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  Stroke of Midnight

  L. Nicole

  Copyright © 2020 by L. Nicole

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including but not limited to being stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, groups, businesses, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Designer: LJ with Mayhem Creations

  WARNING: This book contains sexual situations, violence and other adult themes. Recommended for 18 and above.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Synopsis

  Prologue

  1. Sadie

  2. Jason

  3. Sadie

  4. Jason

  5. Sadie

  6. Jason

  7. Sadie

  8. Sadie

  9. Jason

  10. Sadie

  11. Sadie

  12. Jason

  13. Sadie

  14. Jason

  15. Sadie

  16. Jason

  17. Sadie

  18. Jason

  19. Sadie

  20. Jason

  21. Sadie

  Epilogue

  Bonus Excerpt of Shipwrecked

  About the Author

  Also by L. Nicole

  Synopsis

  Sadie doesn’t need a fairy godmother to survive her new stepbrother.

  She needs a miracle.

  At nineteen, Sadie Crenshaw’s life changed overnight.

  New school. New home. New stepmother.

  It’s no wonder she’s having trouble adjusting.

  But those changes aren’t what is causing her the most trouble.

  No, that would be her brand new stepbrother, Jason Kendrick.

  Jason is rude, annoying, and hateful—and that’s his best qualities.

  She does her best to avoid him, figuring that’s the only way to keep the peace.

  But, Jason refuses to be ignored. Sadie can’t figure out exactly what he does want, but she’s pretty sure what he desires most… is her.

  Lily’s back and this time she’s giving you her version of a fairytale. You might want to relive your favorite bedtime story, but be warned, these stories might contain a happily ever after, but they also turn up the heat. So, if you’re in the mood for a safe, insta-love read with a growl-worthy hero, you’re in the right place.

  Prologue

  Sadie

  “I’m getting married.”

  My head jerks up from my textbook and my breakfast I was swallowing gets lodged in my throat. I look up at my father thinking there is no way that I heard him correctly.

  “What,” I start, but have to break off to finish coughing. “What did—” More coughing interrupts me and I finally give into it. I cough until I finally get the food to finish going down. My throat burns, but that’s the least of my concerns. “What did you say?” I finally get out.

  “I’m marrying Gwen,” he says, proving I didn’t hear him wrong.

  “Why?” I ask, unable to stop the question.

  “What do you mean why? Jesus, Sade, you had to know this was coming,” Dad mumbles, taking a bite of his own food.

  I blink, feeling more than a little hurt. Ever since my mother ran out on us when I was seven years old, it’s been me and my father. We’ve been a team. It hasn’t been easy, but it has always been us against the world. Never, in all that time, did he use a tone that made me feel like I was stupid. Never. Not until right this moment.

  I shake it off, because logically I know the news my dad just delivered has my emotions all out of whack.

  “I didn’t,” I defend. “I mean, I know you’ve been dating her, but you’ve dated other women before too, Dad.”

  “Gwen is special,” he says, looking disappointed in me. I take that in and try to gently word what I’m thinking, not wanting to upset him more.

  “But you’ve only been dating for a month, Dad. Like, you’ve had three dates.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re too young to understand, but when it’s right, it is just right. You’re going to have to just accept this.”

  “I just want you happy, Daddy, but—”

  “There are no buts, sweetheart. This is going to be good for us. Gwen is anxious to get to know you. She’s always wanted a daughter, the two of you are perfect for each other.”

  I blink, wondering if my father has had a mini stroke or something to make him go temporarily insane. How can I be perfect for Gwen? I’ve never even met her.

  “I’m sure I’ll like her, Dad, because she makes you happy,” I murmur. “But… marriage? It just seems really quick,” I reiterate.

  “It’s going to be fine, you will see. We’re going to have some big changes around here.”

  “Apparently,” I mutter sarcastically. Dad doesn’t pay attention to me, however. He keeps talking as if I didn’t say a word—as if what I think doesn’t matter. With each passing minute, it’s clear it doesn’t.

  That I don’t.

  “We’re finally going to have a family, Sade. You’ll have a mom, a good mom and an older brother to watch over you when I’m not there. Finally, things are looking up.”

  “I thought we were a family already,” I whisper under my breath, feeling so much hurt that I have to fight through it.

  “Don’t be obtuse. You know what I mean.”

  Obtuse. Who is this man? My dad has never used the word obtuse in his life. At this point, I want to scream at him. But, I don’t. I try to focus on everything he says.

  “Dad, this place only has two bedrooms, where are—”

  “We’re moving out of this dump, Sade. We’ll be moving in with Gwen in Spartan.”

  “In Spartan?” I ask, and I’m pretty sure the panic in voice is so thick that no one could miss it. Dad apparently does, or he just doesn’t care.

  “You’ll love it there, Sade. It’s a real classy place. You’ll have your own bedroom and Gwen has a pool. You know how you love swimming.”

  I swallow, this sick feeling settling in the pit of my stomach.

  “Dad, Spartan is over an hour away. How am I supposed to make that commute to school—”

  “You’ll be switching to DeNair.”

  “DeNair? The private school?”

  “That’s right, Sade. With Gwen in our lives, it’s going to be only the best for you. It’s going to be wonderful, you’ll see.”

  “Wonderful,” I mumble. “I better go. Right now I’m going to Treble Heights and I’m going to be late.”

  “Just this week. We’ll start the process to get you out of that hellhole Monday,” Dad calls as I’m practically running toward the door.

  I want to scream at him that I love my high school. That I’m a senior and this is my last year there and I’m happy. I want to scream at him that my best friend is at Treble. I want to scream at him that I don’t want to move, that I don’t want a mother or a brother. I want to scream at him that I love our apartment and I don’t think it’s a dump at all. Most of all, I want to scream that I want my dad back.

  I don’t do any of that.

  There’s no point.

  1

  Sadie

  Three Days Later

  “I know that look.”

  I sigh and give Kristen a half smile. “You should. You’ve seen it often enough.”

  “Still no changes with your Dad?”

  “Nope none. He’s still expec
ting me to move this weekend and he says he’s signing me out tomorrow.”

  “Shit,” she hisses and I just nod. “What am I supposed to do without you here every day?” Kristen asks and I frown at her.

  “Way to make it all about you,” I mumble.

  “Well, it kind of is.”

  “No, it’s really not, Kristen. You’ll still be here around all our friends and your boyfriend. I’m going to be in a private school where I’ll know no one and have zero friends,” I mutter, just the thoughts of it making me sick to my stomach. “It’s my senior year. I should be worrying about graduating or prom and instead, I’m dealing with this shit. I hate my father.”

  “Way to make it all about you, Sade.”

  “Whatever,” I grumble when Kristen elbows me in the side.

  “It will be okay, Sadie. Just because you’ll be at a different school doesn’t mean we still won’t be friends.”

  “I know,” I respond, but I am worried about it. Will Kristen be spending more time with Lola now that I’m not going to be around?

  “I’m serious, and as for prom,” she adds, “word is that Jamie Austin is going to ask you.”

  I know she thinks this will make me happy. Jamie is the second most popular guy in the whole school. He’s good looking and plays football, most the girls drool over him and his best friend Kurt—who is the star quarterback on the team, and naturally the most popular. Jamie is okay, but we have nothing in common.

  “I was thinking about going with Joe,” I confide. “Although he may not want to go with me now.”

  “Joe? You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kristen cries.

  “Will you hush?” I ask her, looking around to see who is listening. “I swear your mouth is too dang big.”

  “You seriously would pass up on date with Jamie to go out with Joe Stacy?”

  “Joe’s sweet,” I say, lips tipping into a smile.

  “Sweet? That’s what every girl wants in a guy.” She laughs, and it annoys me.

  “Maybe it’s what I want,” I huff. “Joe’s funny and sweet and I feel at ease with him.”

  She rolls her eyes at me. “How perfectly boring.”

  “Why are we friends again?” I ask Kristen, frustrated with her beyond words.

  “Because, I keep you from doing stupid stuff, like pass up on a date with Jamie Austin for a guy like Joe. Besides, you do get that Joe is gay right?”

  “He is not.”

  “Oh please, if Joe got any more in the closet it would be insane. He is totally gay. He’d probably kill to go on a date with Jamie.”

  “What makes you think Joe is gay?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the way he dresses?”

  “Straight guys dress nice too, you know.”

  “Please tell me you’re not this delusional. Do you see Jamie or Kurt wearing pastel sweater vests with crisp linen shirts that match, but in just a lighter shade?”

  “They’d look good in them,” I moan, defending Joe.

  “You kill me, Sade,” she says after laughing at me for a good two minutes.

  “It’s not like it matters anyway. No guy is going to want to take me to the prom now.”

  “Of course they will. Watch and see. Jamie is going to ask you and if I have to threaten you with murder, you are going to accept.”

  “Bossy much?” I grumble.

  “You know it. You want to go out for pizza after school? My treat! We won’t have that option for a while.”

  “A long while,” I agree. “Since I’m going to be moving and all, we’ll be lucky to see each other on the weekends.”

  “C’mon, Sade, don’t think like that and honestly, I just don’t see this working out. Your dad and this Gwen chick have only known each other what? A few weeks? There’s no way this marriage is going to happen. You’ll see,” Kristen says and the girl’s so confident that she makes me want to believe.

  “Maybe. I can’t have pizza tonight, though. I’m supposed to go with Dad over to Gwen’s and have a family dinner.”

  “Oh yuck,” she mutters.

  “You’re aren’t wrong. It’s a chance for me to meet Gwen and I guess my new stepbrother will be in town, so I get to meet him too.”

  “Stepbrother? You didn’t mention that.”

  “That’s because I didn’t know until my dad mentioned him in the same breath as announcing his marriage. I swear, I’m starting to worry that my father has gone insane and I just didn’t realize it until now.”

  “Well, you let me know about your stepbrother. If he’s hot, you have to introduce us.”

  “I don’t know anything about him, and really wish I could keep it that way,” I respond, as we get up and start walking to our next class. It’s hard to believe that this will be the last time I get to share lunch with Kristen at school.

  I can only hope she’s right and this all falls through and Dad somehow comes to his senses.

  2

  Jason

  “Jase! I’m so glad to see you,” Gwen gushes, coming up to me like she’s about to accept an Oscar. I know this because Gwen is my mother and back in the early days of her career, the woman actually won an Oscar. She hasn’t been an actress in years, though. She traded it all in to marry my father, and when he kicked her to the curb for a younger model, she was satisfied living off alimony and the millions she was paid in the divorce.

  “It’s not like you didn’t order me to be here,” I remind her, my voice stern. I move my head, narrowly missing the kiss she tried to land on my jaw. I don’t miss the annoyance that moves across her face, but I don’t really care either.

  “It’s not like you ignore my orders when it suits you, Jase,” she murmurs so that I’m the only one who can hear her. I look over her shoulder at the giant marble topped dining table. There’s a man sitting at the head of the table and I watch as he stands and walks toward my mother. He’s wearing a suit, but it doesn’t take a genius to not see the suit is old and little too tight. I’m a man and being a man who makes a living on learning the weaknesses of his opponent, I can tell the guy is nervous. I could put his mind to ease. I don’t care what the fuck he does with my mother. I don’t care if he latches onto her and rides her like the gravy train that she undoubtedly is for him. I don’t care and the reason I don’t care is quite simple.

  He’s a toy to my mother. She loves looking like a queen, a savior to anyone stupid enough to put her on a pedestal, and I have no doubt this poor dumb schmuck is doing exactly that.

  “You’re right,” I respond. “But, you see, Mother dearest, my curiosity got the better of me this time and I had to come and meet my new stepfather in person.”

  “Don’t be crass, Jase,” she hisses. “Be on your best behavior.”

  “But I am,” I warn her and really that’s the only warning she will get. If she didn’t want me to be honest tonight, then she would have done much better to never have invited me.

  “Is there a problem, baby girl?”

  “Baby girl?” I drawl, sizing up my new step daddy and finding him totally lacking.

  “It’s his pet name for me, Jase. Isn’t it sweet?”

  “It’s something,” I reply, drolly.

  “Your mother likes it,” the man responds, shooting me a scowl.

  “It’s better than my nickname for her,” I admit, figuring my mother owes me one for not telling him that my nickname for her is bitch. “I hope I’m not too late for dinner. I had to move around my schedule since I just received the invitation a few hours ago.”

  “I would have told you sooner,” Mother snaps. “It’s your fault that you don’t take my calls.”

  “Just a little self-preservation on my part, Gwen,” I tell her and I look her directly in the eye so that she gets the message. We both know that the only reason she calls me is when she wants something. It’s usually money. My father left her well off—so well off she shouldn’t have had to worry about money even after he died and the alimony stopped. Sadly, however, Mother-dea
r has a shopping habit and goes through money like water. I don’t know why I continually help her out. It’s not about family loyalty that’s for damn sure. More times than not, I give her money to get her to stop contacting me. It’s worth paying off her credit cards so that I don’t hear from her for another month. “You must be Alvin,” I observe.

  The man knits his brows, confusion rampant on his face. “I’m Simon.”

  “Whatever,” I say with a shrug. “You’re to be my new daddy, I suppose.”

  “I plan on marrying your mother yes. I’d like to have a relationship with you if that’s possible. I understand that you don’t need a father in your life, but I hope that we can at least be friends.”

  “Tell me, Theodore—”

  “Simon,” he growls, showing he might not be completely without a backbone after all.

  “Tell me, did you practice that speech all week?”

  “Jase, stop,” Mother warns. I smirk, walking around the them both.

  “And who might you be?” I ask, going to the table, my eyebrow kicking up in interest. Suddenly, this dinner has gotten a lot more fascinating.

  Standing by the table is a woman with hair as black as midnight, with just the right amount of wave. She’s wearing a silver dress with thin spaghetti straps and clearly not wearing a bra underneath. Her breasts are small, but they’re still a handful and I can see the delicate outline of her nipples. It might be my imagination, but I’m pretty sure I see them harden as I keep my gaze on them.

  “I… I’m Sadie,” the woman says, her voice filled with nerves, but still managing to be sweet in tone.