by A. J. Logan
She laughs, lifting her head to look at me. “That’s a scary thought.”
“Good. Have to keep you on your toes.”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”
Nope. The only problem is how am I ever going to get enough of her. She’s here, she’s with me, but I still want more of her. All of her.
24
Victoria
“It’s just a date,” I mumble under my breath, attempting to calm my anxious nerves. But the closer it gets to the time he’s picking me up, the more unsettled my mind gets. It’s Elliot. It shouldn’t be this nerve-racking. But I think the fact that it is Elliot is exactly what has me in an uproar. There’s more at stake. It’s obvious that Asher is less than thrilled because he’s given me the silent treatment all day. I figured it was better to leave him alone to digest the info. It is a lot to take in, even for me, and I’ve been working to digest it for a while now.
My hands smooth down the soft fabric of the long-sleeved emerald minidress I’d selected after trying on three others. I have no clue where we’re going, so I really don’t know what to wear. At least, that’s what I’m blaming it on.
There’s a soft knock at the door and when I pull it open to see him, all my nerves vanish. Wearing a white button-down shirt and charcoal-gray slacks he’s the perfect mix of formal and casual, putting my mind at ease that this was going to feel awkward.
He outstretches his arm, offering me a single pink peony. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”
Accepting the flower, I respond, “Thanks.”
Swiftly moving forward, he loops his arm around my lower back. “Let’s get out of here before it’s too late, because the only thought in my mind is getting that dress off of you.”
Yep. Still Elliot. Snickering, I follow him out into the hallway as he takes my hand in his, leading me down the staircase. I feel his grip tighten a bit at the same moment I notice my dad standing at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes on our adjoined hands. Elliot makes no attempt to release or hide the PDA, and that’s not like Elliot at all, but I’m more than okay with that part. I’m unsure what my dad thinks because his expression remains emotionless as we approach him.
“What’s all this about?” he asks, looking to Elliot.
“We’re heading out for our date,” Elliot replies flatly. He’s never been friendly with my dad, but I always figured he was feeding off of Asher’s vibe. Now I know the reason for both their attitudes.
His eyes drop back to our entwined fingers before he looks at me with displeasure. Turning a tight expression to Elliot, he says, “Just don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her.” Elliot smiles. My father does not.
“Let’s go,” I say, tugging Elliot away. “Bye, Dad.”
His eyes snap to me, and with a forced smile, he says, “Bye, sweetheart.”
Elliot’s grip tightens as we hurry out of the house. Leading me to his car, he opens the door but looks away from me.
Stopping, I face him. “What’s wrong?”
His expression softens, his hand releases mine as he steps forward. My back presses against his car as his lips meet mine, kissing me tenderly before he leans back slightly, whispering, “Everything is perfect.”
I sit in the passenger seat and he closes the door for me then jogs around the front of the car before dropping into the driver’s seat. Then the NSX’s engine roars to life.
Elliot places one hand on the steering wheel, dropping the other to rest on my bare thigh, gently squeezing as he gives me a sexy smirk. Damn. I can’t wait to get this dress off either.
Quickly, I look away as heat rises in my cheeks. I peer out the passenger window and my smile vanishes when I spot my father on the front porch. His arms are folded across his chest; his angry glare aimed directly at us. Had he been watching the entire time?
A sickening feeling sails through me, lingering even after we drive away from my house. I finally manage to push it out of my mind as the car comes to a stop in a busy parking lot. Elliot hops out of the car, moving to open my door in a flash as he offers his hand to assist me as I step out of the NSX. “Where are we?” I ask, glancing around the parking lot.
“You’ll see.” His mischievous grin reassures me that he is up to something, and I can’t wait to see what it is.
He leads me to a building, pulling open its glass door before we step inside. I know exactly where we are. It’s the local painting party studio. I’m not much for painting, but the fact that he picked something art related—which he usually complains about—thrills me.
A lady greets us, showing us to a table set up with a canvas for each of us and everything we need to paint our work of art.
An unexpected pang of guilt rises inside of me when Olivia pops in my mind. I can’t wait to tell her Elliot voluntarily signed up for a painting class. When will I be able to talk to her again? When will I be relieved of keeping yet another secret regarding Olivia from Elliot? He’s going to hate it. Hopefully, he just doesn’t hate me. Even if he does, his safety is more important, and Olivia’s too. She’s literally trapped in a place with no escape. If Richard wants to harm her again, he probably could.
Pretend. Pushing the grave thoughts out of my mind, I decide to enjoy my first date with Elliot. That’s one thing I won’t have trouble pretending to do. “I can’t believe you actually signed us up to paint.”
“Sure did. And it’s only the first stop of the night.” He winks, leaning forward to give me a quick kiss. The instructor addresses us from the front of the room, introducing herself and showing us a seahorse picture that we’ll be attempting to paint tonight.
It’s not long before she starts relaying the basic steps to begin the painting. Glancing over, I watch Elliot stroke the paintbrush up the canvas with precise concentration. He looks to me, and leaning over, whispers, “Stop cheating.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn my attention back to my masterpiece in progress. “We’re painting the same thing.”
“But mine will be better.”
“Keep dreaming,” I tease.
Elliot reaches a hand over, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear while leaning towards me again, stopping just before his lips reach mine. “Challenge accepted.”
He is the challenge, but I’ll go with it. We spend the next two hours watching as our paintings shape into something that looks similar to what we were aiming for.
As we stand from the chairs to leave, Elliot peers at my painting. “Fine, you win.”
“No surprise there. What’s my prize?”
“Me.”
“Hm. Overrated.”
His arrogance is intact—and rightly so—as he says, “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind when I hear that whimper tonight.”
Heat rises to my cheeks as I get a clear, vivid image of exactly what he does to elicit that whimper. Even when I win, he wins, and I’m okay with that.
A short time later, we are back in his car, heading to the next destination with our seahorse paintings in tow. He pulls into the familiar parking lot of Pizza Roads, my absolute favorite place.
Looking to the brick building, as he says, “I booked a reservation at that Brazilian steak house, but it just didn’t feel right. We can go there if you’d prefer though.”
“No. This is perfect.” I lean across the center console to kiss him as he threads his fingers through my hair, devouring my mouth with his. His hands drop to my waist and he hauls me onto his lap, straddling him. Rocking against him, I feel his hard cock pressed against me, fueling my desire.
“Fuck. I can’t wait to get you back in my bed.”
“Then don’t.” I reach down to unbutton his pants, hastily pushing his boxers down. Gripping his dick in my hand, I stroke him as he groans.
He fumbles with the seat, reclining it a bit. His palms caress up my thighs, sliding under my dress. Pushing my thong aside, his fingers slip inside me as he groans. “Damn you’re so wet.”
He attempts to pull the scrap of fabric down as I squirm against him. Suddenly, he jerks his hands and the thin lace tears, giving way from my skin. “I’ll replace those later.”
A lustful moan leaves my lips as I reach down between us to guide him inside me. His mouth falls to my neck, his tongue tasting my skin. My fingers grip his shoulders, hips rotating forward as I ride him. His hands grab my ass, pulling me to him as he lifts, ramming against me each time I grind against him. Reaching between us, his thumb finds my clit, rubbing mercilessly, easily pulling an orgasm from me. My body tenses as his hand moves back to my ass, his cock pumping into me until he goes still. Groaning, his forehead falls forward, resting against my chest. My heart races as I remain on him, not wanting to break our connection.
He leans back, his palms cup my face, and his thumbs stroke over my cheeks. “I’ll never get enough of you.”
Tenderly kissing me, we remain there for a few minutes until he shifts to the side, glancing around the parking lot. The thought that someone could catch us crossed my mind a few times. Though it almost added more excitement to the moment, I was glad no one did. He situates my skirt around me, pulling it down to make sure I’m covered as he pulls out of me. I move off of him even though I’m not ready. He quickly buttons his pants before hopping out of the car and making his way to my door.
Grasping my hand in his, I step out, and he shuts the door, then leads me across the parking lot. As we approach the entrance, he guides me inside, his firm hand on the small of my back. The quaint restaurant is packed, and a few eyes look our way before returning to their meals without paying us much mind.
A familiar waiter waves us over, motioning to a booth in the back of the room. Elliot leads me that way, and the pink peony on the table, which matches the one he gave me when he arrived at my house, catches my attention immediately. The gesture is small but meaningful and almost overwhelming. I still have an unsettling voice telling me this could slip away at any moment.
“I’ll be right back.” I hurry to the bathroom, quickly cleaning up. I shake my head at the fact that I don’t have any damn underwear on thanks to Elliot, and I don’t mind one bit after that experience. I didn’t want a stuffy, uncomfortable dinner with awkwardness, but this is so comfortable it’s scary.
I quickly make my way back to the booth, sliding onto the seat opposite from Elliot. He reaches across the table, placing his hand over mine, and every hesitation I have leaves my mind.
“This really is perfect. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” A proud smile spreads across his face.
We fall into comfortable conversation as we wait for our pizza to arrive, enjoying the evening. A few of our classmates walk in, but neither of us pay much attention. The night is going perfect as we finish eating and return to his car. As he starts the engine, he glances over to me.
“Your house or mine?”
“Yours.” There’s no one there and I’m not ready to return to mine where I have to face my father who looked less than pleased when we’d left.
25
Elliot
So far, the day has been amazing. I woke up with Victoria in my arms and she didn’t have to run off a minute earlier to hide the fact that she was at my house. Victor might be less than pleased she hadn’t returned home last night, but that doesn’t concern me. The one thing that does is I haven’t seen or heard from Asher all day. I wrote it off as him still being pissed at me but that doesn’t make me feel any better, especially as Victoria approaches, concern on her face.
“Have you heard from Asher? I haven’t seen him or Quinn all day. And neither are responding to my messages.”
“Ah. That explains it. Maybe he finally decided it was time to kiss, fuck, and make up.”
Her lips form a thin line as she gives me a frustrated stare. “I really don’t want to hear stuff like that about my brother.”
Chuckling, I pull her against me. “Well, can we talk about us kissing, fucking, and making up?”
Her eyes close as she shakes her head. “We’re not fighting, so no, we can’t.”
“I’m willing to pick a fight, just a small one if need be.”
“Shocking,” she says, heading to her car.
“Your house or mine?” I yell across the parking lot, laughing as she gives me a sneer when a few of our classmates look between us.
“Mine,” she says, dropping into her car as I snicker. Maybe I won’t have to pick a small fight because she looks like she’s already about to choke me.
Following her, I drive to her house, then walk through the open garage bay door and trail behind her into the house.
Her back to me, she stops abruptly, taking in the sight of Asher and Monica standing in the kitchen appearing to be in the middle of a very tense conversation.
“What’s going on?” she whispers as I step behind her, looping a protective arm around her waist. Asher peers at my arm securely around his sister before his furious eyes meet mine. But I don’t remove it. This is the shit he was referring to. It’s hit the fan. There’s something happening that's going to change everything, and I won’t let her go through it on her own.
“Victoria.” Monica moves towards us, her remorseful eyes on Victoria as she too notes my arm around Victoria. What the hell is going on? What are they trying to shield her from now, or at least attempting to lessen the impact of?
“Is Dad okay? Did something happen?” she tenses under my arm, her gaze darting between her mother and brother. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”
“Victoria, calm down. Come have a seat and I’ll explain.”
She moves away from me, stepping in front of Monica. “Just tell me. Is he okay?”
Monica hesitates, letting Asher step up—as she always has. “The police arrested our father today on fraud and embezzlement charges.”
“What?” Victoria asks, her hand gripping the counter as she leans against it. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s a long story, Victoria, but don’t worry. Everything will be okay,” Monica reassures Victoria. But she doesn’t look convinced, and I can’t say I am either. “I’ve been working with Nathan for some time to make sure everything was in place, and it has fallen into place as best we could hope for. I’m assuming a position on the board at Ruby Flame and your brother has stepped up, also, to ensure this family stays intact.”
“Keep the family intact? What family? My dad’s been arrested, and you’re worried about the company. Or do you mean you want to keep your lavish lifestyle intact? All your prized possessions? Because that is all you give a fuck about.”
My feet move in slow motion when I recognize Monica’s intention. Her arm lifts, and faster than I can step between them, her hand slaps across Victoria’s face with a sound that guts me because I didn’t prevent her pain. Victoria cups her cheek, a sob escaping that rips through my core, sending my rage soaring as I step in front of Victoria. “I don’t give a fuck if you’re her mother or not, lay another hand on her and it will be your last mistake.”
I see Victoria hurry out of the kitchen from the corner of my eye, and with a scathing look, Monica quickly darts out of the room in the opposite direction, leaving me unable to move as I regain my composure. Asher steps in my direction, fury flashing across his face. “You need to go. This doesn’t concern you.”
“She is my concern, and after all the beatings you got from your piece of shit dad, it should be your concern that she was just slapped across the face by your mother.”
Asher tilts his head to the side. “Maybe Victoria deserved it.”
“Don’t. Test. Me.” Because it will be her, always her. And no one deserves to be hit by the person who should be protecting them.
“Or what? You’ve been screwing around for five minutes, so now you’re going to swoop in and save her?”
Yes. I plan to save her, but I also never know when to keep my mouth shut, and I’m not about to start now. He wants the truth. Here it is. “Months. She’
s been in my bed for months.”
Asher surges forward, his hands ramming against my chest. I shove my best friend back, and his fist comes up, striking my jaw. I maintain my balance, glaring at him as he stills, but I don’t make a move to retaliate.
He rears back, swinging his fist, and I take another blow. I’ve endured many from my father, just as Asher has from his. I might beat the piss out of dipshits like Grant, but I won’t fight my best friend. I won’t inflict the same pain on my best friend that I’m trying to keep his sister safe from.
Asher grips my shirt, getting in my face as his rage fumes. “Fight back, you weak son of a bitch.”
“No,” I say, flatly. I need her, but I can’t lose my best friend either. There has to be a way for us to get past this. “I’m sorry. I crossed the line. I betrayed your trust. But, I’m not Victor Hastings. I won’t fight my family.”
Releasing his hold on my shirt, he slowly steps back, hands hanging limply at his sides. He looks as exhausted as I feel, but I have a feeling his struggle is just beginning.
“I’m still your best friend, and I’m here if you need anything,” I say. He remains silent, turning to walk out of the room without another word. I don’t follow him because I do know that the worst demons Asher faces are the ones inside his mind, the ones deeply implanted by his father’s abuse, and he has to sort through those on his own.
Hurrying upstairs, I reach Victoria’s bedroom to find I’m locked out. Again. Banging on the door, I yell, “Open up.”
After a few minutes, I attempt again, hollering, “I’m not leaving until you open the door.”
She has to know. I was relentless before, now I sure as hell won’t take an easy dismissal from her. And I know she’s in pain, which makes me want to get to her even more.
Retrieving my phone, I type her a quick message.
Me: Not leaving, so just unlock the door.
I cram the phone back in my pocket, and my back hits the door as I slide down until my ass hits the floor. My head falls back, thumping against the barrier preventing me from getting to her, and I let out a defeated laugh. I’ve sat here plenty of nights when she’s locked me out. Glad to know some things will never change.