Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers Book 1)

by Ahren Sanders

  One hand slips under the waistband of her shorts, around her hip, and along the crease of her thigh latched around me. My palm glides up and down her bare flesh, and her breath hitches when I slide two fingers inside.

  “So fucking drenched, so fucking hot.”

  She keeps her gaze locked on mine as I tease her pussy, pumping my fingers in and out, and strum my thumb across her clit. My fingers curl inside her, finding the spot that always makes her shiver. Memories of the first time I slid my finger inside her race through my mind—the way her eyes brightened, her face flushed, and her tight pussy pulled me in. At twenty, I’d had my share of experience, but that first touch of her erased anyone before. Now, all these years later, the same feelings are there. Tonight is the night she understands.

  Her body responds by jerking, and she clenches, bringing my fingers deep inside. Her eyes flutter closed, breaking our contact, and her neck falls to the side.

  I suck a nipple back into my mouth and roll my tongue in the same rhythm as my fingers and thumb. She trembles as little goosebumps pop up. “Pierce,” she screams loudly, my name echoing through the room and fueling the hunger for her as she comes undone.

  I slow my movements, kissing every inch of flesh I can and feel her heart race against my lips. She melts in my arms, and I easily lift her again, taking the few steps to the table to lay her down. I rip the shorts from her body, kneel, and position her knees over my shoulders. “Just one taste.” I kiss her inner thighs then run my tongue up and down her slit.

  Her hands thread through my hair, and she squirms against my face, letting out a purr of pleasure. “I lied. One taste isn’t enough. God, I missed you.” It’s my turn to moan in appreciation.

  As insane as it sounds, the sweet flavor of chocolate and sugar coat my mouth. I know it’s impossible, but my brain says differently. All these years, only one woman got this from me, and I knew with the first swipe of my tongue that Darby had ruined this for anyone else. My brief encounters never included oral sex after that. But now, I can’t get enough.

  Her fingers dig into my scalp, and she tilts her hips, urging me on. I angle my face so the stubble of my cheek rubs against her sensitive flesh, and swirl my tongue around. Her breath hitches and turns into soft pants as I feast on her. One hand glides over the cheek of her ass, my thumb gliding along the rim. My palm spreads out, pressing her to me, and I circle her clit with the tip of my tongue, gently sucking.

  She’s close, but the boiling inside is about to explode. I force myself away with one last kiss to her clit. Tearing my shirt over my head and ripping down my swim trunks, I lock eyes with her and feel the electricity surging through my system. My gorgeous woman is laid out with an expression that scorches straight to my fucking soul. That primal instinct rears again, and I slam into her with a possessive groan.

  Her neck and back arch off the table, and she cries out at the invasion. I thrust hard, flicking her clit and watching as she tumbles over the edge. Her hips buck and pussy convulses, giving me an angle to drive harder.

  “Oh my God, Pierce. Oh my God, oh my God…” she chants into the room.

  I slow my movements, bend over, and circle my arms under her torso, easing her up to me. “Hold on to me, baby.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” she rasps hoarsely.

  “Try.”

  She draws in a deep breath, locks her legs around my hips, her arms around my shoulders, and nuzzles her head in my neck.

  I walk us to the hallway wall, pressing her back to it, using the support to my advantage. My hands go to her wrists and loosen their hold, linking our fingers together and pressing them over her head. My hips begin to rock again. “Look at me, gorgeous.”

  She does as I ask, and the sated look on her face threatens to bring me down. I swallow the growl and pump inside of her much slower. Her breath hitches as the lust returns to her gaze.

  “Now that I have your full attention, you need to know a few things.”

  Her lips part when I thrust upward.

  “This is all mine, Darby—the feel of you, the taste of you, the heat of your pussy clenching around me. It’s all mine and no one else’s.”

  Fire sparks in her eyes, and fuck me if she doesn’t clamp her muscles so hard it shoots straight to my balls.

  “Keep doing that, baby, because I’m a greedy man. I’m not leaving your pussy until you understand what I’m saying.”

  She has no choice but to release the pressure when I pivot my hips and ram upward. “Pierce…” The edge of her tone tells me I’ve hit the right spot. I grip her hands tighter, press our chests close, and thrust until she’s panting.

  “I gave up on love a long time ago. You ruined me for any other woman. I should have chased you, should have been there. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. You’ve got a job and a beautiful life you’ve built. I want to be a part of it. I have kids, and nothing is going to change that, but we’re going to find a way to make this work. I need you to get on-board.”

  She opens her mouth, but I sweep my lips across hers to stop the argument. “I know you’re leaving, Darby, but it doesn’t have to be forever. My job is to make it so when the time comes, you choose to return. And I don’t mean to Charleston only. I mean, you return to me and what we have between us. This time, it’s forever.”

  She bucks hard, fighting against me, and a fiery determination blazes from her eyes. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

  “I would never do that to you. You have to trust me.”

  She flinches, and it’s obvious she’s now struggling with an internal battle in her mind. After a few seconds, the fight drains out of her and she melts, bringing her mouth to mine. “I can do that.”

  “I love you, Darby Rose. Always you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  My heart thunders in my chest and soars as I finally know I’ve gotten through. I close the millimeter of space, capturing her mouth with mine. She swivels her hips, rocking against me, and this time, I can’t hold back.

  “Come with me.” My demand comes out harsh, and she grins against my lips.

  Her thighs, knees, and ankles all constrict, and she rams down, sending fiery sensations shooting through my bones. A growl erupts low in my throat, and I explode, hearing her fall over the edge with me.

  Not bad for round one.

  •—•—•—•—•

  A small nip on my neck rouses me, and I awaken to the view of Darby kissing a trail down my chest. She’s still naked, hovering over me with her hair hanging like a curtain, shielding her face.

  Her tongue licks around my navel, and my cock lurches to life, bouncing on my stomach.

  “Go a little lower and I’ve got something for you.” My voice is thick with sleep.

  “I’ll get there eventually. Figured you’ve had an hour to rest.” She grins against my skin. “I’ve always loved the smell and taste of summer on you. It was one of my many favorites.”

  “The smell of sweat turns you on?”

  Her head pops up, mischief filling her eyes. “No, the smell of suntan lotion mixed with salty air, the warmth of the sun on your skin from a day outdoors, all of it combined with you is what I love.”

  “And sex.”

  “Sex?” She quirks an eyebrow.

  “All of that combined with sex. We smell like sex.”

  My chest tightens at the shrug of her shoulders as she lowers her lips back to my stomach. I do an ab crunch, cup her under the armpits, and bring her body to lay over mine. My fingers sift through her hair as I search her face. “Are you okay?”

  “Of course.”

  “I was pretty rough with you earlier.”

  “No, you weren’t, Pierce. We’ve talked about this before. I can handle it.”

  “The drive over here, I was pissed as hell. Took one look at you, and the shit I went through today faded. You did that. Something in me snapped, and I physically needed you.”

  “Do I want to know why your trip to the w
ater park was awful?”

  “Connie showed up and made a big deal about the family spending time together. Then, she proceeded to make things worse every time she opened her mouth. She openly thanked me for our time together on Friday night and for making sure she got home safely, all of this in front of the kids, who thought I was at a business dinner. When she took off her cover-up, her bikini was ridiculously inappropriate for a family water park. She strutted around like we were at a beach on Monte Carlo. Maya and Cole both found friends to hang with, leaving me to deal with her. I saw some clients and escaped just to be blindsided when she wrapped her arm around my waist and announced our kids were hungry and we should feed them. This was bullshit because they were nowhere to be found. She was trying to make a point.”

  “It sounds pathetic.”

  “Well, then Maya found us, and she actually was hungry, so I was forced to buy Connie lunch. She constantly made references to us as a family, sending the kids down a spiral of confusion. The only good thing that came out of it was, since Connie was already there and it’s her night to get them, they went home with her. I missed out on an hour, but I came straight to you.”

  “There was no mention of Friday night at all?”

  “Nothing other than her embellishing. I didn’t care enough to ask how she got her car the next day. Tomorrow, I’m going to handle her.”

  I wait, anticipating her to throw back one of her illogical arguments. Instead, she shocks me by saying, “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “I know you expect me to disagree, but I think it’s best. This is no longer only about me. This is about sending mixed messages to your children, drawing lines on what you allow and the consequences when those boundaries are crossed, and your right to have a personal life. Connie can not control or dictate what happens with you.”

  “Glad to see you’ve come around.” I grin.

  “You can wipe that cocky grin off your face right now. The Pierce Kendrick fan club has gained two new members that ganged up on me Friday night and may have had an influence.”

  “Remind me to thank them. But I’d hardly say two people is a fan club.”

  “My family and your family—would that be enough to label it a fan club?”

  My pulse picks up at the perceptive glint in her eyes.

  She tries to roll over, but I drop my hands to her hips to hold her in place. “Where’re you going?”

  “I should find my clothes for this conversation.”

  “Not happening. Whatever you have to say can be discussed naked while lying on top of me.”

  “That gives you a huge advantage.”

  “I’ll take any advantage I can. When it comes to you, I need to play dirty.”

  “Playing dirty is the perfect cliché.”

  “Depends. Tell me what I’m going against here.”

  “How about every single person in my life conspiring to bring me back home before I even start my new job?”

  “I’m not sure I’d call it conspiring.”

  She slants her head, and a flicker of irritation sparks in her narrowed eyes.

  Yep, we’re definitely having this conversation with her naked and trapped to me. “Tell me what happened.”

  She blows out an incensed breath and starts. “Stephanie and Scottie are entirely too confident that things between us are going to progress. They had a rebuttal for every point I tried to make. True legal experts. Then, Scottie said something about my contract with Brasher. Stephanie shut down all my questions. It piqued my curiosity, so after I dropped them at the airport, I came home to comb through that damn contract.”

  Every muscle in my body goes rigid. Evin just mentioned the clauses and addendums Stephanie added.

  “Your body going stone still tells me you know what I’m about to say.”

  “Not true.”

  “Well, as it turns out, I hadn’t seen the final one. I left my copy at Evin’s office the day I signed with the notary present. He was supposed to make copies and overnight the original to Stephanie. I called him yesterday and asked him if we could go by his office to pick up my copy. He questioned my interest and, after I explained, said something along the lines of ‘goddammit,’ and hung up. Thirty minutes later, he was at my door, contract in hand and my parents in tow. I didn’t have to hunt through the papers because he had tabbed the additional clauses added after I signed.”

  “I can honestly say I’ve never seen the contract.”

  “It’s on my desk if you’d like to take a look. Those two really finagled an eleventh-hour deal. They did it the next morning, telling Brasher there were some new non-negotiable terms, but if met, they’d have a signed contract in a few hours. They lied on my behalf to make sure I had the option to come back to Charleston. Essentially, they did it so I could return to you.”

  She repeats the words I used when I had her pinned to the wall, and my poker face crumbles. “Baby, I—”

  “Save it, Pierce. Evin came clean about telling you, too.”

  “The only reason I didn’t tell you immediately is because of Evin’s involvement with the bank, the local financing, and the confidentiality surrounding how he found out it was Brasher.”

  “I know and appreciate you looking out for my brother, but it’s not fair these events were in motion behind my back. I’ve been independent for a long time, and that’s not changing.”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s about making decisions; it was giving you options.”

  “The option to come home to my crazy parents, my overly intrusive twin brother, and the man I’m currently sleeping with? Y’all thought that was even an option?”

  At the phrase ‘the man I’m currently sleeping with’, my blood spikes, and a haze clouds my eyes. The next second, she’s pinned under me, and I have her caged in with my arms and knees. “Your parents are crazy, but they’re the kind of good crazy. Evin may be intrusive, but he wants his sister in his life full-time. And I’m not only the man you’re currently sleeping with. I’m the only man on this earth who is ever getting that pleasure. You are my addiction and will be for the rest of my life. I’m not opposed to reminding you that, this time, you’re not getting away from me.”

  “I’m willing to give this a shot.”

  I realize this decision was made before I even graced her doorstep tonight. She’s had over a day to think about what’s happening and knew we had options. But still, I tell her, “That was decided an hour ago against the wall.”

  Her lips curl into a sly grin, and she wiggles one leg loose, hitching it around my thigh to bring our hips flush. The tip of my dick glides along her slickness. “One thing you need to learn about the adult Darby is that threatening me with anything that involves sex is never a threat. We have a lot of years to make up for.”

  “Damn fucking right we do,” I growl, sinking into her.

  Chapter 20

  Pierce

  Connie’s name flashes across my screen, and Darby slides the phone across her counter with a disgusted expression.

  “Yeah?” I answer.

  “How dare you tell my babies you’re in love with that bitch?” The screech reaches around the room.

  Darby rolls her eyes in dramatic fashion, making me chuckle.

  “You asshole! Are you laughing at me?”

  “I’m enjoying something that has nothing to do with you.” Any other time, it would be way too early to fuel her, but considering my morning started over an hour ago with a naked Darby in my arms, my energy is high.

  “Are you with her now?”

  I don’t justify her with an answer.

  “We need to talk. Meet me tonight—”

  “I tried this your way, and I’m not dealing with a repeat of Friday night. Tonight is out of the question. This morning, eight-thirty. I’ll make this easy for you and meet you at the café.”

  “We are not hashing this out at a public café where my office is located. I’ll come to your house tonight.”

  “Fuck no, Conni
e. You’re not coming to my place.”

  “I have a job, Pierce.” She spits out my name.

  “You have a few hours before we meet. Get your mom over and go in early.”

  “I’m not going to inconvenience my parents.”

  “You want me to call mine? Mom is already up. She can be there in twenty minutes.”

  “You are a dick.”

  “Eight-thirty, don’t be late.” I disconnect.

  Darby hands me a travel mug, shaking her head. “What?” I ask innocently.

  “The café?”

  “Figured I could help out with the morning order and deliver them for you.”

  “Let’s go then.” She turns to grab her things, not hiding her grin.

  She and Runner pile into her SUV, and I follow them to the bakery while mentally adding to my daily to-do list. Darby didn’t mention my purchase of the building her bakery is in last night, so I have to assume Evin didn’t share that information. As much as I want to tell her, my plan includes keeping her in the dark a bit longer. She needs to concentrate on the next stages and not be thinking about nine months down the road. She’s going to be an integral part of renovating the old bakery without knowing it.

  When we park and get out, I take Runner over to the grassy area while she goes in to start the day. I give him some time and notice him curiously sniffing deeper into the wooded area. The security lights don’t reach that far, so I call him twice before he reluctantly comes back with his tongue wagging.

  Darby’s thrown her hair in a bun, slipped on her apron, and is laying out the things I need for the cookies.

  “The ovens are almost ready. You remember what to do?”

  “Think I can manage. Come here.” I lean back on her counter, and she walks into my arms, slinking her hands around my neck.

  “I want you to spend the night at my place tonight.” There’s no missing the trace of unease that flits over her face.

  “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

  “Baby, give it a chance. You need to be comfortable there.”

  Her expression gives her away. She’s thinking of Connie, my kids, and my life without her. She has no idea of her stamp on what I created.