Alpha Billionaire Taboo Prison Break: A Contemporary Romance by Veronica Vaughn Page B
Authors: Veronica Vaughn
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know, this
belonged to my grandpa when I was a little boy. Grandma gave it to me when I
was sixteen.”
“No! You’re
kidding!” I said with feigned surprise. The truth was I had heard the story a
thousand times, though his grandparents had died long before I entered the
picture.
“Very
funny,” he deadpanned. “Get in the truck, you little brat. Let’s hit the road.”
II.
Patton slid
behind the wheel of the pickup and I hopped in beside him.
Teasing and
joking with him had felt like old times. When I was younger he often seemed
like more of a fun uncle than my parental guardian. Even when Mom died, when
both of us were heartbroken and grieving, he managed to remain upbeat for my
sake.
I hoped the
levity would continue, but Patton grew silent again as we left the military
base and began the hour drive back to Austin. He mostly kept his eyes fixed to
the road. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, admiring his rugged
jawline and close-cropped, golden-brown hair.
I was
studying his features and lost in thought when he turned and caught me looking
at him. He gave me a searching look that seared into me, forcing me to turn
away.
As we rode
in silence, my mind wandered to that moment just a few weeks ago when I had
made the mistake that jeopardized my entire relationship with the most
important man in my life. Like I said, it was all my fault. But you could also blame the second-most important man in my life, my
boyfriend Chase.
Chase is
nineteen, but he still lives with his parents. I don’t blame him. They have a
huge house and a swimming pool that’s bigger than my backyard. It was a lazy
June afternoon a few weeks after my high school graduation. Chase’s dad was at
the golf course, and his mom was wherever she went during the day. They had inherited
a Texas oil fortune, and none of them had worked a day in their lives.
Chase was
sleeping off a hangover in one of the lounge chairs beside the pool. He had
wrapped a beach towel around his face, shielding his eyes, as his pale, narrow
frame soaked up rays from the Texas sun. I was swimming in the deep end,
letting the water cool my body, when my phone started ringing. I had left it on
the chair next to Chase.
“Phone!”
Chase moaned through the towel covering his face. “Hey! Phone!”
“Just let
it ring,” I said, my face bobbing above on the water.
“Oh, my
head! God damn it! Answer your fucking phone!”
“You know
I’m in the pool, right?”
The phone
stopped ringing. Then it started again.
“Fuck,” he
screamed.
Still lying
on his back, Chase reached for the lounge chair next to his, fumbling for the
ringing phone. Instead of simply hitting the mute button, I watched as he threw
my phone in my general direction. It hit the water with a splash and sank like
a stone. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened in astonishment, too dumbfounded to
speak. Then I got mad.
“You
asshole! Why would you do that?”
“Should
have answered it,” he muttered.
I sucked in
a deep breath and dove down as far as I could, scooping my poor phone off the bottom of the pool. When I came up for air I saw that it
had already been fried. There was no saving it.
“You ruined
my phone!”
Chase sat
up and removed the towel from his head.
“I thought
you were gonna catch it,” he
said.
“Yeah
right,” I fumed. “You know what? I’m out of here.”
I swam straight
for the closest metal ladder. I was so angry I had to get out of that pool as
soon as possible. I had to get away from Chase before I really snapped. He
could be such a jerk sometimes.
Chase paced
around the pool and was waiting for me when I reached the top of the ladder.
The hot Texas air felt unbearably chilly on my wet skin as beads of pool water
dripped from my long hair and skin.
“ Evie , wait,” Chase said, grabbing hold of my hips above my
bikini bottom.
“Let go of
me!”
I tried to
pull away from him, but he was too strong.
“Look, I’m
sorry!” Chase said. “I
belonged to my grandpa when I was a little boy. Grandma gave it to me when I
was sixteen.”
“No! You’re
kidding!” I said with feigned surprise. The truth was I had heard the story a
thousand times, though his grandparents had died long before I entered the
picture.
“Very
funny,” he deadpanned. “Get in the truck, you little brat. Let’s hit the road.”
II.
Patton slid
behind the wheel of the pickup and I hopped in beside him.
Teasing and
joking with him had felt like old times. When I was younger he often seemed
like more of a fun uncle than my parental guardian. Even when Mom died, when
both of us were heartbroken and grieving, he managed to remain upbeat for my
sake.
I hoped the
levity would continue, but Patton grew silent again as we left the military
base and began the hour drive back to Austin. He mostly kept his eyes fixed to
the road. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, admiring his rugged
jawline and close-cropped, golden-brown hair.
I was
studying his features and lost in thought when he turned and caught me looking
at him. He gave me a searching look that seared into me, forcing me to turn
away.
As we rode
in silence, my mind wandered to that moment just a few weeks ago when I had
made the mistake that jeopardized my entire relationship with the most
important man in my life. Like I said, it was all my fault. But you could also blame the second-most important man in my life, my
boyfriend Chase.
Chase is
nineteen, but he still lives with his parents. I don’t blame him. They have a
huge house and a swimming pool that’s bigger than my backyard. It was a lazy
June afternoon a few weeks after my high school graduation. Chase’s dad was at
the golf course, and his mom was wherever she went during the day. They had inherited
a Texas oil fortune, and none of them had worked a day in their lives.
Chase was
sleeping off a hangover in one of the lounge chairs beside the pool. He had
wrapped a beach towel around his face, shielding his eyes, as his pale, narrow
frame soaked up rays from the Texas sun. I was swimming in the deep end,
letting the water cool my body, when my phone started ringing. I had left it on
the chair next to Chase.
“Phone!”
Chase moaned through the towel covering his face. “Hey! Phone!”
“Just let
it ring,” I said, my face bobbing above on the water.
“Oh, my
head! God damn it! Answer your fucking phone!”
“You know
I’m in the pool, right?”
The phone
stopped ringing. Then it started again.
“Fuck,” he
screamed.
Still lying
on his back, Chase reached for the lounge chair next to his, fumbling for the
ringing phone. Instead of simply hitting the mute button, I watched as he threw
my phone in my general direction. It hit the water with a splash and sank like
a stone. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened in astonishment, too dumbfounded to
speak. Then I got mad.
“You
asshole! Why would you do that?”
“Should
have answered it,” he muttered.
I sucked in
a deep breath and dove down as far as I could, scooping my poor phone off the bottom of the pool. When I came up for air I saw that it
had already been fried. There was no saving it.
“You ruined
my phone!”
Chase sat
up and removed the towel from his head.
“I thought
you were gonna catch it,” he
said.
“Yeah
right,” I fumed. “You know what? I’m out of here.”
I swam straight
for the closest metal ladder. I was so angry I had to get out of that pool as
soon as possible. I had to get away from Chase before I really snapped. He
could be such a jerk sometimes.
Chase paced
around the pool and was waiting for me when I reached the top of the ladder.
The hot Texas air felt unbearably chilly on my wet skin as beads of pool water
dripped from my long hair and skin.
“ Evie , wait,” Chase said, grabbing hold of my hips above my
bikini bottom.
“Let go of
me!”
I tried to
pull away from him, but he was too strong.
“Look, I’m
sorry!” Chase said. “I
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