Hold On To Me.

by Lucia Franco.

You'll Think of Me.

Balance (Coming Soon).

John Jackson.

He's a sweet talking Georgia boy, rough around the edges with an irresistible smile. John sets his sights on the new girl, determined to show her what his small town is about. But she isn't as accepting as he thought and she rejects him at every turn.

The beauty and boldness of Alyssa Winters stirs John's blood. She quickly works her way under his skin and becomes a constant in his life his best friend, his other half. As the attraction between the two friends grows, John wants more.

She pushes, he pulls.

When one reckless night of fun wreaks havoc on John, Alyssa risks it all to ease his pain, giving him the one thing he desires most...her. But John's sadness runs too deep, the damage, irreparable.

He runs, she falls.

John must work to prove himself. Despite everything, Alyssa is the one person he doesn't want to live without. The stakes are high, and he's willing to bet it all. Even if it means he's left to suffer alone.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao Tzu.

Hospitals are always such frigidly, sad places. The happy pictures mounted on the walls with lake side images representing happy days full of sunshine and fun were nothing but a lie. Cold, leather blue chairs connected at the legs took up most of the space in the waiting room. A muted television hung in the corner, subtitles running across the lower screen. Fake smiles dazzled the nurses' faces when they made eye contact, but he could see right through them. It was such a deceiving environment that it made his skin itch.

Next to him sat Alyssa. She squeezed his hand giving him support, but John didn't have the strength to squeeze it back. He was utterly empty inside.

Alone.

Vacant.

Not a feeling left to give.

No one in the hospital could possibly be thinking of days with endless sun. Not a chance. And if they were, they were flat out liars. In reality, their moments were full of gray clouded skies with unknown answers swirling in the air. Misery. Open ended questions. No one knew what lay beyond those walls. Seconds ticked by, turning to minutes, turning to hours.

A quick glance down at the phone and that's all it took for his world to change.

If he blinked his eyes, it would have been over. And thinking back on it, he wished he had because the images replaying in his head would forever be seared into his brain. He'd do anything to erase them.

As Alyssa threw open the front door to her new home, a blast of heat smacked her cheeks. It was hot as Hades, the humidity causing her platinum blonde hair to frizz. Stepping outside, she stared at the ground as she walked down the ugly red dirt road. Who knew there was red dirt? She'd only ever seen the normal, blackish brown kind. South Fork was a small town of only a few thousand people, by far the smallest town she had ever lived in, and she'd lived in many.

Cursing under her breath, little pebbles dug into her feet with every few steps she took. The humidity was high, even the dirt was hot. Alyssa was not used to this kind of living. Back home in California, all the roads she'd lived on had been paved. In fact, she couldn't remember ever seeing a dirt road, especially not a deep red one.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered when a tiny, sharp rock dug into the ball of her foot. Balancing on one leg, dirt wedged between her toes, she swiped away the imbedded stone and continued to the mailbox at the end of the driveway.

So this was her new life-a remote bumpkin town in the Deep South, forced to leave the beautiful Pacific Coast because her mother had found love, then lost it. Again. For the hundredth time now.

Okay. Maybe she was exaggerating a bit, but it sure did feel like it.

Alyssa had been shuffled around often as a child. Thankfully, her mother had stayed in the same country for most of her life, but in the last three years they had moved up and down the California coast. It was the most she had ever moved, and it made eight moves that she could remember. She attended two different high schools and now, she was about to start her second semester at a new college. Alyssa was tired of moving and craved stability. She wanted friends to talk to and hang out with, but that was a difficult feat when they were always on the go. So she kept her friends at arm's length and didn't get attached. It was easier that way.

Flipping down the mail door, Alyssa grabbed the stack of envelopes lying inside. As she read the front of the credit card bills her mother would probably never pay, the roaring sound of engines caught her attention. Glancing over her shoulder, a heat mirage glistened in the middle of the road when she spotted two guys riding four wheelers at the end of the street. A large cloud of dust flew up behind them until they slowed to a stop right in front of her.

Alyssa stood, quietly assessing them. Typical looking country boys, she assumed-barefoot, no shirts, and basketball shorts. Blackened fingers gripped the handlebars. Both guys looked similar except one had toffee colored eyes, and the other had the deepest green eyes she had ever seen. They reminded her of the rich green color of ivy leaves in the spring. The backwards hat he sported allowed the sun to display the specks of yellow in his eyes. They were vibrant, alluring, and she found herself staring at them longer than she should have.

"Hey there, sugar." A crooked grin tugged at his mouth, his lazy southern drawl moving something deep inside of her.

Well, shit. She wasn't expecting her stomach to tighten from it.

"You new to the area?" the brown-eyed one asked.

She nodded. "I just moved in about a couple of weeks ago."

"Where did you come from?"

"California."

"All the way from the golden coast . . . That's a pretty big move. What brought you to our neck of the woods?"

"You could say my mom wanted a change of pace."

Both guys nodded.

"So you're here with your mom, then?" brown eyes asked.

"Yes. I probably should've stayed since I was in the middle of the semester, so I'll be starting in the spring here."

"Where at?" he asked.

"What are you putting her under the spotlight for?" his friend asked.

"I'm not! I'm just curious."

Alyssa smiled. "At the community college nearby."

"I'm Jace, and this idiot," he pointed to his friend, "is John."

Alyssa's eyes widened as John threw a leg over his seat and stood. When he reached out an open palm, all sensible thoughts left her brain.

Sweet Jesus . . .

His dirt covered shorts sat low on his waist, exposing the black lip of his boxers. His lean stomach didn't have an ounce of fat on it, and the slight V indents on his hips caught her eyes when he let out a breath of air. It was almost as if they were hidden, and the only way to notice them was to stare, like she was doing now. The sudden urge to trace her fingers along his skin took her by surprise, and Alyssa began to wonder if this was how all the guys dressed down here, because despite his scruffy appearance, this was something she could get used to.

John took a step toward her, and she couldn't help but notice his silky, smooth skin or the ripples in his stomach as the sun shined down on him. He was surprisingly good-looking, but it was his green eyes and flirtatious smile that struck a nerve deep inside her belly.

Alyssa glanced down at his opened palm. She stepped forward and slid her hand along his rough skin. She inhaled, and unlike the expensive cologne guys wore back in California, John smelled earthy and rich. Like fresh cut grass on a sunny day. It was an interesting combination that she couldn't believe she found appealing. Jace followed suit and reached out an open palm to her.

"If you need anything, let us know. We'll ride on over."

Her brows angled in confusion at John. "So you'll ride over on those things," she pointed to the four wheelers. "And do what exactly?"

"Those things," Jace teased. "Have you ever ridden on one of these things, princess?"

Alyssa scoffed. "First of all, my name is Alyssa."

"Sugar Plum?"

"Alyssa."

"Pretty girl?"

"Wow, I'm in the presence of a comedian. No, I have not ridden one of those things."

Chuckling, John took over. "Well, this right here is called a four wheeler, not a thing, but I'm assuming you already knew that. Wanna take a quick ride with me and I'll show you how it's done?"

She totally wanted to, it honestly looked like fun.

"Maybe another time. You're filthy dirty and covered in mud, not really my thing. No offense, or anything."

John clutched his chest. "Oh, I think she just insulted me," he joked, looking at Jace. "You have a lot to learn. You live in the South now. We get dirty here and so will you."

"Doubtful, considering I wasn't raised to play in the mud. Pigs play in the mud and I'm not an animal," she spat back.

The two friends looked at each other and then burst into laughter. "We weren't raised to play in the mud, sweetheart. It just sort of happens."

Curious, Alyssa shifted on her feet. "How does it just happen?"

Jace spoke up this time. "When we go muddin', ride four wheelers, or party down by the river. Mud just happens. You'll see."

"Mud just happens?" she stated, dumbfounded. Now she's heard it all.

"Mud happens," John repeated with a smirk. He tried to contain his laughter, but Jace was giving Alyssa a hard time and it was funny as hell.

"That doesn't make any sense," she said with her perfectly straight nose in the air. "Mud won't happen to me."

"Mark my words," Jace said. "Mud will happen to you. It's inevitable."

Was she really standing there having a conversation about mud? Jesus Christ.

"Is that how people down here talk? Mud happens? I've never heard of such a thing. Listen to yourself, you sound completely foolish."

"Mud . . . happens . . ." He looked Alyssa straight in the eyes and said, "Sounds normal to me. Say it with me." John was having fun teasing the new girl.

"I'll pass."

"Well, we need to get goin'. I guess we'll see ya around town," he drawled.

His green eyes . . . she could stare at them for hours. They were hypnotizing, and for some reason she had a feeling he knew it since they hadn't broken each other's gaze. "See you around."

Cranking the gas, the engine roared back to life. John clutched the gear with his barefoot and glanced over his shoulder at Alyssa. She was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. He couldn't think of any other words to describe her. Alyssa was gorgeous from head to toe.

"Later, sugar."

"Bye, princess," Jace threw in.

A smile tugged at her mouth. "Later."

Alyssa watched as John and Jace took off, a puff of dirt flying up into the air. When they were half way down the street, she turned around and walked back to her house.

Looks like she just got a dose of some of that southern charm she's heard of and she was okay with it, especially coming from John.

Stepping inside the lecture hall, the door closed behind her with a loud thud and all heads turned in her direction. She quickly glanced at the students. She wasn't sure why, it wasn't like she knew anyone.

"Can I help you?" the middle aged woman down in the front asked. Alyssa pulled her schedule free from her folder and handed it to her. The woman glanced down at the paper. "Welcome to my class, Alyssa Winters," she said with a genuine smile. "Take one of the opened seats in the back and start jotting down the notes. At the end of the class come see me and I'll get you what you need."

"Thank you."

Climbing the stairs, she passed six rows of beige desks. She rounded the back row and found an opened seat. Sitting down, she pulled out a pencil and her notebook and began copying the notes.

As she was writing, Alyssa could feel eyes on her. She didn't want to look, but it was like they were burning a hole into her face. A quick glance from the corner of her eye confirmed her suspicion.

Two desks over, John was leaning on the back legs of his chair with a pencil dangling between his lips. Her eyes focused on his mouth for a moment and noticed his tongue flicking the pencil. Then their eyes locked, and the smirk that spread across his face made her body flush. At first she didn't recognize him all cleaned up, it caught her by surprise. This side of him was more alluring compared to what she met the other day, though see wouldn't mind seeing him in just shorts again.

Her eyes blinked rapidly, and she tried to focus on her teacher's voice. He pulled the pencil from his mouth and started bouncing it between his fingers, the eraser tapping lightly on the desk, a sound only meant for her to hear. A grin tugged at his lips, and she found herself trying not to return the smile. It was a futile attempt. Alyssa's face softened at the playful gleam in his eyes when he whispered hi.

Then she noticed it . . . a dimple. He had one dimple right above his jaw line when he smiled. How had she not noticed a few days ago when she met him and Jace?

An innocent looking dimple, hazel green eyes that spoke of temptation, topped with a sinful smile? Not to mention that southern drawl?

Alyssa was in trouble. Big trouble. John was cleaned up and looking good, completely different from the other day. He waved and her stomach dropped. John was . . . pretty hot.

"Ah, Mr. Jackson," Mrs. Jones said, grabbing his attention. "Stop flirting with Miss Winters. Focus on the reason why you're here. Eyes on the board."

"Yes, ma'am."

John winked at Alyssa and then did as the professor asked. He spent the next two hours sneaking glances at her.

Class ended and Alyssa quickly gathered up her books. She glanced at her schedule while walking out of her first class when a strong arm hooked around her neck and rested on her shoulders. Startled, she looked up at a grinning John. He tugged her to him and they walked together down the hall as if they had been friends for years, not having just met only recently.

"Figured since you're new here, I could walk you to your next class. Where you headed?" His deep voice was right near her ear.

Alyssa looked at her schedule. "Physics?"