CHASTE
McCullough Mountain 3
Lydia Michaels
Erotic Romance
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
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[email protected] A Secret Cravings Publishing Book
Erotic Romance
Chaste
Copyright © 2014 Lydia Michaels
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63105-094-7
First E-book Publication: February 2014
Cover design by Dawné Dominique
Edited by Faith Summers
Proofread by Rene Flowers
All cover art and logo copyright © 2014 by Secret Cravings Publishing
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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Dedication
This book is for my readers, especially…
Carla Livingston Dragon
Lisa Cody
Heather Recci
&
Kathy Steele.
Thank you for loving my characters as much as I do.
Enjoy!
And a special thank you to Gayle Donnelly, Allyson Young, and Elise Hepner.
Three incredible authors who helped me bring these incredible characters to life.
Love you gals!
~Lydia
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*Trouble With a Cowboy, a western, erotic romance:
18 wheels had her heart until one hard-up cowboy found her kickin' up her heels and propositions her to take his bull to Vegas.
Jacie Hawkins drives big wheelers for a livin'. Something not a lot of women do. Littleton Oklahoma is just a dry stopover for a few hours of rest and relaxation at the nearest bar. Jacie needs to find a hot cowboy to release some of her pent up frustrations on for the night, but wannabe's aren't her style.
Tucker Marshall needs a big-rig driver to haul his prize bull to National Finals Rodeo and he needs one fast. Who would have thought he'd find one shootin' pool at the local bar dressed to kill and takin' numbers?
Can some slashed tires and an ornery bull bring two hard-headed people together for some fun in the sun and a little more?
**Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers 1), paranormal erotic romance:
Ashleigh Brown, the author of the popular Nightwalkers series, lives a quiet life free of the limelight. She keeps her real identity secret by writing under the pen name, Victoria Allure. She soon finds herself in a bind when she's kidnapped by a group of handsome vampires seeking Victoria. She then agrees to meet their Master, who's a huge fan of her books. But instead of meeting him, she accidentally crosses paths with her rock star crush. He is the sexy muse behind Nightwalkers and the man she based the hero in the series upon. She would do anything to meet him but little does she know her crush has a secret...
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CHASTE
McCullough Mountain 3
Lydia Michaels
Copyright © 2014
Prologue
Freshman Year
“Bray!” Kelly hissed his brother’s name as he nudged his shoulder. “Bray, get up.”
“What, Kelly? What time is it?”
“Three in the morning. Wake up.”
Braydon roughly rubbed his hands over his face and scooted into a sitting position. His eyes narrowed when he focused on Kelly. “Where were you?”
Kelly grinned wide and gave his brother a telling look. “At the pavilion. I snuck out and met Rachel.”
Bray’s eyes widened. “If mum catches you she’s gonna beat your ass.”
“They’re asleep. No one knows.” He bobbed, his heart still racing with adrenaline from the crazy night. “Bray…we did it.”
“It?”
“Yup.”
“What was it like?” Bray whispered in the dark.
“It was…awesome. Sort of confusing at first, but we figured it out. You have to do it.”
His brother’s mouth opened as he stared into the dark, a slice of moonlight and an expression of awe clear on his face. “Did Rachel like it?”
“Yeah. I mean, I think so.”
Of all his older brothers, Braydon was the only one Kelly felt safe sharing his news with. Colin wouldn’t be able to relate, being that he was away in seminary becoming a priest. Luke definitely wasn’t a virgin, but he was more of the private sort and would kick Kelly’s ass for asking. Finn…Finn was with Erin, and Kelly assumed
any couple together for a year would do it, but he wasn’t quite sure. Finn was so good and respectful and Erin didn’t really put off any come hither vibes.
“Did you use a condom?” Braydon asked.
“Do I look like an idiot? Yes, I used a condom. The last thing this world needs is another me running around, although, he would be a cute little bastard.”
“I can’t believe this. So…are you guys, like, a thing now?”
Kelly shrugged. “Dunno.”
“You’re going to be gettin’ it all the time, you lucky bastard.”
His smile widened. Yeah, he could definitely do it again. Now that he’d opened Pandora’s box he wanted to set up camp and do more. There were all sorts of things he wanted to try and he couldn’t wait to get to it. Maybe tomorrow after school…
“What was that?” Bray hissed, and they both froze.
A door in the hall opened and closed followed by heavy footsteps. Holding his breath, Kelly watched his brother’s door. The knob slowly turned and he snatched off his hat and kicked off his shoes so it wouldn’t look like he’d just gotten in.
The door pressed open and their father’s gaze met his, blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Kelly? What the hell are you two doing up? Go back to your own room. It’s late.”
“Sorry, Dad. We were just talking about the game.”
Frank’s lips pursed. “I’m sure. Get your arse in bed and go to sleep. It’s a school night.”
Their father shut the door and they were silent for a minute. When he met his brother’s stare they both stifled a laugh. “Get out of here, Fabio. I got a test tomorrow.”
Kelly grabbed his shoes and hat and said goodnight.
The following morning he woke and bounded down the steps for breakfast. He was anxious to get to school and see Rachel, maybe make some plans for that afternoon.
Feeling like the king of the world, he slid into his seat across from his little sister and grabbed the box of cereal. Oats went scattering across the surface of the table when something hard cracked him in the ear. After shaking off the unexpected blow, he turned and found his mother scowling at him, both hands fisted and wedged into her rounded hips. “Ow, Ma!”
“What did you do?” she snapped.
“What was that for?”
“Don’t you go playing all innocent with me, Kelly McCullough. A mother knows.”
Sheilagh snickered over her bowl of Frosted Flakes. He met Bray’s wide eyes and quickly turned back to his mother. “I didn’t do anything!”
Her green eyes contracted into small points hidden behind her fiery red lashes. “I can tell when one of my sons is up to something.”
“I’m not up to anything.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re so full of shit your breath stinks. Whatever you’re acting all cheeky about this morning, you better knock it off.”
He turned back to his bowl and scooped the spilled cereal inside. Mumbling as he poured the milk, “Christ, can’t a guy be happy in the morning?”
“All of your life you’ve lurched into this kitchen like a zombie. Today you come bounding down the steps like you’re leading a bloody parade. Not in my house, young man.”
“Fine. I’ll go back to being a grump in the morning.”
“Damn right, you will. And whatever you’re up to knock it off.”
The rest of breakfast passed in silence. He wasn’t sure how his mother sensed what he’d been up to, but she knew. By the end of the week there was a surplus size box of condoms in his sock drawer, right where she put his fresh laundry.
Talk about awkward. He couldn’t meet her gaze for almost a week. When he finally built up the courage, she’d stared at him in such a knowing way paranoia had him blinking away. How the hell did she know?
The following weekend, just as Kelly was rushing out the door to meet some friends, his father stopped him. “Kelly.”
He skidded to a halt at the front door and hooked a left into the den. “Yeah, Dad.”
“Sit down for a minute.”
Hitching his thumb toward the door, he said, “I’m meeting some friends—”
“I said sit.”
Recognizing the stern tone in his father’s voice, he dropped onto the couch.
“I got a call last week from Jerry Blackwell.”
Oh, fuuuuuudge. Jerry Blackwell was Rachel’s dad.
“Apparently, Rachel’s been sneaking out at night. She won’t be doing that any more now that her parents caught her.”
“Dad—”
“It’s different with boys. You five do stupid stuff all the time. Even Colin had his moments of idiocy. But I keep thinking about Sheilagh. Next year she’ll be in high school, just like Jerry’s daughter. I look at my little baby and I try to think what I’d do if I found out she’d snuck out with some punk kid.”
Everything in his gut solidified, as he understood the implication. Sheilagh was their baby sister and if anyone ever—ugh, he couldn’t even think it. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
“I don’t think I’m the one you should be apologizing to. Is this lassie your girlfriend, Kelly?”
He shrugged. They were friends. They had fun together. They liked fooling around. “Not really.”
His father leveled him with a hard stare. “Then I’d say it’s not really right for you to be touching her. I’m not ready to be a grandfather.”
“I was safe.”
His father’s large hand pinched the bridge of his nose. “Kelly, sex isn’t about getting in and getting out clean. That’s important, but it should be more than that. It should mean something. Now, I know your mother’s upset. Colleen convinced her to get you some condoms, but I’d rather see you practice abstinence. You’re young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Having a child changes everything. It ties you to that person for the rest of your life. What happens when that person isn’t the woman you love?”
He understood what his dad was trying to say. Kelly barely knew Rachel. They were fourteen. The rest of their lives was a long time. “I hear ya.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I’ll be more careful.”
Frank stared at him for a long moment. “Boys will be boys, Kelly. I remember what it was like. Just… don’t mislead anyone and don’t do anything you’re not prepared to take accountability for. Carelessness comes with consequence and if you screw up, you’re responsible for the mess. Don’t volunteer if the repercussions are too much to handle. As an Irish Catholic family, you know certain things are off the table and not an option.”
He swallowed. “I know.”
Later that night, after hours of considering what his father said, he found some of his excitement evaporated. He didn’t want to ruin his future by having a baby when he was just a kid. Rachel wasn’t around because she was grounded for sneaking out. Guilt for getting her in trouble wasn’t pleasant.
He and his friends met up at the local pizza parlor in town and he wasn’t really feeling social. “Hey, Kelly.”
Kelly looked up from his soda and grinned at Lauren. “Hey, Lauren.”
She slid into the booth, her dark hair tickling his arm. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing.”
The rest of their friends were crowded around the video games at the back of the restaurant. “I’m bored. You wanna go somewhere?”
He was bored too. He didn’t have money to waste on games and his head hurt from thinking about his father’s lecture. “Where?”
She shrugged. Her shoulders showed in one of those neat shirts that tied around her neck. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Kelly nodded and followed her out of the pizza shop. They walked for a while and wound up at the elementary playground sitting on the swings. Lauren was easy to talk to. She didn’t say much, but she laughed at the stupid things he said.
When it got dark they seemed to run out of things to discuss. Lauren climbed off her swing and slowly came to stand in front of his. “I like you, Kelly.”
Taken by off guard by her confession, he stared at her for a moment. Lauren was really pretty. Her full lips and big brown eyes shined under the moonlight. Her darker Cherokee skin was flawless.
The scent of her hair surrounded him as she leaned lower and brushed her lips over his. They tasted like cupcakes. She must have put some sort of vanilla lip stuff on. He licked his lips slowly. “You taste like sugar.”
She giggled quietly and stepped over his knees. His sneakers pressed into the sand as his fingers tightened on the chains of the swing. Her body lowered, fitting perfectly over his lap as her mouth found his again.
They kissed for a long time, losing themselves in so many new and exciting sensations. His hand slid into the back pocket of her jeans and she moaned into his mouth. It was dark and the only light was several yards away.
Lauren leaned back, her hands disappearing beneath the curtain of her black hair. When she lowered her arms, the ties of her top came with them.
“Christ.”
She smiled and he lowered his head, placing his lips on the soft swell of her breast and kissing over the lace of her strapless bra. Kelly should have been thinking about lots of things in that moment, but the only thing on his mind was Lauren. His body was rock hard and screaming for more. He never expected to get more, but when Lauren stood and led him to the tunnel in the jungle gym, he didn’t have the sense nor inclination to say no.
* * * *
“You’re a pig!”
Speechless, Kelly stared at Rachel as the entire cafeteria went silent. “Rachel—”
“How could you?” Her lips thinned as she shook her head in disbelief. “I gave you everything,” she whispered. “And none of it mattered to you.” Leaning close, she hissed so only he could hear, “I haven’t even gotten my period yet!”