“I really love it here.”
“It’s okay. People are always up in your business.”
“I think that’s a part of the charm really.” The server drops our drinks off before taking our order. I go with the classic chicken marsala. I’m not even hungry at this point. I wish I would have cancelled.
I wonder what Lennon is doing right now? Is he busy with girls throwing themselves at him? Wow. I didn't know I had a jealous side. Yet, it seems to be rearing its ugly head at the moment.
“We’re leaving.” I jerk my head up at the deep rumble of Lennon’s voice. What the heck is he doing here?
“She’s not going anywhere, dude. We’re on a date.”
“I’m not your dude.” Lennon holds his hand out. “We’re leaving,” he says again. From the look in his eyes, I can tell he’s pissed. That must mean he’s jealous. I know it shouldn’t, but the thought of him being jealous over me makes me want to do a happy dance. It’s also turning me on. I especially loved the part where he ordered me to do something. “I can carry you out if need be.”
“Listen here. She clearly wants to stay.” Lennon sucks in a breath, and I know he’s trying to control himself. I’m actually enjoying this little back and forth.
“I’m sorry,” I say to Steven, taking Lennon’s hand. He pulls me up to my feet. Then he does the last thing I think he’s going to do.
He kisses me. And I waste no time returning the favor.
7
Lennon
Her lips are like soft rose petals against mine. She gasps in surprise when I run my tongue across her mouth. Her lips part for me. I don’t care who’s watching. I deepen the kiss. She tastes like fresh strawberries. How in the hell does she do that? It’s intoxicating, and I want more.
I hadn’t planned on kissing her. A need to mark and claim her in front of everybody consumed me. I lost my mind when she told me she was going on a date. I’ve never driven so fast in my life, but I needed to get her. The thought of her being out with another man was something I wasn't prepared to deal with.
The security detail I’d put on her alerted me when she walked out of her place all dolled up. I broke and texted her, needing to know where she was going. I know it’s nuts that I put security on her. She’s slipped through my fingers before, and I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.
Last night I made myself leave. I felt like I was going to pounce on her at any moment. When she gave me a half smile and invited me upstairs, I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off her. I’m not sure if she even knows what it means when you invite a man up to your place at the end of the night.
The plan was to make her fall in love with me not to scare her away by making her think that I’m only interested in one thing. We’re playing the long game here, and I’m going to win it. Her fingers dig into my chest as she starts to kiss me back.
“What the fuck?”
I growl, pulling away from her mouth. I grab my wallet and toss a couple hundreds on the table. Willow stands there in a daze. She reaches up, touching her lips.
“Stay away from my girl. I won’t be so nice the next time.” I take her hand, leading her out of the restaurant. I know everyone is looking at us. The news of this will spread like wildfire through this small town. Good. I want everyone to know that Willow is off the market. That way I don’t have to worry about any of these assholes sniffing around her anymore. I think I’ve made it pretty clear that she’s taken.
I open the passenger door for her. She gets in without question. We’re driving for a good ten minutes before she finally speaks.
“What just happened back there?” She turns her head, looking over at me. Her eyebrows pull together in confusion. How does she always look so damn sexy? She’s not trying to be, which makes her even sexier.
“I was jealous.” I go with the truth.
“Why?” She fidgets with the end of her pink dress that sits high on her thighs.
“I don’t like the idea of you with another man.”
“But last night. I thought that…” She trails off.
“I wanted to go upstairs with you. Hell, I had to fight myself all damn day not to call you.” She tucks her hair behind her ear.
“I don’t understand.”
“I didn't want you to think that I’m only after sex.” She ducks her head. I’m sure to hide a blush. “That’s not what I want. Well, it’s not all I want.”
“What do you want?” Her voice is so soft I almost don’t hear her.
“I want it all.” She doesn't say anything for a long moment. Fuck. Did I mess this up already? I’m shit at this dating thing. “Am I scaring you?”
“No,” she says instantly. “I want you too, I'm just kind of shy. I had to give myself a pep talk in order to get up the courage to ask you to come back upstairs with me last night.”
“No more dates unless they’re with me.” Out of the corner of my eyes I see her bite her bottom lip. “Willow.”
“I have one more booked. It’s not my fault. Glory set me up on a dating app. I wanted to get out there and start dating, and she was going to do a story on it.”
“Cancel it.”
“Isn’t that rude?”
“What would be rude is me showing up again like tonight.” She puts her hand over her mouth. A giggle comes from her.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
“Believe it.” I’d do it again. I’ve been looking for her for years. There is no way in hell now that I’ve found her that I would let some douche canoe take her from me.
“Where are we going?” she asks, not saying whether she’s going to cancel the date or not. I’ll handle that when we get to my cabin.
“My place. Is that okay?” She nods her head. “I made you miss dinner, so I’ll cook you one.” I want to see her in my space. Touching my things.
“You can cook?”
“I’m terrible at it, but I can make a pizza or something. Charles is out of town. He tends to the house for me. He does the majority of the cleaning and pre-makes most of my meals for me.” I pull up to the front of the cabin. The porch lights are on, lighting up the house. The porch wraps all the way around the house on the first floor.
“Wow,” Willow says, taking my place in. She’s out of the car as soon as I put it into park. “This place looks as if it were plucked out of one of those Town & Country magazines.”
“Is that good?”
“Good? No, it's awesome. Show me around.” She takes my hand. I’ll show her the world if she’ll let me. I lead her up the stairs. I punch in the key code. “Fancy.”
I give her a tour of the place. I had it custom built. It was made for not only a family but to have privacy too. I can’t take credit for the designs in each room. An interior designer did that.
She seems to like it all. I want to tell her she can change anything that she wants. I bite my tongue. I’ve already shown enough crazy for one day. But there’s always tomorrow.
“This kitchen is a dream.” She walks around the island. “Is that a pantry?” She opens the door, stepping into the small room. “Okay. How about I cook?” She spins around to face me. The thought of her navigating her way around my kitchen has my cock hardening. My mind flashes to her standing in the kitchen with my child resting on her hip while she cooks. That’s not helping my current situation.
“You can do anything you want, sweetness.” I drop a kiss on her mouth again. I don’t stop until she’s breathless, leaving her wanting more.
8
Willow
“I don’t think I can eat another bite.” Lennon wipes his mouth with a napkin. I ended up making chicken marsala with angel hair pasta. I enjoyed watching him eat the food I made for him. He cleaned his whole plate.
“I’m glad you liked it.” I slip off the high-top chair. He stops me before I can head over to the sink.
“You’re not cleaning too.” He takes the plate from my hand. “Why don’t you find a movie for us to watch a
nd let me worry about the cleaning.” I find myself relaxing at his suggestion. I didn’t want the night to be over. I’m really enjoying spending time with him.
“I think I can handle that.” I make my way back to the living room. I still can’t get over how breathtaking this house is. I don’t think I’ve seen one more beautiful. I love that it’s not some giant mansion you can get lost inside of. It’s big but not crazy. You can tell he had the future in mind when he built it. There are a decent amount of extra bedrooms. It will be perfect for a family one day. Thoughts of having a family here with him momentarily run through my mind, but I push them to the side. I barely even know him, but somehow I can’t help but feel as though we are connected on a deeper level.
I know Lennon said he wants kids one day. The fact that I might not be able to give him any of his own might be a deal breaker for him. I have no idea if I can get pregnant. I’ve already had one miracle in my life. I'm not so sure I’ll get another one.
“Find something?” Lennon comes in with a tray that has popcorn and candy on it. There are even mini glass bottles of Coke.
“If you’re not careful I’m never going to want to leave here,” I tease him as he sets the tray down.
“There is more than enough room.” He winks at me.
“Action?” I ask.
“Sounds good to me.” We scroll through the list of movies before deciding on one. I kick my shoes off as Lennon pulls a fuzzy blanket over us. Then he tucks me right into his side. I snuggle more into him, loving how it feels being in his arms. This was so not how I thought my date night was going to turn out. I still can’t believe I’m here. All of this is happening so fast, but it feels right. As if this is where I was always meant to be.
I smile to myself thinking about how Lennon had tracked me down and pretty much told my date to get lost. Something I’d wanted to do from the second he introduced himself to me but my manners wouldn't let me. I admire that Lennon says whatever he wants. I wish I could do that.
I guess I’ve started to in some ways. Moving out from my parents’ house was an example of one of them. I could have stayed there and continued to placate them, but I didn’t. I took the first step so that I could begin to spread my wings.
I slip my arm across his stomach, resting my head more on his chest. I have no idea what is going on in the movie. All I can think about is the small circles Lennon’s fingers are drawing on my back. I tilt my head up to look at him. He’s staring down at me. My eyes drop to his lips and before I can change my mind I Iift up and press my mouth against his.
He groans into my mouth. I shift until I’m sliding over into his lap. I’m now straddling him. My panties are pressed against him. I gasp when his cock presses into me.
He nips at my bottom lip. My fingers dig into his shirt, needing something to hold on to. My whole body aches with need. His mouth travels down my neck, kissing and sucking. I drop my head back and roll my hips, needing the friction.
I feel his hands slip under my dress, going to my ass. He rocks me more against him. Some of my shyness fades away as he encourages me to take what I need. I move faster, my body wanting what he’s offering.
“Lennon.” I moan his name.
“I’ve got you,” he says against my neck. “Let go.” I cry out his name as pleasure like I’ve never felt before courses through my body. I hear him groan before his hands on me tighten. I drop my head to his neck as the pleasure begins to subside.
I turn my head, kissing his neck. That was incredible. I close my eyes, not wanting to move. He runs his hands up and down my back. I’ve never felt more relaxed in my life. I smile against his skin and let sleep take me.
* * *
“Lennon?” I yawn, feeling someone pick me up.
“Going to put you to bed.” I rest my head on his shoulder.
“With you?” I slip my hand up his chest to wrap more around him.
“If that is what you want.” I nod as he takes the stairs up to his bedroom. He sits me down on his bed.
“Unless you want me to go home. I’m sorry I passed out.”
“I don’t want you to go anywhere.” He tucks my hair behind my ear. This man is so freaking sweet. I’m starting to wonder if he is real. “Let me get you a shirt.” He comes back a moment later, handing me a shirt before he disappears into the bathroom.
I pull my dress off quickly before crawling under the covers. He comes out a moment later, flipping the light off. I feel the bed dip. I debate if I should move closer to him, but it’s not long before Lennon does it for me, grabbing me and pulling me into him. I laugh as he wraps himself around me.
He buries his face in my hair. “How do you always smell like strawberries?”
“Do I?”
“Yes.” He kisses my neck. I relax more into him.
“Lennon?”
“Yeah?” I roll over, wanting to face him even if I can’t really see him.
“What’s happening here?”
“We’re getting to know each other.” His thumb slides down my jaw.
“Okay, I’m just really new to all this. My parents really sheltered me. I know I’m twenty-one, but these past six months are the first time I’ve truly gotten to see some of the world on my own.”
“I get that.”
“I’m just saying that…” I trail off.
“You can say anything you want to me, baby.”
I smile, liking him calling me that. It makes me feel sexy. “Be careful with my heart.”
He presses his mouth against mine. “I promise you everything I do will always be to protect you.”
“You can’t say that. What if we get closer and we aren't compatible?”
“That will be on your end, not mine. I already know we’re going to get married and do the whole babies and anything else you want.”
My heart turns over in my chest. I want to believe that so badly.
“And a kitten,” I toss out there, knowing I should probably tell him that I’m not sure I can even have kids. But I decide that I don’t want to ruin this moment. “How can you be so sure?”
“I just know. You’re different to me. Do you feel it?”
I nod, closing my eyes. “I feel it.” I’ve never been drawn to anyone like I have him. From the moment I saw him there has been this connection between us.
“Sleep.” He tucks me into him, and I do exactly that. I close my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy this new experience. Hope blooms in my chest that this is the beginning of me checking off the last thing on my bucket list. Within moments I’m fast asleep in his arms.
9
Lennon
I can’t pull my eyes away from her. She sleeps peacefully. Her long eyelashes rest against her cheeks. It's hard for me to believe that she’s here. That last night she was in my arms as she came for me, my name on her lips.
The wait has been worth every second. The more I get to know her, the more I want her. I don’t even know how that’s possible as she’s all I’ve wanted for a long time. She’d stolen my heart all those years ago. I was just too young to know it.
She has no idea how she has me wrapped around her little finger. That there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. Her moaning my name as she came in my arms was enough to send me over the edge myself.
My cock had been hard since I tracked her down on that bench and she turned those innocent blue eyes up at me. She’s naïve in so many ways but at the same time she’s gone through more in her life than some do in a lifetime. Now, I want her to experience whatever it is her little heart desires. And I want to be the person that’s by her side as she does it.
Her eyes flutter open, a smile pulling at her lips. “Morning.” She ducks her head, her cheeks tinting pink. “Don’t be shy with me.”
“I was worried I’d wake up and be back at my place. That last night was some sort of dream.”
“You’re with me.” I lean down and kiss her.
“Oh! What time is it? I have to work today.” She tri
es to hop up from the bed, but I pull her back down. Not wanting our time together to end.
“I’ll take you to work, but first I want a proper kiss.”
“Morning breath.”
“Don’t care,” I say, making her smile. I drop my mouth to hers and kiss her. I groan, making myself pull away before we don’t leave this bed for another hour. I release her. She lies there dazed for a second. “It’s nine.”
“Crap!” She springs up and begins looking around the room for her clothes. I have to say she looks damn sexy wearing my shirt. I watch as she pulls her clothes on. I slide out of bed and get myself dressed. I don’t want to take her to work. “Is this the walk of shame?” she asks me as she stands at the front door. She’s smiling as she asks it.
“I have no shame.”
“Me either.” I lead her outside. “Wow. This place is more beautiful in the daylight. I bet the sunsets here are amazing.”
“We’ll find out tonight. I’ll pick you up after work.” I open the door for her.
“I’d like that.” She climbs in. Once I’m in and check to make sure she’s wearing her seatbelt, I back up and turn around to go back down the hill to head towards Kissme Bay. “Can I use this?” She picks up the cord for the phone charger. “I guess mine died. I’m terrible with this thing.”
“Of course. You should be better with it. I’d worry if I couldn't get a hold of you.”
“I have to admit I’ve been better since you’ve been texting me.” Her phone starts going off like crazy as it powers on.
“Hello?” She answers it. “Okay. Slow down, I’m fine. I spent the night over at Lennon’s.” She peeks over at me. I nod, having nothing to hide. I think I made things pretty fucking clear last night in the restaurant. “What?” She bites her bottom lip, her entire demeanor changes, and her body stiffens. “I’m almost there. I’ll see you in a second.”
209 Wedding Lane Page 4
