Shut Up and Kiss Me
Read Shut Up and Kiss Me Online
Authors: Madeline Sheehan,Claire C Riley
Shut Up
and
Kiss Me
USA Today
Bestselling Author
Madeline Sheehan
&
Claire Riley
Shut Up and Kiss Me
Madeline Sheehan and Claire C. Riley
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2015 Madeline Sheehan and Claire C. Riley
All Rights Reserved.
ISBN:
9781311878625
Cover Design by QDesigns
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Qdesign-Amy-Queau/226584350872964?fref=ts
Editing By Amy Jackson Editing
https://www.facebook.com/amyjacksonediting?fref=ts
Formatting by Midnight Engel Press, LLC
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the authors’ imaginations or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors.
Synopsis
She ran from her past.
After relocating from a small town in Tennessee, Mila has been living in New York City for a year and a half, more than happy to be lost in the crowd. Living vicariously through her best friend and roommate, Nikki, Mila spends her days waitressing and her evenings at home. Then, one night, after getting exclusive tickets to a nightclub downtown, Nikki is able to convince Mila to let loose for once.
He’s running from his future.
Having lived a privileged life, William is used to getting what he wants and who he wants. Now, though, in his thirties, he’s bored, and seeking more from his life than mindless sex, and even worse—mindless women. Spotting Mila from across the club, he senses right away that she’s different from what he’s used to, an observation that proves true.
One night together will change everything for both of them. Pasts and futures will collide, secrets will be revealed, and the results will transform both their lives forever.
Sneak Peek from
Beneath Blood and Bone (Thicker Than Blood #2)
Dedication
This book, dear reader, is for you.
Turning on my blinker,
I pulled my truck off the interstate and into the rest area parking lot. It was the middle of the night, the moon hanging fat and heavy in the sky, and the lot was nearly empty, only a few vehicles scattered about.
Shutting off the engine, I bent my head down over the steering wheel and tried to remember how to breathe. But how can you breathe when your entire life, everything you’ve ever known, has fallen to pieces in an instant?
My lungs felt tight, the skin on my hands too dry, and my eyes didn’t seem to be working properly. Everything about me felt wrong.
Screw that
—everything everywhere felt wrong. Everything
was
wrong.
Betrayal, pain, and oh God, the fear that I’d be found, and the guilt—they were barreling through me a mile a minute, rendering me nearly useless, unable to do little more than cry and drive…and try to remember how to breathe.
But how do you breathe when you have nothing left?
I had nothing, nowhere and no one to go to. No one could help me. No one could save me from this.
The sound of a large engine rumbling past brought my head up quickly. A bus was pulling into the rest stop and parking by the facilities. I watched, my heart racing in my chest, as twelve or so people got off and headed inside the building.
“
I have to ditch the truck,” I whispered, knowing that I did in fact have to ditch the truck. The license plates, or even just the make and model, could be used to find me.
Grabbing my purse and suitcase, I left the truck and began walking briskly across the lot. Being out in the wide open like that caused every hair on my body to prickle with fear. I was vulnerable, without a weapon, without any physical way to protect myself. Acutely feeling that vulnerability, my breath now coming in short, staccato beats, I quickened my pace. Stopping short at the bus door, I knocked lightly, drawing the attention of the driver, a bald man currently eating in his seat.
He peered curiously at me as the door squealed open. “Can I help ya?”
“
Where are you headed?” I asked.
“
We’re making two stops, ma’am,” he said. “First one’s in Charleston, last one’s in New York City.”
“
Can I buy a ticket?” I asked breathlessly.
The driver jerked his chin toward the building behind me. “In there,” he said.
It took one minute to reach the inside of the building, another three minutes waiting behind a man wanting to change his destination, five more minutes to pay for and obtain the ticket and three more unbelievably slow minutes until I was handing the driver my ticket and making my way toward the back of the bus.
Then it was another ten full minutes before the bus started moving. And not until we were well away from the rest area, where I’d left the last of my past behind me, did I finally remember how to breathe.
“
New York City,” I whispered, watching the night scenery fly by in a blur of black emptiness.
Empty. Just like me.
Nerves trembled in the
pit of my stomach as the cab grew closer to the nightclub. It would be the first time I had been out since moving to New York, and I couldn’t exactly say that I was looking forward to it.
“
Cheer up, sourpuss, this is supposed to be fun!” As Nikki started laughing, I offered my friend a weak smile and she groaned loudly at my sad attempt.
“
Trust me, Mila, this is just what you need.”
“
No,” I mumbled, “what I need is my pajamas.”
I had never been big on drinking. I’d never done much in the way of partying. I had never really had the chance, if I was being totally honest. My thoughts flickered backwards, to my life before, and worry, thick and stifling, began creeping upon me. Transfixed by my painful memories, I stayed silent, and simply watched the city speed by me in a blur of noise and color.
“
Stop that. Stop it right now,” Nikki scolded soothingly, wrapping a slender arm around my shoulder.
Leaning back against her, I rested my head on her shoulder and squeezed my eyes shut. She was the only one who knew my secrets, the only one who I’d trusted with that surreptitious part of me. She knew the sadness that lived inside of me, the fear that woke me in the middle of the night, panting and breathless. I trusted Nikki with everything, because I’d had to trust someone. Thankfully, the someone I’d chosen had been her.
“
You don’t have to worry about a thing. You just have to have fun. I’m here with you and everything is going to be fine.”
“
I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll have fun, I promise.” I sat up straighter, forcing a smile. “See.” I pointed to the exaggerated smile on my face.
Nikki rolled her eyes even as devilish grin tilted her painted pink lips. “Good, because we’re here.”
Through the window, I glanced up at the tall building, the brightly lit sign—both subtle and inviting—beckoning partygoers. But this wasn’t just any old club; this club was exclusive, and according to Nikki, the fact that she’d managed to get our names on the list meant we’d been blessed by God himself.
Paying the cabbie, we climbed out and were greeted with the cool New York air flowing over our bare legs, causing a shiver to slither through me. Arm in arm we hurried toward the long line outside Club INFINITY, both groaning as soon as we realized that the line was longer than we’d expected, wrapped around the entirety of the building. Finding our place at the back of it, nearly a block away from the entrance, we huddled together for warmth.