“Both members eventually moved to a private chat area where they basically compared notes about their exs… well, who we believe are the two of you. No names are ever discussed, but at one point they agree to exchange photos of their exs through an anonymous website where you can download and view files. Asher suspects the photos were immediately deleted, because we cannot find any proof of them.”
“You’re sure… it’s them?” I ask.
“Yes,” Carter sighs. “It’s as if they were talking in code, as names were never used. There are references made to events you attended together that correlate to their email exchanges.”
“Did they discuss their plan? Was there a plan?” Nicholas asks.
“Not really. Other than meeting up once Richard arrived in New York, there’s nothing specific. It’s all very vague and talks about how neither of them can wait to get back at their ex.”
“Fuck,” Nicholas mumbles.
“What about the press?” I ask. “Anything indicate they planned that?”
“Yes—”
“What the fuck, Carter?!?!? You should have fucking started with that!” Nicholas is back up, pacing and running his hands through his hair.
“If I had, sir, you would have questioned how we found the information,” Carter points out. “Again, there’s nothing concrete and specific in the exchange, but the dates leading up to it correlate. At one point they are discussing that they both agree that the other’s ex should be dead—”
“Oh God,” my hand flies to my mouth as the realization that they truly wanted to kill us.
Like before, Nicholas immediately stops pacing and is next to me before I could even blink an eye.
“Maybe we should take a break—” he begins to suggest.
“Like hell we will,” I glare at him. “We need to know what the fuck these two are up to.”
“The person we believe to be Harper suggests that since that’s a long term goal, in the meantime they can focus on ruining your career. They go back and forth before she announces that she has a few friends who would be willing to help her out for the right price.”
“Do we know anything about what their plans were once they met up in New York?” I ask.
“No, unfortunately that’s where the conversations seem to have moved to phones rather than emails. There’s reference of them taking a trip together and driving across the country, but then the emails end.”
“We need to get… Harper to flip on Westbrook,” Nicholas says.
“That’s what her therapist recommends as well,” Carter says. “However she believes the best way for this to occur is with your assistance, sir—”
“ME?!?! Are you all fucking crazy? She broke into the bakery with a fucking knife, wanting to kill us, and you want me to go see her?”
“With all due respect, sir,” Carter begins. “The therapist believes she is obsessed with you and that it’s possible to use that obsession, to get her to disclose what the plan was, or at the very least where Westbrook is.”
“Fuck!”
“There’s been no sighting of him?” I ask.
“Unfortunately, not yet, Mrs. Parker,” Carter confirms what I already knew. “We’re continuing to look for him—finding him is everyone’s only priority.”
“When do we do this?” Nicholas asks.
“As soon as possible, sir—” Carter suggests.
“We’ll fly out in the morning,” he interrupts. “Make the arrangements.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Carter?”
“Sir?”
“Kenzie and I are going to spend some time outside this evening,” he glances at me for confirmation, and I immediately nod reassuring him that nothing has changed. “We’re going to have a camp fire probably once the sun goes down.”
“Yes, sir,” Carter nods.
“There’s a spot down by the boathouse that we’ve used with my dad when we went fishing, I think that’s where will be unless you have a concern.”
“I don’t see an issue, sir,” he confirms.
“Why don’t you and Hunter join us for burgers and hot dogs tonight beforehand, Carter?” I suggest.
“That’s not necessary—” he begins to refuse.
“Something tells me that wasn’t really a question,” Nicholas chuckles when he sees the glare I give Carter.
“We’ll eat outside so you guys can keep an eye on everything,” I say.
“Yes, ma’am,” Carter reluctantly agrees. “Hunter and I appreciate the offer.”
Nicholas’s arms are around me, pulling me closer, as I vaguely hear Carter leave the cabin. My arms go around his back, holding him to me just as much as he is holding me to him. Of all the ways for Harper and my ex to be connected, this was not what I was expecting. I assumed one of them sought the other out, after learning that Nicholas and I were together. So this… this is not what I was prepared for.
Chapter 47
Nicholas
I have to say, tonight surprised me. At Kenzie’s insistence, we grilled burgers and hot dogs on deck and had a quiet meal with Carter and Hunter. Hunter didn’t stay but for a few minutes, since there’s only the two of them now, he had to be on border patrol. They weren’t entirely comfortable with both of them joining us for dinner, however Kenzie made it clear that it wasn’t an option for them not to join us. We ate, laughed and for just a few minutes forgot about everything going on. For those few minutes, there was no Harper, Richard or any of the other problems waiting for us back in New York. Before leaving us for the night, Carter started a small fire near the lake not far from the outbuilding where I proposed to Kenzie only a few days ago.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, as we walk down to the fire with the contracts in hand.
“Yes, Nicholas,” she laughs, no doubt because I’ve asked her this question far too many times in the last couple of days. She’s given me no reason to think that this is what she wants, but I still feel the need to ask again… and again and again. This is a big step for her—I wouldn’t blame her in the slightest if she ended up changing her mind. Would I be disappointed if she changed her mind? Of course, I would, but, I would also know that given everything she has been through, she would want some security.
“Let’s do this,” she squeezes my arm that she’s been holding onto as we walk down to the fire. The confidence in her voice immediately sets my mind at ease. This simple act truly represents how far we’ve come—it wasn’t that long ago that the only way she would agree to continue living in the condo, was if we had a written agreement stating she could stay after our arrangement ended. Tonight, any evidence of our previous agreement will be destroyed.
When we reach the edge of the fire, I place the box with both contracts on one of the chairs that were brought over here earlier in the day. I wrap my arms around her waist as we both watch the flames for a few minutes. The air is cool, but the heat coming from the fire instantly warms us. Despite knowing that Carter and Hunter aren’t far away, when I’m out here with Kenzie in my arms, it truly feels as if we’re the only two people here.
“It’s so quiet out here,” she voices my exact thoughts.
“That it is.”
“Your mom seemed to really like having everyone here for Thanksgiving,” she says after a few minutes of silence.
“My dad did too—he suggested we have it here every year.”
“That would be nice. I like it here; so far away from everything. It’s like a little escape from reality,” she sighs. “Do you feel that way when you go to your cabin in Vermont?”
“I always brought work with me when I went there, so it wasn’t a complete break from reality, but it was always nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.”
I pull her into one of the chairs with me, she laughs as she falls into my lap, resting her head on my chest. I can’t wait to put this mess with Westbrook and Harper behind us. So we can move forward: buying a house and planning our wedding. For no
w though, I sit comfortably with her soft body pressed against mine, her arm wrapped around my stomach and the smell of her sweet shampoo surrounding me.
“One day, when we’re here completely alone, I want to make love to you out here… under the stars,” I whisper.
“Mmmm… sounds beautiful,” she says and cuddles closer to me.
If Carter and Hunter weren’t patrolling the area, I’d lay her down on the soft grass and make love to her next to the fire. Even though I know they would both leave the area immediately if they happened upon us, I can’t risk either of them seeing her beautiful body or hearing those sounds that she makes when we’re together. Just thinking about those sounds has my dick twitching, slowly rising, not helped by Kenzie sitting on my lap.
“You ready?” she asks.
“Yes,” in so many different ways, even though I know right now her question is about the contracts. “Are you?”
“Yes,” the firmness in her voice makes me smile.
She makes the first move, slipping off my lap and moving to the table next to us, to take hold of the box that contains the only copies of the prenup. She reaches out her hand to me, we walk toward the fire together. She opens the top of the box, casually tossing it into the fire, before taking out the top copy.
“To new beginnings,” she smiles up at me, her eyes filled with love and hope.
With both of our hands on the contract, we toss it into the fire watching as the papers immediately light up. The second copy of the prenup, as well as the contract allowing Kenzie to stay in the condo following our contract with Bridget, goes into the fire next. When nothing remains in the box, she tosses that too, into the fire. I immediately pull her close to me, holding her, as we watch the contract that once defined who we were to each other go up in flames.
“Is it weird?” she asks quietly, a few minutes later.
“Is what weird?”
“I thought it would feel different… that not having the contract would somehow feel different, but it doesn’t.”
“I think… at least for me…” I stumble, trying to come up with the right words to describe what I’m trying to say. “That contract stopped existing a long time ago…”
It’s true… I can’t remember a time after those first couple of weeks of her living with me, and us getting married, when I thought about the contract. Everything changed on our honeymoon, but I think it started changing long before then. In the back of my head, was the constant reminder that I had put a time frame on our marriage, but I think I wanted to ignore it, rather than worry about it, which is very unlike me. With PFS, if something is worrying me, I deal with it immediately. I don’t let it draw out and risk it becoming a larger issue. With this, I knew I didn’t want it to end in two years, but I had no idea what I wanted beyond that. I was too scared to even think about tearing up the contract. Walking into Sweet Dreams the other day, everything changed.
“I think you’re right,” Kenzie whispers, pulling me from the memory of walking into to see her on my foyer floor holding a gun.
“What do you say we go inside?” I ask.
“What about the fire? Shouldn’t we wait until it’s completely out? Make sure the embers don’t land on a pile of leaves or something?”
“I’ll have Carter put it out,” I chuckle before pulling out my phone to send the text.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, we head back to the cabin. We stop to kick off our shoes on the deck before heading straight to the master bedroom. Her arms are around my neck before the door even closes, her soft lips quickly find mine. I groan when I feel her tongue against my lips, loving how bold she is tonight. Without taking my lips off of hers, I reach between us and undo her jeans, pushing them down as far as I can reach. Obviously, she is thinking the same thing when I feel her hands at my zipper. Pulling back ever so slightly, I lift my shirt over my head before taking hers off as well. We both laugh as we struggle to get our legs out of the jeans that are now around our ankles, but within minutes we’re both naked.
I pull her body against mine, loving how her breasts are crushed against my chest. My erection is between us, and I can feel the heat coming off of her. I could plunge right into her, right now and would probably come within seconds. Even though I had every intention of taking my time with her tonight, worshipping her beautiful body and showing her how much I love her, I know that I’m too far gone for that right now. Having been denied making love to her these last couple of days, I feel ready to burst from just having her body pressed against mine.
“I need you,” she moans, when I pull her against my dick.
“I’m not going to last… it’s been too long,” I shamefully admit.
She doesn’t answer with words, instead she grasps my erection, placing it where we both want it the most. I groan when her wetness coats me, in a way thrilled that I’m not the only one so far gone, right now. I nearly come when she adjusts herself so my head slips into her; the angle doesn’t allow for full penetration, but God just being in her this little bit is nearly enough to push me over that edge.
“Please,” she moans in need.
The bed is across the room, while the chaise lounge is just a few feet away. Even though I know I should take her to the bed, I opt for the chair: it’s the closest surface I could use to get us what we both so desperately want. I vow the next time, I’ll have her laid out on the bed, underneath me as I completely worship her body.
I grasp her ass, lifting her so she wraps her legs around my waist. My aching dick is between us, pressed between my stomach and her sex. She groans when I hold her tight against me as I walk the few feet to the chair; with her arms around my neck, she rubs her clit against me, causing us both to gasp. Before I can reach the chair, Kenzie raises herself up and moves me to her opening. Her eyes meet mine as she slowly lowers herself onto me, moaning when I sink fully into her.
“God, you feel amazing, Kenzie.”
“So close…” she admits.
I gently sit down on the chair, making sure to never break our connection. Lifting my legs up onto the lounge, she pushes me even further into her, we both groan at the same time as she grips me unbelievably tighter. With my hands holding tightly onto her hips, I urge her to move, knowing if she doesn’t, I’m going to come simply from the feeling of her body sucking me in and holding me there. Thankfully, she grips my shoulders and begins moving against me. Our eyes don’t leave each other; no words are needed between us right now. So much has changed in the last few days, yet so much still remains the same.
When I feel her tightening around me, I know she’s close, the moment she falls over that ledge I’m going to fall right with her. When her eyes close, she leans closer to me as her movements become more purposeful, yet uncoordinated. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me before bending my legs to plant my feet on the chair.
“Oh God!” she gasps when I take control, thrusting deep into her as she holds onto me tightly. Her walls are convulsing around me, sucking me into her every time I try to pull out and it takes everything in me not to empty myself into her, but I’m determined that she comes first.
“Baby, you feel…” I mumble.
“With me… Nicholas,” her words are my undoing and I fall right over that edge thankfully taking her right with me. She continues to move against me, riding out the last few waves of the orgasm as I try to catch my breath. When her orgasm finally subsides, she rests her head on my shoulder and I feel her body relax against mine. My hands lazily explore her body, touching her everywhere that I can reach.
“I missed you,” I whisper.
“I missed you too,” she says.
“Let’s go to bed,” I suggest, a few moments later when I feel her body begin to get heavy.
“No, let’s stay right here,” I chuckle, but don’t move letting her fall asleep laying on top of me with my softening dick still buried deep inside of her. Logically, I know we should move to the bed, as I’m sure it would be much more com
fortable to sleep in. But when Kenzie lets out a soft moan against my neck, any thought of moving disappears. I grab the throw blanket off the back of the chair and wrap it around us, wanting to ensure she doesn’t get chilly before I close my eyes and let sleep take me away.
Chapter 48
Nicholas
My leg is bouncing, and my hands are shaking as I think about seeing Harper again. I’m filled with anger, rage, frustration and so many other emotions that I can’t even name. As I look out the window at the scenery passing us by, I know we’ll be arriving at the county jail in only a few minutes. This is the last place I want to be going—I’d give anything to be back at my parents’ cabin where I woke up only a few hours ago with the woman I love in my arms.
“Sir, we’ve arrived,” Carter pulls me from reliving how I woke up to Kenzie only a few hours ago.
I take a deep breath and step outside, truly dreading what is about to happen. If there were any other way around this, I wouldn’t be here. I’ve spoken to both my attorney and the detective assigned to the case: both agree this is the only option to quickly get the answers we need. They will both be observing the meeting along with Carter, as both felt it was best that no one be in room with us. Carter wasn’t happy about that, but when I pointed out that she’ll be in handcuffs and shackled to the table, he reluctantly agreed with the plan.
The plan… what a joke this is. Essentially, I need to find a way to get her to open up and tell us everything. Most importantly, we need to figure out how much of Westbrook’s plans she knows. That is the only reason I’m here—if this were just about me, I wouldn’t have wasted my time. But with Westbrook in the picture, this is no longer about me. All those months ago, when I found Kenzie crying in the bed from her nightmare, I promised her that he would never hurt her again. With him in New York now, this visit may be the only way I can keep my promise.
On Her Terms (The Arrangement Duet Book 2) Page 41