Cherry Grove (The Cove Series Book 1)

by Leaona Luxx

  Heat spreads through my body when I think about him. About the first night we met, when he grabbed my hand, pulling me after him. Or the day I rounded the corner in nothing except my bath towel when he had let himself in. The way his eyes moved over my body, scorching me. My thighs press together to diffuse the ache.

  I know I’m not ugly by any means, however, I’m also not one of those models wearing giant angel wings either. I’m me and I’m happy with that, accepting of it. Sure I could have surgery; there are enough plastic surgeons out there in the world, but why? I battled my weight issues and won them on my own. I claim and be truthful, I am happy in my own skin with my curves in all the right places.

  I like me. My green eyes change color depending on my mood. Shiny and full strawberry blonde hair, which gets a little help from my hairdresser, is healthy and manageable. If I have to point out my biggest flaw, it’s a small gap in my front teeth, which after years of crying and orthodontist appointments where I was told nothing could be done and to accept it, I finally did.

  Pulling on a pair of cutoff jean shorts with a white t-shirt, I give myself a once-over in the mirror before I greet the workers. Not bad if I do say so myself. If this doesn’t catch his attention—I shouldn’t want to catch his attention, but I do—I’ll peel off my clothes to reveal the bikini I’ve hidden under them and serve everyone sweet tea.

  He’s not here.

  It isn’t until after the crew begins working under Hardy's guidance that I hear his truck. Listening to the rumble of his engine before it shuts down builds the ache in me, spreading throughout my body. I try not to pay attention. I try, but it doesn’t work. I’m bent over in the garden pulling a couple weeds when I feel his eyes on me. Straightening up, I spin slowly around and find him staring at me. I know he is even with his sunglasses on. The lazy smile on his lips confesses his sin. Could he get any more delicious? I think not. "What are you grinning about?" I ask sweetly.

  "Just having a nice day,” he answers back and begins to walk off as if I bored him.

  While I can admit the man has swagger and his ass looks mighty sexy in those jeans he’s wearing, he just blew me off. What the hell? I can’t believe he strolled off and acted as if there was no spark, no chemistry between us. I know I’m giving him mixed signals and he deserves better than me, but damn it, I want him!

  After the dinner the other night, I assumed he had an interest in me. Maybe I read the signals wrong, or maybe he played me and I’m nothing more than a fool. Whatever! Time to bring out the big guns. I may be a small town country girl, however, I know how to shake my hips like a high baller shaking dice in Vegas.

  I spent the rest of the day doing what I could to brush and rub up against One every chance I got, making opportunities when none existed. By days’ end, my panties felt saturated, but he did not go unaffected.

  Normally, I would not have been able to help because of insurance purposes, but One let me do some of the work. Side by side, partnered up and helping each other. We move fluidly with one another, in sync.

  He leans into my body and the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. His warm breath caresses my skin. The heat between us building to an all-time high, threatening to engulf us both.

  We hear her before we see her: Hurricane Thayer. Standing in the doorway, her eyes rove over both of us, studying us, assessing us and our actions. And when I finally gather the gumption to look, her face is lit up with the biggest, craziest smile.

  "Hey, you two. What's up besides enjoying confined spaces? Building some sexual tension are ya?"

  I giggle as One scolds her, "Thayer, please. I'm working, and the homeowner is just assisting."

  I excuse myself, my good mood deflated, "With that said, I'll just leave. Didn’t mean to be in the way." I leave without looking back, hearing One release a long exaggerated breath.

  "Go after her," Thayer whispers, not so soft I can’t hear her.

  "She doesn't want me to, Thayer."

  Oh, I more than want him to. I knew it couldn’t go anywhere, as much as I want it to, it can’t. Sitting out on the porch swing, Thayer comes to join me.

  "Everything is going to look great; I love your plan updates," she tells me.

  I manage a small smile and offer my appreciation to her compliment, "Thank you. So far, One and his crew are great. Shouldn’t take more than a few weeks. I'm sure One will be happy when he can move on."

  Thayer leans into my shoulder and whispers, "He put the rest of his residential jobs on hold to come do this."

  I look at her incredulously. "What do you mean?”

  Shaking her head, she snickers, “He has plenty of work, but wants to be near you. I’m sure he’ll come back, finding and finishing odds and ends. He really likes you."

  He has a very odd way of showing it, I grumble to myself.

  And then the man in question appears at the door still looking as perfect in my eyes as he did that morning. "Thayer, dear, are you finished talking about me or do you need a few more minutes?" He quirks his eyebrow at his sister.

  Oh God, he’s heard us!

  "I'm finished. Lunch tomorrow, woman. I'll text you." Getting up to leave, she steps to the side as One walks closer to me. “I don’t get it? You’re both wickedly attracted to each other. You've both been hurt. You’re both alone.” Thayer must notice my frown in confusion because her gaze shifts from her brother to me and back to One before instructing him, “Just kiss her already! And when you’re done with that, take her to bed. She’s not going to make it easy. She just needs to learn that you’ll never hurt her."

  Her eyes fall on me once again and she orders, “Let him! You could also let him take care of you, but that’s not going to happen right now. I know you don’t need a man, but sometimes they’re nice to have around. He's a good man, Lea. Besides, the sexual tension between you is so thick and heavy, I can cut it with a knife. Plus, the crew will probably like you both more if you worked this shit out. There're worse things in the world than getting down and dirty with each other." With her peace said, she leaves us there with our mouths agape.

  There it is, laid out before us by his younger sister. We cut our eyes to one another, neither willing to move. Seconds tick by. Finally, I get up from the swing and clear my throat unsure of how to proceed. "Umm, well okay then. I'm going to umm, do that thing and make sure it's done."

  He stares unseeingly at the front of the house. "Yeah, I need to make sure the crew leaves you a path for the night."

  We take a step at the same time and run straight into each other. His hard body fits mine perfectly. His strong arms wrap around me to hold me steady and prevent me from falling.

  Making our apologies to each other for the run in, we each go our separate ways, him to his crew and me to my room. Once ensconced in my private space, I try to make myself busy and pretend I’m not listening to the men clean up and leave for the day. I need to breathe.

  Surely Thayer isn’t serious. There is no way One feels that strongly about me. Yes, I've seen him looking at me, but that doesn’t mean there is an emotional connection. It could all be physical.

  Hearing the trucks start, I finally begin to unwind. I pull my t-shirt over my head leaving my bikini top exposed. I don’t always wear a bathing suit under my clothes, but today I didn’t want to wear a bra. Grabbing my laundry basket, I make my way through the house to the laundry room and hit something solid. What the hell? My basket clatters to the ground and my dirty clothes spill out.

  I wasn’t paying attention, but the sound of his voice instantly excites and calms me, "Need some help?"

  My head leans back to look him in the face, and I see One standing there staring at me with lust-filled eyes. We stand there, neither moving, sparks flying, and both breathing hard and fast.

  I finally find my voice and mutter, "I thought everyone had left."

  A smile plays at his perfect, full lips. His response sounds like a growl, “No, not everyone." His arms snake around my waist, pull
ing me toward him. The heat from his body makes me anxious and full of desire. Taking a deep breath, he questions me, "Are you seeing the man who was here the other night?"

  I pull back some, trying to see his face so that I can figure out what he’s asking. "Come again?"

  Moving his gaze from me to the wall over my shoulder, he tries again, "Are you dating anyone, Hadlea?"

  Is this a joke?

  "No, no one. Not for a long time."

  One’s gaze locks with mine, staring intently as if he is trying to decide for himself if I’m speaking the truth or not. That's all it takes. His mouth is on mine in an instant. Firm, strong lips devouring me whole.

  We explore the depths of our mouths thoroughly, forgetting to breathe. If his feelings are anything like mine, he doesn’t care because we don’t want this to end. We crave more.

  His hands wander over my body, discovering parts I never knew I possessed. The more he explores me, the more my desire builds, low and deep within me until I moan with pleasure and need. His answering growl makes me hotter, a feat I didn’t know was possible considering my body is an inferno for him.

  Barely able to catch my breath, his name escapes as a low, gasping murmur, “One." He pushes me to the wall, and I feel as if I might combust.

  "I want you. Tell me I can have you. Tell me, now," he demands.

  Fuck. Yes, please. Now. "God! Yes!" Did I just say that? But it’s true. I want nothing more than to have him fill me. He sounds almost animalistic and it is doing things to my insides I’ve never experienced before.

  Wedging his knee between my legs as he presses me harder against the wall has us both panting and unable to catch our breaths. Our lips are frantic to touch anything and everything we can on each other.

  And when I think I’ll do something drastic if he doesn’t take me now, his arms pull me up and against him further as he orders me, "Wrap those gorgeous thighs around me."

  My pussy quivers as I do as I'm instructed, and he helps lift me. I am cushioning his clothed dick and its heaven. I squeeze my thighs around his hips and lean my shoulders against the wall in order to create a better seal and to get more friction.

  One uses my new position as leverage and runs his hands over my ass and up to the strings tied behind my back. Tugging on them, he frees the knot and tosses my bikini top to the side; and in the next instant, his hands are on my full heaving breasts. Another growl rumbles in his chest.

  This is about claiming. He devours my breasts, sucking one pebbled nipple into his mouth. Toying with it, flicking his tongue over and around it. His mouth is sending me to the edge, and he hasn’t even touched my pussy yet. He moves to the next, anticipation building for what is to come. He savors me, marking me as his.

  I gasp and throw my head back in ecstasy. I’m desperate for him and on the verge of begging him to kiss me again, but before I can, his mouth crashes into mine, devouring me.

  He controls and owns my body. It’s his instrument to do with what he will—and I allow it. No one has ever owned me, even though there have been men who have tried. Others, though, they claimed and used me. I want One to own me. This man could very well be my ruin, and as I stare at the eye of the hurricane that may just be my undoing, I can’t say no.

  “God, I want you!” he hisses.

  “Yes!”

  “Where?”

  “Anywhere!”

  Pulling me away from the wall, he secures me to him before turning to the couch. Neither one of us wants to wait another minute. We’re urgent.

  Slowly, he lowers me to the couch and then he stands back staring at me. The desire in his eyes matches my own, and yet, seeing it raw like this is a little scary. It takes him a moment, but then he pulls off the rest of my clothes, and I help him by lifting my hips and then my legs.

  His hands grasp my legs and spread them wide, but I hesitate, fighting his strength a little. I know what’s coming and I want it, but I’m not as young as some women he’s probably been with and it’s been so long. Glancing up into his eyes, though, seeing the reverence and need, I relinquish control and throw an arm over my eyes.

  One presses his mouth to my pussy, kissing my very core. Damn, it feels amazing! He licks and sucks, and then inserts his middle finger, replacing his tongue as his thumb rubs my clit. I’m ready to explode, to fill his hand with my release, but he stops. Just as I’m about to plead for him to continue, I feel his cock head rubbing across my opening.

  “Hadlea, look at me.”

  I remove my arm and stare up into two blue pools of burning fire. Smoldering heat builds between us; he presses in and my eyes roll closed again.

  "Hadlea. Look. At. Me." Our eyes connect again and the desire builds further. I release a guttural moan as he slowly and carefully thrusts into me. A slow burn from the stretching has been long awaited.

  “Ahhh,” I scream before I can hold it back. He watches me. Every expression, every twitch…everything.

  A low rumble rises from his throat, “You are so tight, baby. You feel so good. So damn good.”

  It’s been too long since I’ve felt this fullness.

  He takes me with a slow and easy rhythm, his shaft gliding in and out of me. With each thrust, I pulse around him, gripping his cock.

  “Mmm, so good,” I manage breathlessly.

  At my declaration, his pace starts to pick up speed and strength, chasing me to the edge. He moves my legs so that they are wrapped around his hips and tells me, "Lock those legs, baby, I’m gonna give you what you want."

  Hell, yes! I do as I'm told, locking my ankles together as he grabs my ass in one hand and my waist in the other to use as leverage. His speed and depth increase further. My eyes flutter shut and I can only hear the sounds of our carnal pleasures, the sounds of him pounding into me.

  "Open those eyes, baby. I want to see you come."

  He fucking owns me in this moment, and he knows it. My eyes snap open, meeting his instantly. Once again I'm overwhelmed with the heat that burns within his. I grip him, pulling his cock deeper in me.

  "Oh, God. Yes, baby. That's it. Come on me."

  I do just that as my back arches off of the couch bringing my body closer to him. I lose every ounce of control as the hallelujah chorus rolls off my tongue in appreciation for the long awaited and deeply needed release.

  One follows closely behind me. His moan rivals mine as he fills me to the brim.

  "My good God, woman. You're perfect," he says when he catches his breath slightly. He leans forward, kissing me on my mouth, cheek, nose, even my forehead, slowly and meticulously. Worshipping me as he does it.

  What do I say to that? Letting my legs drop from his waist, I run my hands along his sides, around his back—anywhere I can reach— cherishing this moment.

  Who knows when I'll get another chance to be with him? I’ve allowed this to happen this time, but I know that a girl like me and a man like him do not belong together. This should never have happened, and yet, it would have been easier to stop a tornado.

  He pulls himself out of me and lifts me up. Settling on the couch, he places me in his lap and I curl against his chest. Heaven. I'm in heaven, and I'm also ruined forever.

  "You never cease to amaze me. I hope you realize that you’re never getting rid of me now. I’m never letting you go."

  It is a statement; one I’ll never forget. "You don’t even know me," I giggle as I start to put my defenses back in place.

  "Well, we really need to change that; and by the way, don't tell my sister about this."

  My body goes rigid. Not that I would tell her, but why not? Is he embarrassed by me? "Oh, okay. I understand," I mumble. I’m a contradiction. I know this, but my desire for him is at war with what I know is best for him.

  He grips my chin tenderly, lifting it so he can gaze into my eyes. "It's not like that, Hadlea. The minute Thayer knows, she'll think she is the reason we finally got together, and I'll never hear the end of it. You've already been the topic of more discussions than I
care to admit. This is our business, which means we'll tell people when you're ready. Not before."

  "When I'm ready? Why wouldn't I be now?" I try to move from his lap, but he grabs my waist.

  "Where are you going?” he asks and I struggle some more. “Just a second. Look, what I mean is…” his voice tapers off and he releases his grip with one hand to run his fingers through his hair. “Maybe I'm being forward, but the man that was here the other day… I can tell he loves you. It was in his eyes. I may be presumptuous, but I think you might want to tell him you can't see him anymore."

  Stunned, I jump up. “Why the hell would I do that?” I snap. Furiously, I escape to my bedroom putting on the first thing I find. I feel him behind me, standing in the doorway. Spinning around, I face him with my shoulders set.

  "Hadlea, I'm not sure what I said to offend you, but you need to understand one thing, I do not share."

  I can’t believe him! Making demands on me, expecting me to keep them! How dare he?! I have news for him, I have no intention of allowing him to dictate my life nor whom I will or will not be involved with! I might like his domineering ways during sex, but that is where I draw the line! Who does he think he is? My daddy? "You have no right to control whom I see and whom I don’t."

  His face turns bright red as his blood pressure skyrockets, and his head looks as if it might propel itself off his shoulders. "Now look, I'm not the kind of man that can sit by and allow other men to have what's mine."

  There’s that word again. Mine. Really? His? He's fucked me one time and thinks he owns my pussy lock, stock, and barrel? “I’m not sure what is going on here, but you need to leave." A shiver passes through my body and my eyes burn with tears that threaten to spill over. I will them to stop, but not soon enough.

  Seeing the tears in my eyes, One steps closer raising his hand too quickly. Instinct makes me flinch, forcing my body to turn in order to brace itself for what it expects, but nothing comes. Lifting my eyes to his face, he’s crushed. His feet move backward a couple of steps before he speaks, “Did you think I was going to hit you? That I would harm you?”