Breaking Free of the Pieces: Pieces, #4

By Shelby Reeves

Brad Massey is angry and heartbroken; the girl he loved broke him by walking away. While at a party to ease his broken heart he meets a girl who lost a dare and had to spend a few minutes in a broom closet with him. It was supposed to be just one kiss but became some much more. 
Alex is a single mother, who works part-time and attends college full-time. She doesn't have time to date with work and school add to that the baby daddy, Darrin, who just won't go away. When she loses a dare and has what has to be the best kiss of her life she realizes how good life can be with someone else and not Darrin.

When Brad takes off back to Bowling Green to help the ex who broke him, Alex starts rethinking their relationship and where she stands with him.
Can Brad leave the past in Bowling Green and move on to his future with Alex? Did Brad really run Darrin off or does he have a plan to take his family back?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shelby Reeves
• Release date: May 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386018018

Book preview

Prologue

Brad

Dude, get your ass up and quit moping around! No chick is worth it! Jake, my best friend yells. A pillow pounds my head a couple of times before I even stir.

With a groan, I shove back the covers and sit up to satisfy him. I feel like shit. Not mention I probably look it too. Fine, I’m up, I growl in return. 

Hurry up and take a shower so we can go. There is a party tonight, and you’re going, Jake informs me.

Seeing how I’m done with dating for a while, I honestly could care less about going out and being social. The last one I gave everything to shattered my heart to pieces. She left me for a guy who broke her heart in the beginning and yet, she cheated on me with him. Giving her everything left me with the broken heart I can’t seem to mend. It’s not fun being on the short end of the stick.

Arguing with Jake is no use since he will only go on and on about how I need to get laid and get over my broken heart. The more he mentions it, the more annoyed I become so I agree so he will shut up. 

Shuffling to the bathroom, I take my time in the shower. Twenty minutes later, we are finally walking to one of the fraternity houses down the street from us. It’s a short walk to the white two-story Greek house. This is one of the perks of living on campus, not having to drive everywhere. The sky is full of bright stars tonight. Not a cloud in the sky can dull their shine. 

Bumping my shoulder, my best friend gives me a knowing smile. Tonight man, you are going to loosen up, and if I have my way, get laid, Jake says as-a-matter-of-factly. 

I roll my eyes at his plan.  Like hell, I mutter as we reach the front door.

Instantly, I am greeted by a few of my fellow teammates as soon as I step inside. I’m on the University of Kentucky’s basketball team as the shooting guard, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about the rest of the season. Being on the basketball team has its perks. Staying in shape, the friendships, and the positive atmosphere are all bonuses. It’s a struggle to make time for homework, and so far I have managed to keep up, even with all the drama still clouding me. 

Dude, where have you been? Chad, who is well on his way to being lit, asks.

I’ve been around. I leave it at that and walk away to get a beer. Talking is not on my agenda for the day, especially if it has to do with her.

Occasionally I’d mingle with a few of my frat brothers or teammates, but other than that I stay quiet and watch as the party continues on. I want to get over her; I’ve tried like hell too. It turned out to be way harder than I thought. Sleeping around every night or weekend won’t fill the void in my chest, nor will consuming large amounts of alcohol. Many guys have attempted and failed, so I saw no point in trying. Making a fool of myself is all that will come out of it. 

A girl steps into my line of vision, plastering a smile. My night is fixing to suck. Hey, would you be willing to do us a huge favor? Brandy winks at me suggestively, and I resist an eye roll. Brandy is part of the Delta Sigma sorority here at UK. I’ve personally never really liked her at all. It could be because she is a girl and while it may be part of the explanation, it’s mainly because I know how she acts.

What is the favor? I ask, already knowing it will be some crazy shit. Why I asked, I have no clue. Sticking my foot in my mouth would have been a better response.

Batting her long eyelashes at me, she pokes her chest out farther. Case in point. Exhibit A, overly flirty women, aren’t my thing. Exhibit B, girls who flaunt their bodies like it’s some sort of trophy, turn me off. And Exhibit C, girls who act like they were born without a brain turn me away.  I have a pledge who lost a dare and she has to kiss a frat guy in a closet, blindfolded. 

See what I mean? Crazy right? Where do these girls come up with this stuff?

What the hell. I guess I might as well since I have nothing better to do. Sure, why not. I half-heartedly shrug, not caring how dumb this proposition is. 

The rules include you being blindfolded as well. And it just got crazier. Again, I ask, where in the hell do these chicks come up with this crap?

My mouth speaks before my brain conjures up a more appropriate response. She better not be ugly, Brandy. 

Brad you know me better than that! Would I have an ugly girl in my house? I think not! She huffs. Brandy has me there. Now, follow me. Absentmindedly, I follow her to the nearest closet like a lost puppy. 

Everything goes black as she covers my eyes with the blindfold. I am then shuffled into the closet and left there.

Okay, what the hell is with the damn blindfolds if we are in the damn dark closet? Why in the hell did I agree to this? I ask myself that same question five more times before the door finally opens and closes. Hell, how am I even supposed to know where she is or even if she really is in here? There better be an actual chick in here.

Stretching my arms out slowly, I try to feel something, anything. This is so stupid, I mutter under my breath.

I know, the girl whispers back. At least I know there is someone in here, and she agrees with me on how stupid this whole ordeal is.

My fingers finally touch the smoothest, silkiest hair possible. Here goes nothing. I dive in, bringing her mouth to mine. The first kiss is awkward because let’s be honest, it’s hard to kiss in the dark, let alone while you’re blindfolded. I mutter an apology, and we try again. Not only was her hair soft, but her lips are plush. We didn’t stop with one kiss like we were supposed to, nor did we stop at two…or three…or four. I couldn’t make myself stop, and neither could she. 

I bring my hands up to cradle her face as my tongue devours her. Her hands fly up to my hair and tugs. The growl I tried to suppress, breaks free as I back her up against the wall. 

The banging on the door comes way too soon. I wasn’t ready to stop, but the banging continues.

We break apart, panting like we just ran five miles. Then she is gone, leaving me standing in the broom closet, reeling.  

Chapter One

Brad

My alarm sounds sooner than I want it to. Why did I pick an eight o’clock class?  Who in their right mind would even consider an early morning class? Apparently, I’m not in my right mind. Truthfully, I haven’t been since Alexis. She was the one girl who had me in the palm of her hand. I had done anything and everything I could to show her how much I loved her, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

Shaking my head trying to diminish my heartbreaking thoughts, I hurry through my shower. 

Last semester, my grades came out fairly decent, yet, they could’ve been better. I don’t need any distractions this semester, as usual, though, it never works. I’ve thought about the kiss I shared with ‘mystery girl’ every day since. There are only two things I know about her, one, she is a damn good kisser, and two she is in Brandy’s sorority. Okay, three things if you count that I know she has smooth and silky hair. None of that doesn’t help me any if I have a name or face to go with those things. Her kiss awoke something inside me, something I thought I buried with Alexis months ago.

My walk to class consisted of me weighing my options. Should I find out who she is and see if there is something between us or should I just let it go and move on? Say I do want to find out who she is, how would I get to know her name? Yeah, I could just walk up and ask Brandy though I doubt she’d give up the information freely. A shudder runs through me. That’s not a situation I want to put myself in. Going around and kissing all the single girls and touching their hair in Brandy’s sorority is definitely out of the question. 

I slide into my seat just as the professor starts class. As the professor starts talking about what to expect in the class, the door creaks open as a short curly, red-headed girl hurries to her seat, which happens to be next to me since it is the only spot that isn’t taken. Her clothes look a size too big for her small body. Her hazel eyes are clouded by the dark circles that cover them, clearly from lack of sleep or she could be hung over, either one. Tentatively, she takes a sip of her Red Bull before opening her notebook and taking notes. 

This girl lures me in. I find myself having a hard time prying my eyes off her. What is it about this girl? Could it be that she is dressed like she doesn’t care what she looks like? Could it those emerald eyes that draw me in?

Finally forcing myself to face the front, I try to focus on the lecture the teacher is giving on the Civil War. 

That turns out to be much harder than I originally thought. Instead of learning about how the Civil War started, I am studying the girl next to me like she is some sort of science experiment, taking note of every single movement and inaudible sound she makes. 

Before I know it, the class is over, and she is gone. Never have I been affected like this by a girl unless you count ‘mystery girl’. Not even Alexis affected me this much, and I thought she was the one. Now that is saying something.

Snatching up my books, I dart out of the classroom in search of her. The probability of finding a girl who is short in the mass of average to freakishly tall people is like rolling a die and getting a one. Or like finding a hundred dollar bill laying on the ground that someone had dropped. 

Defeated, I turn and head for my next class. 

At lunchtime, I sit with the guys. As usual, we just shoot the shit, talking about nothing of importance. Jake, Chad, Nate, James, and I are all teammates. My position is shooting guard along with James. Jake and Nate play the post, and Chad is point guard and captain. All five of us are starters here at UK. Preseason practice starts up soon, thank God. This year we will be ready. The Wildcat’s will make it to the championship this year and dominate. 

I find myself searching the crowded lunchroom for the girl from History class. She has been running through my mind all day. My breath hitches momentarily when I catch sight of her. There she is, sitting alone, nibbling on her sandwich. Elbowing Jake I ask, What’s her name? 

I point her out to him, and he laughs. Slapping me on the back, he gets the guys attention. Hey, guys! Brad here is interested in Alex! The table erupts into laughter. What is the big deal?

Dude, do you have a death wish? Chad asks.

Darrin would knock you into next week if you even look at her, let alone talk to her! Nate adds.

Who’s Darrin? I ask, hoping it was her overprotective brother. That, I could deal with.

They all give me the I-can’t-believe-you-don’t-know-Darrin-look. James speaks up first. Bro, Darrin is on our team! He and Alex have been on and off for a few years. Last I heard, they were on a break.

She’s dating that asshole? If they are on a break then it means she is single, right? So that means she is fair game. 

They all start laughing again. Let me put it to you this way, bro. If Darrin catches you near her, he will most likely break your legs. For real, the last guy that tried didn’t even get close to her before Darrin snatched him up and beat the living hell out of him. No joke, James says with a serious look. I heard he was in the hospital for a week.

Glancing around the room, I spot her again. She is still alone, texting someone from the looks of it. She looks up from her phone and her eyes lock with me. Her eyes widen for a fraction of a second before looking back down at her phone. What was that about?

Rising from my seat, I smile at the guys as I walk away. From behind me, I hear a bunch of hoots and hollers from them. 

She doesn’t notice me until I sit down in the seat next to her. She gasps like I scared her, but quickly regains her composure. Clearing my throat, I stick my hand up and introduce myself. I’m Brad. 

Her eyes glance down at my hand, and she ignores it. Alex. 

Nice to meet you, Alex. So, uh, what are you doing tonight? God, I sound lame.

She cracks a smile like she wants to laugh at me. What does a normal college student do? No one could miss the sarcasm that poured from her words.

Two can play this game. Well, there are many different choices like studying, working, hanging out with friends, going on dates, or just relaxing. I’m surprised I said all of that without sounding like a blubbering idiot.

I’m going to choose the latter, she replies smoothly.

All right my place or yours?

A blush sweeps over her beautiful face. Her long, fiery red curls hang loosely, stopping half way down her back.  That means relaxing.

I know. My place or yours? I ask again.

How about I relax at mine and you can relax at yours?  

Why can’t we relax together? You know…watch a movie, eat popcorn, and drink a beer…sounds good doesn’t it?  I suggest. The lame line that spewed from my mouth would be enough to scare anyone away.

She gets up from her seat and collects her stuff before leaning over and whispering in my ear. I’m very picky about my movies, popcorn gets stuck in my teeth, and beer is nasty.

My lips twitch into a smile. Then what are you into? She just shrugs and walks away. 

This is going to be interesting, very interesting.

Walking back over to take my seat with the guys, I can’t help but smile. 

Dude, how’d it go? Chad asks first.

Yeah, how’d it go man? Did she turn you down? Jake adds.

With a smile etched on my face, I tell them. She didn’t say no, but she didn’t say yes, either. Alex is going to be a tough girl to get to know.

Chapter Two

Alex

I can’t resist an eye roll as I walk out of the cafeteria. Darrin is leaning up against the brick with a pissed off look on his face. Good grief, who made him mad now? It would