He lifted me from his lap and rolled me to the floor. I scrambled to get on my knees, resting my body on my forearms as he slammed into me from behind. I felt him at my very core, I felt every inch of him inside me and my muscles tightened around him. He wrapped his hand in my hair roughly pulling my head up. His teeth raked across my back, marking, branding and I loved the sting I felt. I loved the pain as his teeth broke my skin and his tongue soothed. I loved the way he pounded into me, each time deeper and harder.
I gasped for air, I cried out his name and my legs shook. This was when I loved Robert more, if that was at all possible. When he was animalistic, when he was so full of passion and desire and wanting for me. When he growled my name possessively. When he marked me reminding me I was his, leaving a map on my body and showing me where he had been.
He pulled out of me suddenly and as he stood, he lifted me. He carried me to the bed letting me fall on my back as he crawled to kneel between my thighs. He raised my legs curling each one over his shoulders, he raised my hands, holding them above my head before pushing into me again.
“Look at me,” his said as one hand cupped my chin.
I opened my eyes. Staring back at me were eyes so black in a face so full of passion and desire it took my breath away. His chest glistened with sweat, the muscles on this shoulders and his stomach were tense. As he leant forwards, pushing my knees towards my chest, he was deeper than ever before. When I came, it was intense. So intense I felt like I had left my body. I was floating, my vision blurred and I couldn’t get my breath. My cheeks were wet with the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. I felt his body shudder and his hand gripped my wrists tight enough to bruise them until he stilled, until he relaxed his hold on me. I slid my legs from his shoulders, I needed to curl in a ball to quieten the ache in my stomach and he lay down beside me.
We didn’t speak for a while, I don’t think either of us could. It took a few minutes for my racing heart to slow, for the ache to settle and I stretched out, lying on my side facing him. The room had brightened, the sun was beginning to rise and finally he smiled.
“That was fucking awesome,” he said.
My beautiful, dark eyed, dangerous husband. We had possibly had one of the best nights together and his response was just perfect, so him.
“You’ve raised the bar, Trouble. How are you going to top that?” I asked.
“Believe me when I tell you, I will spend every moment thinking of a way.”
Chapter Nine
Robert was dressed for work, Gerry was still asleep and I could hear Evelyn pottering around upstairs. There was no sign of Travis though. I sat on the edge of the bed wrapped in a towel after my shower.
“I’ll be taking Gerry back this morning then be in work after,” I told Robert.
“Okay. Looks like I’ll be driving myself,” he replied.
“You should go and see if he’s okay.”
“He told me to leave him be, that’s what I’m going to do. I want to give him some space, Brooke.”
“Well at least text. He might have simply overslept although I doubt he would be going to work today anyway.”
“I will, later.”
He seemed reluctant and I wondered if what Travis had said still upset him. I only hoped that he wouldn’t distance himself. There was a light tap on the bedroom door and Robert turned to open it. Standing there with a broad smile was Gerry. He strode in, jumped a few times to reach the bed and sat beside me.
“Buddy, your jumper is back to front again, and your shoes are on the wrong feet,” Robert told him.
He giggled and using his feet, he kicked off his sneakers. He pulled his arms through the sleeves, twisted his jumper and reinserted them. Robert knelt before him.
“Brooke is going to take you back this morning and I want you to know that you will be coming back to visit another time, okay?”
He nodded but his smile slipped a little. I placed my arm around his shoulder.
“It’s been really great having you here and I’m going to miss that smile of yours. Like Robert said, you can come back but you need to get back to school,” I said.
He looked up at me. I could still see the faint yellow bruise around his eye but the full blown smile was back.
“Thanks for having me and will I see Harley again?” he asked.
“Of course you will, in a few days I’ll give his Nan a call.”
Robert took him by the hand and they made their way upstairs, allowing me to dress. I sent a text to Gary that I needed a car. I worried though. The absence of Travis played on my mind. Perhaps he did need a day alone and I doubted he would be back at work until after Caroline’s funeral.
Robert was gulping down his coffee, Gerry was sipping on his milk as I took my place at the breakfast bar. With a quick kiss to my cheek, Robert made his way downstairs and to the garages. I heard the doors open, the Range Rover start and watched as he headed down the drive. Evelyn raised her eyebrows at me.
“Gerry, why don’t you go pack your bag,” I said.
After I was sure he was in his bedroom I turned to Evelyn.
“Have you seen Travis?” I asked.
“No, I heard him moving about his apartment this morning though.”
I told her what had happened as she took a seat, sipping her tea.
“It has to be the grief, he can’t really believe that, can he?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I agree he’s hurting and he took it out on Robert but I have to say, it cut Robert to the core last night.”
“I bet. I wonder if I should call on Travis, maybe I’ll take him in some pastries and see if he will talk to me.”
“I think that would be a great idea. I did tell Robert to text him but I don’t think he knows what to do, what to say. If they haven’t spoken by this evening, we need to get them together,” I said.
She nodded before heading off. Gary arrived in one of the pool cars ensuring the Mercedes was still available for Travis should he need to go out. I gathered my bag and headed downstairs to collect Gerry. He had his bag packed and was sitting on his bed. I pulled him to me for a hug.
“Don’t be sad, darling. Think of all the fun we’ve had and you will be coming back, I promise you,” I said.
Taking his hand, we headed for the car. As I buckled Gerry into the back seat I caught a glimpse of Travis in the garage. I walked towards him, he saw me but turned his back as if to walk away.
“Travis, don’t walk away, please,” I called.
He stopped and turned towards me. He looked terrible, he clearly hadn’t slept the night. Dark circles showed under his eyes, his hair was a mess and his clothes rumpled. He wore the same clothes he had the night before. It was the smell that hit me first, the smell of stale alcohol.
“How are you?” I asked.
“What can I say? I feel like shit, doubt you would understand,” he replied with an aggressive tone to his voice.
“Well, yes I do understand. Although I wasn’t there when my brother was blown to pieces, his body scattered across a desert, I know how you feel,” I replied not bothering to conceal the edge to my voice.
His shoulders slumped and his head fell to his chest. I stepped forward and placed my arms around him. He held me tight, his face was in my neck and I could feel the wetness of his tears. I heard my car move slowly over the gravel and head down the driveway. Gary must have seen and was moving the car, probably so Gerry didn’t see Travis break down. I pulled back slightly and lifted Travis’s head with my hand.
“Go in the house, I’ll be there in a minute, okay?”
He nodded and while he made his way to the door, I headed for the car.
“Gerry, I think Travis is a little sad right now. Do you mind if I stay and talk with him? I think he needs a friend and I’ll come see you later,” I said.
“Sure, Brooke, Gary can drive me home.”
I chuckled as I kissed him on the forehead and smiled my thanks to Gary. I watched the car drive away, sent a
text to both Robert and Evelyn and made my way back to the kitchen. Travis was seated at the bar and even at that early time of the day, he nursed a bottle of beer. I made a tea and sat beside him.
“Getting pissed is not going to help,” I said.
“I’m not angry anymore,” he replied.
“I meant pissed as in drunk.”
He let out a small laugh and pushed his bottle to one side. I heard the front door open and Evelyn made her way to join us. She placed her arm around his shoulder and he leant into her openly crying. We let him be for a few minutes, letting his grief out. I rifled around in the bag I had deposited on the counter for some tissues and once his crying stopped, handed them to him.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Travis. You just lost someone and you’re hurting,” I said.
“What can we do to help?” Evelyn said.
“I’ll go over to Elaine’s in a bit. Harley isn’t coping well and I want to be around to help him. I’ve told Elaine that I’ll organise the funeral, maybe you can help me with that, she’s not up to it. I also have to deal with Harley’s dad, he made contact yesterday.”
“What did he say?” I asked.
“Only that he was sorry to hear what had happened. To be honest, he sounds a decent enough guy. I spoke to him and asked if he had plans to take Harley and he told me that he would do whatever we all thought was for the best. He hasn’t seen Harley since he was born, they don’t know each other but at least he offered.”
“How about you go to Elaine’s, let me contact the undertakers, if Elaine is happy with that of course and I’ll call you later,” Evelyn told him.
He nodded, wiped his face and drank the coffee Evelyn had placed in front of him.
“You need to take a shower first though,” she added.
He raised his shirt to his nose, screwed up his face and said, “Yeah, I think you’re right. Robert gone to work?”
“Yes, he left early. He’s worried about you though.” I replied.
He nodded before making his way over to his apartment. The crunch of tyres on the gravel outside alerted me to the fact that Gary had returned. I hadn’t asked him to but was thankful. If Travis was heading for Elaine’s I would make my way into work.
***
I had texted Robert whist sitting in the back of the car, letting him know what had happened with Travis.
“Okay, come see me when you get a minute,” he replied.
I settled at my desk and quickly got on with my work, I had missed a couple of days and felt guilty about that. I also felt guilty that I hadn’t spoken to Sam. In all the drama had that been going on, I had neglected my best friend. I decided to call him a little later in the day. By lunchtime I had caught up with my work and while reading through some emails, I smiled. A strange silence had fallen over the room and looking towards the door, I saw Robert. He was leaning against the frame, watching me.
“If I was gay, I would most definitely fuck him,” Bailey said, causing a ripple of quiet laughter around our table.
“Well you can’t, he’s all mine,” I replied. I logged off my emails and collected my bag.
Robert kept a completely straight face, no smile for me as his eyes scanned the room, that look of steel having anyone close burying their heads in their work.
“Stop it,” I said as I got close.
He winked, placed his arm around my shoulders and guided me to the foyer.
“Just keeping them on their toes,” he replied with a chuckle.
“So, to what do I owe this pleasure?” I asked.
“Lunch, just you and me.”
We headed to the car park and it felt a little strange sitting up front with him driving. He could have used Gary, who had stood expecting a nod to follow when we passed the security desk. Instead Robert started the car and we drove to the club. Settled in our usual spot with a glass of wine each, we scanned the menu for a light lunch while I told him what Travis had said that morning.
“I sent him a text, he’s going to meet me later.”
“I’m so glad. I told you it would be okay, he’s just hitting out, grieving,” I said.
He took my hand in his, his thumb ran across my knuckles. The man sitting opposite me was so different to the one I had first met. We had both come such a long way. I had finally settled into his way of life. Lunch over, we made our way back to work. In the car I placed that call to Sam.
“Hi, Sam. How are things?” I asked.
“Same, Brooke. Dad’s being moved to a hospice in the next day or so. We found a really nice place for him, he’s hanging on in there for the moment. To be honest, we haven’t laughed as much in ages. We’ve sat with him and talked about when we were kids, some of the things we got up to. He got on brilliantly with Scott.”
“I’m so pleased, will you give him a hug from me and tell him I’m thinking about him?”
“I will. Now, any new shoes, clothes, shootings or stabbings your end?”
I laughed. “New shoes and clothes, yes, shootings and stabbings, no.”
He was referring to what had happened in New York and I was reminded of how wonderful a friend he had been. He hadn’t left my side for a little while. I opted not to tell him about Caroline just then. He’d sounded so upbeat I didn’t want to bring him down. He had his family to concentrate on and knowing how dramatic Sam could be, not that he knew Caroline that well, there was no telling how he would react.
“Send me pictures,” he said.
“I will, love you and say hi to everyone.”
I finished the call as we pulled into the car park. Robert had told me to expect Gary to drive me home, he would meet Travis and we parted to go our separate ways. As the afternoon drew in, I placed a call to the home.
“Hi, Ted. I wanted to check up on Gerry,” I said.
“Well, I don’t know what you’ve done to him but he seems back to his old self. In fact, he’s decided he is going to help cook dinner, Evelyn’s famous burger and fries. Making one hell of a mess he is,” Ted replied.
I laughed, pleased to hear that Gerry was fine. He was handed the phone and we chatted for a couple of minutes before he told me that he had to go, he had a house full of hungry people to feed. The more I spoke to him, the more I grew to love him and I started to look forward to the time when he would come and stay again. He brought something new to our house. As much as I loved living there, the house came alive when he was around.
When my day was done, I made my way to the foyer to meet with Gary and we headed for home. I had texted Evelyn earlier not to bother cooking, I would grab a snack and if Robert was hungry when he got home, I could make something for him then. However, as I opened the front door I heard her upstairs. Smiling, I made my way up.
“Hi, Ev,” I called out.
“Evening, Brooke, I just brought some laundry over. Cup of tea?”
As I sat at the bar she slid a cup towards me.
“I met with Travis and Elaine today, the funeral is pretty much sorted,” she said.
“How are they coping?” I asked.
“I guess they’re managing at the moment. It must be so hard to lose your child and in such terrible circumstances as well. I met Harley for a few minutes, a neighbour sat with him but he’s falling apart, Brooke. He clung to Travis and cried when we left.”
“Oh poor Harley. I’ll give Elaine a call in a bit, see if there’s anything I can do.”
I told her about my conversation with Sam and as she left I called Elaine. We chatted for half an hour or so and when we finished the call, I was left with sadness for her and Harley. She had cried on the phone and I only wished I was there to give them a hug. I offered to have Harley should she need me to and said that I would call again. I sat for a while reflecting back on the past week. I felt a tear roll my down my cheek. So much had happened lately, so much upset and hurt, so many people involved. Ultimately there was only one person connecting it all, Joey. I hoped he was ro
tting in his grave.
***
I was in bed reading when Robert returned. He came straight to the bedroom and fully clothed, lay down beside me.
“How did it go?” I asked.
“Okay. Travis and I talked it through, I think we’re cool.”
“You think?”
“Yes. I guess there’s still that little bit of anger that Caroline came to the club, that I took her outside. If that hadn’t happened, who knows where we would be now.”
“It’s not your fault, Robert. You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course, but something’s changed between us, Brooke. I can only hope that we get back to where we were.”
While he took a shower I thought on his words. Travis and Robert were brothers, they shared a bond so tight I had no doubt they would work their way through that. After he had climbed into bed, he rested his head on my chest, one arm wrapped tightly around me and I ran my fingers through his hair. He slept fitfully, his tossing and turning waking me occasionally. When we woke the following morning, both of us looked a little rough.
Chapter Ten
Travis was sitting at the breakfast bar when Robert and I made our way upstairs. He greeted us with a smile but one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. I began to think Robert might have a point in what he’d said. There was something different in the way they interacted, a crack in the bond he and Robert shared had formed between them. Their conversation felt forced, strained and it was clearly noticeable. Evelyn looked between them before looking at me. I shrugged my shoulders.
“You don’t have to work today, Trav, if you’ve got other things to do,” Robert said.
“It’s fine, unless you want to drive yourself. I’ve got things to do but not until this afternoon. I want to take Harley out for a couple of hours,” Travis replied, his voice very clipped.
“That’s great, maybe take him to the home when Gerry gets out of school. They can play a little soccer.”
“I think I can figure out what to do with him. Are you ready?” Travis replied.
It was as if they couldn’t communicate, everything said was misunderstood and they were on edge around each other. We made our way to the car and as we did, I sent a text to Evelyn, something I didn’t want to say in front of the guys.
Fallen Angel, Part III Page 21