Pull: A Seaside Novel

By Rachel Van Dyken

Jaded rock star, Demetri Daniels, is in Hell — also known as Seaside, Oregon. Sent to rehab after nearly getting himself killed last year, his record company wants nothing more than for him to lay low, away from the limelight.

Irritated and more alone than he’s ever been in his life, Demetri tries desperately to rebuild his shattered reputation as a drug addict and player, which proves to be difficult when he meets Alyssa.

Alyssa is everything he should stay away from. She’s beautiful, smart, but above all else, she’s damaged. And one thing Demetri has learned is two broken hearts don’t equal a whole.
In the end, he has to decide if he can rise above the life he’s created in learning from his past mistakes, or fall into the darkness of his choices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rachel Van Dyken
• Release date: May 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9780989078306

Rachel Van Dyken

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

Book preview

Prologue

Death is everywhere. You can't escape it. You can't hide from it. And for me, the very minute I decided to embrace it as inevitable, the planes of my universe shifted, leaving me more confused and broken than I'd ever been in my entire life.

For me, death was the ultimate betrayal. For some, it was the easy way out. I had no way of knowing that my life would change so much in two short months. Maybe I wasn't prepared for him.

I was happy in my darkness, at least that's what I told myself. Because life is cruel — it's so damn cruel to give me what I had and then rip it away. It's cruel, because the minute I was finally okay with being numb to the world — he showed up.

My heart wasn't ready to be pieced together again. He did it anyway.

My soul wasn't prepared for heartbreak. He broke it anyway.

My life wasn't ready to be given to a soul mate. He stole it anyway.

Everything has changed — even death. And all because of a boy, who fell in love with a girl.

I sat down on the cold asphalt and bawled. I cried for me. I cried for him. But most of all, I cried for all those minutes I was allowed to breathe, when I deserved to be without breath. How do you thank someone who saved your life? How do you mourn them at the same time?

I struggled against the cop and then, I must have died, because the very person I thought I lost not a few minutes ago was standing over me.

Demetri? I gasped.

Chapter One

Seven weeks previous

Demetri

I sighed for the tenth time, hoping to gain some flicker of sympathy from Nat. But she was immobile. Like a really hot stone that refused to crack.

I nudged her with my foot.

Which made things worse.

I feel like that's all I do these days. Make things worse and then reap the awesome benefits of being a total and complete screw up.

Maybe it's because I'm clueless. I'm the guy who chases the girl when clearly she wants someone else.

Damn. I'm the pathetic number two.

Nat? If she wasn't going to give in, at least I could ask her honestly. She was never the type of girl to completely ignore me when I asked her a question.

After my near death experience, where I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes, Nat had been a lot nicer about things between me, her, and my brother.

The ménage a'weird.

What, Demetri? You've only been sighing like some lovesick teenager for the past hour. What do you want?

Now that I felt completely stupid, I didn't want to ask her anymore. I knew she'd either tell my brother, Alec, or laugh in my face.

Promise you won't tell Alec?

He's my boyfriend. I love him. I tell him everything.

Crap. Everything?

Nat rolled her brown eyes and shook her long blond hair to the side. She had no idea how beautiful she was. Maybe it was a good thing, because she had every right to be a total brat; instead she was convinced she was plain.

Yes, Demetri, everything. Including the time Mom and I helped you shower after your accident, and you pretended to fall, only to have me fall on top of you.

Like an idiot, I grinned. I couldn't help it. I take it Alec wasn't amused.

You think? She pushed me and switched the channel. Wonder of wonders, it was my brother, singing at some awards show.

Nat sighed. I wish I could've gone with him.

Nat. I nudged her with my leg. You know he wishes you were there too. He'll be back in a few days to take you to college, so you can both move on with your lives and leave me here in Hell. Thanks for that, by the way.

Hey. Your choice, not mine. She lifted her hands in the air and sighed. Besides, aren't there some really good rehab places in California? We could all be close and —

I shook my head and managed to interrupt her by waving my hand wildly in the air. Not gonna happen.

Why? She seemed genuinely upset, which made me want to shoot myself — in a total non-suicidal way, of course.

You guys need your time away from everything, away from this. I pointed at myself and managed a tight smile, even when it was killing me inside to even be talking about that again.

Last year Nat had fallen for both me and my brother. I, being the genuine ass that I was, knew she had the hots for him but jumped in and tried to steal her anyway. I still wasn't dealing with some past shit that had nearly ruined my life. I blamed Alec for it, and for once I just wanted the girl first, so I could rub his face in it.

Eventually it blew up in my face.

Literally blew up in my face in the form of a killer car accident that I just barely managed to escape with all my limbs intact.

After all that, it was apparent that while Nat loved me, it wasn't the type of love you sell your soul for, or die over. Nope, it was more like the kind you feel for your hot cousin or maybe your grandmother. You love them. You hope they do well in life, and yeah, they may be good-looking (just to be clear, we're talking about the cousin here, not the grandma), but that's as far as it goes.

The love she felt for Alec?

Well, it was the Twilight kind. Sorry, but it's the only comparison I could think of on the spot, especially considering Nat made me read all the books. It was the I will literally stop breathing if I can't have you type of love.

A love I've only experienced once in my life. A love like that doesn't happen twice. It's impossible.

Nat?

What? She seemed irritated with me. So what else was new?

I turned around and sat back down. Do you think? Oh man, I really needed to find a substitute for all the alcohol and pot, because right now all I wanted to do was go get high or drunk or jump off a cliff. Ever since I quit partying, I felt like a complete and total girl. Commercials about dogs made me teary-eyed, and last week when I saw an old man cross the street with his little wife and watched him pat her hand, I grinned like a fool and whistled the entire way home. Demetri Daniels does not whistle.

Spit it out, Demetri.

Fine, I grumbled and looked away from her. I couldn't look at her if I had to ask this. Do you think that true love, the type you have with Alec, do you think it could happen twice in a lifetime?

Nat flipped off the TV.

Aw, crap. She only did that when she needed to concentrate.

Demetri, if this is about us…

No! Hell, no! Nat scowled. No, not like that. I don't mean it like that. What I meant was it's not about us. I know how it sounds. Sorry. I just… I don't know. What I guess I'm asking is, do you think I could be lucky enough to have that pull that you have with Alec again in my lifetime?

Why wouldn't you be able to?

I looked at her. I mean, really looked at her. Damn, the girl was too adorable. Was she serious? Nat, I'm a recovering druggie and alcoholic at nineteen. I almost died. Because I'm a rock star, I have one true friend — two if you count my brother. And, oh right, I'm stuck in Seaside, Oregon, for the next year while you go off and have the time of your life in L.A. Add that in with all the intense psychotherapy I'm in from two years ago when my girlfriend not only cheated on me with my brother, but died in a tragic car accident with their son, and yeah… I guess I'm being a little pessimistic. Perhaps a bit depressing, but come on, Nat! Shit, look at me!

Nat's lip began to tremble.

Crap. I made her cry.

Alec was going to have me by the balls.

Nat, I didn't mean… I reached out to touch her arm.

She shook her head; a single tear ran down her cheek. Demetri, I'm so sorry!

I hated it when Nat cried. It made my chest hurt, and I knew Alec would be pissed that I was the one that caused it. I had always caused it. Feeling like a total ass, I pulled her into my arms and shushed her. Nat, you know I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I guess I just want to know there's more out there for me, you know? More to look forward to than a life full of twelve steps and empty fame.

Nat sniffled and pulled back. Do you really think that poorly of yourself? That it would be impossible for someone to fall in love with you?

I shook my head. "It's not that easy, Nat. Everyone loves me."

She punched me and laughed as she wiped a few tears away.

Nat. I groaned. It's true, and you know it. But who's ever going to see me for me and fall in love with me? The real me. I wanted to smack myself. Why was it so important that I find what Nat and Alec had anyway? My heart clenched a bit in my chest. I tried to ignore the pain. I mean, it could be heartburn or something, right? It just sucked, and honestly, after all the paparazzi stopped stalking my every waking move, and after Alec left for L.A… I was kind of, lonely. Shit. I was a freaking girl.

Nat was silent. She bit her lip, sniffling still. Demetri, nobody's going to fall in love with you.

My heart pounded loudly in my chest as the truth of her words hit home. I opened my mouth to speak, but she kept talking.

Not until you learn to love yourself. Not until you learn to forgive. You can't ask someone to love you when you still don't even love yourself.

Natalee Murray, ladies and gentleman. Wisest woman in the world. You sure you're only eighteen?

Going on ninety, she joked and punched me in the arm. Seriously, Demetri. Maybe you're right. Maybe it's good you're staying back here this summer. I think it will be good for you to just lay low. Besides, Mom said that you still had some things to work through with her rehab program.

Nat's mom was one of the best addiction counselors on the west coast. How fortunate for me that she lived in the most boring place in the world. Also known as the taffy capital of the universe.

I groaned. I'm going to be bored out of my mind.

You have Bob! she said enthusiastically, pointing at my security guard and, sadly, one of my only friends if you didn't count Nat or Alec. And again, the loneliness reared its ugly head.

"He's bald and watches American Idol to fill the void that killing too many people has put in his life."

Heard that, Bob mumbled from the corner.

Wasn't whispering! I shouted.

Bob cleared his throat.

Sorry, Bob, we said in unison.

Ever since the accident, the media had been relentless, so Bob was the only relationship I was in. Sadly, I looked forward to seeing his ugly mug every day. Of course, it may have to do with the fact that he made coffee every morning.

One would think that after the accident things would have died down. Instead, not a day went by that I didn't see some new story about myself on the news. That's always fun, seeing ugly pictures of myself with headlines above them saying I'm on drugs. It's a real self-esteem booster. I groaned into my hands.

You'll be fine, Demetri. I promise.

What am I going to do? I whined.

Nat laughed. Why don't you work?

I work.

You've been sitting on your butt ever since the accident. You haven't even written one song — not even a jingle. Why don't you get a job?

Bob laughed from the corner.

I narrowed my eyes at him and pointed harshly before turning back to Nat. Sorry, babe I don't know the meaning of the word.

You put in hours, make money, pay bills.

Hmm, sounds an awful lot like prostitution, and I don't want to give away the goods for free, if you get my meaning.

Nat groaned and put her face in her hands.

I grinned, liking our little exchange. No way in hell was I getting a job.

I've got it! Nat jumped from her seat. Follow me!

She ran up the stairs.

I chose not to follow.

Hey, I almost died! Physical exertion? Not my thing. I was the type of guy that had the six-pack abs without even trying. Pretty sure that was another reason I got hate mail.

Nat came back downstairs and breezed past me. Close your eyes.

I glared.

Just do it!

Fine. I closed my eyes and waited, while she fashioned something on my head.

Okay, open!

I opened my eyes and slowly walked to the kitchen mirror. I gazed at my reflection and swore. Nat was jumping wildly behind me. Bob was trying his best not to laugh.

Hell. No. I reached up for the visor on my head that said Seaside Taffy, but Nat swatted my hand away.

It will be perfect! You'll see!

No, I won't, because I'm not doing it. No. I shook my head and crossed my arms. No. Never.

Nat smiled and pulled out her phone. We'll see about that.

Who are you calling? I tried to keep the panic from my voice.

Your brother.

Why?

I'm going to tell him you tried to get me to give you a sponge bath tonight.

I cursed. You wouldn't.

I would. She held the phone up. Take the job, Demetri. Make friends. Get a life.

Sometimes I wish we weren't friends.

She threw back her head and laughed. No, you don't. You love me, and I love you.

That's what got me in this stupid situation in the first place, I grumbled, keeping the visor on and slumping into the nearest chair."

Just think, Nat leaned over me whispering. You can try all the taffy flavors! Bob over there is on number two hundred already.

Swell. How sad that trying every taffy flavor was supposed to be a perk.

Oh, and Demetri? Mr. Smith says an early riser is a happy worker!

Chapter Two

Demetri

Add evil.

Malicious.

Manipulative.

And crazy to all of Nat's attributes. Somehow she convinced her old boss that not only would it bring lots of business into Seaside Taffy, but having a legit rock star singing on the street would be almost like a tourist attraction.

Alec wasn't any help at all. I begged. I pleaded. I called my agent and told him I would gain a hundred pounds, and he would find his money maker face down in a pile of taffy wrappers, dead from asphyxiation, or worse in a sugar coma.

But they all laughed. Yup, they laughed. And told me it was a good idea.

I was not amused.

And I am still not amused.

Not when I was driving to an actual job in a Mercedes that costs more than the building the taffy is sold in.

Nor when I got out of the car, grabbed my bucket — yes, there is an actual taffy bucket — and plopped myself on the corner of the street.

I've been at it for around five days now. Five days of pure hell with tourists dodging me and paparazzi grinning as they snapped my photo. The first day hadn't been so bad — nobody had known it was me, thanks to the over-large taffy visor. I wasn't really sure if it was something to be thankful for, considering satellites could pick up my beacon of bright fuchsia on the visor, but whatever.

The second day was by far the worst. Cameras went off like wildfire, and I'm pretty sure that a chick tried to stick taffy that I had touched down her shirt. I didn't even want to know the reason behind that one.

People gathered around. They expected me to sing the jingle, like always. I wanted to kill myself. Why didn't I die in that accident?

Seaside Taffy, I began, my voice cracked. It hadn't cracked since I was twelve. Again, I wanted to die. Loads of fun, in your tummy! Yum, yum, yum… I swear I could feel Bob snickering from twenty feet away; it never got old. Ice cream, taffy, treats galore! Don't forget to stop at our store! I gave a dramatic bow.

I expected applause, or at least some sort of acknowledgement that I had, in fact, just given the best performance of my life.

What did I get? One solitary clap. One person. I cringed, thinking of the pity clap. It's the type of applause every performer dreads hearing. Swearing, I turned around. It was a girl. She looked about as old as a first grader.

Want some taffy?

I held out a piece of taffy, and the mom suddenly looked horrified, like I was planning on putting a taffy trail all the way to my car in order to abduct her child.

They hurried away, and I was stuck again with a crowd of people trying to get around me while I shook my bucket. Seaside Taffy! I yelled louder this time and threw my hands out in the air. Might as well commit, since this was my hell for the next few months.

Seaside Taffy! I flailed my arms again and a piece of taffy went flying out of my hand, right into the back of someone's head.

Great, add assault to my record.

When the person turned around, I was a little shocked, because to be honest, I thought I had hit some punk kid.

Not. The. Case.

Seriously? The girl stomped toward me, all five feet of her, and glared. She was wearing a hat that said The Best Taffy in the World and an oversized sweater, leggings, and boots.

It slipped, I offered lamely.

She reached for my bucket. I jerked back. Nobody touches the bucket.

Wow. I was so ashamed of myself that I wanted to jump into the bucket and hide. Was I really getting possessive over my bucket? Like some homeless man with his cart?

The girl reached for the bucket again.

I snapped. What's your problem?

My problem? she repeated, her eyebrows shooting to the top of her forehead. Damn, she had pretty eyes.

I nodded. Since the accident I hadn't written one damn song, so at the moment words weren't really my thing, and I was shamelessly checking her out.

My problem… She laughed bitterly. …Is that the minute your punk rocker self got into this town, our business suffered, and you don't even take it seriously! She put her hands on her hips and scowled. And now you're working my corner!

Whoa! I laughed. I couldn't help it. "I'm sorry. Your corner? What? Is this Pretty Woman or something?"

Did you just call me a prostitute?

Yes. Yes, I did. Nope. More like a call girl. Prostitutes don't dress like blind middle schoolers.

Agh! She swatted my bucket, making all the candy clatter to the ground. Amused, I crossed my arms and watched the fire blaze through her eyes. Really it was a pity she dressed so horribly, and that she was wearing that awful hat. Though I guess my visor wasn't any better, but still… I made it look good.

Just watch it.

Brawl alert. I almost expected people to start coming out of the alleys with toothpicks in their mouths and newspapers in their hands to watch the entertainment.

How the hell did I get stuck in a Broadway musical?

Since I was committing to the whole Seaside Taffy act, might as well commit to this one too. Noted, Shop Girl. Noted. Now run along. See? I could be territorial.

Her eyes widened, and for a second I was shocked again at how pretty she was. With a grunt and a cute little curse, she stomped off across the street to the competing taffy store.

I waved in her direction and

Reviews for Pull

[mindaf_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pull is the second book I have read in the Seaside Series by Rachel Van Dyken. I was completely torn in Tear between Alec and Demetri. After reading Pull I can so see why Alyssa would swoon for Demetri. This guy is Swoon worthy! Rachel Van Dyken has written yet another wonderful story that had me completely captivated from page one all the way to the end. I love this book, there is so many emotions in that I may suggest grabbing a Kleenex box, I laughed, I cried, I just thoroughly enjoyed it. Demetri is trying really hard to keep his life on track in this book. He's having a rough time of it but he's doing it day by dy. Demetri really is a bad boy that has a heart made of solid gold. When he meets Alyssa things are a little rough between them at first. But watching these two get to know each other and helping each other heal. They are exactly what the other needs and reading their story is an emotional roller coaster ride. Alyssa has been in such a dark place for so long when Demetri comes along, he is exactly what she needs to help her start living again. I loved Alyssa and felt her pain and her misery of what she has been through. When things start to work out between her and Demetri I was so excited for both of them. This girl needed love and someone to show her how to live again. Demetri is just the guy to do that.There is a lot of drama in this book that most certainly kept me turning pages quickly. If you have read Tear, then you must read Pull if you have not already. I liked that Alec and Nat would appear to lend that little bit of support or an ear for Demetri. I love series books because I love catching up with all my "friends" from previous books. I have Shatter in my to read pile and I CAN NOT wait to start reading it. I wonder what wonderful story Rachel has came up with for us next. I was very lucky to receive a copy of this book to read and share my thoughts with you. Stay tuned for my thoughts on Shatter soon.