“Because I believe you care about my daughter.”
He’s got me there.
“Graham—can I call you Graham?” he asks politely.
Since him addressing me as Mr. Prescott seems ridiculous now that he’s spilled his guts, I nod.
“Graham, I take it you don’t have any children yet?”
Is that a trick question? “No sir, I don’t.”
“One day I’m sure you will. You might have a daughter like my Emily, beautiful, intelligent and self-possessed. What I hope is that you’ll never find yourself in the same situation that I found myself in when Emily was sixteen. Learning that an older man took advantage of her.”
My hackles go up and my defenses rise. “Sir, I—”
He holds up his hand to stop my protest. “I know. She lied to you about her age and you believed her. I understand that. It’s taken me four years, a lot of soul searching, and a long conversation with my ex-wife—who has always been a lot smarter than me—to believe it. Last night I went through one of our photo albums and I saw one of her old portfolio pictures, and good God did she look grown up. My baby girl looked like a woman. A beautiful young woman.”
Swallowing, he glances down at the floor. When his gaze returns to mine, I note the regret there. “You didn’t deserve what I did to you, and for that, I apologize. I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me.”
“Well—um—” I clear my throat. “Thank you.”
Until this moment, I hadn’t realized what an apology from him would mean to me. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t thought it would mean anything. I never expected it and I can truthfully say, I never thought I wanted or needed it. But suddenly I’m light. The weight removed from my chest so profound, the sense of relief is almost dizzying.
Mr. Leighton acknowledges my simple expression of gratitude with a brief inclination of his head. “As you can see, my apology isn’t completely altruistic. I was hoping you would talk to her. Convince her not to shut me out of her life.”
“Sir, your daughter broke up with me.”
He smiles grimly. “Yes, but she did it for you.”
Yeah, and I let her. Although, I probably wouldn’t have let it go on for much longer.
“What I want more than anything is to have my daughter back in my life, and whether I deserve it or not may still be up for debate. I can’t compete with you, nor do I want to. I’d lose anyway,” he jokes, his smile self-deprecating. “I love her. And she loves you. And I believe you love her. So I’d say we have something in common. We both want her to be happy, and I’ve come to accept she’s happiest when she’s with you.”
She loves you. She loves you.
My heart thumps hard in my chest as warmth spreads throughout my body.
I hope to hell he’s right because if there’s one thing the last month has shown me, I’d rather be with her than without her.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll make things right.”
He smiles and pulls a set of keys out of his coat pocket. “Good. And I hope you can convince her to answer one of my calls.”
“I can’t make any promises but I’ll do my best.” Mr. Leighton isn’t the monster I’d come to believe he was. He’s simply a man who loves his daughter and was trying to protect her—misguided though his attempts have been—and that I can appreciate.
“That’s all I can ask.”
Pushing to my feet, I proceed him to the door, opening it wide. There, our truce is made official by a handshake.
“It’s not easy for me to admit when I’m wrong, but I was wrong about you. Don’t prove me wrong now. No matter what the year and month is on the calendar, Emily will always be my little girl. Be good to her.”
“Always, sir. Always.”
Chapter 35
I’m sitting alone in my apartment, which is my new routine for Friday and Saturday nights.
April and Troy left for his football game in Pennsylvania and won’t be home until Sunday, leaving me alone for the weekend. April asked me to go with them but I’m pretty crappy company these days. No matter how much I adore them, it’s best I keep my butt at home than foist myself on a couple in love. Although, Kelsey will be over tomorrow with her twin sister, so that’s something. Right now, she’s picking her up at the airport.
With Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” blaring from my Bose mini Bluetooth speaker, I stretch out on the couch, listening to the words, my iPhone clutched in my hand.
“So it’s going to be forever. Or it’s gonna go down in flames…”
Was the high worth the pain? Good question, Taylor. When I was with Graham, I thought I could handle things when we inevitably broke up. And even though I knew it would be difficult, I’d been willing to endure the pain if it meant I could be with him until then. I’m not so sure about that now.
God, I miss him. So much.
The music abruptly ends when a call cuts in, my phone ringing and vibrating in my hand. When I see my brother’s picture in the corner of the screen, my finger pauses over the answer button. I don’t really want to talk to anyone right now but knowing Cole, he’ll keep at it until he gets his way.
Resigned, I pick up his call. “Hi, Cole.” I try to sound as perky as possible to throw him off my scent.
“Hey, Em.”
With just those two words, I know something’s wrong. I’ve spoken to Cole a handful of times since I stopped speaking to my dad and he’s been pretty neutral about the whole thing, willing to let the situation play itself out. Tonight there’s something ominous in his tone.
“What’s wrong? Did Dad ask you to call me or was it Mom?” My mom’s also been at it, pleading his case like a good defense lawyer.
I’ll be the first one to admit that your father’s not perfect. But no one is, my dear. I’m not and neither are you. But at heart, he’s a good man. I’ve talked to him and he promised me he didn’t send that email.
My mom just doesn’t want to believe it because she was once married to the guy. She also divorced him. That has to say something. Although I’m wondering more and more these days if she doesn’t want him back.
“Dad didn’t send the email.”
While Cole urged me to give Dad the benefit of the doubt, he’d never been definitive about whether he believed he’d done it or not.
“How do you know?” I say, challenging his assertion.
After a prolonged silence that causes the hairs on the back of my neck to rise, he replies, “Ginny sent it.”
I bolt into a sitting position, my mouth agape. My brother’s girlfriend? That makes no sense.
“What? Why would she do that?”
Cole sighs and I can imagine him, head tipped back as he squeezes the back of his neck with both hands.
“She said she did it for me. She thought it was what I wanted. To get him out of your life.”
“Did you tell her that?” I ask on a suspended breath.
“God no. Of course not. I wasn’t crazy about you going out with him again. You know that. But that’s because I didn’t want you to get hurt again, and neither did she. Ginny adores you.”
Adores me? No, what she did was stab me in the back and not bother to pull out the knife.
My voice breaks with unshed tears. “How can you say that? I broke up with him because of her. She almost got him fired from his job. How did she think that wouldn’t hurt me?”
“Em, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. She’s been acting strange for longer than I’ve been willing to admit to myself. It’s like she’ll do anything she thinks will make me happy. I know she wants us to get married but…”
But he doesn’t. Not yet.
“And all this time I’ve been blaming Dad for something he didn’t do.” Crap.
“He did give you enough reason to doubt him. But I think he’s learned not to interfere in your personal—dating life again.”
Only Cole would make excuses for my behavior. And I love him for it.
“I still have to apologize
.”
“Speaking of apologizing, Ginny plans to call you tomorrow.”
“Please tell her not to. I’m going to need a lot more time before I speak to her again.” I don’t hate her. I can’t. She’s been a part of my life for too long. But clearly, there’s a part of her I didn’t know existed. A part of her I don’t like.
“Fair enough. I’ll let her know.”
We speak for another couple minutes and probably would have spoken longer if not for the ringing of the doorbell.
After quickly ending the call, I push aside the afghan covering my legs and pad, barefoot, to the front. It has to be Kelsey. She probably saw my light on and decided to drop in to introduce me to her sister, too impatient to wait until tomorrow.
Unlike my father’s surprise visit weeks ago, when I open the door this time it’s to find the only person I’ve desperately wanted to see standing on the other side.
Graham.
My heart skips a beat and something hard lodges in my throat. Shock has me rooted in place—until he advances toward me. I instinctively take a step back. Then another. And another.
In silence, Graham enters the apartment and closes the door behind him, calmly throwing the bolt with a neat flick of his wrist.
He turns back to me and I’m again transfixed at the sight of him. His hair is slightly longer than he normally wears it but he’s clean shaven and dressed in dark blue khakis and a baby blue, button-down dress shirt under his thick leather jacket.
“Graham.” His name emerges hushed from my lips.
“Emily.”
He takes another step forward and I take another one back.
“I won’t hurt you,” he whispers, his gaze hooded.
“I know,” I croak, my mouth suddenly dry.
“Then why are you backing away? How am I supposed to get close to you if you won’t stand still?” His voice, throaty and low, causes my body to buzz with desire.
I swallow hard. “What are you doing here?”
“You don’t know?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I shake my head.
His mouth quirks in a smile. “If you’d stand still, I’ll tell you.”
He’s wearing my favorite cologne and standing way too close. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my hands off him. Although the heat in his eyes suggests he doesn’t want me to.
His hands come up to lightly grasp my waist and I shiver from head to toe.
“Your father came to see me tonight.”
Oh no.
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t anything bad,” he swiftly assures me, reading the alarm on my face. “He apologized.”
My breath catches and then stutters out. My father apologized? To Graham?
My dad?
This has got to be a joke.
But Graham is solemn, his expression almost grave as he pulls me close and secures me in his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me that he threatened to have the charges refiled?”
Guilt warms my cheeks and I briefly lower my gaze. “I didn’t tell you about that because I didn’t think he would do it and neither did April. But after the email,” I pause. “I couldn’t risk you losing your job or word getting around. I knew as long as I broke up with you, he’d stop.”
“Whilst I appreciate such self-sacrifice, it’s not necessary. Not in this case.”
“But I couldn’t risk putting you through that again. I didn’t want you having to think about police and lawyers even if nothing was ever going to come of it.”
For several seconds, he simply stares at me, his gaze adoring. Soft. “Remember when you asked me if us being together—even for a short time—was worth the misery your father might wreak on my life?”
I hold my breath and nod.
“Well, it didn’t take me long to realize that being with you is worth everything. You’re the whole package, Em, beautiful inside and out. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
I stare deep into his beautiful blue eyes, a happy sob escaping my lips as tears prick the backs of mine. “You have no idea how much I love you.”
In response, his arms tighten around me, our bodies flush. His gaze drops to my lips, his mouth curved in a tender smile. “I may be slow at this stuff, but I think I’m getting the hint.”
“Just a hint?” I lightly tease. “Then I need to redouble my efforts.”
“You don’t have to do a thing. I love you exactly the way you are.”
His declaration brings on the waterworks, blurring my vision. Lifting his hands from my waist, he cups my face and thumbs away the tears from my cheeks.
“The last month has been hell without you. Let’s never do that again, okay?”
“Okay,” I reply, my voice choked.
“Good,” he states before kissing me briefly on the lips. “And don’t think I forgot your birthday’s next week. If we weren’t back together by then, I planned to kidnap you.”
My birthday. I can’t tell you how much I’ve been dreading the day. My mom wanted to throw me a huge party. I told her we’d do something when I come home for Thanksgiving. April, Liv, Kelse and the gang want to take me out to dinner and then cap the night off at one of the hottest nightclubs in Manhattan. I simply wanted Graham and I think I’m going to get my wish.
“You planned to kidnap me, huh?” I tease. “That sounds kinda hot. Where did you plan on taking me?”
“You mean where am I taking you,” he corrects. “I figure since turning twenty-one only comes around once in a lifetime, it has to be somewhere special. How does a weekend alone sound? We can go to one of those bed and breakfast places. I’ve been told women love them.”
I smile. “Who told you that?” But I know.
He gently threads his fingers through my hair. “This incredibly beautiful girl I met four years ago.”
“I think it sounds perfect.” He’d once asked what I found romantic and I’d told him a weekend at a cozy B&B. I can’t believe he remembered.
His eyes dip to my mouth and darkens. “Ask me again. Ask me where I see us this time next year,” he whispers throatily, lifting his gaze back to mine.
“Where do you see us this time next year?”
“Together. I see us together. For as long as you’ll have me.”
A sob escapes me as I’m overwhelmed with emotion. Full to bursting. My arms find their way around his taut waist and I’m nodding fervently. “There won’t be a time when I won’t want you.”
“Good,” he says, smiling. “You ready for more good news?”
“What else is there?” I ask with a laugh. I’m currently suffering from an embarrassment of riches.
“Your father had the prosecutor remove all traces of my arrest and charges. It’s as if it never happened. I’m free.”
Emitting a sound between a sob and a laugh, I throw my arms around his neck and hug him as tightly as physically possible. His arms immediately encircle my waist and before I can utter a single “Oh my god,” his mouth is on mine, the kiss deep and hungry as his tongue strokes mine. Heat floods my sex and my nipples pebble beneath my oversized Warwick sweatshirt.
Soon, kissing isn’t enough and I’m up in his arms. Then he carries me to my room, lowers me to my feet, breaking the kiss.
My hands immediately go to the hem of my sweatshirt, impatient to get out of my clothes. Before I can make any headway, Graham captures my wrists, pulling my hands away and behind my back. Startled, I look up at him.
“I want to undress you this time.” His words are a caress against the heated skin of my neck where my pulse pounds double-time.
Yes.
He gets no resistance from me when he pulls my sweatshirt over my head, only my assistance when I raise my arms.
His gaze turns molten at the sight of my bare breasts. “No bra,” he murmurs appreciatively.
“I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Good. Because I’m not company, I’m your man.”
I clench my legs together as moisture slickens my sex, ma
king my panties damp. Okay, make that damper.
He must know what he’s doing to me because he treats me to a wolfish smile. “How wet are you right now?”
“Why don’t you find out,” I tease, my gaze dropping to the thick bulge in his pants.
If I thought he’d make quick work of the rest of my clothes, I’m sadly/happily mistaken. Instead he presses me down on my bed and slowly lowers my yoga pants and panties an inch at time, kissing the bares skin he uncovers. Torturing me.
By the time the black spandex and white cotton clear my pubic hair, I’m frantically clutching at the comforter and writhing on my back as he nuzzles my sex and his fingers pluck at my nipples.
“Graham.” I’m pleading. Begging.
Grunting, he finishes stripping me and then removes his clothes in record time. Then his head is between my legs and he’s licking and sucking me, turning my brain to mush and setting my body on fire.
Pleasure is heaven and hell. I want it to last forever as much as I need it to stop. My needy whimpers fill the air as I drive my fingers through his hair.
His head comes up and our eyes lock, mine no doubt mirroring the passion-drugged look of his. Still watching me, he dips his head and drags his tongue along the seam of my pussy.
A muffled scream sounds as my hips come up off the bed. He does it again and again, until I can no longer muffle my screams.
I’m not going to be able to last much longer. I need to come. My body needs the release.
Suddenly Graham is over me, the head of his cock at my entrance.
“You ready?” he asks, his voice strained. As if he too is teetering on the edge.
I barely manage a nod before he’s inside me, thick and deep. And then it’s a short race to the finish line, his thrusts hard and rough as he pounds me to a shattering orgasm. And then with a guttural roar, he finds his.
Minutes later, we’re cuddled under the covers sated and happy, my body still humming with pleasure.
“Are you working tomorrow?” I murmur, my head resting on his shoulder and our arms around each other.
“Nope, not until Sunday.”
I smile and smooth my hand over his chest. “So what do you want to do tomorrow? April and Troy won’t be home until Sunday.” I wonder if that’s a big enough hint?
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