Riley's Pond
Is it lust?
I'm such a loser!
. . . I closed out the space between us, ignoring my dad's threats of death and wrapped Taylor in my arms. Her body eased from rigid to liquid in my embrace and when the tears came, the weight of her grief dragged us both to the floor.
I leaned against the foot of her bed, cradling her while she purged the pain and soaked my shirt with tears. Her hair smelled of fruity shampoo, the texture silky against my cheek. A hot tear trailed across the bridge of my nose, followed by another…then another, until I couldn't tell whose body shook worse, hers or mine.
"I'm so sorry, baby," I muttered over and over. "I should have believed you."
Her warm fingers held my cheek and I kissed her palm.
"You're right. You should have loved me enough to believe me. I can't forgive you for that, yet. You hurt me."
"I know," I cried. "I hate myself. It's my fault."
I leaned against the foot of her bed, cradling her while she purged the pain and soaked my shirt with tears. Her hair smelled of fruity shampoo, the texture silky against my cheek. A hot tear trailed across the bridge of my nose, followed by another…then another, until I couldn't tell whose body shook worse, hers or mine.
"I'm so sorry, baby," I muttered over and over. "I should have believed you."
Her warm fingers held my cheek and I kissed her palm.
"You're right. You should have loved me enough to believe me. I can't forgive you for that, yet. You hurt me."
"I know," I cried. "I hate myself. It's my fault."
Or love?
If only...
. . . "I've missed your smell --the way it filled my hair and clothes after being with you." I curled onto his chest, his heartbeat fast against my cheek. "I love you, Riley," I whispered. "Say you'll take me back?"
"I never did let you go."
. . . His expression held an innocence that made him appear vulnerable. I traced the outline of his mouth, moist…warm. Gently, I fit mine against it, testing. Our lips locked and the world disappeared, taking all the bad memories.
. . . I melted into the angles of his body, swept up in scent of his cologne, the familiar taste of the cinnamon he sprinkled in his coffee still on his tongue. All things "Riley."
Or a dangerous combination of both?
— Riley's Pond . . .
. . . a place where worlds collide, sparks fly, and a kiss "goodbye" means anything but.
"I never did let you go."
. . . His expression held an innocence that made him appear vulnerable. I traced the outline of his mouth, moist…warm. Gently, I fit mine against it, testing. Our lips locked and the world disappeared, taking all the bad memories.
. . . I melted into the angles of his body, swept up in scent of his cologne, the familiar taste of the cinnamon he sprinkled in his coffee still on his tongue. All things "Riley."
Or a dangerous combination of both?
— Riley's Pond . . .
. . . a place where worlds collide, sparks fly, and a kiss "goodbye" means anything but.
Reviews from verified Amazon customers:
". . . From Riley's lust filled and humorous teen thoughts to his rocky and sometimes volatile relationship with his older brother Jax, the protagonist in this story came to life on every page. His struggles to find his place within his family and the tangled relationships with his peers brought me back to life as a teen in vivid clarity. I liked the multiple points of view in this story and each was distinct and as unique as the individual characters. Taylor's experiences were especially poignant. I felt her every painful emotion, drawing me ever deeper into the unfolding drama that had me turning the pages late into the night wanting to know how it would all turn out. . . .Although this is categorized as young adult, readers of all ages will enjoy this deeply moving love story."
". . . I wasn't ready for the dramatic turn of events that turned this book from a sweet teen romance to a heartbreaking and very real story. The author did a great job of tackling a very tough subject and I found myself unable to tear away from reading on. . . . full of humor, romance and sadness, but Harley Brooks ties it all up beautifully in the end. This is one of those books that I'll remember fondly and recommend to everyone. Sad for it to end."
". . . I first fell in Love with the cover, and was even more in intrigued after opening it. There is something incredibly enticing about the story line that keeps your fingers filing through page after page, longing to know what's next. Although it is categorized as Young adult, I find that regardless if you are of that age, it draws you back to a time of young love, lust and passion. . . . recommended for any age of other hopeless romantic looking for a juicy love story. You embark on a journey with the characters, you smell what they smell and see what they see, the imagery is completely beautiful, sucking you even further into its pages. Then there are the characters... Impossible not to love."
". . . This story was loaded with everything that weaves a good tale. These character's from Riley to Taylor to the secondary characters were fleshed out and real. The situation scary, and funny, and heartwarming. I loved it!"
http://www.amazon.com/Rileys-Pond-New-Adult-Romance-ebook/dp/B0086POZZW/ref=cm_cr_pr_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
". . . From Riley's lust filled and humorous teen thoughts to his rocky and sometimes volatile relationship with his older brother Jax, the protagonist in this story came to life on every page. His struggles to find his place within his family and the tangled relationships with his peers brought me back to life as a teen in vivid clarity. I liked the multiple points of view in this story and each was distinct and as unique as the individual characters. Taylor's experiences were especially poignant. I felt her every painful emotion, drawing me ever deeper into the unfolding drama that had me turning the pages late into the night wanting to know how it would all turn out. . . .Although this is categorized as young adult, readers of all ages will enjoy this deeply moving love story."
". . . I wasn't ready for the dramatic turn of events that turned this book from a sweet teen romance to a heartbreaking and very real story. The author did a great job of tackling a very tough subject and I found myself unable to tear away from reading on. . . . full of humor, romance and sadness, but Harley Brooks ties it all up beautifully in the end. This is one of those books that I'll remember fondly and recommend to everyone. Sad for it to end."
". . . I first fell in Love with the cover, and was even more in intrigued after opening it. There is something incredibly enticing about the story line that keeps your fingers filing through page after page, longing to know what's next. Although it is categorized as Young adult, I find that regardless if you are of that age, it draws you back to a time of young love, lust and passion. . . . recommended for any age of other hopeless romantic looking for a juicy love story. You embark on a journey with the characters, you smell what they smell and see what they see, the imagery is completely beautiful, sucking you even further into its pages. Then there are the characters... Impossible not to love."
". . . This story was loaded with everything that weaves a good tale. These character's from Riley to Taylor to the secondary characters were fleshed out and real. The situation scary, and funny, and heartwarming. I loved it!"
http://www.amazon.com/Rileys-Pond-New-Adult-Romance-ebook/dp/B0086POZZW/ref=cm_cr_pr_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8