Walking Among the Cherry Trees: The Cook Brothers Series

by Heather D'Agostino

  “Guess you’re not as good as you think.” I slugged his shoulder just as the bartender set a couple of beers in front of us. I gave Ty a questioning look seeing that we didn’t even order drinks, and the beer in front of me was my brand.

  “VIP.” Ty lifted the beer with a smug look on his face.

  “Tyler!” Some woman squealed as she approached us and wrapped her arms around Ty’s neck. “I thought that was you.” She grinned as she pressed her chest into his side. He winked at me as he turned to give the girl his attention.

  “Hey, Baby.” His hand moved to gently wrap around her waist as she giggled.

  Trevor and I just stared at one another. Ty was a player, but we’d never really seen him in action. He was so much younger than Trevor, and I’d had such a crazy life with CJ that we’d never really done the brother thing when we were teens. “He moves fast,” Trevor grumbled.

  “You’re just jealous that Sharron isn’t here,” I teased as Ty began to turn on his stool and tug the woman between his knees. “Looks like he’s taken for a while.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Trevor grumbled again as he sipped his beer.

  “Well, seeing that you’re so pleasant to be around right now. I’m going to make my way down to the dance floor. See if I can find someone to dance with.” I lifted my beer in the air as I rose from my seat.

  “You don’t dance.” Trevor nodded as the bartender placed three more beers in front of us.

  “I do when I’ve had enough of these,” I laughed as I finished off the one I was holding, grabbed the one in front of me, and motioned for a shot of Jack. “I’ve had a crap month. I’m going to forget that I’m a responsible adult for one night and have fun for a change,” I leaned in closer to him before wrapping my fingers around the glass in front of me. “You remember what fun is, right?” I tipped my head back as I emptied the liquor into my mouth. It had been a long time since I’d been drunk. Having a kid, you had to know your limits. I knew exactly how much I could have and still function. I didn’t want CJ seeing me like this, but he wasn’t here tonight. Tonight I could be Tay, the guy who knew how to have fun.

  “Just behave yourself. I don’t have jurisdiction here if you get arrested,” he teased as he shook his head.

  “Yes, Dad,” I chuckled as I glanced over at Ty who now had his tongue down his mystery girl’s throat. “Keep an eye on him,” I chuckled before turning to head downstairs.

  The closer I got to the dance the floor, the more crowded it became. Sweaty bodies rubbed against one another as the erotic beat pulsed around us. I watched for a little while as I searched for a girl to be my partner. I didn’t usually do this, heck, I never did this, but the alcohol in my system was making me brave. I wanted what Ty seemed to have. I wanted to fine a smokin’ hot body to bury myself in. I needed to forget her. I needed to find a way to blur her memory if only for one night. The more I thought about her, the harder I looked for someone that might catch my eye. They all looked the same, the women. The smoke machine kept the details hidden, but one woman near the center caught my eye.

  Her hair was hanging down her back in waves. The blue and purple lights of the club made the blonde look as if she was a mermaid. The sleek black dress curved over her hips as if it was painted on. She was swaying with her hands above her head, eyes closed, lost in the music. It didn’t seem like she was with anyone, but I watched a little more just to make sure. When the music changed to a sultry beat, I made my move.

  I strode up behind her and slowly began to pick up her rhythm. She didn’t notice me at first, but as I moved closer, I moved my hips in time with hers. Words weren’t exchanged, but I knew the minute she felt my presence; her whole demeanor changed.

  As she backed into me, her pelvis pressed against mine and my hands glided over the tops of her hips. Her arms rose to wrap around my neck as her back molded to my chest. We fit together like the missing pieces of a puzzle. Her eyes stayed closed as she ground her hips into me, and I couldn’t help be begin to get aroused. The diamond necklace around her neck sparked as the strobes flashed around us. I noticed a few men beginning to stare, but soon stopped worrying when I felt one of her hands leave my neck and trail down my body. Her head tipped forward as she fell into the moment, and I knew right then I needed to get this woman somewhere private. She was unravelling me right there in the middle of the club.

  “Let’s move somewhere darker,” I mumbled in her ear. Her head bobbed as she released my neck with her other hand. I began guiding her to a dark corner, and she stumbled slightly in the ridiculously high heels she was wearing. She giggled and a small hiccup escaped. I wondered how drunk she was and if she was even aware of what she was doing to me.

  “What’s your name, hot stuff,” she shouted as she turned her head slightly.

  I shook my head as her voice filtered into my ears. No way could it be her. She wouldn’t do something like this. Let a complete strangers touch her. I clamped my lips shut as I moved us out of the crowd and toward what looked like the back door.

  “Hey,” she protested. “I wasn’t ready leave yet.” She stumbled a few more times before I got the door open and moved us outside. The warm evening air bathed me as my heartrate began to climb. It was her, and she hadn’t realized it was me yet. This was fate. How the hell in a city this big did this happen?

  “Pretty sure of yourself, huh,” she mocked as she turned, but when she saw who I was, her face went from playful to scowling. I watched as her brain worked to catch up with what was going on. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before the words began to spew out of her. “What the fuck, Taylor?”

  “Do you act like that with all the guys that want to dance with you?” I crossed my arm as I watched her. She looked nothing like the Morgan I knew. The gobs of makeup that coated her face, the fancy jewelry, the sexy dress… this wasn’t the woman that I’d made love to just a month ago. This was what her father wanted her to be, some socialite.

  “It’s none of your damn business how I act. You lied to me. You don’t have a say in what or how I do things.” Her hands flew to her hips before she tried to march toward the door. I stepped in front of her, blocking her path. I knew this was my chance, and I wasn’t letting her escape again. “Get the fuck out of my way!” She pushed at my chest.

  “I don’t think so,” I growled as I advanced on her. She took a few steps back as her face became redder and redder. “I’m not playing games with you tonight.” She stomped her foot. “I’ve had a hellacious week, and I finally landed the pain in the ass client I’ve been working with for weeks. I’m not taking any shit from you.” She moved closer to me, almost brushing her chest against mine. “Now get the fuck out of my way.” Her eyes narrowed as she glared up at me.

  “No,” I stated more firmly. “I didn’t come here looking for you, but I do need to talk to you.” I firmed my lips into a thin line. She was panting with anger, and I couldn’t stop my body’s reaction to her, but god damn, I was mad. Her tongue came out to swipe across her lips as she stared up at me. Her eyes blinked a few time before I snapped.

  I grabbed her hips and walked her backward until her back hit the wall behind us. She gasped, and before she could shove me way, I descended on her mouth. She protested at first, shoving at my chest, but I didn’t let up. My tongue forced its way into her mouth as she stopped fighting me. Her hands fisted my dress shirt as I wedged a knee between her thighs. She moaned, and it was all I could do to keep from taking her right there.

  Her hips moved as she tried to rub against me, but I kept her pinned as best I could. I was angry and turned on, and worst of all, drunk. I didn’t want us to regret this in the morning. I needed to talk to her. I needed her to listen, and understand why I had done everything a decade ago.

  “Oh god, I need you,” she panted as she broke away from my mouth. She reached for the buttons on my shirt, trying to undress me right there in the back lot.

  “No,” I gripped her wrists stopping her. “We need to talk.” />
  “I don’t want to talk. I wanna fuck and so do you.” She yanked a hand free from my grip before reaching down to palm me through my pants. She smiled as she felt me grow harder from her touch.

  “Stop,” I grabbed her hand. “Sex doesn’t solve anything,” I growled as I stepped back out of her reach. She was right. I did want her, but we needed to do this the right way.

  Just as she was getting ready to throw some retort at me, her phone vibrated causing her to reach into the top of her dress. I couldn’t help but smirk. I didn’t know women actually did that. She tossed a smile in my direction before weaving between buildings, “Rides here. See ya later, Tay,” she tossed over her shoulder.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” I yelled after her as I followed in her wake. This was not happening again. As she slipped into the backseat of a dark car, I slid in right behind her. The driver glared at me moment, but when Morgan didn’t ask me to get out, he shrugged and closed the door. I fired off a quick text to Trevor telling him where I was, before turning to face a very fired up Morgan.

  “We’re gonna talk. I don’t care if you say anything, but you are going to listen to me,” I narrowed my eyes on her as the car pulled away from the curb.

  “So, talk,” she growled before turning away from me.

  “I’M WAITING!” I growled as I crossed my legs and squeezed my thighs together. I was so turned on by that kiss behind the club, but I was angry at the same time. The riot of emotions racing through my body at that very moment were so contradictory that I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. Taylor’s head was slowly shaking as he appraised me. His stare was heated, and I didn’t know if he was mad at me or ready to take me right there. I’d never seen him like this. The Taylor I knew had been sweet and loving, this one was brooding and dominant. The feeling that it created deep inside me was as thrilling as it was terrifying.

  “I want some privacy for what I have to say to you,” he grumbled as he continued to stare straight ahead. He ground his teeth as his jaw ticked, and at that moment, all I wanted to do was climb on his lap and finish what he started behind the club.

  We rode the rest of the way to my building in silence, but when my driver stopped to let me out I turned to halt Taylor. “You’re not coming upstairs.”

  “The fuck I am,” he roared as he climbed out and grabbed my wrist.

  “I don’t want you here.” I wrenched my hand away and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “I don’t care what you want. You see this?” A lone finger traced over the swell of my breasts, and I shivered as he smirked. “You can’t tell me that you don’t want me here. Your body is begging me right now to spread it wide and fuck you into next week.”

  My mouth fell open at his admission. He’d never spoken to me like this. “What’s wrong with you,” I gasped as sadness tried to creep in. It hurt to see him so angry.

  “Maybe I’m tired of always being the bigger person. Maybe I see what you’re letting happen to yourself. Maybe I’m finally letting go of always trying to be what everyone wants. I loved you!” His arms flew out to the side as we stood there on the dark sidewalk. “I still fucking do, but you won’t listen to me!” His eyes pinched shut as his head tipped back and he faced the sky. His shoulders were rising rapidly as he tried to control his breathing and calm down.

  We stood there in silence as the city sounds hummed around us. It was as if we knew that we were at a crossroads. I could let him come up, and we would talk and try to come to some sort of understanding, or I could send him away, and we’d both deal with this crushing pain that we refused to acknowledge. Either way, we couldn’t continue to stand here.

  At that moment, the universe made the choice for us. A rumbling thunder crashed through the sky as droplets of rain came pelting down. It wasn’t gradual by any means. It was as if the sky opened up and began to cry for us. All the pain we’d pushed down was coming out as the heavens wept for us.

  “Fucking great,” Taylor groaned as he continued to face skyward. “Please,” he sighed. “Let me upstairs. We can’t keep going like this, Morgan.” His head tipped down and his eyes connected with mine as we stood in silence. The rain slowly began to soak us as we stood there, unmoving, with crowds rushing around us. New York was the only place I’d ever been where it was crowded at one in the morning.

  My shoulders sagged as my head bobbed in the affirmative. I shuffled closer to the door, yanked it open, and sighed. I began walking toward the elevator only giving my doorman a slight wave, before punching in the code to get to my floor.

  “Nice place,” Taylor mused as he stood awkwardly beside me.

  “It’s ok,” I mumbled as the buttons lit up showing that we were ascending. The elevator soon dinged, and I led him over to my door where I worked to get the lock open. “Home sweet home,” I murmured as I tossed my phone and keys on the counter and began striding to my room, leaving Taylor standing there dripping on my floor. I wasn’t worried about the mess, I knew my housekeeper would take care of it and the residual anger that I’d had from our earlier fight was beginning to brew again now that we were out the rain.

  Once in my room, I reached around my back to tug at the zipper of my dress. I wanted out of the thing and in something comfortable as quickly as possible. I didn’t think about the fact that Taylor might follow me. I didn’t think about the fact that he might try to come into my room. I groaned as the zipper protested, but before I could try again, I felt him. He’d come inside and was right behind me. His nimble fingers reached for the small piece of metal as mine released it.

  “You don’t need to dress like this, ya know?” his whispered voice caused a tremble to run through me. “I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am.” The words began to come, and I was so exhausted from fighting with him that I just stood there and let him talk. “The day CJ was born, it was the happiest and saddest day of my life,” he paused as the zipper reached the bottom, and his fingers skimmed along the soft skin of my lower back.

  “When he finally came out, he wasn’t breathing,” his voice trembled as if remembering the day was more painful for him than I’d imagined. “Virginia handed him to me and told me to take him in the other room. You were barely awake; you were so tired. Your eyes had fluttered closed, and you’d passed out from exhaustion. Within moments, Ben came in where I was holding the baby. Under Virginia’s instructions, I was able to get him breathing.” His fingers ghosted up my back and pushed at the straps on my dress causing it to fall down and pool at my feet.

  “He told me that he knew some powerful people, that he didn’t want his bastard grandson to soil the McGregor name. He told me he’d have him taken away from me. He said we were going to tell you the baby died, and then I was to walk away. He said if I didn’t do this, he’d take the baby, and I’d never see my son again.” Taylor paused as he gripped my shoulders and turned me to face him.

  “I love our son, Morgan. I love him more than my life; I couldn’t let him go. Your dad didn’t give me much of a choice. It was CJ or you.” Taylor leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “He told me I needed to end things with you. He went on and on about how you had a bright future, and he didn’t want Cherryville tying you down. He knew that forcing me to keep the baby a secret would be our undoing.” Taylor took a deep breath before connecting his eyes with mine. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

  I stood there when he stopped talking and just stared at him. His features had changed as he’d barreled through his admission. It was like watching the weight fall off. He’d held it in for so long, every part of him was lighter except his heart. “I still love you,” he whispered. “I don’t think I’ve ever stopped.” His eyes dropped to my lips before he blinked and slowly nodded.

  I chewed my lip as I watched him. I still loved him, too. Didn’t he know that? I moved closer and my fingers danced over his chest and attempted to undo the buttons on his shirt. The fabric was wet and clinging to every inch of him. I started at the waist, made my way up,
my eyes trailing as my fingers went to work. When I got to the top, I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. His breathing had picked up, and when I pushed the shirt off his shoulders, I noticed his hands were clinching into tight fists at his side.

  I watched the fabric fall to the floor as I went to work on his belt. Wiggling the clasp until I popped it free, I gave it a quick tug and watched as it slid from the loops of his dress pants. His chest was rising quickly when I glanced up before releasing the clasp of his pants. They hung on his hips, but as he shook his legs, they soon fell to the floor. “I still do too, you know?” I paused before placing my palms flat on his chest. “Love you, that is,” I swallowed. “I don’t think I ever stopped.” I stressed the word I before blinking up at him.

  We stood there in silence for a moment, just breathing each other in. His hands had moved to my hips, but he made no effort to remove the remainder of my clothing. The bedside lamp was the only lighting in my room, and the only sounds were our soft breaths and the rain pelting on the windows creating its own soothing rhythm. “Taylor?” I tipped my head up to look into his eyes. The green depths sparkled with a mix of longing and sadness. “I…” I started, but was cut off when he crashed his mouth down on mine. His hands left my hips as his arms banded around my waist tugging me flush with him. My hands went to the back of his head as my fingers threaded through the soft hairs at his nape.

  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled again in a pained voice. “I’m so sorry.” His lips skimmed over my cheek as he trailed kisses down to my bare shoulder. His fingers came up to tug my bra strap out of the way as he began moving us toward the bed. My feet shuffled along blindly as I let him take the lead. His pain was obvious, and he seemed much more open and honest this time than when we were together in Cherryville. Here, the secrets were out, and nothing was standing between us.