Playing With Fire (Guarded Hearts) Read online

  Playing with Fire

  Guarded Hearts Series

  Book One

  By

  Alexis Noelle

  © Ashley Piscitelli 2013

  Cover Design by Marisa Shor, Cover Me Darling.

  Cover Couple Image © Aarrttuurr / Fotolia.com

  Corner Model Image © CURAphotography / Fotolia.com

  Sexy Carter James is the man every girl wants, and he’s used to getting any woman he desires…until he meets the one girl who seems to be just out of his reach.

  Beautiful Madison Stevens is trying to adjust to college and being on her own. When she meets Carter there is an instant explosive connection between them that they can’t deny. But Madison already has a boyfriend, Chris, who isn’t willing to share Madison with anyone, not even her friends.

  Carter can sense there is something wrong with Madison and Chris’s relationship. But what is it? Carter wants to give Madison the strength to walk away from Chris once and for all, but he’s afraid he will he lose her in the process. Chris will not let her go easily, but Carter is ready to fight for the one woman who could mean everything to him.

  "Chris was like fire. It was pretty to look at, but if you got too close you got burnt, and if it wasn’t controlled it would destroy everything in its path. Doing what I was about to do with Carter was dangerous, but what can I say? I never had parents to warn me not to play with fire."

  Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  Playlist

  Dedication

  I would like to dedicate this book to my husband, Anthony. He has stuck by me through thick and thin. I love you! I would also like to thank my best friends. Thank you girls for listening to me talk on and on about this and giving me feedback.

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank all of my friends and family that helped me with this book. I couldn't have done it without any of you. "Playing With Fire" started one night a year ago from a dream I kept having.

  Thank you to my friends who read the book and gave me the feedback that I needed to hear. Thank you for always encouraging me and believing in me.

  I would also like to thank the bloggers who read and gave me advice on the book. I really needed to hear what you said, even if I didn't like it at times.

  Thank you to my brother-in-law and future doctor, Michael Piscitelli. I know many of my hypothetical medical questions and injuries were a pain, but I appreciate all the help you gave me.

  Lastly, I want to thank anyone who read this book. I am an avid reader myself so I know how much word of mouth helps.

  Prologue

  November 23rd 1996

  When was Mommy getting home? She went out to get me my princess cake this morning and now the sun was going down. Daddy sent me to my room a long time ago and I was hungry. Daddy said not to go downstairs, but I was hungry.

  I walked downstairs and Daddy was sitting in the living room. He was drinking the stuff that made his breath smell really bad. "Daddy, I'm hungry."

  He didn't even look at me. "I don't care."

  Why didn't he care? When was Mommy getting home? Should I ask Daddy? I just wanted my Mommy. She would get me something to eat. "When is Mommy getting home?"

  This time he looked at me. He seemed so mad. "She's never coming home again and it's all your fault. She's dead because of you." What did dead mean? Why was she never coming home? What did I do? "Get out, Madison!"

  I ran into the kitchen, hid under the table and cried. I wanted my mommy. When she came home, she would make it all better. She would get me dinner and we would eat my princess cake together.

  Chapter One

  Madison

  It was the first day of my first semester in college and I was a bundle of nerves. I'd already been on campus for a week, since I applied for early arrival. Thank God they let me do that because if not, I don't know where I would have gone.

  My mother died when I was four and my father became an alcoholic. The state took me from him when I was seven and I've been in six different foster homes since. The last one I was at was by far the best, but only because my foster father paid me no attention. I liked it better that way. I was never popular in school because I was always moving and everyone seemed to know my background.

  It sucked being the outcast, the girl who never had a family. I don't remember much from before my mother died. Sometimes I got flashbacks of what life used to be like with my dad, but those were not things I wanted to remember.

  The only person I had in my life right now was my boyfriend, Chris. We met when I started my new high school junior year and had been together ever since. He decided to go to Duke University which was the main reason I chose this school. That and I'd gotten a scholarship here.

  Chris was one of the hottest guys in our high school and I couldn't believe he'd wanted to date me, neither could half the female population in the school. He was at least a foot taller than me and had the kind of hair that was styled to preppy perfection. His eyes were a dark chestnut brown and he dressed like a Hollister model.

  Out of the five classes I was enrolled in, we had one together. He was a Business major and I decided to major in Psychology. I wanted to either be a social worker, or work with kids in some other aspect. I felt like if someone had really cared about me, maybe my life would have been different. Maybe I would have been different. If I could make a difference in one child's life, then maybe I'd save them from becoming like me.

  I looked around. I was completely lost and I was already running late for my first class. I took my schedule out of my purse to look at the building name again and, the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, lying on top of some guy.

  Wait! What? What the hell just happened?! I looked up at the brick wall I'd landed on and forgot how to breathe for a minute. Staring back at me were the bluest eyes I'd ever seen, not to mention that he was gorgeous. He was just looking at me, giving me a sexy smile. He was wearing a USC shirt, which I found funny because that wasn't the school we were at. He had this brown hair that was just long enough to give it that sexy "I just rolled out of bed" look. He was smiling at me and that was when I saw the dimples. I personally think it's unfair that a guy could be this good looking.

  "Hey, nice running into you," the Greek god said.

  Damn, his voice was just as sexy as the rest of him. I'd never met someone who made my insides clench from just a look and a short sentence. That was when I realized I was still lying on top of him, and I hadn't even said a word. Oh my God, he was going to think I was some crazy person!

  I scrambled off of him and stood up, trying to fix my now wrinkled sundress. I looked down at the ground. My purse, books, everything else were now scattered all over the sidewalk. This was just wonderful. I started to pick up all the discarded items and looked up to notice the Greek god still staring at me.

  I knew I probably looked ridiculous, but what was he staring at? He smiled and then bent down to help me pick up the rest of my stuff. I took this opportunity to really look at him. He had dark brown hair, just long enough to run your fingers through. He had to be about six feet tall and had a body that Hercules himself would be jealous of. He handed me my stuff and I gave him a smile.

  I started to walk away when he yelled, "You
know Branson Hall is this way, right?" When I turned around, he was pointing behind him. How did he know what building I was going to? "Are you okay? Do you need the special services building?"

  Special services? Oh my God, he thought I was disabled? Well, considering I'd been with him for five minutes not saying a word and just stared like an idiot, what did I expect? "I don't need special services, but I was trying to find Branson Hall. How did you know that?" There, I actually spoke. It was a miracle I could, at this point.

  "I saw your roster on the ground. I'm actually going to the same class if you wanna go together. My name is Carter, by the way."

  "Hi, I'm Madison and, truthfully, it would be great if you could show me where to go. If it isn't obvious, I really have no idea where I'm going."

  "Sure, no problem, come on. You know we're late, right?" He turned and looked at me. "You wouldn't want to play hooky, would you?"

  Play hooky with him? On the first day of class? No way in hell. This guy was obviously very different from me. "No, I came to school to go to class, not skip with the first guy I run into." Literally. I saw a couple different emotions on his face…confusion and maybe a little excitement?

  "Okay, okay, I was just asking, Maddy." What did he just call me? No one ever called me anything other than Madison. I really liked the way it sounded coming from him. What was I doing? I had a boyfriend! "So, I'm guessing you're a freshman. Do you live on campus?"

  "Yes, it's my first day of class but I guess that's obvious. I live in the dorms." I hadn't met my roommate yet. Her name was Nicole and she was supposed to show up today. I wondered if our dorms were close to each other. I wondered what his room looked like. No! Madison, what are you doing! "So, do you live on campus too?"

  "No, I rent a house off campus, it's just the first floor of it and I live by myself." He had a house? That had to be great, being able to come and go as you wanted and being independent. My foster father had told me this summer that I had till the beginning of September to move out. Which was ironic considering my birthday wasn't until November 23rd and he was still collecting checks. However, today was a new day and I decided I wasn't going to let it get to me. He interrupted my thoughts. "So, what's your major?"

  "Um, it's Psychology."

  "That's cool. Can I ask what you want to do?"

  Why was he so interested? I never really had any guys pay me attention, except for Chris. The only guy who ever noticed me was Chris. "I want to work with kids in some aspect. I don't know how yet. Maybe be a social worker."

  Chris' mother told me I was foolish for wanting to waste my degree in social work. She said I should just become a licensed psychologist, like her doctor. Truthfully, if I had to sit there all day and listen to all these snobby country club women whine about not getting the newest designer handbag, I thought I'd be the one who needed therapy.

  "I think that's great. I've always admired people who work with kids. My mother was a teacher."

  "You said she was a teacher. What does she do now?"

  "Nothing, she died when I was ten."

  Oh God, there I went sticking my foot in my mouth. How the hell was I supposed to respond to that? I hated when I told people my mom died and they'd say "I'm sorry" and give me a pity look, so I was sure as hell not going to do that. "Well, I'm sure she'd be proud of you today, going to college and everything. What's your major?"

  His head snapped up at me and he looked at me like he was confused. Did I say the wrong thing? "Uh…it's uh…Architecture."

  We walked up to one of the buildings that looked like a huge castle. I guessed this was Branson Hall. I followed Carter to our class, but he didn't say anything else. I must have scared him off. Maybe I came off too cold when he mentioned his mom?

  "Well, here we are." He opened the door and held it for me while I walked in. Luckily, the door was at the back of the classroom so it was easier to sneak in unnoticed. The class wasn't even that full and there were tons of open seats. I found myself hoping Carter would sit next to me. I picked a seat somewhere in the middle and sat down. As I was unpacking my books, I looked to my right and he'd sat down next to me.

  The teacher did most of the boring "first day of class" activities, going over the syllabus and making the students participate in icebreakers. It went by fast and before I knew it, we were being dismissed. Great, now I had to try not to get lost again. I was walking down the hallway trying to find my roster, when I felt someone come up beside me.

  "Hey, I realized I still had this in my pocket. I must've forgotten to hand it to you." Carter held out my roster for me. "We have the next two classes together, if you wanna go with me. I have a break after that so I can even show you where the cafeteria is." He shot me one of those heart-melting smiles, and I couldn't say no.

  "That sounds good, although I already know where the cafeteria is. I've been living on campus for a week now."

  He looked surprised, which didn't shock me. I was one of only a handful of students who chose to come early. Although, for me, it wasn't really a choice. More like a necessity.

  Even Chris had gone on vacation the week before school had started. I'd secretly hoped he'd ask me to come with him, but he'd mentioned it was mostly family and he wanted to be free to have a good time and not babysit me.

  "Okay, then let's go. You're mine for the morning." For a second, I wished I could be his for longer than the morning, but a guy like Carter would never want me. I had Chris and he liked me enough. He told me he loved me before but, the truth was, I never really believed him.

  However, he was all I had and I needed to make it work. I knew he didn't treat me that great, but it was better than being alone. Chris was really jealous and hated it when I even so much as looked at another guy, so I knew what I was doing with Carter wasn't very smart.

  Carter

  I didn't know what it was about this girl but, from the minute she ran me over, I couldn't get enough of her. She seemed so real, honest and, not to mention, she was gorgeous, which I didn't think she even realized. Her hair was this beautiful shade of light brown, and her eyes were a stunning hazel color. She had a nice body and was tall enough that I knew she'd fit perfectly against me. What the hell was I thinking?

  When I told her about my mom, I braced myself for the normal "I'm so sorry" pity look and the awkward silence. But she didn't give me anything like that. She addressed it and moved on, (which only) made me want to get to know her more. She had a story and I was dying to find out what it was. We had the same morning schedule this semester and I was going to take full advantage of getting to know her.

  "So, where are you from?" I wanted to play twenty questions with her and find out everything. What the hell was wrong with me? I never got like this over girls, never even had a relationship past a couple of dates with a girl.

  "Um…I moved around a lot." There was something she wasn't telling me, and I didn't think she was going to at this point. "Where are you from?"

  "I was born in California, but my family moved to North Carolina when I started my freshman year of high school. My father went to USC and wanted me to go there too, but I wanted to stay close to home." She just smiled and let out a little laugh. I thought my heart may have stopped for a minute. "What's so funny?"

  "I was trying to figure out why you had a USC shirt on at Duke."

  "Well, if you must know, USC sent me here as a spy. It's very hush-hush, though."

  There was that giggle again. "Oh, really, and what are you supposed to be finding out?"

  "I was supposed to see if the girls at Duke University are better than the ones at USC and, after this morning, I think my mission is over."

  Wow, that was pathetic. Even I was embarrassed at that answer. I glanced over at her and I could see her blushing a little under her light brown hair. Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought.

  "That was the most ridiculous line I've ever heard," she said. Okay, it was as bad as I thought. We walked up to our next class and I wished we didn't have to go
in. I was enjoying talking to her and getting to know her.

  After our third class, we walked over to the cafeteria. "Do you wanna eat together?" I saw her hesitate. I hoped my bad line earlier didn't scare her off.

  "Um…yea, I guess so."

  We walked through the buffet line and got our food. I was glad to see she had food on her plate and not just an apple and a piece of lettuce. I couldn't stand it when girls refused to eat. There was nothing sexy about a stick.

  I saw my two best friends at a table and they started to wave me over. Shawn, Jason and I had been inseparable since the first day of high school. We were always together and when one of us had a problem, we all helped. It was as much of a family as my dad, brother, sister and I were.

  Shawn had said that any great group needed a nickname so he started referring to us as the "Three Musketeers." Jason and I thought it was ridiculous, but we went along with it. We were all so different, but I thought that was why we were all so close. Shawn was definitely the brain of the group. I swear he never even needed to study for tests. To say the least, I was jealous of him.

  Jason was the asshole. He'd tell you how he felt whether you wanted to hear it or not. He didn't take shit from anyone and wasn't scared of confrontation. They looked at me like I was crazy when they saw Maddy walking over with me. "Guys, this is Madison. Madison this is Shawn and Jason."

  We all sat and talked while we ate, and she seemed like she was starting to get comfortable. Then the guys said they needed to go to their next class, and it was just Maddy and me. We were sitting there enjoying spending time with each other when I saw Chris Johnson coming our way. I hated that guy so much. He was a pompous ass who thought daddy's money could get him anything he wanted. When he saw me, he smirked and kept on coming.