All Chapters of Echoes of Desire; Dance of Deception: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

~Nathan~In my teens, I'd never been able to stay away from Brianna, though I'd damn sure tried. There were times I'd made it a day, sometimes two. Hell, once, I'd even managed to make it for a week, but in the end, I'd always come crawling back…hungry for my fix. However, now, the gold band on my finger was a minute-by-minute reminder that I’d made a commitment to another: one that with my actions with Brianna, I had dishonored. Brianna… God, how I wanted her. Shame washed over me for the fact. The one I had sworn my life to, was lying unconscious, and all I could think about was the one I had allowed to walk away again with my heart; my soul had ached for her. There never seemed to be a time, it hadn’t.When she’d turned in her resignation again, I hadn’t protested it. But I'd prayed, nonetheless, that she’d look back.Three fucking years I'd made it when she’d gone back to Oklahoma. Three fucking years of hell without her, but I’d made it. Then, she’d walked back into my life and

After the second delivery of the groceries and money, Mom had given up even trying to find the time to fit in bill paying and had turned that lovely responsibility over to me. Though most average, near sixteen-year-olds, would have felt overwhelmed, I'd never been what one considered average. I'd always felt, acted and looked older than my age due to having spent so much time with my brother and his friends. As well, I'd always been good with numbers. Therefore, I'd picked up on the mechanisms’ of bill paying with ease.Every two weeks, for six weeks straight, we’d received the groceries and money, and though I’d remained uncomfortable about the whole thing, I'd done my best to set aside my curiosity and suspicion as I’d felt their deliverance, though baffling, was a God-send.When the third deposit upon our porch had occurred, I'd once again found myself sitting down with the checkbook, yet, even as I'd been adding numbers and delegating where the money was going, I'd found myself c

As Nathan reached us, he came to a stop, one hand clenching into a fist at his side, the other gripping the chin guard of his helmet. The way he held it, gave me the impression he was considering taking a swipe at Arizona with it. A few seconds of tense silence passed as he glared at Arizona, before turning his head, he looked at me. Running his eyes over the length of me."Am I interrupting something?" His voice was low, laced with jealousy, and something else. Tenseness pulsed around us and suddenly Arizona's voice broke the taut air. "Well, I'll head out now, Brianna, I'll see ya tomorrow." Realizing he was trying to defuse a situation that looked as if it might go south in a hurry, I didn't protest."I'll walk with you to your car,” I commented.As we walked toward his Honda, Arizona leaned in my direction asking, "Uh, if you need me to stay, I will." I shook my head, stating, “No, but thanks.”As we came to a stop next to his car, Arizona tossed another glance at Nathan, then

~Nathan~Damn but if I wasn't fucked. I'd thought when I had first seen her in the bank, I could handle it. I'd completely blown that kind of thinking plum the fuck out of the water as just being around her had twisted my world into one big fucking ball of pain.I had it so damn bad my situation had become laughable. I mean, hell…I craved the sight of her gorgeous eyes and heart-stopping smile like a flower craved water. Fuck, I needed her, and not only in a sexual way either. Hell yes, the fact played a huge role in my feelings, for I had blue-balls like a motherfucker, but it went deeper than that. She was the blood in my veins, the song in my heart. She gave me life.Now, my world was going to shit, for the demons I carried, were fucking dancing around me. Raising their ugly heads and laughing at me. Sins of the past! They never let a person go, latching on, sinking their teeth in and sucking you dry.As I sat within the shadows of her bedroom, watching her sleep, I had no idea wha

Nathan stepped into my house, his eyes on the file in my hand."You could have told me," I whispered, my voice trembling with anger and betrayal.He closed the door with a soft click, his eyes moving to mine. "You wouldn't have understood.""Ya think?" I muttered sarcastically. "Hmm, I can't imagine how you could have possibly come to the conclusion that I wouldn't understand that my mother paid you to kill my dad?" I threw the file at him, and it hit his chest before falling to the floor. "Maybe it's because I don't!" I snarled.He took a step forward, his hands reaching out to me, but I backed away. "Bri, you don't know the whole story.""Then tell me," I spat, crossing my arms over my chest, creating a barrier between us. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like everyone in my life has been lying to me."Nathan sighed heavily, rubbing his hand over his face. "Your mom didn't know how else to help you."The words hung in the air, and my knees threatened to buckle. "What?""Th