Heart of the Pride by Anaya Phoenix (top 10 novels to read txt) 📕

Timmy sat sandwiched between Sasha and Zena, the two worst people in the family. Izzy just cut into the steak and tried to hide her smile as much as possible. Her parents’ didn’t try to put a stop to the antics, they were smiling too brightly and looked way too happy to try to do anything but stare at Timmy. Bella had never brought over any of her, multiple, boyfriends. She was more of a hump-and-dump kind of girl.

“So Timmy, how old are you?” Her mother asked, putting her hands together then tucking them under her chin. Timmy cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

“I’m seventeen, ma’am.” He said with a lop-sided smile. Her mother blushed and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. Her father raised a brow and let out a breathy chuckle.

“Well, if you’ve managed to charm my wife into blushing like a teenager, I can’t imagine what you can do to an actual teenager. I take it you’ve had many girlfriends?” Isabel choked on a string bean and pounded on her chest with her fist.

“Uhm, dad. Timmy is my, uh, boyfriend.” Bella mumbled, pushing her baked potato around on the plate. Motion stilled around the table as everyone looked to Izzy. She rolled her eyes and looked up at her family members.

“It’s not like I’m fucking him or anything.” She growled out, crumpling her tissue she threw it on her plate.

“If you’ll excuse me. I’m sure you can drive yourself home Timmy? I’m going to sleep.”

“Iz-“ Timmy started but she held up her hand.

“You’ve done enough, I’ll see you in Crumbles.” She said coldly and walked out of the kitchen. She walked to her room, stripped out of her clothes and turned the water on to its hottest temperature. She sat on the bath floor and cradled her knees to her chest. She let out an outraged scream. Nobody would come, she was sure of it. She didn’t do it often, but when she did do it, everyone knew to stay well away from her.

                It was well into the night when she heard the tapping on her window. She turned in her bed, dismissing it as the tree in her backyard tapping against her window. She would’ve went back to sleep if it hadn’t been for another tap followed by a muffled whisper. Frowning she got up and walked to the window, rubbing her bare arms. Timmy stood in her backyard smiling and waving. Izzy rolled her eyes, love birds were going to be the reason the world would crash and burn, she was sure of it. She opened the window and shook her head at him, the boy had balls.

“You woke up the wrong twin.” She told him, knowing good and well Bella was a heavy sleeper. A marching band could come through here and she would wake up hours later asking about pancakes.

“Nah, I think I got the right one. C’mon down here, I wanna show you something cool.” He said, his boyish charm oozing out of his skin like pus from a festering blister. She furrowed her brow but did what he asked anyway. Finding some pants she put them on and put on a zip up sweater to wear over her camisole. She came down he side of her house with the grace that could rival a jaguars. He held out his hand and jerked his head in the direction of his car.

“Come live a little with me.” A lopsided grin was stuck on his face as he took in her disheveled hair and still sleepy brown eyes. She smirked and walked past him, avoiding his outstretched hand.

“Come live a lot with me.” She challenged and he chuckled. Isabel Mcreery, ladies and gentleman!

                He drove her deeper into Montana, where the forests were plenty and the roads were few. He suddenly turned off the car and looked to her, she rolled her eyes.

“Please don’t tell me you’ve ran out of gas, and that we should huddle closer to save our body temperatures.” She said blandly, hating how her body reacted to that idea.

“No,” he chuckled “this is the part where I ask if you believe in monsters and I jump out the car and Thriller dance.” She laughed and unbuckled her seat belt and got out the car. The air seemed a lot more dense in this part, a little colder. He held out his hand and she looked at it, then to him. He raised a brow.

“Nothing frisky, I promise. It’s just to hold.” She narrowed her eyes but took his hand anyway. His hand seemed to dwarf hers but instead of her being embarrassed she felt… right. As if she should’ve been holding his hand forever. He walked with her, swinging their hands slightly, and talked with her. He asked her questions about herself she wasn’t even sure she knew the answer to,  but he didn’t judge. He merely smiled and egged her on until she could give the best answer. They came to a cliff that gave way to the valley below. The peak of the cliff rose ever so slightly, giving them a beautiful view of the pregnant moon.

“I come here to think, my parents bug me sometimes about my grades and… other stuff. This is my breathing place.” He said, bringing her to the peak and sitting her down gently. She looked around to see the baby’s breath and moon rose’s.

“This is…. Beautiful.” She whispered, knowing if she spoke too loud this world would break.

“I know you get angry when your parents bomb on you about things they wouldn’t bat an eye at if Bella did, I can only imagine how frustrating it could be. I just thought… you’d might want to get away from it all.” She looked up at his honest green eyes and smiled softly, she gave his hand a soft squeeze and put her head on his shoulder, not caring if she was showing too much affection.

“Thank you, Timmy.”

                She stretched and rolled on her side, she hadn’t slept this good in God knows how long. She yawned and stretched again, this time outwards,  until her hands hit an object. A sculpted, warm, breathing object. Opening her eyes she held in her shriek of surprise and snatched her hand away. How the fuck had Timmy gotten in her bed!?! She sat up and looked around… then she started to hyperventilate.  Why the hell was she in Timmy’s room.

“Timothy Demarco, if you do not wake up right now I will kill you while you sleep.” She said darkly, her temper rising to the surface. He stirred but didn’t fully wake.

“Timothy. I am giving you to the count of three to wake up. If you’re not up by then… God help you.” He didn’t respond, she was hoping he wouldn’t.

“One.” She picked up the pillow and clenched it tightly in her hands.

“Two.” She moved so that her body was next to his, the pillow right above him.

“Th-“

“Why is it,” He grumbled, rolling onto his back “that every time I’m asleep, you’re threatening me in some way?”

“Why am I in your room?” She growled, the pillow still above him in her enraged grasp.

“You fell asleep on me at the cliff, when I tried to wake you, you threatened to burn all my hair off.” Damn, she’d forgotten an amazing threat like that? Where was her edge going?

“Then when I carried you to the car and drove you home, you refused to budge from my car seat. Luckily the small one, what was her name? Amelia? She was waiting at the front door with a bag of clothes and a small smile on her face. She said that I had to fight, I don’t know what the hell that means… then I drove you here, carried you up to my room and… here we are now.” She narrowed her eyes at his story, able to believe it but not wanting to.

“I’m not that much of a heavy sleeper.” She rebutted, lowering the pillow. He snorted,

“Tell that to the five speed bumps I ran over and the construction site we passed.”

“If you carried me to your room, why couldn’t you just carry me to my room?”

“I don’t know how it would look if I walked in with a knocked out Isabel at four o’clock in the morning, and a smile? Not so good.”

“Why didn’t you just climb the tree?”

“And risk injuring my wrist again, no thanks. Coach bit my ass out for that, he forced me to play with the hand. Imagine what he would do if I did it again?” Speaking of that.

“How did your wrist heal so quickly?” He stilled and fidgeted around in his spot.

“We should start getting ready for-“

“Don’t give me that crap, you’re normally not up around now anyway. How did it heal so quickly?”

“I’ve got a really great immune system.”

“An immune system has shit to do with a protruding bone. One  last time I’m gonna ask this. How did your wrist heal so quickly?”

“High metabolism?” She slammed the pillow on his face and pushed down, he struggled but she merely pushed down harder. His hands started jerking around wildly and she leaned back. He took in a big gulp of air and narrowed his eyes at her.

“You trying to kill me?” He whisper yelled, his green eyes widening.

“Yes, now answer the question!” She whisper yelled back, showing him the white of the pillow case in threat.

“I c-“ he was shut off by the knocking on the door.

“Sweety you have to get up.” The door started to open, just as he pushed her off the side of the bed away from the door.

“Isabel is going to be here soon, she gets a little agitated when you’re not up and ready for her.” His mother said, sounding a little amused.

“Yeah, uh, sure mom.”  He said nervously, his voice trembling a little.

“Honey, are you alright.” She heard her feet move along the carpeted floor as she moved closer.

“Ahh, mom! You really don’t need to come closer!” He said airily, moving closer to her place on the floor. She plucked the back of his neck, a sign for him to stop being such a dork.

“Honey, are you naked under there? You can tell me ya know.” She bolted both hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

“Uh… yeah mom, I’m naked under here. Could you please leave now, so I can get dressed?” She was damn near biting her lip off as his mother told him she’d go, as soon as the door closed she grabbed the pillow and let out the laughter she’d been holding in.

“Shut up, just shut up.”

                After she’d taken her shower and gotten dressed she hopped out the window and ran to the front of the house. She knocked on the door angrily, milking her role as the angry chauffeur. His mother opened the door.

“Why, hello dear. Timmy is up this time, I believe he’s getting dressed as we speak.” She said softly, opening the door wider. Izzy smiled at her and walked in, her nose picking up the smell of sausage and eggs.

“Food.” She said dreamily, walking into the kitchen.

“Help yourself.” His mom giggled, closing the door and walking after her. Isabel made herself a plate, eating as she put the food on it. His mother watched with wide cat like eyes, tucking her fist under her  chin. As Isabel munched on a sausage Mr. Demarco strolled in his blond hair no longer spikey but mused in a boyish way.

“Food?” He asked, his eyes lighting up at the banquet before him. He reached for the basket of sausage but reared back when his wife popped his hand.

“Save some for your son.” He pouted but moved his hand, Timmy’s mom officially rocked in her book.

“Guess what I learned about our son this morning.” His wife said, crossing her