Tangled: Emerson Falls, Book 1

by Harlow James

  “I’ll start with an easy one. What is your favorite childhood memory?”

  Olivia looks to the sky in contemplation before her eyes return to mine, reverent in her gaze as if she’s right back in that moment in time. “Ah, it’s kind of a compilation of ones, but when I was younger, I used to spend a lot of time at my grandma’s house.”

  “Is this the same grandma you said was your hero?”

  “Yes. I told you she owned her own porcelain business.” I nod in recollection. “Well, there would be pieces she made—miniature birdhouses, teapots, or dolls—that she couldn’t sell for various reasons. So she would let my cousins and me paint them and fire them off in the kiln so we could keep them.” Her eyes move across the space as she regards the view before continuing. “I just remember sitting beside her in the garage at my own little painting station while she worked meticulously on her own pieces. She was so articulate in every flick of her brush and color choice. The woman was incredibly talented and I was always so in awe of her creativity. She could take something so plain and transform it into a piece of glass that suddenly had life. I’ve never considered myself a creative person. But any artistic bone I have in my body had to have come from her.”

  “I love that. What an incredibly gifted woman. She obviously meant a lot to you, Liv. Do you still have some of those pieces?”

  Olivia’s eyes find mine again as I see the tears forming. One drop falls down her cheek before she reaches up to brush it away. “Yes, I do. I keep them out so I can think back on her often. Sorry,” she says before wiping her face. “You keep making me cry, Kane,” she chuckles through her tears, looking away from me in embarrassment.

  “I know. That’s not my intention, I promise. But I love seeing you talk about her. You’re entire face lights up. And I love learning more about you.”

  “I miss her so much,” she whispers while taking another sip of her water, then shaking off her emotion. “Okay, your turn.”

  I sit up tall and pull her closer to me so our knees are touching. “Mine is sort of similar to yours. It involves my grandpa. He was a wood-worker, building all sorts of things in his spare time in his shop attached to his house. You know the coffee table in my house?” Olivia nods in acknowledgment. “Well, I helped him build that. It was one of the last pieces we made together before I left for the Army. He died during my second tour overseas. I was able to come back for the funeral, but then had to return almost immediately.”

  “I’m sorry, Kane. But that table is beautiful. He was obviously very talented.”

  “Yeah, he was. He taught me everything I know about building and fixing anything with my hands. My dad was always working, so I spent a lot of time with him. He taught me to fish and hunt, throw a football, and so much about being a man.”

  Olivia’s tears return. “He would be nothing but proud of the man you are.”

  Her hand finds mine as we share a moment. “Your grandma would be proud of you too, Liv.”

  Olivia clears her throat and then takes a few bites of food. “Okay, next question. And please don’t make me cry this time.”

  “I’ll try not to,” I say behind a small smile. “Alright. If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?”

  I have to admit that on some level, I’m more afraid to answer this question than ask it. I mean, I’ve already admitted my past to her, but I feel like there’s something so meaningful about discussing your regrets.

  I’d hate to say that I regret my time with Natasha or my friendship with T.J., but I do wonder how different my life would have been if I had never re-enlisted, or never pursued Natasha. Would T.J. and I still be friends? Would Natasha and I have gone our separate ways earlier and in turn, would I have saved myself the last three years of anger, resentment, and self-doubt?

  I know I could sit here and play the “what if” game all day, but if I ever had a regret in my life, it would definitely be how that all played out. I feel like maybe I could have seen it coming, or maybe the writing was on the wall and I was too blind to notice. I think back over my relationship with her often and wonder how one different choice could have led me down a different path.

  It’s crazy how one event in our lives can feel like it dictates so much—like that single moment creates a divide in our mind—of the time before it and after it. The change it impacts is so monumental, we define our worlds with it.

  Olivia ponders her answer for a moment before locking her eyes on mine.

  “Nothing,” she says, which completely catches me by surprise.

  “Nothing?”

  “Yeah, nothing,” she shrugs. “I mean, there are obviously things that have happened in my life that were hard to experience. I’ve made mistakes and done things I’m not proud of. But if I changed any of that, I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now. Coming home was such a rash decision I made out of anger—not my finest moment, by the way—but being back in Emerson Falls has sent me in a direction that I never could have imagined, and I’m grateful for that.”

  I swallow hard at her answer and realize this woman is so much stronger and wiser than I give her credit for. I mean, I knew she was strong-minded, which was one of the things that attracted me to her in the first place. But listening to her accept her life, endure it’s developments so far, even with her losses and mistakes—it reminds me how incredible she is in her ability to move past the obstacles and disappointments she’s faced and has vowed to continue to move forward.

  “I’m jealous. I wish I had the confidence to answer the same way.”

  “It’s okay, Kane. If you would have asked me that question a few weeks ago, I probably would have answered differently.”

  “Really? Why?”

  She stumbles for a moment before settling on her answer. “Because I hadn’t met you.”

  And just like that, she penetrates those last few bricks structured around my heart.

  “I feel the same, Liv,” I say, reaching to pull her onto my lap. My lips seek hers out in desperation, yearning to feel her connected to me. I kiss her deeply as she surrenders to the moment—our two broken souls healing one another and fighting for the future I know we can have, the future that gets clearer every time we are together.

  When we break, reclaiming our breaths, I lean my forehead down to hers and inhale her scent.

  “Sometimes I still can’t believe we got here,” she whispers, running her hands through my hair as she holds on to my neck.

  “Me neither. But I don’t regret it for a second.”

  We sit there for a few minutes, encased in each other, soaking up the feeling of just being, before I move her next to me and reach for more food, feeding her seductively as the mood changes from reverent to heated.

  Olivia licks her lips as I slide my fingers between them to pop an olive in her mouth, her mouth closing around my fingers as I pull away, sending a blast of arousal to my dick.

  “You’d better watch it babe, or you’re going to be on your back in the forest in no time.”

  “No, I have a better idea,” she whispers, moving to stand and reaching for my hand to pull me up. Once we’re both upright, she walks us back over to the bike and motions for me to sit before she straddles the bike in front of me so we’re facing each other.

  “What are you doing?” I ask as my hands run up along her thighs and onto her hips.

  “I want you to fuck me on the bike, Kane.”

  And just as the words leave her mouth, my dick twitches in my jeans, making me painfully harder than I was just a few moments ago.

  “Uh, I’m not sure how that’s possible. Christ, do I want to, but you’re going to get too cold, babe.”

  She shakes her head. “Not if you have easy access,” she quirks her eyebrow while spreading her legs further, my eyes seeking out her crotch as she looks up at me. “Rip the seam, Kane,” she points to her leggings between her thighs as I look up at her for clarification.

  “Are you sure?”

  She
nods. “Yes. I can buy more leggings. But this moment, right here… this is the only moment we get like this,” she declares confidently while leaning forward to suck my bottom lip into her mouth, biting it sternly before releasing it. And fuck if I needed another reason to submit to her requests—because if my woman wants sex on the bike, she’s going to get sex on the bike.

  I reach down and rub my fingers along her slit through her leggings, noticing how wet she already is as the fabric dampens. I situate my hands along the seam and tear, ripping the fabric farther than I intended. But when I see Olivia’s bare pussy through the hole, I know there’s no turning back now.

  “You little minx. You’re not wearing any underwear. Were you planning this the entire time?” I say through clenched teeth as my hands dig into her thighs and I feel my self-control fading.

  “I wanted to be prepared in case the opportunity presented itself.”

  “Fuck, babe. You’re soaked already,” I say as my fingers thread through the opening in her leggings and run along her wet folds, enticing a moan from her.

  “I’m always wet for you, Kane. Now fuck me, please,” she cries as she leans back slightly along the body of the motorcycle.

  I shuck my jacket off and lay it down under her for a little cushion and stand to release my cock from the confines of my jeans, grateful that we surpassed the need for condoms weeks ago as I stare down at Olivia’s open legs and guide my dick to her entrance.

  I veer up at her as I line us up and then reach around her body, enveloping her in my arms as I plunge into her.

  “Yes,” she exclaims as I set a punishing rhythm, losing myself in the fantasy of this woman beneath me on my bike, checking off a bucket list item, as well as a sexual first for the two of us. There are so many other firsts I want to experience with her—but I decide to just immerse myself in this one for now.

  “God, baby. You feel good, so fucking good,” I growl in her ear as she arches in my arms. My lips find her neck, leaving a wet trail of kisses in their wake as Olivia’s head flies up and her eyes find mine—the forest green of her eyes is light, yet on fire, full of desire and need. And I see it there—the pleasure, the high, the ecstasy that’s about to hit her.

  “More, Kane,” she shrieks as I pound into her, dragging my cock through her slick wetness with every thrust. This woman has ruined me, in the best way. There will never be another woman who can make me feel this out of control. I want to give her all of me, every last drop until we both see stars.

  I sit back on the seat and bring her with me so my cock hits every nerve ending deep inside of her.

  “Oh, God,” she moans as I lift her up and down, driving harder with each thrust up.

  “I’m there, Kane,” she breathes, her thighs clenching around my hips as I feel myself about to lose it as well.

  “Come on my cock, Liv,” I growl in her ear as she splinters above me, the pulse and force of her orgasm so brutal she brings me over with her, pulling every last ounce of pleasure from our bodies as she screams into the quiet surrounding us.

  “Fuck, that was hot,” I exhale, catching my breath as Olivia’s head rests on my shoulder, her chest heaving with deep breaths.

  “Hell yeah, it was. I was thinking about that all the way up the mountain,” she confesses, which makes me laugh as she pushes up off of me to meet my eyes, my hand moving up to brush her hair from her face.

  “You sure are a determined woman,” I tease her and she smiles down at me, pure bliss in her expression.

  “When I want something, I get it,” she flashes me a devious grin. But I hear her loud and clear. And whether she realizes it yet, or not—she’s definitely owning me.

  “One thing you failed to consider here, Liv,” I say as she waits for my rebuttal. “You’re going to have quite the draft between your legs on the drive home,” I motion with my eyes between her legs where we’re still joined.

  “Well, shit,” she declares as a deep laugh rumbles in my chest.

  “Not all ideas are good ones, babe,” I run my nose along her neck before granting her a kiss on the lips, loving how we can go from fucking to laughing in an instant.

  Chapter 34

  Olivia

  “No, not like that,” my mother scolds while I try to readjust the turkey.

  “How many ways are there to do this, Mom? You’re trying to shove a turkey into a brown paper bag.”

  My mother throws me a knowing glance and then turns the bag in my hands so it’s more horizontal.

  “There, now hold still,” she says as she slides the bird into the bag and tucks the wings in before she pushes it all the way in. It’s like seeing a baby being born in reverse and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Although my family has always cooked our turkey in a brown paper bag, so I guess I should be alright with it by now.

  Except, all I have is babies on the brain in the last forty-eight hours—because I’m late. Like three days late. Which wouldn’t mean much to me normally, except Aunt Flow visits my body like clockwork and I’ve never been this late before. A day or two, yes. But three? Never.

  And I’m officially freaking out.

  “Okay, put her in the roasting pan and wash your hands,” my mother directs me as if I didn’t know I need to remove the bird and butter juices from my palms.

  “What’s next?” I ask as I turn to her, drying my hands on the dish towel.

  “We need to prep the stuffing and green bean casserole and start baking off the bread.” My mother thinks she needs to feed a small army every Thanksgiving, but really it’s just the four of us like any other Sunday dinner. Except this year, Kane is joining us.

  Kane. My boyfriend, as he deemed himself after our motorcycle ride the other day. The man who is slowly burrowing himself in my heart.

  And could be the father of my child.

  Oh, God.

  I knew it. I knew I was waiting for something to happen, something to pull me out of my sex-induced trance and bring me back to reality.

  Well, here’s your reality, Liv—you might be pregnant. How’s that for a smack in the face?

  “Earth to Liv,” my mom waves her hands in front of my face, pulling me from the rambling of my inner thoughts.

  I shake off the anxiety and focus back on her while she stares at me straight in the eyes.

  “Are you okay? Did you just hear a word I was saying to you?” She gives me that knowing look that only a mom can pull off, searching the depths of mind, knowing there’s something going on even though I haven’t said a word.

  My lips start to tremble and tears well in my eyes. And just as I gather myself to talk to my mom, the one person I should be able to speak to about this—the fear that is slowly crushing my chest—the doorbell rings.

  Kane

  “I’ve got it!” I hear the muffled voice behind the door as I straighten my spine and readjust the flowers and wine in my hands. I’ve never visited someone else’s home on Thanksgiving before. Drew and Tammy have invited me over to their house the past few years, but I spent the day alone or at my parent’s house. After Natasha and I split up and I moved south, I haven’t seen my parents very often. Last Thanksgiving was actually the last time I visited.

  Dad retired from his job and my mother got so involved in her crafting and reading groups, they pretty much leave me alone to live my life. I call them from time to time, just to check in, but we aren’t super close. I was always closer with my grandparents.

  The handle on the door turns and as it opens, I’m greeted with a younger man that matches me in height and build. I’m not a small guy, and neither is he.

  “You must be Kane,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to intimidate me, I suppose. It’s cute, but it’s not working.

  “Yes, I am. Nice to meet you. You must be Cooper,” I respond, instantly recognizing the family resemblance between him and Olivia now.

  “Yup, that’s me. So, what are you intentions with my sister…” he starts just as I hear the pitter
patter of feet behind him, Olivia spinning around his frame and cutting him off.

  “Dear Lord, Coop. Stop it,” she shoves his chest. “Hi, Kane,” she turns to me now, granting me with that smile that warms my entire body.

  “Hi, beautiful,” I greet her with a kiss on the cheek and then hand her the flowers and wine.

  “You didn’t have to do this,” she admonishes while pushing Cooper out of the way more so I can step inside.

  “Hey, Kane. Sorry about before,” Cooper starts before Olivia cuts him off again.

  “You are not. You’re just warming him up before you and Dad start your real inquisition later.”

  Cooper nods in agreement and shrugs. “True. Be ready, Kane,” he arches his brow at me before sauntering away.

  “He seems protective of you,” I whisper in her ear as I pull her into my chest. I see the goosebumps appear on her exposed skin, and fuck if I don’t love how easily she responds to me.

  “He is, even though I’m the oldest. He and my dad will drill you later, just so you're prepared.”

  “You already warned me, baby, remember? And it’s fine. It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ve had grown men scream in my face before. A little tough talk from your dad and brother ain’t nothing.”

  Olivia kisses me on the cheek and then grabs my hand, leading me inside. Her parent’s home is a shrine to a life well-lived—framed photographs decorating the walls and every flat surface, showcasing a family and the growth of its children over the years. The furniture is well worn and the space is warm and inviting, decorated in browns and greens with cream-colored walls. You can feel the love as you walk around, and you can smell it too. My God, that food smells amazing.

  As I follow Olivia into the kitchen, I’m greeted with a slightly shorter and older version of her.

  “Kane, this is my mom, Stacy. Mom, this is Kane.”

  The woman flashes me the same beautiful smile that Olivia must have inherited from her. “Mrs. Walsh, it’s so great to meet you. Thank you for having me today,” I reach out to shake her hand while Olivia locates a vase for the flowers and deposits the wine on the counter.