Packing Up Love Read online

  Packing Up Love

  Insta Love Shy Girl Romance #2

  By Haley Travis

  Copyright 2019 Haley Travis. All rights reserved. Cover design by Lexie Renard.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted or duplicated in any form whatsoever without express written permission of the author. This book is intended for sale to adults only. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual people or specific locations or details is completely coincidental, or intended fictitiously. All characters are over 18, no sex partners are related, all sex is consensual. This is fantasy. In the real world, everyone practices safe sex at all times. Right? Right.

  Upcoming books at http://haleytravisromance.blogspot.com

  or join the monthly-ish email list at http://eepurl.com/gd7WDP

  (Get on the list for longer previews of new novels!)

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  The Series

  Chapter One - Claire

  Chapter Two - Jason

  Chapter Three - Claire

  Chapter Four - Jason

  Chapter Five - Claire

  Chapter Six - Jason

  Chapter Seven - Claire

  Chapter Eight - Jason

  Epilogue - Claire

  Other Stories & About the Author

  ***

  Enjoy more of the “Up Love - Insta Love Shy Girl Romance” Series.

  #1 - Icing up Love

  When a cake decorator meets a former hockey player,

  the icing meets the ice in a whirlwind fast romance.

  #2 - Packing Up Love

  When a moving man falls for a damsel in distress,

  his overprotective urges are too heavy for a girl labeled, “Fragile”.

  #3 - Snapping Up Love

  Will an event photographer keep his focus when the perfect model steps into his life?

  #4 - Inking Up Love

  Can a tattoo artist keep his hands steady when the girl of his dreams walks in the door?

  #5 - Snipping Up Love

  When a billionaire visits a new hair stylist,

  ‘a little off the top’ becomes ‘over the top’ in an instant romance.

  CHAPTER ONE

  * Claire *

  It’s incredible to me that no matter how nice and clean your things are, when you’re moving everything looks like garbage.

  But that was fitting since my life was pretty trashy at the moment. The man I had given my heart to had turned into a raving asshole, so I was trying to move out of our apartment before he got home from work.

  I knew that I should confront him like an adult, but I just couldn’t. He’d become so mean and petty that everything I said seemed to anger him. It was really hard for me to speak up for myself at the best of times, so I had been cringing in silence for the past few months.

  I’d spent the whole day packing up my half of our things, leaving a lot extra that I wasn’t emotionally attached to. I just wanted to get the essentials and get out.

  I found myself getting distracted, upset that I’d let this relationship go on several months longer than I should have. Actually, I shouldn’t have started it at all. But his friends said that we were good together, and I was afraid to be alone. I was afraid to live alone. Although, I didn’t like that about myself. I hated being shy and feeling like I needed to depend on a man for anything. This had to change.

  I knew we’d moved in together too fast, but he talked me into it. It had taken me some time to find a new place, and I was ashamed to be sneaking out like this, but it felt like my only option. Especially since the last time we had a fight he’d grabbed me and shaken me. It wasn’t a punch or a slap, but it scared me to pieces.

  No men for me for at least a year, I told myself firmly. No way. I needed to learn how to be independent before I could consider being in a relationship again. I couldn’t stay with a guy who wasn’t good to me out of fear. That was far too dangerous.

  Looking at the ugly kitchen clock that I was leaving behind, I saw that the movers should arrive in the next ten minutes. I just had to hope that Kyle didn’t come home early today. I was so exhausted and over-emotional that I couldn’t handle one more fight, or him insulting me. I was on the verge of falling apart, and the only thing holding me together was knowing that in a few hours I would be in a tiny apartment all by myself, away from his toxic negativity.

  Checking the bedroom one last time, I realized that I’d done it. Everything was clear, everything of mine was packed except a few last things from the bookshelf. Opening another box, I quickly began packing, using dish towels as wrapping.

  Then the apartment door opened. A split second later I heard my soon to be ex scream my name at the volume that had probably had the neighbors calling the landlord. “Claire, what the fuck is going on?”

  My hands were already shaking. I couldn’t stand it when he got this angry. Looking up from the living room floor, Kyle was standing in the front hall, staring at the neatly stacked boxes.

  “I have to go,” I whispered.

  “If you think I’m going to let you just take off like this...”

  He was furious. Red-faced. His arms tensed under his cheap gray suit. Then he lunged for me as I tried to stand up, grabbing my arms and pinning me to the wall. “I will not let you leave, you chunky whore. After all the time I’ve spent trying to make you into a decent girl, you owe me.”

  He released my arm, but raised his fist. Trapped, I closed my eyes, cringing away from him. I heard a weird thump as I realized he’d let go of my other arm, and his breath was no longer in my face.

  Cautiously opening my eyes, Kyle was pinned to the other wall by the throat. The hand that held him was attached to a massive hulk of a man who honestly looked like he was about to use Kyle’s head to punch through the drywall.

  “You will never put your hands on a woman in anger again,” the man said, his low, deep voice rumbling through the room.

  “Get your hands off me,” Kyle screeched. “I’ll call the cops.”

  The man pulled a phone from his pocket. “My brother is a cop. You want me to call him right now? Tell him how you were threatening this nice girl, about to hit her?” He tapped a button and held it to his ear.

  “Wait!” Kyle begged. “C’mon, I was just angry.”

  He hit a button and put his phone away. “You will leave this place and not return for five hours. You will never contact her again. Swear it.” When Kyle hesitated, he was shaken against the wall.

  “Okay, yeah. Sure.”

  “If she tells me you’ve lied, I will make your life hell.”

  “I get it. Let me go.”

  He dropped Kyle, who rushed out the door in a flash.

  The man turned to where I was shaking, practically clinging to the wall. He held out his hand to me. “I’m Jason, from Marshall’s Moving Company.”

  I shook his hand and tried to fake a smile. Then I crumbled to the floor in tears.

  “Hey, you’re alright now,” he said gently, dropping to a knee. He placed a hand on my shoulder, and his kindness made me cry even more. Reaching over to the bookshelf, he grabbed a box of tissues and handed it to me.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “Does he have your new address?” Jason asked gently.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Good. I’m not letting you out of my sight until you’re safely in your new home. Alright?”

  I dabbed at my eyes, looking up to the most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen. He wasn’t just a hunk, he was breathtaking. It was actually hard not to stare at him. Everything about him was relatively normal – medium short dark hair, slight scruff of beard, deep brown eyes. But he was just perfectly put together. And here I was, a gigant
ic mess on my worst day ever. Not that he’d care what his moving client looked like.

  A tap at the open door made me jump, but he put his hand on my shoulder again. “That’s Steve, he’s my partner today. We’re going to get you out of here as fast as we can, okay?”

  He went to the hall, muttering something to a smaller, but pretty solid looking guy with an almost military haircut. The new guy nodded.

  “Are all of these boxes going?” Jason asked me.

  “Yes.”

  “Steve is going to start with those, and I’ll prep the furniture.”

  “Okay.” My voice sounded so small. I hated being this fragile.

  The two of them moved a bunch of boxes into the hall to make space, then Steve started moving them to the truck while Jason went through the apartment with me to see what else was going.

  “Just the dining room table and chairs, those were my aunt’s. And the pine dresser in the bedroom, and the easy chair.”

  He looked at me carefully. “That’s not a lot. Are you sure you’re taking everything that’s rightfully yours?”

  “Yeah. I ordered a bunch of new stuff that’s supposed to be delivered tonight.”

  He helped me pack my knickknacks and books as carefully as if it were the Queen’s china. I admired how efficient he was, always looking several moves ahead to see if anything could be streamlined. Jason was clever, and I admired that.

  “Okay,” he said, standing up and looking around. “Anything else? Don’t play nice. If it’s yours, take it.”

  I shook my head. “I need a fresh start, so I want to take as little as possible.”

  Jason nodded. “As long as you’re sure. It sounds like you shouldn’t see him again.”

  “Yeah. Hopefully.”

  He gave me an odd look, then took a few more boxes out while Steve picked up the last two chairs.

  I used the washroom quickly while they were gone, washing my face and trying to calm my puffy eyes. I couldn’t help brushing my hair and tying my ponytail again, trying to look as presentable as possible, even though that was ridiculous.

  There was no way such a stunning hunk of a man would look at me twice. It was lovely that he was being sweet to me, but that was it. Even if I were in any state to begin dating already, I certainly wasn’t his type.

  I knew I looked like a bigger girl than I actually was because my boobs are massive. My hips are also pretty curvy, but my waist and thighs are fairly medium. But shirts hang like a tent unless I’m wearing a perfectly fit three hundred dollar bra. Still, it stung when Kyle called me chunky. I had no idea why he always called me a whore when he was angry though. He knew that I had no experience with men beyond him.

  I tried to appear calm and hold my head up as I went back out to check the whole apartment for anything vital.

  “Should I meet you there in a cab?” I asked Jason when he came back to confirm that they were done.

  He cocked his head. “We can drive you, there’s lots of room in the truck.”

  “Oh. Thanks.”

  As I shut and locked the door, Jason stayed right beside me. “Do you want to just slide the key under the door so you don’t have to see him again to return it?” he asked gently.

  A half-formed laugh burst out of my mouth. “You’ve seen this sort of thing a lot, I’ll bet.”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “It’s always rough. But he obviously doesn’t deserve you. And you shouldn’t see him again, no matter what. So slide the key under.”

  I liked that he was a bit protective. It was reassuring. Nobody had ever treated me like that before. I unclipped the key from my ladybug keyring and slipped it under the door.

  Jason’s hand was heavy on my shoulder. “Step one, check.” I looked up and was lost in his warm smile. “The rest is the easier part,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  I tried not to think of the confident way he grabbed my hips to help me up into the huge truck. I tried not to feel his thigh against mine as we sat close together in the cab.

  Steve put on some classic rock and flashed a grin as we drove across the city. “Let’s get you revved up for your exciting new life,” he chuckled.

  The next hour was a whirlwind as we unloaded the truck into my new home. They were still here when my new furniture arrived, and helped haul that in as well. As I stood in the middle of my first solo apartment, I was hugely relieved. But it was all such a mess, and I didn’t even know where to start.

  Steve had already left, and Jason came out of the bedroom after dropping off the last boxes.

  “That’s it,” he said. “How are you hanging in?” His deep eyes searched mine, and his kindness nearly made me cry again.

  I tried to take a deep breath, but it came out a bit ragged.

  “Do you have some girlfriends you can call to come over for a pizza party?” he suggested.

  I shook my head. “Kyle scared away my friends here. I moved from Ottawa, so I’m not really settled in Toronto yet.”

  “How long were you with him?”

  “Just ten months.” It was strange that a total stranger seemed so concerned.

  “Claire, do you need a hand putting things together? At least the bed so you have a place to sleep tonight?”

  I shook my head quickly, feeling my hair loosening from my ponytail. “No, I’ve given you enough trouble for one day, I’m sure.” I reached for my purse. “You take credit cards, right?”

  “Dammit. I’m sorry, I forgot – the card reader that rides in this truck broke this morning.” Then Jason’s face lit up. “Which means I’ll have to pop by tomorrow afternoon. Is that okay?”

  “I don’t want to–”

  “Claire, I want to drop in to check on you. Will you let me do that?” I looked up into those astounding eyes, and nodded without thinking. “I’m going to be completely inappropriate right now,” he said softly, “Because I think you need a hug. Feel free to stop me.”

  But there was no way I wanted anything more than those huge arms wrapped around me. Breathing slow and deep against his chest, I felt his warmth overtaking me, making me calm for the first time all day. Then when he didn’t let go, I felt a very different sort of tension start to quicken my pulse. I’d never had a guy this hot hold me before. A wave of raw lust washed through me as a shiver ran up my spine. I’d never had this sort of reaction to anyone before.

  “That’s it,” he said. “See? Once you let yourself take a breath, everything is better.” He let me go, stepping back and flashing me a huge grin. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Claire. I’ve already checked the windows and the balcony door, and the locks are pretty good. Lock this door behind me and put the chain on.”

  I nodded. He seemed genuinely protective of me, which made my insides flutter strangely. Was he just being sweet? Was he overprotective of all women? I couldn’t even let the thought that he really liked me skitter through my head. That was ridiculous.

  He began to leave, then turned back to flash me a huge grin. “I lied, by the way. My brother Mike is not a cop. He and his wife Lisa run a coffee shop in the west end.”

  I laughed out loud, which felt so good. “Goodnight, liar,” I giggled as he shut the door behind him. I didn’t hear his footsteps walking away until after the click of the bolt and the rattle of the safety chain.

  Collapsing onto my bare mattress in the center of the bedroom floor, I needed to stop moving completely for a while. My brain was churning too much for my body to function.

  I honestly couldn’t believe that Kyle nearly hit me. He had changed so much over the past ten months, and I didn’t know if it was my fault, or the stress at work, or what. If Jason hadn’t stepped in at that exact moment, I could have a black eye, or much worse.

  Jason. Closing my eyes, I could easily picture that movie star perfect smile. He probably sees a lot of frantic people on their moving days, and he was likely just being nice. Perhaps he’s a great guy who respects women. But he was so sweet to me that it really made me think.

  In a yea
r, when I’m ready to date again, I’m going to look for a guy like that. Someone who makes me tingle from one hug.

  I wished that I could picture Jason in the role of future boyfriend, but there was no way a guy that hot would end up with someone like me. He should be with a beautiful, elegant woman who has her life together.

  Glancing around the room at the boxes everywhere, I couldn’t even deal with it. Digging a comforter out of a garbage bag, I turned out the lights, curling up on the mattress, thinking of Jason’s arms around me.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * Jason *

  All night I tossed and turned, unable to get the vision of Claire’s sweet face out of my mind. Every single part of her was so damn feminine that it drove me wild. Her bright eyes and soft smile. Those incredible thighs, her round ass. And those breasts that I needed to bury myself in for days. The tiny freckle on her earlobe. But her laugh drove me even wilder. The way she took her time to think before she spoke. The way she looked up at me with that sparkle in her gaze.

  When I finally drifted off for a bit, I woke up licking my lips, envisioning her wide hazel eyes dreamy with lust after I made her come on my tongue. I would give anything for one night with her. But that wasn’t for me. I could never do that. If I wanted a woman, it was for a real relationship.

  Everything I’d learned about Claire so far told me that she wasn’t even just a relationship. She was the one. I’d heard people say that when you know, you just know. It’s a force like gravity – it’s just there. You can’t question it. You trust it.

  I couldn’t have been imagining her response to the way I hugged her. I was also surprised at my own physical reaction. I’d never wanted a woman that badly. I’d never been tempted to throw a woman down and tear her clothes off. I’d obviously never do such a thing, but even just the thought of it startled me.

  After watching far too many angry breakups in my line of work, I’d almost given up on the thought of finding the right girl. Relationships seemed so messy. People were always lying and cheating and I swore that I’d never become like that.