One Chance (Hogan Brother's Book 1)

by KL Donn

  Shaking off any and all thoughts of bad things to come, Sophia wanted to enjoy her time with Lennox. She didn’t want the stress of a threat. She didn’t want the condemning tone of her mother in her head. She wanted, for once, to go on a date. She wanted to not be the weird rich girl in town.

  She wanted simply to be known as Sophia. The shy, sweet girl, the girl who would give a stranger the shirt off her back if they needed it more than her.

  In all honesty, she didn’t even want to be Sophia anymore. People pitied that girl.

  “Soph?” Lennox’s strong voice gave her tingles in places she’d never thought about before.

  Opening the door, she smiled shyly at him. “I’m ready.” Though she hadn’t done anything other than splash her face with water and run a brush through her hair.

  If her mother could only see her now. She’d have a coronary for sure.

  The thought made her giggle.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked her.

  Still too shy to give him honesty, she said, “Nothing,” before leading the way from her room. Amazed that he cared about her enough to stay with her in her time of need.

  “What are we doing?” she asked as they descended the long staircase to the front door. Relief swamped her when neither of her parents intruded on them.

  “Well, I thought we could go to some Italian restaurant my mother recommended downtown.” She looked down at her clothes, her light purple sundress was wrinkled and not at all date material. Indecision had her looking back up the stairs. “But then I thought…” He ignored her look as he pulled her into his arms. He was always doing that. “I’d love nothing more than a nice picnic in the park. To see your beautiful eyes light up under the stars.”

  Her gaze widened at his sweet talk. No one had said such nice things to her before. “Oh my,” she whispered in awe.

  His charming smile drew her attention to the small dimple in one cheek as he leaned down to lightly kiss her lips. “Mmmm,” he moaned pulling away. “So soft. So sweet.” His words made her blush.

  Not waiting a second longer, he guided her to his beautiful red car in the driveway. He clearly took pride in the machine with how spotless it was. Or maybe he cleaned it up for her? The thought had butterflies in her stomach going wild.

  “I have a dress this same color,” she whispered, running a delicate finger along the hood.

  Leaning into her back, he grumbled in her ear, “One day, I’ll have you splayed out on top of the hood in that very dress.” Her eyes closed at the tantalizing thought. “My head buried between your lush thighs.” She froze in anticipation of his next words. “My name spilling from your delicious lips into the night.” Her head went dizzy with lust as he helped her sit and buckled her in.

  A smirk graced his face as he walked around the hood of the car to enter the driver’s side. Clearly pleased with himself, the car started with a loud rumble before they were off to some unknown destination.

  All she could think about was the picture he’d painted in her mind.

  He wouldn’t really do it, would he?

  Fuck me six ways from Sunday. Why did you do that to yourself, Nox? The picture he’d painted of Sophia spread out on the hood of his car was all he could think about now. Her naked pussy wide open for his tasting pleasure, her cries in the night air for his ears only. It was an image he would have to make sure happened. He couldn’t not experience that with her. He suddenly wished he’d allowed her to go back inside to change.

  She wasn’t ready for that yet, though. She was barely ready for him crashing into her life. He doubted she could handle all the depraved things he’d like to do to her on their first date. He’d have to warm her up to the idea of surrendering her pleasure to him. Of taking everything he had to give her without giving it back. It was all he wanted to do, he wanted her in a permanent state of orgasmic bliss before he took anything for himself.

  When she’s ready, Nox. He had to keep reminding himself of that. He had no clue what was going on with her at home, but he intended to find out on their date. She was single-handedly the shyest person he’d ever met. Not just people shy either, but life shy. Like she expected the world to kick her in the teeth at every turn. He hated seeing that.

  The quiet in the car was screwing with his mind. While he knew she wasn’t like any other woman he’d been with, she had to be the quietest woman he’d ever met.

  “What do you like to do for fun, sugar?” His question seemed to startle her.

  “Fun?” she asked like it was a foreign concept.

  “Yeah, fun. What do you do to relax? Kill time? Fun.” His eyes darted between her and the road as she contemplated his question like he’d asked her to solve the Big Bang Theory.

  “Oh, umm, I read sometimes. I volunteer at charities.” Her response sounded more like questions than answers.

  “You asking me, sugar, or telling me?” He smiled at her, hoping to get one in return.

  No such luck.

  “Telling?” Again, like a question.

  “Soph.” It was hard to imagine such a sweet creature like her not having something for herself. “What about friends? Do you like shopping with them, maybe a weekly lunch?”

  “Friends…” The word sounded foreign on her tongue even to him. As though she rarely said it.

  He remained quiet the rest of the drive, all the while watching her. Trying to gauge her mood to what he’d asked. He thought, for sure, it was a safe topic. Now he wondered even more about what the hell happened in her house.

  They drove in silence to the park, his mind going a million miles a minute. There was so much about her that he thought he knew, and unfortunately, he had misjudged her because of who she was. Now, he had to make up for it. Get to know the real her, find out who she was, what made her tick.

  From the corner of his eye, he watched her fingers fidget in her lap, giving away her nerves. Pulling her hand into his, he placed it on his thigh with his own overlapping it. Rubbing slow circles along the side of her wrist, he felt her finally relax.

  “What, um, what do you like to do for fun?” she quietly asked him. A blush crept up her cheek, and he fucking loved it.

  “My brothers and I restore old cars. We love the classics. This one here, our dad helped me rebuild from the chassis up.” He smiled remembering the fun they’d had doing it.

  “Did you always want to be an, uh, um, mechanic?” The way she stumbled over her words was far more adorable than he’d have ever imagined.

  “Yeah, sugar, cars were all I cared about for a long time.” He flashed her a bright smile as she squeezed his thigh.

  Her smile was wanton as she said, “That must be nice.” Her voice was wistful, as though she didn’t know what that felt like. To have that kind of passion over something.

  He’d give her something to be passionate about soon enough.

  “Do you go to college?” he asked when she remained quiet again.

  She turned her head towards the window, but not before he saw the sad look on her face. “No, I wasn’t smart enough.” She said it so matter-of-factly like there was no question about her lack of intelligence.

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “I was never cut out for school, anyway.” Her voice wobbled at the end.

  Reaching over to her, he gripped the back of her neck before pulling her to him. She shocked him when she unbuckled her belt, sliding across the bench seat to sit next to him. The light blush that was forever on her cheeks turned a deep red as she looked at him. She must have seen the heat in his eyes as she clicked her seatbelt into place once more.

  Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he played with her long ponytail, twirling strands around his finger as they arrived at the park.

  “Here we are,” he announced with an enthusiastic grin.

  “Wow!” She marveled, her eyes lighting up at seeing the clear blue Colorado skies and snow-capped mountains in the distance. Wildflowers as far as the eye could see. All he could pic
ture was Sophia spread out in the grass, her skirt around her waist as he pleasured her with his mouth. Her screams would float away with the wind.

  Nox watched the wonder cross her features as she took in the sight before them. Her gaze lit up with amazement as she watched birds fly in the sky, clouds move lazily with the breeze. It was as though she were seeing it for the first time.

  “How long have you lived in Loveland?” he wondered. Surely, she would have come across this view sooner if it had been for very long.

  “My whole life,” she told him without looking away from the panorama.

  Exiting the car, he held out a hand for her to take as she followed suit. Her movements were graceful as she walked with him. She was fluid, not toppling over in her heels. Popping the trunk of his car, he pulled out the basket and blanket his mom had given him before picking up Sophia.

  The skirt of her dress blew around her knees with the wind as they walked to a small spot a few yards away from the car. “Hold this?” he asked her, handing over the basket as he spread the blanket out on the grass. Taking the carrier from her, he set it on the corner of the throw while taking each of his boots off and placing them on two other corners. Satisfied, he looked up to see her watching him with a raised eyebrow. “So the wind doesn’t blow it up,” he explained.

  “Makes sense,” she whispered taking off her own shoes to sit on the blanket.

  Christ.

  Even sitting down, she was the picture of elegance. Ankles crossed and to the side of her body, her ruffled skirt covering her calves.

  Taking off his coat, he sat behind her, curving his form around hers, boxing her in. “I’m gonna be honest here. Ma packed this picnic basket, and I’m a little afraid of what’s inside.” He loved his mother, but she could be a bit of a free spirit when needed, and that included doing crazy things when they least expected it.

  “It can’t be that bad,” Soph said as she opened the lid on one side.

  He watched as she began pulling dishes out.

  Garlic and oyster linguini. Stuffed roasted red peppers. Chocolate covered strawberries, pears, and honey-glazed bananas for dessert. All aphrodisiacs. If he didn’t love the crazy woman so much, he might be tempted to strangle her.

  Sophia’s gasp of surprise had his eyes widening as she pulled out a bottle of Moët & Chandon Dom Pérignon his mother had been saving for a special occasion for years.

  After inspecting the bottle, Sophia looked at him wide-eyed. “This is a very expensive bottle of champagne, Lennox. Why would she give this to us?”

  He honestly didn’t care about the bottle or what was in the basket, all he knew was that it showed his mother’s affection for Soph, so he responded, “She must agree that you’re something special.” He watched, fascinated, as a blush stole its way up her delicate features.

  Lennox had to be one of the sweetest and nicest people she’d ever met. His interest in her was unparalleled to anything she’d known before. The look in his gaze as he watched her pull the items from the carrier never wavered. He didn’t pay attention to what she was grabbing; his sole focus was on her reaction to each one.

  It didn’t go unnoticed that Lorraine had packed a celebratory dinner full of carnal delights meant to seduce. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She smiled, thinking of the kiss they’d shared earlier. The way she’d melted into his arms. With him, she felt safe and loved. Two things she’d never known before. Two things she shouldn’t count on in the future. Because if life had taught her anything, it’s that she was unlovable and useless.

  “Hey.” His fingers on her chin drew her attention to the concentrated look on his face. “What’s with the expression?”

  Clearing any emotion from her face, she lied, “Nothing,” with the fake smile she’d grown used to.

  He seemed doubtful as he watched her but didn’t push, for which she was grateful. She had so many issues, she wasn’t even sure being on this date with him was a good idea.

  They sat quietly eating, both lost in their own thoughts. Sophia wanted to fight every last one of her instincts to have a real, solid relationship with Lennox. She wanted to let go of the pain from her past. Her mother’s words of discouragement and berating kept ringing in her ears, though.

  A warm palm on her arm pulled her away from the painful words. “Calm down, Soph,” he encouraged, his thumb rubbing circles on the inside of her elbow.

  Twisting to face him, her skirt rode up her thigh an inch and his eyes flamed with want. “I don’t know how to do this,” she confessed, playing with the hem of her dress.

  “I figured as much, darlin’,” he said with a smile. No judgment, which amazed her. She was so used to everyone passing their own assessments around about her. Telling her when she was doing everything wrong, which was often.

  “Oh,” she murmured softly. Needing to get her head out of the negative space that seemed to consume her, she asked him, “How is Lorraine?” She had so much respect and love for the other woman, her attitude towards life was refreshing in a way she, herself, had never taken the time to discover.

  “Ma’s good.” He smiled. “She was going to call you yesterday. Something about bridge, or cards, or something.”

  She had called. Sophia hadn’t answered. She wasn’t in the right frame of mind for speaking to her. She knew Lorraine would have picked up on what she was feeling. She would have drilled her on it, too.

  “I, uh, missed her call.” She looked away upon answering him.

  “Such a contradiction,” he told her. Eyes shooting to his, she didn’t have to ask what he meant before he answered. “You’re all sweet and soft one minute.” His fingers brushed along her cheek. “Then secrets and mystery the next. I never know what to expect with you.”

  Her face leaned into his palm at his words. “I’m sorry.” She was. She didn’t want to have secrets or tell him lies. The problem was, she didn’t know what she wanted or even how to obtain it when she did.

  “Don’t need to be sorry, sweetheart. When you’re ready, you’ll tell me about the haunting I see in your eyes. You’ll tell me what your dreams are.”

  “And if you get tired of waiting?” Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, she waited with baited breath.

  “I’ll never tire, Sophia. I will be here.” How could he know?

  “You barely know me.”

  “I know enough.”

  How could she trust that? Everyone she should have been able to trust in her life had always let her down. It was never a matter of if, simply the question of when.

  The look in his eyes showed her so much. Everything he felt, everything he wanted to feel. She quickly realized that while she was protecting her own heart, he was trying to protect his as well. Only he knew what love was, what it meant to get it, and he was attempting to make her see and understand, too.

  “I want to–” she started to say when he interrupted.

  “Then that’s enough. If you want this, us, then I will fight enough for both of us. You just have to want it.”

  Wanting something for herself was such a foreign feeling. “The last time I wanted something I was six,” Sophia told him, remembering Christmas that year and the one present she wanted. Only to have it taken from her in the blink of an eye.

  “What was it?”

  “It’s silly,” she replied, heat engulfing her cheeks as she thought about the toy now.

  “Not if it was important to you.” He made her believe that.

  “There was this American Girl Doll, Kailey, she was new and so popular. I used to collect them. Well, I wanted one for Christmas that year.” She smiled remembering the anticipation. “Daddy bought one for me.” Her smile was genuine as she thought of his happiness that day, too. Until her mother. Always her mother.

  “What happened?” Lennox asked her, sensing something went wrong.

  Her smile faded. “My mother was so drunk already. Or maybe it was still from the night before. I have no idea. I didn’t even get
to open the box, and she’d ripped it from my hands and tossed it in the fire my father had started only minutes before.”

  “Christ,” he muttered.

  “Something like that,” she agreed. “She was so angry that my father had given me the one and only toy I’d wanted. It was all I had asked for. She stumbled around the living room, cursing, calling me horrid names, and my father even worse ones. By the time she was done, she’d ripped everything down that resembled Christmas. We never really celebrated it again after that.”

  “You’re mother’s a real piece of work.”

  She couldn’t argue with him there.

  Listening to Soph explain what her mother was like when she was so fucking young left Nox feeling incredibly lucky for what he did have. Then, now, and the future. He’d known the love of a parent who wanted him. Whereas, she seemed to have one parent torn between loyalties and broken from love, while the other just hated her. He couldn’t comprehend it.

  He’d hoped she would open up during their date, get to know him so he could know her. With the sad look on her face, he knew he had to turn things around. Get her happy again.

  “What’s one thing you’d love to do?” he asked, not watching her. He could tell she felt like he put her under scrutiny when he did, so he watched as the wildflowers swayed with the breeze.

  “Anything?” she asked, catching onto what he was doing. He nodded, and she continued. “I’d love to make a snowman.”

  The laughter in her voice had his head turning. “A snowman?” he repeated in disbelief. “You’ve never made one?”

  “Nope.”

  Even though winter was over, he suddenly wished for a massive snow storm.

  “We’ll do something about that this year,” he reassured her, silently making it his life’s mission to give her the simplest things he could.

  “What about you?” she asked him.

  “I’d love to go to the Grand Prix in Spain.”