Live for You (25 page)

“
Tell you what?” I cry.
“How was I supposed to know Everett’s your dad?”

“
Not that.” His grip
tightens, bordering on pain. “Why the hell isn’t his last name
Morgan?”

“
Cole, you’re starting to
hurt me,” I say and he immediately lets go. I rub my arms and look
away. “Hunter is his stage name. He didn’t want to get jobs or
preferential treatment by using the Morgan name.”

“
Must be nice,” Cole says.
“Around here my name counts for shit.” He rounds on me, gently
lifting my chin so our eyes can meet. “Is that what you want, Rae?
A future with me, someone whose own parents hate him. Not just my
dad, but my mom, too.”

I can’t stop the tears. I
thought I was all cried out but I was wrong. “Yes, you dumbass, I
want you.” I smack his shoulder. “I love you. I want to be with
you. I want everything with you.”

*** *** ***

Cole

I stare at her, at her big
blue eyes overflowing with tears. She’s tearing out my heart. And I
can’t stop thinking that I don’t deserve her. Then again, until
recently, she didn’t think she deserved me. And it seems that
neither one of us know what is good for us.

Maybe we do belong together
after all.

But I’d made a promise to
her dad to break up with Rae. That I would give her the chance to
meet people and just get back to normal. I thought I was doing
right by Rae, by her parents who obviously love her.

“
Shit,” I growl, rubbing
that spot over my ear harder.

And maybe I should stop
living my life for other people who don’t matter in the grand
scheme of things by trying to please them and their sense of how
things should be.

Maybe it’s time I live for
what I want.

“
It’s not going to be
easy, me and you,” I finally say and she gives me a wobbly smile.
“We’ve got our families to deal with, college for me and your
career for you.”

“
I always liked you hard,”
she says, a blush stealing on her cheeks.

“
Naughty, Rae,” I scoop
her up in my arms, heading inside. No one’s home but me. Parker
took Kelly and headed out of here as soon as he’d seen the foul
mood I’d come home in.

“
Besides, I really want to
go to college, or at least a semester of it,” she says as I walk
through the house.

“
Here or
Tennessee?”

“
What do you think?” she
asks with a flirty smile.

I give her a wicked grin.
“I’m thinking I like this plan of yours, especially if it means
you’ll be able to sleep in my bed whenever you want.”

“
Are you proposing moving
in together, Cole Morgan?

“
Guess you’ll have to find
out.” I set her on her feet and place my hands on her hips,
bringing her against me. I’m hard and ready to go. “Now that we’re
though talking—”

“
But what about this
weekend?” she asks and I groan.

“
I’m not having that
motherfucker in my bar, if that’s all right with you?” I pull my
shirt over my head and immediately her small hands set to
exploring. “Hell, yes,” I growl. I thought I’d never be touched by
her again.

“
It‘s your bar, Cole. Keep
it. Sell it. Burn it to the ground. You’re the one in charge.” She
unbuttons my jeans.

“
Damn but you’re sexy when
you talk like that,” I growl before covering her mouth with mine.
She sighs and her lips part. Our tongues tangle as I taste her
desire.

“
What about the press?
What will you do when it gets out we’re dating or that I did lose a
baby—”

“
We’ll deal with all that
when the time comes,” I assure her. And I mean it. I’m not letting
her face any kind of fallout alone. She’s been alone long
enough.

“
What if Violet Lynn sang
in your bar?” she asks, but I’m too busy stripping her out of her
clothes to answer. “Or maybe Violet Lynn singing as Rae
Givens?”

“
No country music in my
bar, baby.” I take a sweet nipple in my mouth and suck hard. Her
fingers fist in my hair and pull my head away. Her breast leaves my
mouth with a sexy little popping sound.

“
What if I promise to let
you approve my set list?” she asks as my pants and boxer briefs are
flung across the room. “Anything you want, I’ll sing
it.”

I position myself between
her thighs and press forward. “You drive a hard—” She gasps as I
thrust deep. “—bargain.”

Her eyes flutter close as
her back arches. “Is that a…
ohmygod
, yes?”

Biting my lip, I dip my
head and nuzzle her throat. “Yes.”

“
I love you,
Cole.”

“
I love you,
too.”

“
Forever.”

“
Always.

And that’s the last
coherent conversation we have for a very, very long
time.

More Bestselling Novels
by
Marquita
Valentine

Holland Springs
Series

Seduction of the
Billionaire Playboy Actor

Twice Tempted

Third Time’s a
Charm

His Christmas Wish (a
novella)

Going the Distance
Series

Drive Me Crazy

Driving To You (a
novella)

Boys of the South Series
(New Adult Contemporary Romance)

Live For You

Only For You ~ (Conclusion
of Violet and Cole’s story, Summer 2013)

Acknowledgments

I couldn’t have written
this book without the love and support of my wonderful husband,
Matthew. Or the amazing patience of my little ones while Mommy was
on deadline.

Andris Bear, Olivia Kelly,
Tammy Falkner, Gwen Valentine, Sarra Cannon and Carly Phillips—you
guys are THE BEST. I don’t think I could’ve written past page one,
without y’all’s encouragement.

My readers, for assuring me
that no matter what I write, they will follow. As with each book, I
put my heart into my writing. BUT this series already has a special
place in there. My biggest hope is that it will for you
too.

Nationally Bestselling
author, MARQUITA VALENTINE, writes small town romances that are
anything but small. Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at
Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to
all of her single friends in search of a good man—and if that
doesn't work, they can console themselves with cheesy tater tots.
She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot
Builder and their two children.

You can find her all over
the Internet, starting here:
www.marquitavalentine.com

Don’t be left out! Sign up
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She also loves hearing
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