Cherry Grove (The Cove Series Book 1)

by Leaona Luxx

  “Oh, no! He just gets away free?” I try to hold my displeased expression, but it doesn’t work and my mask cracks. I start snickering, and when I do, he grabs me and pulls me toward him. “I’m going to kiss you right here, right now.”

  Needing to feel is lips on mine, I gasp, “Okay.” He doesn’t wait any longer. His mouth descends on mine and I melt.

  “Dude, let her breath,” Thayer teases her brother as Chord elbows One in the side.

  Releasing my lips just long enough to speak, One replies “Nope.” His peace said, he smashes his lips to mine again until the valet arrives with my car.

  Before I can step away from him, his arms tighten their hold. “Hadlea?” His grin turns wicked, then he asks “Can I follow you?”

  I don’t have a chance to answer because Elise decides to answer for me, “Of course you can, son. Don’t give her a choice when it comes to her heart. She may be able to handle everything else, but her heart she needs help with. She needs someone who will guide her and help her grow. Thankfully, I can tell from your little tête–à–tête, sex is a non-issue.”

  I really want to die right now.

  My face turns crimson, and One shakes his head, “My mother. I’m sorry.” He walks me to my car and helps me in. “So, I’ll follow you?” he questions again.

  Is he for real? Can this amazing man really want me? Tilting my head toward Elise, I remark, “Listen to your mother. She seems to know me better than I know myself.”

  The other woman comments, “Of course I do. I own the t-shirt. Now, go and stay up all night, and then watch the sunrise together.”

  “I think I can handle that,” One simpers, closing my door.

  Pulling into my driveway, a beaming smile lights up my face while butterflies dance in my stomach. One makes me question everything in my life and everything I’ve ever believed or thought. Do I really have the right to be happy? I’m not sure about anything anymore, however, I know I want it. I want it all. He makes me want everything including a happily ever after.

  I’m still scared, though. One hasn’t heard my whole sordid story and he can’t even begin to know the truth of everything. If anyone deserves to hear it, though, he does, especially if he plans on being around for the long haul. There is no way I deserve this… deserve him. I can’t help but hope.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  One

  The closer Hadlea and I got, the faster and further she ran from me; that is, until dinner with my family tonight. My mom is a godsend. After one conversation with her, Hadlea opened up and decided to give me another chance.

  And as I watch her drive from sight, anticipating the moment we reunite, my mom steps beside me with a pleased expression on her face. “She’s a lovely person. Very spirited; very perfect for you.”

  Flabbergasted, I question her, “How do you know? She drives me crazy, but honestly, I hardly know her. Getting anything out of her is like pulling teeth… no, worse because I have yet to get much of anything from her. Only tidbits.”

  “I see myself in her. Montgomery was never the girl for you, but this one is feisty and keeps you on your toes. I can tell you love her. It doesn’t matter that it happened so quickly. Lea needs to be knocked off her feet, and she’ll probably fight you every step of the way. Let her. Don’t break her spirit, however, don’t let her walk away. She might still try running. Don’t let her.”

  “She’ll be the end me if she keeps running,” I grumble.

  “She has secrets, but none of them will kill you. Be the man she needs. Someone to support her, love her, and tell her when she’s acting like a fool. She’ll do the same for you as well.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I love you.” Giving me a kiss on my cheeks, she joins my stepfather and together they leave.

  On the drive to her house, I constantly replay my mother’s words in my head. Can I be the man she needs? I believe I can be. I want to be the man she deserves and show her what real love is all about. I would do anything for her because I love her. There it is: I love her.

  Ten years ago, I married a woman I barely knew. I somehow convinced myself sex equaled love, jumping at the chance to have my fill all the time. Monty wound up making me miserable with every turn. In truth, that woman never wanted to be married, she just needed a way out. The way she treated me…no one deserves that kind of treatment. Years of being alone never helped my trust issues either, which kept me from really finding someone after her.

  Until Hadlea. This woman is a breath of fresh air, and I can honestly say that with her, it’s not about trust. For some odd reason, I find myself trusting her explicitly. Deep down, I know she would never betray me. I just need to convince her to open the door to her heart. Somehow, someway…I have to find a way because living without her is not an option.

  I pull up beside her car only to find her standing at the front door frightened. What the hell happened?

  “Hadlea? Are you ok?”

  She practically jumps out of her skin with a squeal and runs straight into my arms. Her body is trembling against me, wracked with terror. “What’s wrong?” I get no response. Alarmed, I shuffle to the door with her still pressed against me and push it open to survey the room inside. Nothing appears out of place from what I can immediately see. Tugging her inside, I shut the door behind us and ask again, “What’s wrong?” She clings to me and I have to swallow past the lump in my throat. “Baby, you need to tell me what’s going on. You’re shaking like a leaf, and you’re white as a ghost.”

  Lifting Hadlea’s face from my chest, forcing her to look up at me, I notice her emerald eyes are glistening with unshed tears. Panic starts to set in. I don’t intend for my voice to come out as harsh as it does, “What the fuck is wrong?”

  Tears that she held back spill down her cheeks. I feel like crap seeing her distraught like this. My intention was to get answers, not make her cry. Pulling her back to me, I hold her so tightly, I think I might break her.

  Minutes pass and finally I hear her muffled voice, “Just be with me, Malone.”

  That, I can do. We can talk about the nightmares later; for now, I want to take care of her, to insure myself she is all right. Reaching down, I grab under her knees swinging her up into my arms and carry her into the bedroom. This is our time.

  Setting her down beside the bed, I slowly unzip her black pencil skirt before unbuttoning her crisp white shirt. In clothes or out of them, I love looking at her. And I also appreciate the sexiest pair of black and white cheetah print heels she currently has nestled on her feet.

  Stopping those thoughts in their tracks, I make quick work of her clothes. She stands there in a white lacey lingerie, and fuck me if I’m not struck dumb by the vision she presents. An audible gulp can be heard as I swallow hard; I want her.

  I leave her standing there for a moment so that I can pull the covers back. Once done, I help her into bed, cover her up, and run to get a wet rag so I can wash off some of her makeup. She’s on the verge of breaking, and I need to be gentle with her. Makeup still lingers, but the majority of it is gone when I settle on my knees beside the bed.

  “No, I want to feel you. I need you in here with me,” she pleads, patting the mattress.

  As badly as I want her, something tells me not to do it. I want her to want me, not just because she wants to forget whatever happened tonight between her leaving the restaurant and me arriving. Maybe I can just hold her, though.

  She sees my intent and her voice is almost a whimper when she says, “No, One. Take off your clothes and come to bed.”

  Lea is almost impossible for me to resist. I’m just a man in love with this woman, and I want to help her forget. Doing what I’m told, I undress quickly and slide into bed next to her. She feels so right in my arms and when she stretches to kiss me, I am powerless to resist.

  Our bodies mold together like clay, fitting together perfectly, and I move over her. Easing between her legs, my cock is greeted by the heat seeping through her panties.

  Rising above
her on my elbows, I gaze into her wet eyes. “I want you immensely, but we don’t….”

  Her hand covers my mouth. “Right now, I just want you, Malone. After meeting you, I knew I’d never be the same again. I’ll never want to be. I don’t think I deserve you or anything you have to offer because I have nothing, am nothing, but you’re what I want. You. Only you. Please?”

  “Always,” I declare and press my mouth to hers. Our tongues collide in a torrent of emotion, sliding against each other in a rage of desire. My arms hold her tight, and I sit up taking her with me so I can remove her bra, and then I brush away the last traces of tears.

  Her body falls backward, taking mine with her as our lips connect once again. If only she knew how much I worship her body. I need to slow down to savor her and this moment.

  I run my tongue over her nipple, feeling it tighten into a peaked bud in my mouth. Her moans are my undoing, and I become voracious, biting down enough to cause that mix of pleasure and pain.

  “Oh! God!” she moans and I grin, moving to the other breast.

  Responsive isn’t the word for her. She goes beyond anything I’ve ever experienced and I have to wonder, has she ever been touched? Releasing her nipple with a pop, I run my finger over the lingering wetness, taking her in, only to return to her making her breath catch and a deep moan of arousal escape. Would she always respond to me this way? I pray so.

  I keep up the sweet torture on her breasts and wrap her legs around my hips. I never want this feeling to end, but just as that thought enters my mind, she arches off of the bed, her thighs tighten around me, and she rides out her orgasm. Fuck, this is amazing. Seeing this— her reaction— I’m ready to come in my shorts right now, but I’m not done with her. Moving down her body, I kiss every inch of exposed skin.

  “Malone, no more. I need you inside me. Please.”

  To answer her, I continue my descent, kissing and licking my way down. When I get to her sopping panties, I remove them slowly and immediately need to taste her.

  Pressing my lips to her thigh, she squirms and I have to hold her hips down. “Hold still and no moving, baby.” I kiss one inner thigh and then move to the other. She gasps and wiggles, and I threaten her with a smirk on my face. “Lay still or I’ll tie you down.”

  She sounds like she’s growling when she speaks, “One, I can’t. I’m not used to it. It feels weird.” Her ass wiggles again as my mouth presses a little higher.

  “I’ll tie you to the bed,” I threaten again, not expecting her response.

  “Then fucking tie me down because as much as I love it, it’s so new to me that I can’t stop moving!”

  Rising slightly to look her in the eyes, I see pink from arousal and embarrassment tinting her cheeks. “Hadlea, look at me.” She doesn’t move so I bite her leg gently to get her attention, only enough to leave an impression, not enough to break the skin. “Look at me, woman!” Her eyes open and lock on me. “Are you telling me you’ve never had oral sex before?”

  Her eyes dart to the side as she breathes deeply, “I was made to give it. I never received before you.”

  I’m confused. “What do you mean, baby?”

  She falls back on the bed, her hands covering her face. “Please, One, don’t make me. I’m begging you.”

  Shifting to hover over her, I reach for her hands and lace our fingers together. “Talk to me, Hadlea. No matter what you have to say, I’m not going anywhere.”

  Her body tenses and a painful expression appears on her face. “I was forced to give oral sex, but never had it given to me until you.” Silent tears started to fall.

  “Baby…”

  “Not now. I just…just make love to me. I don’t want to think about it right now. Make me forget.”

  I wanted to talk, to pry all her secrets out, but now isn’t the time. Giving her a small smile, I tell her, “You never have to do anything you don’t want to with me, but I am going to make up for lost time for you.”

  Her expression of disbelief is almost comical. “How?”

  “By doing it as often as I can from here on out. Now, lay back, woman, and squirm your fucking ass off because I want to hear you as you come on my tongue.”

  Hadlea has been through some kind of hell, and her words were only the tip of the iceberg. I want to help her move beyond her past, but that will come later. For now, her healing will start with physical pleasure.

  “That’s it, baby, I got you. Open your legs and let me taste you.” Slowly relenting control to me, her legs start to relax, but that only lasts until my warm breath hits her wet center. “Relax, baby.” She tightens up further. “I said relax, woman.” She finally does my bidding and welcomes my mouth.

  Fuck she tastes like heaven: sweet and salty. Running my tongue through her wet opening, I spread her legs just a little more.

  I can tell she’s trying not to move, however, after hearing that sliver of her story, I want her to move, to be free, “Let go, baby. Do what you want.” I spread her as wide as possible and once again slide my tongue up her center before moving to her clit and pressing a finger into her core.

  Her body squirms, wiggles, and raises ever so slightly from the bed. I gain pleasure from hers. “That’s it, baby, let go for me.”

  Curling my fingers upward, I hit the spot at the same time that I release her clit from my torturous sucking. With a last flick of the tip of my tongue over her now engorged nub, she explodes in orgasm again. Her back arches from the bed as she screams my name, which only adds to my desire. “That’s it. Come for me, baby.”

  As she calms down from her orgasm, I rise up over her to see a content smile on her lips.

  “Oh, my God, One. That was, amazing. Better than the first,” her eyes are unfocused and she’s breathless, and then those green eyes lock on me. “But not better than having you in me.”

  This woman drives me crazy. “Woman, you haven’t felt anything yet.” Grabbing her hips, I line my cock up with her center, both of us throbbing with need.

  Reaching between us, she places her hand on my cock, guiding me into her. Hadlea’s slick from two orgasms, which allows me to slip deep inside, only pausing as she sucks in air through her teeth. So tight. I wait for her to relax again, and the moment I can, I push in the rest of my length making both of us moan.

  The look in her eyes rocks me to the core; I’ve seen lust, heat, want, but never this. It is longing, needing, and love. All reasoning leaves me and I know in that moment, nothing will keep me from her now or in the future.

  Slowly, I begin to move within her. Her hands find my back and her legs wrap around me pulling me deeper. I love this feeling of her encasing me as I slide in and out of her. Our pace picks up, our bodies rubbing together, slick from our combined heat.

  That’s the moment she blows my mind.

  “Malone?”

  Hearing Hadlea whimper my name beneath me drives me crazy. I have to think before I speak, which is currently somewhat difficult. “Yeah, baby?”

  “Fuck me harder. I need more.”

  “I got you, baby. Hold on to me.” After she grabs my biceps, I bury myself deep within her core. I move harder and faster, pounding into her pussy.

  I feel her insides tightening around me, pulling me deeper. To push her over the edge, I reach between us and rub her clit and then grunt, “Come for me, woman.” Her orgasm overtakes her with me following soon after, filling her up.

  Coming down from the high, I pull out and start to move off of the bed, but she reaches out to grab me before I can leave. “Where are you going?”

  “Just gonna clean up, baby.” I come back with a washcloth for her, and she tries to take it out of my hand. “I got this baby; let me take care of you.” Her acquiesce surprises me, and I chuckle.

  “What?” her voice is wary.

  “Just thinking that I like you tired and sated. Less mouthy.” She pokes me in the side when I slide into bed after tossing the rag to the floor. “Hey, I said I like it,” I chortle as I grab h
er hands. She giggles and snuggles closer.

  We lay there together for a bit before something dawns on me. “Umm, Hadlea, listen. I hate to bring us down, but I made a couple of mistakes that I think we need to discuss.”

  Confusion mars her face when she asks, “Mistakes?”

  “No protection either time. I’m sorry. I should’ve asked or thought about it before.”

  She frowns as she considers my words, “I’m clean, been checked for years. You?”

  “I’m clean, but what about pregnancy?”

  “My tubes were tied with my last baby. It’s been years, but there shouldn’t be a problem. That said, if something did happen, I’d take care of it so you wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”

  “No! No, that’s…I’m not worried about that. I mean…” I run a hand through my hair, breathe in and out, and finally say, “I just want you to know, I’m here and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything alone.” Did that sound any better?

  Surprise and contentment flash in her eyes, but before anything can be said, she lays her head on my chest and sighs. I feel the same way.

  At the end of the day, I lay in the bed of the woman I had surprisingly found and fallen in love with. I love her. Hadlea’s taken my world by storm and instead of a disaster zone, I found peace. Laying here with her in my arms, I listen as her breathing slows until she falls asleep. I drift off soon after.

  I feel the loss of her before it actually happens. My side feels empty as the bed shifts with her disappearance. It’s early, and the sun has yet to rise. It takes me a few minutes before I’m awake enough to search her out, finding her standing in the kitchen. Her hip is propped against the sink as she drinks a glass of water, staring out the window. She’s gorgeous, but the look on her face scares me. Something is about to happen.

  Lea

  Staring out the window, my heart twists as I ache for him, and I think about the letter, afraid of what was to come. I’m so guarded and torn. Self-protection and/or preservation: the first form of emotion or lack thereof.

  “Hey, you coming back?” his voice calls out to me.