Heartbeat, p.1
Heartbeat, page 1
Heartbeat
A Courageous Love Novel
Terreece M. Clarke
LifeSlice Media
Copyright © 2016 by Terreece M. Clarke
All rights reserved.
978-0-9897769-8-1 (ebook) | 978-0-9897769-7-4 (soft cover)
Published by LifeSlice Media
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022910722
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.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
Heartbeat Chapter by Chapter playlist on Apple Music or Spotify and Review Trigger Warnings
This is dedicated to everyone with enough optimism to dream and enough courage to love. While cynics assert both are for the naïve and foolish, the wise know they are the key to life and longevity.
* * *
Dream wide awake, love courageously and read voraciously.
Contents
Heartbeat Chapter Playlist
1. Don’t Let the Bears Eat Me
2. Conventional Little Dick Methods
3. Got Her
4. Apples. Oranges
5. No Crinkles
6. I’ve Been Wrong Before
7. This Maya Woman
8. I Bet They Live for That Face
9. What the Hell Was That?
10. Looks Like We’re Having Breakfast Together
11. Testosterone All Up
12. Helluva Hustle
13. Bears. They’re Asses
14. Do You Trust Me?
15. Cuteness is Insurmountable
16. His Tender Care
17. Give Me Peace
18. No!
19. This is a Courtesy
20. Peachy Keen
21. Stay with Me a Little Longer
22. You Forced My Hand
23. Obelisks
24. What are You Asking Me
25. It Means You’re Mine
26. Everything You Are
27. A Cow
28. The Worst Hotel Ever
29. Someone Walking Over Your Grave
30. It Has No Limits
31. Asteroids, Locusts or Wildfires
32. Griiiiiiits
33. Clue In
34. Call a Medic
35. Make that Two
36. Relief
37. Denial is Intoxicating
38. I’m the Only One Doing That
39. He Found Me
40. And Still He Loved Her
41. Fort Knox Routine
42. Hoes ‘R Us
43. I’m Suffocating
44. Hear My Prayer
45. You Gotta?
46. Thank You
47. Say Yes to the Dress
48. Biggest Mistake of My Life
49. Moments
50. I Want Him to Suffer
51. SURPRISE
52. Yes It Is
53. Predictable
54. Patient
55. Disobedience
56. 332459
57. Replacement
58. Pain
59. Monster
60. Shock
61. Loss
62. Get closer
63. Sunshine
64. Epilogue 1
65. Epilogue 2
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Terreece M. Clarke
“In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.”
Maya Angelou
Heartbeat Chapter Playlist
1. Don’t Let the Bears Eat Me
1 Ave Maria by P!nk
2 Crazy by Cabu
2. Conventional Little Dick Methods
1 Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
3. Got Her
1 Way Down We Go by Kaleo
2 Creep by The Voice Kimberly Nichole
4. Apples. Oranges
1 Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Einaudi
5. No Crinkles
1 Beautiful by Meshell Ndegeocello
6. I’ve Been Wrong Before
1 Question of U by Prince
7. This Maya Woman
1 Crush by Yuna
2 You’re the One I Want by Alex and Sierra
8. I Bet They Live for That Face
1 Dirt off Your Shoulder by Jay Z
2 Bag Lady by Erykah Badu
9. What the Hell Was That?
1 Refuse by Kevin Garret
2 Wicked Game by James Vincent
10. Looks Like We’re Having Breakfast Together
1 Butterflies by Michael Jackson
11. Testosterone All Up
1 Thieves in the Temple (Remix) Prince | The Purple Medley by Prince can only be found online - YouTube specifically and for purchase through the Prince Estate.
12. Helluva Hustle
1 A Song for You by Donny Hathaway
13. Bears. They’re Asses
1 Lay Me Down (feat. John Legend) by Sam Smith
2 Nothing Else Matters by Lauryn Hill
14. Do You Trust Me?
1 Sweetest Taboo by Sade
2 Whenever, Wherever, Whatever by Maxwell
3 Thank You by Dido
4 Your Hands by Marsha Ambrosius
15. Cuteness is Insurmountable
1 Leave the Door Open by Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic
2 Lose Control by Ledisi
16. His Tender Care
1 Red Dust by James Vincent McMorrow
17. Give Me Peace
1 Hard by Rihanna
18. No!
1 Crawling by Linkin Park
19. This is a Courtesy
1 Desperado by Rihanna
20. Peachy Keen
1 Golden by Jill Scott
21. Stay with Me a Little Longer
1 Heathens by Twenty One Pilots
22. You Forced My Hand
1 Bitch Better Have My Money by Rihanna
23. Obelisks
1 Crazy Aerosmith
24. What are You Asking Me
1 Those Sweet Words by Norah Jones
2 The Point of It All by Anthony Hamilton
3 Scandalous by Prince
25. It Means You’re Mine
1 I Belong to You by Lenny Kravitz
26. Everything You Are
1 The Only One for Me by Bryan McKnight
27. A Cow
1 Boo’d Up by Ella Mai
28. The Worst Hotel Ever
1 1. Cancer by Twenty One Pilots
29. Someone Walking Over Your Grave
1 Creep Acoustic Cover by Sean Mikes
30. It Has No Limits
1 Unsteady by X Ambassadors
31. Asteroids, Locusts or Wildfires
1 Hrs and Hrs by Muni Long
32. Griiiiiiits
1 Whatever and Is it the Way: Jill Scott
33. Clue In
1 Fool of Me by Michelle Ndegeocello
34. Call a Medic
1 Sucker for Pain by Twenty One Pilots
Holler if Ya Hear Me by Tupac
Purple Lamborghini by Skrillex & Rick Ross
35. Make that Two
1 Lady by Brett Young
2 Who Shot Ya by Notorious B.I.G.
36. Relief
1 Under Pressure by Queen & David Bowie
37. Denial is Intoxicating
1 Creep Dubstep Remix
38. I’m the Only One Doing That
1 Love Train by the O’Jays
39. He Found Me
1 Pretty Young Thing PYT by Michael Jackson
2 Closer by Goapele
40. And Still He Loved Her
1 Bodies by Drowning Pool
2 You Give Love a Bad Name by Bailey Rushlow
41. Fort Knox Routine
1 Bring the Pain by Method Man
42. Hoes ‘R Us
1 Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
2 Creep by Radiohead
43. I’m Suffocating
1 Medicine by Daughter
44. Hear My Prayer
1 Fix You by Canyon City
2 Glitter in the Air by P!nk
45. You Gotta?
1 He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat) by Jill Scott
46. Thank You
1 Dangerously in Love 2 by Beyonce
47. Say Yes to the Dress
1 I Love Me Some Him by Toni Braxton
48. Biggest Mistake of My Life
1 My Life by Mary J Blige
49. Moments
1 I Do by Rotimi
50. I Want Him to Suffer
1 Funny How Time Flies by Janet Jackson
52. Yes It Is
1 Like You’ll Never See Me Again by Alicia Keys
54. Patient
1 Creep (Metal Mix) by Leo
56. 332459
1 The Air that I Breathe vs Creep by The Moon Loungers
57. Replacement
1 Artic by Sleeping at Last
58. Pain
1 Tourniquet by Evanescence
59. Monster
1 Creep by Scala & Kolacny Brothers
2 Fallen into Darkness by Hirotaka Izumi
60. Shock
61. Loss
1 Romeo and Juliet Theme by Hirotaka Izumi
63. Sunshine
1 Hold Back the River by James Bay
1
Don’t Let the Bears Eat Me
MAYA
“Nationwide coverage my ass.”
Maya checked her brand-new smartphone one more time, - Siri was still “thinking” about her location. After watching the maps app churn for a few seconds more, she threw the phone back onto the passenger seat of her deep blue pickup truck. She watched as it ricocheted off the door and bounced to the floor.
Good thing I splurged on the all-weather, super-tough phone case.
She looked at the multi-colored, squiggly lines on the map she’d spread out on the hood of her pickup before looking up and down the lonely, dark mountain road. It was after midnight; she could only see just past the lights of the truck before darkness pressed in on all sides. Pine, spruce, and other trees she barely remembered the names of grew thick on each side of the road. With each twig crack and branch creak, her panic grew.1
Maya bit her lip nervously and shifted from one foot to the other to stay warm. She also hoped she would appear to be a moving, less appealing target for whatever monsters lurked in the darkness beyond the tree line. The wind increased, making her wish she’d bought a heavier coat.
An Ohio girl by birth, she was used to the cold. This thin air, closer-to-God-therefore-closer-to-his-weather-position on the side of a mountain, threw her for a loop. Flat open plains... the city... hell, the French countryside was more familiar. And although it was mid-April here, snow stubbornly dusted the ground. She hoped she would make it to her destination before more arrived.
Why she found herself on the side of a Colorado mountain this late was too painful to think about, but soon she would be safe. Money couldn’t buy her more time, but it bought a little protection, a new name; and a decent new start in a place where no one would think to look for her.
Only her best friend, Shay, knew how to reach her. And with cell signals spotty in this area, it could be days or weeks before she had reliable cell service and internet access. She figured it worked out because, if confronted, Shay could honestly say she hadn’t heard from her.
Maya glanced at the wrinkled map again, then looked up the road. The view and her lack of navigational skill hadn’t changed. She shivered. There was nighttime in the city, then there was this wild, mountain night. It felt… alive. Like it wanted to overtake her.
“Shit. I’m going to die of hunger and get eaten by a mountain lion on the back roads of Colo-freaking-rado,” she muttered, rubbing her mittened hands together."
“Maya Angel Wal—, no Maya Anderson.” She corrected herself. “Get it together. You will not die on this stupid mountain. You have a lot to live for now.” Placing her hand over her stomach, she deliberated her next move.
Climbing back into the truck, she threw on the flashers. She’d wait for a couple of hours and if no help came, she’d go modern survivalist—getting snow to melt for water ‘n such. Maya watched a ton of survival and prepper TV shows in the past, usually after work, while waiting for Griffin to get home from whatever the hell he did all day and half the night.
Naked and Afraid was her favorite, and she spent hours in front of the TV watching people waste away while she ate junk food. The blurred private parts and triumphant animal eating combined with personal sniping made for great TV. The shows also taught valuable life lessons like: bug bites on your cooch could happen (a level of hell she never wanted to experience); and it is important to balance your energy output with your available resources.
“Eventually someone will come along who is not a bear or an ax murderer and tell me where the hell to go.”
Ten minutes later, a matte black Range Rover rolled by and pulled in front of her. She tensed as the door opened. Out folded one of the biggest men she’d ever seen in real life. At least six feet six inches tall, with massively broad shoulders and chest, close-cropped hair, and a stride that showed he was completely comfortable with his body and knew how to use it. He wore jeans, work boots, a white long-sleeved tee, and one of those puffy vests everyone west of the Mississippi seemed to own.
“Welp. I’m dead.” She slid her hand underneath the passenger seat and flicked open the small black box partially hidden under it.
Just in case.
As he walked into the brightness of her headlights, something oddly familiar struck her. The man was handsome, but more surprisingly, he was Black. Maya didn’t think there were many Black people in the Colorado mountains doing mountain-type shit, but here he was. A giant Black man on the side of a mountain, presumably on his way to do mountain-type shit. Lighter-skinned, he looked racially mixed, and she couldn’t shake the thought she'd seen him somewhere. She braced as he entered her space.
When he bent slightly to see into her high truck window, she could see his light brown eyes clearer and took note of his runway-ready face.
“Need help?” he asked with a deep, rumbly voice. It was all bass, all man, and most women, including her friend Shay, would have been already naked by now.
