Love Reckless

By A. J. Shelton

Careful, mindful, gentle are how some would describe Harley Shannon. But dealing with the stress of her girlfriend's latest overdose has turned her into the exact opposite. After being forced to leave her girlfriend in rehab, Harley meets and is immediately attracted to Patricia Athens, a successful wealth management executive, who also happens to be her best friend's mother. Meanwhile, Patricia is coping with marriage issues and ghosts from her past. What unfolds between them teaches them more about themselves than they cared to learn. Their affair ultimately forces them confront their own sins, shortcomings, and the impact of their reckless love. Originally written as a screenplay, this story is fast paced and uniquely structured with short chapters that read like scenes in a film.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. J. Shelton
• Release date: Aug 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310065583

A. J. Shelton

A. J. Shelton is a Los Angeles native currently residing in New York. She has a passion for telling female-driven stories where the character's depth is defined by their flaws, both known and unknown. Her debut title, Love Reckless, is a complicated love story originally written as a screenplay.

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love.reckless

A. J. Shelton

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2006, A. J. Shelton. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

CONTENTS

Title Page

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter One

A pulsing beep from the heart monitor fills the strained silence between two women.

Harley wonders, fascinates actually, at the sequence of events that brought her to this room, staring at this person. Two months ago she was stressing over her dissertation. At least, that’s what she told Tess, her girlfriend.

The truth is, stress brings out the worst in Harley. She’s a pleasant person, thoughtful, and unusually even-tempered, which more often than not was misinterpreted by others as aloofness. But stress just seemed to turn her thoughtfulness into absentminded recklessness— a dangerous transformation, since her careful judgment is what’s carried her this far in life. She doesn’t know any of this because no one’s told her. Most people she surrounds herself with are too busy telling her how funny she is or how cute she is or how smart she is. They’re too distracted by her familiar looks or her wry wit to criticize her. Kai made that mistake the day they first noticed one another in a Laundromat near Harley’s off-campus apartment.

You haven’t slept in days, have you? she said.

Even at a normal volume, Kai’s voice sounds airy, like a dry whisper. It’s a wonder Harley heard her over the noise of the dryers.

Do I look that bad? Harley smiled.

No, Kai replied. You look like all the other grad students around here.

Harley immediately forgot the girl’s name and went back to folding clothes. She fit Harley’s shallow standard of beauty; dark messy-looking hair, flat stomach, full lips with a sort of sharp mysteriousness to her. She left not expecting to ever see the girl again... much less find her at her door an hour later.

Harley was unsettled by the thought of someone following her home; even more worried that she didn’t notice. She’s usually so careful and, for a moment, she thought maybe she should try to get more sleep.

Facebook, Kai said, as if listening to Harley’s very thoughts. You really shouldn't location-tag your photos.

Against her better judgment, she let Kai in. She seemed harmless enough. And if it’s possible to interpret kisses, that’s what hers seemed to say.

That must have cost at least three thousand, Harley thought about the colorful full sleeve on Kai’s left arm. She always had such incongruous thoughts during sex and stress only intensified it. Of all the thoughts that ensued in the following moments, not one told Harley to check the front door, which had been left ajar.

Tess dumped Harley exactly an hour later, when she dropped by Harley’s apartment to find out why she’d failed to show up for their evening run. She really should get more sleep.

#

We can’t keep doing this.

You think I want to be here? Kai says, staring hard at Harley. Again.

Silence falls between them again and the beep from the heart monitor begins to sound more like shrieking.

Harley tongues her lip. It tastes like metal, she notices. Kai stares at the swollen gash and struggles to smother the guilt that permeates her consciousness. Even with fresh bruises, she still thinks Harley has the sweetest face of anyone she’s ever known. And she realizes she’s never seen anger on that face – frustration, deep concern, but never anger.

Sorry, Kai whispers.

I shouldn’t have to put up with this.

Kai knows this. She even agrees with Harley but all she can come back with is, Is that all you’ve been doing? Putting up with me? What, you think you’re too good for me?

Harley walks to the opposite side of the room. She’d prefer to be out of the room all together. She pushes a handful of thick, brown curls away from her face.

I shouldn’t have to keep you in line!

I’m laying here on my deathbed and all you can think about is what I put you through, what I did to you, Kai yells across the room.

Quit being so damn dramatic.

You’re selfish! You make everything about you!

When you OD three times in two months you’re not the only one it affects!

Harley’s voice echoes off the walls of the stark, sterile room. She’s not used to the sound of her voice being so loud and is somewhat startled by it. She leans against the wall and is suddenly aware of how cold she feels, or maybe it’s just the cold wall, she thinks.

Nothing ever changes, Kai. You say you’re going to stop and then this happens. I know you try but it’s not working and this relationship-

You’re dumping me on my deathbed?

Will you stop saying that, Harley yells. You’re not dying! Act like you give a shit!

Harley heads for the door.

I’m not breaking up with you. I’m giving you a choice.

Chapter Two

Patricia closes the medicine cabinet door and studies her reflection in the mirror. She stretches the skin on the sides of her mouth making the faint lines disappear. She releases her fingers and frowns when the lines come back full strength.

Forty-five felt the same as forty-four which felt the same as thirty, when Patricia started thinking about it. She didn’t feel any different. She didn’t feel like a better person. She didn’t even feel wiser, even though she knew she had to be. Forty-six, however, has brought new sensitivities, almost overnight. She’s more aware of time now — how fast it seems to have passed and how much might be left. Everyday tasks came with a new urgency for Patricia.

Chase’s face is bathed in blue light from the television. He’s waiting for her. She wonders if, like last night, she’ll be lucky enough to go to bed and find Chase asleep. Maybe if she waits a little longer. She started playing this waiting game six months ago, when she became deeply aware that life was too short to waste time doing things she didn’t want to do. Tonight, she concedes defeat. She’s already been in the bathroom too long and, from what she can hear, Chase is still awake.

Chase is handsome. His gray hair looks better than it did when they met in college when it was dark brown. His belly hasn’t strayed too far beyond his waistband. He’s charismatic and sincere. He could be a politician. Patricia fluffs her pillow and watches him out of the corner of her eye. Yes, he still looks good.

Though she won't admit it to herself, Patricia is quite attractive. She doesn’t notice the attention she gets. Chase notices. He'd notice men staring at her when they used to go to the racetrack together, their eyes drifting down from her rich, dark hair and her generous lips to her high chest. Flight attendant is a phrase Chase often overheard men using to describe her. More often than not it was followed by

Reviews for Love Reckless

[Misty Finney · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book really needs a part 2. It leaves you hanging.

[Nathalie Echevers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For a short reading it was quite entertaining once you get over the cheating and the betrayal you might enjoy it a bit.