Live for You by Marquita Valentine Page A

nowhere on
the list of things I’d like to do her. But she’s completely
serious. And if she squeezes that rock any harder, she’ll hurt
herself. But maybe she needs to hold onto something. Or
someone.
    “ And you promise not to
tell anyone I’m here in Forrestville?”
    Slowly, I reach out and
take her fist in my hand. Keeping my gaze on her fingers, I gently
pry them open. The rock falls to the ground with a dull thud. I
brush away the leftover sediment, then trace the grooves left
behind. I can feel her eyes on me. Beneath my fingertips, the pulse
in her wrist is pounding, with excitement or fear of discovery, I’m
not sure.
    What I am sure of: This
connection between us is real.
    I bring her hand to my
mouth, kissing the center of her palm. Her blue eyes widen, then
darken. Her chest rises and falls like she’s still running. I kiss
her hand again, this time turning it and running my lips softly
over her knuckles.
    “ I promise,” I say softly.
And I mean it.
    She takes a deep breath.
“Violet Lynn.”
    “ Hmm,” I say, still
tasting her skin. “Never heard of her.”
    “ You can call me
Violet...or Rae like you’ve been doing.”
    Another kiss and her body
shakes. Jesus, I want this girl. “What do you prefer?”
    “ I don’t know,” she says
breathlessly.
    Keeping my gaze fixed her,
I ask, “If I took you to a party, to celebrate my buddy’s
homecoming, how would you want to be introduced?” Why in the hell
would I do that? I don’t even know her.
    “ Cole…your sister.” She
glances in the direction of Kelly.
    “ Is she okay?”
    Nodding, she faces me
again. “She’s fine.”
    I kiss the inside of her
wrist. “Answer me.”
    Another shiver. “I don’t
remember the question.”
    I don’t hide the satisfied
smile that kicks up the corners of my mouth. “Rae or
Violet?”
    “ Maybe both.”
    “ Violet Rae is a
mouthful,” I tease.
    Her lashes flick up. “It’s
my name.”
    “ You tell me, darlin’.
Anything you want, that’s what I’ll call you. Your secret identity
is safe with me.”
    “ Why do you have to be
so gentlemanly ?”
she huffs.
    I place her hand on her
thigh and let go. “Are you seriously complaining about
that?”
    She bites her lip and I
lean closer, sneaking a glance at my sister to assure myself that
she’s still safely playing. “You’re not making it easy on me,” she
says, accusation lacing her words.
    “ Didn’t know I was
supposed to.” Her lips are so close to mine that I’d be insane not
to kiss her. Or at least try to.
    “ Rae,” she says, jerking
her head back and scooting away. “I’d liked to be called
Rae.”
    Denied. “Rae, it is,
then.”
    “ What about
you?”
    Biting back a grin, I say,
“I go by Cole.”
    She punches me in the
shoulder. “Be serious.”
    “ Ow!” I wince in mock pain
and rub the spot she hit.
    She shakes her fist at me
and playfully narrows her eyes. I hold up my hands in surrender.
Kelly squeals about the fishies eating her toes and I take a couple
of minutes to save her. Once she’s playing closer to me, in the
shallower part, I turn my attention back to Rae.
    “ I run a bar with my
brother, take classes online for my business degree and raise our
little sister.” While waiting for my mother to either overdose or
kick her habit. But I don’t say that.
    “ Oh…wow. You sound
incredibly busy.” The admiration on her face makes me sit up
taller.
    “ And you sounded pretty
good earlier.” Actually she reminded me of a sad angel. Like the
song was bringing back bad memories for her—or fighting
them.
    Her face flushes and her
nose wrinkles, diamond catching the light. “Heard that,
huh?”
    “ Yeah. Waited until you
were done though, before I scared the shit out of you.” Actually, I
had waited because I thought the moment belonged to her. No matter
how entranced I was, or how much Kelly had tugged on my arm,
wanting to go to swim, I couldn’t interrupt.
    She rolls her eyes. “You
didn’t scare