Hawthorne’s Calm
A Novel
The Ocean Series
Book Three
Lock & Key Publications 107 N. State Road 25 Waynetown, IN 47990 http://lockkeypublications.wordpress.com/
Hawthorne’s Calm by M.A. DeOlmos
Digital ISBN: 978-0-9906105-6-4
Print ISBN: 978-0-9906105-7-1
Cover Art by: Danielle Stone, Lock & Key Publications
Edited by: Danielle L. Stone & M.A. DeOlmos
Copyright 2014 M.A. DeOlmos
Printed in the United States of America Worldwide Electronic & Digital Rights Worldwide English Language Print Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any form, including digital and electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the Publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
At All Cost & With All Heart…
Hawthorne’s Fight!
M.A. DeOlmos
I have no idea where to start my dedication, so, I am going to say the first thing that comes to mind. That ladies and gents is, you kickass readers rock!
I thank each and every one of your precious, curious, and beautiful minds for giving my guys and tough exotic chicks a chance.
The Ocean's Series is so much more than a story to me. It's my own journey to working through demons, and inner struggles while still grasping to embrace the beautiful gift that is life.
I thank you all for not judging the serious content in these novels, because the world is real, therefore my emotions and passions are REAL!
I love you all, hard. And even though this journey is coming to a conclusion, this story will forever live on because of you all!
Thank you guys!!! Love you!
Prologue
(Two Month’s Prior…)
Livie
I find myself standing next to a man that just seconds ago was the happiest I’ve seen since… well actually, I’ve never seen him this happy. Moments ago, Ocean was showing me a side of him that instantly made me fall in love with him all over again. However, right now-within seconds-that same man has become a ticking time bomb—scratch that he's more like a unhinged hand grenade with less than one second to cause mayhem!
Immediately, Law arrives at the door after my initial set of screams for him to hurry his ass up and help me. Moving quickly and without hesitation, he takes a hold of Ocean’s arms and locks them behind his back.
Looking at Law, I see the shock and sprinkle of hate playing on his handsomely cool features and it further confirms to me that the arrival of Ocean’s mother-pregnant mother at that-is not a good omen for the days, weeks, or months to come.
The curious minds of our morning guests start trickling in, hovering around us at the front door. Finally, someone speaks. It’s Ocean, of course, more than ready to go 300Z Gerard Butler style on his own mother.
“Who the hell told her to show up!?” Ocean flings Law off him in one violent ripple of his shoulders. He spins around to face the crowd behind him.
I look at the woman still standing in the not so safe zone as she stares at the tight and rigid back of her son. A son that is in so much pain he cannot stand to look at her.
“Dad!” He roars out as his father comes forth.
“Yes son.” His father answers calmly, knowing better than all of us in the crowded foyer that this is an extremely dangerous situation.
The pain in his father’s eyes at the sight of a woman he once loved-and honestly probably still loves-is breaking my heart with each passing second.
“Did you tell her? How does she know? HOW. THE. FUCK. IS. SHE. HERE?!”
A shaky voice responds and it’s from no one standing on our side of the door.
“Ocean, son. No one invited me. I looked you up. I wanted to—to--”
“To what Sabrina! You wanted to show up on the happiest day of my fucking life and ruin it to hell? Is that what you wanted to do? Mission-a-fucking-complished!”
As he spoke to her with his back turned she winced at his hateful words, but I couldn’t blame him for it. I don’t think anyone could right now. Ocean was hurt and broken beyond repair when it came to his mother.
He forever blamed himself for what happened to his sister. He has the guilt of having killed her in that terrible bike accident engrained into his soul. He loved Stormie-his beautiful twin sister-with his whole heart. When he needed his mother the most after her death, she just up and walked away.
I would be beyond pissed too if she showed up today like this...which she just did. I push away the resurfacing thoughts of my mother’s demise before I allowed my own emotions of guilt and abandonment to resurface and cause me to react out of my own emotional torments. When I look away from Sabrina, my eyes too easily found the wet shiny pieces of glass on the tile floor in front of me.
Immediately, they held my eyes captive. The demons inside of me start rearing their ugly heads trying to find a broken link in my still-wounded and slowly healing armor. I was stupid for thinking they had left me, that I had won.
Apparently they’d only taken a fucking vacation! The bastards were just giving me a break. Layla and Dulce found their way to me taking each one of my hands in theirs. Damn… did my face look that twisted they recognized my rising fear too?
“Ocean. I know you’re mad at me and hate me, but I am still you’re mother.”
Uh-oh! Wrong thing to say Sabrina.
Ocean spins around this time to face his mother.
She did not shrink under his hateful glare, stupid woman. “Ocean. I am still your mother. I came here to find you so you could meet your sister when she’s born.”
Time stops as well as Ocean’s breathing and probably his heart. He sways on his feet and I release my hands from Layla and Dulce to support him. He grabs onto me desperately as his body and mind fight against each other to steady himself.
I feel like slapping the shit out of this woman. How dare she say some shit like that? I look up at his face needing to see what's there. His eyes are locked on his mother’s stomach. She looked about ready to pop any moment now.
“I’m having her here in Dunlap, Ocean. Her name is going to be Stormie.”
All hell breaks loose inside of Ocean. He pushes me back towards Law, lunging forward toward the woman screaming at the top of his lungs.
Thank god Santi, Trevor, and Joseph were close enough because if not, they wouldn’t have been able to stop him in time from strangling his own mother.
As tempting as it is to let him have at her, it just isn't right. Pffft, almost isn't right.
“YOU CAN’T REPLACE STORMIE! SHE’S DEAD! STORMIE’S DEAD! I FUCKING KILLED HER, YOU STUPID BITCH!” Ocean repeats this chant over and over as it takes three huge men and all of their muscles-and I mean all of their muscles-to hold him down.
I personally had enough of this show for today. Our happiness was now tainted by this selfish bitch standing in front of all of us in all her fucked up, pregnant and shameful glory.
Ocean is dragged away from me like a two year old having the temper tantrum of the millennium back into the living room.
I step forward grabbing the door facing off with Ocean's mother. “Listen, your bright idea to show up after being ghost for so long… not such a bright idea. I don’t suggest you ever try doing this again. Ocean is a great man, cousin, friend, soon to be hus
band, and a great son…but he is not your son anymore. Please don’t come back here because next time it’ll be me gunning for your throat for the pain you’ve caused him, not Ocean.”
I close the door lightly in her face even though I want nothing more than to slam it shut. The only thing that keeps me from doing just that is her extremely pregnant belly.
Subconsciously, I was seeing my mom standing there with AJ in her belly in the once upon a time good memory bank my brain was still desperately holding onto.
Layla touches my arm, bringing me back to my reality. “Thank you for doing that. I was afraid of hitting her myself, pregnant or not.” She laughs lightly at her comment as if she was joking to lighten up the tension but I know the threat was real.
I understood though, I too wanted to cause that woman as much pain physically as she was causing her beautiful son, my Ocean, emotionally.
I smile at her, feeling the pain I know she feels as well. Walking back into the living room together where moments ago, everyone was shedding tears of joy.
Ocean was on the floor pounding his fists into the tile as if the porcelain tiles were the cause of all his life’s pain.
“No!” I rush over to him, shoving my way through Law who briefly tries to block me. Dulce tugs at his arm just in time helping me move his solid ass out of my way. My body crashes onto the floor in front of Ocean before I know it.
Ignoring the sharp stabs of pain my knees are tingling with, I grab both of his hands to stop him from breaking all of his knuckles or worse. I pull his hands up to my lips kissing each knuckle that are already turning red and bruised.
He slowly lifts his head as tears and ferocious sobs pour out of his heavenly lips. I shuffle closer to him on my knees pulling his arms around my waist. If I could climb on top of him I would, but too many people were here.
“Ocean baby, this is still our day. Remember this?” I flash him the beautiful promise ring he put on my finger. “That means we get through this together. I am not leaving you. This is Livie and Ocean’s day. We can do or go wherever you want, just me and you baby. We go big together or we don’t do this at all. Will you take me? Will you take us away to start our new promised lives together? I need you to Ocean. Please.”
I place one of his hands on my chest so he can feel my heart beating for him. His tortured eyes roam over my face resting on my lips, then his head cocks to the side as he continues to study my face. Not knowing how else to reach him I cover his warm and badly bruising hand pressing it harder on my chest.
“You still w—want this? You still want me?”
I roll my eyes at him in exaggeration expecting him to have said something much more intelligent than that. “Ocean. For a twenty seven year old man, you’re ridiculously stupid. I love you Ocean Grant Hawthorne. L-O-V-to the fucking E you! Get your ass up and make this day about us. Now!”
I don’t know why I’m yelling or cursing but he responds to it. Grabbing my face as if I’m an apparition about to disappear any moment, he kisses me hard. So hard it hurts my lips, but I take his anger, his passion, and his hate.
I absorb it all for him because we drown together; that’s our rule. I wipe his tears away with my hands kissing his face dry with my newly aching lips.
He places his hands on my hips, guiding us both off the floor and pulls me tightly into him again. “You got it baby, let’s go.”
Ocean holds out his hand to Law who tosses him a set of keys. He quietly guides me out the front door of our home without saying a word or making eye contact with anyone.
As we walk down the stairs to his Range Rover, I pray.
Os Jesus Cristo dao-me por favor a forca para sobreviver a este mar aberto, nos estae afogandose Amen. (Jesus Christ, please give me the strength to survive this open sea, we are drowning, Amen)
Chapter One
Ocean
“Latrell! Block! You have to block!”
“Right!”
“Jab!”
“Left!”
“Hook!”
“Kick!”
“Move! Let’s go Trell! FUCKING MOVE!”
I watch a perfectly able bodied and skilled machine dance in the cage and I can’t believe the motherfucker can’t block for shit! “Stop!”
Trell and Santi stop and make their way out of the cage.
I slap Santi on the back for defending his post as a man is supposed to in the goddamn ring and block Trell in mid walk. “What the fuck was that? I’ve seen you fight, you can block better than that. What is it?”
He nervously scans the room before his eyes settle on my face.
Being the impatient ass that I am, I slap him on the arm. “What!”
“Okay, but you can’t tell anyone, especially Law.”
I’m intrigued now. I stand back, crossing my arms in front of me already having an idea of what he’s about to say and not knowing whether I’m going to light him up for it or not.
“Look man. No disrespect, but Livie is fucking hot. Her and Dulce…”
My body stiffens and the amusing part of this conversation just jumped right out the fucking window with a defective parachute.
“They are too damn sexy to be keeping up in here. I can’t concentrate Oc--Coach.”
I could punch him right now. Scratch that. I could straight up bull doze him right now. Not because he’s been checking out my girl or Law’s, but because he was telling the truth in that department. They were exotic, beautiful women that could turn a gay man straight with one piercing look of their eyes or one evil switch of those heavenly hips. I wanted to punch him for just being plain old stupid. Even I had better sense than that when training!
“Some advice bro, pull your dick out of your ass for starters. Once you do that, jack the fuck off before you get here and when you do get here…do us both a favor and concentrate! You have six months to make it here in this studio or else you’re done. Pull your shit together!”
I walk away, leaving him thinking about what the hell he just said. Walking toward Law’s office to gossip about Trell and his lack of focus like a damn woman. Yeah, men gossip like school girls too. I’m not ashamed to admit it.
I stop short when my eyes find Liv. She’s talking with Santi as she folds the towels by the front desk. I lean my back against the cool wall crossing my arms over my chest and feet at my ankles. I catch her drop her left hand behind the counter.
She squeezes her hand and releases it repeatedly until it steadies a little. I keep telling her to take it easy but she refuses and it makes my heart ache for her. She can so easily be strong willed and just fucking stubbornly stupid at the same time, but she was mine and I loved her just the way she was.
I take in the way she moves while she talks and laughs with Santi-and now Dulce-who's joining in on the jokes. Her Roxi yoga pants hug her tightly in all the right places. Shit, all the places I wish my tongue could be stroking right now.
My eyes roam over her body starting at her bright ass neon orange running sneakers. Slowly, I move my eyes up to her green and black yoga pants. As my eyes roll up her thighs and onto her ass, I notice her hips are wider. She hasn’t gained any weight but her hips are definitely wider making her already tiny waist look at least two inches smaller.
Liv easily puts the coke bottle shape that men love to shame. I knew Liv’s curves like I knew my name and I knew my name pretty damn well. Her back is straight as her high ponytail dances along her mid-back. I didn’t tell her I was happy she didn’t get those red highlights she was thinking about or layering her hair. I loved it the way it was. Hell, I loved her the way she was, scars included.
Law calls her name and when she turns, her side profile makes my thickening dick jump. No wonder Trell can’t focus. Her stomach is wash board flat since she just started working out again. She said her abs were getting fat and I remember laughing at her…then getting slapped clear across the face.
Clearly, it was an excuse to drain herself in the studio to exhaustion nearly every day. The only
things fat on her was that perfect ass and her delicious mouth-watering pussy. I’m a sick bastard, I know, but that twenty three year old Brazilian goddess was mine. I am pretty much the luckiest white boy alive right now... aside from Law.
Continuing to look at Liv; she was definitely changing. I couldn’t put my finger on it but she looked softer, she breathed deeper, and moved differently. Defensive almost but in a very sensual and natural way. Even when I made love to her, the way her body responded to me lately was easier, instinctual, primal, and natural.
There was nothing-virgin left in her though. I ruined her, making her beg for more and she continues to beg for more. Again, sick fuck-luckiest sick fuck in the world-I know.
I lean posted up on the wall for thirty minutes or so watching my future wife lost in my tortured thoughts before I am interrupted.
“You see it too don’t you?” I bump Law on the shoulder with my own as he posts up next to me on the wall.
“Yeah, I do. I just don’t know what it is. She’s still the same Liv, just different. It’s not a bad different… I don’t know.”
“Well Blue had a dream the other night.”
“And?” I ask, watching Trell eye Liv from the treadmill. It looks like he’s trying to run toward her ass full speed and I want to laugh but it’s pissing me off all at the same time.
“We think she’s pregnant, Ocean.”
All the sound stops from entering my ear canal. The only sound they can filter is the air whooshing around me from the above air vents and the sound of Liv’s laughter filling me.
She turns to the side again and I see her breasts profile, which look bigger honestly. I can see the flush of her face and her lips. They’re pinker and fuller.
Fuck! Liv’s pregnant and she doesn’t even know it…or does she?!
My heart sinks from the memory of man handling her this morning in the shower, but she really didn’t give me a choice to make love to her. After she bit the tip of my dick when I refused to give her what she wanted, I lost it and fucked her like I was trying to repopulate an entire nation.
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