Intrigued and Enchanted

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 Eva Simone

Intrigued and Enchanted

By Eva Simone

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Intrigued and Enchanted

By Eva Simone

Playlist

Katy Perry - Firework

Pharrell Williams – Happy

Adele – Make You Feel My Love

Bruno Mars – Billionaire

Bruno Mars – Long Distance

Maroon 5 – Won’t Go Home Without You

Coldplay - The Scientist

John Mayer – Your Body Is A Wonderland

Gary Go – Black and White Days

John Mayer – Back to You

1

Where to begin…

My name is Lily Pritchard, and I met my soul mate on an average Monday, on my way to the library at Columbia University, just after picking up a coffee with my best friend and roommate Jess. If there is something I have learned in my life, it is that your life can change in the blink of an eye, when you least expect it…

I grew up on a ranch in Texas, spending most of my young life riding horses with my sisters, and following my dad around as he tended to the ranch. My dad and I were like two peas in a pod, we were inseparable, best buds. He was my hero, but unfortunately for me, he wasn’t invincible. When I was 15 my father died, and my life was torn to shreds. Everything I knew changed in an instant, on a normal Friday night when my dad came to pick me up from the movies. I will never forget that day as long as I live. Even if I tried to forget, my nightmares wouldn’t let me.

A year later, my mom sold the ranch and moved me and my sisters to New York to be closer to her family. That set me on the path I’m on now; I thought my life was ending, but it was just the beginning of the journey that would lead me to him.

I’m not really a morning person, Jess will tell you that. But when I smell the treats she cooks up in the mornings, it brings me round to the idea of life before noon! I pad barefoot down the hallway of our New York apartment, trying to tame my bed hair into a messy bun, when I hear Jess talking excitedly on the phone to someone.

“Of course we’ll be there, we wouldn’t miss it…can’t wait…see you Friday.” As I round the corner I ask the question I know I’ll regret.

“Who’s WE, and what wouldn’t WE miss?” The sound of irritation clear in my voice, I already know the answer to one of these questions.

“Morning crabby pants”, “that was my friend Paul, you remember him…opening his own restaurant, devastatingly gorgeous, and completely gay?” Okay, so she’s going for snide this morning.

“Oh you’re hilarious. Yes, of course I remember him, we see him all the time. What’s going on?”

“I was just checking, you seem to have your nose so deep in the books lately that I thought there might not be any space left in that brain of yours to remember life in the outside world.” Jess starts jumping up and down when she remembers she has news. She starts talking at lightning speed (a really bad idea before I’ve had my coffee and switched my brain on.)

“Wellllllll….you know the restaurant will be opening officially next week; everything is fitted out now and Paul is throwing a party on Friday night for some friends and NY movers and shakers! He wants us to come. Just think, I might snag myself a mover or a shaker to party with!!!” Typical Jess, when it comes to guys, she has a one track mind - $$$$$$. Actually, that’s not strictly true, she also has a tendency to think with little Jess a lot of the time too.

“I told him that we would totally be there, Friday at 8pm.”

“Thanks for asking Jess, I’ve got no plans, and I’d love to go.”

“Wow, you are moody today, what crawled up your ass?”

“Sorry Jess, you know I get snarky before my first cup of coffee. Prep for finals is getting to me, and trying to get this damn thesis finished; of course we’ll go. I wouldn’t miss it.

Anyway…what you cooking bestie? Smells divine.”

“Banana nut muffins…your favourite”, “there’s a fresh pot of coffee waiting for you too. Don’t say I’m not good to you.” I immediately wolf down a muffin, still warm from the oven, and a giant mug of coffee to start my day.

Feeling much better about a day of studying and writing my thesis, I get ready in my favourite skinny jeans, grey needle cord, soft and stretchy, and complimentary to my curves. Teamed with my faded tight superman t-shirt, I’m ready for a day locked in the campus library with Mr William Shakespeare. With my head in the game I was sure today would be the day I got my thesis finished – Sexuality in Shakespeare. I’ve been working on my thesis all year, and have become almost a permanent resident in the library. Jess is running around our apartment like a headless chicken.

“Hey Lil, wait up, I’m going to tag along, got some stuff to do on campus.”

“Of course. Professors won’t flirt with themselves Jess.”

“Very funny, just sit your skinny ass down and wait two minutes and I’ll be good to go.” Ten minutes later, and a makeover on Jess later, we’re out the door. We have a nice leisurely walk to campus, which is quite an achievement in Manhattan; stop for coffee-to-go at our favourite café, and head our separate ways for the day, with a plan to hook up for dinner. I think that is Jess’s way of making sure I actually leave the library and interact with the outside world. Jess is a firm believer in the saying –
all work and no play makes Lil a buzzkill.

Jess Foster has been my best friend since sophomore year when I moved to New York with my family. We sat next to each other in first period English, and have been besties ever since. We’ve been together through it all, first kisses, first dates, and first broken hearts.

The woman is ridiculous; tall with model proportions, black sleek hair that hangs down her back like a waterfall, and the deepest blue eyes. If that wasn’t enough of a hand to be dealt in life, she’s also intelligent, funny, and caring. If she wasn’t hands down the best person I’ve ever met, I’d hate her guts! She’s the only reason I had any kind of social life at high school, and why I remotely registered on the cool crowd’s radar.

Me on the other hand…how would I describe myself; I’m tall, but not in a model kind of way, more like I feel like a lumberjack way. My mom would always say I have a classic hourglass figure, however, standing in front of the mirror in my underwear, I would say my butt and hips are not in proportion with my waist, my chest is…ample, my legs are long but kinda gangly. I don’t paint a great picture do I? When I’m dressed up for a night out, I can work what I have, so I’m fine with it. My hair is my best feature; blonde and long and a styling wand can make it killer!

Anyway, back to the reason you’re reading…

2

After leaving Jess, I make my way to Butler library, juggling my books, my bag and my coffee, lost in my thoughts of what I should get done today. As usual, I am so caught up in my own head that I’m not really paying attention to my surroundings. I am so oblivious, I don’t even know what hits me. I find myself falling to the ground, my books and bag in the air, my coffee colliding with and slowly sinking into the grass.

My only thought is that I am about to smack my head off the ground and do myself some major damage, which I am not looking forward to. I only realise when the pain doesn’t come, that I am being held just shy of the ground by a very strong, warm, and hard, pair of arms.

“Oh shit, miss, are you ok?” I think I must have hit my head, because the voice speaking to me right now could not be coming from the lips of a human, it is the smoothest, richest, and most sinful voice I’ve ever heard. I open my eyes as the strong arms lift me and set me down on my feet, still holding me firm to his chest to make sure I’m steady enough to hold my own. Lucky he doesn’t let go, because I’m pretty sure when my eyes glance from his firm chest up to his face, my knees buckle at the sight before me. Six inches from my face is the most beautiful face I have
ever
seen; and I’m not talking in real life, I’m talking EVER.

Chiselled cheekbones, perfect nose, full lips that look capable of wicked, wonderful things, and then I look into his eyes…I feel like I’ve been punched in the chest with the force of feeling his eyes are stirring inside me. The lightest blue eyes, they almost look grey, and the sparkle that shines from them, holy hell. They are made even more spectacular paired with gorgeous raven black hair, with a slight curl to it. My fingers are itching to touch it. I’m swiftly brought back down from my blatant day dreaming, by the voice of the Adonis, apparently talking to me.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt? I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention…stupid phone never stops ringing.” Oh. My. God. Please speak Lily, don’t just stand here looking like an idiot. I can’t force my mouth to comply with my brain. I want to say that I’m fine and it was my fault for being in lala land as usual but what comes out of my mouth is something else entirely.

“You’re perfect.” Shit. Did I just say that?! I did not just say that. What the actual F? He starts to chuckle, it’s the sweetest sound to ever grace my ears, it makes me feel things that I couldn’t describe even if I wanted to. Then I realise that he is laughing at my ridiculous outburst. I tear my gaze from him and drop to my knees to gather my belongings.

“Let me help you with that, Ms…?”

“Lily…my name is Lily Pritchard. You don’t have to help, I’m fine.” He drops down to the ground next to me and starts to gather my papers, he is looking at them as he lifts them, when he stops dead.

“Sexuality in Shakespeare. Ms Pritchard, you don’t strike me as the type…” What did he just say to me? I’m not the type to what…be interested in sexuality? I know I’m a walking disaster, and he’s way out of my league, but, where does he get off saying something like that to a stranger.

“Well, as you know nothing about me, and we’ll never see each other again, I guess it doesn’t matter worth a damn what I strike you as.” I grab my papers from his hand and run towards my building. I can hear him behind me, trying to catch up without running. I’m sure he won’t want to ruin his perfect hair and suit by running after the likes of me. He’s probably never run after a woman in his life with that face.

I don’t turn round to look at him, I have endured enough embarrassment for one day. His hand grabs my shoulder, and a jolt of electricity runs straight through my body. What is it with this guy? “Ms Pritchard, please stop for a moment.”

“Don’t touch me.” I shout, and with that, I duck into the building and into a sea of students who do a great job of hiding me from the stranger doing strange things to my insides. I can hear his gorgeous voice, shouting for me to come back, but I can’t face him, so I just keep walking, relieved to be away from his intense stare and judgements on my personality.

I’m choosing to ignore the slight upset feeling in my stomach at the realisation that I will never see that perfect face again. It’s for the best, someone like me does not live in the same circle as him.

3

My day is a complete wash out. I won’t get my thesis finished, I can’t concentrate to study, every time I try to get my head together, I’m assaulted by a vision of sparkling ice blue eyes.

No matter how hard I try to focus, he is all I can think about - the feeling that coursed through my body at his innocent touch. I have never felt such attraction, such raw lust towards anyone in my life. Not even an ex-boyfriend. It’s a foreign feeling to me; I liked my high school boyfriend, and I have been on dates while at Columbia, but no one has ever made me really
feel
anything sexual. I have kissed my share of frogs, and my high school boyfriend was my first love, but we never took that last step together. It’s not that I wasn’t interested in sex, I guess I just wasn’t ready when we were dating, I couldn’t get past what happened that night. Then I left for College and we went our separate ways amicably.

Like I said, I’ve been on dates in college, but I’ve been in love with literature, and have been striving to do the best I can here at Columbia, and there hasn’t been anyone that I felt warranted being a distraction. How sad am I? Married to my books is what Jess says. She’s always teasing that I won’t be the crazy cat lady, I’ll be the crazy book lady, surrounded by thousands of books.

To add to the joy of my day, I decide to phone Jess and meet up early, as I’m clearly not making any progress in the library. When I rummage around in my bag, I realise that my phone is missing. I know I had it when I left the apartment this morning, then it hits me, I must have dropped it outside in South Field when I smacked into Mr Tall Dark Adonis.