Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (143 page)

Book
9
–
Chrissy Peebles

Crush

Book 1

The Crush Saga

by
Chrissy Peebles

Copyright © 2013 by Chrissy
Peebles

Editor
: Autumn J.
Conley

All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a
retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise)
without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner
and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either
the product of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously.The author acknowledges the trademarked status and
trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of
fiction, which have been used without permission. The
publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated
with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

A huge thanks to Autumn Conley, my
editor.

Visit the
Author’s Blog at:
http://chrissypeebles.blogspot.com/

Connect
with the Author on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=vb.351121651567296&type=2#!/pages/Chrissy-Peebles/351121651567296

The
Crush Saga Book Trailer:
http://youtu.be/4eMF8KXEUc4

Chapter 1

Big Bear Lake, California is located
in a lush green valley, surrounded by mountains and the towering
pines, sparkling streams, wildlife, and hidden lakes of the San
Bernardino National Forest. We’d just moved into a cute, two-story
brick house along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, a beautiful,
quaint little home left to us by my grandmother when she’d passed
away. She’d spent her whole life in the house and had loved it, so
my parents thought it would be fantastic to dump our city life and
move out to the smog-free middle of nowhere, where we could get
lost in the peace and quiet tranquility. It wasn’t the easiest
place to get to, and only three roads led in and out of the
valley.

My parents loved the solitude because
they were writers. My father wrote mystery thrillers, and Mom
penned romance novels. They hated the hustle, bustle, and noise of
the city and were sure they’d be better able to concentrate out in
the peaceful wilderness. “It’ll be a fresh start for all of us,” my
mother assured me just after my bad breakup with my boyfriend, “a
very healthy experience all around.”

I wasn’t sure, though, if I could so
easily adjust to the simple life after living in New York City, but
once we got there, I loved the place. It was a far cry different,
going from honking taxicabs and towering buildings to honking geese
and towering trees, but I knew my mother was right; it would be the
perfect spot to forget about my depressing love life.

I had two brothers and one sister, but
they had already moved out of the house, so now I was virtually an
only child, with the two most wonderful parents. We were a loving,
close-knit family, and I couldn’t have been more thankful for
that.

It was only June when we moved in, so
I had almost the whole summer to get used to California and my new
home before school started. I carried in the last heavy box to my
cluttered room; everything was a mess. I bit my lip hard as I
looked around at all the boxes and bags, knowing there was no way
I’d get everything unpacked and put in its place in one
night.

My mother pushed through the maze of
boxes, toppling them everywhere. “Pizza’s here.”

It was past lunchtime, and my stomach
rumbled. My German shepherd pranced around in a circle and
barked.

“
Mom,” I said, “Max needs
to be walked first.”

She brushed her hair behind her ear
and smiled. “Go ahead and take him out, then, but don’t wander off
too far.”

I kissed her cheek. “Of course
not.”

She pointed to my eyes. “What’s with
the dark circles?”

“
Uh…I’m sure it’s just
makeup, or maybe just because I’ve been getting absolutely no
sleep?”

“
It’s your makeup,” she
said, smiling. “You look like a raccoon.”

“
See? I’ll fit right in
with the wildlife out here.”

My mom laughed. “Well, maybe the
raccoons can adopt you. They’re nocturnal too.”

“
I just can’t sleep at
night. I can’t help it.”

She wrapped her arm around me. “Is
this about the breakup with Sean? Honey, it’s been six months.
Remember what we talked about? We’re here for a new beginning, a
fresh start.”

“
I know,” I said, wincing
because the whole thing still hurt.

Sean had dumped me out of the blue,
and getting dumped sucked, no matter the reason. I had given him my
heart, and he had trampled all over it. The breakup absolutely
blinded me, and I didn’t see it coming when he called me and said,
“Taylor, this just isn’t working for me anymore.”

I knew it was time for me to move on
with my life, with whatever grace and dignity I could muster. We’d
both made mistakes in the relationship, and neither one of us were
perfect by a long run. Still, I refused to let that relationship
define who I was. Just because we didn’t work out and clearly
weren’t meant for each other, that didn’t mean things wouldn’t work
out with someone else in the future. My friends set me up on stupid
dates that never worked out, and I wondered if I’d ever find the
“spark” again. For the time being, I decided I was done with guys.
I was just going to enjoy my fresh start and focus on my passion,
painting. The yard was overrun with weeds and vegetation, but my
dad had hired someone to fix it up, and when he was finished, it
would be the perfect place for me to pursue my art.

I threw my black, curly hair into a
messy ponytail, then slid my feet into my white tennis shoes. I
wore a white t-shirt and my favorite pair of skinny jeans that
hugged my curves so tight they felt like a second skin. I’d washed
them so many times that they were faded and super soft,
form-fitting in all the right places. The right knee had a large
rip in it, but that only gave them originality. Silver and leather
bracelets dangled from each of my wrists, and silver rings adorned
my fingers. I looked into the mirror and wiped the smeared eyeliner
from underneath my brown eyes, then headed outside.

It was so
beautiful there. Our yard was surrounded by towering trees that
stretched high into the sky. The birds chirped, the sun shone on my
face, and a cool breeze ruffled my hair. I loved my back yard
woods. Inhaling the clean air, I smiled.
I’m really going to enjoy my fresh start here…and so is
Max,
I thought as the dog explored the back
yard, fascinated and intrigued by all the new smells and
sounds.

Suddenly, Max’s ears shot back, as if
he had noticed an animal in the woods. Peering closer, I glimpsed a
whitetail deer sipping from a puddle. My heart melted at the sight
of the adorable animal. Max’s bark scared it almost to death, and
the poor animal darted off into the vegetation. He wasn’t used to
all that natural wildlife, but I knew he was going to love it there
as much as I was, if not more. He barked fiercely, then suddenly
bolted through the trees, deeper into the woods, and I guessed he
was chasing the deer. I decided then and there that I’d have to
keep him on a leash.

“
Max!” I yelled. “Come
back!”

He didn’t listen.

I glanced back at the house, wondering
if I should get my parents for help. The woods and its inhabitants
scared me, but I debated on what I should do. Finally, I decided to
just go a little ways into the woods, but I did—if only for a brief
second—wonder what the chances were that I’d run into a
bear.

I stepped through the vegetation and
took a tentative step. Glancing around, I didn’t see Max, so I
called for him a few times, only to get no response. When I heard a
bark in the distance, I took off through the woods that surrounded
our property. I pushed aside some green vegetation and glanced
ahead and could finally see my beloved and ornery pet. “Max!” I
shouted. “Come back!”

He gave me the dog version of the
I-see-you-but-I-don’t-care look, then started sniffing the
ground.

As I walked toward where he was, I
seriously considered obedience classes. A thorn grazed my skin, and
I bit my lip to stave off the pain. I swore I’d never let that
cantankerous canine off the leash again.

I stumbled left and tripped over a
pile of termite-ridden, moss-covered, rotting logs, then burst
through more towering ferns. Max disappeared into the thick
vegetation once again. I couldn’t see him anywhere, but I could
still hear him barking. Panting, I spun in a slow circle. I was
afraid if I went in any deeper, I’d get lost, but I couldn’t just
desert my best friend.

The
snap
of a
twig behind me, followed by the unmistakable
crunch
of dried leaves, halted me mid
step, and I strained to listen.
Was
that...Max?

The
snap
of
another twig drifted through the forest.

I peered around the trees and high
grass. “Max?” I yelled. “C’mere, boy.”

Silence.

I swept an uneasy glance around the
trees, my senses on full alert, and I whistled. “Here, Max! C’mon,
boy. Let’s go home.”

The singing of crickets and chirping
of birds was my only reply.

I jumped, startled, as a sudden flash
of tan glinted to my left. I flinched. For a split second, I saw
amber-colored eyes in the foliage. Panic struck me; I was sure it
was some kind of wild animal. I worried that Max might have been
attacked, and I knew one bite to the throat might prove fatal. I
grabbed a long, sturdy stick. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but I’d
be able to poke those yellow eyes out if their owner came after
me.

A menacing growl broke the silence. My
heart thudded against my ribcage, and a shiver swept over my skin.
Running after Max had been a dumb idea. My dad had warned me about
black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats. He hadn’t said
anything about tigers, but it was still quite the oh-my
situation.

Whatever the creature was that I’d
seen, it had already seen me, so I knew there was no use hiding. I
had to call for Max again, as I couldn’t possibly leave until I
knew he was okay. “Max!” I yelled, pointing the stick at the eyes
peering out from the vegetation, ready to fight with every ounce of
strength I had.

Finally, Max burst through the thick
plants, and I clutched my heart and let out a sigh of relief when I
saw that he was unharmed. He immediately took a protective stance
in front of me and starting growling and barking at whatever was in
those ferns. Given the fight-or-flight choice, I was sure the best
course of action was to slowly sneak backward and get the heck
outta there.