Swept (Swept Trilogy) Read online

  Swept

  Becca Lee Nyx

  Copyright © 2013 by Becca Lee Nyx

  All rights reserved.

  Cover photograph purchased from http://www.dreamstime.com/ and edited by Peter McDaniel

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, and locales is entirely coincidental.

  Becca Lee Nyx

  Visit my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/beccalee.nyx

  Email at [email protected]

  Swept is dedicated first and foremost to my husband who has held my hand and listened to me ramble on and on about this book and has been supportive of me throughout this journey, and to my wonderful friends: Pink, Gibby, Mindy, Dandy, MissM, Peace, SS, Megs, Mush, Gassy, Fencer, Wolfie, LM, Liz and Sarah. Without their encouragement, help, and feedback; I never would have made it this far.

  Table of Contents

  Crystal

  Chapter One: Blow

  Chapter Two: Who’s that Boy

  Chapter Three: Bush

  Chapter Four: Dishy

  Gabriel

  Chapter Five: Break

  Chapter Six: Guess

  Crystal

  Chapter Seven: Out

  Ryan

  Chapter Eight: Friends with Benefits

  Chapter Nine: Party

  Crystal

  Chapter Ten: Fight

  Chapter Eleven: Two’s Company, Three’s a…?

  Ryan

  Chapter Twelve: Daddy

  Chapter Thirteen: Freedom

  Crystal

  Chapter Fourteen: Aftermath

  Chapter Fifteen: Mother

  Gabriel

  Chapter sixteen: Caden

  Crystal

  Chapter Seventeen: Talk

  Gabriel

  Chapter Eighteen: Dammit

  Ryan

  Chapter Nineteen: Promise

  Crystal

  Chapter Twenty: Date

  Chapter Twenty One: Walk

  Chapter Twenty Two: What to do?

  Chapter Twenty Three: Ryan

  Gabriel

  Chapter Twenty Four: Crystal

  Crystal

  Chapter Twenty Five: Options

  Crystal

  Chapter One

  Blow

  The wind was blowing my hair making me feel like some important character in a romance movie. The reality is I’ve arrived at Bates College. It’s the fourth college I’ve visited this summer and we have two more to visit after this one. My two best friends from high school are with me as we drive up and find a place to park. It’s going to be a long day full of teachers, discussing costs, and most importantly, grabbing about as much information as I can to make my choice. My glove box was already bulging from the three colleges we visited previously.

  “Why didn’t you take all this stuff in yesterday?” My friend Kelly yells impatiently as I look for a brush.

  “I know I should have, but I forgot.” I yell back as the brochures fall out onto my car floor for the fifth time.

  Looking up I can see my friend Ryan chuckling at my expense.

  “You need to get your hoarding problem under control.” He tells me as we leave the car.

  It was a warm summer day. The wind that had gently blown through my hair has picked up, making me glad that I didn’t choose the dress I was planning to wear this morning. It was bad enough that I couldn’t keep my hair under control.

  “Kelly, do you have a hair tie?” I ask as the wind causes my hair to whip and whirl into my face.

  “I think so.” Kelly says digging through her purse.

  Kelly is my best friend; she has always been honest with me and loves to gossip. She keeps me up with important current events and pushes me to be more social. Without her I would stay inside curled up in my favorite chair reading about nuclear energy, ancient Egyptians, the latest updates from J.K. Rowling, and Hobbit movie news.

  “Found it!” Kelly exclaims triumphantly holding a hair tie in her hand.

  “You are a life saver.” I tell her while wrapping the band around my hair.

  “Are we going to go inside, or are we going to stand around and primp?” Ryan asks. In response Kelly and I catch up to him as we walk towards the campus together.

  Ryan is my other best friend. We’ve spent many late nights on the phone with one another. The majority of the time spent with me baring my soul about my hopes and dreams, or listening to me rant and rave about how fed up I was with one guy or another. He was always the one to make me realize when someone wasn’t good enough for me, and he was always there to console me when my heart had been broken. I’ve also spent a lot of time at his house and his family treated me like one of their own. I was often envious of his life, wishing I was a part of their family. My own home life seemed insignificant in comparison with my mom working all the time. That’s why I had all the information about the schools. I was determined to find the perfect school, so that I wouldn’t end up like my mother; uneducated and working two jobs.

  I worked hard in school to make sure I made good grades. I knew that the only way I was going to make something of myself was to attend college. I spent many late nights reading and writing. I kept up with all the latest science news, and read a lot of history. Those are my two favorite subjects. And I planned to major in Aerospace Engineering and Minor in History. My ultimate goal is to work for NASA. I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to the school of my choice. I didn’t even know the scholarship existed until Ryan’s parents pushed me to apply for it. That’s the great thing about his parents they’ve been so kind to me, even though I feel undeserving of it. My mother is a waitress. She works long hard hours and has very little pay to show for it. Ryan’s dad is head of the DEA, and his mother spends her time rehabilitating addicts. In comparison I feel that we’re unimportant. My mother has made nothing of her life and I fear my life may be the same. When I applied for that scholarship and got accepted everything changed for me. I went from hoping that my ACT scores and a job would be enough to get me through community college, maybe a University, to having absolutely everything paid for. All I had to do was apply to schools and get accepted.

  Ryan on the other hand doesn’t know how good he has it. His parents are paying for him to attend the college of his choice. His dad has connections, so he didn’t even have to apply. All he has to do is show up and the staff is bending over backwards to get him in the door. He has the opportunity to attend anywhere and he’s decided to attend the school that I choose. I was confused at first when I told him about my scholarship. I knew he could choose any school he wanted but he told me that he trusted me to make the decision. He went on and on saying that I’m more careful than him and I would research and find just the right school. Well he was right. I have a list and right now Bates sits at number four. I compiled my list based from schools Kelly had been accepted too. After Ryan told me that he was going to go to college with me, I just couldn’t imagine leaving her behind. She’s always been a part of us, and college wouldn’t be the same without her pushing me to attend parties. In fact I’m sure college would be boring without her.

  As we approach the entrance; I can’t help but feel amazed at the layout of the campus. Bright green lawns sprawl before me, a couple of girls jog by as a guy with a guitar sings to a group of swooning girls, his music caught in the wind, inaudible as it’
s swept away. Further down I see a group of guys running and sparring as they play football. At the edge of the grass, big mature trees stand on either side of a path. The main building sits before me daunting and majestic all at once. For the first time I feel as if I’ve arrived at a school that screams, “This is college.” I look to Kelly and Ryan, giddy with excitement, “I like this.”

  “What do you like?” Ryan asks

  “I-I, it just feels like college to me.” I stammer too excited to get the words out.

  “Well that’s a first,” Kelly mutters under her breath, almost inaudible.

  I pretend I didn’t hear her as we walk up a flight of steps and into the building. Ryan walks up to the front desk, checking for the next tour while I occupy myself with the brochure booth, grabbing every pamphlet in sight. Kelly is standing next to me arms folded and tapping her foot.

  “What?” I ask as I shuffle through the brochures, making sure I have one of each.

  “I just want to get this over with.” She replies, then glances at her phone, laughs and starts tapping on the screen.

  “Our tour starts in five minutes.” Ryan says walking up next to us. Kelly and I fall in behind him; Kelly is still texting while I struggle to fold a campus map.

  Outside the wind whips my pony tail into my face and all my brochures fall to the ground. “Ryan! Kelly! Wait!” I call as I try to pick up as many pamphlets as I can before the wind carries them off. Ryan runs to my side to assist me, while Kelly meanders, still engrossed with her phone.

  “Crystal, I think we need to have a talk about your brochure addiction,” Ryan teases, “It’s getting out of hand.”

  “Uh Huh, Sure.” I say trying to shake the dirt and grass out of the pamphlets. “You’ll be thanking me when I choose the best school ever.”

  “Can we go now?” Kelly asks looking up from her phone.

  “Have plans?” Ryan asks Kelly

  “Stephanie is having a party and she’s invited college guys.” She says and taps on her phone some more.

  “Stephanie who?” I ask looking though my brochures once more to make sure I have them all.

  “You seriously did not just ask me that.” Kelly says rolling her eyes. My face is a blank as I stare at her. “Stephanie Miller, you know, head of the cheerleading squad, her dad is a plastic surgeon, and they own that really cool lake house.”

  “Oh her.” I nod pretending to know who she’s talking about.

  “Do you have everything?” Ryan asks

  “I think so,” I answer then we walk to the tour group.

  *****

  “Here at Bates we have the best dorms and campus that any college has to offer!” The tour guide says, her eyes glazed over with a fake smile plastered on her face. “Two students to a room and you have your own separate room within the dorm, like a hotel suite, just without the bathroom. You’ll still have to share that with the rest of the building.” She chuckles. I know all of this already from the Bates website. I open a brochure and flip thought it. I hear scattered laughter from the group, chuckling at some joke I’ve missed. There’s a gust of wind, stronger than the last, and my brochure is ripped out of my hands and carried away. “Oh no!” I groan.

  “Want me to get that?” Ryan offers.

  “No.” I say and run to catch up with my pamphlet. It gets caught in the grass and I reach for it, then the wind blows again releasing a harsh gust that sends the trees dancing. My eyes are focused on the prize that is my pamphlet, as I chase after it, when a black skateboarding shoe stamps down on it, crumpling it into the dirt. “Stop!” I yell, not wanting my possible hero to move his foot.

  “What?” He asks looking around.

  “Don’t move! My brochure is under your foot.” I yell as I run towards him.

  I watch as he stoops to pick up the pamphlet. He’s wearing faded light blue jeans; his shirt is black and clings to his body, muscles bulging beneath. He stands up and stares at the pamphlet and I feel weak at the knees upon seeing his face. His ears are gaged and green eyes peek out at me from behind his shaggy hair. He looks up at me and smiles. I smile back, my face turning red as I imagine him ravishing my body.

  “You’re new?” He asks

  “Not new yet, I’m touring. Fourth school so far.” I say beaming, and then I look down my smile falters. Maybe I’ve said too much. I want to impress him, but maybe he’s not the kind of guy who’s into brainy girls.

  “Wow! Four schools?” He gasps, looking impressed. I focus on his lips and imagine them kissing my entire body.

  “Well, six really, I just haven’t seen the other two.” I want to kick myself. Why can’t I shut up?

  His green eyes slowly scan the length of my body; he clears his throat and says, “That’s a lot to choose from.”

  I laugh. “It is and slightly overwhelming.” I want to be overwhelmed by him. I have never met someone who has made me have that kind of reaction without any effort.

  He hands me my pamphlet and my hand touches his. I jerk my hand back, surprised by the sudden jolt that feels like electric current running up my arm. Either it’s static electricity or it’s love. I decide it’s the latter.

  He smiles at me, “Well if it helps you make your choice, I like it here. I’ll be attending in the fall…” He continues on, but I’m not paying attention. I’m too busy imagining him taking me and dominating me in bed. “I hope to see you in the fall,” He says snapping me out of my fantasy.

  “Okay” I sigh, and then blush. “I have to get back to my tour group.”

  “Bye,” He chuckles. I’m dazed by his smile. I’ve never seen someone as attractive as him.

  “Bye,” I reply over my shoulder as I run back over to my tour group. I shake my head, trying to clear it of all my lustful thoughts. I’ve had sex all of three times in my life and each time left me feeling unsatisfied and frustrated. I think back to the first guy I ever had sex with, his name was Brad, and we had been together all of six months. Brad made me feel special, like I was the only girl for him and I was head over heels in love with him. He finally talked me into having sex with him and it was terrible, it hurt, and he came almost as soon as he entered me, shortly after that he broke up with me over voicemail. I was heartbroken, I thought he really cared about me, but I guess I was wrong. I had sex with one other guy after that, his name was John; I met him at a party that I attended with Kelly. He was only interested in sticking his dick inside of me and didn’t spend much time making me feel special. We had sex twice that night, I guess I had to be sure that he really was that terrible. I haven’t had a boyfriend since, if that is what sex was like, then I could wait, but this new guy, whoever he is, I bet he knows a woman’s body. I smile stupidly as I fantasize about all the ways I’d let him violate my body.

  As I rejoin the group my mind is made up. I don’t need the tour group, and I don’t need the pamphlets. I didn’t care what this school has to offer or what the other schools have. My decision had been made the minute he said, “I hope I’ll see you in the fall.” I was going to Bates College and that was that. I just had to convince my friends that this was where I wanted to be. If they found out that it was because of some guy, I would never hear the end of it.

  Soon we leave Bates and head off to the other two schools we have planned to visit. While we’re there I pick them apart; complaining about the lawn, size of the building, peeling paint, and the horrible dorms. I drive Ryan crazy with my comments, constantly saying, “But at Bates college they have,” insert better sounding informative asset here.

  At the last school we’re midway through the tour. I’ve given up on the pamphlets at this point. Kelly groans, “Can we be done now?”

  “You know, I’m not feeling this one, the campus is all wrong.” I say wanting to be done as much as Kelly.

  “But this is the school you wanted to tour the most, remember?” Ryan says.

  I roll my eyes, “I know, and it looked great on paper, but now that I’m here, it just doesn’t feel right.�
��

  “So can we go now?” Kelly asks tapping her foot.

  Ryan and I share a smile; “Sure,” we say together and leave.

  Back in the car, I drive away happy that we’re done touring. A vision of my handsome hero’s body flashes into my mind, then a horn blares at me as I pass through a stop sign.

  “Didn’t you see the stop sign?” Ryan asks

  “What are you trying to do kill us?” Kelly glares.

  “I’m sorry, I’m just distracted.” I apologize, I need to stay focused on what I’m doing or I am going to get us all killed.

  “Well I hope you start paying attention. I’d like to make it to Stephanie’s party alive.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll get there.” I sigh; I’m about ready for Kelly to stop talking about the party. She’s been talking about it all day asking me what she should wear, and talking about other people who are going to be there, like I really cared one way or another. She did twist my arm into going with her though.

  “What’s wrong?” Ryan asks I can feel his eyes staring at me.

  “Nothing.” I still can’t get that guy out of my head. I keep replaying his smile over and over, and I want to go to Bates, I want to see if I can find this guy and get to know him.

  “You want to go to Bates, don’t you?” He asks

  “I do, the school just feels right.” I say, trying hard not to smile. Ryan read my mind.

  “And the lawn is green.” Ryan says

  “And there aren’t any cracks in the ceiling.” Kelly adds

  “Was I really that bad?” I ask; I knew I was comparing the schools, but I don’t recall mentioning cracks in the ceiling.

  “Yes!” They answer in unison.

  I sigh, then I ask the question that’s been plaguing my mind, “Well? Are we going to Bates?”