The Proposition 4: The Ferro Family

by H. M. Ward

  I laugh, but Bryan doesn’t think it’s funny. He pulls away, leaving the tip of his shaft barely touching my slick folds. I nearly gasp, No, and pull him back, but I restrain myself. I sound jaded, less like the old me and more like the woman I’ve become. “Blackmail was a douche move. You should have said you still loved me. You should have told me.”

  Our eyes lock in a defiant challenge. Neither of us looks away. Bryan shifts his hips, so he’s up on his knees looking down on me, and pushes my other knee aside and up into my chest so he has full access to every part of me. “There are things that can’t be said, and believe me, I would tell you. I would say it…for you.” The flecks of amber in his green eyes have never looked so beautiful.

  He’s telling the truth, I know he is, but I don’t understand why he won’t tell me what’s wrong. I shouldn’t press, but I can’t help it. I have to know. “Tell me about the pills. Tell me why you blackmailed me. Tell me why you feel like you have no time left? Because that’s how you behave, as if you only have today.” My head tilts to the side and I reach for his face, gently brushing the back of my hand along his jaw. “Tell me something. Please.” It’s hard to say that last word, but I add it. He has no right to make me beg him for anything, but I do it anyway.

  He smiles boyishly, bringing back a billion old memories that had long since been cold as ash, but those words light them up again. The embers spark and I can’t hide it anymore. I beg him. I cave. I give him what he wants as he teases me, mercilessly, touching me in slow circles, barely inside me at all. “Please Bryan. Please.” I no longer know what I’m begging for, since my brain seems to have let my lust-filled body take over.

  Those dark lashes lower and those hooded eyes are filled with desire. He pushes my knees into my chest and I think he’s going to press into me, but he doesn’t. “Beg me, Hallie. Say it.”

  My heart beats harder, faster. I’m furious with him, but too aroused to think. I gasp his name aloud, but he doesn’t give me what I want. Breathlessly, I offer, “Tit for tat?”

  The lines of Bryan’s serious mouth break into a smile and he laughs. “Only you would say that now.” I offer a triumphant grin in return, and repeat the phrase in a breathy voice. “Oh, God, it was better that time.”

  Bryan moans and pulls away completely. I’m terrified that he’s refusing me until his face disappears between my legs. He offers three glorious strokes of his tongue, each one caressing my deep, moist folds in slow motion. I cry out, and clutch the bed sheets, tearing at them. It’s agony and ecstasy. I want him badly and he knows it.

  A moment later he resumes his former position, teasing me, the tip of his dick just barely pressing into me. “It’s possible I could be persuaded,” he replies and licks his lips seductively. “Holy fuck, you taste good. I couldn’t help myself.”

  I can’t help it, I smile. It’s way too broad and way too caring. I can’t hide how much I love him no matter how hard I try, but he doesn’t see it. Bryan’s eyes are closed, savoring the taste of me on his tongue.

  Before he looks up, the adoration is gone. My expression melts like chalk in the rain until there’s none left. The confidence—the false indifference—turns him on. He thinks I could walk away when he sees my face and that look in my eye. Good. I want him to say yes. I want him to agree and I want to play my cards perfectly so I find out what’s wrong with him. Getting to be with him is a bonus.

  “Terms?” I prompt, politely with the serene smile still on my face. Bryan lets out a rush of air and moans. He shifts his hips, planning to push into me, but I back away. “Not yet. Terms, Mr. Ferro, and then we fuck.” The corner of my lips twitch and I add, “Anyway you want it.”

  “Oh, God, Hallie, you’re killing me.” He sucks in air like there will never be enough and tightens his grip on my knees. “Fine. One secret for one secret. You start.” He offers a devilish smirk and his hair falls forward into his eyes.

  “Yeah, right! You won’t answer.”

  “Neither will you.”

  “Yeah, probably not.” I admit.

  “So, now what? Do we just stay like this? Because I’m going to lose my mind in about ten seconds.” His body is corded tight. The fact that his abs are ripped and also totally lickable is distracting me. I want to flip him over and ride him until I come, but I have other plans. I do something crazy and offer, “I’ll answer first. I’ll tell the truth, then you go.” There is something about his posture that suggests he won’t play along, but I have to try.

  “And what’s the penalty for lying?” Bryan is breathless, leaning in close to my ear. I can no longer see his eyes.

  “No lies this time. For once, let’s just say it—all of it—consequences be damned.” I sound like the old Hallie, the girl he once knew. This time it’s not false bravado. It’s real. I mean every word.

  He slams into me hard, and breathes in my ear, “Deal.” The way he holds my knees apart makes the sudden motion jarring. All the air is crushed from my body as he penetrates me. I cry out and reach for his back, before he can pull away. I dig my nails in, marking him, holding him—wanting him to stay like this forever.

  CHAPTER 5

  Bryan asks his question without looking in my eyes. He stays near my ear and breathes, “That guy you’re with, what’s the deal?”

  My body is tingling, wanting more. I can’t think. “What do you mean? Neil’s my fiancée.”

  “I know that, my question is, why are you with him?” Bryan’s breath moves through my hair, making it feel like I’m standing in a soft breeze.

  I don’t want to admit this, not yet. These are words that I haven’t said to myself, although I know the answer. I tell him how Neil was there for me when no one else was around, how he paid for my father’s tombstone and burial, and offered me a roof when I had none. I don’t say the parts where he’s been unkind to me. People fight. It’s normal, but Bryan wouldn’t have said some of those things to me. He wouldn’t have treated me the way Neil did, but even so, the way Neil feels is clear. I confess, “He loves me.”

  Bryan’s voice is so soft that I can barely hear it. “Do you love him?”

  There’s silence and for a moment the only thing I can think of is that I have no idea what I’m doing. Do I love Neil? If I do, why am I fucking Bryan? I never wanted to lose him, but I did. This isn’t real. I feel the wave of vulnerability wash over me in a sheet of shame when I answer. “No.” I don’t plan on saying more, but I do. “I love someone else.”

  Bryan pulls back and looks me in the eye while keeping his cock deep within me. “Who?” He seems genuinely perplexed.

  Smiling softly, I reply, “Too many questions, Mr. Ferro. It’s my turn to ask a few questions.”

  He smiles shyly and pulls out. I gasp and scratch my nails along his sides until he slams into me again. I’m swooning. I never knew what that word meant, but holy fuck, I’m swooning while he sounds clear-headed. “Very well. Ask away.”

  I can’t think as it is, so when he grinds against me and moves his hips like that—I can barely talk. I slap his back. “Stop it.” I laugh. “Making me all lusty isn’t going to keep me from asking my question.” I have one question that I might remember if he stops moving like that.

  “Yeah, but I like it. I want to hear your voice when you get like this. It’s like you’re my siren and I can’t ignore that call—that beautiful, sweet, sexy, lusty sound that comes from the depths of your soul when I do this to you. Oh God, I have to do it again. I need to hear it.” And he does. His hips push harder, and as he moves that sound comes pouring from my lips. It’s nectar for the Ferro god.

  Between gasps, I find my brain and pull out the question. I manage, “What happened to us? Back then, I mean? You were there and then you weren’t.” It’s something I want to know, and it seems like a lightweight spot to start, at least I thought it was. He dumped me.

  Bryan’s jaw trembles slightly as he stills. My voice lost the tone that he adores. My question rips open a sore spot. It tears throug
h him and he gushes with shame. The emotions cover his face until he closes his eyes, every ounce of pride stripped away. His jaw moves, as if he wants to talk, but can’t. He finally admits, “They convinced me you were using me. I believed them.”

  “Who?” I ask although I already know the answer.

  “Jos, Jon, Mom, and Aunt Constance. Jos saw me in a jewelry store looking at rings. She told them.”

  “Rings? Like engagement rings?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. One day Bryan turned cold. We fought and everything we had went up in flames. Our relationship wasn’t tinder, but when it burned there was nothing left. He hated me, that much I knew, but I had no idea why.

  He nods. “Yeah, but then I saw you with him, and that was that. They were right.” He looks down at me with so much pain in his eyes that I can barely stand to look at him, but I have no idea what he’s talking about. “I ended things and moved on—until that book popped up. I was so mad. How dare you?” His voice drops to a lethal level as he pushes into me deeper. The sensation is too hard too fast. It hurts and I can tell how much it upset him no matter what he’s said about it.

  Dropping my knees, his hands snake up to my neck, pressing each curve, slowing as he grips my neck. For a moment, my heart beats faster and I wonder if Bryan’s going to hurt me, but his fingers slip over my throat and then to my wrists, gripping me so hard that it hurts. “How dare you share that? That was ours. It was the only thing I had left from what we had and you used it like it meant nothing.”

  Suddenly, he’s gone.

  CHAPTER 6

  Bryan pulls out and darts across the room before I have a chance to answer. I’m lying there on the bed wondering what the hell happened. He disappears into the bathroom and comes back out, those emerald eyes scouring the room for his jeans.

  His gaze lands abruptly on me. I’m holding his pants on my fingertip, standing next to the bed. “Take them and run. It’s your thing. You never gave me a chance to answer then, so why should today be any different?” I sound bitter, because I am. This confession is news to me and he’s not giving me a chance to answer. It’s the same as it was before. I stand there with his jeans swinging on my hooked finger, arms folded over my naked chest, with my legs crossed at the ankle.

  Don’t leave, I repeat in my mind, although I don’t voice it.

  Bryan snatches his clothes and is in my face. He opens his mouth like he’s going to yell at me, but then snaps it shut again. Maybe this game was a bad idea, but I want to know what’s wrong. He pulls on his jeans and then sits abruptly on the edge of the bed, gripping his head between his hands. It looks like anger at first. That’s what I kept thinking every time I saw him like this, but that’s not it. He’s in pain. Bryan keeps his eyes shut tight and his jaw locks.

  How often does this happen to him? Is it stress that brings this on? What the hell is it!

  I find his pills. I don’t know how many he needs, so I grab a bunch and bring over some of the liquor that’s left from last night. Standing naked in front of him, I hold out the pills and the glass. “Take them.”

  Bryan looks up at me and I know it pains him to do so. There’s something in his gaze, in the erratic way he moves. It’s almost like he can’t see me. He stares without blinking and asks again. “How could you?”

  Bryan won’t take the meds or the drink. He starts to shake and breathes like he’s been running too far for too long. Reaching down, I take his hand and shove the glass in it. Then I pile the pills in his other hand. I’m quiet until I slip down to the floor and sit at his feet. Bryan doesn’t move. He just stares at the amber liquid, not knowing what changed between last night and now. Last night I made him throw them away. Today I get it. Something’s wrong, and the horrible recognition flashes in his eyes. The truth melts through the lies and he’s certain.

  I speak before I lose my chance. He’s going to run as soon as he’s able. I can feel it. I touch his knee gently, but he jerks away as if I burned him. Pressing my lips together, I try to stay calm. I want to fight with him, but it won’t help. Nothing can save him now. I see it. I know and it kills me.

  “With the book, it’s not what you think. It was cathartic. When Dad died I had no words; I couldn’t move and I didn’t want to breathe. My mind slipped into the past and you were there. You were a strong presence, someone who brought so much joy into my life. I never expected anyone to see what I’d written.

  “The book wasn’t about us—it was about me. It was about life and death, grief and joy. People fixated on the sex, but that was only the superficial part of it. They overlooked the agony on each page and how hard it was to say—to admit—that part of my life was gone. It died with my father. You were gone. You left me like he did, but Dad died. You had no excuse to leave and when I asked you about it, you treated me like crap.” The last words are so hard to say. It feels like an invisible hand is ripping my heart from my chest.

  He stares at the pills in his palm. His voice is level, like he no longer cares and says, “You were using me.”

  I laugh bitterly. Now I know where this came from—this lie—his demented family. Probably Jon. He hated me and I never knew why. I retort, “They lied to you.”

  “I saw it, Hallie. There’s no point in pretending that it didn’t happen.”

  “I don’t know what you saw, but I never cheated on you. Bryan, look at me.” He doesn’t. His gaze remains fixed on the medicine in his hand. “You say you know me so well, that you can tell when I’m lying and when I’m not. Then, see for yourself. Look into my face. Do it now and you’ll be able to see for yourself.” He moves so slowly that I can barely stand it. I want to wrap my arms around him. No wonder he acted that way all those years ago. His fucking family did this to him, to us.

  Tears sting my eyes but don’t fall. I press my lips together and try not to cry as his green gaze locks with mine. “I loved you. I never cheated on you. I never wanted anyone else.”

  Bryan watches me with those cold eyes before he looks away. His jaw shifts from side to side and he looks at the medicine in his hand again before he downs three pills and hands the rest back to me. I return them to the container and sit by his feet again, resisting the urge to touch him.

  His voice is shaky when he speaks. “Who told you about the drugs?”

  “Jon.”

  Bryan pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “What else did he tell you?”

  “Nothing. He knows as much as I do. You hurt beyond belief, and you’re acting like you’re immortal because your life is almost over. He doesn’t know what’s wrong and neither do I, but I’m sorry I assumed the worst. I was an asshole. I shouldn’t have made you toss your meds.”

  He smiles and looks down at me, touching my hair and lifting a lock. “Nah, I was the asshole. I believed them over you.” Oh God. I want to cry—he believes me. After all this time, he finally knows the truth. I didn’t cheat on him. Bryan runs the curl over his finger before dropping it, then glances at me. “So, how’d you get more meds? I tossed mine last night.”

  “I called Jon.”

  “Wow.” He knows what that means, how much I care about him to do something like that.

  “I know, but you matter more to me than anything. I didn’t know what happened. All of a sudden you were in agonizing pain. Are you feeling better now? Do you need something else?” Worry creases my brow as I look up into his beautiful face.

  He shakes his head. “Nah, I’ll be fine in a little bit. I just need to wait for the pain to pass. The meds will kick in.”

  I hop up, pour him another glass of whiskey, and offer it. “It helps, right?”

  Bryan smiles sadly at me, like he’s ashamed. “Yeah. Who told you that? Jon?” I nod. “I’m going to kick his ass later.”

  I shrug as Bryan sips the liquid. He closes his eyes feeling the burn as it slips down his throat. “He’s just looking out for you.”

  His eyes pop open. “Did Hell freeze over last night? You’re defending him? He fucking locked you
up. Him and Aunt Constance. Hallie, how could you—”

  I cut him off. “You’re mine right now. I have no idea what’s wrong with you or how long we have, but I don’t want to waste the time we do have talking about your family.” I pause for a moment. “I do need to know one last thing about them, though.”

  He nods, “Go on and ask it.”

  “What did they do that made you so sure I cheated on you?”

  His gaze falls to the floor. “They had pictures, but I didn’t believe it. Then one day Jon called me and said he saw you making out with some guy a year older than me. He described you in your favorite dress.”

  “And you believed him?”

  “No, so I went to Belmont and found Jon by the boathouse. That’s when I saw you. You were on the guy’s lap sucking his face. I heard your voice and I knew those curves. It was you. It was true.” He glances up at me, wanting an explanation that I don’t have to offer.

  “I never cheated on you. I don’t know what you saw, but it wasn’t me. I promise.” I don’t know what he saw or who it was, but I bet it wasn’t an innocent mistake.

  He nods, considering what might have happened, what he might have seen. “I should have walked down there. I didn’t. I couldn’t. It felt like someone ripped out my lungs. You were down by the water. I should have checked that it was really you.” He pushes his hands through his hair and sighs. His tight muscles are loosening and the tension is leaving his body. His speech slows as the drugs start to work. “One more question?”

  “Sure.” I assumed it was going to be about his family or our past. I lean against his legs and he plays with my hair. I feel content until he speaks.