the hand holding the dolphin to fall
back against my stomach. After a moment of silently looking at me, so intense
and needing, he pointed a finger at my face.
“That’s exactly why I can’t take it back,” he whispered. His finger
moved to brush my hair behind my ear, trailing along my jaw before tracing my
lips. I knew I should move, slap his hand away, something. But I couldn’t. I
just stared, my mouth gaping in shock, my mind consumed with Nick and his
caresses. “That was the biggest mistake of my life. And you are my
life.”
His index finger exchanged for his thumb, outlining my bottom lip over
and over. “I should’ve fought for this, and I’m not making the same mistake
twice. I’m getting my life back.” Then he stepped away, gesturing at the
dolphin. “That’s only the first step.” Turning, he walked to the stairway
entrance at the other end of the hall, leaving me standing – still gawking
where he’d been and suddenly holding the dolphin figure much tighter.
Connie L. Smith spends far too much time with her mind wandering in fictional places. She reads too much, likes to bake, and might forever be sad that she doesn’t have fairy wings. And that she can’t swing dance. Her music of choice is severely outdated, and as an adult she’s kind of obsessed with Power Rangers. She has her BA from Northern Kentucky University in Speech Communication and History (she doesn’t totally get the connection either), and is currently working on her MA.
