Tell Me You Want Me Read online

  Tell Me You Want Me

  by

  Amelia James

  www.EvolvedPub.com

  SECOND EDITION

  Original Copyright 2011 Amelia James

  This 2nd Edition Copyright 2012 Amelia James

  Cover Art Copyright 2012 Mallory Rock

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Published by Evolved Publishing at Smashwords

  ISBN (EPUB Version): 1622538102

  ISBN-13 (EPUB Version): 978-1-62253-810-2

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Thanks to Stevie Mikayne and Lane Diamond for their editorial guidance, and to Mallory Rock for the great cover art.

  eBook License Notes:

  You may not use, reproduce or transmit in any manner, any part of this book without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews, or in accordance with federal Fair Use laws. All rights are reserved.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; it may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to your eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Disclaimer:

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or the author has used them fictitiously.

  Warning:

  Explicit language. I write fiction, and give my readers the benefit of the doubt, assuming they know romance fiction sex is fantasy sex, and in fantasies, we're allowed to break the rules. I believe in practicing safe sex, but my characters do not use condoms because this is a fantasy, an escape from the harsh realities of everyday life. My readers are smart enough to know the difference. ~ Amelia James

  Dedication:

  For my mother-in-law, who has provided

  unending support and encouragement.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  What's Next?

  More from Evolved Publishing

  Prologue

  "They're fighting again." Charles Austin Sinclair III looked up from his Nintendo football game toward his bedroom door. His parents' angry voices reached him even though his solid oak door was closed.

  "Did she find out about another girlfriend?" Jack Wheeler moved his players into position. One more touchdown would put him in the lead.

  Austin saw Jack roll his eyes right before he snapped the ball. If they stopped what they were doing every time Austin's parents argued, they would never get anything done. Jack was Austin's best friend since forever—well, since the third grade—but that was forever to the ten-year-olds.

  "Yeah," Austin said, "that's what they always fight about. Girls are trouble."

  "They sure like you, though."

  "Ugh."

  The girls in their class often giggled and whispered things like 'so cute' and 'dreamy' when Austin was around. He would scrunch up his face and stick out his tongue in response. Annoying girls.

  His parents argued in the hallway now, just a few feet from his room. He picked up the remote and turned up the volume, but it didn't help.

  His defensive line jumped on Jack's receiver. "Fourth down. You gotta settle for a field goal."

  "You wish." Jack faked the field goal and threw a pass to the end zone. "Touchdown!"

  Austin groaned and dropped his controller in his lap. Angry voices from the hall turned his attention to the door again, and he let out a huge sigh.

  "At least your dad doesn't hit your mom," Jack said, lining up for the extra point.

  "Yeah, this fight will be over pretty soon."

  "I've had enough, Charles," his mother yelled. "I won't forgive you this time."

  Austin rolled his eyes and dramatized his father's next words.

  "I won't do it again, Emma. I promise."

  Jack clapped a hand over his mouth but couldn't keep the laughter from his eyes as Austin offered the perfect exaggeration of his father, his big blue eyes somehow pleading innocence and begging forgiveness at the same time.

  "That's what you said the last...." She paused.

  Austin held up three fingers—nope—four.

  "...the last four times I caught you."

  "Those women meant nothing to me. They were just... entertainment. As soon as I get bored with one, I move on to another. You know that."

  "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

  "I can fix this. Give me another chance."

  Austin clasped his hands together and fell to his knees.

  Jack grabbed a pillow and smothered his giggles.

  "No more second chances," Austin's mother said in an oddly calm tone.

  Austin stood up and mimicked his mother's scowl, waiting for her next line.

  "I want a divorce, Charles."

  Wait. She wasn't supposed to say that. She was supposed to make him promise never to do it again. Austin's lip quivered and tears pricked his eyes. Even Jack looked sober.

  "No. Emma, I love you."

  Austin blinked back tears as his mother sobbed. He went to the door and leaned in, pressing his ear against it.

  "How can you say that after everything you've done to me? Do you really expect me to believe you?"

  Austin heard her run down the hall and slam the door; then he heard his father stomp out to the garage and drive away.

  His knees buckled under him and he plopped hard onto the floor. "It's not supposed to end like that."

  Jack sat beside him, all humor gone from his face.

  "She's supposed to come in and tell me everything's going to be all right. He's supposed to promise he'll never hurt her again. He's not supposed to leave."

  Jack shuddered. "Maybe he'll come back. My dad always came back."

  "What if he doesn't?"

  ***

  His mom came in much later, when Austin was supposed to be asleep. She sat down on the edge of his bed and ran her fingers through his hair. "Oh, Austin, you are my heart."

  He kept his eyes closed. Jack lay in the top bunk, silent and still.

  "You're so much like your father it scares me." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Please don't be like him. Don't hurt a woman you love." She sobbed quietly. "Don't make her cry."

  She got up and left, never seeing the tear trickling down Austin's cheek.

  He wished he was asleep, that he would wake up in the bright sunshine and find out he'd suffered a bad dream. Yet when he opened his eyes, the darkness remained. So very dark.

  "Did you hear that?" He knew Jack was listening. Best friends always listened.

  "Yeah, I heard." Jack looked down over the edge of the bunk. "What are you going to do?"

  "I don't know." He loved his mother, and didn't want her to hurt anymore. He didn't want her to cry.

  "I've never seen your mom cry like that before."

  Austin wiped his tears away, forgetting Jack couldn't see him in the dark. "I have. Every time he—" The words stuck in his throat and his voice broke.

  Jack's vo
ice echoed the pain in Austin's heart. "Maybe it'll be better if they get divorced. Maybe they'll stop fighting."

  "Do you think so?"

  "I don't know. I hope so."

  Austin sniffled and pulled the blankets up to his chin. "They're supposed to love each other." He curled up in the blankets and tried to get warm. "Dad told Mom he loved her, but she didn't believe him. She still wants a divorce."

  "My dad said he loved my mom too, but he still hurt her."

  "See? Love hurts. Love makes you hurt people and you get hurt too." His heart turned as cold and dark as the emptiness surrounding him. "I'm never going to fall in love."

  Chapter 1

  "Hey, Jane! Heads up!"

  Jane Elliot was not easily distracted, so when Ryan called her name, she ignored him. Focused, she dribbled the soccer ball down the field. Brenda set up to defend the goal, but she was just a minor obstacle. Jane gave the goalie her most intimidating snarl, and laughed when Brenda actually took a step back.

  "Jane, duck!" Brenda yelled.

  Duck? Why?

  The back of Jane's head exploded and stars spun around her eyes. She dropped to her knees and grabbed her throbbing skull. From the corner of her swirling eyes, she saw Ryan and Brenda running to help.

  "Sorry." Ryan took her arm and helped her up. "That one got away from me."

  When Jane's eyes finally uncrossed, she noticed a football wobbling at her feet. She picked it up and threw it back to Ryan. "Keep your ball on your side of the field," she grumbled, relieved she could put a coherent sentence together.

  "How's your head?" Ryan walked her to the bleachers and made her sit down.

  "Still attached, lucky for you."

  "I tried to warn you."

  "I know, but once I set my mind on something, I won't give up."

  "I noticed."

  She sipped the water Ryan gave her, breathed deep in between sips, and waited for the soccer field to stop spinning. Coach checked her eyes for a concussion, but he didn't see any serious damage, so he ended practice for the day.

  Jane stayed at the soccer field, kicking goals to make up for the one she'd missed. It was Ryan's fault she'd missed it, but scoring points, even if just in practice, always made her feel better.

  Burnt orange clouds streaked across the twilight blue sky as the sun set over the Bayfield College athletic fields. Fall in the Midwest brought short days and cold nights—and the beginning of Jane's senior year. She looked forward to finishing school and moving on to the next phase of her life— the next step toward her career goal.

  She picked up her duffle bag and jogged back to the gym. Inside it was warm and peaceful, but not as quiet as she'd expected it to be.

  "Oh, oh please...."

  The strange voice hit her as soon as she entered the women's locker room, which should have been empty by now. The female voice, gasping and begging, came from the shower. Was someone hurt?

  "Oh God...."

  Jane turned the corner into the shower area and stopped short.

  A girl leaned against the tile wall—not exactly begging for help. She was bent forward, her short skirt held above her waist by the young man behind her.

  "Mmm... that's it, baby," she groaned. "You know what I like."

  No, the girl wasn't begging for help; she was begging for more.

  Jane didn't recognize the girl—all the cheerleaders looked the same to her—but there was no mistaking the ass behind her: Austin Sinclair, starting quarterback, campus heartbreaker.

  His thick chocolate-brown hair stood out in all directions, as if the girl had been running her hands through it, but then it always looked like that. Tall and strong, with a smile like an angel, and deep blue eyes that promised sin, Austin could have had any girl he wanted. And he did. His devilish good looks got the girls' attention, and his boyish charm, infectious laugh and—according to the school gossip—his talent in bed, kept them coming back for more. Actually, the stories said his sexual escapades went far beyond the bedroom, so Jane wasn't surprised to find him here.

  She rolled her eyes. Why did she have to stumble across his latest adventure?

  She intentionally slammed her duffle bag into the nearest locker. "Oops."

  The girl shrieked and covered herself, but Austin pulled the irritated cheerleader close and whispered something in her ear that made her glare at Jane. He kissed her cheek and sent her to get dressed. Then he winked at Jane and flashed that infamous smile. "Did you like that, sweetheart? Wanna be next?"

  "Your next? Keep dreaming." She rolled her eyes again, and walked to her locker, ignoring the furious cheerleader scurrying from the room.

  The bad boy strolled out of the shower, zipping up his jeans. He leaned against a row of lockers and folded his arms over his chest, watching her put away her soccer gear.

  Jane shivered as his gaze roamed over her body like a pair of exploring hands, touching and lingering in places no other man had noticed before.

  "Mm-mm, you're just the kind of girl a man likes to dream about."

  Oh my God, did he really just say that? About me? She couldn't look at him. He flirted with every girl on campus, so she knew it didn't mean anything. Still, he was flirting with her. Guys didn't flirt with her often—or at all. Not that it mattered. Pursuing her career was more important than flirting with guys.

  She packed her bag and dug through her locker as if he didn't exist.

  Austin ran his fingers through his wild hair and shifted his weight. His jaw tightened for a moment, but then that naughty smile returned. "I'll forgive you for interrupting if you promise not to tell the dean I was in here."

  Jane laughed. "I won't have to tell. Everyone knows you're no stranger to the girls' locker room." Even Sara, her best friend and least athletic person on the planet, had told stories about Austin's favorite playing field.

  "Ouch baby."

  "Don't call me baby."

  "Sorry, sweetheart." He grinned at her.

  "I have a name!" She slammed the locker shut and glared back.

  "I know you do." The grin started to fade and he shifted again.

  "This school isn't that big. I know your name, Charles Austin Sinclair III." She smiled as that charming grin turned into an angry scowl.

  "Don't call me that. Ever." He ground the words out through clenched teeth.

  "Surely you must know my name."

  "You bet I do." He paused, his eyes rolling to the right, searching his memory. "I'm just playing with you." The grin returned. "Or I'd like to."

  She saw right through his little game. Well, she could play too. Obviously, he knew nothing about her, so she might as well have some fun with him. "You're not the only one...."

  Actually, he was. Jane's mother hadn't let her date in high school, and the trend had continued right into college. Focus on your studies, Jane, her mother had told her. Don't let boys distract you.

  "Oh yeah?" Austin's eyes lit up and Jane wondered what had sparked his interest. He moved closer to her. "Where do I get in line?"

  She wanted to tell him to get behind her, but she'd just witnessed what he could do to a girl from behind. Might not be such a bad thing. The cheerleader had seemed to enjoy it. Jane wondered what it would feel like to let him touch her. She stole a glance at his hands. Such long fingers.... A little shiver ran down her spine and she bit her lip before she said anything stupid.

  "Come on, sugar–"

  "What's my name?"

  "Um... Jenna."

  "Wrong answer."

  "Jenny."

  "Keep trying." If he stuck with J names, he might stumble onto it.

  "I will." He settled back against the locker next to her as if he belonged there. "Come have a drink with me and I'll figure it out."

  I should say no. "Isn't there a frustrated cheerleader you should be consoling?"

  He chuckled. "Probably. She'll wait."

  Jane had no doubt she would. "I need to study." School was more important than Austin Sinclair—or any ot
her man.

  "So do I, but I don't want to." He moved closer to her and brushed her hair back over her shoulder, caressing her skin. "I want to be with you."

  His light, provocative touch dared her to ask for more. If his fingers felt that good in her hair, what would his hands feel like on her body? She stepped back, unwilling to allow those thoughts. "Do you always get what you want?"

  "Yep."

  Just a hint of a smile touched his lips, but his eyes—oooh, his eyes—promised she would get everything she wanted too. What did she want that he could give her? A little freedom, a little fun, and a lot of trouble. Dangerous thoughts about a dangerous man. Jane almost smiled in return. Did she really want that? She shook her head. "Why me?"

  "Why not? You're very pretty, and I can tell you need to have a little fun."

  Fun. That might be enough for him, but not for her. She refused to be just another notch on his bedpost.

  "I have other plans." She swung her heavy backpack over her shoulder and wobbled backwards when the books shifted, nearly knocking her to the floor. She had goals to accomplish, dreams to reach for. Fun played no part in her plans.

  "Not anymore."

  "Wow, that's overconfident."

  "Come on, baby. Are you up for it?"

  She ignored that challenge and shot back one of her own. "Say my name."

  "What's the matter... Gina?"

  "Wrong again."

  "I'm really bad at names."

  He probably rarely made the effort to remember them, not when baby or sweetheart would do. "I noticed, but I hear you're good at everything else." Did I say that out loud?

  Austin laughed. "That's true. I may not remember your name, but I will remember what you like in bed, where you like to be touched, how you like to be kissed... and where." His voice got soft and husky as he backed her up against the lockers, his body almost touching hers, his lips close but still so far away. "Come with me, and I'll give you something to remember."

  A little thrill shot through her body, and for a moment Jane debated tossing her books on the floor and grabbing the fun he promised. Austin pursued pleasure without reservation, without hesitation, and apparently, without rules. How else could he go from screwing a bouncy blonde cheerleader to seducing boring bookworm Jane in the space of a few minutes?