Undone (Disclosure
Series Book #1)
R.E. Hunter
Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
Five years ago, Embry Jacobs ran...
She ran from a past that still hasn’t let her go, but her dream of becoming a lawyer is stronger than her fear of confronting that past. Embry’s sole focus is to get through law school—with the help of her best friend, Morgan—and make something of the broken girl she became. Not thinking about falling in love, being in a relationship or even entertaining the idea of romance, Embry is moving forward one day at a time.
Luke Brody is charming and sexy, and has a past of his own. He wants nothing more than to put his demons to rest and move on with his life. But, when Embry enters the picture, is he destined to repeat those same mistakes?
Blindsided by their instant attraction, neither Luke nor Embry are prepared for the feelings they’re developing. But will it all be for nothing?
Will they let their pasts destroy them, or will they risk everything to fight for their relationship when it all comes undone?
She ran from a past that still hasn’t let her go, but her dream of becoming a lawyer is stronger than her fear of confronting that past. Embry’s sole focus is to get through law school—with the help of her best friend, Morgan—and make something of the broken girl she became. Not thinking about falling in love, being in a relationship or even entertaining the idea of romance, Embry is moving forward one day at a time.
Luke Brody is charming and sexy, and has a past of his own. He wants nothing more than to put his demons to rest and move on with his life. But, when Embry enters the picture, is he destined to repeat those same mistakes?
Blindsided by their instant attraction, neither Luke nor Embry are prepared for the feelings they’re developing. But will it all be for nothing?
Will they let their pasts destroy them, or will they risk everything to fight for their relationship when it all comes undone?
Facebook Event on Jan. 6
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EXCERPT: PROLOGUE & CHAPTER 1
PROLOGUE
This can’t be
happening. That thought ran on a constant loop through her head as she sat in the
cold, uninviting classroom, the smell of antiseptic invading her nostrils. A
shiver crept up her spine, and she couldn’t tell if it was from the temperature
or her nerves. Maybe both. She sat on a hard plastic chair, hands gripped in
her lap, her foot tapping furiously against the linoleum. The anticipation was
killing her. She studied the three people at the front of the room, their heads
bent together as they whispered amongst themselves.
Her heart thumped
in her chest, the dull thud echoing in her ears as she sat silently, waiting.
Her head swam, and she struggled to keep herself afloat instead of drowning in
the anxiety that threatened to pull her under. She strained forward, hoping to
catch even a small piece of their hushed conversation, but all she could hear
was the shallow murmur of their voices. She wanted to get it over with. Like a
Band-Aid, it would hurt either way. Might as well make it quick. She’d had to
pick up the pieces of her broken life and move on once before. But she couldn’t
do it again, not after all of her hard work. She wouldn’t accept it, she
couldn’t.
How did this
happen?
They’d been careful. Hadn’t they been careful? She swallowed the lump in her
throat and tried in vain to think of something, anything else.
The older
gentleman on the end cleared his throat, pulling her from her thoughts. “Miss
Jacobs?”
She looked up at
the members of the university’s disciplinary committee, taking them in one at a
time. She straightened her back and lifted her chin, hoping the outward display
of confidence would give her some semblance of the same feeling on the inside.
That was shot to hell as soon as she opened her mouth. “Y-yes, sir?” she answered,
her voice trembling.
“Do you know why
you’re here?” the other man asked, his eyes kind.
“No, sir.” She shook
her head, but she was pretty sure she had an idea.
“Let me tell
you,” the older man interjected, opening the folder in front of him. He explained
the purpose of the hearing and the university’s policies regarding disciplinary
sanctions.
She sat back,
rubbing her palms on her pants and trying to calm down. As she listened to his
words, she was hit with a rush of emotion so strong it almost bowled her over. Good.
Bad. Happy. Sad. Betrayal. Rage. Shock. Relief. Relief? She fought to
keep focused on the seriousness of the situation before her as a litany of
memories assaulted her consciousness.
CHAPTER ONE
Four months
earlier.
“Look to your
left … now look to your right. One of you won’t be here at the end of the
year.”
Those same words
were repeated year after year at law school orientations around the country. Embry
Jacobs fought to keep her composure as the dean continued his sad attempt to
scare her out of the next three years at Whitman Law School. The old theater
seats made her itch, and her long, blond hair stuck to the back of her neck,
making her antsy.
She leaned over
to whisper to her best friend, “Seriously? I thought they stopped giving this
speech years ago. Did the dean take this straight from The Paper Chase?”
Morgan chuckled
and elbowed Embry’s ribs. “Shhh, this is very important stuff, Bree.”
Embry had read
the books and watched the movies. She knew all about the scare tactics used on
first-year law students. As cliché as the dean’s speech was, a good number of
the students in that auditorium wouldn’t make it through the first semester,
let alone all three years.
Failing out
wasn’t an option for her. Embry had one chance, and she had to make it count.
All she’d ever wanted was to be a lawyer, and the only thing standing in her
way was the next three years of school. Already in debt from her undergraduate
degree, she was relying on a scholarship to get her through law school. If she didn’t
keep her grades high enough to maintain the scholarship, she’d be forced to
take out more loans. At least once she graduated, she’d be able to make enough
money to pay them off. Embry was startled from her thoughts by a hard poke to
her arm.
“Bree, you
coming?”
Embry looked up
to see Morgan waiting for her. Morgan Maxwell had been her best friend for as
long as she could remember. She’d been through everything with Embry, and even
though they’d lived far apart for the past five years, their friendship had
never suffered. When Embry left home after high school without any warning or
explanation, Morgan was the only person who knew why. The real reason.
Even though Embry’s leaving put a strain on Morgan’s relationship with her own
parents, she stuck by Embry’s side, always supportive and never questioning.
When they started applying to law schools at the same time, Morgan convinced Embry
to finally come home so they could experience it together. Embry had never
believed they would be so lucky to get accepted to Whitman together, so when
she got her admission letter, she planned her move immediately.
Morgan’s voice
broke through her thoughts again. “Earth to Embry! Did you hear a word I just
said?”
“What? No,
sorry,” she answered.
“Where were you
just now?” Morgan asked, tilting her head and shooting Embry a curious glance.
“I was just
thinking about being back home,” she said, shrugging.
Morgan bounced up
and down. “Oh my God, I know! Can you believe we’re really doing this? Morgan
and Bree back together again! And in law school!” She grabbed Embry’s arm and
pulled her up out of the seat. “Come on, I wanna catch the next campus tour.”
Embry gave Morgan
a big smile, trying to match her enthusiasm. “Okay, okay, let’s go.”
The girls exited
the auditorium into the bright summer sun. Embry rummaged around in her purse
for her sunglasses, and her fingers brushed the hard edge of an envelope. She
dragged Morgan to a stop.
“Hey, I totally
forgot I have to run to student services.” She pulled the envelope from her purse.
“Something to do with my tuition. You okay to do the tour yourself?”
Morgan huffed
sarcastically then gave Embry a bright smile. “I’ll be fine. You know I make
friends wherever I go!”
Embry chuckled.
“Okay, I’ll catch you later.”
She made her way to
the law school’s building and walked through the rear door. She hadn’t been
through that entrance yet and found herself disoriented as she navigated the
long, empty hallways. She turned a corner and stopped to take in her
surroundings. She realized she had been walking in a circle about the same time
something crashed into her, spinning her around. Before she could get her
bearings, she felt a large, warm hand on her arm.
“Sorry about
that.”
Embry looked up
at the owner of the deep, raspy voice and into a pair of the bluest eyes she’d
ever seen. He was beautiful—dark, perfectly mussed hair, straight nose, square,
chiseled jaw, full lips—and she could have lost herself in those eyes for days.
“I–um…” Struck speechless by his good looks and the warmth of his touch, she
nodded and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“Are you okay?”
he asked, his brow furrowed.
“Yeah. Yes, I’m
fine,” she forced out, nodding again. Stop nodding, Embry!
“You sure?” he
asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m good,
thanks.”
He quirked his
head to the side, studying her. His face twisted into something just short of …
pain? He looked perplexed and frustrated. Embry watched him shake his head
slightly, as if trying to clear the emotions playing across his face. He slowly
dragged his thumb across her skin before he removed his hand from her arm,
leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake.
“Sorry again,” he
said with a sheepish grin, and just like that he was gone. He turned and walked
away as though they hadn’t just collided and had the most intense moment.
Their entire
exchange couldn’t have lasted more than a minute, but Embry felt it in every
fiber of her being. Shaken by her run-in with the mysterious stranger, she
retraced her steps until she found the atrium. The large, open room was filled
with sunlight streaming in from the sky-lit ceiling. Tables and chairs, filled
with new students laughing and talking, were scattered around the big space.
The walls were covered with pictures of Supreme Court justices and esteemed
faculty members, and at the end was the student services office. She made her
way into the office, and as she waited for her advisor, she couldn’t help but
think about those bright blue eyes.
***
“I’m sorry to
take you away from your orientation activities,” her student affairs advisor
said as she flipped through a folder full of papers.
Embry sat with
her hands in her lap, glancing around the office as she waited.
“But I’m glad
you’re here. There was a problem regarding your tuition that I wanted to
resolve as soon as possible.”
Embry had dealt
with that multiple times in college. Loans and scholarships were paid out late
all the time. “Was my scholarship not disbursed yet?”
The woman paused
her paper shuffling and glanced at Embry before shifting her attention back to
the pile. “No, no, your scholarship came through,” she answered. “Ah, here it
is.” She pulled a piece of paper out of the pile and handed it to Embry. “It
appears that maybe you were misinformed about the amount that the scholarship
would cover.”
Embry stared at
the paper and felt as if the ground had been swept out from beneath her. She
was free-falling, and panic took over as she looked at the amount of the
scholarship. It was ten thousand dollars short for the year.
“But, I–” Embry
tried and failed to get out the words. She looked down again, hoping maybe she
had read the numbers wrong. No, her scholarship didn’t cover her full tuition.
How could she have missed that? She was positive that the award letter said her
tuition was completely covered. She handed the paper back to her advisor, hands
shaking. As she looked into the woman’s eyes, the pity she saw made Embry feel
that much worse.
“I can see that
this is a shock to you.” Her advisor reached for another stack of papers and
handed it to Embry. “I’ve compiled the financial aid application, if you’re
interested. I’m not sure if they’ll be able to disburse funds in time to cover
the remaining tuition bill, but at least, if awarded, the aid check will
reimburse you.”
Embry nodded
numbly.
“The good news
is, for students who weren’t awarded full scholarships at the outset, Whitman
offers merit-based scholarships during the second and third years to those who
maintain academic excellence.” The woman smiled, her voice rising an octave as
if that would somehow make it easier on Embry. “So just keep up those grades,
and you never know!”
Great. No pressure. Embry knew she would be sick if she didn’t get out of that office.
Thanking her advisor, she tucked the financial aid packet in her purse and
hurried out.
Embry walked
through the crowded atrium, her head spinning. She crunched the numbers again
and again but came up with the same answer. Ten
thousand dollars to cover tuition for
the year. She had that in savings, plus a bit more, but that was supposed
to go to her rent. And what about money for groceries, bills? She would be
forced to shell out all of the money up front, and financial aid was never a
guarantee. She took her pity party to one of the empty tables and sat down to
look through the packet her advisor had given her.
A large iced
coffee was placed in front of her as Morgan sat down beside her. “Looked like
you could use this. I saw you pouting from across the atrium.”
Pouting was a
mild term compared to the major meltdown going on in Embry’s head. “Thanks, M.”
“That’s what best
friends are for. Now tell me what’s wrong.”
Embry filled her
in on the meeting with her advisor. She skated over the finer details, like the
fact that she wouldn’t have money for rent. Morgan’s family owned Embry’s
apartment, and the last thing she wanted was their charity.
But Morgan, being
Morgan, picked up on it right away. “What aren’t you telling me? You have money
saved to cover the tuition, right?”
“I have money
saved...” Embry trailed off.
“But it was for
your rent,” Morgan said, putting the pieces together.
Embry nodded,
humiliated.
“Embry, my
parents don’t need the money. The only reason you’re paying rent is because you
insisted.”
“I know, but I
just don’t feel right doing it any other way.”
“What about your
parents? Can they help?”
The thought had
crossed Embry’s mind, but she’d dismissed it as quickly as it came. “I can’t
ask them. Not after leaving like I did, with no explanation. I know they love
me and I’m sure they’d help if they could, but I just don’t feel right asking.
I’ll look around town to see if I can pick up a bartending job somewhere.
Besides”—she held up the papers—“there’s always financial aid.”
“Stubborn,”
Morgan scolded.
“Spoiled,” she
shot back with a grin.
The girls talked
until it was time to head to their classes. They hadn’t been able to talk their
way into the same section, so they had completely different schedules.
“Criminal law?”
Embry asked Morgan as they walked out of the atrium.
Morgan nodded.
“Professor Charles.”
“Gasp! I heard
he’s a nightmare. Good luck. I’ve got contracts with Coleman.”
Morgan shrugged.
“I’m pretty sure she learned the art of torturing first years from Charles
himself.”
“Sounds like
we’re both in for some fun then!” Embry said with fake enthusiasm. She turned
down the hallway leading away from Morgan.
“Good luuuuuck,”
her friend called.
***
Embry walked into
the classroom and stood in the back, getting her bearings. Rows of stadium
seating lay before her, and she watched students mill around. She wandered down
the stairs and chose a seat toward the middle of the classroom. As she pulled
out her computer, someone slid into the seat next to her.
“This seat
taken?”
Embry looked up
into a handsome face and a pair of chestnut-colored eyes. They had nothing on
the sexy guy from the hallway, but he definitely wasn’t lacking in the looks
department. What has gotten into you, Embry? It had been a while
but not that long. She hadn’t been in a relationship in five
years, not since him, but that hadn’t stopped her from having
fun. Law school was different, though. She didn’t want any distractions: no
guys, no sex, no drama. At the rate hot guys were popping up, though, she’d
fail out by the end of the week.
“Nope, all
yours,” she answered, busying herself with her computer.
“Cool, thanks.
I’m Jeremy.” He gave her a half wave.
“Embry.”
“So what’s your
story, Blondie?” he asked, reaching out to twirl a piece of her golden hair
between his fingers.
“What?” Her head snapped up and she tugged her
hair out of his grasp.
“You know, your
story. Where are you from, what did you go to school for... the usual.”
She pointed at
herself. “Embry. Not Blondie.”
He raised his
hands in surrender. “Okay, sorry. I like nicknames. You’re a little uptight,
aren’t you?”
“What’s that
supposed to mean?” she asked, losing her cool.
“I could help you
loosen up a bit, you know.” He winked.
Winked! The guy
was hot—she had to admit that—but was he serious? “Are you serious?”
“Only if you say
yes.”
She had no words.
She rolled her eyes and went back to her computer.
He didn’t leave
her alone for long. “I got your mind off your first-day jitters though, didn’t
I?”
All she could do
was stare at him. Who is this guy?
“I did, didn’t
I?” He nudged her arm.
She finally let
her guard down and laughed. “Yes, yes, you did, okay? Happy?”
“Not until you go
out with me.”
“Not happening.”
“Really?”
“Really,” she
deadpanned.
“You sure?” he
asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Positive.”
“Friends?” he
said.
She glared at
him.
He tilted his
head, widened his eyes, and pouted, giving her what she was sure was his best
puppy-dog face. “Come on, we got the sex out of the way. Now we can keep it
strictly platonic.”
Her eyes nearly
popped out of her head. “Sex? What sex? There will be no sex!” A few curious
gazes settled on Embry. She said that louder than she meant
to. She should have been aggravated, but for some reason, Jeremy was making her
laugh. And he was right; her first-day jitters were history.
“It’s out of the
way. I hit on you, you friend-zoned me, so we’re all good. It’s platonic now.”
“Okaaay,” she
said reluctantly.
“That is, until
you realize how ridiculously attractive I am and regret your decision. I can’t
promise I’ll wait for you, though.”
She rolled her
eyes again. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Believe it,
baby.”
“Embry,” she
stated, pointing toward her chest again.
“Embry-baby.”
“Just Embry.”
“We’ll work on
it, Blondie.” He winked again.
He was
infuriating, but she couldn’t fight the smile tipping her lips. “Friends,” she
agreed. And that was that.
“So, you hear
anything about Professor Coleman?” he asked.
“Nothing good.”
He nodded as he
tapped his pen on the desk. “You know, after that Oscar-worthy performance by
the dean, I’m starting to think this is all just a big setup to make us go
running for the hills.”
“Yeah, I thought
he was laying it on a bit thick,” she said, searching her bag for her textbook.
“I’m pretty sure
it’s all a big act. It can’t be that bad,” Jeremy said.
“Let’s hope….”
Embry’s sentence trailed off as the room went silent.
Students craned
their necks toward the door to catch a glimpse of the professor. After the
rumors she’d heard, Embry expected someone a bit more intimidating. Instead,
Professor Coleman was a petite woman, about mid-forties, with librarian
glasses, shoulder-length brown hair, and a stylish skirt suit. She glided up to
the podium, put down a stack of papers, and headed to the whiteboard.
“I’m Professor
Coleman.” The dry erase marker squeaked across the board. “I’ll be your
contracts professor. This is my contact information. My door is always open
during office hours, so feel free to stop in. We’re going to go over the
syllabus and class objectives today. Then I’ll tell you a bit about myself and
send you on your way, so you can all let out that breath you’ve been holding.”
The entire class
breathed an audible sigh of relief as they realized Professor Coleman was not
going to torture them on their first day.
At the end of
class, Embry packed up and felt Jeremy’s eyes on her.
“So really, where
are you from? What did you study?” he asked.
“Oh. Um, well,
I’m from here. I did my undergrad at the University of Florida. Studied
political science. What about you?”
He smiled as he
gathered his things. “I’m from Rochester. My dad owns a law firm back home and
one in the city. I’m going into the family business, so law school was the next
logical step. I went to Syracuse.”
Before Embry
could ask Jeremy about his father’s firm, Professor Coleman gave a late
announcement. “Oh, before I forget. I’m looking for a research assistant for
the year. If any of you are interested, come and see me.”
Embry’s ears
perked up. The research assistant position would be the perfect solution to her
problem. She could make the money she needed and still focus on law. All she
had to do was impress the professor. “I’m going to go check that out.”
Jeremy raised an
eyebrow. “Apply at your own risk. I hear she can be pretty tough.”
“Thanks for the
warning.” She waved good-bye and made her way to the front of the room.
***
Embry walked out
of the classroom in a far better mood than when she had entered it. Professor
Coleman seemed nice, and Embry had a good feeling about her chances of getting
the position. She was actually excited for the semester to officially start.
She fished her phone out of her purse to text Morgan, and when she glanced up,
she froze.
Walking toward
her was the sexy stranger. He was farther away, and she had time to take in his
beauty. He was tall, well over six feet, and wore a tight gray V-neck shirt and
faded jeans. His dark hair set off those blue eyes, framed by long
lashes. Gorgeous. He was carrying a box, and it must have been
heavy because his muscles strained against his T-shirt and Embry couldn’t look
away. When she finally dragged her eyes from his biceps, she found his baby
blues searching hers. He held her gaze as he walked toward her, causing her
cheeks to flush under the intensity of his stare. As he drew nearer, she
noticed his lips twisting into an amused smirk.
“We have to stop
meeting like this,” he joked, stopping in front of her.
She was
momentarily stunned but recovered quickly. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think
you were following me.”
“Maybe I am,” he
said, and then he smiled. Not a polite smile shared with a stranger, but a real
smile. A gorgeous smile. An all-out, eyes-crinkling, dimples-popping,
panty-dropping smile.
Something stirred
inside of Embry. Her knees loosened, heat crept up her neck, and a swarm of
butterflies took up residence in her stomach. Before she had time to
acknowledge her reaction, he turned and walked away again. Sauntered, really.
As she studied his backside, she realized she was in big trouble.
About the author:
R.E. Hunter is a native New Yorker and lives on Long
Island with her husband and their crazy kitten. She works as an attorney by day
and writes every spare second she has. She's currently working on the sequel to
Undone, which will be released sometime in 2014. When she’s not writing, you
can usually find her somewhere near a beach with a book in her hand.
Author Links:
Email: author.rehunter@gmail.com
Website: www.rehunterbooks.com
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