Chapter One
Allen McAllister braced the storm and started his truck. This storm was nothing compared to the anguish that was brewing inside him. He swore off women and love forever. He had the love of his son and he didn't need anyone else.
He drove on relentlessly through the storm and rain pelting down on his car. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't see someone come in before the truck. He screeched to a halt at the last minute.
He was about to shout when his eyes fell upon an extremely attractive woman in a wedding dress, drenched in the rain, tapping at his car window. He opened the door for her.
She climbed in," Sorry, I had no other way to get your attention. I needed a lift and you were my only option, " she said, apologetically white rubbing her frozen hands together.
Allen handed her a large towel from the backseat of his truck, "Here, use this to dry yourself, " he said, calmly.
"Thanks," she said, drying herself. Allen stared at her. Even in such a situation she looked extremely gorgeous. She wasn't more than twenty-nine or thirty.
"Have you run away from your own wedding?" He asked, starting the ignition.
"Yes. But no more questions please. Else I'm getting down here," she said and Allen grinned. She had the guts to negotiate in such a situation.
"Ok. Only one," he said and she nodded.
"Ask," she said with a bored expression.
Allen smirked. He felt so excited with her beside him. "What's your name?" He couldn't help asking.
She looked at him with wide eyes," I'm Hazel," she answered. He stared at her mesmerizing blue eyes. How can a blue-eyed girl be called hazel? The more he stared the more he drowned in them.
"Hazel what?" He asked regaining his composure.
"Only Hazel," she answered.
"You have to say your name too, you know," she said.
"Do I have to?" Asked Allen, teasing her.
"Yeah, that's how it goes. I told you mine," she said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Ok, I'm Allen McAllister," he said and she nodded her head.
"So where do I drop you? I don't mind taking you to my house," he said, again teasing her.
She rolled her eyes at him, "I'm going to Houston, to my grandma's house," she informed him.
Allen's face broke into a grin." I'm also going to Houston. I will drop you. Give me the address," he asked.
"165/A Stetson lane, Houston, TX 77043," she said and he entered it on his GPS and drove on.
He couldn't ask any questions but she non-stop chatted about the bad weather, about her frail grandma who couldn't make it to Travis Springs for the wedding. He could figure out that she had escaped her own wedding and would be staying at her maternal grandmother's house. She didn't have any luggage with her, so it might be a hasty escape, instead of a calculated one.
For the first time in his life, he didn't mind her chatter. It sounded like music to his ears. There was an adorable quality in her that drew him to her instantly. She was just being her natural self. There was no artificial showing off, or seducing to compel him to drop her home. Her smile was genuine, although her eyes looked troubled and scared. Throughout the ride she kept glancing back to see if they were being stalked. Was she running away from someone? Might be since she kept insisting that he drive faster.
At last they reached her destination and he dropped her off at the address she specified. It was a two-storeyed simple house painted in white standing out against the dark night sky.
"See you soon Hazel," he said and she nodded and hurried inside the small white gate, up the paved path to the main door.
He reluctantly drove off. He decided then and there that he would come tomorrow to check up on her. Excited at the prospect of seeing her again, he drove home.
"You're late dad, how did it go? Did you break off the wedding?" Asked a fidgety, and stressed Axel the moment Allen went inside the house.
"You didn't sleep?" Asked Allen, sternly.
"No, I was waiting for you. Don't change the topic dad. Tell me what happened?" Asked Axel. He had to know whether his dad ended it with Rosalie Edwards or not.
"Ok, I did break off all ties. We'll never see her again. Are you happy now?" Asked his dad with a smile on his face.
Axel looked at his dad suspiciously. Why did he look so happy? Maybe breaking off with Rosalie made him happy, he concluded.
"Yes I'm happy. So are you dad. Are you sure you're not hiding something?" Said Axel, with a grin.
"Can't your dad be happy? Go to sleep son, it's late and you have school tomorrow," he said and Axel left to go upstairs to his room to sleep.
Allen went up to his room and showered and changed for bed. He lay down and thought about Hazel. Her face, her eyes, her wet dewy pink lips, her creamy flawless skin, her golden blonde long curly hair, her wet dress clinging to her body outlining her breasts, showing off her creamy cleavage all kept creeping into his mind and he felt aroused by the thoughts of her.
He could smell her floral scent of roses and lily in the close confines of his car. He wanted to smell her more, talk to her more, able to know more about her. He wanted to be the one to solve her problems and calm her.
Tomorrow he would do just that, he decided and went to sleep at last.
The next day an excited Allen woke up early, showered and saw his son off to school and drove all the way to Hazel's grandmother's house. He parked his BMW opposite her gate and went inside.
Ringing the doorbell, he waited impatiently for it to open so that he could catch a glimpse of Hazel. He had already started missing her.
"Who's there so early in the morning? Grandma were you expecting anyone?" He heard Hazel's voice saying through the open window.
She opened the door with a spatula in her hand, and gasped seeing him. "You? Did you forget something?" She asked in surprise.
"Yes," replied Allen.
"What?" She asked, looking around. Maybe he dropped something and came back to retrieve it so early in the morning.
"You, I wanted to see you," he said, not believing that he was actually saying it to her. Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, unable to utter a single word.
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Featured picture: Evan Rachel Wood as Hazel
