All Chapters of RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

AmiriamAs Amiriam pulled up to James's residence, she scowled and studied the unfamiliar car ahead. It was a gaudy, red BMW, but she couldn't put a model name to it for the life of her. Her favorite six-year-old squirmed in the back seat, reminding her. Looking in the rearview mirror, she mashed her SUV into park and focused on matters more urgent. Like preventing urine from dripping onto her leather seats."Do you need to go pee?" she asked James. She was his nanny for a couple of years, and it truly was the greatest job in the world. He had a sticky mop of dark, curly hair on his head, and two dimples that made him able to get away with murder. Most of the time, at least.With a quick motion of his head, James unfastened his seat belt and scooted over toward the back passenger door as if his pants were afire.That's what you get for not going while we were still at my sister's house, Amiriam had to think about saying, but she kept quiet. It made no difference how many times she ins

Amiriam"Amiriam," James grumbled, stretching out her name. His eyes were screwed shut as she slathered sunscreen all over his dashing little face. He'd be quite the stud when he grew up. She was careful to cover his cheekbones and the tops of his ears so they could shield themselves from the brutal sun."No ifs, ands, or buts, mister," she answered, working the lotion in and inspecting her handiwork before smiling in contentment."Perfect. Do you remember the four-wheeler rules?"Rolling his eyes, he started quoting them. "If I can't see you, you can't see me. Wear a helmet always. Don't go faster than you're comfortable. Don't break any bones. Don't tell Mom or Dad."Laughing, Amiriam draped her arm across his neck and playfully noogied him before nudging him toward the equipment on her parents' property."And have fun!" she added before turning to her sister, Rita. "Where's Frank?""He's getting the oil changed on Taffy in the garage. He'll be out soon," Rita had said. Taffy was Ri

LukeRing in pocket, Luke knocked on Stacy's door and stood waiting for her to open up. He rubbed his face, damning the small coffee he'd had before dropping by, and now wishing he'd ordered an extra-large. He'd need all the caffeine he could get to make it through today. He'd slept badly last night after speaking with Amiriam. It had shone a giant spotlight on all the holes in his plan and stripped some of the numbness that usually surrounded him. Leaving him feeling raw. And vulnerable.He didn't like those feelings. Actually, he didn't like feeling much of anything, period. He'd been working in the early hours of the morning to get his armor back online. He was going to need it if he was going to make it through the day.He'd been woken up by a call from his lovely old Dad at seven in the morning. The phone was ringing across the room, and he'd ignored it for about five minutes before he'd finally given up and rummaged through his discarded jeans to locate his phone."Hey," he answ

AmiriamJames and Amiriam were reclining in the family room, playing Go Fish, when the sound of a slamming door jolted them. Amiriam's head snapped toward the foyer, and the following silence was almost palpable."What the hell?" Amiriam muttered to herself."What was that?" James said in a shaking voice. He was used to screaming and slamming doors when his parents were home, but with them on vacation, it had been fairly quiet. Except when Luke was particularly stupid, of course.Sliding her arm around James's tiny neck, Amiriam clapped him in a quick hug before pulling out her phone."Alright, here. Play fifty-two card picks and see how fast you can get them all. Keep timing yourself until you post your best time. I'll go pick out, okay?"With the quarterback's arm, James threw all fifty-two cards into the air until they rained down on him. Having made sure that the cards had made a complete mess in the family room, he started the timer and dove over the ottoman, picking up the cards

AmiriamMe: Hey! I need my sisters today. Who's available?Rita: I should be available. What are we doing, and at what time?Me: Shopping and in an hour.Christiana: …you shouldn't have said it was shopping.When Amiriam read her eldest sister's message, a soft laugh escaped. She could almost hear Christiana's sarcastic tone in the message, and it did nothing but enhance her amusement. All the Swenson sisters were free spirits, but Christiana was by far the straightest arrow of them all. She hadn't always been like that.Her fingers flew across the screen in reply.Me: It'll be worth it. Promise. I've got some juicy gossip and a credit card to pay for the whole thing. Mimosas anyone?Rita: Yes, please! Where are we meeting?Christiana: Fine…you had me at GOSSIP.Amiriam smiled.Me: Meet me at the bridal boutique on Main, and I'll give you ALL the details.Rita: Ooo…I'm intrigued. See you in an hour.Christiana: BRIDAL BOUTIQUE?! Why would we need to meet at a BRIDAL BOUTIQUE?!Amiriam