One More Chance: A Second Chance Romance (One More Series Book 3) Read online

  One More Chance

  A Second Chance Romance

  Roxy Sinclaire

  Illustrated by

  Kellie Dennis

  Edited by

  Elizabeth A. Lance

  Copyright © 2017 by Roxy Sinclaire

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design

  Edited by Elizabeth A. Lance

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the authors’ imagination.

  Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.

  Contents

  Mailing List

  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

  Epilogue

  About Roxy Sinclaire

  Also by Roxy Sinclaire

  Excerpt From Touchdown

  Excerpt From Dirty Indiscretions

  Excerpt From Lethal Seduction

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  Visit her on the web: www.roxysinclaire.com

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  Prologue

  Opal

  I’ve known Ethan for far too long. Our moms were friends before we were born. They were drawn into a friendship due to their difficulties of having to raise their unborn children alone. My dad used to beat the hell out of my mom, and Ethan’s dad disappeared as soon as she found out that they were going to have a baby.

  Ethan’s mom, Laura, gave mine the strength to do it without a husband, and they’ve lived together ever since. Ethan and I shared everything, from toys and milkshakes, through to our first heartaches, and our first taste of alcohol. Our moms treated us as siblings; people often asked whether we were brother and sister. When we were young, it felt as if we were. Every morning we would eat our breakfast together and walk to the same school, where we sat only a table or two away from each other. Ethan was the first person to know anything that happened to me, and I was always the first to know anything that happened to him.

  We stayed up for countless nights talking and laughing. I guess we took it all for granted, because I’ve never understood why we fell apart the way that we did, but fate has brought us back together again.

  Chapter 1

  Opal

  It was difficult to describe how close Ethan and I were. I don’t think either of us could have imagined life without the other, not fully. People used to call us the evil twins and jokingly say that we were joined at the hip. We would hang out with the same people and play in the same band. We listened to similar music, watched the same movies and it was as if nothing could tear us apart.

  We supported each other when no one else would. We knew everything about each other. I don’t think we ever argued, even when we didn’t see eye to eye. I know that we had never spent longer than three days away from each other until it was time for us to go to college. That was when everything changed.

  The summer filled us with a curious mixture of apprehension and expectation. We were both accepted to college, but we weren’t going together. For the first time in our lives, we were going separate ways. We spent weeks reassuring each other that we would keep in touch and, of course, spend our breaks together. Our moms still lived together. I looked forward to med school and making new friends, and Ethan was excited about seeing the world and his studies.

  Each year since we were in our early teens, we went away together along with some other kids we knew. As we got older, we would go alone, no longer needing our moms to hold our hands. It was a two-week holiday in cabins in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature and away from everyday distractions and problems.

  Ethan and I would take long walks and take pictures of animals and plants we encountered. We would sit by the stream for hours talking about our hopes, dreams, and fears. We teased each other and laughed about our past.

  He knew all my flaws, but they never seemed to bother him, and I would tease him from time to time about them. He had a kind heart and sensitive nature, which he sometimes covered by acting like a clown. That summer was pleasantly warm, but not so hot that we couldn’t enjoy it. The annual holiday passed way faster than we would have liked.

  Days in the sun amongst nature and evenings by the fire, telling scary stories and anecdotes, drinking beer, and playing games. There were only two cabins there, so each of us shared a room with someone else. We always went for the boys-girls split, mostly out of habit. The last night of the trip came too soon and changed more than I could ever imagine…

  We sat down by the fire as usual as we drank beer and started to play party games. We weren’t setting off home until the next day, so there was no rush to end the night early. Some of us began to crumble out into bed and only the hardcore night owls like Ethan and myself stayed around the fire.

  One of our friends suggested that we play truth or dare. After a short debate, we agreed to give it a shot. We laughed as our friends squirmed with the questions and made fools out of themselves when dared. One of the boys, Jamie, ended up putting on my dress and dancing to music picked out by another guy while we recorded it, someone else had to pretend to make love to a nearby tree, some people exchanged awkward kisses and opened up about personal details when asked.

  After a few rounds, Ethan and I were dared to kiss each other. My heart skipped a beat as I heard the dare. I’d had feelings for him for a while, but kept them locked away, I knew we were going to part soon, and I didn’t dare to lose the precious friendship we shared by telling him. We stared at each other in a moment of awkward hesitation before moving closer, and, to my surprise, he didn’t argue with the dare.

  This wasn’t going to be our first kiss, but something had stopped us from going further with it. Ethan was the popular one. Girls loved his smoking blue eyes and dark hair. He wasn’t too dark, but had olive skin, and everything about him was different compared to the other guys. Including the fact that he was towering over six feet when he left school.

  Guys loved him because he was funny. He loved pranks and could always tell a good joke and everyone enjoyed his antics. He played sports and studied hard; his best quality was that he was always trying to do his best to make people around him feel good about themselves. Which was a rare quality back in high school. Everyone was only worried about themselves. All the time.

  I was quite well liked, but timid and quiet until I got comfortable around people. I didn’t like large groups and loud company.

  That night, our lips touched, I could feel my head spinning as our tongues danced and my hidden feelings came to the surface with an unexpected force as his strong arms wrapped around my waist. Before I knew it, I put my arms around him.

  It was as if there was so much chemistry between
us. I’ve never experienced a kiss like that; it was as if he wanted me and only me at that moment in time. Our bodies were so close to each other that you wouldn’t be able to put a leaf between us. His lips were soft, and he tasted of beer and the boiled sweets we’d been snacking on, his chest felt strong and firm against mine and his embrace made me feel safer than ever.

  I didn’t know how long we were lost in each other, but I could feel him bury his hand in my hair and his manhood firm against my hip. Everyone was quiet when we finally opened our eyes. I sheepishly looked into his eyes and saw that odd, passionate glimmer in them; he bit his lip, and I bit mine, before we turned to the rest of the group and laughed nervously. People laughed and clapped; some made a few joking comments about us getting carried away, and we laughed them off as we returned to our respective seats.

  We sat back down, and I heard my phone buzz. I glanced at it to see a message from Ethan as he put his arm around me in a reassuring way. He was asking whether we should disappear into his room. We stayed around the fire for a few more minutes, and then awkwardly made our excuses.

  My heart was racing, as I had no idea what was going to happen, and all I knew was that I wanted to be alone with him and away from the curious eyes of our friends. We held hands as we slowly walked to his cabin and made our way up the stairs and into his room.

  Chapter 2

  Ethan

  I held on to Opal’s hand as we walked into the room. The lights were dimmed, and I wasn’t sure what possessed me to bring her back there. Neither of us drank much, so it wasn’t the booze. I just stared at her like a moth at a flame. Her hair fell on her shoulders in that messy cascade. She always complained about not being able to get it to set right, but, damn, it looked good.

  She smelled of cleanliness and campfire smoke. She was blushing and looking down nervously. I dropped my gaze to her full chest; she’d always had a great figure. The denim shorts emphasized how long her legs were and the body-hugging band shirt she was wearing did her justice. I never paid much attention to clothes, but I wanted to remember the way she looked at this moment. I wanted to remember her as she was just then, happy, smiling, and looking at me in a playful, timid manner. I cleared my throat, but, before I could say anything, she spoke.

  “I’m not sure if this is a good idea,” she said with a slight tremor in her voice.

  I knew what she meant.

  “I mean, it’s somehow wrong. I think,” she added.

  I sat down next to her. “It does feel like we shouldn’t, but…it’s not like we’re related…” I told her. I didn’t want to pressure her to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with. No matter how badly I wanted her… She was my O, one of the most important people in my life.

  She took a deep breath. “I guess, I’ve never been with anyone, but I guess it’s best to lose your virginity to someone you trust,” she responded softly as she inched closer to me.

  I could feel the heat of her skin next to mine. I never really thought about how I wanted to lose it and who to. There were times when I thought about Opal in that way, but I always thought myself to be an idiot for it. Finally, I nodded.

  “Yeah, I mean I’d rather you didn’t end up used by some drunken frat boy at college,” I told her.

  She jokingly elbowed me in the ribs. “Yeah, and I’d rather you didn’t find yourself losing yours to some drunken bimbo who opens her legs to anyone,” she told me.

  We laughed as we awkwardly stared at each other before moving closer. I could feel her shoulder against mine; I could smell her hair and see the desire in her beautiful eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder whether her skin was as soft and smooth as it looked and whether she would fit in my arms as comfortably as I expected. I cupped her face and kissed her softly, then kissed her soft neck. I heard her take a sharp breath and I looked at her, wondering whether I’d done something to make her feel uncomfortable.

  She looked back at me from under her lashes and ran her fingers down my spine. I gasped as I felt how much I wanted to be inside her, but I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted us both to remember it and remember how good it felt. I wasn’t sure what it was going to feel like, I’d never been with a girl before.

  I gently nibbled on her neck, and a soft moan left her lips. I got up and locked the door in case some of our friends decided to burst in and check on what we were up to or see whether they could catch us doing something they would consider interesting. I didn’t want them ruining the moment. I turned back to find her laid on my bed, chewing on her lip. I looked at her like I’d never looked at her before. Were we doing this?

  Over the years I’d learned to appreciate what a beautiful woman she’d grown into, her feminine figure, and the grace with which she moved. Her hair was softly falling on her shoulders, which, despite the amount of time we spent in the sun, remained fair. Her skin was so soft she took my breath away as I gazed at her chest. Her breasts were full and proportionate to her tiny waist and the smooth curve of her hips.

  I took a deep breath as I stepped toward her, knowing that we were crossing a line. One that shouldn’t have been broken, we were best friends, but I couldn’t help myself as I thought about us no longer being best friends, but lovers.

  Chapter 3

  Opal

  As Ethan locked the door, I laid on top of his bed. I smelled him as I’d done so many times, but this time it was different. A musky aroma tickled my nose and made my body swim with sexual desires. My head felt lighter and lighter, and I knew that it wasn't the booze making my head feel that way, it was all him.

  The way he had looked at me, with all the desire, and lust. I couldn't be sure on the latter, though. I could still feel the heat of his lips against mine. I didn’t think the couple of guys that I’d kissed before had set me on fire as Ethan’s kiss had done. As he turned back around to face me, I bit my lip. I started to get nervous.

  What if I didn't do it right? What if it hurt and I had to stop? Was I making a mistake? Ethan was my lifelong best friend, who might as well have been my brother. What if this messed up our friendship? Finally, I took a long breath.

  “A-are you sure about this?” I asked timidly. Part of me was dreading his response. I wasn’t sure what scared me more, the idea of him saying that he wasn’t and that we should both just go to our respective beds and sleep, or the idea of him saying yes.

  He didn’t say anything and just nodded as he walked up to me, for a moment he just stood next to the bed and looked at me with the same look from earlier. I wasn’t sure how to interpret it; there was some glimmer in his eyes.

  Was it lust?

  Love?

  Affection?

  I didn’t want to analyze it. I wanted to encourage him to come closer to hold me and lay next to me, but no words came out, and for a moment I was completely frozen. It didn’t seem to matter. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me into his arms as he lay down. My heart raced, we held each other close for what seemed to be an eternity. Anxiety began to build up in my chest again.

  Maybe he wanted me to make the first move? I wasn’t sure what to do… I’d never been that close or intimate with a guy. Should I kiss him again? Would he rather we just jumped straight into it? I glanced at him just to meet his gaze filled with desire and something else. He was chewing his lip. Ever since he was a little boy, he’d done that when he was nervous or unsure of himself. He took a long breath.

  “A-are you sure? I don't want to do anything that you don't want to,” he whispered ever so softly, the last part came out all in one breath, and he began to chew his lip again.

  I knew that he was as nervous as I was and I couldn’t help but smile a tiny bit. He looked at me, awaiting my response. There were many things I wasn’t sure of at the time and one thing I was completely sure of. Despite the nerves, I wanted him to be my first. I wanted to feel his arms around me again in that intimate moment. I wanted us to share it.

  “I want to,” I whispered back as I leaned toward him, gathering all the
courage I had.

  My words seemed to have an instant effect on him as he leaned toward me. At first, he seemed hesitant, cautious, but as he leaned in so close I could feel his breath on my lips, it was as if he could no longer stop himself… His lips pressed against mine, our tongues danced, sending ribbons of heat throughout my entire body.

  I felt lost in him and wanted to remain so forever… How could this feel so good? He cupped my cheek, and his hand slowly wandered down my arm, leaving a trail of raised hairs and sending shivers down my spine in the most delightful way imaginable. As if without any directions from me, my hand rested against his chest.

  He felt smooth and firm, the fabric of his shirt felt soft against my fingertips and his muscles solid against my hand. His lips slid down to my neck as he kissed it and nibbled gently. A gasp left my lips. His hand slipped around my waist. He wrapped his arm around me firmly, but not in a painful manner, there was something very comforting about it.

  He cupped my face again and laid another scorching kiss on my lips as his hand slowly moved up. He cupped one of my breasts, sending a new wave of unknown sensations through my body. I gasped in surprise. He froze for a second as his eyes widened.