Is Your Heart Still Mine: Serenity Series Book Ii

By Kyra Gates

Christopher CJ Wells was the infamous playboy of SK Design of fashions

company known around the world. At 23 years old, he was on top of

the world but something was missing from his life and that something he

thought he could never get back, that was until he noticed his brothers

interest in a certain intriguing young woman that he could barely get a

glimpse of. Every time he saw them together from a far, hed fi ne himself

glued to her every movement, even something as small as the slight breeze

blowing through her short curly hair. She wore shades most of the time

but he could never shake the feeling that for some reason she was what he

had been waiting for. Th e only problem was his little brother was growing

attached to her.falling for her.

Young Brandon Wells had often felt second best to his famous brother

that was until he met Len. Len was the type of girl that was down to

earth, spoke her mind, and liked him for who he was and not whom he

was related to. Th at was quite refreshing for a young college student like

Brandon Wells who was always referred to by the female species as CJ Wells

cute little brother. Len was beautiful, sexy, and easy to talk too. He was

really feeling her, but she was still stuck in the past and he was determined

to break through that wall and make her his future.

Braylen had left her heart in Chicago a long time ago and it hadnt beat

since but why was it that every time Brandons brother pulled up she felt

a slight twitch of her heartsomething she hadnt felt in almost six years.

Why was it that every time she looked into Brandons eyes she felt she

was looking at someone else. Braylen had to stay focused on her studies

and making a better life for her and her young son. She had no time for

dates and wondering what lied in Brandons eyes. She knew Brandon was

looking for more in their friendship but she didnt have anything else to

give. She felt guilty for stringing him alone but truth be told she was lonely

and he reminded her of someonesomeone she never forget and thought

she never see again. However, life had other plans for her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479786947

Book preview

Is Your Heart Still Mine

Serenity Series Book II

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Kyra Gates

Copyright © 2013 by Kyra Gates.

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4797-8693-0

Ebook 978-1-4797-8694-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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

Rev. date: 02/27/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chocolate Angel

Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

O KAY, IF THE bottle points to you, you have to go in the closest, close the door and kiss for 30 seconds. I’ll spin it.

Wait what if it lands on him or you Sasha; I’m not kissing him, Yuk!

Yeah genius! What if it lands on you, are you going to kiss your cousin full on the lips . . . a French kiss?

Ewww, no. If it lands on a family member then we will spend it again. You scared Braylen?

No! I wasn’t scared; I just wanted it to land on Chris if I had to kiss anybody.

I was ten and Chris was twelve. He was Sasha’s older cousin and very cute. Every girl sitting in on our little game wanted him. Chris came over every weekend and every time we didn’t have school. He was very strong, he had muscles and he beat up any boy that bothered us.

One time when Timmy the little rock head boy down the street hit me on my butt, Chris punched him in the jaw and cracked his tooth. Timmy never bothered Sasha or me again. Awe we got to spend it again I’m not kissing you!, she screamed!

I don’t want you to kiss me, spend it again! Chris yelled. Sasha, Miss Togrownforya spent the bottle again. She was hoping it landed on Darius the boy that lived across the street. Sasha was the same age as Chris, twelve so she’d already gotten her first kiss but Chris didn’t know that, he would kill her if he did. That’s what you get, trying to cheat! Now you gotta kiss Toby. Sasha grabbed Toby and went into the closest, closing the door. We all counted to thirty before we opened the door for them to come out. Toby was twelve years old but he was a geeky little kid, glasses, braces and all. Look at that smile! Chris teased. Toby did you stick your tongue in her mouth?

No man . . .

Well you gotta do it again, that’s the deal a real kiss!

Spend the damn bottle! I’d like to see you do it Chris! Sasha and Chris were always at each other’s throats but they were more like sister and brother than they were cousins. Ooooh, uh oh, she smiled. She nudged me on my knee. She knew I liked her cousin. Well I guess we’ll see who’s all talk now won’t we! Sasha teased. Go ahead Braylen, your turn. Neither one of us moved, we just starred at each other. Well Mr. Allthatandthensome, your turn cuzzo. Unless you’re scared! She laughed. She was making this so hard. I’m not scared punk! He said as he threw the pillow at her. He got up and reached out his hand for me. I was the one that was scared. I’d practice this moment repeatedly but I didn’t know the first thing about kissing a boy. I’d seen it on television and even sometimes when Sasha and I would sneak a peak at her older sister Danielle and her boyfriend making out but . . . You ready Braylen? I reached for his hand and followed him into the closest. Sasha closed the door; the lights were out; only the crack at the bottom of the door lit the enclosed space. We stood there for a moment both scared I would imagine; but more than likely he’d done this before. His hands rubbed along my neck and his lips grazed my cheekbone. My heart was beating fast and his hands were shaking. His lips met mine and for a moment, I felt like the girl in the movie. You know the one that puts her leg up when she gets a kiss from a cute guy. Well this was my moment. His tongue was wet but it tasted of kool-aid. His tongue touched mine and though I couldn’t see anything, I closed my eyes. He continued the kiss, wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled me closer. He was very experienced. I kissed him back the best way I knew how. His tongue stayed in my mouth tangling with mine. Whoa they’re kissing for real! I heard someone say but couldn’t focus on that because Chris’ hands were still holding my face. Bray!

That’s so unfair! I heard Tameka spit. Stop mommy’s coming. He let me go and we all rushed back to the center of the floor. Hey you guys pizza’s here! Sasha’s mom shouted.

CHAPTER 1

5 years later . . . .

IT WAS SATURDAY morning and I had finally been asked to attend the Fall Homecoming dance at Piedmont High School. I was a sophomore a little popular but not much. The boy that asked me was on the basketball team, he was a junior. I wasn’t really into boys all like that but my friend Tanisha had talked me into going to the dance with him. He had his own car and he was nice . . . then again he was the one who bought the tickets so I couldn’t complain. This would be my first homecoming dance. Before I entered the 9 th grade, we’d moved from the sunny valley of Shaker Pine to the rural district of Piedmont and I’d transferred to the Piedmont school district. My father had left a little over three years ago; since then my mother had moved us twice. We settled in Piedmont when I had just turned fourteen years old. I missed home so much that the first few months I cried and once tried to run away, fat chance.

I stayed in contact with Sasha my best friend from Shaker Pine but my mother didn’t allow me to visit her anymore and she didn’t allow her to come over but we stayed in touch rather it be through telephone calls or Facebook. Once my mother found out about Facebook she cut that off. She said that’s how girls ended up kidnapped and such or raped or what have you. It never stopped me from missing my old friend.

My mother left for work every day around three o’clock and on Saturdays she would stay until Sunday afternoon sometimes even later. I didn’t mind being alone at least then I wouldn’t have to be yelled at or ask to re-clean rooms I’d already cleaned. I wasn’t a bad kid it was just my mother . . . well she was always upset about something and most of the time she took that out on me her only child; her mistake. I stayed clear of her as best I could. I participated in several after school activities, basketball, volleyball, chess club, student council, drama, and the Spanish club. I did this so I wouldn’t be in her way; I guess she needed her space. Through those after school activities, I found my love for dance and theater. When I graduate from high school I plan to move to New York and dance on Broadway, model or act.

Hey girl. I’d met Tanisha a few months after I moved here. She’d shown me around town and introduced me to a few of her friends. She was one of the popular nice girls and those were hard to come by. She was also a junior cheerleader and knew just about everyone. She was always dressed in the latest styles and she had the best clothes. Try this on. She handed me a long orange and red skirt. It was slim fitting and it flared out at the bottom. I didn’t know what type of material it was but it was cute. After I tried on the skirt, she handed me a white blouse that was cut off the shoulder. It looks good on you, here spray some of this. I didn’t have much not after my father left and my mother never gave me money. I tried to get a job but my mother wouldn’t sign off on the work permit so any money that I came by was from writing essays for students too lazy to do so or braiding hair. Braiding hair was my breadwinner. Thanks.

Javier will be here in a few. Girl he’s driving his brother’s Altima so we’ll be on point for real. I just nodded my head and went with the flow. Javier wasn’t a bad looking guy in fact he was cute but I just didn’t like him. Not that I knew what my type was but no sparks flew as they did in movies or in books when he was around. He was sticking around thinking he was going to get some so he would soon grow bored waiting around and be off just like the rest of them. The furthest any boy had ever got with me was a kiss and half the time I didn’t even want to do that. There was no feely touchy, no groping none of that. I didn’t have a boyfriend and so far, I hadn’t wanted one.

We arrived at the dance a little after ten, it was banging and I loved to dance but mostly by myself. Tanisha and her date held hands while I kept mine behind my back, Javier wasn’t my boyfriend just a date to the homecoming dance. He kept his hands on the small of my back to let everyone know I was with him, a little irritating but it was much better than holding hands. We found a table over in the corner with a few others that I’d grown to know over the last two years. Jas who was a senior and his date Natalia, a snob. Jerold and Bonita, they were both juniors and Donnie and Shelia sophomores. What’s up Braylen?

Hey, I said tentatively. I wasn’t shy, it was more so that at times like this was when I missed my old friends from Shaker Pines; hanging out with them always brought back memories of the times I spent with Sasha and her cousin who’s probably the sexy junior alive right about now. Wanna dance.

Sure. Javier led me to the dance floor and we slow danced to the sounds of Usher’s Nice and Slow. You can dance right? He asked. Yes I can dance. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I placed my hands on his shoulders and moved from side to side.

The gym was decorated for couples and I didn’t fit into that category, Javier and I were not a couple. Well if you ask me, we weren’t. I heard that Javier had been telling people that we were talking which is the equivalent for going together. Oh snap, that’s C. Wells! I turned to see . . . oh my god Chris. He was just as I expected he would be. Stay right here, Imma go say what’s up. He left me standing there in the middle of the dance floor and I watched as he walked across the gym. Could he remember me? He’s looking right at me. Oh my god! My heart was beating so hard it felt like it was about to come right out of my chest. He was tall, very tall, with a butterscotch complexion. He still had his curly hair cut short. He wore jeans and a white button down shirt. As he got closer . . . Braylen!

Chris! Javier was still trailing toward him as he ignored him and came toward me. Chris however, pulled me in for a hug. Damn girl you grew up! How long has it been . . . what are you fifteen now? He pulled away from me to stare. I hope he liked what he saw because I sure did. Boy was he fine. Hey C. Wells.

What’s up? He replied not taking his eyes off me. Ya’ll two know each other? Javier asked. Yeah we go way back. Come here girl. He took my hand and pulled me back to the dance floor. Who’s that your boyfriend?"

Uh no . . . just my date, I came with him to the dance.

Well tell him to get lost.

Chris!

Okay, okay . . . I’ll be nice. he whispered as he leaned back to ask my date if he could cut in. Do you mind if I cut in, he asked. It’s been a long time and we go way back."

Sure, sure . . . He pulled me deeper onto the dance floor. You still dance right? I nodded. You look good Braylen, he explained as he pulled me closer to him. I couldn’t even tell you what song was playing because I was too focused on him and his arms wrapped tightly around me. His hands moved up and down my back and I melted. He was so gorgeous. Braylen, Braylen . . . . I could feel his warm breath on my neck. He smelled incredible.

After three songs, he still had me on the dance floor. Javier hadn’t come back I assumed he was gone. Chris who are you here with?

You.

No I mean who did you come here with?

Oh my boys . . . . they’re around here somewhere. You still can dance, still think you better than me?

Of course I do.

What happened to you . . . you moved away?

Yeah I moved a few times actually.

You go here?

Yeah.

A sophomore, a sexy sophomore . . . . girl you’re fine.

I’m alright . . . but you ain’t bad yourself. You too have grown up, a junior right?

Yeap.

How does Javier know you?

Who?

Javier my uh date?

Oh, beats me. I don’t know him.

Whaaat, I extended the word in disbelief. No I don’t . . . maybe it’s a basketball or baseball thing I don’t know. I just came here with my boys Gerald and Mark.

Oh I don’t know them. I replied. They come down to pick up girls. He laughed. Oh and you don’t?

I get a few numbers here and there but no one as fine as you are and tonight I may have to just get my last number. I pulled away just to see what he was talking about. What’s that suppose to mean? Instead of answering me, he pulled me back to him. Remember when I kissed you in the closest? I giggled. Yeah I remember. We both stood quiet still swaying to the beat of the music. Something was telling me he was . . . Braylen, I looked up in brown eyes looking down on mine. His hands softly grabbed the side of my face just as they had when I was ten and he was twelve. His lips parted mine. This kiss was different; I had a little experience now but it was something else. It was deep and it dang near brought me to my knees. He stopped the kiss, the kiss that was making me weak and laid his forehead against mine. Braylen I’ve had a crush on you since I was twelve years old. That’s impossible I thought to myself. I needed to sit down; I couldn’t be hearing him right. He had a crush on me, what no way. Before I could think any, further he had his lips wrapped around mine again. This time I pulled him closer wrapping my hands behind his head. I couldn’t believe it, he actually liked me too. Aye!

What?

That’s my girl! Javier shouted. I starred at him with all types of frustrated emotions on my face. I wasn’t his girl. Tanisha and her date walked over. Tanisha looked at me and me at her. You did leave her here in the middle of the dance floor. Javier grabbed my wrist, I snatched away. Don’t grab me like that!

Aye let her go! Chris shouted and I could see his fists were balled at his sides. He looked the same way he did five years ago when the boy across the street from his cousin’s house touched my butt. Chris I better go.

Yeah get in the car! shouted Javier. Excuse me. Chris grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind him. Don’t talk to her like that, said Chris. I’ll take you home, he whispered. I was so pissed off. First off, I wasn’t his girl and secondly he didn’t have to talk to me like that. You did leave me on the dance floor and now you have the audacity to be mad. He reached for my arm but Chris moved me away from him. I just told you I’ll take her home.

Get the fuck out my way!

Don’t put your hands on me, I just told you that I would take her home now run along.

Chris I don’t want any trouble, I’ll find my own way home its okay. I’d already seen Chris’ temper and I didn’t want him to get into any trouble. He wasn’t from around here and these boys were rough. I walked from behind Chris and Javier grabbed me pushing me into the crowd. I fell to the floor. As I went to stand, Javier was falling down next to me with Chris pounding him blow for blow. Chris chill! I heard someone say. A few seconds later, I was pulled away from the brawl. Chris stop, let’s go! He got up leaving Javier on the floor, bloodied and embarrassed. Are you okay?

Yes I’m fine, I didn’t mean for that to happen.

No, no it’s fine, let’s go I’ll take you home. He grabbed my hand and we walked out of the gymnasium as cop cars pulled up to the gym. I didn’t want this. What’s up CJ? The cop greeted. Hey Jason.

What happened, she okay?

Yeah she’s fine; I’m going to take her home. The guy inside pushed her, I just uh helped her out.

Don’t even worry about it man, we got you; get her home. They gave each other dap and he led me to his car. You know them?

Yeah that’s Danielle’s boyfriend. Your blouse is wet. As I looked to survey the damage, I noticed that it was wet and it smelled like beer. That asshole was drunk.

I know that’s why I couldn’t let you go home with him.

How’d you know he was drunk?

I smelled it on him but even if he wasn’t I still would have offered to take you home.

Chris you don’t have to take me home, seriously I can call . . . I mean I can . . . I looked again at my shirt. My mother was going to kill me; and not just, for being late which she probably wouldn’t have noticed anyway but if she found these clothes and the smell of bear. What’s wrong?

I smell like beer, she’s going to kill me.

Your mom?

Yes.

Why don’t I take you to my house; I’ll wash your shirt and give you another one and we can wait until it dries.

You’d do that?

Yeah, come on let’s go.