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    Seven Steps: Jaded
    Seven Steps: Jaded
    Seven Steps: Jaded
    Ebook119 pages1 hour

    Seven Steps: Jaded

    By Charlotte Cross

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Madison Wells is an average hardworking woman, trying to pay her way through college. Luke Gills, a sergeant in the military, lands in her hometown and a star crossed romance begins. Luke refuses to date anyone seriously, and Madison wonders if she has what it takes to turn his heart. Will Luke be able to leave once his mission is completed? Or will Madison's love be enough to break through? Seven Steps: Jaded is the first book in the Seven Steps trilogy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLulu.com
    Release dateJun 11, 2015
    ISBN9781329208513
    Seven Steps: Jaded

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      Book preview

      Seven Steps - Charlotte Cross

      Seven Steps: Jaded

      Seven Steps: Jaded

      (Part One)

      Seven Steps: Jaded

      (Part One)

      An Adult Romance by

      Charlotte Cross

      The persons and events in this book are all fictional, except those that aren’t.

      ~1~

      The alarm. An hour earlier than usual. Oh, right, Luke has to be at work early this morning. As useful as it may be, the alarm is the most annoying invention I have ever encountered. It rattles me. My senses awaken with a jolt and I find myself in this place that has only recently become my home.

      This small townhouse apartment, pre-furnished and full of old furniture and creaking floors. Home. Carpet that is tattered and worn, soft and comforting on my bare feet. Yes, it could be home. The bed refuses to remain inanimate, mocking and imitating his movements. The mattress is soft and comfortable, but the springs squeak in the box spring.  The comforter is warm from body heat, and it smells like… Luke. I almost forgot Luke was there. I still feel strange waking up next to him. I keep my eyes closed and just listen as he gets ready for work, as I have every morning I have been here. The room comes alive, stillness and darkness gone for a few moments. I hide under the covers and try not to fall asleep again until after he is gone.

      I could outright watch him get ready. Oh, I definitely could. Instead, I close my eyes and challenge myself to imagine him as he gets ready. I know each part of him so well now, the images come easily and accurately. Strikingly intense green eyes. His eyes are this remarkable color, as if you were looking at a crystal blue sea through an emerald. So deep, and set against his Jet black hair. Strong jaw. The muscular build that comes with military life.  One simple black tattoo on his shoulder. I am startled from my mind's drifting as he turns out the light and goes downstairs. I begin to panic. Certainly he is not leaving before the best part of my day!

      The seconds creep as I listen for movement downstairs, and remind myself that until I hear the door shut, there is still hope. It is going to be a rainy day. Leftover drizzle from the stormy night still drips from the roof outside the window. I keep wondering, heart racing with dread, when I will hear the door, indicating his departure.

      The phone rings.

      146 Delta, Sergeant Gill.

      Whatever was said on the other line didn’t take long.

      Ok. Thanks. Out.

      That was the switching of the phones. All too familiar to me now, he was on call one weekend every month. The phone beeps as it is hung up. I can hear a low, staccato noise at the bottom of the stairs. Faint enough, I would otherwise never hear it, save my strain to listen for the door. There is another. Another. Louder each time. My heart races, relieved, as he returns to the top of the stairs. The pause between beats becomes almost non-existent in my heart. His steps continue closer and closer. His scent reaches me first, then his hand. My skin reacts before the touch even occurs, his warm hand landing gently on my cheek. A slow, solid touch. I am comforted. I am loved.

      I am headed to work now. Luke’s voice is deep, but quiet. Softly he kisses me. Warmth spreads through me, a low hum in my soul. It sometimes seems as if I am fragile to him, like a porcelain doll. He takes the most precise care in handling me. I like that. I love that. No one has ever made me feel this way. Still sleepy, I reach my arms up, signaling a hug. When he gets close enough that I can feel his heartbeat against my chest, I tell him I love him and wish for him to have a great day. He loves me too. My heart still melts when I hear it. He is without a doubt my first true love.

      The moment passes too quickly, but it is sweet like nectar and the taste lingers. Now I can lie still and in peace until that wretched alarm goes off again at 7:00. I decide to turn it off, the thought of hearing that piercing sound makes me nauseas. I would rather rely on my body's sense of time. It has not failed me yet. By 7:15, I have finally convinced myself that going to work is a good idea, and in order to do so I have to get in to the shower. My workout from last night left my muscles sore, and my body hates the idea of leaving the warm, soft bed.

      I find my clothes for the day and make sure a towel is handy. The tub is cold. The room is cold. Unusually so for a day so late in July. The water is warm and refreshing. I sometimes wish I could inhale it and become filled. My muscles relax a bit under the warm pulse of water. Steam quickly fills the tiny bathroom. I dread stepping out and being hit by a wall of cool air. I shiver at the thought and I shiver when it happens. My robe helps to ward off the chill.

      Most mornings the routine is the same. When I finish showering, I get dressed and check my e-mail. No need for make-up, I am not that kind of girl. That's one of the things Luke tells me he loves, he thinks I am beautiful without it. Oh how I love that man. I silently admonish myself for thinking that, but I simply can’t help it.

      I stare at the screen as the computer powers up. I check my mail, expecting the daily horoscope and other junk mail. I rarely get anything else, but today, my friend Jon wrote to me about his surprise make out partner, Sara. I read his email with amusement, he always knows how to make me smile. I will write him back from work, I will need something to keep me busy.

      I run downstairs to make breakfast. This morning I turned on the news. We do not have cable, so the one channel we get is fuzzy. If you stand just right, it comes in well enough. Yesterday, I bought cheese grits, so I had cheese grits and water for breakfast. Breakfast of champions. The breaking story on the news was the continuing saga of the man that shot himself because he left his toddler in the truck unattended, consequently, the child died. Froze to death, I think. It breaks my heart, and I have to turn the TV off. People outside are opening and closing doors, starting cars, racing off to work. Children are protesting because they would rather be eating cereal in front of the television than going to daycare or the millions of other uninteresting places they are being dragged. Their protests are heard from all corners of the complex. I can't say I blame them.

      I run upstairs to brush my hair and my teeth and put on my shoes. Luke's scent still lingers and it makes me smile. It's a mix of body wash and cologne, the one I bought him for his birthday last month. We were still new in the relationship, and I couldn’t figure out what to get for him. When I ran across the cologne in the mall one afternoon, I couldn’t put it down. I close my eyes, just to take in that smell and it instantly relaxes me. I run a mental checklist making sure that everything is ready for the day. I look around and make sure I picked up the mess from my shower, towels in the laundry ready for Saturday's laundry run.

      By 8:00 a.m. I am pulling into the parking lot at work, praying there is a space close by. It is still rainy, so even a few feet closer is nice. As much as I like the rain, my boss would never appreciate soggy clothes at work. 8:02 and I am entering the elevator. The ride up is quiet except for the familiar ding as we pass each floor. Because of the rain, the whole office is about 15 degrees cooler than usual. By 8:04 I am stationed at my computer, clocking in and turning on the morning radio show. This morning I had a voice message on my cell phone from my friend Sarah. Apparently, I missed it last night. I decided to call her from work, but will wait a while since she is most likely still sleeping. I do, however, call Louis from the local car dealership. There was a part recall on my car over three months ago, and he keeps telling me to call him back later. This will be my final call, I am getting aggravated. This time he promises to look for the part and put it on the shelf with my name on it. He said he would call me back. We will see.

      I turn my focus back to work. I am still writing letters to attorneys who need to correct our files. It is a monotonous, yet time passing activity and the job itself is flexible enough to work around my school schedule.  As usual, I am bored within an hour, and decide to call Sarah around 9:30. She didn't answer, but did call me back. She wants Luke and I to room with her in her sister's rental house. Immediately I wanted to say no. She did have a point though, if we did this, then on the numerous times that our boyfriends are away, we would have company and someone to lean on. Her boyfriend is also in the

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