ROMANCE: BAD BOY ROMANCE: Love Fight (Bad Boy College Alpha Male Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Romance Short Stories) (85 page)

“Yes. Are you going to yell at me?”

“What?” She shook her head as she tried to regain her composure. “No. I’m not going to yell at you. I just got the article. Literally. I tend to avoid everything these days. Lizzie brought it over.”

“Thanks for the exposure,” Lizzie called from inside the apartment.

His shoulders straightened, and he smiled. “Well, you don’t want to yell at me. So what do you want to do?” he murmured.

“Did you mean it? What you said? Or were you just trying to be nice?”

“I meant every word.”

Gemma took a deep breath. “I felt something that night, Charlie. And I’d like to see where it goes. But I don’t think it’s going to be easy. We both attract way too much attention.”

“I don’t need it to be easy, Gemma,” he said softly. “I just need you to be on board with me.”

“I’m on board,” she said as she smiled. She thought her heart would burst from excitement. He bent down to kiss her, and it felt right. As she wrapped her arms around him, she knew that this was only the beginning. They could forge something truly beautiful together.

She’d started the week broke, depressed, and in the arms of the most notorious rake in the city. And now she was about to give him her heart, and she knew that she’d never look back.

THE END

Untamed Highlander

Chapter 1

              “Aiden, you do know who that is right?”  Bain McDowell said to him.

Aiden looked over at the girl who had just left his father’s blacksmith shop with her father.  Her long brown hair hung down between her shoulders.  “Of course I know who it is.  We’ve been friends for years.”  Aiden looked back at his friend.

              “You can’t be friends with the princess.  Well not the way you are looking at her right now anyway.”  Bain stated.

              “I’m not looking at her in anyway.”  Aiden protested.

              “I’ve seen that look before, hell felt that look before when I’ve seen some girls.  You are 16 years old; I know what that is like!”  Bain said.

              “What you only 18 right now how can you know all about life by now?”  Aiden asked.

              “Listen I want to tell you I know you think you have something with her.”  Bain started to say.

Aiden cut him off.  “Look we’ve been friends since we were both little.  Anyway, I wasn’t looking at her in that way as you said it.” 

              “Look don’t get upset at me.  I don’t see how you didn’t figure it out before.  You know the princess isn’t going to marry you.  You’re just a blacksmith’s son after all.  She would need someone who was at least a prince.  You, well, you don’t count in their world.”  Bain said.

He had already known that all, but hearing it out loud was hard anyway.  Aiden had known Kyla Fleming for years now.  Since they had been around 4 years old, the two children had played together.  The one thing he had been holding onto for all these years was the fact they still hung out.  Even though he knew she was important, she would still come to him and hang out.

              “Hey come on buddy, I’m sorry if you thought you had a chance.  Better to find out now though, instead of saying something to her and finding out!”  Bain cupped his shoulder.  He was as close to a big brother that Aiden had in life.

              “Yeah I know, thanks Bain.  Really I don’t know what I was thinking anyway.”  Aiden said, still staring off towards where she had gone.  With the admission out he felt lonely and cold.  He thought his life had no more meaning.  What could he do now?  He had always hoped that maybe she would break the mold.  That she would come to him and claim that she loved him and wanted to marry him.

Or perhaps one night he could have taken her some flowers, and she would have confessed how she felt at that time.  He didn’t care, but in the end the story had always ended the same way.  He would win the girls hand and marry her, princess or not!

              “So you know what I’ve finally decided?”  Aiden looked over at Bain and said.

              “That I’m the best at combat?”  Bain teased.

              “Aye, I’m still as good as you.  But that isn’t it; I’ve decided to join the King’s army.  My father and mother have raised me well, but it is time I give back to the country and clan.”  Aiden announced.

              “Well that’s great!  Tell you what I’ll ride to town with you and sign up as well.  I’ve just been waiting for you to decide anyway!”  Bain stated.

Aiden nodded his head and went back to what he was doing.  It was the only decision he could make, he didn’t want to stay in the village.  If he had to watch Kyla walk around all the time, well sooner or later he would tell her how he felt.  Aiden felt his skin turn red at the rebuff he knew he would experience from her. 

No this was better than staying here.  At least he would not have to watch as the prince’s came to town to woo her.  Maybe he would go and tell her that he was leaving this weekend?  Aiden shook his head, you idiot, he thought.

She had quite the lure on him.  The funny thing is she didn’t even know how he felt.  He had always tried to play it the right way with her.  Aiden had never let on that he even knew she was a girl when she was around.  She had enjoyed being just like one of the boys, so he had treated her that way.  But now that she was older, he had noticed her curves on more than one occasion. 

              “You know what this is a good decision, I know it is.”  Aiden said to Bain.  He looked up and saw that Bain had already left.  “Oh well, I still think it is a good idea.  No matter what I need to leave here soon.” 

Chapter 2

Kyla Fleming looked in the mirror.  She combed her hair and straightened out her clothes.  She had come home and gotten out of the trousers she had bothered from her brother, and into the dress.  Her mother had yelled at her when she had seen Kyla in the trousers.

              “Kyla, you are a lady, not a boy.  Stop wearing those trousers.  Go changed now.”  Her mother had yelled when she caught Kyla in the hallway.

Truth be told it wasn’t the first time she had done this, but it had been a while since her mother had caught her.  Kyla didn’t like the dresses she was supposed to wear.  She would rather spend her days in the forest or just hanging around Aiden Scott and his father’s blacksmith shop. 

She had known him for years and she felt comfortable there.  Aiden had never treated her like a lady, but like she was just his friend.  That was what she liked the most, he never treated her differently.  Well that was until recently.  She had noticed once in a while he would get this look in his eyes when he looked at her. 

Kyla liked Aiden; he was a sweet young man.  She often wished that instead of the blacksmith’s son he would have a better position in the village.  Her father could possibly be talked into it, but not with her mother there.  No her mother was all about acting like a lady and marrying into more power.

She thought of Aiden and his red hair, and those muscles he had.  She might only be 16, but she had noticed how he looked different now.  He was bigger and stronger than he was before.  It had seemed to happen overnight. 

What really drew Kyla to Aiden was his green eyes though.  Well that and the fact that he never treats me like a girl.  Her mother would scream if she heard about Kyla hanging out with the blacksmith’s son still. 

It had been okay for them to be friends when they were younger.  She had noticed that.  Her mother had often told her to go and play with Aiden even.  But in the past year her mother had been coming down on Kyla. 

              “You must begin acting more like a lady.  You’ll start your etiquette classes soon.  We need to make you more polished to find a good husband.”  Her mother had said to almost a year ago now.

Even with those classes she had snuck out to hang out with Aiden once in a while.  It had been a few months since the last time she guessed.  She had snuck up on him in the shop.  Kyla had actually thought it was Aiden’s father when she first walked in.

              “Excuse me Mr. Scott where is Aiden at?”  She had asked the figure.

When he had turned around Kyla was shocked.  “Aiden, it’s you?  Wow, what happened?”  Kyla had said.

              “I got older of course.”  Aiden had stated.  But he had hugged her all the same.  “Long time no see Kyla, how have you been?”  Aiden had asked.

              “I’ve been okay.  It is hard to get out now though, my mother always has me studying!”  Kyla complained.

They had talked for a few more minutes before someone had come in the shop.  She had told him she would try to make it down again soon.  He had waved at her as she walked out the door.  Kyla had wanted to stay until the person left, but they had been some friend of Aiden’s.  She didn’t really know the person, so she decided to leave.  Plus the fact was she would have loved it to be just her and Aiden talking.  She had missed their times together.

              “Young lady, I heard you snuck out with your brother’s trousers on again, didn’t I talk to you about that?”  She heard the gruff voice of her father from outside the room say.

Coming around the corner she looked at the ground.  “But father, I’ve told you I hate these dresses so much.”  Kyla said and looked up as she came around the corner fully.  “Colin that isn’t even right to do!”  Kyla struck her brother’s arm.

              “Hey, sorry but I just had to hear mother yelling at me for half an hour straight about letting you use my trousers.”  Colin put his hands up in the air.

              “I told you to say I snuck them out of your room.”  Kyla commented.

              “You know what Kyla the dress looks really good on you.  In fact you should try and make mother happier.  Once you find a husband, maybe you can wear their trousers instead!”  He laughed.

Kyla made a face at her brother.  He was 18 years old and liked to play jokes on her from time to time.  “You know why I don’t like wearing them.”  She said and turned around.  “I still wish I could learn to fight!”  She stated.

              “Mother would never allow it.”  Colin shook his head.

              “I know, but I can wish once in a while!”  Kyla stated.

              “Aye you can wish, but we both know the truth!  Mother told me to bring you down when you were changed.”  Colin finally told her.

Kyla followed her brother down the stairs.  “Hello mother and father.”  She said to her parents as they entered the room where her parents were sitting.

              “Young lady, I think you need to apologize to your mother.”  Her father began what Kyla already knew would be a lecture.

She tuned out; she had heard these words too often through her life.  “I’m very sorry mother; I’ll try to be better.  I promise to try.”  Kyla said.  She said the words again, that had come from her mouth on more than one occasion before.  It wasn’t that she didn’t mean to try; she really did want to please her mother.  It was just that she really hated the dresses and all the clothes she had to put on with them. 

Chapter 3

Aiden sat on the side of the battle field.  It had been several years since he had even thought of Kyla Fleming.  He thought back to those years where they would play for hours on end.  Then he remembered how he had snuck out of the village and ran to where he was now. 

Well not this exact point, but his new life.  He was now 21 and one of the King’s best men in the army.  Aiden was looked up to by many of his fellow soldiers.  He thrived on making his enemies fear the mention of his name. 

But now as he heard the news being delivered to him.  Her long brown hair and those brown eyes, he closed his eyes and thought of her once more.  It had been hard to move on and forget about her. 

In all honesty he would admit to very few that he still thought of her from time to time.  He did miss Kyla and would love to see her.  But not under these types of circumstances, not where her brother’s life would now be in his hands.

              “Sir they want you to rescue him.  The English are camped out about five miles south.  We can go and get him now.”  Aiden heard being said to him. 

              “You said Colin Fleming right?”  Aiden focused on the conversation once more.  The flash of her had taken his mind off of everything being said.  He hadn’t heard all of what had been said to him.

              “Yes sir, they captured him recently.”  The solider said to him.

He wondered if Kyla had ever married or not.  Surely after all this time she would have found a man.  But he had to focus on Colin right now and getting him out of the English camp safely. 

              “Let’s go, we come in from the west.  Once we get closer we’ll figure out what to do.”  Aiden stated.

Kyla Fleming, he thought as they rode toward the known camp site.  He wondered how long after he left she had found out.  Had she been upset when she found out?  These were questions he hadn’t thought about for a few years now. 

He did regret not saying goodbye to her many times after he had left.  But slowly he had stopped thinking about her as much.  Was she ever out of his mind completely?  If he would be honest the answer would be no.  Even now he realized that he thought about her many times a day sometimes. 

Aiden had really thought getting away from her would calm his feelings down.  But now here he was going to rescue her brother, and not able to focus on anything but her.  He wondered what she looked like compared to all those years ago now.

He had been so love sick over her, and now he felt like he hadn’t been gone but a few hours.  His heart sped up as he thought of her, and what he had always wanted to tell her.  “If I rescue him, I’m telling her, I don’t care.”  He whispered under his breath.

              “There it is sir.”  The soldier pointed towards the middle of the woods.  There was a faint light coming from a fire that had been lit.

Aiden formulated a plan in his mind.  He told the man what to do.  He slipped off his horse and went quietly into the night.  Aiden had become very good at rescuing people in the years.  He had a natural ability to slip in and out of locations before anyone knew he was there.  It was one of the many reasons why the men loved him, and why his reputation had spread among many people.  Not for the first time he wondered if Kyla had ever heard him mentioned in these years.

About 10 minutes later Aiden was leading Colin away from the camp.  The met up with the soldier and rode off quietly.