OBTAINED (Book One) Read online

  “You look pale,” he says, sitting forward. “What’s wrong?”

  I sigh as I sit back. I can’t tell Liam. He’ll think I’m crazy and try to relate it to my accident. He believes that hallucinations are a sign that I haven’t fully recovered from whatever may have happened. But I wasn’t hallucinating. That was all too real.

  “It’s nothing,” I mutter then stand to make my way to my bedroom.

  “Welp, I tried,” he sighs with a shrug, leaning back to watch TV again.

  I roll my eyes as I step into my room. One thing about Liam that I absolutely cannot stand is the fact that he shrugs everything off. He has a careless attitude and it is the main reason why he can’t maintain a relationship. If I had a dollar for every time that a girl cursed him out and called him a “careless bastard”, I would be rich. But I guess when you have a psychotic mother and a dead father, you have no choice but to not care about the little things. To be honest, I’ve never seen Liam angry or upset. He’s always calm and chill—mainly because he loves to smoke pot on a daily basis.

  I toss my coat on the grey chair beside my bed then flop on my back. My white comforter surrounds me like a massive cloud, leaving me with no choice but to get cozy and fall asleep.

  ****

  There are fierce eyes everywhere—glowing eyes—but they are pleasant colors. Sapphire blue, emerald green, exotic violet, sparkling pink, and gold—just like Jules’. And now I’m running, panting hard. I’m not sure which way to go, who to call on. It’s dark all over and I have no clue as to where I am or what I’m even running from.

  “Alexandria!”

  I gasp, turning to the sound of the voice but no one is there. The voice is vaguely familiar. It calls me again but they sound closer now and as I spot the glowing, honey-colored eyes and the long, pale arms, I realize who it is. It’s Jules and he is waiting for me.

  “Jules?” I call, taking a step forward. He comes in closer and a bright light appears above his head to showcase his entire body. He’s smiling and he looks beautiful. He has on all black and his curly hair is casually pushed back. I step forward until I meet up to him. He reaches for my hand and I give it to him. He rubs his thumb along my knuckles while his other hand reaches up to caress my cheek. I lean into him, suppressing my heavy breathing and my jumbled nerves to allow my calmness to take over. I want him, and from the look in his beautiful topaz irises, I can tell that he wants me, too. He has the look in his eyes, the need that I’ve never known until I’ve talked to him.

  “We shouldn’t be together. I don’t think you’ll ever forgive,” he whispers, catching me off guard. I pull back and frown with a tilt of my head.

  “Why not?”

  His chuckle is humble, sexy. “There are reasons.”

  I groan. Even in my dreams he doesn’t like to answer me with complete sentences. But I don’t say anything and it isn’t too long before his smile disappears. He releases my hand to look over my shoulder with a snarl. I spin around and look with him but nothing is there. Everything outside of us and his vibrant gold glow is dark, empty. I turn back around to face Jules but he is gone and I am enveloped in the dark as the exotic glowing eyes start to swarm around me again. They are chanting something—something that I can’t make out quite clearly. But I know they mean no harm. They are warning me . . . but of what?

  STARE DOWN

  I really wish that I didn’t have the day off. Working takes my mind off of things and right now, all I can think about is Jules and his glowing eyes. They were undeniably beautiful . . . but beyond frightening. I’ve always had a hunch for supernatural things and now that I’ve seen that, the supernatural has to exist. I’ve always been fascinated with vampires, fairies, werewolves, shifters, and the other miraculous things out there, but I never would have thought that I would encounter it in real life. I guess that’s what I get for watching so many movies and television shows. But what I saw last night would explain why he is so weird and why he keeps to himself so much. Most supernatural beings that I read about or see on television are quiet, distant, and sexy so now I definitely believe it because Jules is all of that.

  I grab the vacuum cleaner and begin vacuuming the crumbs that Liam left on the floor from a bag of Doritos. Liam is a pig and it really sucks to have him as a roommate but I have no other choice. I can’t afford to live on my own and I don’t know anyone that I can trust more than my own brother. I don’t have many friends besides my associates at Think Coffee. Chris is an older man and Mindy—well I just don’t trust her much and to live with her would be hell. So right now I’m just sucking it up and dealing with my pothead brother that always has the munchies.

  As soon the roaring of the vacuum has ended, there is a knock at the door. Liam doesn’t knock and our neighbors never bother us. I rush to the door, peep out of the peep hole, and spot wavy brown hair belonging to someone I’ve never seen before.

  I swing the door open and as he turns around quickly, his dazzling face catches me completely off guard. He is dressed neatly in a collared white shirt and black slacks. His brown hair is cut short around the ears, pushed back, and he has the most beautiful hazel eyes I’ve ever seen. His face is very masculine—excluding the baby soft dimples that are deeply imprinted in his cheeks. His nose is perfectly aligned and he has no sign of facial hair—and I can’t forget to mention the soft curve of his lips . . . the lips that are now quirked up and smiling at me.

  “Um—hi,” I say softly. What do I say to a random hot guy that’s at my door step?

  “Hello,” he says with a charming smile. I melt. “I’m Felix Wells,” he says, reaching his hand out to me. My eyes widen as I reach my hand out to meet his. “I—um—” He hesitates as he looks me over and I flush, embarrassed, because all I have on are grey sweats and a white tank. “I’m sorry. My brother told me to come up and ask you for some help but I wasn’t expecting to be greeted by someone so . . . gorgeous.” He grins smoothly, revealing a sparkling glimpse of white teeth and to my surprise, I haven’t stumbled backwards and fainted from it. I bite down on my lower lip with a grin, forcing myself to unglue my hand from his. I feel my cheeks warming up, hotter than they ever have before. He continues to smile then turns around to look back.

  “My brother’s car is being a tool today and we both locked our phones inside of his apartment.” He turns back around to face me. Geesh, he is really tall. Really, really tall—well way taller than me, the five-foot-three Blondie. “We didn’t realize that the door was locked until we stepped out and now we’re freezing.” He continues to look me over and I’m not really sure of what to say or what to do. He rests his shoulder against the frame of door with a soft tilt of his head. I glance up at him and my heartbeat quickens, somehow feeling intimidated by him. I’m not sure why I feel this way about someone that’s being so friendly. Maybe it’s because he’s dressed so nicely—or maybe it’s because I’m half his height—or maybe it’s because he keeps staring at me like he wants to eat me alive. He raises his eyebrows with a warm smirk gracing his lips. “I can go to someone else if you don’t want to be bothered.”

  I shake my head. “I’m sorry—no—please come in.” He nods with a simple smile while stepping in.

  “In the midst of cleaning?” he asks, looking from the vacuum cleaner and bleach products to me.

  “Uh—yeah,” I mumble softly. I shut the door as he studies our apartment. He then glances back at me with that same sexy smile on his lips.

  “So, where can I find a phone?” he asks, almost teasing.

  “Oh!” I rush to my bedroom quickly. Jeez, Alexandria. Get it together. It’s not like you haven’t seen a hot guy before. But this guy, Felix, he’s super-hot. What is going on with me running into really hot men lately? I grab my Blackberry and rush back into the living room. I spot Felix who is now glancing at our picture frames that are on the bookshelf.

  “Here you go.” I hand the phone to him and he nods gratefully before grabbing it, dialing a number, and then pressing the ph
one to his ear.

  “Hi, Stacey—yeah, it’s Felix.” He pauses and I hop to the kitchen to pretend that I’m doing something with myself. “Yeah, Braxton and I locked ourselves out—yes, again,” he chuckles. “Also, his car won’t start. We’re going to drive mine to come and get your key. I’ll be there to pick you up when you’re off.” He pauses again. “Alright. Sounds good. Be there shortly—Goodbye.”

  I hear him making his way towards the kitchen and I immediately grab a sponge and pretend to wipe the counters. He peeks around the corner while knocking on the wall with a gracious grin.

  “Thank you,” he says, handing me my phone.

  “Anytime,” I say, grabbing it and placing it on the counter. He turns around and begins to walk towards the door. Oh, my. His walk is really sexy.

  “Actually,” he says as he spins around and looks into my eyes. I press my lips together and meet his eyes quickly. I hope he didn’t notice that I was staring. He takes a few steps forward and places an elbow against the wall, raking his fingers through his silky, wavy hair with a grin. “This is going to sound crazy coming from someone that you don’t know, but is it possible that we catch a cup of coffee together later?”

  My heart pounds eagerly. “Er—yeah. That would be great.” My cheeks spread to grin heavily.

  He chuckles. “I don’t believe I’ve caught your name,” he says, lowering his arm to tuck his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

  Wow, Alexandria, how could you forget to introduce yourself? “It’s Alexandria—Alexandria Marshall.” My face is on fire now.

  “Well, that is a lovely name, Alexandria.” Oh my goodness. He makes my name sound so enticing. He is enticing. Everything about him is—oh, stop it, Lustful Alexandria.

  “Thank you,” I blush. He smiles then checks his watch. “I guess I should get going. What do you say I come back around three this afternoon, after I fix my brother and his mess?”

  I giggle. “Whenever you’re ready.” He nods as he looks me over again.

  “See you then, Alexandria.” He turns around and makes his way to the door. When he says my name it’s like silk running through my fingers. My heart is pumping with something new—something different—and I really like the feeling. How can he have this kind of effect on me already? I’ve literally just met the guy. I hear the door click shut, that being my cue that he is gone.

  Wow. I, Alexandria Mona Marshall, have a date with a hot guy. I smile as I glance at the white tile of my kitchen floor. On the inside I’m bouncing up and down, cheering, and running around the house, screaming to the top of my lungs like an idiot. I’m excited. I’ve never been on a date before and to go with a really beautiful guy, well, I feel really special for that. Hopefully this guy takes my mind off Jules, the other really super-hot guy.

  ****

  Expecting Felix Wells to escort me to a slick silver 2013 Cadillac XTS was not on my list. My eyes are like googly eyes as I spot it and as he presses the button on his key to unlock the door, I know I have to be dreaming.

  “This is your car?” I ask, still astonished.

  He chuckles as he opens my door. “It is.” He winks at me. I flush as I tuck myself inside. He shuts my door before walking past the front of the car to get to the driver’s side. He really does have a sexy walk. Or maybe I’m just crazy and pay too much attention. I glance around at all of the buttons and screens inside. Everything is glowing in bright colors and I must say that I am quite embarrassed to have driven in my white 1996 Jeep Cherokee for two years.

  Felix hops in and immediately cranks the car up. He is casually smiling and I’m not sure why—but I could give it a guess. It’s probably because I’m still shocked by this luxurious car. What does he do for a living and how can he afford to drive something like this? He’s so young and to have a car like this, you have to be an older—but very successful—man.

  “How did you buy this?” I ask as he pulls out of the parking lot.

  His lips quirk up to smile but he doesn’t eye me. “With money,” he replies, jokingly. I press my lips together as I look ahead. He presses a button on the steering wheel and the song Yeah by Usher blares out of the speakers. He reaches forward quickly to turn it down, his face crimson and embarrassed, while I try to contain my laughter.

  “You like club music, I see,” I tease.

  He presses a button on the steering wheel and a song by Coldplay begins to play. “Pardon that. My brother is a bit of a party animal. It was his choice.” We approach a red light and as soon as he stops, he turns to face me. I can feel him scanning me over in my outfit that took me forever to pick out. I was so worried about what to wear, what to do to my short hair. It was confusing and it has never happened to me before. I’ve never been on a date—with anyone. “You look astounding.”

  I burn scarlet again. I glance down at my skinny jeans, white blouse, and my brown leather coat with flat brown boots to match. The stoplight flashes green and he faces forward to drive again. The music fills our silence, leaving me with no choice but to go along with it. There are so many questions that I want to ask and so many things that I want to know about him, but I know that I have to wait. I glance at him through the corner of my eye and he is still smiling casually. Why is he still smiling?

  After a few minutes pass by, we finally pull up to a small coffee shop in the heart of New York City. I reach for my door handle but he reaches to stop my hand before I can open it. “Allow me,” he murmurs. He is closer now; his hazel eyes locking and melting with mine. His cologne smells heavenly but it is really hard to describe. There’s a hint of masculinity, winter, and some sort of expensive cologne. I press down on my lips as he pulls away and hops out of the car. He trots past the hood of the car, swings my door open, and then reaches for my hand. Wow. He is such a gentleman. No complaints here. I grab his hand as he shuts my door, locks the car, and we both make our way towards the coffee shop.

  As soon as we step inside, I smile. The familiar scent of roasted coffee beans always makes me feel warm. Complete. He leads me to a table by the window, pulls my seat out, and I sit. “Would you like to take your coat off?” he asks. I nod then shrug out of it. He takes it and places it on the back of my chair. Hmm . . . Another point for the gentleman. I slide in as he takes his coat off and places it on the back of his chair. “So, what would you like?”

  “Um, a cappuccino would be great—extra espresso, please.” He nods then immediately heads for the front counter. I sigh as I sit back and try to relax. I have to admit that I’m really nervous. I’m not sure what there is to talk about with this guy. He seems more like the business type than the casual, outgoing type.

  A few minutes later and he’s back with our hot drinks. He sits mine down first and, before sitting, takes a sip of his. “So,” he starts, raising a brow.

  “So,” I shrug innocently, reaching for my cup. I take a sip while he smiles at me, scanning every inch of my body with soft eyes. “What?” I ask, blushing.

  “Nothing. I’ve just never seen anyone so beautiful, is all.” He wraps his fingers around his cup as he continues to look me over.

  I look away with heated cheeks. “You don’t mean that,” I mutter.

  “Oh, I do. I wouldn’t lie to you.” He raises one of his eyebrows again. Of course he wouldn’t lie. A hot guy like him would never have taken me out if I didn’t meet up to his standards.

  “So, did you get your brother’s car fixed?”

  He sighs as he leans against his seat. “That was really embarrassing,” he says, smirking. “But, yes, we did. We had it towed to the shop. We had to go to his girlfriend’s job to get her key. I know now to check if his house door is unlocked before stepping out with him,” he says through a chuckle.

  I nod. “You live in the city?”

  “Yes I do. But I travel a lot so I don’t consider it living. Just temporarily staying.”

  “Oh. Busy man,” I tease.

  He nods with a mocking smile. “Very busy.” He winks and I’m
sure the blood is rushing to my cheeks again.

  “What exactly is it that you do for a living?”

  “Well, my father founded Wells and Son Incorporated when I was just a boy. He died a few years ago and I am now the owner and executive.” That explains the nice car.

  “I’ve heard of that but I’m not really sure what they do,” I say softly. Geesh, how embarrassing can I get?

  “That’s alright,” he chuckles. “There are lots of people that aren’t sure of what the place is really for. But to make it simple, we build homes, mansions, and design bars and restaurants upon request. All of the mansions that you see around New York, New Jersey, and even Philadelphia are from our designers and my architectural team. I must say that people love our work and to see the final product is always fascinating.”

  “Oh,” I reply dryly. I have nothing on him. I work in a coffee shop in New York for heaven’s sake. I don’t even make half of the money that he makes. “You just seem really young to have a job like that. You didn’t have to go to school or anything?” I ask, twirling my spoon around in my cup.

  “I did, but it was a while back. My father refused to put me in public schools so he put me in private institutes where I could learn all about architecture. I graduated two years early and immediately went off to college. I’ve actually just finished up with college last year so all of this business stuff is still kind of new to me, but most would say that I’ve adapted quickly.”

  “Oh,” I mumble again. “Your brother doesn’t work with you?”

  He shifts in his seat uncomfortably, smoothing the hair on the nape of his neck. “Braxton isn’t really the business type. He’s more on the creative side. He’s actually an artist.”