by S. Nelson
Now it was Emily who cleared her throat. “Uh… five weeks,” she answered, stumbling over her words.
My mother placed her hand on my dad’s arm right before he tried to move toward the man who’d been hired to protect his daughter.
“Did you do this?” He pointed at Owen, and I wished I could take back my words and allow her to tell them in her own time. But there was nothing I could do now except watch the explosion and try and dodge the aftermath.
“Sir, if we could just sit down and talk about—”
“Oh, now you want to show me some sort of respect?” He moved a step closer, encroaching on Emily and Owen’s personal space. “I hired you to watch out for her, trusted you with her well-being, and you go and do this? Take advantage of her and get her pregnant?”
“He didn’t take advantage of me,” Emily cried. “We have feelings for each other.”
“He played you, sweetheart. The only thing he wanted to do was get in your pants. And you let him.” His tone was laced with disappointment, and right then I knew how Emily felt because I’d been on the receiving end of his displeasure more times than I cared to count.
“It wasn’t like that, sir,” Owen tried to interject, but before any of us knew what was happening, my dad reached around Emily and snatched Owen’s shirt, pulling him to the side and dragging him out of the room. I had no doubt that if Owen wanted to break free, he could’ve, but he never attempted to try.
The rest of us followed them in half surprise and half expectancy while Owen was dragged into the foyer and pushed against the front door.
“If you ever come near my daughter again, you’ll regret it,” he spat, turning around and pinning Ford with his glare. “That goes for you, too.” He released his grip on Owen and backed away. “Get out of my house! Both of you.”
“Dad,” Emily cried, coming up behind him. “Please don’t do this.”
“It’s done.” He refused to look back at her, keeping his glare on Owen and Ford. While I thought that maybe one of the guys would hesitate and try and reason with him, attempt to explain their situation, although Ford didn’t have anything to do with Owen and Emily’s predicament, Owen opened the door and both Massey men walked out of our house right after they placed our key fobs on the foyer table.
As they pulled away, Owen’s car being housed in the last stall after they’d first arrived, warring emotions assaulted me. I bounced between sympathy for Emily’s situation, even though I was still upset with her, and thinking that I’d inadvertently stunted whatever relationship Ford and I could’ve had.
* * *
Ford
“Well, that went better than I thought,” I acknowledged, surprised as all hell that Walter hadn’t tried to attack my brother. I could only imagine the thoughts that ran through that man’s mind. I didn’t have children of my own, but I’d had a younger sister, so I could attest to the sort of protectiveness that was involved when trying to watch out for her best interest.
Not only had Owen overstepped and slept with Walter’s daughter, but he got her pregnant, changing both of their lives forever. Even if she didn’t end up keeping the baby, there would always be that link between them.
I had no idea what the two of them planned to do from here on out. They had to have known her father would react like he did, although, he was much tamer than I could’ve predicted.
“When Emily told them she was behind the threats, or the fact he didn’t attack me when your woman made her tell them she’s pregnant?” Owen pressed harder on the accelerator.
“Cara is not my woman,” I corrected, but even as the words left my mouth, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d been speaking the truth. I did have feelings for the woman, but was still confused about how deep they ran.
She’d shared a part of herself she kept hidden from everyone else in her life, and if nothing else, that bond strengthened whatever was developing between us. Again, I’d fail miserably if I tried to put anything into words because I continued to try and figure it out myself.
“All I know is that everything is fucked now and it’s all her fault.” He babbled on a bit more, but I finally had to shut him down.
“First off, Emily made the decision to send the notes, knowing Walter would do something about it, like any good father would. He proved her right. And she’s pregnant because of what you two did together, which has absolutely nothing to do with Cara. So, if you’re going to try and blame anyone, blame yourself. Blame Emily. But not Cara.”
“Whatever.”
“Be mad, Owen. Own it. But just figure it out before it’s too late.”
I assumed we were headed back to Connecticut where we lived, but when he turned off the interstate a half hour later, I was confused.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to stay close in case she needs me.”
“So, what? You’re holding me prisoner until you two hatch a plan?” I looked out the window to see if I recognized where we were. Of course, I didn’t have a clue because we weren’t from around here.
“I don’t know what we’re gonna do, but I need some time to think. Can you give me that?” His tone was harsh, but his pleading question convinced me not to debate him. This time, at least.
Several miles down the road, we came across what looked like a college, but the sign out front read Miller Manor.
“What is this?” I asked, shifting in my seat.
“A place we can stay for now.” He pulled into a spot, turned off the engine, and hopped out of the car before I could ask him for any more details.
“Just give me a few days to work through what I need to, then we can go home.” Owen handed me my room key, staring at me much like he did when we were kids and he wanted my approval. And because he was dealing with a heavy load, I agreed with a nod.
“You know where to find me.” He disappeared into the room next to mine, the click of his door echoing in the hallway.
Once inside, I stripped off everything but my boxer briefs and headed straight for the bed, dog tired and needing to rest my eyes. It was still early in the day, but it had been a rather long one, and all I wanted to do was forget about everything until I was forced to think about it again.
As I lay there, my mind wouldn’t shut off like I hoped it would. So many variables were intricately woven into the near future. My younger brother was going to become a father, if Emily chose to continue the pregnancy. If that was the case, then I’d be an uncle. But how would that work, seeing as how Walter never wanted to see either of us again? And what about Cara and me? Was there an us in this equation? Did I want there to be? Even as my brain formed that last question, I knew the answer was yes. Then I had to acknowledge that we lived hours apart from each other, and I had to consider the role my job would play, as well. My next assignment could be clear across the country, the duration unknown. And now that her dream of designing her own line was within reach, she’d be busy, too.
Like I said, too many variables plagued me, fighting the edges of sleep from stealing me under.
But in the end, my body gave up the struggle and I passed out. I wasn’t out long, however, before someone woke me by banging on my door.
“Go away,” I shouted as best I could, still tired, my voice not as loud as it normally was. More banging. “Fuck.” I looked over at the bedside clock and saw I’d only been asleep for two hours. More banging. I eventually marched toward the door, hell-bent on giving whoever was on the other side of it a piece of my mind.
I grabbed hold of the handle and pulled, snapping my mouth closed when I saw Cara standing in the hallway, her eyes red and puffy.
Without hesitation, I pulled her into the room, then into my arms as the door shut behind her.
“Did something else happen?” I asked, doing my best to comfort her as she unleashed fresh tears. Normally, I didn’t do well with a crying woman, but there was a vulnerability surrounding Cara that called to my protective nature. All I wanted to do was shield her from whatever c
aused her any sort of distress. Maybe it was because she’d shown such a tough exterior to the world, and realizing she was comfortable with me enough to lower her guard had me bonding with her on a level I never thought would exist between us.
“Every… everything,” she mumbled a moment later, clutching tighter to me while slowly regaining her composure. When her breathing regulated back to semi-normal, she withdrew and stepped around me. She headed toward the bed and took a seat on the edge, her head hung low, avoiding eye contact.
I slowly approached and sat next to her. “Wanna talk about it?”
She leaned into me and rested her head against my arm. “Not really.”
“Okay, we can just sit here.” I placed my hand on her knee and squeezed. And there we sat, in silence for the next ten minutes.
“Ford?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you in your underwear?” she finally asked.
“Because I was sleeping. Normally I sleep in the nude, but never in strange beds.”
A small laugh escaped her perfect lips.
“Do you want to get naked now?” Cara looked up at me and smirked, and for as much as I thought we should talk about what happened, she needed a distraction. And I supposed I did, as well. I’d previously refused to use sex as a diversion from the real issue, but I didn’t have it in me to be that resolute this time.
As I removed her clothes and buried myself inside her, I pushed all thoughts of never seeing her after today aside and reveled in the feel of her body and the taste of her lips. My feelings toward Cara were stronger than I realized, and while they scared me, I was coming around to the idea that a twist of fate had brought us together for a reason. What that was, I hoped to find out together.
* * *
Cara
Falling asleep with my head on Ford’s chest quickly became my new favorite thing to do. The steady thrum of his heartbeat lulled me into a peace I hadn’t known in over a decade.
Whenever I thought about not seeing him every day, I ached, and I didn’t know if my reaction was because I’d simply become used to his presence or because he was the only person who knew my secret, that unfortunate instance attaching me to him in some sort of warped way. Maybe a mixture of both was the cause. Either way, I would miss him if he wasn’t around.
A bang on the door woke us, and right then, being roused from sleep, I understood why Ford had the scowl on his face when I’d first arrived.
Another pound, then a jingling of the handle.
“Cara,” my sister shouted from the hallway, knocking once more. Groaning, I moved to hop out of bed but was pulled back before my feet touched the ground. Ford knelt behind me, his warm breath hitting my ear when he spoke.
“Um… don’t you think your sister is gonna wonder why we’re both naked? I’m assuming you didn’t get around to telling her about us.” The way he said us made my heart flutter.
“Hell, I wasn’t thinking.”
“Besides, the last thing I need to deal with is Owen’s mouth, especially after the hard time I kept giving him about his inappropriate relationship with Emily. Then I go and do the same thing.”
“Cara, are you in there?” Emily yelled again. “I know she went in there.” Another voice spoke but was low and muffled. I had no doubt Owen was out there with her.
“Hurry up and get dressed,” I instructed, finally jumping off the bed and pulling on my clothes faster than I thought possible. When I turned to look at Ford, he had a goofy smile on his face, but he still hadn’t made a move to get dressed.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just like watching you.”
I leaned over and kissed him. “I know you do, perv.” He swatted my ass before gathering his clothes, and in record time, he was decent.
When Ford opened the door, he narrowly missed Owen’s fist because he had it raised to knock again.
He looked past his older brother and locked eyes with me. “What were you two doing?”
“Nothing,” we both answered simultaneously, no doubt raising more suspicion.
“We were just talking,” I added.
Emily pushed her way inside. “Then why are the sheets all messed.”
“Because I was sleeping,” Ford answered. “In fact, I don’t appreciate everyone barging in here. First Cara shows up out of the blue, rambling on about this and that, then you two bang on the door like you’re the goddamn police. What the hell do I have to do to get some peace around here?”
A little over the top but a satisfactory performance.
“Calm down.” Owen glared at his brother before entering the room, all four of us seemingly annoyed. “We have enough to deal with, I don’t need your shit on top of it.” After Owen and Emily walked farther into the room, Ford turned to me and shrugged. I shook my head and joined the other two.
“What are we going to do?” Emily asked. “Dad is so angry.” Owen pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head.
Even though I felt betrayed by my sister, we talked on the way over here, and while I couldn’t forgive her just yet, she was my sister and I loved her.
“He’ll come around. Besides, Mom won’t let him do anything too rash. You just have to let him calm down.”
“I never wanted any of this to happen,” she cried, her shoulders shaking when a fresh wave of sorrow washed over her.
“But it did and now you have to deal with the consequences.” I had nothing other than the truth to say. But it did feel odd not to be on the receiving end of such talk.
“I need a fucking drink,” Owen admitted, heading back toward the door to leave, his arm slung around Emily’s shoulders to keep her close.
“So do I.” I looked at Ford after he said that and smirked. “What? Now I’m no longer on duty, I can have one.”
“I didn’t say a word.”
How we were going to pretend nothing was going on between the two of us, especially with a few drinks in us, was something I wondered as the elevator descended to the lobby where the bar was located.
Stumbling back toward Ford’s room, he’d convinced us to stay the night because we’d all had too much to drink, except Emily, of course. He suggested that he and his brother share a room and that Emily and I take the other, but Owen shut down that suggestion right away, insisting he and Emily needed time alone to continue to try and figure things out. I acted like spending more time with Ford annoyed me, but in truth, I was happy we’d be alone.
After he hooked the latch on the door, he turned around and stared at me, a devilish grin plastered across his gorgeous face. He’d drank quite a bit but didn’t seem fazed, the only indication he was drunk was the slight slur of his words and the way his eyes glassed over.
“Do you wanna get naked again?” He leaned against the door and shoved his hands in his pockets, watching me, studying me.
“Nah, I’m good.” I disappeared into the bathroom, laughing, but before I could close the door, he grabbed my waist and turned me so that I faced the mirror.
“I don’t believe you.” He leaned in close and caught my eyes in the reflection. “I think you want me to fuck you again.” His breath hit my ear, and I swore an electric current bolted through my body, my knees buckling beneath me and hitting the front of the vanity. His grip around my waist held me in place so I didn’t fall. With his eyes glued to mine, he unbuttoned my jeans and yanked them down my legs. When he rose back to his full height, the irises of his eyes darkened.
“What makes you say that?” I asked, both wanting to engage and throw caution to the wind and give in to our need for each other.
He reached around me and pulled my panties to the side. “This.” My excitement glistened on his fingers right before he thrust them inside me. “Tell me you like it.”
I moaned and my head fell forward. The man zapped all my strength with his touch. But my eyes hadn’t broken away from his for long when he bunched my hair in his hand and pulled my head back.
“I know what you want,
” he growled right before he removed his fingers. Before I could pull enough air into my lungs to say anything, he ripped away the flimsy material covering me, kicked my legs apart, placed a hand between my shoulder blades and bent me over. “Brace yourself.”
Ford’s warning thrilled me, my pussy throbbing in anticipation of him succumbing to the basest of his needs. The other times we’d had sex were amazing, but there was something in his stare this time that suggested more.
The clink of his belt buckle hitting the floor startled me, but when I heard the grind of his zipper, I knew what was coming next. Not that him bending me over and telling me to brace myself wasn’t a sure indicator. Seconds later, his cock pressed against my opening, but before he slammed inside me, he teased me by rubbing himself through my folds, tapping the head of his dick against my clit several times.
A jolt of pleasure stole my breath.
I moaned and wiggled my ass against him.
Needing everything he wanted to unleash on me.
“Stop making me wait,” I finally cried, moving back against him in hopes he’d decide that he’d wasted enough time and fuck me hard.
Instead of giving me what I wanted, however, he pulled back and smacked my ass. Hard. The bite of pain centered my focus, but before I recovered from the slap, his palm connected with my cheek once more.
“Fuck!” The pain radiated across my backside in waves as he hit me again, and then a fourth time. I loved it, my mewls encouraging him to continue. But he didn’t, and I was under no delusion I’d be able to change his mind. Ford was going to fuck me when and how he wanted, and I’d never been so excited to relinquish control.
“Look at me,” he demanded, gripping my blonde strands in his fist once more, our eyes connecting in the mirror. “Do you want me?”
I read into his question, wondering if he was asking about more than just sex. When his hold on my hair tightened, I finally gave him what he asked for.