Free Distractions by J. L. Brooks

smile, he
    placed it around my neck and secured
    the clasp. I looked down and saw a large
    coin set in a silver mounting. I had been
    eyeing it in the gift shop earlier in the
    trip and told Shepard the story about
    where it came from.
    My grandfather had a replica of the
    ship that sank near the Florida Keys. It
    was a Spanish Galleon loaded with
    treasures bound for home. A storm
    swept through the Caribbean and sank
    the ship. After the salvage began, some
    of the coins became available to the
    public. I always wanted a piece of the
    legendary Senora de la Esperanza, and
    now it rested against my chest.
    I started to weep at the sweet
    sentiment. He had seen that I wanted it,
    but I couldn’t justify spending so much.
    “Shepard, you shouldn’t have. This was
    really expensive. It’s beautiful.” My
    hands rubbed the coin tenderly.
    He crawled next to me and circled
    the coin with his index finger. “Most
    girls want diamonds and overpriced
    purses; you want an important piece of
    history. You more than deserve it. Now
    you always will have a reminder of our
    time here.”
    I snorted at the purse comment.
    “Please do not buy me that crap, ever.
    This… this is incredible – thank you.” I
    didn’t know what else to say. He knew I
    was grateful for the gesture. “So, if I let
    you do kinky things, you’re going to buy
    me cool stuff? Doesn’t that make me
    some kind of hooker?”
    With a hearty laugh he replied,
    “Doesn’t that make you a normal
    girlfriend?”
    My face dropped slightly. Normal
    girlfriend . What was that?
    Noting my change of demeanor, he
    asked what I was thinking.
    “I’ve only had one boyfriend, so I
    don’t exactly know what’s normal. I just
    know what I think is or isn’t right.” My
    lips curled to the side in deep thought.
    “Violet, don’t get mad, but what did
    he do to you? You are a beautiful,
    intelligent, funny girl. I don’t get it.”
    My chin now started to quiver and I
    turned away as the tears came. He knew
    he was approaching dangerous territory,
    but I’d rather he know now than be upset
    later. I hated ruining such a beautiful
    moment, yet the opportunity was ripe. I
    held nothing back as he held me close.
    The entire story of Connor Lewis tearing
    me to the ground and why I vowed never
    to fall in love again came rushing out
    with every dirty detail. When I was
    finished, he kissed the top of my head
    and spoke with resolve.
    “As long as I am breathing, Violet,
    I will do everything in my power to
    make sure you will never feel that way
    again. I promise.”
    I turned from my resting place
    against his chest to meet his eyes. His
    mouth came down softly over mine and
    kissed me with determination. I knew he
    wasn’t lying. I could only pray fate
    could allow him to make good on that
    promise.
    Chapter 9 - Can
    You Do This?
    Shepard dragged the luggage onto
    the landing and immediately walked up
    the stairwell with me in tow. His hair
    had developed vibrant blond streaks
    from the week in the sun. Golden kissed
    skin made his blue eyes glow that much
    brighter underneath lush lashes. It was
    still early afternoon, but as predicted, he
    proved
    insatiable.
    Every
    moment
    cherished because I knew they were
    limited; it was never long enough.
    Being away together for a week
    simply reinforced a bond that had long
    been forged. A tangible friction rested
    between us, despite both of our attempts
    to ignore what it meant. He looked at me
    occasionally as if I were going to
    disappear into thin air, as if he could
    sense my penchant for fleeing. I could
    feel to my very core that he would never
    hurt me the way Connor had done so
    many times. I closed my eyes to banish
    the ghost of the past. I refused to
    associate any new sadness with past
    memories. This was a longing caused by
    the pending absence of love, not the
    destruction caused when it goes wrong.
    “Hey, come back.” His lips
    returned my focus to where it should be,
    on the here and now. I