Live For You (Boys of the South ~ Book 1)

by Marquita Valentine

  “We can’t tell anyone, Vi. No one can know,” Jaxon says, taking my hand as I lay in bed. We’re in my room and I haven’t seen the light of day since the hospital discharged me.“If they did, our careers would end. And maybe I could come back from that, but you couldn’t, not after what you did. I still love you and it’s why I’m trying to protect you. Protect us.”

  I stare up at the white ceiling, feeling nothing for him. Not even the sting of his betrayal remains inside of me. “It was an accident.” Although the press would disagree. The police report would disagree. But I can barely remember that night. “I don’t remember getting into my car.” In fact my phone showed a barely readable text to one of the local cab companies.

  “Doesn’t change the consequences.”

  He’s right. It didn’t. Finally, I turn my head to look at him. He has a black eye and there are cuts on his lip. “Did you get into a fight?”

  His gaze skitters away. “Yeah. Listen, I can’t stay…Just promise me you won’t say anything.”

  “Like when you promised you’d only love me?”

  He exhales. “People change, Vi.”

  “You didn’t change.” I shake my head at his frown. “You. Got. Caught.”

  The last notes of the hymn leave me and I’m empty again.

  “Fancy seeing you here.”

  Eyes popping open, I scream and scramble to my feet, head whipping around. My heart is pounding loud in my ears by the time I find the intruder. Of course it would be him. “Stalk much?”

  “You wish.” Cole smirks, towel around his neck and little sister at his side. Of course she is. And of course I sound like a total bitch. “I’m here to watch Kelly play in the water.”

  I wave at Kelly. She waves back and jumps from the bank into the creek. Fearless. I smile. I used to be like that.

  “Am I allowed on that side?” Cole asks, joining his sister, but he doesn’t stay with her. He keeps walking, straight to me, stopping a couple of feet away and dropping the towel on the ground.

  I guess I should be thankful that he’s wearing clothes today. He pulls his shirt over his head and the sarcastic reply I had dies on my lips. Hard abs, lean body and damn tattoos. His shorts ride low on his hips, exposing those indentions in the sides that make smart girls stupid—or so I read on Pinterest.

  Personally, I feel dumber than dirt right now.

  Flashing a smile, like he knows what I’m thinking, he says, “Plan to answer me in this century, Rae?”

  “I was getting ready to leave. So you can be on whatever side you want.” I turn, but his hand on my elbow stops me. I looked down at his hand, large and tanned on my skin. I shiver, skin prickling in pleasure at his touch.

  “Don’t do that,” he whispers, then glances at Kelly.

  “Don’t do what?”

  “Shiver when I touch you.”

  “Why?” I blink and lick my lips.

  He groans, then his gorgeous blue eyes become intense. “Because you’re making it hard for me.”

  Hard how, I want to ask, but don’t. We’re already treading the heavy flirting line and I don’t want to cross it. “Fine. Then I’ll leave like I was planning to do before you mauled me.”

  “Please stay.” He dips his head, lips close to my ear. “Promise I won’t bite, unless you ask me nicely.”

  My neck arches against his whispered words and I feel the flick on his tongue on my skin. I gasp, wanting more. Another soft scrape and I’m ready to tackle him to the ground.

  “Damn, you taste good.” He steps back, checking on his sister again. “C’mon stay. Tell me all about California.”

  “California?”

  He gives me this look. “That’s where you said you’re from.”

  Nana was right. No good ever came of lying. I begin to back away. Retreat my only option. “Maybe another time. I’d promised to help Nana can some peaches. They’re so juicy and ripe that I can’t wait to eat one.” His eyebrows raise. Okay, so wrong choice of words. “Or green beans. Something very boring and not innuendo filled.”

  He makes a little grunting sound. “Whatever. Guess I’m too boring for someone from Cali.”

  Oh great. Now I’ve gone from bitch to snobby bitch. “That’s not what I mean.”

  “Then say what you mean.” He crossed his muscular arms over his equally muscular chest, which does not help my thought process at all. “Or are you scared of a good ole boy from the south and how he makes you feel?”

  “How you make me feel?” I toss my head. “You don’t even know me.”

  “Then sit your cute ass down and enlighten me,” he challenges and turns away, sitting on the edge of the grass bank.

  For the next few heartbeats, I stare at the back of him. What’s the harm? Why can’t I sit and talk to a cute boy while I’m here? I’m an adult for God’s sake. Still, I stand there, torn. Then…I walk to him and sit.

  *** *** ***

  Cole

  Please don’t let me screw this up.

  I’ve never met a girl more confusing. Timid one minute, bold the next. Tastes salty sweet. I can’t believe she didn’t knee me in the balls when I licked her the first time. I made myself stop after the second. That little gasp made me hard as a rock.

  But I want to do it again. I want to taste her everywhere. To lick her nipples and between her thighs. I want to know if she’s wet for me.

  What I want, I’m pretty damn sure I won’t get. And since I’m not pressing my luck again, I’ll keep my damn tongue to myself. For now, anyway.

  “So…” I say, keeping my eyes on Kelly as she splashes and not the gorgeous girl sitting inches away from me, wearing nothing but a sports bra and running shorts.

  “Nice weather.”

  Weather talk? “Anything like California?”

  “It’s cooler there,” she says after a brief hesitation.

  Cooler in California? I’m pretty sure they have great weather year round. But since I’ve never been out there…“Do you go to college?”

  “No, I—I deferred acceptance to concentrate on my career.”

  “Career?” I can’t help but look at Rae. Her blonde hair is mostly plastered to her head with sweat. Little tips of purple sticking out everywhere. I let my gaze travel down her body. The little top and shorts she’s wearing doesn’t hide a damn thing from me. Her tanned belly is flat and there is a faint jagged line cutting across the middle.

  What. The. Hell.

  She begins to turn and I force my gaze away, focusing on her face. All delicate features, with a little pink mouth made for kissing me. “Yeah, I’m a singer.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  “Do you listen to country music?”

  “Hell, no.” I squint one eye against the sun, pick up a rock and hurl it in the opposite direction of Kelly. It hits the water twice before sinking.

  “A good ole boy from the south that doesn’t listen to country, huh? Isn’t that against the law?”

  I shrug. “Just call me an outlaw.” No way in hell I’d ever listen to country music. My sperm donor had seen to that. He’s a big shot producer out in Nashville. Most likely Rae knows him, but I’d bet everything I own that she’s never heard about me from him.

  She laughs, the sound doing funny things to my heart. “Then I guess you wouldn’t have heard of me.” She picks up a rock, turning it over and over in her hand.

  I raise my brows. “So you’re pretty famous?” Was she pulling my leg? I mean, when I heard her singing, she blew me away, but did that translate into country music star?

  “Yeah,” she says, then tips her head back and looks up at the sky for a minute. She exhales. “Oh God, I can’t believe I’m even contemplating this, but it would be…nice to not have to lie or keep more secrets. I’m so damn sick of keeping secrets.”

  While I wished everyone in this town knew a lot less about me. “Then don’t.”

  She keeps messing with the rock, her knuckles turning white when she makes a fist. “If I tell you, will
you promise not to Google me?”

  Googling her is nowhere on the list of things I’d like to do her. But she’s completely serious. And if she squeezes that rock any harder, she’ll hurt herself. But maybe she needs to hold onto something. Or someone.

  “And you promise not to tell anyone I’m here in Forrestville?”

  Slowly, I reach out and take her fist in my hand. Keeping my gaze on her fingers, I gently pry them open. The rock falls to the ground with a dull thud. I brush away the leftover sediment, then trace the grooves left behind. I can feel her eyes on me. Beneath my fingertips, the pulse in her wrist is pounding, with excitement or fear of discovery, I’m not sure.

  What I am sure of: This connection between us is real.

  I bring her hand to my mouth, kissing the center of her palm. Her blue eyes widen, then darken. Her chest rises and falls like she’s still running. I kiss her hand again, this time turning it and running my lips softly over her knuckles.

  “I promise,” I say softly. And I mean it.

  She takes a deep breath. “Violet Lynn.”

  “Hmm,” I say, still tasting her skin. “Never heard of her.”

  “You can call me Violet...or Rae like you’ve been doing.”

  Another kiss and her body shakes. Jesus, I want this girl. “What do you prefer?”

  “I don’t know,” she says breathlessly.

  Keeping my gaze fixed her, I ask, “If I took you to a party, to celebrate my buddy’s homecoming, how would you want to be introduced?” Why in the hell would I do that? I don’t even know her.

  “Cole…your sister.” She glances in the direction of Kelly.

  “Is she okay?”

  Nodding, she faces me again. “She’s fine.”

  I kiss the inside of her wrist. “Answer me.”

  Another shiver. “I don’t remember the question.”

  I don’t hide the satisfied smile that kicks up the corners of my mouth. “Rae or Violet?”

  “Maybe both.”

  “Violet Rae is a mouthful,” I tease.

  Her lashes flick up. “It’s my name.”

  “You tell me, darlin’. Anything you want, that’s what I’ll call you. Your secret identity is safe with me.”

  “Why do you have to be so gentlemanly?” she huffs.

  I place her hand on her thigh and let go. “Are you seriously complaining about that?”

  She bites her lip and I lean closer, sneaking a glance at my sister to assure myself that she’s still safely playing. “You’re not making it easy on me,” she says, accusation lacing her words.

  “Didn’t know I was supposed to.” Her lips are so close to mine that I’d be insane not to kiss her. Or at least try to.

  “Rae,” she says, jerking her head back and scooting away. “I’d liked to be called Rae.”

  Denied. “Rae, it is, then.”

  “What about you?”

  Biting back a grin, I say, “I go by Cole.”

  She punches me in the shoulder. “Be serious.”

  “Ow!” I wince in mock pain and rub the spot she hit.

  She shakes her fist at me and playfully narrows her eyes. I hold up my hands in surrender. Kelly squeals about the fishies eating her toes and I take a couple of minutes to save her. Once she’s playing closer to me, in the shallower part, I turn my attention back to Rae.

  “I run a bar with my brother, take classes online for my business degree and raise our little sister.” While waiting for my mother to either overdose or kick her habit. But I don’t say that.

  “Oh…wow. You sound incredibly busy.” The admiration on her face makes me sit up taller.

  “And you sounded pretty good earlier.” Actually she reminded me of a sad angel. Like the song was bringing back bad memories for her—or fighting them.

  Her face flushes and her nose wrinkles, diamond catching the light. “Heard that, huh?”

  “Yeah. Waited until you were done though, before I scared the shit out of you.” Actually, I had waited because I thought the moment belonged to her. No matter how entranced I was, or how much Kelly had tugged on my arm, wanting to go to swim, I couldn’t interrupt.

  She rolls her eyes. “You didn’t scare the—”

  “Really, Rae?”

  Blowing out a breath, she smiles, taking mine away. “Okay, so maybe you scared me a little.”

  “Please. I scared you a lot,” I tease, but her smile falls away and those baby blues blink up at me, ten shades of anxious in them.

  “Yes you do.” She rises to her feet, brushing off the back of her shorts and scooping up her socks and shoes. “It was nice seeing you again. Bye Kelly!”

  “Bye, Rae!” Kelly shouts, running and splashing through the water.

  Dammit. “Don’t go. I’m sorry for the scared you shit stuff.” Motioning for Kelly to come closer, I grab her towel and help her out of the creek. “Wrap this around you and sit right here. Don’t go in the water. Understand?”

  Kelly smiles at me, her lips blue-tinged from the frigid water. “Yep.”

  I hurry after Rae, catching her before she disappears down a path. “Wait.”

  She looks up at me. “Yes.”

  “Go out with me,’ I blurt, like a first-rate asshole. What am I, fourteen?

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she says and my heart sinks. “But, I might be back here, at this very spot tomorrow at eleven.”

  I grin, keeping the excitement all tampered down. If I don’t watch it, I’ll be doing jumpy claps while shouting ermaigawd. Instead I make a big production of rubbing my chin and jaw. “That so?”

  Rae shrugs, then walks away again. “Have a good evening, Cole.”

  Watching her ass shake as she walks away, my grin turns into a full on smile. I throw a fist in the air and hear a giggle. “Didn’t I tell you to stay put?” I ask, with a mock frown on my face.

  Kelly giggles again. “Cole and Rae sitting in a tree—”

  I charge after her, catching my sister easily and swinging her up in my arms. “You’re in for it now, missy. No Simpsons for you tonight.” Yeah, another mark of bad parenting, but whatever. Kelly’s heard and seen worse than any quasi-family cartoon could ever broadcast.

  She sticks out her bottom lip, little hands going to my face. “Puh-lease, Cole. Let me watch. I’ll be good.”

  For the first time in a really long time, I feel good. I feel excited and hopeful. I don’t dread tomorrow and what it may bring, because tomorrow will bring Rae.

  “Puh-lease, Cole?” Kelly asks again. “With sugar on top!”

  “All right. You win.” Winking at her, I set her down and hold out my hand. “Let’s go home.”

  Chapter Eight

  Violet

  By taking the chance to confide in Cole, I’ve either done something incredibly brave or stupid.

  Sighing, I chase the chicken casserole on my plate with a fork.

  I’m hungry, but my stomach feels as though butterflies and hummingbirds have joined forces to conspire against me. Usually I don’t get this nervous except right before I go on stage. But revealing who I was felt exactly like being in the spotlight.

  I sigh again.

  “Three sighs and you’re out,” Nana says and I glance up at her. “Anything you want to talk about?”

  “I saw Cole Morgan today, down by the creek.”

  “With his sister,” I hastily add, though I’m not sure why exactly.

  Her shrewd eyes study my face. “And how did that go?”

  I give her a wry smile. “I wasn’t rude to either of them, if that’s what you mean.”

  She inclines her head to one side. “He’s a nice young man, with a lot on his shoulders.”

  Nice young man? That nice young man licked me a couple of hours ago. Although, I’d have to concede it was more than nice. My skin had tingled. I’d grown damp between my thighs. Every part of me felt alive.

  But that wasn’t what had threatened my defenses. Oh no. It was the way he held my hand, ha
d gently pried the rock away, and kissed my palm, my wrist. He had touched me, not just my skin, but me. Inside.

  “Mmm-hmm.” I shiver, goose bumps appearing along my arms and legs. “He takes good care of his little sister.”

  Nana nods, finishing the last bite of casserole on her plate. “If you’d like to invite him over to dinner one night, be my guest.”

  Before I can answer, she adds, “If you’d like to go out with Cole, on a date, all I ask is that he comes over and picks you up properly. No honking the horn from the driveway.”

  “I didn’t come here to date anyone.” But I was planning on meeting Cole tomorrow.

  “Then make some female friends.” Nana rises, taking her plate to the sink. “It’s not healthy for a body to be alone.”

  I place my fork on the table. “The last female friend I had ended up screw— er, sleeping with my boyfriend. So, I’m not real keen on finding another one.”

  “Painting everyone with the same brushstroke, huh?”

  Setting my elbows on the table, I cup my face with my hands and rub my temples. “Sometimes you have to do that in order to guard your heart.”

  She turns on the water, filling the sink with hot water and dish soap. “So you plan on sitting around here, with a senior citizen for company?”

  “Maybe I like hanging out with senior citizens.”

  Nana snorts. I mean, she actually snorts, then turns around and rolls her eyes. What’s gotten into her? “Violet Rae Givens, either you make some friends or I’m kicking you out.”

  My mouth falls open. “What?”

  She crosses her arms. “I love the company and appreciate all the help you’ve given me, but enough’s enough.”

  “And just how do you expect me to make friends? Put out an advertisement on Craig’s List? Down in the Dumps Country Music Singer Needs a BFF. Stalkers need not apply. I’ll totally find some winners that way,” I snap.

  “Facebook should work.” She turns around again, cutting off the water.

  I’m completely at a loss as to what to say next. My sixty-five year old grandmother is lecturing me about making friends and wants me to use Facebook. I want to stomp my feet and throw a temper tantrum like a three year old. Instead I clear the table and help her with the dishes.