Page 1 of Keep Me Safe: A Small Town Suspenseful Love Story

The kiss was rough. Passionate. Completely wrong and inappropriate, though I was too lost to care.

Every night, I have the same nightmare: A dark room. An open door. And my stalker, waiting to attack me.

I've moved back home to heal, but even the comforts of my childhood don't seem to be enough. Until, one day, another part of my past catches up to me....

Knox Fitzgerald, my first love. Still as sexy as ever, he manages to sweep me off my feet as if we were just a couple of teenagers again.

I feel complete with him. Loved. Many years ago, he was my first, and now I want him to be my last.

Finally, I feel safe.

That is, until I get a package at my door.

He has found me.

He still wants me.

And now, he's not just after me.

The only man who can keep me safe is the man I pushed away for years. Will Knox protect me from my stalker and give me a second chance at life... and at love? And can I ever feel safe again, even in Knox's arms?

Knox’s eyes went to my chest and I knew he could see my nipples poking through the thin material of my tank top. He moved towards me slowly, purposefully, until I was backed up against the ropes. He was pressed against me and I could feel his cock against my abdomen. With fire in his eyes he whispered, “I bet your nipples are still as sensitive as they were the first time I touched them. I remember the way you shook the first time I put my mouth on them. Remember the first time I scraped my teeth against them? You nearly came.”

My cheeks flushed and I looked down, pressing my forehead against his chest. Shaking my hands back and forth I was thankful that the gloves were too big as they slipped off my my hands and fell to the floor. The instant they were off I was all over him. My fingers roamed over his back, kneading the strong muscles of his shoulders while he pressed hot, wet kisses to my shoulder, tugging the strap down my arm before sinking his teeth into the skin there, a moan erupting from me. My nails skated over the smooth skin of his abdomen and up over his chest until my arms were looped around his neck and our eyes were boring into each other.

Knox looked frustrated as he said, “As much as I want to fuck you right here right now, there are plenty of windows and I have no interest in letting anyone else look at your naked body. Come on,” he said and took my hand, leading me out of the ring. I waited as he turned all the lights off and made sure the door was locked before leading me to his office and closing the door behind us.

This is really happening. I’m really about to have sex with Knox Fitzgerald for the first time in five years. Shit.

Taking a deep breath and refusing to let my nerves get the best of me I backed up until my butt hit the edge of his desk. He eyed me, jaw clenched and nostrils flared as he moved forward, leaning down so that he was eye level with me and his palms were flat against the mahogany.

Knox leaned forward and kissed me, dipping his tongue into my mouth and exploring thoroughly until I was out of breath. Teasing me. Tasting me.

My mind was spinning and I couldn’t believe it was finally happening again. Me and Knox, wrapping myself around him until we couldn’t tell where he ended and I began…

Dedication

To Mom, Dad, and Mia for being my constant motivation and believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. I love you infinity plus infinity, and the whole world over. Twice.

Chapter 1

I’d been home for three days and I still hadn’t left my brother’s house. Did that make me a coward? Yes. Did I care? Maybe. Did that mean I was going to leave? Hell no.

I made my way downstairs with a soft blanket over my shoulders and took a glance out the window, estimating the time to be a little after six. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the first floor of the house and I inhaled deeply. Robbie was clearly already awake and, after filling an over sized mug with some seriously strong Colombian caffeine, I made my way out to the back deck, the screen door squeaking noisily and the warm wood soft and inviting beneath my feet.

I took a small sip of coffee and closed my eyes, feeling the ocean breeze on my face. It was going to be a beautiful day, I could feel it. Too bad I wouldn’t be leaving the house to enjoy it properly.

The familiarity of it all was overwhelming, and my chest tightened as I looked around at the white sand and pink and blue sky, The waves crashed against the shore and I smiled, thinking of all the memories I had on this beach. This deck. It took leaving for five years for me to realize Port James was the only place I’d ever call home and actually mean it. Especially after the last few months.

“You’re up early,” my eldest brother said from his place on one of his two handmade Adirondack chairs. They were painted a stark white and went well with the ambiance that the beach provided.

It was true, I wasn’t normally an early riser and I definitely never got up before the sun. But ever since I’d returned home, I was sleeping terribly. My mother blamed it on the soft mattress of Robbie’s guest bedroom. The family therapist blamed it on whoever had broken into my apartment and attacked me.

Truthfully, I was leaning more towards the latter.

I offered only a small smile, conscious of the fact that my bottom lip was still split. If I smiled any wider it would ruin the picturesque scene in front of me and I wasn’t ready to deal with more sympathy from my already sympathetic brother.

“I didn’t want to miss a beautiful morning,” I lied. The truth was that I tossed and turned for nearly two hours before caving and deciding to start my day early.

Moving forward, I sat down in the chair next to Robbie’s, unable to hide the pained expression on my face as pain shot through my left side. He arched a brow and stayed mum, looking away and staring out at the ocean with a tight expression on his face.

“I’ll feel better soon,” I said and took a large sip of coffee. “Doc said I’ll be sore for a week at most.”

Robbie shook his head and looked down with a heavy sigh, his overgrown brown hair hiding his expression.

Robert James Ashford Junior was the oldest, and most protective, of us three Ashford children. With hair that was too long and

a scruffy beard, he could easily look as mean as he wanted to. But that wasn’t Robbie’s MO. He was defined as the “nicest bachelor” in Port James, always willing to lend a hand or he a stranger.

“Maybe we should just put you in a plastic bubble.”

“Or maybe you should go save Mrs. Schumer’s cat from a tree again.”

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