Kissing Kayla

By Rena Marks

* A Happy Ever After Collection. Book boyfriend, you say? Enjoy stand-alone stories of bad-boy romance, each hero filthy...and rich.*

Kayla is no stranger to new towns and new schools. But she is a stranger to the way Jacob makes her feel. Jacob rules the school—a school unlike any other. A school where she can finally fit in, and where the other kids accept her for who she is. Her life plan is finally on track. School, job, savings, apartment. In that order, she'll finally be able to break away from her alcoholic stepfather.

Jacob has always had a life plan and it's one most would be envious over. He has loving parents, a ton of friends, good grades, and is being primed to take over the family-owned supermarket. Life was just missing one ingredient—which he discovers when Kayla walks into his school.

She's his, and he's hers. One day, they'll get married. One day, they'll lose their virginity to each other. There's not one single thing they disagree on. 

Except Kayla's stepfather has other plans. 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rena Marks
• Release date: May 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393432159

Rena Marks

Welcome to my Worlds! Rena Marks is a bestselling author with over eighty-five novels under her belt. She combines her love of science fiction with paranormal romance because no matter what happens in real life, a happy-ever-after never disappoints. Come get lost in my worlds for a few hours!

Book preview

KISSING KAYLA

(HEA Collection)

Rena Marks

18+ ONLY

The story depicted here is intended for mature audiences. It most likely contains coarse language and highly graphic depictions of sex acts meant to titillate and excite the reader. All copulating characters are 18 years or older.

That being said, have fun!

KISSING KAYLA

Rena Marks

Kayla is no stranger to new towns and new schools. But she is a stranger to the way Jacob makes her feel. Jacob rules the school—a school unlike any other. A school where she can finally fit in and where the other kids accept her for who she is. Her life plan is finally on track. School, job, savings, apartment, in that order. She’ll finally be able to break away from her alcoholic stepfather.

Jacob has always had a life plan, and it’s one most would be envious over. He has loving parents, a ton of friends, good grades, and is being primed to take over the family-owned supermarket. Life was just missing one ingredient—which he discovers when Kayla walks into his school.

She’s his, and he’s hers. One day, they’ll get married. One day, they’ll lose their virginity to each other. There’s not one single thing they disagree on.

Except, Kayla’s stepfather has other plans.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Xeno Sapiens

Also by Rena Marks

Chapter One

THE SOUNDS OF A DEEP, male voice cursing startles me awake before my alarm can go off. Rolling over to my side to check the clock, I see there’s still thirty minutes before I need to get up.  But when something ceramic shatters and another expletive lets out, I know it’s going to be one of those days. I can tell.

I’m not sure if I’m excited to get to my first day at the new school or whether I should dread it like I normally do.

I should be used to changing schools by now. I think this is the fourth time I’ve moved in the past four years. The schools, the kids, the names, all are starting to blur together, but I hope this is it. Only months separate me from graduation, and I’m finally eighteen. As soon as this final school year is over, I’ll be able to make my own choices. I’ll be able to get a job and my own apartment. College is out of the question. There’s no way my stepdad is willing to give me his tax returns to apply for grants or even loans. But that’s okay. I’ll work for a while and take a few community classes in a year or so.

Another sound of something shattering in the kitchen, followed by a string of curses, causes me to hold my breath. I can only hope he doesn’t scream out my name. Monday mornings are the worst. My stepdad, Mikhail, is always coming off a weekend bender because alcohol seems to be his sole reason for living. It wasn’t always like this, but it is now. This is our norm.

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I slowly sit up and listen for his movements, but I keep the blanket handy, available to dive back under and feign sleep upon the first creak of movement on the stairs. Things have been getting unstable for as long as I can remember, and it’s only getting worse. Mikhail used to be able to drown his sorrows in the bottom of a bottle, and I’d pretend I didn’t exist. But recently, his anger has been rising and flying my way. I’m constantly walking around on eggshells, waiting for the bomb to drop. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the look in his eyes, but I can feel something—a tangible force growing. I can feel it deep inside me like he’s waiting for me to do something wrong so he can strike out—quickly. Like a viper. And I’ll be done.

But I always make sure there isn’t a reason. I desperately don’t want that change to come. I’m a skittish rabbit in Mikhail’s house. When I finally hear the front door slam closed, all my muscles release, and an all-too-familiar tension washes out of me.

My mother married him when I was just eight, ten long years ago. Turns out, she was looking for somewhere to dump her kid; and lucky me, she chose him. She was a party girl, an exotic dancer who’d gotten knocked up with me, and he was a cop with a bad attitude, access to the legal system, and a drinking habit.

I pull myself from the bed and get ready for school. I go with a short blue-green corduroy skirt with dark blue, nearly black leggings underneath. They look great with my soft, black ankle-boots that are so worn they feel as comfortable as tennis shoes. They’re relatively fashionable, too, with a single silver zipper that zips up over the top of the shoe from toe to ankle. You don’t see that around much. I found them in a thrift shop at least three years ago, and I’ve been babying them, polishing them once a week with shoe polish.

I frown as I look into the mirror. My bangs have gotten long. I reach for the scissors in the drawer, twist side pieces and snip. When the hair unravels, it’s shorter and layers better against the side of my face.

It covers the scar that runs from my temple to my cheek.

Looking in the mirror, I practice holding my head just so. If I move too quickly, the hair can part, and a hint of the scar shows through the thick curtain. I should have done this last night, but I wanted to get to bed as early as possible. Mikhail’s always home Sunday nights as if each Monday he intends to start fresh. Starting fresh doesn’t mean drinking at home ‘til three in the morning, but he doesn’t seem to catch on. I look myself over, double-checking everything. The scar is all I ever see when I look in the mirror. It’s a harsh lesson that I don’t fit in. I never have; I never will.  No matter what new school I end up at, there’s always the nasty girl.

Last year, it was Jessica Rivers. She used to walk as if she owned the school but lost some of that control when the new girl came to town. Jessica was head cheerleader, but I’ve always been