The Kiss: Now and Forever

By Toni Jackson

He has a problem...

Dylan Rhodes has a stalker. 

His ex -Brittany - refuses to accept that their relationship is over and has been for almost a year.

Determined to stop hiding - and counting on the fact that she hates sports - he agrees to check out a new sports bar with his brother, only to have her appear.

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

London has loved Dylan since the third grade when he saved her from bullies. He was her best friend and there was nothing she wouldn't do for him.

So when he asks for a favor to chase his away his ex, she's all for it.

But sometimes a favor can take an unexpected turn...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Toni Jackson
• Release date: May 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9780999180525

Toni Jackson

I've been reading everything I could since the age of 5 - Shakespeare, Hans Christian Anderson, The Original Grimm's Fairy Tales, my older brother's school books (I was desperate!), and my mother's romance novels. By the time I started Junior High school, I was already beginning to crank out my own mini series featuring cute boys that I would see traveling back and forth to school. It wasn't until I got older, however, that I settled down and began to seriously focus on writing. A friend of mine dragged me off to writing classes at a local college and everything took off from there. For the past several years, I've been writing a character on a superhero blog named Terra Stone.  With Terra, I was able to feed my love of writing and science fiction, since Terra was the only alien on the team. At some point, I'll go back and write her back story, but for now, I'm content jotting down the strange  ideas that come to mind and shaping them into something worth reading. ​Member of RWA; RWA Cultural, Interracial and Multicultral Chapter, RWA Washington DC Chapter

Book preview

Chapter 1

W hat the hell?

The sound of someone banging against his front door startled Dylan from his nap on his family room couch. Half awake, he rolled over, nearly falling onto the floor. He winced at the pain in his wrist as he reached out to catch himself and managed to knock over a bowl of popcorn, barely missing the sweaty beer bottle he meant to drink while watching basketball.

A quick glance at the TV confirmed he’d missed most of the first game of the NBA playoffs. The halftime score flashed across the screen, making him cringe. Evidently, he didn’t miss much. The second game, the one he really cared to watch, featured his favorite team. The underdog, it was their first time in the playoffs in ten years.

Now the noise alternated between the doorbell and banging. Somebody was pretty determined to make him answer the door. Dylan sat up, silently vowing to punch the nut disturbing his peace—if the neighbors didn’t call the police first. Walking quietly, he moved to the front door, only to discover he never turned on the porch light and couldn’t see his visitor. He flicked on the light, then groaned as he recognized the intruder. Of all the people it could have been, his little brother, Tyler, was the worst.

You can’t cut on the porch light then pretend you’re not home. Open the door.

The urge to leave him standing on the doorstep and go back to the game was strong, but if he did, the golden-haired imp would knock all night. His little brother had immense patience when it came to annoying his older brother. Anyone else would have taken the hint and left by now. Not Tyler. His goals in life included dishing out misery to his older brother on a constant basis.

Jerking the door open, Dylan stood in the doorway, arms crossed, doing his best to look pissed off. Not that it did any good. Tyler was impervious to subtle or blatant hints. With a cocky smile, Tyler brushed past him and strolled into the house towards the family room. So much for that. Locking the door, he followed the troublemaker down the hall, wondering what brought him out this late on a Friday night.

Dylan’s plans for the night included the couch, a cold beer, and basketball. Not his brother. The past few weeks took up most of his time and energy trying to perfect a database for one of his largest clients. Tonight, he planned to only use enough brainpower to change channels and cheer for his favorite team.

The minute his team made the playoffs, he started searching for tickets to the first game. For years he watched his team fight to at least reach the playoffs with no luck. This year was their year. And he wanted to see them win it all, up close and personal.

He had located the perfect seats, on the floor directly behind the team, which would have put a major hole in his savings, but who cared? A once in a lifetime opportunity like this didn’t come along every day. And then, before he could buy them, a problem occurred with one of his major client’s programs. Now stuck at home, he had been too tired after work to go out. He needed to stay in town in case of more problems, even though he could have used the break.

The constant run-ins around town with his ex, Brittany, drove him crazy. Their relationship ended almost a year ago, but she still appeared everywhere. For a few months after the incident that caused their split, she wavered between begging him to come back to calling him every kind of bastard she could imagine.

He changed his telephone numbers, both the house and cell. He changed the locks on his front door just in case she made a copy of his keys. Even now, he was a leery whenever he started his car. For the past year he’d lived like a hermit. Over and over again he pretended it wasn’t because he didn’t want to run into Brittany. He was a terrible liar.

The only places he traveled were to work, Tyler’s place, and his mother’s. And since his mother never liked Brittany, it was the one place he could count on her avoiding.

Maybe if she hadn’t shown her true colors about his best friend, London, they’d still be together. He refused to abandon his best friend since third grade because of Brittany’s insecurity.

Walking over to the couch, he knelt down to pick up the spilled popcorn, resisting the urge to toss the kernels at Tyler as he stood in the center of the room, hands on his hips. The picture on your TV is nice and all, but you can’t truly appreciate the playoffs unless you’re with a crowd.

I was doing fine. Dylan grumbled from his spot on the floor.

Sure, you were. Be honest. You were probably asleep on the couch when I knocked. He motioned to the spilt snack. And you knocked over the popcorn when I woke you up.

I just drifted off for a minute. Dylan dropped the dropped the popcorn back into the bowl. He walked into the kitchen, dumping his snack into the trash. He glanced over at his brother rocking back on his heels and watching the game.

Mom always said you were a terrible liar.

What do you want, Tyler? Flopping back down on the couch, he grabbed his remote to turn down the sound. The first game ended and the players were now hunched over talking with the newscasters who knew to tilt the mic forward but not get too close, unless they wanted to be covered in sweat.

Footsteps echoed across the hardwood floor as Tyler stalked over to the couch and leaned across the back. I want you to come to the new sports bar with me.

Even though he’d nixed the idea earlier, Dylan was tempted. His impromptu nap cleared out the last of his cobwebs, leaving him refreshed and ready to watch his team. I tossed around the idea of going out earlier, but changed my mind. The last few weeks were torture. I work hard, unlike certain corporate pansies I know, he muttered, rolling his eyes at his brother. Tyler’s job as a business analyst fit his lifestyle. He always complained that he didn’t have the energy to start his own business.

Dylan hinted a few times about Tyler coming to work for him, but always received a vague response. For now, he’d leave it alone, but there was no one he would rather have work with him than his brother, annoying as he may be.

Tyler’s eyebrows rose, exposing the baby blue eyes that had women tossing their panties at him since he’d turned sixteen. Me? Leaning back, Tyler placed his hand on his chest. Who told you to aspire to become a techno nerd? We’ve had this discussion before. Women do not want nerds. They want the business types, like me. With a smug expression, he turned back towards the screen. Anyway, it’s no fun watching the game alone. So, out of the goodness of my heart, I came to treat my favorite big brother—

I’m your only brother, Dylan mumbled, his head falling back against the couch.

"To Casey’s, the new sport bar. Picture this. Tyler paced back and forth behind him. They’re showing the games on seventy-foot screens on every wall. Tyler held up a hand when Dylan tried to cut him off again. I know the breakup with Brit was bad. Hell, you guys were almost at the altar. But, you’ve got to start getting out of the house again. No one blames you for psycho Suzy. Tyler stood straight, looking down on his brother, his face somber. Dylan, it’s almost been a year. At some point, you have to start living again. You can’t hide from her forever, and I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer. Don’t make me call Mom."

He remembered his mother grabbing him by the ear for getting mud on his Easter suit, thanks to Tyler, of course. The image of his tiny mother pulling him along was still painful. Even years later, he still held a healthy fear of his mother. Damn. Tyler knew how to go for the gut. She was not a person you wanted to cross. "That’s low. You’re going to call Mom on me?"

If that’s what it takes to get you back out into the real world, then yes. Tyler’s hand on his shoulder startled him. They left the displays of affection to their mother. We’re worried about you. Not to mention, Mom’s watching me and talking about grandchildren. I’ve got to do something.

His lips curved. The last thing his brother planned on doing was settling down. He almost didn’t blame Tyler. Almost. The little weasel had cornered him. Fine! Throwing his hands in the air, he surrendered. I’ll go. Let me put my shoes on.

Chapter 2

The bar was only a few blocks from Dylan’s house, with lots of parking. It was still early in the evening for the Friday party crowd, so they had their pick of spaces. Winding through the wide aisles, they managed to locate a booth close to one of the screens. The high-backed booth gave them a sense of privacy .

The place still had a new feel to it. No scratches marred the tabletop. The vinyl seat covering remained supple and firm, not yet giving in to the curve of the hundreds of people that would sit here in the future.

He missed hanging out with his brother. Their