Blow Read online

  Blow

  Lucy Fall

  Favor Ford Publishing

  Contents

  NOTE

  Want To Be In The Know?

  Blow by Lucy Fall

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Bonus Content: Crash and Burn (Books 1-3) by Eva Grayson

  Crash and Burn (Crash and Burn, Book One) by Eva Grayson

  1. Lauren

  2. Cole

  3. Lauren

  4. Cole

  5. Lauren

  6. Cole

  7. Lauren

  Up In Flames (Crash And Burn, Book Two) by Eva Grayson

  8. Cole

  9. Lauren

  10. Cole

  11. Cole

  12. Lauren

  13. Cole

  14. Lauren

  Fire With Fire (Crash and Burn, Book Three) by Eva Grayson

  15. Lauren

  16. Cole

  17. Lauren

  18. Cole

  19. Lauren

  20. Cole

  21. Three months later

  Copyright © 2017 by Favor Ford Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  NOTE

  This edition of Blow contains the following bonus content: Crash And Burn (The Complete Series, books 1-3) by Eva Grayson.

  Want To Be In The Know?

  If you want to know when the next book is released, and get alerted to more of the hottest deals in romance—sign up now to the Favor Ford Romance newsletter!

  Blow by Lucy Fall

  Chapter 1

  Hunter Rhodes is alive.

  No matter how many times I’d heard it said in the last few days (and it surely was in the hundreds) I still couldn’t quite believe it.

  He’s alive and eventually you’re going to see him again.

  And he’s going to see you…

  Hunter Rhodes, whom I’d crushed on for years—the town superstar, the guy everyone had loved and wanted—the guy who hadn’t even known I existed back in high school.

  Assumed dead for over a year, it seemed impossible that he was not only alive, but actually coming home.

  Hunter Rhodes’ gorgeous, stoic face now dominated the seven flat-screen televisions displayed throughout the sports bar. I couldn’t take my eyes off his image any more than the rest of the patrons eating their lunches could. Watching sports was the last thing on anyone’s mind. Getting as much information about the town’s football hero being found alive after being presumed dead for almost a year was.

  And I was no different from everyone else, desperate for every scrap of information I could get about where he’d been and what exactly he was doing right this instant.

  The photo CNN used was at least three years old, back from when he’d first enlisted in the marines. It was the same picture memorialized in the town hall. His dark hair was shaved military close, strong clean-shaven jaw clenched with determination and pride, completely unaware that two years later he’d go missing in Afghanistan.

  A couple of days ago the news had broken that Hunter Rhodes had been found alive. Since then his face had been everywhere, his name on everyone’s tongue, reminding me of the late night pathetic moment I’d had years before.

  A moment that surely I was going to regret now that Hunter was coming home. My only hope was that he had forgotten my impulsive, ridiculous lapse in judgment had ever even happened.

  He’d been to war, after all. Surely the horrors he had seen would overshadow that one crazy girl who’d stalked him temporarily a long time ago.

  “Are you listening to me?” Sophie demanded.

  Shaking my head, I mumbled, “Sorry, it’s all just so crazy.”

  “I know,” she said, sighing. “But I’m the one freaking out over here.”

  I turned my attention to my friend. Two people couldn’t have been more different and our friendship was an odd pairing. Sophie was filthy rich and glamorous. I was working a medium wage job and average looking at best.

  Sophie had been in freak out mode ever since she’d learned Hunter, the man she had always been destined to marry, would be coming home any day now.

  “I need your help, girl.” She clapped three times sharply. “Pay attention.”

  Though I hated the topic of her obsessiveness, her manic behavior was so opposite of her usually calm demeanor, I couldn’t help a begrudged smile. “You have it.”

  Sophie picked at her cod salad with her fork. “So Hunter arrived back in town late last night. That means I’m going to come face to face with him very soon. Does my hair look okay?”

  Okay? The woman never looked just okay. Everything was immaculate from her professional highlighted hair to her acrylic crimson fingernails to her sexy, tight expensive clothes.

  “It’s gorgeous. You’re gorgeous. Stop worrying. He’s going to be thrilled to see you,” I told her, portraying all the confidence I could muster given the circumstances.

  There was every chance that I would soon be face to face with Hunter as well.

  Why had I sent that damn letter? It took everything I had not to groan aloud and bang my head against the table.

  “I’ve lost you again,” Sophie said. “What’s going on, Eliza?”

  I really needed to get better about my attention span. I’d been wondering off into my own woe-is-me thoughts for days now. “Sorry. I’m just all over the place. Work has been crazy lately.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You fill coffee orders, girl. There’s no way that keeps you up at night.” She laid her fork down, propped her elbows on the table and linked her fingers. “Spill it. Is it boy problems?” She sat back, excitement on her face. “Oh, please tell me its boy problems. I so want you to have boy problems.”

  Ever since we’d become close friends, she’d been throwing one guy after another at me in hopes of getting me to loosen up. If she ever found out I’d written an X-rated letter and given it to a man, her mind would be blown. The fact that I’d written it to her ex-boyfriend would have caused a different reaction all together. One I never wanted to see.

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but no,” I replied. “It’s not about a boy.”

  A little white lie, to be sure.

  “Then what’s going on? It’s not like you to be so scattered, Eliza. You’re worrying me.”

  I reached over the polished wood table and squeezed the top of her hand. “Everything’s fine. I swear.”

  She blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. Don’t tell me. But just know that I’m ready to listen as soon as you want to talk. God knows, you’ve been listening to me prattle on about Hunter non-stop for days.”

  The man in question face popped on the television screen yet again, grabbing Sophie’s attention, and she turned away from me. I let out a sigh of relief at the reprieve from her inquisition.

  “God, he’s so sexy,” she breathed as she propped her chin on her palm. “We’ll make beautiful babies one day.”

  Two beautiful people would most definitely make beautiful babies.

  The murmurs of the restaurant intensified around me. Multiple chairs scrapped against the floor and people were suddenly rushing past me. Sophie glanced over my shoulder. Her eyes went huge and her perfect complexion turned a few shades shade
whiter than normal.

  “Oh. My. God,” she said softly. The whispered words were barely audible, but the awed panic behind them let me know who had just entered the building.

  My stomach fluttered and twisted, and I felt paralyzed. I didn’t want to look behind me. I wasn’t ready to see him—face him.

  Memories of the erotically charged letter I’d penned in that long ago fit of desperation came back to haunt me and without even glancing up, my skin heated uncomfortably.

  I’d said such naughty things—to a man who’d never responded to my letter. A man who’d hardly known I existed at the time.

  So freaking humiliating.

  “I’m not ready for him to see me.” Sophie frantically scooted out of the booth, holding her purse up to cover her face. “I have to be perfect.”

  She darted in the opposite direction to the bathroom. The chatter behind me intensified. I sat stick straight, staring ahead, trying to gather the courage to join the crowd.

  A part of me wanted to slink straight past the group and escape outside. The other part just wanted to get the inevitable face-to-face over with so I could move on. Besides, Sophie was here. If Hunter was going to bring up the letter, I needed to make sure that he did it without Sophie present.

  That decided it. I slipped out of the booth and turned around. The horde surrounding Hunter kept him concealed from my view. I quietly stood on the outside of the crowd, just like I had always done in the past, as people jostled each other, trying to get closer to the all-American star.

  Hunter had always had a huge fan base in this small town. He was a god in these part, voted Mr. Football in high school and winner of the Heisman in college. Everyone had expected him to take the NFL by storm as he was a top ten draft pick. He’d shocked everyone by enlisting in the military instead.

  Now he wasn’t simply the star of our small town. He was a true hero.

  The crowd slowly dispensed and I caught my first glimpse of Hunter Rhodes in nearly three years. Jesus. I didn’t think it was possible, but age had only increased his sex appeal. The flutters in my stomach dropped a little further down as my nipples hardened.

  The close military cut was gone. His dark hair was now longer on the sides and the top was styled into one of those deliberately mussed looks, giving him that dreamy just out of bed vibe.

  The word MARINES on his black t-shirt stretched across his broad chest.

  Hunter commanded the room, and not because of the people surrounding him. He exuded confidence, stood proud with his strong shoulders back in the way only soldiers did.

  I wanted to make good on the sexy things I had written in that letter, run my hands all over his taut muscles, exploring every inch of him. I inwardly rolled my eyes at myself and my wayward thoughts. Some things never changed. I don’t know what it was about Hunter Rhodes but he’d always had this effect on me. All the way back to high school.

  And I’d confessed it all to him. That unwanted reminder was almost enough to get my legs moving toward the exit, but I made myself stay where I was and wait for my turn to welcome the soldier home.

  Right now, a woman with a toddler on her hip was gushing to him about how happy she was that he was okay. Hunter flashed his megawatt smile as he thanked her. That smile had always made the girls go weak in the knees. But it was different now.

  It took me a moment to put my finger on why, but as he flashed the grin to another person it hit me. It didn’t reach his eyes. In the past, his blue eyes had always danced with humor and flirtatious mischief. Not anymore. There was a dull, lifelessness to the light-colored irises, almost haunted.

  My heart twisted for what he had endured. Wherever he’d been for the last year had left an impression on him—and not a good one.

  Finally the crowd moved along and I stepped up to him. My insides were going insane from nerves and my smile felt forced.

  I’d made a complete fool of myself three years ago. I didn’t want to do the same today. Lifting my chin a little higher, I met his eyes, unflinching.

  A mistake. All my resolve fled as lust flooded every recess of my body. Everything hummed. I needed to get this welcome home over with stat, or writing that letter wouldn’t be the only humiliating thing I’d ever done. “I’m glad you’re okay, Hunter.”

  His gaze skated away from mine and he looked over my head. There hadn’t been one single flicker of recognition. My cheeks scorched from the humiliation.

  What should have been a relief—that he’d obviously never even given my letter or me a second thought—was actually a crushing blow.

  “Thank you,” he muttered, before he maneuvered away from me, leaving me standing there alone. I hadn’t even been rewarded his fake megawatt smile. What the hell?

  I’d spilled my guts to a guy I’d pined away for years over, and he still had no idea who I was—just like in high school and college.

  He hadn’t even read the letter. Probably saw that it had been from a nobody and tossed it in the trash. Tears burned the back of my eyes.

  Excited murmurs reached my ears and I turned around to see what the fuss was about. Sophie strode down the aisle between the booths and tables straight to Hunter, fresh make-up applied, hair fluffed, and confidence oozing off her. She was a classic showstopper.

  Men constantly stopped to watch her walk by.

  And she was also clearly the reason why Hunter had dismissed me and walked away as fast as his feet could carry him.

  I couldn’t see his face as his back was now toward me. But I could imagine she’d definitely been rewarded with his smile, and it’d probably reached his eyes because Sophie’s bright red lips split into a grin and her pace quickened.

  The reunion of the town’s favorite couple was in process. Everyone was riveted. I didn’t want to watch, but I needed to see this. Accept this. Hunter had always been Sophie’s. He’d never be mine.

  When Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to him in a tight hug, people clapped and a few men wolf-whistled. I noticed Hunter was a little slower in reciprocating the hug, but his arms finally went around her, bringing her closer.

  I couldn’t watch anymore. I rushed out of the restaurant into the humid summer air, not stopping until I was shut inside my navy blue ten-year old four-door sedan. Taking a calming breath, I stared out the windshield.

  For the last three days, I’d been worrying myself sick over nothing. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Relief was definitely there, but the feeling that dominated my emotions was extreme hurt.

  My fantasy had always been that the moment Hunter returned home from deployment, he’d whisk me off to my bedroom to fulfill my desires. Stupid of me. But my mind had always betrayed me when it came to him.

  And I had been rudely brought back to reality yet again. It sucked.

  But in the end, it was for the best and now I could move on.

  * * *

  I punched play on Netflix then shoved another spoonful of double fudge chocolate ice cream in my mouth. I wasn’t one to wallow, but every once in a while a girl just had to drown her sorrows with ice cream and binge watch her favorite shows.

  Tonight was one of those nights.

  All the pep talks I’d given myself about this being the best thing that could’ve happened would evaporate as soon as I recalled Hunter’s bored expression, the way he’d looked through me when I spoke to him.

  Every time the memory resurfaced I felt fresh shame and humiliation.

  Like now. The ice cream suddenly tasted like dirt. I forced it down my throat, then placed my bowl on the glass coffee table.

  At least my embarrassment was my own. I’d never told a soul about the letter, and I would go to my grave before I ever admitted I’d written something so filthy to a man who didn’t reciprocate my feelings.

  A rapid succession of taps came from the front door and I froze for a second before I snatched up my phone to check the time.

  9:15 PM.

  Who would be stopping by this late?<
br />
  Sophie, maybe, with some juicy update about her quest to lasso Hunter? Things had sure looked like they were going in the right direction earlier today.

  But I wasn’t in the mood for Sophie’s theatrics.

  Seeing her with Hunter at the restaurant had been bad enough without having to hear her come to my home and brag about how amazing it had been, how wonderful it was to be close to Hunter again, yada yada.

  Putting my phone back down, I turned the television down, waiting for Sophie to knock and then give up and leave. Tomorrow I would lie and tell her I’d fallen asleep and hadn’t heard her at the door.

  But then came another three taps, louder and more persistent, sounded from the door. Frowning, I twisted to stare at the door.

  Something about that knock was different.

  That was not Sophie.

  Sophie was never quiet, she would have been yelling something by now, and probably pounding the door on top of it all.

  I wracked my brain trying to figure out who the hell it could be. No one came to mind.

  Hesitantly, I pushed off the couch and tip-toed to the door to look out the peephole. A familiar figure stood outside with his hands shoved into his jean pockets. Gasping, I jerked back, blinking. What was he doing here? Why was he here?

  How did he even know where I lived?

  The questions bombarded me all at once, leaving me slightly dizzy as I tried to calm my racing thoughts.

  Hunter freaking Rhodes.

  He had to be at the wrong apartment. Maybe an old buddy lived here too. A seriously crazy coincidence, but it was the only explanation that made sense to me.

  How should I act?

  I wasn’t sure, but I knew I would at least talk to him. Despite my pounding heart, I still couldn’t help but want to see him, hear his voice. Even if it was just to watch him blink and admit he had come to the wrong place by accident.

  There was no reason to overthink this. I opened the door.