Title:
Heartfelt
Lies (Undone #2)
Author:
Kristy
Love
Genre:
Contemporary
Romance
Release
Date:
May
8, 2015
Synopsis
Loving
Cassie was effortless. She was a thirst I couldn’t quench. She
was everything I needed, but nothing I deserved. I failed her
more times than I could count. I lied relentlessly. And she
always forgave me. Until she couldn’t. Maybe I deserved
to be left behind. * * * Jax swept me off my feet with his
disheveled hair and his easy smile. I loved him fiercely. He
made me believe in the fairytale. Then the walls crumbled around
me. The lies never ended. I left him behind. I had no
choice. I mourned the loss of him. But I moved on. I
created a new life, Now, I was marrying someone else. Where
do we go now that he’s back?
Excerpt
Chapter
1
Jax—Present
The
engraved invitation I held was heavy in both my hand and my heart,
but it confirmed I had the right address. I examined the church
before me with a sigh. It all came down to this. Cars
parked and people streamed inside. I hung back, leaning against a
tree. I’d hoped I would catch a glimpse of her, but she must have
gone inside before I got here. Everyone was dressed in their nicest
clothing and chatted amongst themselves, enjoying the day that was
sure to be filled with happiness and love. Only my heart was
being slowly ripped out of my chest. People stopped filtering
into the church—there was no time like the present. I slipped
inside; maybe no one would notice me. Excitement filled the
interior, creating an almost audible hum. I went down a hallway to
see if I could locate her. When I spotted women dressed in dark
purple dresses, my heart sank. I had found her. As the ladies
talked and giggled, I pressed myself against the wall, praying they
would be too caught up in their excitement to notice me. They walked
right by me as though I were a decoration. When they were out of
sight, I continued down the hall until I saw the sign on the
door. Bride’s
Room. I’d
known what to expect, but it didn’t help. I was devastated all over
again. This should have been our day.
She should be getting ready to walk down the aisle to marry me.
Not whomever had been holding her in his arms instead. If only I
hadn’t been such a disaster, it could have been me. I rapped
on the door and looked up and down the hall to see if anyone would
come and interrupt me. “Come in,” she called from the other
side of the door. My breath caught in my throat. It had been five
years since I heard her voice. I closed my eyes and gave the knob a
slow turn, opening the door just enough for me to slip inside. My
heart stopped and my lungs failed when my eyes fell on her. She was
facing away from me, watching through a full length mirror. When she
saw me, her eyes widened and she gasped. She wore a tiara on her head
that caught the sunlight from the open window and a veil that fell
down her back. Her long, red hair hung in curls. Her dress hugged her
body in an amazing way and it was hard to look away. She was still as
gorgeous as the day I last saw her. Her blue eyes still captivated
me. It was like no time had passed and she was the same girl who
stole my breath from the moment I first laid eyes on her in the
diner. If only I was strong enough back then to hold on to
her. “Jax,” she said, and turned to face me. Her hands
flitted down her dress, smoothing the fabric. “What are you doing
here?” “I came for you,” I said, stepping closer to her.
Her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. “You can’t
be here. Not today.” “Cassandra.” She winced when I said
her full name. It felt wrong, too intimate to call
her Cassandra after
so many years apart. “Cassie, you can’t marry him.” “You’ve
been gone for years, Jax. Years. I’ve
moved on.” She tried to sound convincing, but her voice wavered.
That little bit of hesitance gave me the courage to tell her what I
came to say. “Please, please don’t do this.” I moved in
closer until I could touch her. Running a finger down her arm,
feeling her skin, the same electricity that was always between us
sparked, and goose bumps popped up on her flesh. She closed her eyes
as though she were in pain, yet her body swayed toward me. I took her
face between my palms, running my thumbs over the soft skin of her
cheeks until she looked up at me. Her eyes were full of regret and
tears. “I’m getting married today, Jax. You can’t be
here.” She said the words, but her body pressed closer to mine
until only a breath separated our lips. Her eyes seemed to plead for
me to take her away and also to leave. She was torn, wanting me and
pushing me away at the same time. “You don’t have to get
married. You could leave with me right now.” “I can’t. My
family is here and his family is here and I can’t just leave. What
about Ben?” Of course her first thought would be about her
son. “We can leave through the back and I’ll call my sister. Ry
won’t mind grabbing him and meeting us wherever we go.” She
closed her eyes again and tears leaked down her cheeks. I brushed
them away with my thumbs. When she opened them, I could see the pain
and uncertainty circling there. My eyes dropped to her lips and she
parted them, pulling her full lower lip between her teeth. I met her
gaze, where desire swirled with the uncertainty and pain. That
was all I needed. I closed the distance between our lips, and her
eyes slid shut. A small sigh escaped her. I pressed my lips gently
against hers, reveling in the warmth and the perfection of her mouth.
She deepened the kiss, her tongue stroking against my lips until I
opened them. Her hands slipped into my hair, holding on tightly, as
though I would disappear. I held her face between my hands, not
wanting to let her go, afraid of what would happen when this moment
ended. She moaned and pressed closer to me until her body was
melded to mine. One of her hands dropped down and grabbed the waist
of my jeans, pulling me to her. Her body still felt familiar as I
slid one of my hands down her torso and gripped her waist. Our lips
moved in a frenzy as we clambered to get closer to one another. The
need for her was almost painful. It had been five years since I held
her this way and tasted her. I wanted more. I wanted to devour her
and make it so she wouldn’t want to leave. I knew, somewhere in my
heart and mind, that once our lips separated, the moment would be
over. As her hands tore at my shirt, trying to get underneath
it, someone knocked on the door.“Cassie?” a woman called through
the door. She pulled away from me and I felt the loss of her
immediately. I wanted to pull her into my arms and convince her not
to let this be the end. It couldn’t end this way.“Yeah?”
Cassie answered, attempting to catch her breath. She took a few
hesitant steps away from me, but her hands were still clenching my
shirt, holding me. “It’s time. Are you ready?” “Yeah.
Just—” she sighed, closing her eyes. “Just give me a minute,
okay?” “Sure. I’ll wait for you down the hall.” “I’ll
be there in a minute.” Cassie’s eyes were full of resignation.
They locked on mine. “Cassie, you don’t have to do this.” “I
can’t leave Nolan, Jax. I care about him.” She let go of my shirt
and took a few steps away from me, then turned back to the mirror.
She ran a finger under her eyes and around her lips, fixing her
slightly smudged lipstick. When she was done she turned back to me
and her eyes were no longer churning with emotion. She was surrounded
by impenetrable walls. “You have to leave, Jax.” Pain
twisted my heart and my stomach dropped. “Please, Cassie. Just give
me a chance.” “You had your chance. You had years to come
back and now it’s too late.” I moved closer to her as pain
made it hard to breathe. She held her hand up, stopping me. “I’m
done, Jax. I’m getting married. You need to leave.” “I
love you,” I pleaded. I had to stop her from walking out the door
and out on me. I felt her slipping through my fingers again, but this
time I would fight for her. She gasped and her eyes widened briefly
before she caught herself and her walls rose again. “If you
won’t leave, I will.” She walked to the door, her dress rustling
with her movements. Before she opened the door, she bowed her head,
her back still to me, and she rested her hand on the doorknob.
“Goodbye, Jax.”She opened the door and stepped out, leaving me
behind. I stood in the middle of the room, still feeling her
skin under my fingers and her lips against mine. I replayed her voice
over in my head, aching to have her come back, but I knew I had
lost. I had lost my reason. Time lost meaning as I stood
there, staring at the door and feeling the loss of her. Somehow, I
found my way out of the room and then the church. Once I was in my
truck, sadness overwhelmed me and I rested my head against the
steering wheel. For the first time in years, I craved the oblivion
alcohol gave me. Something, anything, to make this pain more
bearable. But I had fought too hard for my sobriety to ruin it.
Without hope, though, I wasn’t sure what the point was. I put
the car in gear and drove slowly away, but I was leaving a huge part
of myself back in the church.
About
The Author
Author
Bio: From the time she was old enough to form words into
sentences, Kristy Love has been writing stories. She attended La
Roche College and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Professional
Writing. When she's not writing, Kristy can be found with her nose
stuck in a book or spending time with her family and friends.
She
lives with her husband and two girls in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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