Seventh Heaven

Book 4: The Allendale Four

by Angel Lawson

Genres: Family Life; New Adult Romance; Young Adult; YA Romance

Synopsis

First there were four...

Oliver
Jackson
Hayden
Anderson

Then they met Heaven.

A special follow up novella to the Allendale Four series.

Release date: November 26, 2018

Print pages: 106

Sample

Chapter 1

Heaven

 

“Look, I know it may be a little soon for something like this, but…”

“Well, think about it. The little eyes. The nose.”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure we’re ready for the responsibility. I’m not sure I’m ready for the responsibility,” I said. The guys were surrounding me, faces eager. They wanted this and wanted it bad. And I understood. Part of me wanted it too, but I was scared. Really scared. Nothing sounded more terrifying to me than being responsible for another living thing. 

“The way I see it,” Oliver said, leaning forward in his chair, “is there’s no good time. It’s something you just have to dive into. Make a decision and go with it.”

I glanced at Anderson, sure he would feel the same way I do. He’s not a fan of change or disruption at all, but oddly, his green eyes show interest. He shrugs. “A few months ago, I would have said no, but now?” He cast his handsome face in my direction, the face I’d never been able to resist. “We’re all in the same place. There’s usually someone home, so there would be no need for outside help. Everyone’s matured a lot in the last year. It just seems like the next logical step.”

Jackson punched him. “Dude. This isn’t about logic.”

“You know I can’t help but think logically.” 

I glanced at Hayden. “What do you think?”

“I think we all have to be in agreement.”

“But what do you think, personally.”

He leaned forward and took my hand. “I’m ready. I’m ready when you are.”

I exhaled and fell back against the cushion. With four deadly smiles aimed at me, I’d had little chance of changing their minds. And the truth was that I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I was ready for the next step. The logical step. The big step.

“Fine,” I said, embracing the excitement. “Let’s get a dog.”

* * *

Two weeks later, Sadie dragged me down the sidewalk, eager to get home. I found her desire to come home ironic, because she’s always so excited to leave for the walk. I guess really, she’s just excited all the time regardless. Thank god I kept up my running, because she needed a ton of exercise. 

Once we decided to get the dog, things moved quickly. We all agreed on a rescue and we all agreed on a mutt. We went to the shelter and visited and finally settled on this adorable, stumpy-legged black dog that looked like a mix between a pit-bull and a corgi. It didn’t take Sadie long to acclimate to our home and five loving owners, but soon it became clear that she had a fondness of me (and my runs) and followed me around all day.

Since we all moved in, we’d done our best to turn Oliver’s house into a shared, cohesive space. We still had our own rooms and there was a bit of adjustment with both Anderson and Hayden moved back full time. Anderson was looking at one last Olympic games in two years, and Hayden shifted to a coaching position with our local team. Oliver and Jackson’s gym, A5, had continued to thrive in Allendale’s market and they were in the process of opening a new gym a few towns over.

“Good afternoon,” our neighbor, Mrs. Richmond, said as she got her mail from her box.

“Hi, how are you today, Mrs. Richmond?”

Things with Mrs. Richmond and the other neighbors were always slightly tense. Oliver inherited the house from his parents and the people that lived nearby understood that. They’d also seen the boys come and go for years and even were familiar with my presence, but once we’d all moved in together there was no doubt a few had questions. Especially that lady down the street—Monique—who’d just moved in with her husband and two little kids. I saw her watching me and the guys when she strolled them up and down the street. Okay. I saw her watching the guys. I didn’t blame her. 

“Well my arthritis is acting up again, but that’s what happens when the weather changes and it starts getting a little cold.” She glanced down at Sadie, who was sniffing the ground like she was looking for a good place to pee. I gently jerked her leash. “I see you got a new dog.”

“Yep, a few weeks ago.”

“And this dog belongs to…”

“Oh, all of us, really, we take turns taking care of her.”

“That seems like it will be complicated when one of you moves out.”

I nodded. “I guess we’ll have to play it by ear.”

We’d all agreed not to make our relationship status known unless it was with people close to us. Mrs. Richmond didn’t count, even though her house was right next door. I had a feeling she kept one eye out her kitchen window, where she had a good view of the pool. 

Sadie, thankfully, lunged toward the house, eager to get home. “Guess that’s my cue,” I said, waving and letting the dog drag me down the driveway.

I opened the back gate and let Sadie off her leash. She darted across the patio, making a beeline for the pool. Anderson leaned over the edge, his broad shoulders and sculpted chest dripping with water. He shook his hair and Sadie rushed for him, wagging her tail excitedly.

“Looks like someone is happy to see you,” I said, dropping the leash and kicking off my shoes. I sat by the edge, dipping my legs in the cool water. Anderson’s eyes skimmed my legs, and his fingers trailed water over my skin. 

“I know I’m happy to see you. How was your run?”

“Well, we had to stop every few minutes to sniff and pee and check all the things out. Twice, we had to consider if Sadie could catch a squirrel, and then one of the neighbors down the street was at their mailbox, so obviously we had to visit.”

Sadie loved attention, so if anyone else was around, she would make sure she got it from them, too.

“Mrs. Richmond or Monique?”

“Mrs. Richmond. She had a lot of questions about dog ownership and tossed in another hint about when we move out.” I frowned. “Who’s Monique?”

“The mom down the street—with the two kids? They always want to pet Sadie when we go out.”

I snorted. “Sounds like an excuse to talk to you.”

“The kids?”

I splashed him with water. “The mom. I’ve seen her watching you guys.”

Truthfully, I didn’t get jealous over other women checking out my men. They were handsome, sexy, and absolutely, totally mine. If I was going to have an issue over women, or men, finding them attractive, this relationship would have ended years ago.

“She’s probably just curious, like Mrs. Richmond, wondering how we got such a smokin’-hot girl to move in with us.”

My skin was hot from the exercise and Anderson’s cool hands felt good. He ran them along my arms and I felt the buildup of anticipation in my belly. We were at the point in our relationship where there wasn’t any question about where we stood or what we wanted. He wanted me and I wanted him, so when he rested his hands on my hips and pulled me into the water fully dressed, I let him. 

The cold water hit my belly and I shrieked, pressing my body against his for warmth. My tank and shorts were quickly discarded, along with Anderson’s trunks. The feel of his naked body in the water was electric and we floated together, fully intertwined. I loved kissing him and it took a force greater than the two of us together to get us to stop. The whining on the edge of the pool should have been a signal but I was too into Anderson’s mouth and the way his hands cupped my breasts, the feel of his thumbs grazing my nipples, the nudge of his cock against my belly, to notice our agitated dog until it was too late. The splash of water rained down on us.

“Sadie!” The dog happily swam in our direction. Anderson shook his head. “So desperate for attention.”

The sweet pup swam across the pool, bobbing up and down in the water. Anderson pushed her toward the step and climbed out after her, giving me a fantastic view of his body. He wrapped a towel around his waist and brought one over to the edge of the pool. Sadie licked the water off his legs and feet.

I exited the pool, covering myself with the towel, and pushed up on my toes, giving Anderson a kiss.

“Guess we have to consider the dog now when we make out in the pool,” he said, brushing a wet strand of hair off my neck.

“That’s okay.” I link my fingers with his. “I had plans that require a bed anyway.”

His eyebrow lifted in curiosity. “I’ll dry off the dog. You get in the bed.”

“Deal.”

I’d taken a few steps when I felt my towel yank off my body. Cool air hit my skin and he grinned mischievously. “Sorry—I need it.” He looked down at Sadie. “For the dog.”

“Sure you do,” I said, but I didn’t mind one bit and walked off, knowing he had his eyes glued to my backside and that he’d be in my bedroom faster than he could swim the fifty free.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

Heaven

 

I was sitting in my car in the parking lot after work when my phone buzzed on the seat. I was still working on Creature Feature, which had turned into a bonafide hit, entering its third season. We’d been working non-stop for the last six weeks and hiatus was on the horizon. I couldn’t wait to have a few weeks off, especially since I’d been fighting the same cold for weeks. 

I picked up the phone and saw Amber’s picture flashing across the screen in a video call.

“Hey girl,” she said when I answered.

“Hey!” I replied, but my breath caught and I turned my head to cough.

“Holy shit. You’re still sick?”

“Ugh, it’s just this stupid, lingering cough.”

“You sound awful. Have you been to a doctor?”

“Yeah, actually I have. The guys got tired of me hacking all the time and forced me to go. I’m on antibiotics—it’s just a nasty case of bronchitis.”

“Well good, I know you’re busy and the last thing you need is to get sick.”

“Yeah, none of the guys want to get sick either.” I shifted in my seat. “How’s everything? New York? Ginger?”

“Things are good. Just busy, you know. Ginger’s about to finish up her master’s program, which should give her a little more time to be at home.”

“That sounds great. I know she’s worked really hard in physical therapy school.”

“Too hard,” Amber said, with a sigh. “But it’ll be worth it.”

“Definitely.”

“How are you and the guys?”

I looked out the window, watching the crew leave the set. “I’m good. They’re good. Actually, we did something crazy a few weeks ago and—”

“I need to tell you something,” she blurted.

I blinked. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she promised. “I just have some big news and I really want to share it with you. Like really, really, really want to share it with you. Actually, two big things.”

“Well, tell me! Now I’m freaking out.”

“Don’t freak. It’s a good thing. A really good thing.” I could hear her nerves through the phone, but just looking at her I could tell she was about to burst. “First of all, once Ginger graduates, we’re moving back to Allendale!”

“You’re moving back? To Allendale? You’re kidding!” That was a shock. I thought once Amber got out of here, she’d never look back. Despite my surprise, the biggest wave of relief washed over me. I’d missed having my best friend local. “That’s the best news ever! Wait…what’s the second thing?”

“Ginger and I have decided to have a baby.”

“A baby?” I was floored, unable to even keep the astonishment off my face. “What? How?”

She laughed. “How? Good grief, Heaven. We’ll find a donor.”

“A donor, right, duh.” I rolled my eyes at myself. “Who’s going to carry the baby?”

“I am. Or that’s the plan, at least. Ginger’s eager to get in the workforce and use her degree and I’m ready to take a break. I’ve supported her while she’s been in school and I think it’ll be good.”

“Wow. I’m just stunned. You’re going to be a mom!” 

“Hopefully!”

“I’m just…I’m really excited for you guys. Surprised, but excited.”

“Thanks. You know you’re my best friend. I just feel weird when I don’t share big life things with you, you know?”

“Right. Yes, I know.” Sharing with others had never been my strong suit. It was just my nature.

“Now, what were you going to say you and the guys did? Something crazy?”

“Oh, right.” The dog. Sadie. Something I thought was a major decision in our lives. Not that super-big-thing that people my age were doing. Nope. Once again, Heaven was out in left field doing her own, socially immature stuff. “Well, it’s not quite as big as having a baby news, but we got a dog.”

“You got a dog! What? When?” Her eyes were wide.

“Two weeks ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“It’s just been crazy. She’s super sweet and fun and has brought a lot of joy to the house.”

“I bet. Well, I need photos. Dozens of photos. And when I get down there, puppy kisses. Oh god, I bet she’s cute.”

“Super cute.” I felt stupid for not telling her sooner, when she obviously wanted to know what was going on in our lives. That was what happened when you lived in a bubble. A bubble with four sexy men that kept me thoroughly occupied. I leaned back against my seat. “I really am excited for you. It’s okay if I tell the guys?”

“Maybe hold off for a few weeks until I figure out the donor thing? Is that cool? I don’t want you to feel like you’re keeping secrets.”

“No, it’s totally understandable. It’s a lot of pressure and excitement and new stuff.”

“It’s also a lot of girly-body part stuff and I don’t know, you know how they get about all of that.”

“Squeamish.” We both laughed. The guys were the worst about girl stuff, although all of them have gotten used to buying me tampons and other things at the pharmacy. “Good luck, babe, and keep me posted, okay?”

“I will.” She smiled into the phone. “Love you, Heaven Reeves.”

“Love you, too.”

We disconnected and I sat in my car for a few minutes, processing the information I’d just been given. Amber was going to have a baby. She was going to be a mom. Two things that absolutely terrified me. I was relieved she didn’t want me to bring it up to the guys yet, because once I did the door would be open to us having “the conversation.” The kid conversation, and I didn’t think I was ready to do that yet. Not because they wouldn’t want to—I knew how they felt. I wasn’t the one being honest. I hadn’t told them yet.

I’m really not sure if I ever want to have kids.

 

 

Chapter 3

 

Oliver

 

“Can you remind me what time the meeting is on Friday?” Jackson asked, sticking his head in my office.

“Ten.”

“In Oceanside?”

“Yep.”

“Cool. I’ll swing by here and pick you up. I’m sure you’ll be here.”

He had me there. Ever since word got out about our training programs for the celebrities that came through town for movies and TV shows, we we’d been busy as hell. So busy that we decided to expand to a second gym—closer to where a lot of the movies were filmed down near the beach. At first, we were opposed to creating a business in the racist, homophobic, backwater town, but then we decided to do it to spite them. Like the industry, we decided they could join us willingly or by force. We weren’t going away. 

The grand opening was a month away and my days were filled with contractors and designers and everything in between. That left Jackson managing the gym and me having to trust he was on top of everything. I possibly had a few control issues when it came to work.

My phone beeped—programmed in by Heaven—reminding me of our standing appointment. 

Jackson’s eyebrows rose, recognizing the chime. “Is it eleven? Fuck. I have a training session. Tell her I said I’ll see her later, okay? We’re taking Sadie to the pet store for treats.”

I rolled my eyes. Jackson was majorly into this dog. “I will.”

“You better get moving too, you know she doesn’t like it when you’re late.”

I grabbed my phone and keys, following him out the office door and down the stairs to the gym floor. If I walked through the workout area I’d get stopped, so I ducked down the back hall and exited through the alley behind the gym. The phone rang before I left the parking lot.

“Hey, babe.”

“I’m stalking you on the phone tracker. You should have left five minutes ago.” 

“I know. I’m sorry. Jackson came in and distracted me.”

“You’re really going to blame Jackson?” she asked, playfully. “Because if you want, I can call him and have him come distract me while I’m waiting for you.”

“You wouldn’t dare. This is our time together. You know that.” I waited for a car to pass and turned on the main road. “Since we had to skip last week because you were sick, I’m definitely not missing out today. You still feeling better?”

“Yeah, a little bit every day, even though that pesky cough won’t go away. At least we know I’m not contagious.”

“I’d risk it.” Going a week without our “date” had been hard enough. As long as she was truly feeling better, there was no chance she could keep me away.

I turned the car into our neighborhood, testing the speed limit. Since Heaven worked on a TV show she had every Friday off. And since it was hard for me to curtail my work habits, we arranged for some private time at home. Jackson was at the gym. Hayden at the training facility. Anderson in the pool. They gave us the time we needed. 

“Two minutes,” I promised and hung up.

The thought of my girl waiting for me, ready for me, gave me a thrill. One that never, ever lessened. 

I screeched into the driveway, leaving the car halfway down, racing into the house. I was already hard, just thinking about her. My heart already hammering. I walked down the hall to the master bedroom, the one we’d given Heaven, and opened the door.

My eyes fell directly on her, waiting by the end of the bed. She wore a sheer black top with a lacy bra and panties. In all honesty, I’d expected her to be lying in the bed in her sweatpants and tank top reading a book, phone tracker on, ready to give me hell for making her wait. 

She stood nervously, hand tugging at the bra. This wasn’t her normal thing.

“Damn, you look beautiful.” 

“I thought I’d try something different.”

I closed the distance between us and ran my hand down her arm. “You know I don’t need any of this.”

“I know, but you’ve been so sweet about me being sick I thought I’d surprise you. It was worth it to see that expression on your face.” She ran her hand down my front, landing on the bulge between my legs. “And to make you excited.”

“You think you don’t always make me excited?” I bent and kissed her shoulder, working my way up her neck. I used my teeth to tug at her ear, my fingers to roam her back. I knew she liked to be touched all over, working her body into a frenzy before making love. “I think about you all day, babe, every day. I wake up hard and go to sleep hard, but I don’t care if we have sex, or if you dress up like a goddess or just look like a regular, beautiful girl. All that matters is that I love you and you love me and that makes any time together with you special.”

I dropped to my knees and kissed her belly, taking my time with her body. As much as I wanted to rip off that lace, I loved seeing her in it. Seeing the thin material hiding her best, most delicious parts. 

She arched her back as I traveled lower, her hands skimming along my neck. Her hips moved, seeking friction, but I held off, kissing between her thighs. She pushed at the fabric and I chuckled at her impatience, blowing hot air across her skin before succumbing, lowering the thin, lacey straps down her hips. I sucked on her hipbones, below her belly button, and she reached for me, tugging me upward and pushing my shirt over my head. Every time Heaven and I had sex it was like a new experience. She explored my body with awe and appreciation. She touched my chest, my abs. She toyed with me, running her nails through the hair on my lower belly, scratching across my nipples. 

When she had me panting, she moved to my pants, unbuttoning, removing, freeing my erection. I hissed when she stroked the length of my shaft, her fingertips soft and cool. I never, ever tired of her hands on me. Never tired of her body, her mind, her spirit.

I took my time peeling off her barely-there clothes, revealing her skin inch by inch. I reveled in her flesh, teased her nerves; licked, sucked, and caressed until she was hot, bothered, and begging for me to do what I’d wanted since I walked in that door.

I fell on my back, landing on the firm mattress with a thud, pulling her on top of me in one fluid motion. She landed on my hips, straddling me, wet and ready. Her dark hair hung over her shoulder, tickling my chest when she bent to kiss me, her mouth hot, her breath short. She hovered, guiding me inside, taking me in, eyes always expanding in surprise, like she doesn’t expect my size after all this time.

We sunk into a rhythm, her hips rolling—pushing, pulling. I gripped her hips, touched her chest, pulled her down for a kiss. After all this time I knew what to expect, how to anticipate when she was close to the edge. Her breathing grew quick, her nipples tightened, her hips jerked with quick, fast motion. A thin line formed between her closed eyes and her lips parted, my name floating off her tongue.

Then she came, riding me through the waves, and I let her coast, holding back until I knew she was at the tail of her euphoria. I rolled her to her back and unleash the true desire I’d been reining in, teeth bared on her shoulder, cock buried in her body until my mind and my body separate, ecstasy claiming every fiber of my being.

I kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her mouth, and felt the warmth in her reddened cheeks. Heaven laid her head on a pillow, chest heaving, and turned to me. “I may have to get a new outfit all the time if that’s going to be the reaction.”

“Yeah?” I pushed my body closer to her, wanting to be in her space. “Whatever you want, babe, I’m in.”

Her forehead creased quickly, then vanished, like she had a thought she wanted to rid herself of. I tilted my head, waiting to see if she would say it, but she didn’t. Whatever it was vanished as fast as it came. I wrapped my arms around her and she rested her head on my chest.

That was why I took off from work. Why I made this standing appointment. Not for the sex or the orgasms or seeing her fantastic body—but this, the ending, the little period after where we laid close in a quiet house—just the two of us.