Guilty Pleasure: a Redemption novel Read online

  Guilty Pleasure

  a Redemption novel

  Jessica Prince

  Copyright © 2021 by Jessica Prince

  www.authorjessicaprince.com

  Published by Jessica Prince Books LLC

  All rights reserved.

  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.

  Contents

  Discover Other Books by Jessica

  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

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Epilogue

  More from Redemption

  Enjoy an Excerpt from Defile

  Discover Other Books by Jessica

  About Jessica

  Discover Other Books by Jessica

  HOPE VALLEY SERIES:

  Out of My League

  Come Back Home Again

  The Best of Me

  Wrong Side of the Tracks

  Stay With Me

  Out of the Darkness

  The Second Time Around

  Waiting for Forever

  Love to Hate You

  REDEMPTION SERIES

  Bad Alibi

  Crazy Beautiful

  Bittersweet

  Guilty Pleasure

  THE PICKING UP THE PIECES SERIES:

  Picking up the Pieces

  Rising from the Ashes

  Pushing the Boundaries

  Worth the Wait

  THE COLORS NOVELS:

  Scattered Colors

  Shrinking Violet

  Love Hate Relationship

  Wildflower

  THE LOCKLAINE BOYS (a LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP spinoff):

  Fire & Ice

  Opposites Attract

  Almost Perfect

  The Locklaine Boys: The Complete Series Boxset

  THE PEMBROOKE SERIES (a WILDFLOWER spinoff):

  Sweet Sunshine

  Coming Full Circle

  A Broken Soul

  Welcome to Pembrooke: The Complete Pembrooke Series

  CIVIL CORRUPTION SERIES

  Corrupt

  Defile

  Consume

  Ravage

  GIRL TALK SERIES:

  Seducing Lola

  Tempting Sophia

  Enticing Daphne

  Charming Fiona

  STANDALONE TITLES:

  One Knight Stand

  Chance Encounters

  Nightmares from Within

  DEADLY LOVE SERIES:

  Destructive

  Addictive

  Chapter One

  Lark

  “Shit,” I hissed as my body reacted violently to the sign that came into view. “Welcome to Redemption” it read in big bold letters, like that announcement was something to be excited about. “Shit, shit, shit, shit.”

  My hands suddenly grew clammy, I could feel sweat pebbling on my brow, and I had a gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach, warning me I was dangerously close to ralphing. I’d figured that, after seven years, being back in this place wouldn’t have any effect on me. But from the way the gas station burrito I’d had for lunch four hours ago was now sitting in my gut like a rock—all thanks to a stupid sign—it was abundantly clear I’d been wrong.

  “What is it? What happened?” My best friend’s voice came through the car’s speakers, jolting me back to the present. “Did you run over a cat or a possum or something?” She sucked in a dramatic gasp and stage-whispered, “Oh hell. Was it a person?”

  My nose scrunched up at the morbid turn her mind took. “God, no. What’s wrong with you? Why does your brain jump to the absolute worst-case scenario every single time?”

  “First, because it keeps things interesting. And second, it’s not much of a leap in this instance. I know what a shitty driver you are, babe. So thinking you might’ve accidentally plowed into some innocent bystander unlucky enough to be in your path isn’t really a stretch.”

  “That was one time!” I cried defensively. “I already told you, I barely bumped him. And, anyway, his bike took the brunt of it.”

  Her snort came through the speakers loud and clear. “Wonder how much therapy that kid had to endure?”

  “Really funny, asshole,” I grumbled. “And no, I didn’t run over anything or anyone. I just passed the welcome sign.”

  “Ah, I see.” Her deep exhale rang through my car. “Well, if there’s any reason to curse your way through the Bible Belt, that would be it.”

  For the past several years, I’d done everything possible to keep from making any strong, lasting connections, knowing all too well they only led to heartbreak and pain. But Aurora was different.

  Since running away from Redemption years ago, she was the only person who’d managed to penetrate the force field I kept around myself. She’d basically forced her friendship on me whether I liked it or not, and I was so damn grateful for that. She knew me inside and out, better than anyone. Well—almost anyone. She knew all about my past and exactly why I dreaded being back in this town.

  “Rora, I made a huge mistake. I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Enough of that,” she scolded, adopting the same tone she used whenever she thought I was wimping out, like when I said I couldn’t possibly eat one more slice of pizza or whenever I tried to wave off a shot of tequila. She used that voice when she claimed I was, in her words, bitching out. “You’ve got this. You know you do. What am I always telling you?”

  I let out a sigh and parroted the words she was always preaching, only I said them with reluctance while she always said them with power. “I’m a badass bitch who can take care of myself.”

  “Damn right you are,” she crowed through the Bluetooth. “Screw the assholes in that town and what they think of you. You aren’t there for them. You’re there for Sissy. She needs you, so suck it up, pull up your big girl panties, and handle your shit like the strong, independent woman you are.”

  I felt one corner of my mouth quirk up in a semblance of a grin. “You’re about to break out in a Beyoncé song, aren’t you?”

  “I was thinking Taylor Swift, but I know that chick makes your ears bleed, so I held myself back.”

  “Much appreciated,” I said on a soft chuckle. “And you’re right. I’m here for Sissy. I’ve got this.”

  If there was one person who could get me to return to this place, it was Aunt Sissy. She was the only person in my life who had never given up on me. When I was plunked down on her doorstep as a sullen, angst-ridden eighteen-year-old with a chip the size of Rhode Island on my shoulder, she’d never once ma
de me feel like I didn’t belong. No matter how rude I’d been in an attempt to push her away, she’d never wavered. Her love and kindness and support were unflinching and constant.

  She guided me past the moody, emo kid I’d been upon my arrival in Redemption. And she taught me to be strong enough to hold my head up and keep going when life continued to kick me in the gut after I was already down.

  She was the closest thing I had to a parent since I lost my mom at six years old, so when I found out she was sick I didn’t even blink at the idea of uprooting my entire life to go back to a town I hated so I could help take care of her. Truthfully, there was nothing I wouldn’t do for my aunt.

  “Yeah, you do,” Aurora said proudly. “And remember, I’m just a phone call away. If anyone’s mean to you, I’m on the first flight out there to kick some ass. Got it?”

  “Got it,” I answered, feeling a million times lighter than I had only minutes ago. “Love you, sweetie.”

  “Love you back, babe. Call me anytime for anything, yeah?”

  “Yeah, Rora. Talk soon.”

  I hit the button on my steering wheel to end the call just as the little light on my dash blinked to life, letting me know I’d rolled into town on fumes and needed to fill the gas tank.

  I’d split the drive from Nebraska to Tennessee between two days, stopping in Missouri the night before to catch a few hours of sleep before starting the second leg. I’d hoped to blow through town and head straight for Sissy’s without stopping, but as bad of a driver as Aurora claimed I was—and that was the God’s honest truth—I was equally as bad at remembering to keep the tank from running bone dry.

  Spotting the sign for a gas station, I turned into the lot, pulled up to one of the empty pumps, and killed the engine. I got out and swiped my card through the reader. As I pulled the nozzle out and slid it into my car’s tank, I felt a strange itching sensation on the back of my neck, an uncomfortable prickling that didn’t go away even after I lifted a hand and scratched at it.

  My grip on the handle tightened as I glanced across the lot. My gaze immediately collided with a guy who was leaning against a big, jacked-up truck that screamed I have a tiny dick and this makes me feel like a man.

  He was staring at me, not in a leering way, but almost as if he knew me, which was something I had really hoped wouldn’t happen, at least not so damn soon.

  I’d changed a lot over the past several years. My hair was much longer now, and I’d had my stylist add lowlights to make the naturally-light blonde a few shades darker. I’d also taken up running and yoga as a way to de-stress, so I was a good few pounds lighter and leaner than I’d been back in the day. But the man’s focus stayed pinned on me, the color in his cheeks leeching out slowly, making the skin beneath the patchy scruff on his cheeks a sickly shade of white.

  I expected him to look away once he realized I’d caught him watching, but he didn’t. There was something about the guy’s beady eyes that banged around inside my skull. I cocked my head to the side and studied him like he was a specimen under a microscope. It took a few seconds for me to finally place him, especially considering how much he’d changed—and not in a good way—but once I did, my insides grew cold as the blood in my veins turned to ice.

  Ronny Culpepper had been an on-again, off-again hookup of my cousin Rina’s when I’d lived here. Back then, I couldn’t understand why my cousin would want to associate with such a self-centered, raging asshole. Then again, she’d been a spoiled little brat who basically did whatever the hell she wanted with no concern whatsoever for the people she hurt in the process. They’d been two peas in a pod. Rina had been completely out of control and running wild, and there was nothing I—or anyone else, for that matter—could have said or done to pull her head out of her own ass. In her eyes, I’d been merely the stuck-up, bitchy cousin who was trying to control her, so I’d eventually stopped trying to help her out of her downward spiral.

  For the first time in my life, I’d actually had something good, and I’d been determined to focus on that, not the ugliness swirling around my cousin, threatening to swallow up anyone who got too close.

  I’d lived in a town I loved. I’d had an aunt I adored, friends I enjoyed spending time with, and I’d had Clay, the guy who held my heart in his hands. The cherry on top of all of that was he came with an incredible family.

  The Morrisons had opened their arms to me and accepted me as one of their own almost from the moment Clay and I started dating. I was finally part of a family, something I’d never had before, and I’d been determined to cherish every second of every day.

  Then everything had changed. One moment I’d been blissfully happy, and the next, my whole world had crashed down around me.

  And the person who’d destroyed it was now standing only yards away.

  For years I had imagined what I’d do if I ever saw Ronny again. In my head, I’d pictured myself confronting him in a highly dramatic fashion. I would demand to know why he’d spread lies about me and maybe even go so far as to punch him right in his smug face, hopefully hard enough to break his nose.

  Now that the opportunity presented itself, I didn’t do any of those things. My feet felt like they were encased in cement. I couldn’t move. Hell, I could barely breathe as the two of us stood immobile, unable to tear our eyes off of each other.

  The sound of a car door slamming shut rattled me out of my stupor. I blinked and shook my head, glancing toward the pump to see that it had clicked off at some point. My tank was full, and I hadn’t even noticed. By the time I had the gas cap screwed back into place, Ronny was in his truck and peeling away from the gas station.

  “So much for a dramatic showdown,” I muttered, feeling the crushing weight of disappointment as I spun on my heel and climbed back into my car.

  I started the engine and closed my eyes, counting to ten as I worked to regulate my breathing. Once I felt in control again, I hit the button on my phone so The Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy” would start blaring from the car’s speakers.

  I bounced in my seat to the fast pace, loudly singing along with the words while I finished the trek to Sissy’s.

  A wave of nostalgia crashed over me as I turned onto the gravel drive and her farmhouse came into view.

  I’d missed this place tremendously. It was the first place that had ever felt like home to me. Leaving this house and my aunt seven years ago had been like tearing a piece of my heart and leaving it behind, and as I came to a stop in front of the aging wrap-around porch, I felt that piece fuse itself back in place.

  I rounded the hood and stopped on the passenger side, placing my hands on my hips and looking up at the house while inhaling deeply, pulling all the familiar scents of the land and the animals around it into my chest and holding them there for a few seconds. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I ran my gaze along every inch of the old place. Happy memories from my time here bombarded me, pushing back all the darkness that had come with seeing Ronny Culpepper again.

  The screen door creaked loudly on its hinges, yanking my focus back to the porch just as my aunt appeared.

  “Well, aren’t you the best sight ever for these old eyes!”

  I wanted to say the same to her, but the words died on my tongue and a knot formed in my throat when I got my first good look at her. It took everything I had not to burst into tears.

  She looked frail and tired, so different from the full-of-life woman I remembered. I could see the pain etched into the lines of her face as well as into the way she held her body, like every single thing hurt—which it probably did.

  My aunt had been suffering for a long time now but her pride and independent nature hadn’t allowed her to slow down or reach out for help until things finally got to be too bad. Before she’d bitten the bullet and gone to the doctor, her pain and fatigue had gotten so bad she’d barely been able to function. She’d ignored it until she literally couldn’t anymore. The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis had been a devastating blow. She’d lost her
previous job because of how much time she’d been forced to take off, and due to the disease’s hold on her body, getting another one was out of the question. It had taken a lot to get it out of her, but she’d finally confessed that there had been days when she couldn’t even get out of bed.

  Then came all the medical bills that followed the terrifying diagnosis.

  By the time she’d finally reached out to me, the creditors were already blowing up her phone, and she was at risk of losing her home. When she first called and admitted how bad things truly were, I’d been mad at her for waiting so long. But I couldn’t say I didn’t understand.

  My aunt, while sweet as sugar and kindhearted to her very core, was a proud woman. She’d taught me to be the same way, but sometimes that pride was more curse than boon.

  Her pride prevented her from asking for help sooner, and mine had pushed me to turn tail and run seven years ago. So I understood why she’d fought so hard and so long to go it alone. She was hoping for things to start looking up, and she’d held on to that hope until there was nothing left to grasp.

  “You didn’t need to come greet me,” I said in a scolding tone as I rushed up the porch steps.