Breaking Waves: Heart Waves, #2

By Danielle Sibarium

From the moment they met, Jenna knew Reece would break her heart, but she never dreamed it would happen like this. Jenna is left shattered and broken. When life becomes too painful to deal with and she feels completely alone, there's only one person to help her pick up the pieces and move on. The one person she doesn't want to turn to. The one person she promised to stay away from. Tyler.

Can Tyler put aside everything she knows about him and let Tyler help heal her broken heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Danielle Sibarium
• Release date: Dec 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781481242899

Book preview

Chapter 1

I bolted upright alone in a strange bed. My breath caught in my throat. Fear seized me. It gripped me tight and snaked through my body like blood through my veins. My heart thundered loud and hard against my chest. I looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, searching. An omen of danger lurked nearby.

Reece, I called, my throat scratchy, my voice low.

I closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind. I felt so confused. The previous night came back in a flood of memories. So much drama. And sweet kisses. And falling asleep in Reece’s arms. But where was he?

Reece? I called out, louder this time, fear straining my voice.

No answer. Just deadening silence.

I felt the weight of an anvil pressing against my heart. I knew this feeling. I’d had it for weeks, only not nearly as strong as this. Today promised to be a bad day. A really bad day.

I let my feet drop to the floor and sat on the side of the bed, waiting for the black veil creeping over my eyes to recede and the room to stop spinning. After effects of Goldschläger? Or fear? It didn’t matter. My body trembled. My eyes made their way around, taking in the details of Grace’s little brother’s room: cars, trucks, and action figures with guns. But no Reece. Not an article of clothing strewn on the bed or floor, no sneakers, nothing. Not a hint or sign of him.

Reece and I crashed here after we made up from the fight. An epic blowout. Why wasn’t he here? I just wanted to find him. I closed my eyes, still trying to gather my bearings. Memories of the previous night did nothing to make me feel better. Remembering Reece locked in his bedroom with his ex-girlfriend made my stomach lurch, as I felt the bile rise.

I ran from the party. Ran away from anything to do with Reece. But you can only run so far before what you’re running from catches up with you. Someone found me and wouldn’t leave my side. I looked up and found Tyler staring back at me. A more compassionate Tyler than I had ever expected.

Hear him out. Give him a chance to explain before you do anything you might regret, he warned. Think of how he would feel if he knew you were out here with me. Tyler’s words ran through my head, He might not believe we just talked.

The warning came too late. Reece found us. Judging from the look on his face, Reece wasn’t any happier finding Tyler and me together than I was at finding his bedroom door locked. He tried to convince me it was the same. No. Not even close. Knowing he was locked in his room with a girl he once dated, a girl he thought he loved, tore at my heart.

And the way she looked at him last night. Her long, lusty stares bothered me long before I saw him lead the way to his bedroom. Thinking of it made the dull ache in my chest intensify. I knew she’d be the catalyst, the beginning of the end for us. Reece wouldn’t listen to reason though. He shut out my fear, told me to tune out my intuition and trust him. Of course I trusted him. I didn’t trust her. Sneaky harlot!

She’d been staring at us, trying to get Reece’s attention all night. She pulled out all the stops, and he let her. What could I do? Wait like an idiot for him to break up with me, or for her to come traipsing out of his room adjusting her bra, and fixing her hair? Hell no. I ran. Straight to the enemy it would seem.

The anger that oozed off of Reece when he found us frightened me. I thought he would kill Tyler. Literally. On top of the mountain of tension between them, and trying to keep them from beating the sense out of each other, I had a vision. A horrible, sickening vision that made me drop to the ground and clutch my stomach in an attempt to keep my dinner from spilling out into the grass.

Fun night!

Reece, where are you? I asked more to myself than anyone else. I hated this ominous feeling. I wanted to shake it off, but I couldn’t. His absence strangled any hope I had that we could really get past this.

The heavy pressure on my chest made it difficult to breathe, to pull air into my lungs. We made up before going to bed, but still we had a lot to discuss, like Tyler and his warning about the men looking for Reece. We were going to sort through all of that today. He promised. Even as he made it, deep down I knew he wouldn’t keep it.

What if he woke in the middle of the night with doubts? Doubts about me, about Rebecca, about everything? My eyes filled with tears. What if he left me? Just picked up in the middle of the night and left me, never to come back again. I found the thought devastating, but I had to consider the possibility. I always knew he would leave me.

I needed to change the direction of my thoughts and stop jumping to conclusions. What if he’s sitting at the kitchen table and didn’t hear me? That seemed a much more likely scenario.

I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping to smooth and straighten it in case I’d find Reece in the kitchen having coffee or breakfast. We’d never spent the night together, not with my overprotective parents. Last night was supposed to be our first. Not at all what I had in mind when we planned for me to spend the weekend with Reece. I doubt it was anything he expected, either.

I walked into the kitchen. Grace sat cross-legged on her chair, eating a bowl of cereal.

What the hell happened? Why’d you take off like that? Grace referred to my sudden disappearance from the disaster of a party, if you could even call it a party.

I glared at her. You had to come. Even after I told you not to, you insisted, I snapped at her.

You know why I went. I wanted to apologize and work things out with Mike.

I couldn’t forget Mike’s role in all of this. Any time a tragedy loomed in my life, Mike somehow had a front seat view. And no matter how I tried, I couldn’t banish him from my life. Not only was he Grace’s ex-boyfriend and Reece’s roommate, he also happened to be my neighbor, and the bane of my existence.

I didn’t have anything to do with you and Reece, she defended herself.

Where is he?

She shrugged. I thought you were both still asleep. He must have snuck out early.

I turned to the clock on the stove to see the time. 11:30. How long are you up? I asked.

About an hour. Why?

And there was no sign of Reece when you woke?

She shook her head.

My heart hammered against my chest. I wanted to fall to my knees and curl into a ball. The murderous vision I had of Reece and Tyler flashed in my mind. I didn’t know how to shake off the overwhelming sadness constraining any and all logic. I needed to know he was safe and that he wasn’t about to do anything stupid.

Before putting clothes on and rushing home, I reached for my cell phone to check my messages. Nothing. I called Reece. No answer. I left a message for him to call me back as soon as he could.

Jenna, Grace’s voice stopped me in the hall before I reached the front door. I wish you would tell me what’s wrong. Sit down and have breakfast. Maybe I can help.

Still angry with her, I shot her a dirty look. Nothing’s wrong, okay? I need to get home.

She studied me carefully before speaking. You mean you need to track down Reece. He probably felt uncomfortable in that little bed and went back to the suite. Seriously Jenna, you need to get a grip.

Get a grip? Funny. She had no idea what happened last night, no clue why I ran out of the party, and yet she felt she had the right to tell me to get a grip? Where did she come off?

She was the cause of all my grief. If she hadn’t dragged me to Mike’s stupid party over the summer, I never would’ve laid eyes on Reece. Not that I could ever regret a minute with him. Not unless . . . no, he wouldn’t. He promised he wouldn’t go after Tyler.

Last night, wasn’t Grace the one crying because she acted hastily in breaking up with Mike? And now she thought she should bestow upon me her relationship wisdom? Please!

Who are you to talk? Especially since you blew whatever you call what you had with Mike, to pieces.

I made a mistake. I’ve owned up to it. I’m trying to save you from doing the same. Grace took on a defensive tone crossing her arms over her chest. You need to lighten up, Jenna, or you’re going to scare him off.

Goodbye, Grace. I pulled the door open. And for the record, I couldn’t scare him off. It’s just not possible.

Whatever, she turned back to her breakfast.

I slammed the door behind me, not meaning to shake and rattle the windows.

Chapter 2

I couldn’t take her words to heart. Grace didn’t know about anything that happened over the last week. If she hadn’t been so emotionally crippled, I might have been able to talk to her. Really talk, the way I hoped to before she turned into a know-it-all in the kitchen.

With all of her drama, I hadn’t told her about Tyler at all, let alone how he and Reece provoked each other at every turn. I shook my head. It was as much Tyler’s fault as it was Reece’s. You would never believe they’d been best friends for years.

I needed some fresh air to clear my mind. I headed to the one place I knew I could go for a reprieve. Just to be alone and think. Besides, making an appearance at home would be beneficial in keeping up the charade of assisting Grace in babysitting her brother for the weekend.

My parents were surprised to see me. They expected me to check in throughout the day and night without going home. They probably planned to surprise me with a visit to Grace’s to make sure there was no sign of Reece. I sighed. If only things went as planned I would’ve spent the night in his bed instead of at Grace’s house.

After giving them a brief rundown of our night of beauty - to explain my straightened hair - I told my parents Grace and I had an argument. They guessed correctly it had to do with Reece, which led me to huff loudly as I stomped off to my room.

I ran the bath water, wondering why I hadn’t heard from him. I still had that sinking feeling of foreboding in the pit of my stomach. Something terrible was twisting in the wind. If he’d talk to me, maybe we could stop it. I checked my phone every couple of minutes before getting in the tub, to make sure I didn’t miss a text.

Nothing. Nothing. And more nothing.

Frustrated, I soaked in the water, feeling like a large dark cloud loomed over my head. The contents of which were sure to come pouring down in the not-so-distant future, maybe even momentarily. I closed my eyes. I wanted to stop thinking and feeling. Instead of fighting the darkness of the oppression around me, I sank into it, like quicksand, until my body was wracked with sobs.

After my bath, with my eyes red and swollen, I dressed casually in a pair of sweats. I tried not to look at the alarm clock every couple of seconds, but it was a losing battle. The seconds passed slowly. Eventually they combined together to form minutes. Minutes I could never gain back. Minutes I wished were spent with Reece, rather than worrying about him.

The doorbell rang.

Reece.

I didn’t need to look through my window or see his car. I could feel him nearby, feel the electricity coursing through my blood. My heart thundered so loud I thought he’d hear it outside. I bit my bottom lip, waiting with anticipation to see him.

Not wanting to let on how devastated I felt being away from him, I waited in my room for my parents to call me down. I braced myself for the argument that would follow when I insisted on bringing him back to my room so we could speak in private. I paced around my bed with nervous anticipation.

A heavy knock at my bedroom door startled me. With one last deep breath, I steadied myself and gripped the knob. Having no idea what to expect, I counted in my head to three and pulled the door open.

A bouquet of mixed flowers; lilies and carnations covered Reece’s face. I smiled. The tension in my body eased, as if a boulder had been lifted off the top of my head. He knew I loved flowers and wanted to make me happy. He did want to work through our problems.

Peace offering. Reece held the flowers out toward me.

I accepted the bouquet and automatically brought it up to my nose, inhaling the sweet-smelling fragrance. A silly grin crossed my face. I should be the one extending an olive branch. I ruined everything last night.

Reece’s lips brushed up against mine, soft and tender. I felt my body melt into his embrace. A surge of electricity shot through my body, making me forget everything but how good it felt to kiss him.

You could never ruin anything, he whispered; his breath tickling my ear. Besides, I thought you might be mad at me.

I missed you. I hugged him.

Clinging to each other, we enjoyed the moment. Feeling his body against mine was heaven, and I didn’t want to free-fall back to earth.

I looked up at him, When you didn’t answer my texts or calls, I thought . . . I didn’t know how to finish that sentence without causing friction. I couldn’t admit part of me feared he went after Tyler or that another part believed he left me for good. We were together now, the atmosphere peaceful, and I wanted to keep it like that for as long as possible. I worried.

I’m sorry. He kissed the top of my head and gave me one last squeeze before walking over to my desk and sitting down.

There it was again, the invisible wall between us. While I let myself believe for a moment that we’d shattered it, I walked head first into it and bounced off. What was wrong with him? Why wouldn’t he open up and let me in?

Do you mind if I do something? Reece asked.

Go ahead, I sighed. I couldn’t believe he’d rather pay attention to the computer than me. Where was the boy who couldn’t resist taking my hand or holding me close? Besides, I’m sure my parents will be here in a minute screaming for us to go downstairs.

Doubt it, he responded, sounding like he were only half participating in the conversation, they said they were going for a walk, be back in a little bit.

A walk? I asked. They left us alone in the house? Why didn’t Reece want to take advantage of this highly unusual circumstance? I watched him closely, noticing how he fixed his complete concentration on the task at hand. I didn’t bother to ask what he was doing, certain it would be over my head.  

I’m uploading a picture of us to set as your background, he said, as if reading my mind.

I sat on the edge of the bed closest to my desk. We were only a foot from each other. Yet he felt so far and unreachable, like he was a million miles away.

What time did you wake up this morning?

He glanced at me with a smirk on his face, his eyes brighter, but not quite shining. I never went to sleep. I just watched you, and listened to you breathe.

I felt my face get hot with color, unsure of why I felt embarrassed, exposed. I only hoped I didn’t talk in my sleep. What a blast.

His eyes narrowed and smoldered. It was. You looked incredibly sexy. And peaceful. I didn’t want the night to end.

Then why’d you leave? I asked, knowing I turned up the tension a notch, wondering why he didn’t already volunteer the information along with where he disappeared to.

I needed to work on an insurance policy of sorts, he said straightforward and emotionless. Get some things in order.

Reece?

I heard the fear in my heart, echoed in my voice. I didn’t care how pathetic I sounded. He wasn’t holding up much better; he could try and play it off all he wanted, but I noticed how his whole body slumped when the conversation spun in this direction.

No doubt this had to do with the ominous warning Tyler sent to Reece about the Feds investigating him. He turned to me, some program uploading or downloading on its own, no longer needing his attention.

Jenna, I don’t want to fight with you. There are things I can’t tell you.

You don’t trust me? I asked insulted, an ache spreading across my chest.

Of course I do. Reeces’s beautiful, brown eyes held more sadness than I’d ever seen. His lips pressed into a thin line, as his hands went to his head and ran through his hair, accentuating his anxiety. Reece spoke slowly, his voice low, gruff, It’s not safe for me to tell you. The less you know the better.

I moved off the bed and dropped to my knees in front of him, my hands rested on his