Fearless (A Carolina Coastal Novel Book 2) Read online

  Fearless

  A Coastal Carolina Novel

  Kelsey Cheyenne

  Fearless Copyright © 2020 by Kelsey Cheyemne. All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved. 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.

  Cover designed by Net Hook & Line Design

  Editing by Your Editing Lounge

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

  Kelsey Cheyenne

  Visit my website at www.kelseycheyenne.com

  First Printing: January 23, 2020

  To everyone who dives head first into risks and the ones who need a little push.

  Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Epilogue

  One

  Two

  Author Note

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  More from Kelsey

  One

  Olivia

  “Watch it, Hart. What, did you trip over your chastity belt?” I prepare for the impact of my ass hitting the ground as I bounce off the wall of muscle. Of all the men and all the bodies in this place, I had to run into Lucas Fletcher.

  Or, as I like to call him, the devil incarnate.

  “No, I must’ve slipped on your tail or pitchfork.”

  He laughs at my insult which only pisses me off more.

  “Forget him, Liv, we have to get going.” Because I’m a mature twenty-three-year-old adult, I stick my tongue out at my arch nemesis before allowing my best friend, McKenna Parrish, to drag me away.

  I hit the roommate lottery when Cape Fear University randomly matched us up freshman year. We were both education majors, wannabe wine aficionados, and overall just two peas sharing one pod.

  We could pass as twins if not for her gorgeous features reminiscent of Chinese descent and tanned skin versus my alabaster complexion. We’re both barely over five feet tall with petite bodies to match and dark brown hair falling over our shoulders. Separate, we’re the epitome of well-behaved good girls, but together we’re a devious dynamic duo.

  The only thorn in my side the past four years has been Lucas. How the university allowed a manipulative, egomaniacal jerk in their education system, I’ll never understand. How can we trust Satan to teach America’s youth?

  He managed to worm his way into almost all of my classes. I’m convinced he broke into the school system registrar every semester to check my schedule in order to torture me. It surely had nothing to do with being in the same year or major.

  Thank God today is graduation day and I’ll never have to see that festering eyesore ever again.

  “Wait up, ladies. Don’t you want the king of campus to escort you to graduation? This could be your fifteen minutes.” He squeezes between McKenna and me, slinging an arm over each of our shoulders.

  I pretend to gasp for air and shove him away. “Your ego is suffocating me.”

  He struts away from us with an eye roll and a smile. If it weren’t for the graduation garment I would be able to see his perfect, sculpted ass. Even in an oversized and unflattering blue gown, I can see how fit he is. Bastard. I look like a child playing dress-up while he looks like a God. An evil one, though, like the God of lightning or death or something.

  “Yo, Fletch, wait up.” His buddy pushes through us, knocking me off balance in my wedges, and I topple to the pavement, scraping my knee.

  Gravel lodges in my kneecap and blood trickles down my leg onto my white gown. Just perfect.

  I cause a scene and Public Enemy Number One spins back around and rushes over to me. He kneels beside me as if he’s going to offer to help me up. I should know better.

  “Bloody knees? Unless you’re praying, I didn’t think that was really your scene, Mary.” At least he whispers it in my ear so the entire school doesn’t hear him. People in the direct vicinity still laugh while I fume.

  McKenna helps me up, pushing Lucas aside, causing him to fall back on his ass. “Walk it off, Liv. When we get inside we can clean you up.”

  We’re not only organized alphabetically but also by the sub-school we’re graduating from. Naturally, that means Lucas Fletcher is one row directly in front of me, Olivia Hart, thanks to our last names. I’m tempted to flick him like an irritating fly, but it would do no good.

  The other girls sitting around him are all swooning over him, which is both irritating and disgusting. Objectively speaking, one might find him attractive, if they’re attracted to overconfident scum.

  He’s tall, around six feet if I had to guess, with thick brown hair and Hershey-brown eyes. He has three faint scars on the left side of his face and neck. I’ve heard him use them to his advantage as a sob story for getting women into bed. He’s vile. I don’t know how he actually got the scars and I don’t care.

  The actual ceremony goes on for hours and when all is said and done, I leave with McKenna to go to the campus bar for one last hoorah. Our entire class seems to be going to celebrate, so it’s no surprise to see Lucas here with all his buddies.

  “Are my eyes deceiving me? Is that you, Livvy? Where’s your boyfriend tonight? Did your purity ring finally scare him off?”

  I want to smash his face into the bar.

  “We broke up three months ago, you colossal asshole.”

  For the record, I’m not a virgin. My now-ex-boyfriend, Jackson, did cheat on me, but not because I wouldn’t give it up. We had sex a few times, and he was my first, but it was so terrible I didn’t have the urge to continue.

  McKenna pulls me away from the douche-hound. “Don’t engage with him. You know he lives for that shit.” She’s right, but he just worms his way under my skin and festers there, irritating the hell out of me. “Bartender, two tequila shots.”

  “Are you trying to kill me?” It’s not that I don’t like drinking, but I tend to steer clear of the harder liquors. Wine, I can handle. Tequila is another story.

  “Come on, Liv. We need to celebrate. We’re college graduates and tomorrow you have a freaking job interview at the school of your dreams and you know you’re going to crush it.”

  “Exactly, I can’t very well be hungover for the interview.”

  “One shot and I’ll leave it alone. Pinky swear.” She offers me her pinky and I take it.

  “A job interview, huh? Where at?” The annoying and overtly cocky voice rings from right behind me. I roll my eyes as I turn and see Lucas looking down at me with a smug grin.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s at a prep sch
ool here. Wilmington Academy. You may have heard about it.” The only other school that stands a chance against WA is their rival, Coastal Academy and I have an interview there next week too. Either way, I’m a shoo-in to work at one of the schools.

  “No shit.” His smile causes my stomach to drop and I know only bad things are coming. “Want to carpool? I have an interview there in the morning too.”

  You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

  The bartender comes over with my shot which I down the second it’s placed in front of me.

  “Yours will probably get canceled once they meet with me and determine I’m the best fit.” I narrow my eyes and smirk at him, knowing in my gut there’s no way in hell they’d choose him over me.

  “We’ll see about that, Hart. Let the best man win.” I scoff. Pig.

  Two

  Olivia

  “There’s no way the interview went as bad as you’re saying it did.”

  It’s not even noon, but I reach into the freezer and grab the carton of rocky road ice cream. I toss the lid on the counter and dig my spoon right in, not bothering with a bowl. I lean my hip on the counter as I recount the horrid interview.

  “McKenna, first I accused the students of vandalizing his door with the name ‘Ben Dover’ not realizing that was actually Principal Dover’s first name. Then I knocked over his coffee, spilling it all over the documents on his desk and onto his pants. You think I don’t try to help dry him off and give him an accidental over-the-pants handy? You bet your ass I did. The icing on the cake was telling him how much I love American History and how excited I was to take the position and revisit my old favorite subject. Funny since the position was to teach high school English.”

  I walk over and hand my best friend the carton of ice cream before I collapse on our blue sofa. Sinking into the cushions, I throw my arm over my eyes as the weight of my embarrassment consumes me. There’s no way in any of the seven circles of hell that I manage to get this job.

  “Maybe he’ll find your awkwardness endearing?” My best friend says it like a question, causing me to pin her with a, you’ve gotta be kidding me stare.

  “Okay, well, forget Wilmington Academy. You have your interview at Coastal next week. Prepare for it and kick some ass.” She makes it sound so simple.

  “You’re right. I know you’re right, but God, it sucks. I’m just grateful I didn’t see that puss-infected sore of a human Pucas Fletcher at the interview. I definitely wouldn’t get the job if I murdered someone on school grounds.”

  “Isn’t that nickname a little juvenile?” She gets up to put the ice cream away and returns with two glasses of wine. It’s five o’clock somewhere.

  “Fitting for him, though, don’t you think?” I take a large gulp while she laughs.

  “Come on. Let’s go out tonight and forget all about that shitty interview. Tomorrow we can start prepping.”

  McKenna’s lucky and already has a job lined up at the school she student taught at. It’s a public school along the coast, but she loved everything about it.

  “I’d rather wallow in my self-pity alone than drown my sorrows with a bunch of drunken idiots.” I down my glass, knowing she’s not one to give up that easy.

  “Hey! Watch who you’re calling a drunken idiot.” I smack her with a pillow as she stands, placing her hand on her hip. “I’m not taking no for an answer. This is the last summer before our real lives start. Let’s make the most of it. Plus, I need to get laid.”

  With a groan, I stick out both my hands, making her help me up. “Fine, but I’m not dressing cute.”

  I stomp into my bedroom and dig through my drawers to find my comfiest black ripped skinny jeans and a plain white tee knotted on the side. I throw my hair in a ponytail, slide on my gray and white Keds and call it a day.

  “What the hell are you wearing?” McKenna stops dead in her tracks with a comically horrified expression on her face as if I’m topping the worst dressed list on the red carpet.

  “I told you I wasn’t dressing cute.”

  “Ugh, Liv, come on, stop being a party pooper. At least take your hair out of the ponytail. You look like you’re about to board an eighteen hour flight.” I roll my eyes but comply, tousling my long chestnut locks over my shoulders.

  “Happy now?”

  “Euphoric.” Linking her arm through mine, she drags me out of the house.

  We get an Uber to drive us to a downtown bar by the cape. It’s bound to be packed as summer kicks off and the semester is over for all the college students.

  As expected, the bar is crammed. We have to push through bodies to get to the bar until I’m pressed against a tall man with muscles for days. My chest bumps into his back and my hands involuntary brace myself as I prepare for impact.

  “Shit, sorry,” I yell over the music as I glance down, getting a long look at mystery man’s incredible physique. His body is cut in a way that I know under his clothes would show a sinful V leading to the promise land while his ass is like a fucking table.

  The man spins around and I get stupid giddy over the idea of seeing the face that matches the body. Maybe McKenna’s right and I need to get laid too.

  I peer up under my lashes, a flirty introduction ready and waiting to fly off my tongue at the first opportunity. Hi, I’m Olivia. I seem to have lost my number, mind if I get yours? Okay, I guess it needs some work, but it’s the best I got right now.

  Time seems to have stood still. I’m about to come face to face with my soulmate, the love of my life, the future father of our two children and several dogs.

  It’s kismet, it’s good luck, it’s—the devil. No fucking way.

  “What the hell?” I rear back as if I’ve been slapped, not just attacked by reality and shit luck.

  “We really need to stop meeting like this.” Lucas’ cocky grin has my stomach flipping. Or rolling. One of the two.

  “MCKENNA! Time to leave. Now. Let’s go.” I spin on my heel. I’m a madwoman on a mission to get the hell out of dodge. McKenna doesn’t grasp my desperation because she’s too busy flirting with some guy at the other end of the bar. When did she leave me? I need to reevaluate my friendships.

  “Leaving so soon? Don’t you want to celebrate with me?” The bartender places a tray full of shots in front of him, likely for his friends dispersed throughout the bar. He hands me one and I take it, sniffing the glass. Tequila. Wonderful.

  His smile is blinding, full of perfect, straight, white teeth. His clothes fit him like a glove. He could be a model, which is annoying and unfair. No arrogant, self-righteous asshole should be this perfect on the outside. He should look like a toad that got squashed on the freeway.

  “What are you celebrating? Did you finally stop wetting the bed?” I mentally pat myself on the back despite the grin my rival sports.

  He leans in and whispers in my ear. “The only thing that gets wet in my bed is the women who occupy it.” I gag at the thought. “If you must know, I got offered a job today.”

  The pit that was already in my stomach grows tenfold. I see green as envy spreads like wildfire through my veins. How does he get a job before me?

  I down the shot and turn away, but a gentle grip holds me back. “Hold up, Hart. Don’t you want to know where I’ll be working? I mean, if we’re lucky, we might be coworkers next year.”

  “The seventh circle of hell would be more enjoyable than working with you.” His guffaw almost makes me smile, but then I remember that Lucifer can’t bring joy, only pain.

  “That’s too bad. I hope to see you at Wilmington Academy next year. I hope your heart wasn’t sold on the English teacher position, though, because I just filled it.”

  I thought I couldn’t get any lower, but it’s kind of nice to officially hit rock bottom. It’s like a weight is lifted off my shoulders and I have nothing else to worry about because it can’t get any worse from here.

  “I have no doubt the position will re-open next school year when they fire you.” I’ll feel light
years better next year when I re-apply for that spot and take the job from under him. What a sweet, sweet victory it will be.

  “Who are you kidding? Ben and I already have a standing golf date for next weekend. He’s eating out of the palm of my hand.”

  He’s on a first name basis with the principal already? Dammit.

  “You’re telling me you didn’t crack one joke about Ben Dover.” It’s not lost on me that I just said crack either.

  “A man’s name is no joke, Livvy.” His hand goes to clutch his chest as if he’s appalled by the insinuation.

  “Whatever, Pucas.”

  Oh my God, I really am twelve years old.

  “See you soon, Hart.” He walks away with his tray of shots without even a glimpse back at me over his shoulder while I stare after him. Lord help me.

  I wave to the bartender. “Two more tequila shots, please.” I’m more motivated than ever to get that position at Coastal. Nothing and nobody will get in my way.

  Three

  Olivia

  It’s been exactly one week since the smug bastard Lucas Fletcher got in my face and bragged about getting the job at Wilmington. My interview with Coastal was yesterday and I know I nailed it, but my nerves are ricocheting around inside me like kids in a bouncy house.

  I’ve been staring at my phone from the moment I left the interview yesterday as if the thing will implode if I remove my gaze from it for a mere minute. McKenna’s been trying her damnedest to get me out of the house for the last hour and if she keeps yammering I’m going to duct tape her yapper shut.

  “Liv, please, there’s no way you didn’t get this job. Give yourself a break for five minutes and go shopping with me. I need to start preparing for the school year and buy classy, adult-looking clothes.”

  “Bitch, do you really think I want to parade around with you buying school supplies when I don’t even have a job?”

  “You’re getting the damn job. You might as well start shopping for supplies now too.”

  “I don’t want to jinx it.”