Layers Peeled
Page 20
I am my mother’s daughter, you dweeb! Was he confusing me with Marissa?
“I almost settled for your little girl. I must say she was quite tight and giving.”
Gross! In this dire situation my heart still ached for Marissa, wondering at the pain she must have gone through.
“But there’s no one who can ever compare to you, Peg. We’ll have the family we always wanted.” His hand slid to my belly as if I were carrying his child. It made me sick to my stomach, and I turned my head away in disgust as his stinky mouth came closer to my ear. His three-day stubble raked against my cheek. “All you have to do is stay still.”
He lowered the zipper on his fly and I shut my eyes.
I wished Tristan had really killed him. The only way to get rid of Wright permanently was to pull the trigger ourselves. Why hadn’t I done it that day on the mountain? Why had I cowered? And now, because of me, my children were in danger. Pigs would fly up in rainbow patterns before I’d let my family suffer at the hands of this man again.
At this point, I knew arguing with the son of a bitch wouldn’t help. Nothing would. He’d do as he pleased. That is, unless I stopped him.
“What do you want?” I lowered my voice to a more submissive tone. He seemed to respond to that.
“You. What else?”
“And you’ll leave my mother alone?” I coaxed.
“Peg, your mother died years ago. But I will let your daughter be if you fuck me well.”
Wright really did think I was my mother. Fuck you! I thought, but to him I said, “I’m carrying a child. You need to be careful.”
“There’s no need to bleed like the last time if you just listen. No fighting. Now turn around and lift your fucking skirt.”
I did as he asked, but my mind roamed at a thousand miles per hour. The stench of his cigarette breath along with something burning filled me as Wright positioned himself behind me. The sound of him fumbling with his fly cursed through me as chills of disgust.
This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening! I repeated in my mind. Taking a deep breath in, I tried to calm my nerves and control the situation. But the gun at my ribcage held all the power. One wrong move and the bullet would fly through me – through us. I exhaled, bracing my hands against the counter, giving enough space for my belly and then some, just in case he pushed too hard, like he had against my mother.
What are you thinking? The devil on my shoulder stepped up. Fight!
And my conscience joined him. You need to fight, Allie. He’ll kill you after he’s done!
For the first time in my life, they both agreed. Were they right? Was that what I was supposed to do?
The smell of burnt batter intensified and I remembered the waffles. “We’re going to set the kitchen on fire, Dave. Let me take them off the skillet. Please. You wouldn’t want to hurt your child, would you?” I said to him the way my mother would have, pretending to go back in time. With his pants at his knees he stepped to the side. The gun was finally pointed downward at the side of his leg.
I paced with caution to the waffle maker, twisted the grids steaming with black smoke and turned off the machine. The kitchen knives on the counter called out to me. I’d have to throw one and not miss. The only problem was sliding the blade out of the compartment without making a noise. As I looked back at Wright, a tiny red dot appeared in the middle of his forehead. Then everything happened all at once. The window shattered and I fell down on the marble floor. The red dot on Wright’s head exploded and Tristan broke through the back door. Taking me into his arms he whispered, “Don’t look, baby, don’t look.”
A cramping ache flew to my stomach. From the side I saw blood splattered all over our kitchen.
Tristan cupped my face in his hands, “Are you all right? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No.” I shook my head feeling a swell of tears and emotions begin to build up from inside me. I knew I was about to break down, but the new ache streaming around my navel drew my attention to my belly instead.
Julian knelt at my side with a sniper rifle braced against his shoulder, “You all right? The ambulance is on its way, and so are the police.”
But I couldn’t reply. Another pain shot through me, centering at my pelvis, and I felt wet underneath.
“Tristan, I think my water just broke.”
CHAPTER 26
Riding inside the ambulance, the sirens still sounded far in the distance, muffled by my cries of pain and Tristan’s instructions to breathe.
“I am breathing.” I shot him a deadly look. “It’s too early.”
“It’s normal for twins to be born a little bit early,” the paramedic said. “Concentrate on one small thing, Mrs. Cross. We’ll be in the hospital in two minutes.”
“My waffles are ruined.” I looked up to Tristan, gritting through my teeth.
“Concentrate on something positive.” He smoothed my hair back.
But I paid no attention to him. “They were supposed to be a surprise, and they’re ruined.”
“Their delicious smell saved your life, Allie.”
I knew he was lying because the waffles burned, but I appreciated the comfort.
“I need to go home and clean.” I rose off the gurney.
“You need to relax and stay still, Mrs. Cross.” The paramedic gently pressed on my shoulder.
Another contraction shot through me.
Holy crap, mother of a...
Even swearing in my mind took too much effort. The pain was unbelievable. I gritted my teeth. This part of the birthing God definitely didn’t think through. Why the agony? If we’re supposed to procreate, why not make it easier? He definitely made the sex part easy. And getting pregnant while on the Pill too!
“I need drugs,” I begged. “Lots of drugs.”
“We’ll be able to give you an epidural at the hospital.”
“Allie, you’re strong. Break through the pain.”
“There’s one thing I want to break right now, Tristan, and I beg you move away because I cannot control this.” I gripped the sheet at the sides and practiced my labored breathing, fighting the next contraction.
“Think about the babies and us in our beautiful house.”
Except the image I had in my mind was one of our white kitchen stained in bloody polka dots of Wright’s messed up brain remains.
“Trust me, you don’t want to know what I’m thinking,” I gritted through my teeth, imagining my face turning beet red.
“We’ll get it cleaned up without a trace,” Tristan said. “Julian and Kendra are taking care of replacing everything.”
I’d always known he could read my mind.
The ambulance door opened and hot air slammed into me.
They wheeled me into the hospital and to the maternity ward. I knew these were my first babies, and that they’d said it would take some time giving birth for the first time, but I could swear my kids were in a hurry to meet us. The pressure down there felt unreal as I felt the need to push.
“They’re coming,” I yelled out as soon as they moved me to the bed.
The next few minutes passed in a haze. I saw stars flying around my head in circular patterns, just like in the cartoons. A few bunny rabbits jumped through the air as well. The nurses and doctors moved around the room like a coordinated army ready for an attack. It’s not like I’m having sextuplets, people. But I didn’t doubt it was Tristan’s doing to get the best care he could for me and the twins. Apparently there was no time for an epidural, so I added that to the list I’d use to guilt the kids with in the future. Who was I kidding? I knew I’d love them and spoil them for the rest of my life. I concentrated on my contractions and pushed with all my might until I heard the most beautiful sound in the world: a sound I would no doubt curse within a week.
“Congratulations, you have a baby boy.”
Tristan wiped the sweat off his forehead, as if it was him doing all the pushing. Mesmerized by his newborn son he’d said, “For Emma’s sake, I jus
t hope it’s not Barney.”
But I couldn’t pay any attention to him. The pressure between my legs didn’t ease and within what seemed like seconds (which truthfully was a bit longer), I felt the need to push again.
“It’s coming,” I screamed.
“Okay, Allie, you’re going to push one more time.”
Really?!
With a long brace I locked my jaw tight, praying my teeth wouldn’t crack. The agony was unreal, and as I shut my eyes, forcing with all my might, the world disappeared from my eyes until another scream sounded. And the pain stopped as soon as the second twin was out. It all faded to nothing but joy. How was it possible something so little could cause so much pain? But at this moment, it didn’t matter. I fell back to the bed.
“It’s a girl,” the nurse said.
“Are they all right? They’re early. Please tell me they’ll be okay.”
“You’ll both stay at the hospital for a while, but their Apgar scores look normal for twins born early.”
“Thank God!” Tristan squeezed my hand then kissed my forehead. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Well, I don’t think Emma’s expecting to be a double aunt.” Tristan hovered over the nurses as they cleaned, measured, and weighed the kids.
“I’m sure she’s not.” As soon as I fell back to the bed they placed the snuggled babies on my chest, and I couldn’t think of a better feeling in the world.
* * *
“Two! You knew you were having twins and didn’t tell us!” Emma raised her arms. After that, she couldn’t get a word out. Her mouth kept on opening and closing without making a sound.
“We wanted to surprise you.”
Emma’s mouth was now open wide in a rare occasion of silence. I fought the urge to take a picture.
“You know, Emma, you’re slipping. I’m going to have to rethink some of your training,” Tristan teased.
“What do you mean, I’m slipping?” She whipped her body toward her brother.
“Because the blood work you forged originally indicated higher levels of hormones than expected in a normal pregnancy. You should have been the first one to know we were having twins.”
“What forging?” Mrs. Cross asked her daughter.
“I promise it was not a big deal.” She fluttered her lashes at her mother.
“Now, Emma, I’m curious about the baby name,” Mr. Cross asked, conspicuously trying to protect his daughter from an inquisition.
“Well, you told me you’d have a boy.”
“We did.”
She turned to me, saying, “So I thought that perhaps Raleigh, after your father, Ray Green.”
My mom choked and I couldn’t hold back the tears either. My Emma did it again. I knew I could trust her to choose the best name in the world.
“But I didn’t really get a chance to think about a girl name.” She fumbled with her fingers.
“We did,” Tristan whispered, handing me a tissue. “How about Ammé, after the best sister in the world, except spelled backwards. Because our little girl is as unique and lovely and beautiful as you, Emma.”
Once again, in a rare moment, Emma’s mouth didn’t release a sound. But it didn’t matter. I now had the million-dollar family I’d never expected. And for the first time in my life, I could begin living the way I’d always imagined: safe, in love, and blessed with a beautiful family.
* * *
Dear Reader:
As you can imagine Tristan and Julian haven’t spilled all their secrets yet. If you’re curious as to what happened between the time Allie and Tristan thought Wright was dead and the birth of their twins, book 3 Layers Off will go into all the details. The story will be told from the point of view of the most disturbed character in Dazzled by Silver (prequel to the Layers trilogy), Kendra. The Cross brothers have always had a close relationship with her and Layers Off will explain why. Cross Enterprises may not be the wholesome family business after all and their secrets will come off, one layer at a time.
Look for Layers Off in early Spring 2014 and sign up for my newsletter to receive email alerts on release dates, promotions and discounts. I will not spam, nor give your email to anyone.
Kindly,
Lacey Silks
About the Author
Author of Erotic Romance, Lacey Silks writes her stories from life experiences, dreams and fantasies. She likes a pinkish shade on a woman’s cheeks, men with large feet and sexy lingerie, especially when it’s torn off the body. Her favorite piece of clothing is a ‘birthday suit’.
When she’s not thinking about writing steamy stories, which is a rare occasion, Lacey enjoys camping and skiing with her family (not at the same time of course). She’s a happily married wife blessed with two kids who adore going to the library. She’s an early bird by nature, but loves the nightly adventures with her hubby which provide good content for her books.
If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review. All authors depend on the support of their readers to find an audience. Make your opinion count! Please write reviews on other sites as well, such as Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads, whether you made a purchase on their site or not.
Work by Lacey Silks:
Short Stories
My First, My Last (Free eBook)
Dance With Me
Teacher’s Pet
Over The Limit
Bossy Request (Free eBook)
My Neighbor’s Will
Fantasy in Each Reality (Erotic Shorts 1-3) Collection
Fantasy in Each Reality (Erotic Shorts 4-6) Collection
Mistresses Series: Meet Claire, Casey, Lexie, Paige and Amber in 5 connected shorts in the “My Reason To Cheat” Series.
New Adult/Erotic Romance Novels
Dazzled By Silver (a prequel to the Layers Trilogy)
Layers Deep
Layers Peeled
Coming Soon (Novels):
Layers Off
No More Regrets
My First, My Last: A Novel (based on the free short story)
Untitled erotic suspense
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Acknowledgments
My publishing journey has been the most amazing experience I could have asked for. There were tears, laughs and many sleepless nights. I truly don’t know where the adrenaline comes from, but I’m glad it flows through my veins when I need it the most.
I am grateful to be surrounded by so many loving people who helped me and supported me. My life, dreams and fantasies are always entwined into my writing and I feel blessed to be able to share it with all my readers.
I love your emails and adore your excitement. Believe me when I say this, I not only write for myself, but also for you. There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve enjoyed my work.
To my family, I could not do what I love without you. Thank you for your continuous support, faith and encouragement.
Mom, your go getter attitude has rubbed off on me. Dad, your humour is infectious. Mike, “all you need is love”. Sorry for using you as a barman in most of my books. Maya and Alex, you are who I live for. You are my life.
I am grateful to my editors, beta readers and kindleboard friends for their invaluable input, critique, support and love. A big thank you to Robin Ludwig Design Inc. for the beautiful book cover and for putting up with me. ☺
Back to the beginning.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
About the Author
More work by Lacey Silks
Connect with Lacey online