The Way You Kiss

Chris Weston

Description

After leaving an abusive relationship, Kayla moves to California. She believes she will never find Mr Right. Her greatest dream is finding a guy who loves her and treats her with respect. Her life takes a new path when she meets her favourite musician, Jared Ruz. Jared shot to fame over ten years ago. He believes he can never trust a woman again since his previous girlfriend cheated on him. His greatest fear is never finding someone to share his life with who isn’t after his fortune. His routine life is interrupted when he meets a Kayla. She risks losing her job, saving the last maple tree Jared and his father planted, before his father passed away. Their bonds strengthen when she saves his mother’s life.
Seeing Kayla and his neighbour kissing Jared ends their relationship. Kayla realising there is no going back returns home. Jared learns things weren’t as they appeared. Jared flies to Australia to try and mend their relationship. Kayla has come to realise she cannot be in a relationship without trust. Hearing this, Jared walks away and prepares to return home. Jared returns to Kayla declaring his unwavering love. Hoping it’s enough to save his relationship with the woman he loves.

Sujets

• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris AU
• Date de parution: 02 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798369491706
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

The Way You Kiss
A Rock Star Romance
CHRIS WESTON

Copyright © 2023 by Chris Weston.
 
Library of Congress Control Number:
2023909123
ISBN:
Hardcover
979-8-3694-9169-0

Softcover
979-8-3694-9171-3

eBook
979-8-3694-9170-6
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rev. date: 05/30/2023
 
 
 
 
 
Xlibris
AU TFN: 1 800 844 927 (Toll Free inside Australia)
AU Local: [phone] ([phone] from outside Australia)
www.Xlibris.com.au
513359
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
I Don’t Like You Anymore
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Insane Love
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
The Way You Kiss
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Forever Yearning
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Man of Honour
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
 
Epilogue — A Tree for Tommy D
Final Note
Chapter 1
“Imagining things again, Kayla.”
Kayla thinks, Gaslighting me again, Joel . She looks at him. How long has she wasted time with this guy? “I know you’ve been cheating on me, Joel.”
“That never happened. And if I did, it’s your fault.”
Raising her left arm, she asks, “Am I imagining this bra in my hand?”
“You’re so stupid,” Joel says loudly. One side of his mouth rises, and the other side remains in place. “You can’t even recognise your own bra.”
“I know it’s not one of mine. And just because you say something doesn’t make it true.”
“I said it never happened.” He slams his phone down on the coffee table.
“Three things, Joel.”
She watches his reddening complexion as he rubs his forehead. His calls sign he’s going to be violent. Her breath catches. This usually stops her from pushing her point. Not this time , she tells herself.
“Firstly, I’ve never kept a bra at the back of your underwear drawer wrapped around a pair of your boxers.”
His sharp intake of breath a clear warning. He starts pacing, rubbing his chin as he watches her intently.
She ignores his posturing. “Secondly, if you compare my other bras, you’ll see I’m a double D cup. The bra you’ve been keeping in the back of your underwear drawer for the past week is so small I couldn’t fit one breast in it, let alone both.”
“That’s because you’re overweight.”
“I’ve never heard any size 10 woman called overweight. I’m way smaller than your last girlfriend.”
He stops pacing. “If you’re lucky, Kayla, I’ll forgive you for saying that about Becky.”
He steps closer. Realising Joel will never stand up for her. He stands by his mates and his exes, anyone else, never her.
“Thirdly, sleazy skimpy lingerie isn’t my style.”
Joel has lowered his eyebrows and drawn them together. His nostril-flaring is extreme, pushing his wrinkled nose up. His lower jaw thrusts forward. He holds his fingernails near his face as though they are claws. His mouth is open and teeth dangerously exposed. He looks like a volcano ready to erupt.
She braces herself as she looks at him, knowing what is to come next.
◆◆◆
Kayla wakes on the lounge room floor. She sits for a minute as her head spins; the throbbing starts near her left temple. She recalls having an argument with Joel. She caught him cheating again. The last thing she remembers is the hard sting of his hand hitting her temple. She stands, holding on to the back of the lounge to steady herself. She walks to the kitchen and gets some headache tablets and a glass of water. The throbbing has increased to pounding.
Having washed the tablets down with a glass of water, she sits at the breakfast counter, hoping the rock concert in her head subsides soon. She closes her eyes. The warm tears fall down her face. She doesn’t stop them, letting them flow, washing her pain away. She lightly presses her index finger against her head, the intense pain causing her to almost lose balance.
Her phone pings.
It’s Joel.
She rolls her eyes, sending another spike of pain through her skull. Wiping the tears away with one hand, she swipes the screen and ignores Joel’s message with her free hand. Her eyes fall to the lock screen image of her niece Meika and her boyfriend Mark. Their faces smile at her.
“I need to call them.”
She sends them a message, asking to have a Zoom call. She grabs another glass of water and sits at the kitchen counter. Taking a deep breath, she starts the Zoom call.
When the call connects, they gasp.
◆◆◆
Six months later . . .
Kayla enters her hotel room. The king room is elegant, inviting with a balcony. She drops her backpack on the bed and walks to the balcony. Stepping to the balcony, she looks at the ultra-modern hotel across her hotel. Thankful Mark booked her room in the historical hotel. Looking around the wonderful view over the precinct around the hotel and the beautiful Gums Reserve, she watches the tops of the trees swaying as a soft breeze rustles through the leaves. The ancient gum and proteas are in full flower. The view alone is worth the 4-hour drive. Her eyes trace the light-coloured crushed gravel path that meanders through the park. It reminds her of the Queensland yellow-faced whip snake. Following the path, she notices the Apollo Arena, recalling Mark saying it is 700 metres from the hotel.
Turning away from the view, she enters the room. There is a comfortable king-size bed with a spacious closet and large marble bathroom. There is a separate bathtub and shower. A work area with free Internet and a comfortable armchair and lounge. In the nook for the tea and coffee-making facilities are two bottles of complimentary spring water and a fruit bowl.
She pulls out her iPhone and takes a photo of the view from her balcony. She sends the photo to Meika and Mark. Medz and Iron Man . She chuckles at their nicknames. She started calling Meika Medz when Mark pointed out they are like sisters and good for each other. Mark has always had inner strength as well as the ability to hold his own.
Within a few minutes, they respond.
Kayla: Made it safe n sound, gr8 view from room to venue
Medz: Thx for letting us know you arrived safe
Iron Man: Now to play the waiting for Jared game
She grabs an apple and exits the hotel and heads outdoors. Putting her EarPods on, she walks the 700 metres to the Apollo Arena. Ranked in the top 4 arenas in the world, it was formerly known as the Aquilia Arena. Considered Australia’s top venue, it is also inarguably the largest indoor entertainment arena in Australia, which can accommodate up to 27,000 visitors, catering for access for people with disabilities, spectator comfort, and operation efficiency. With the highest record selling venue in the country, it is one of Australia’s major concert venues. This gigantic venue has played host to several international superstars, including, Jon Bon Jovi, Nickelback, and Muse.
Tomorrow’s concert headliners are the Canadian rock band Jared Ruz. Little was known about the band until they released their first album, Take Cover . That blew the lid off everything and launched them into stardom.
Arriving at the arena, Kayla notices the number of fans wandering around the outside of the building. She notices an electronic display, scrolling through the various upcoming concerts. She watches and waits ’til tonight’s concert appears. She reads the display, and too soon it’s gone. She digs out her iPhone, noticing how battered it is. Joel smashed it on the ground. A shiver runs down her spine. She closes her eyes. Okay , she tells herself. Everything’s fine, I’m here to see Jared. Nothing else matters. She opens her eyes just as a photo of Jared appears on the electronic display screen.
Kayla walks around, smiling at the fans smiling at her. Seems everyone is as impatient as her for the concert to begin. She takes some photos of the outside of the arena, including some selfies with the concert tour posters. After walking around and finding her entry point, she heads back to the electronic display, and with perfect timing, she takes a selfie when the advertisement appears with Jared’s smiling face.
She looks around and finds a café across the arena. The exterior of the café belies its relatively large interior. There’s room for about 50 people. Kayla orders her latte and sits at an outside table, facing the arena. Waiting for her latte, she watches people stopping to grab a cup of coffee, some stay for a snack or a meal. She hears the couple on the next table talking about the café. The dark-haired young woman says she likes the café as the food is always delicious, the menu options a