Hate Fills the Streets of Harmony Falls

Walt watches me for a reaction, taking a long drink from his mug before placing the cup in front of him. He leans forward, resting his forearms on the table, contemplating his words. “She’s been through a lot, my Livy. Losing her parents so young. Then her grandmother passing away a few years back. God rest their souls.” He shakes his head with a pained sigh. “Now this,” he says, staring down at the newspaper. “Last night was the first time I haven’t heard her pacing the floors.”

He pauses, lifting his eyes to mine.

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t enjoy watching a man walk out of her room. If I had it my way I’d keep her to myself forever. She’s all I have left.” His voice grows thick before he clears it, shifting in his chair. “But I know that’s not possible and it’s not fair to her. I’m not gonna live forever, hell, who knows how much longer I got, then it will be her who has no one. She’s built her whole life around taking care of me, which is why she still lives here and not in the guesthouse. It’s time someone takes care of her. It’s obvious she feels safe with you, and for that I’m grateful. I need to know there’s someone to look after her when I’m gone.”

“I will.”

His turbulent eyes remain locked on mine, desperation bleeding from dark brown orbs. “Promise me, no matter what, that you won’t let anyone hurt her again.”

“I promise. I’m not going anywhere. I care a lot about her, Walt. No matter what happens between us, I’ll always keep her safe. No one will ever fucking hurt her again.”

He gives me a stern nod. “Good. That’s what I wanted to hear and that’s why I’m not gonna kick your ass for sleeping in her bed last night.” He tosses me a wink before he gets up to refill his cup.

Fair enough.

“I want to take her to my cabin in Arkansas for the weekend. Get her away from here for a few days.”

“I think that would be good for the both of you. I’ll drive up to Stockton then, there’s a tractor for sale I want to check out, but I didn’t want to leave her here alone.”

“You sure you don’t need help with that?”

He waves me away. “Naw, I’m gonna see if Fletch wants to ride with me. We usually head that way together when we need supplies, and it will be good to catch up with him. With all this bullshit goin’ on it’s been hard to do that.”

“That’s a good idea,” I’ve been meaning to check in with Fletcher again but haven’t had the chance.

“What’s a good idea?” The sound of Liv’s soft voice pulls my eyes to the entry of the kitchen.

Fuck me.

She’s still in her nightgown but wears that sweater she likes so much. It does nothing to stop my imagination from conjuring up what’s beneath it. Especially after the tiny glimpses I got last night. My eyes move back to hers, and by the blush staining her cheeks it’s clear she knows exactly what I’m thinking.

“Morning, Livy,” Walter greets her, interrupting our silent exchange.

“Morning, Pap.” She makes her way over to him and kisses his cheek. “So are one of you going to fill me in on this good idea you two were talking about?” she asks, looking back at me with a raised brow.

“Think I’ll go see about Rosie,” Walt says, emptying his cup into the sink.

“What about breakfast?” she asks.

“I ate a bowl of oats earlier.”

Liv eyes him suspiciously then shifts to look in the sink. “Where’s your bowl?”

He clears his throat. “I washed it and put it away already.”

“Pap!” Her growl makes me grin and so does the way she props her tiny hands on her hips.

She’s hot as hell when she’s fired up.

“Oh, all right, give me one of those damn nutritious bars, and I’ll take it out to the barn with me.”

She grabs one down from the cabinet and hands it to him, but doesn’t release it right away. “You better not feed this to Rosie or I’ll know.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He kisses her on the cheek then points the offending nutritious bar at me. “You better be a breakfast man or you’re in trouble, son,” he says, before trailing out the door.

“The stubborn old man,” she grumbles.

When she moves to walk past me I grab her wrist, catching her off guard, and pull her down to straddle me. Her gown rides up to reveal smooth, bare thighs. Those soft pink lips part, and I move in, cutting off whatever she was about to say by claiming her mouth the same way I want to claim her body.

A sexy moan vibrates from her lips and she immediately softens against me, winding her arms around my neck, giving as good as she gets. The growl that rumbles from my chest is low and deep as the taste of her floods my mouth.

I slow the kiss, not wanting to get too carried away. I narrowly escaped Walt’s gun earlier, if he walked back in here right now I’m not sure he’d be so forgiving again. I press my forehead against hers, holding on tight to those big doe eyes that are hooded with desire.

“Mornin’,” I say, giving her another soft kiss.

“Mmm. Good morning,” she responds breathlessly, making my dick harder. “What was that for?”

“Because I wanted to, and because you’re sexy as hell when you’re bossy.”

She giggles that sweet laugh of hers that always hits me like a punch to the chest.

I cup her delicate cheek. “How’d you sleep?”

“Better than I have in weeks, thanks to you.”

My hand drops to her leg, grazing the silky skin. “Good.”

Her fingers gently press around the cut above my eye. “Swelling’s gone down,” she points out before bringing that same finger to the cut on my lip. “Here, too,” she whispers, giving me one of her soft, sweet kisses. When she pulls back she fixes her eyes on mine. “So what were you and Pap talking about when I walked in?”

I continue to caress her thigh, unable to stop touching her. It makes me wonder how the fuck I’ve made it this long without her. “I want to take you away for a couple of days. I have a cabin in Arkansas on a lake. It belonged to my father. It’s quiet up there, no one around for miles. I think it’ll be good to get away from all this. I want to spend time alone with you, without any distractions.”

She smiles, filling my chest with warmth. “It sounds wonderful, but…” She trails off, unsure.

“What?”

“I’m not sure about leaving Pap. Especially with everything going on. What happens if someone comes here to hurt him?”

I wrap my arms around her waist and bring her in closer. “Baby, if anyone can take care of themselves it’s Walt. I was afraid for my own safety walking out of your room this morning.”

She vehemently shakes her head. “No, he cannot. Just look at this morning. He almost didn’t eat breakfast. If not for me that man would live off coffee, bacon, and beer.”

“What’s wrong with that?” She gives me the same disapproving look she did Walter earlier. I chuckle. “I’m kidding. Come on, he’ll be okay. You heard him, he thinks it’s a good idea, and he wants to take a trip up to Stockton anyway.” She stares back at me indecisively. I can tell she wants to say yes but she’s worried. “I’ll ask Terrell to come by and check on him if that makes you feel better.” I offer.

Excitement sparkles in her eyes. “Yes, that’s perfect. I’ll also ask Tania to stop in and make sure he’s eating properly. If there’s anyone else that can get Pap to listen, it’s her.”

Jesus, Walt wasn’t kidding, she’s tough on him about this diet shit. “I just need to run to the house and pack a few things. Think you can be ready in an hour?”

She nods, a stunning smile lighting up her face. “I’m excited. I’ve never really gone anywhere before.”

I frown. “Never?”

“Not really. With Pap being the only one around here and Grams’s poor health it was hard to travel. Tania and I had plans to go to Paris after graduation. I bought my plane ticket and everything, but then Grams passed away and I couldn’t go. I felt horrible for backing out on her, but I just couldn’t leave Pap. A mutual friend of ours ended up buying my ticket and they went together. She wasn’t pleased about it though. She wanted to stay behind with me, but I convinced her to go.” She shrugs, fiddling with the hem of her nightgown. “I’m fine with it all. Vacations or not, I loved my childhood. Growing up here was everything to me. This farm means everything to me.”