Touch of Love Read online

  Touch of Love

  Prologue to the Forever and Always Series

  By E.L. Todd

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All right 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 publisher or author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

  Touch of Love

  Published by E.L. Todd at Smashwords

  Copyright 2014 E.L. Todd

  1

  Scarlet

  I can’t tell you how happy I am to be here. No, really. It was everything I imagined and hoped it would be. I hadn’t been to the campus once, but I knew I wanted to be at that university nonetheless. I didn’t need to see the brick walls of the historic buildings or the elegantly designed campus that conveyed decades of legacy and achievement. Anything was better than where I was before.

  I was a freshman at Harvard, and I still couldn’t believe I was there. I knew I was smart, but I didn’t think I was that smart. I asked my brother to read the acceptance letter just to make sure.

  “Scar, it says you got in.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Maybe we should reconsider this Harvard thing. You’re pretty dumb.”

  “Ryan?” My voice contained my serious tone. My heart was racing in my chest. My brother wouldn’t lie to me. I needed to hear him say it. If he did, it would make it real.

  He handed the letter back. “You got in.”

  I almost fainted.

  He helped me move into my dorm room, carrying everything I owned—which wasn’t a lot. It was a tearful goodbye. I hated being on the other side of country, away from the only family I had left.

  “I love you so much,” I said as I hugged him.

  “I love you too, Scar.” He returned my embrace and held me tight. My brother was my best friend—everything to me. I knew he felt the same way.

  “I don’t know if I belong here,” I whispered.

  He pulled away. “Look at me.”

  I wiped my tears away and stared him in the eye.

  “You’re right. You don’t belong here. You’re meant to be here. You’ll do great. I know you will.”

  “Are you sure? You’re always telling me how stupid I am.”

  “Because you are.”

  “Now you’re just confusing me.”

  He kissed me on the forehead. “Just do it. I have my faith in you. You were accepted to this university because they believe you will succeed. You wouldn’t be here, beat out thousands of applicants, if you weren’t capable of it.”

  “Okay,” I said with a nod, feeling more assured.

  He walked toward the door. “You can call me for anything—anything.”

  “I know.”

  “I’ll see you for Thanksgiving?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Now get settled.”

  The door opened and Theresa walked in. She stopped and looked my brother up and down. “Hello, handsome.”

  His cheeks blushed. “Hey. I’m Scarlet’s brother.”

  “And it’s nice to meet you.”

  He nodded. “You too. Be nice to my little sister. She’s really annoying and bratty, but when you look past all that, she’s really not that bad.”

  “Thanks,” I said sarcastically.

  “I had to warn her,” he said with a smile. “See you later.”

  “Bye,” Theresa said with a wave of her hand.

  Ryan left and shut the door.

  “So, what’s his story?” Theresa asked immediately, twirling her hair and batting her eyelashes.

  “He lives in Seattle,” I said quickly.

  “Oh. So no story?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh well.” She walked to the mirror and fixed her hair and makeup. She was already beautiful so I didn’t know what she needed to check. I guess knowing you were beautiful all the time was a confidence booster. She just liked to look at herself. “You ready for school tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Why are you nervous?”

  “I’m always nervous.”

  I looked at myself in the mirror and compared myself to Theresa. We were the same size, but my breasts were bigger than hers. I was always a little self-conscious of their size. I tried to make them looker smaller whenever possible. They weren’t huge, but they were noticeable. I had more curves than her, but I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

  “Let’s go down to the hall,” she said.

  “Sure.”

  “We’ll meet some other English majors.”

  “I could use some friends.” Theresa and I just met, but she and I got along pretty well. She was very blunt and direct, saying exactly what she wanted and when she wanted it. She was the ying to my yang. I don’t where she got all that confidence from.

  We left the dorm room then headed to main mess hall. A lot of students were already there, sitting at the tables or in the chairs dispersed throughout the room. It reminded me of a quiet coffee shop. It was dark, very minimal light flittered through the room. The walls were painted brown, and the furniture was also a dark wood. There was a large red rug on the floor.

  We ordered a few coffees before we sat down at a table. I didn’t see anyone that I recognized, but then again, no one I knew from high school got into Harvard. It was still surreal. I still couldn’t believe it. When I looked around at everyone, I could tell there were a wide variety of people that made up the student body, even international people. Everyone had a different sense of style. I was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt, being incredibly casual.

  Theresa sipped her coffee and looked around the room. “See anyone you like?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Any boys you like?”

  I wasn’t searching, concentrating on my coffee. I scanned the room and took a look. My eyes stopped when I saw someone that I did like. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. He was sitting down, but I could tell by the length of his legs that he was tall. His muscled chest and arms showed his physique. He was big, but not too large and bulky. There was an aura of confidence about him that was borderline arrogance. I don’t know what caught my eye but something did. He was incredibly handsome, one of the best looking guys I’ve ever seen. I wanted to keep the treasure to myself so I didn’t mention him to Theresa. If she agreed that he was attractive, she would sweep him of his feet. And I had no chance of competing. “Nope.”

  “No one?”

  I took a drink of my coffee. “I’ll see someone I like in class.”

  “I’m sure.”

  A man came over and sat next to Theresa. “Freshman?”

  She smiled. “What gave me away?”

  “You look lost.”

  “Good thing you saved me.”

  I rolled my eyes. She said the cheesiest stuff sometimes. Initially, I thought she was a flirt, but now I just thought she was a slut.

  “So, what’s your name?” he asked.

  “Theresa. What’s yours?”

  “Scott.”

  The guy didn’t look at me once so I knew I was practically invisible to him. It was high school all over again. Theresa seemed to like the guy, so I decided to take my leave and blend into the shadows. Without saying goodbye, I stood up and walked to the coffee counter. I ordered some nutty latte and it wasn’t suitable to me. Instead, I decided to order two sandwiches, a bag of chips, and a tea. I like food and I’m not ashamed to admit it. When I glanced back at Theresa, she didn’t seem to notice my absence. I snuck a glance at the man I had my eye on. He was talking to a group of friends as he l
eaned back in his chair. I turned back to the counter and waited for my order to finish.

  2

  Sean

  My parents were pretty teary-eyed when they dropped me off, but I wasn’t sure why. My brother, Mike, already left for college so they had been through this process before. I gave my mom a long hug to make her feel better. That seemed to stifle her tears.

  My dad clapped me on the shoulder. “Enjoy your wild years. They run out quick.”

  I winked at him. “Oh I will.”

  “And do well in school,” my mom said.

  “Oh yeah. I forgot about that,” I said with a smile.

  Now I was sitting in the mess hall with a few friends from the private high school I attended last year. They were pretentious douches, but I guess I was too. My parents wanted me to take over the company after I finished my masters, but I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to. I wanted to make my own money and stand on my own two feet. I was given everything in life, never earning anything. I didn’t think I was really a man because of that. I had to change that, prove myself.

  “Their business program is the best in the country,” Richie said. “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Yeah. I just want the flashy diploma,” Roger said. “What about you, Sean?”

  I shrugged. “My parents made me.”

  They laughed. “What’s it like to be a billionaire?”

  “It’s alright,” I said with a laugh.

  Roger looked across the room, his eyes widening. “We got another one.”

  I knew what that meant. There was another hot chick nearby. He did that every five to ten minutes. The girls were alright, nothing too exciting. I wanted to bide my time until I found someone really worth fucking.

  “She’s got a nice rack,” Richie said. “It’s hotter that she’s trying to hide them.”

  My interest piqued, I turned and looked. She had long brown hair that reached the middle of her back. She was small with a petite frame. She was short but not too short, less than a foot shorter than me. This girl had the right curves in the right places. Even from the side, I could see the curve of her tits. They were round and firm, perky and eye-catching. They were proportional to the rest of her body. Her ass was just as noteworthy. She was wearing jeans and a shirt that had the school logo on it. Even in the casual clothes, still looked sexy.

  “Turn around,” I whispered under my breath, wanting to see her face. “Come on, come on.” She stayed at the counter, picking up two packaged sandwiches and a bag of chips before placing them in her purse. Unless she was splitting that with someone, she liked to eat. I liked women who ate like normal people, none of that anorexic shit. She finally turned her face to look in her purse, and she grabbed her wallet. My mouth dropped.

  Her eyes were blue like mine, shining like the ocean. Her cheekbones were high and prominent, giving a nice curve to her face. Her lips were thin and kissable, a slight sheen glowing in the light. A small number of freckles could be seen on her skin. She wasn’t wearing makeup. That was even hotter. She was a natural beauty, perfect in every way. It took a lot to impress me since I’ve been with so many women, but I was definitely impressed by her. My cock sprang to life and twitched.

  “You like?” Richie said with nod.

  I looked at him. “She’s a dime.”

  “I wonder if she’s a freshman,” Roger said.

  “She’s not even wearing makeup,” I said. “I love that.”

  “Yeah,” Roger said. “I hate it when girls pile on that shit. It’s annoying. If they look ugly with makeup, imagine how ugly they are without makeup.”

  “Good point,” I said with a laugh.

  When I looked back at her, she was gone. My heart raced in alarm. My head scanned the room, searching for her. “Where’d she go?” I said as I sat forward.

  Richie shrugged. “I don’t know. She must have left. Why? You’re going to go for it?”

  “Fuck yeah. Did you see her? I need to scoop her up before someone else does.”

  “Good luck with that,” Roger said. “She’s out of your league.”

  I stood up and walked across the room. I scanned the tables casually, looking for the girl with the college t-shirt and the jeans. Her brown hair was soft and silky, shining with a slight wave. Every girl I looked at paled in comparison to her beauty.

  “Looking for someone?”

  “Huh?” I asked as I looked around.

  “Maybe I can help,” she said with a smile. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and a smokin’ body. If I wasn’t on a mission I might talk to her.

  “No, but thanks.”

  “Well, you look a little flustered.”

  I decided to give it a shot. “Did you see the girl standing at the counter? She was wearing a college t-shirt and jeans. Long brown hair, white, attractive.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know anyone by that description. But some girl just walked out the back exit.”

  “Thank you,” I said as I walked the opposite way.

  “I’m Theresa,” she yelled as I left.

  I ignored her and burst through the doors. The campus was dark. Leaves had already fallen from the trees even though it was early fall. No one was around. I felt completely alone. My first thought was to head to the dorms, but that girl told me to head this way. The theatre building was to my left, but I couldn’t imagine her heading there. All the buildings were locked. I walked around for a while, searching for the beautiful woman that caught my eye the second I saw her. I immediately had the desire to run my fingers through her hair and taste her skin. Most of the time I just wanted to sleep with women, but I had the strong urge just to look at her face again. It was so perfect, it was painful. I had to look at her again.

  I couldn’t find her after I searched for an hour. I hoped I would see her when school started. Maybe I would have a class with her or see her in the hallway, at a party, or in the dorm hallway. I would keep an eye out for her.

  “You look lost—still.”

  I turned around. “Are you following me?”

  “Are you Sean Prescott?”

  “How’d you know?”

  “I recognize your picture. From Prescott Technology.” I hated being recognized for my success, but when I wanted to get laid it always helped. Women’s ovaries screamed when they knew I was from money. Coupled with my looks, my smarts, and my body, I had my pick of the litter. “Yep. That’s me.”

  “Well, that’s impressive.”

  “Not really. I was born into it.”

  “It’s still impressive.”

  “If you say so.”

  “So, what’s your dorm room look like?”

  I’ve been with slutty girls, but this girl was the queen of whores. “You wanna see it? It looks like all the other ones.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  I looked around the empty campus once more, realizing I wasn’t going to find the girl I really wanted. She disappeared from the face of the earth, taking her big dinner somewhere. After seeing her gorgeous face and body, I was horny. I may as well get laid. “I would love to give you a tour.”

  3

  Scarlet

  The first day of school was intimidating. Basically, my professors were geniuses and gods to their own classroom. I was just a single person in the expanse of the ocean, easily getting lost in the noise. It was hard to be noticed in a class of over one-hundred students, especially when the TA was the one who graded my papers and exams. My professors pretty much did nothing. That was discouraging. I searched for the guy that caught my eye but didn’t see him. Perhaps I would see him again, and when I wasn’t dressed so casually. Today I wore skinny jeans, a nice blouse, and dress boots. My hair was curled but I still didn’t wear makeup. I just didn’t like it. That was something I wouldn’t change for anyone.

  Theresa didn’t come back to the dorm last night. I assumed she hooked up with that guy. If that was the case, then I was shocked how easy she was. I had a few friends in high school w
ho were on the slutty side, but this was still surprising to me. Now I wished I had been arranged with a better roommate. She would probably be screwing guys at the apartment all the time.

  When I had a break from class, I took my novel and sat outside under the tree. My favorite thing about college was the feel of independence. In high school, if you were ever alone you were dubbed a loser. In college, you were pinned as an introvert, intelligent, strong, quiet. It was a relief. I preferred the company of books over people most of the time, except when I was watching sports. Sports were never fun to watch alone.

  I didn’t see Theresa much during the week. She didn’t come back to the dorm very often, and when she did, she wasn’t there for very long. Eventually I did run into her at the room.

  “So, you hit it off with that guy at the cafeteria?” I asked as she touched up her makeup in the mirror.

  “No, I got bored with him really quick. I found someone better.”

  “Better how?”

  “He’s cute, great in bed, and comes from money. I’m here to get my Mrs. degree, not actual learn anything.”

  I was starting to dislike Theresa real quick. I guess you could call me a feminist, but I believed all women should be independent and strong, not rely on a man for anything. “So you’re just interested in him for the money?”

  “Why is anyone interested in anyone?”

  “Because you actually like them?”

  “Whatever. He agreed to be my boyfriend so that’s that.”

  “How romantic,” I said sarcastically.

  “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta go.”

  “If you got into Harvard, you must be smart.”

  “I had someone take the SAT’s for me.”

  My mouth dropped. “That’s horrible.”

  “Yeah,” she said with a shrug. “Like I said, I’m only here to get a husband.”

  “Poor guy.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I looked her straight in the eye. “I said ‘poor guy’.”

  She rolled her eyes and continued to apply her makeup. She left the dorm room again and disappeared. I didn’t see her much after that, which I was grateful for. She was definitely someone I couldn’t stand. I decided not to rat her out to the admissions board because I didn’t have any proof that she actually cheated, so I just let it go.