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Beyond The Love: A BRAE Anthology
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BEYOND THE LOVE
A BRAE ANTHOLOGY
Beyond the Love: A BRAE Anthology
Copyright © 2022 by Rachel Van Dyken, Sylvie Stewart, Hilary Storm, Nikki Landis, Murphy Wallace, Emery LeeAnn, ZN Willett, Nicole Fiorina, Brittany Taylor, Ashley Muñoz, Katie Rae, Erin Cristofoli, Zoey Drake, Tonya Clark, Shannon Youngblood, Angie M Brashears, William Joseph, Sammantha Saffell, CJ Allison, and Letha Gene
Cover Design: Shepard Originals
Photography: Golden Czermak
Cover Model: Alfie Gordillo
Formatting: Midnight Designs
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
This anthology contains mature content, sexual situations, and is not recommended for anyone with triggers. It is intended for readers ages 18+.
This e-book may not be re-sold 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 are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your e-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the authors, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The stories within this anthology are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
The authors acknowledge the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in the work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.
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CONTENTS
The Perfects by Rachel Van Dyken
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Also By Rachel Van Dyken
About the Author
Crushing on Casanova By Sylvie Stewart
Crushing on Casanova
Also By Sylvie Stewart
About the Author
Monster by Hilary Storm
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Also By Hilary Storm
Stalk Hilary Here
Hell on Wheels By Nikki Landis
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Epilogue
Love Motorcycle Romance?
About the Author
The Devil’s Promise By Murphy Wallace
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Also By Murphy Wallace
About the Author
The Madness Within by Emery LeeAnn
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
Also By Emery LeeAnn
About the Author
One Week by ZN Willett
One Week
What If by Nicole Fiorina
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Also By Nicole Fiorina
About the Author
One-Time Secret by Brittany Taylor
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Also By Brittany Taylor
Brittany’s Links
Everything and More by Ashley Muñoz
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Follow Ashley
Ruse by Katie Rae
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Also By Katie Rae
About the Author
The Soldier Next Door by Erin Cristofoli
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Also By Erin Cristofoli
About the Author
The Myth of Love by Zoey Drake
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Also by Zoey Drake
About the Author
Honeymoon After All by Tonya Clark
Emma
Caleb
Emma
Caleb
Emma
Caleb
Emma
Caleb
Emma
Also By Tonya Clark
About the Author
Chase Me by Shannon Youngblood
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Also By Shannon Youngblood
About the Author
Peligro by Angie M Brashears
Part I
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Part II
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
You’re All I Need by William Joseph
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Acknowledgments
Bad Decisions by Sammantha Saffell
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Also By Sammantha Saffell
/> About the Author
In Deep by CJ Allison
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
About the Author
Harley’s Haven by Letha Gene
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
About the Author
THE PERFECTS BY RACHEL VAN DYKEN
CHAPTER ONE
AMBROSE
I hate being rich.
This is the only phrase getting repeated in my head over and over again as I stomp through the halls of my high school.
Senior year is supposed to be the time of your life. Instead, I'm throwing around fake smiles, fake fist bumps, even a random high five to people all because I'm student body president—and because my dad's famous.
And I'm not talking like he owns a billion furniture stores, or he's a politician; no, he doesn't have a Taco Bell franchise.
He just owns the town, the same town I live in, the same town named after our family, God help us, and the same town that's been established as the safest place to live in Idaho four years running!
What an accomplishment.
He keeps his fucking trophies on the mantle in the living room, you know, next to the key to the city and our perfect little family photo.
Ask me if I'm smiling in it.
He comes from at least a century of a fuck ton of money which means we're basically untouchable and that I have to have a sorry-ass smile on my face whenever I'm out in public because the last thing I need to do is make the great McCree family look bad.
I'm pretty sure I've only made one mistake in my whole life—I ate candy in public, and my dad got mad because my tongue got all red before a press conference.
Yeah, that was it.
That was my one mistake.
Forget smoking weed, getting drunk, and wanting to develop a serious addiction to anything that will help me escape. How would I even find the time at this point in my life?
Everything is perfect.
Literally everything.
Except it isn't.
The only thing I have going for me is that everyone thinks I'm this untouchable asshole prick who sleeps in a different pair of Jordans every night just because I can.
The guys want to be me.
The girls worship me.
And I'm set for life.
So why do I want to jump off a ten-story building and see how fast the blood leaves my body every single time I have I walk into this high school?
I need to be done with it—with all of it.
God, I can't wait until college.
At least then I can have a tiny bit of separation from the pressure of it all. I force another smile as I walk into English Lit and take my seat in the back corner next to the window where I spend at least an hour watching birds fly around and thinking how fucking jealous I am that they're outside and I'm inside.
At least I have Lacrosse practice after this, and I'll be allowed outside this prison.
I'm paying basically zero attention when my phone starts blowing up. I frown down at it and see the group text from some of my teammates.
Mel: Bro, you holding out on us?
Astin: I mean, seriously—how lucky are you? Fucking prince of potato town and all that.
Me: I have zero clue what you guys are talking about.
Mel: Bulllllllllshit. I just saw the article. Byron sent it over like two minutes ago.
Byron Big B has been added to the conversation.
Astin: Bro, tell him!
Byron Big B: Dude, you're getting a new roommate! Or shall I say princess? And I agree with the guys, bullshit you didn't know, I mean it's all over the afternoon news, twitter's blowing up with pictures of her and your parents all over town.
Me: She? Who is she? And what the hell are you talking about?
They send me a link to an article. I click on it just as one of the office aides knocks on the classroom door and lets themselves in with a note for Mr. Stick-up-his-ass, also known as my English Lit teacher, Mr. Wilder.
He frowns down at the note then looks directly at me. "Ambrose, you're needed in the office. Grab your things."
Part of me's thinking day just got better, and then I think back on the group text and wonder if this walk down the hall will be more like death row than a prison escape.
My mom's waiting for me at the school office. Her eyes are blurry with unshed tears—she's not allowed to cry in public, but I can tell she wants to.
"Mom?" I frown at her.
She stands and puts on her black Chanel sunglasses, then adjusts her all-black Lululemon outfit.
She's wearing a ring on almost every finger, and the filler in her lips has yet to go down enough for her not to look like a Kardashian.
She's beautiful--and I have nothing against a woman doing things to her body, have at it. I just wish that the confidence came from something other than spending money on looking like someone else.
Her dark hair is slicked back into a tight bun. "Honey, something's happened; we need to go to the house."
Panic seizes my chest. "Is it Dad?"
"No," she says quickly.
"Grandpa?"
"We'll talk in the car." Is all she says when we leave the office. I'm slightly shook up as we make it to the red Lambo SUV she drives around.
She still refuses to let me drive any of the sports cars to school ever since crashing my brand-new BMW last year after taking a corner too fast.
How was I supposed to know that a fucking rabbit would come out of nowhere?
We drive through Eagle and into the Boise foothills, and she still says nothing as we drive around the mountain and to the black front security gate to our house.
"Mom…" My voice cracks. "What's going on?"
"My sister—your aunt was in an accident. She didn't make it." Her voice is hoarse. "As you know, she couldn't have kids and had just decided to start fostering a girl from Boise."
"Okay…" My mind is spinning. Is this what the guys were talking about?
"Anyway…" She sniffles and pulls around the driveway. "If we don't take her in—she goes back into the system, and she's lived a very rough life. You don't have any siblings…”
I’m stunned stupid. What the hell? “Charity,” I say. “We’re doing charity, so Dad looks good. Why am I not surprised?”
She cuts the engine. “You know how much I loved my sister.”
“You saw her twice a year.” I point out. “And last time you fought over which plastic surgeon was better, and she threw wine in your face.”
“She wasn’t herself.” Mom looks away. “Your dad pulled a few strings, and we were able to cut through some red tape and take her in.”
“Does the long-lost princess have a name?” I sneer like the asshole I am.
Mom grabs her purse and checks her lipstick. “Mary-Belle.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course it is.”
“Be nice,” Mom snaps. “She’s a little… overwhelmed.”
I look over at my three-story mansion with its seven waterfalls, strategically parked sports cars, and brick driveway and shake my head. “No. Shit.”
CHAPTER TWO