Still Creek (The Cove Series Book 2)

by Leaona Luxx

“What’s going on? Old flame? Or something to do with the woman Malone talked to earlier? By the conversation, I’m assuming his ex.” Lea calls my brother by his given name, Malone. It’s sweet and just for them, intimate. One calls her by her given name, Hadlea.

  “She needs to be put in her place, One.” Before he can respond, Lea does.

  “She will be, but not right now. As soon as I can, I’ve got that bitch.”

  “Baby, really. She’s of no consequence,” One retorts. Lea doesn’t let it go so easily.

  “Here’s the deal. This jealousy thing is new. Didn’t know I had it in me until the bitch stood outside this door, and I couldn’t snatch her ass up. So we’re going to work with the woman with the hot ass man and the new feels,” Lea quips.

  “This is getting good. I’m not really sure who has the biggest bad ass on their hands, One, me or you?” Hardy chuckles, answering before he even realizes it. The room grows quiet. Lea looks wide-eyed, like she knew we were dating.

  “Hardy?” One’s only word as he looks between us. Hardy is doing the same.

  “Yeah?” Hardy answers timidly.

  “Who has Thayer’s ass?” Before Hardy can say a word, Lea intervenes.

  “Uhh, you know. Thayer and Hardy are…” She trails off. “Malone. Baby, they’re together. And like us, not everyone is going to be happy. Thayer is a strong, gorgeous, independent, badass of a lady her brother taught her to be; she’s got this. Besides, didn’t you already know it was going to take someone like Thayer to handle his sorry ass?” Lea’s right but now’s not the time, so I say my goodbyes.

  “Okay, Lea. I love you, get well soon. I need to get Hardy away from One,” I ramble as I pull Hardy toward the door. “Call me,” I call out as we leave with a wave.

  We both sit silently on the ride back home. I’m not sure why Thayer’s so quiet, but I’m pretty scared shitless. One’s going to beat my fucking ass. I’ll lose my job, I’ve got Eric snooping around, and for once in my life, I’ve got someone who I would gladly lose it all for.

  I swing back by my place for Lulu. She’s waiting patiently by the back door for our return. We grab her things on our way back out. Thayer slides into the passenger side when I notice a beat up, old Ford creeping by. It’s Eric, I know it. Mother fucker isn’t ever going to learn.

  Backing out of my driveway, I look everywhere for him. The entire drive home, I scan the road for him. Watching my back is nothing, watching Thayer’s back will drive me insane. Taking chances on her safety isn’t in the plan. I need to tell her, soon. She needs to know all my secrets.

  Lulu settles alongside us; she loves Thayer already. The excitement of the day has worn each of us out, but knowing Eric is out there makes this conversation so much more important. Where to start? No clue. My palms begin to sweat just thinking about it. Still, we haven’t spoken about One or the fact we’ve been outed.

  “So are we just going to wait until tomorrow for One to blast us, or are we going to talk about it and come up with a game plan?” I ask, turning to her as she lays next to Lulu.

  “Game plan? What is there to explain? We’re adults, we’re in a relationship. That’s as far as it concerns anyone else.” She straightens herself in the bed as she explains her position.

  “You’re not worried your family is going to flip shit? Demand you not see me anymore? You’re ready for that?” She sits there, steel-nerved.

  “They won’t. We won’t. It’s okay. One wasn’t that bad, he really looked more annoyed he didn’t know than anything else.” Thayer’s as cool as a cucumber, what the fuck? I need to just dive in, it’s time. It’s time I tell her.

  “Thayer, I need to tell you some things about my life. Things I’m not proud of, nor am I making excuses for.” I sit up to face her. She mimics my position, taking my hand in hers.

  “Okay. It’s going to be fine. Tell me what you can, the rest will wait.” She pats me on the hand she holds.

  “Six months prior to my fifteenth birthday, I was placed with a couple that seemed for all intents and purposes, the perfect couple. Until I went into their basement, then they became totally different people. I was a kid, so no one listened to me. They were given custody of four children, I was the oldest. At some point, I had been classified as a delinquent. I was troubled, yes, but I didn’t cause trouble. Not until I got to this house.

  “Thayer, I raised three different kinds of hell trying to get the child welfare to investigate, but no one ever came. The state gave these people a teen boy, a preteen boy, and two five-year-old girls. Blonde hair, blue eyes with pigtails. I’ll never forget their tears running down their faces as they were chained and abused. The eleven-year-old boy, Alex, he came to them already messed up. I swear I think they asked for him. The little girls had already been sexually abused, so stories went invalidated. Sick fuckers. They tied us to chairs after tying the girls down, making us watch. If we closed our eyes, he would hit us. Tell us we were pussies. That we needed to learn how to use our dicks. I would vomit in my mouth, swallowing it to keep them from knowing.

  “Did that make me troubled? Yes, of course. But it wasn’t my only problem. Two days after my birthday, I left for school and never went back. I couldn’t live with it anymore. I was already wrestling my own demons, so I ran.” Tears fall from Thayer’s eyes as I help her tenderly wipe them away.

  “Don’t cry, baby, it’s okay. I slept wherever I could for a while. I never told One. He would have insisted I come to your house. I was afraid the authorities would come get me, make me go back. I hitchhiked as far as I could every day, going south. I figured if I made it to Florida, sleeping outside wouldn’t be so bad. I made it as far as Charleston.

  “My life changed in Charleston. I never dreamed it could get worse, Thayer. Damn, if it didn’t get worse. I met a girl named Erica; she was seventeen and a drug addict. She knew the streets, how to get food, and where to sleep. I escaped two depraved freaks for a city full of them. Erica became my best friend and confidant. When she wanted to get clean, she went home. She had great parents, but she was lost to addiction.

  “I’m not even sure at what point I became an addict, Thayer. I was a troubled kid wanting a home, someone to love me. Erica and her friends did, for a while. A year and a half on the streets, living in abandoned buildings, squalors and dumpsters tend to make the light we each are born with, die. Erica’s light had been gone long before I met her, but at nineteen, she was so addicted there was no going back.

  “Erica had been on a binge for two weeks when I had finally had enough. It had been almost three years since I had started living on the streets, and I was ready to get clean. Have a life, sleep in a bed. Erica stayed behind in one of the condemned houses we were squatting in to get high when I left to find some food. After a few days without it, you tend to forget how long it’s been, especially if you’re high.

  “Roaming restaurant row, I saw One and your dad walk out. To me, it was a sign. Life. A chance to live again, so I took the chance. Running up to him, he didn’t recognize me at first, but when he did, he opened his arms and hugged me. I can’t tell you the last time I had been hugged by anyone. One hugged me so tight, I couldn’t let go. Cal helped One get me to the car, and they took me back to their hotel room. Fed me, let me shower, and gave me clothes.

  “Cal offered to put me into rehab, I took it. The next morning, I went back to tell Erica I was leaving, but she wasn’t there. So I left and went straight into detox. While in rehab, I had counseling. Joyce was amazing. She helped me realize my biggest pitfall; something I still struggle with. People don’t leave because of me. Loving me isn’t a death sentence. I’m more than my past. She helped me realize it all.”

  Thayer sits across from me, shedding as many tears as I have. Still, there’s more to tell her. If I can. I’ve never been more afraid of the truth in my life than I am at this moment. She must read my mind because I don’t get the chance to tell her, she asks.

  “What happened to Erica? Were you two…a co
uple? I mean, it’s not a big deal. It was so long ago, and you’re a different man now. A good man who’s paid a high price for a life you didn’t deserve.” She wipes the tears from my face now. I don’t think I could love her more.

  “We lived together, Thayer. We weren’t a couple, but we were together. Erica did whatever she needed to do to get her fix. Anything. Living on the streets rarely affords for romance. I would float from one group to the next, or we would find a house and stay there for weeks at a time. I never loved her, she didn’t love me. I won’t lie, we slept together, we were teenagers. We were both incapable of love at that point. I’m pretty sure that was our bond, nothing more.”

  Her eyes well and spill the tears she so desperately tries to hold back. I hate telling her this shit, but her family knows; well, One, Cal, and Elise. Knowing they supported me through all of that means so much that it’s the reason I’m worried they won’t approve of us. I really hope she works that out for herself. I don’t want to point it out.

  “So you believe you’re dangerous because people who love you die. Most importantly, because my family helped you out of the trouble you were in, you’ll not be good enough for me? Really?” Her words reek of a condescending tone. They also sound so different in my mind than on her lips.

  “Yes.” It’s all I got.

  “Hardy, my family loves you. It’s been ten years since you were that person. Don’t you think you’ve paid enough? When will you get to the point that your life will mean something more than who you were? What about who you are now?” She cocks her head to ask me, just like her brother.

  “Is there a price to be paid? Yes, but I’m not sure I’ve paid it.” Shaking her head, she raises to her knees and presses her lips to mine.

  “Everyone deserves a second chance, but it’s up to you to take it. No one has a right to tell you what you deserve, Hardy. No one has lived your life. It’s yours because you fought for it; make it a good one.” Her sweet smile ignites the fire in me that has laid dead far too long.

  “Do you truly believe someone can move past all their wrongs in life? People don’t forget, Thayer. Demons lie waiting in all your dark places. They come back, they always do.” She looks so innocent.

  “So what if they do? You are better than your past, you’re a good man. Hardy, you were a kid.” The expectation in her eyes is heartbreaking. I can never tell her everything, ever.

  “I need you to know, there’s so much more to my life. Things I may never be able to tell you, Thayer. Do you understand? There are parts of me you may know, parts you may never like. Things that may very well make you hate me. Are you okay with taking that chance? To live with all the things I’ve done?” Will you love me when you know the truth? I really want to say it but can’t.

  “We’ll get through it. No matter the price, together we’ll pay it.” Thayer’s eyes search mine to tell her nothing will be lost. I’m not so sure that’s true. When the pause is too long for her, she leans forward and kisses me.

  Her taking of me is sweet. She presses her lips tenderly against mine as her fingers twist in my hair. Laying me back slowly, she straddles me before working her way down my body. Soft kisses and quick, wet licks from her tongue have me hard and ready.

  Thayer unleashes my dick, watching it spring out as she works my boxers down my thighs. Tossing them to the floor, her warm hands slide up my legs to my cock. Taking it in hand, she licks and kisses along the shaft until she reaches the head.

  Her eyes flash to mine as a wicked grin plays on her mouth. I rise up on my elbows to get a better look at the helluva good time I’m about to have. She hovers above it, placing her pointed tongue to the tip, flicking it ever so lightly. Catching the metal hanging from it with her teeth before letting it go with an impish grin. My balls pull tight with anticipation of her hot, wet mouth devouring me.

  Thank fuck, I don’t have to wait long. I might’ve exploded on her chin if she’d teased me a second longer. Thayer’s mouth opens wide as she takes in my head at first. Swirling her tongue around the ridge, then a long lap up the side.

  Slowly, she swallows me whole, taking me an inch at a time with long licks to help me slide deep into her throat. I almost explode, my eyes rolling back in my head as I try to calm myself. It’s of little use. Opening my eyes again, she looks at me with heat in hers, her plump breasts in full view from each side of my cock that’s filled her mouth. She’s just about to pop out of her tank top, making my view all the better.

  As if her deep-throating my cock isn’t enough, she runs her nails down my full sack. Her scratch just at the cusp of fixing my itch. She pulls up with a swirl at the tip just before she palms and sinks her mouth down once again, as I reward her with a groan and fist her hair.

  Mother fucker, she’s testing my limits. I release the breath I’ve been holding to slow the anticipation of my orgasm. I ain’t going down like this, as bad as I’d like to, I’m handling this fuck.

  Rising up, I reach for her, making her lips pop with the release of her suction on me. Flipping her over, I dig my fingers into her hips, dragging her ass into the air. I run my hands over her full hips to her heart-shaped ass. I’m gonna be in that one of these days.

  Adjusting my legs, I knock her knee to the side with mine to widen her beneath me. Grabbing her ass cheeks as I take her slowly from behind. She moans like a porn star the deeper I sink, she’s wet but tight as hell. Fuck, I can’t take much more.

  Once I’m sunk so far in her that my thighs touch hers, I begin to move. Slow at first, dragging Prince Albert through her pussy with incredible restraint, waiting as patiently as possible. Thayer begins to rock back, begging for the friction she needs to come.

  I slip from her purposefully so I can run the head of my dick between her soaked pussy and over her clit. Her legs tremble from the contact, making her groan. She’s got the best rasp in her voice when she needs to come. Fucking killer.

  A few more passes over her clit, I slide deep into her again, pausing just long enough to feel her grasp and release my cock as her cunt begs to come. Reaching around, I palm her breast, gripping it as I squeeze her nipple between my fingers. She grinds her ass back on me, making me smile from her want.

  “You wanna come, baby?” My voice is almost unrecognizable, even to myself.

  “Please.” She squirms from being full of my unmoving cock, pulsing deep within her with need.

  “Oh, hun. You can do better than that,” I growl in her ear after pulling her ass up onto my thighs. She sits on them, filled to the hilt with my dick, grasping and releasing it from her wet walls.

  “Please, baby,” she gasps.

  “Please, what?” I ask as I slide my hand down to her waiting pussy. Slipping between her thighs, I apply the slightest pressure. Her legs go weak as she trembles.

  “Please, sir.” Bingo.

  “There you go, baby, bend that ass over and let me give you what you need.” Doing as instructed, I circle her fine ass with my hands again, slapping it once as I begin to pound into her.

  The only thing filling the room is the sound from our bodies meeting. Stroke after stroke, I work her deep. Just as I’m about to come, I reach around, scissoring her clit. Her release hits her full steam as she convulses around me. Coming on the head of my dick so explosively, I feel it wash over me. To which, I join her.

  Falling to the bed, I hold myself up best I can off her limp body. It doesn’t take long before I join her on the bed. My legs are screaming from my release, in need of respite. Thayer lies to my side with her hair splayed across her pillow, lying face down. The only sign of life is from her breath as it moves her hair, parting it enough to see her smiling.

  “What’s so funny?” She is shaking her head as she giggles, and I reach over to move her hair. Her eyes pop open.

  “Never done that before but judging by your reaction, I did well.” Her mouth pulls to the side in a smirk.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You did very well, and I’m pleased to know I was your first,
again.” Her face softens as she looks at me, not for long. Bringing my hand up, I land a stinging swat on her ass. She squeals as I attack.

  Hardy and I split up for the ride into work this morning. One’s been with Lea, but we know at some point, he’ll get us. I really don’t give a fuck, he’s my brother, not my boss. Hardy, on the other hand, is freaking out. I have no clue why.

  Walking into my office early, no one’s around in either building, so I get to work on my current order. An hour later, my secretary has stepped out to make a run for samples when I hear my door chime. Thinking it’s a customer, I walk out to meet them.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Hardy tugs me into a kiss. His hands find my ass so he can press his growing cock into me. I’m wet and more than ready to take him in my office for a quickie.

  “Hey, handsome. Wanna go mess around in my office? I’ve got about twenty minutes before Joyce gets back,” I say, tugging at his waistband as I step backward.

  Just as I think he’s going to agree, the chime on the door rings out. Hardy rolls his eyes as I peer around him, praying I can hand over a business card and set up a meeting later. No such luck. One stands in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, trying his best to look intimidating. Oh, damn it to hell. My hesitation makes Hardy turn toward the door, and suddenly his face washes out of all color. Is he gonna faint?

  “Well, what do we have here? You two been sneaking around long?” Hardy spins around, grabbing my hand.

  I have to admit, it takes me by surprise. I really thought he wouldn’t stand up to One. Not because he’s scared of One but out of respect for him. He loves One as much as I do, and I can’t help but think, if One asks him to break up with me, Hardy may very well do it.

  “We chose not to tell anyone until we were sure where it was going. I’m sorry if you feel like I’ve betrayed you, brother. I love her, One. I want to marry her. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want her. I hope you can respect that and accept us. I know I’m not the man you may have wanted for her, but I’m going to be the man she wants. The man she deserves.” Hardy’s hand squeezes mine and releases on tempo with his words. His conviction behind every one spoken.