A Kiss in Carolina: Love and Desire, #2

By J.C. Fairbanks

The dust has settled after three sisters embarked on a life-changing summer vacation.  Now it's time for little sister Anika to go away to college.  But will her life be turned upside down by not one, but two men eager for her attentions?  Will she choose the sweet boy next door, or the sexy cowboy on campus?  Fall may be hotter than the summer as all three sisters explore their new relationships, and their passions are ignited like never before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Fairbanks
• Release date: May 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393117803

J.C. Fairbanks

I love to write about love. True love, passion, and romance are the best things about life. I fall in love with all of my characters in every story, and I hope you will, too. In my real life I am living my happily ever after every day with the love of my life and our four little ones.  But let me tell you the story of how I started writing. One night I had a dream. It was incredible and I couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks. This dream was not your usual dream. It was so real that it felt like it had actually happened. In it I met Julia, Camile, Anika, Leo, David, and the whole family. I now knew these people and I was dying to find out what happened to them after I was yanked from my slumber by the alarm clock. It was nearly impossible to get out of bed that morning and even harder to stop thinking about them. My first novel, Two Days In Florida, was born. But I still had to know more. The stories just keep getting steamier and more romantic. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Book preview

1

Thomas

I SAT IN THE BACK OF AP Chemistry and just watched.  Her long neck was accentuated by her short, black curls.  My eyes followed the line of her neck, down her shoulders, down her leg peeking out from the side of the desk.

Anika.  I felt my heart speed up a little at the thought of her name.

N2 molecules absorb ultraviolet light, but not visible light.  I2 molecules absorb both visible and ultraviolet light.  Please explain why...  Mr. Griffin.  I heard Mr. Parkay call my name.  I looked up and tried to recall what he had just said.  Luckily, I was pretty good at chemistry.

Visible light does not produce transitions between electronic energy levels in the N2 molecule, but does produce transitions in the I2 molecule, I answered.

That is correct, Mr. Griffin.  He looked kind of mad that I had gotten that right.

Mr.  Parkay continued his lecture, and I continued to half listen.  Senior year was coming to an end soon.  AP tests were next week.  And all I could think about was asking Anika out before we graduated, and we went our separate ways.

Anika had been my friend since the fourth grade, when my family had moved here from England.  I hadn’t known anyone and was painfully shy.  Anika and I were on the Science Olympiad team together and really hit it off.  We always had fun together, no matter what nerdy activity we decided to do.  That was one thing I loved about Anika.  She was always up for anything and never worried about what other people thought.

Things had changed freshman year; for me anyway.  I began to have different feelings for her.  I asked her out then.  She turned me down gently, but firmly.  Still, we had been able to remain friends.  There was never any weirdness with Ahn.  But over the last three years, no matter how hard I tried to stop them, my feelings for her had only grown.

The bell rang and we all jumped out of our seats and headed for the hall.  Everyone could feel summer break on the horizon and energy was running high.  I caught up with Anika in the hall.  Hey, Ahn, wait up!

Hey Thomas, what’s up?  She slowed and walked with me.

So, I was wondering what you’re doing this weekend?  My hands felt like ice.

Oh my gosh, I have so much studying to do!  I have to pass these AP tests.  Did I tell you I finally decided on which college to go to?  A big smile lit up her face and she was almost bouncing down the hall.

No, where?  I think my heart stopped beating.  I prayed it was close to Montague, where I was going.  Anika abruptly stopped and stood in front of me, almost causing me to bump into her.

Montague, she said, and playfully punched me in the stomach.  I pretended it hurt, but really my stomach was doing flips.  Guess we’re both going to be Porcupines!  In the end they really had the best public affairs program, and they offered me a pretty good scholarship.  Geez, Thomas, when did you get a six pack?  You hurt my hand!

Must be all that time I spend in the gym, I laughed.

"I gotta go!  I cannot be late to English!  See ya!" and she was gone.

Well, didn’t that go just great, I thought to myself.  But she was going to Montague!  Oh, who was I kidding.  That only meant four more years of chances for me to be a wimp and not ask her out.

I had a free period, so I headed over to the track to get in a few laps before practice after school.  Running was my first love.  I would run for hours as a child.  Then track and field starting in junior high.  This year I’d started javelin and I had filled out quite a bit.  I ran my hand over my abs and felt the hard ridges there.  I guess I did have a six-pack.

Hi, Thomas, a voice said behind me as I exited the building.  I turned around and Amy was leaning against the wall by the door.  Amy McGuire was the most popular girl in school.  In junior high she taunted me relentlessly.  This year she had been pretty nice.  It was probably because she thought I was a jock now, and she was going to let me be in their little club.

I walked up to her, Hi Amy.  What’s going on?  I didn’t really want to talk to her, but I had time to kill.

I was hoping you’d come this way.  I’ve been waiting for you, she said.

What for?  I asked, suspiciously.

Thomas, can I tell you a secret?  she whispered.

Sure.

I’ve got a little crush on you.  Have had for a while now.  And I was hoping you would take me to prom?

This was coming out of left field.  Um, isn’t Brian taking you to the prom?  I asked.  Brian (aka The Machine) Jones was not only the star of both the football team and the baseball team, but he had also been Amy’s boyfriend for the last two years.

Didn’t you hear?  We broke up.  I couldn’t deal with his drama anymore.  Plus, he’s just too much into his sports.  It got boring.  I would much rather go with you.

Amy stepped forward and put her arms around my neck.  Her blue eyes looked up into mine.  I started to feel very uncomfortable.  Gosh, Amy, I wasn’t really going to go to the prom.  It’s not really my kind of thing.  I don’t think I’d be very fun.

Don’t worry about that.  I know plenty of ways to make it fun, and then her lips were on mine.  Her tongue slipped in to touch mine and she tasted like bubble gum.  I could feel her breasts pressed up against me.  The feeling was not altogether unpleasant.  But I pulled away.

Ok, let me think about it.  I’ve gotta get to the track.  I’ll talk you later, I said as I started to walk away.

Hold on, give me your arm, Amy said, grabbing my hand.  She had a pen out and wrote her phone number on the underside of my forearm.  Now you can text me anytime you want to, she said, smiling impishly at me.

Thanks, I said, and made a beeline for the locker room.  Amy McGuire!  Most of the guys in the school would kill for the shot I was getting right now.  The way she filled out her cheerleader uniform was almost indecent.  But she wasn’t what I wanted.  She wasn’t funny, or clever, or warm the way Anika was.

I tried to run the thoughts out of my head, but it didn’t work.  I was still thinking of Anika when I fell asleep that night.  And again, the next morning while I walked down the hall to first period.  Suddenly a hand slipped around my arm and Amy was walking next to me.

Good morning, she said, smiling at me.  You didn’t text me last night.  She put a silly looking pout on her lips.

Um, yeah, practice was long.  I went to bed early.

Walk me to class to make up for it, Amy said, pulling my arm along with her.

I walked her to her class and when we got to the door, she pressed up to me and kissed me on the cheek.

See you later, cutie, she said, and disappeared into class.

I didn’t know what to think about this.  I guess she was so used to getting what she wanted that she didn’t even consider that I might not want it.  I walked to my class in a daze and sat down at my desk.

So, you and Amy McGuire, ay, Griffin?  Mike punched me in the arm from his desk next to me.

What?  I said, confused.

We all saw you in the hall, getting kissy with her.  Way to go, bro!  said Mike.

Uh, no, it’s not like that.  I was just walking her to class.  Don’t even think about it.  I was getting annoyed.

Ok, ok, don’t want to incur the wrath of Brian The Machine, I get it.  I won’t say a word, and Mike zipped his lips and threw away an imaginary key.

Turns out news travels fast, whether Mike said anything or not.  When I walked into the cafeteria for lunch a few hours later, people were looking at me.  At first, I thought I was just being paranoid, but then Amy sat down beside me, and everyone really started to stare.

Hi, she said, what’s for lunch?  I pulled out my usual turkey sandwich and started to eat.  I had really been hoping to find Anika today.  I needed to talk to her.  I looked around and spotted her, sitting at a table with her girlfriends.  She didn’t seem to notice us.

Penny for your thoughts, Amy said, putting her arm through mine again.

Sorry Amy, just daydreaming, I guess.  I think I didn’t eat enough at breakfast.  Need to get some protein in me.  It sounded lame.  Whatever.  I finished my lunch quickly and saw that Anika was walking out.  Hey Amy, I gotta go talk to Anika about something.  See you later, and I ran out of the cafeteria.

Anika!  I yelled down the hall as I ran out the door.  She stopped and turned, then smiled at me.  My heart thudded.

Hey Thomas.

Got a sec?  There’s something I want to ask you.

Sure, she said, her beautiful brown eyes looking into mine.

Can we go over to the art room?  I asked.  I knew the art room would be empty right now and I wanted a place where we wouldn’t be interrupted.

As we walked, Anika said, So you and Amy McGuire?  You sly fox, you!  and she smiled at me conspiratorially.

My stomach clenched.  I opened the door to the art room, and led Anika in.

That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about, I said, turning to her.  She asked me to prom yesterday, can you believe that?  But there is someone else I would much rather go with.

Anika looked nervous.  Thomas, I think you and Amy are great together.  Really, you should go with her.

Are you going to prom?  I asked, my heart sinking.

Yeah, me and Sandy and Leah are going stag, or I guess, doe.  I just want to have fun.  The pressure of a date would be too much.  But you should go with Amy.  It’ll be fun.

Yeah, sure.  I didn’t know what else to say.  The bell rang and we walked to our classes in silence.

2

Anika

GRADUATION DAY CAME so fast.  Before I knew it, we were all standing in line to get our diplomas.  I watched from the back row while Thomas went up to get his.  When he paused for the picture, his eyes scanned the crowd and met mine.  He smiled and winked.  I felt a flush come to my face.

But I didn’t have time to think about it.  It was our row’s turn to line up and I pushed the thoughts from my head.  My sister, Camile, had just gone head over heels for a man this week and I was getting nauseous watching her reaction.  He was all she was thinking about.  I didn’t want to lose myself like that.  No boys for now.

Especially not Thomas.  He was my best friend.  I would never want to ruin that with some awkward, romantic relationship.  Besides, he belonged with someone like Amy, beautiful like him.  She was tall, blonde, big blue eyes.  I felt plain and short next to her.  I was happy that she had decided to notice Thomas.  And she wasn’t the only one.

Thomas had grown up this year.  He was tall, probably over six feet now.  His coal black hair and blue eyes had always been stunning, but now that his face had lost its boyish roundness, and become strong and angular, they stood out even more.  He’d gotten muscles this year, too.  The senior class had a beach day last week and I could see all the girls’ eyes watching him when he took his shirt off.

Amy had claimed him, though, so everyone else stayed away.  No one wanted to cross the head cheerleader/prom queen/most popular girl in school.  I was so glad to be going to college so I could get away from