Love and Sacrifice: The Pierce Family Trilogy #2

by Chelsea Ballinger

  The water is so nice and warm that I stay below the surface for a couple of seconds longer. Once I finally come up and wipe the chlorine from my eyes, I see Ella swimming toward the shallow end. I swim until I reach her, landing my feet on the ground and standing up straight. The water ends at my waist.

  “Enjoying the swim?” she asks flirtatiously.

  I nod my head while slowly waving my hands against the surface of the water.

  “I always wanted to break in here and go swimming. Stupid, I know.”

  “No, it’s not,” I assure her.

  “You know, me and high school didn’t mix. I didn’t really do a lot. I didn’t join any clubs, didn’t attend any sporting events. I went to parties of course, but it was nothing. Those parties were full of kids, whispering about me.”

  “What about dances?”

  She laughs harshly. “I went to one dance with Dina. It sucked. I didn’t even go to prom.”

  “Why? Don’t even say you couldn’t get a date.”

  “Oh, yes, I got offers. I got offers from guys who expected a grand time afterwards. My mom was worried that I was sad about it, but I shrugged it off.”

  “Well, were you?” I tilt my head to make sure she looks me in the eye. “Were you sad about it?”

  She sighs. “Yeah, I don’t admit it, but I would’ve liked the normal high school experience. But Pierces, we don’t get normal. This thing with you is probably the closest thing I got to it.”

  “Really?” I laugh a little.

  “Yeah, all things considering. I met a guy, he’s cute, mysterious, and funny in his own way, and I like him. He’s not some son of a mortal enemy or the son of a Republican.” She laughs at her joke and I smile and shake my head at her.

  “I’m just saying, I’ve always just been okay. That’s it. I hope one day I can be more than okay. You get what I’m saying?”

  “I get it.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “Yes, I do. Ella, I do. I’ve always been okay too. I’ve been used to the bullshit and at some point in my life, I became okay with it.”

  I know I shouldn’t be telling her this. Shit, don’t do it, man.

  “But… since I met you, I’m starting to look forward to having more.”

  Fuck.

  She gives me that bright smile again. I really like that bright smile. I use the word “bright” because it’s that smile that has so much light and shine to it that if you stare at it too long, like I am right now, you become blinded by it. I’m too blinded by it right now to stop myself from doing this.

  “Come on.” I reach my hands out to her.

  She looks at me confused. “What?”

  “Let’s dance.”

  “Here? In a pool? You want to dance with me in a pool where there isn’t any music?”

  “You didn’t get to go to your dance, right? Well, let’s just imagine, okay? I’m in a suit. You’re in a beautiful dress. I picked you up in a nice limo and I even got you one of those flower things.”

  “A corsage?” she laughs.

  I roll my eyes. “Yeah, whatever, just imagine we’re at the dance and I bow.”

  I put my hand behind my back and bow a little. She does a goofy curtsy.

  “And I take your hand and hold it like this,” I say, taking her hand and locking my fingers into hers. “Then I take my other hand and put it around your waist. Then you put your arm around me.” She does exactly what I say. “And then we dance.”

  We glide through the water, slowly. I’m just coming up with slow songs in my head right now to keep me from tripping over her.

  “This is kind of awkward, but sweet at the same time,” she laughs.

  “Yeah, I know.” I laugh with her. “I’m trying here.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you will regret it?”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because of the way your eyes squint. They squint like you’re dwelling on a good thing.”

  “Who says this is a good thing?”

  “I do. Let’s make a deal. You don’t hurt my feelings, and I won’t hurt yours.”

  “People can’t make those promises, Ella.”

  “Well, they have to at least try, right?”

  I stop the dance and I lean into her, touching her face with my wet hands. I just want her to stop talking… and I want to kiss her. I brush her hair back and stroke her bottom lip with my thumb. I’m going to regret this later, but right now I don’t care. I press my lips into hers and take her all in. She wraps her arms around me and we deepen the kiss. And I mean we go in very deep. It’s slow, deep, and passionate. It’s better than all the other kisses we have shared. I take my hands and touch her lower back and press her against me. She makes this whimpering sound that causes me to kiss her harder, allowing my tongue to lick her bottom lip as she leans back to look at me.

  Before I know it, she smiles and hops up, pushing me down below the water. She comes down with me and presses her lips against mine. In this moment, I wish everything was different. I wish I was another person. A person who deserved to be with Ella like this.

  Chapter 11

  “Who Is He?”

  Ella

  “That’s so sweet,” Claudia says to me, over the phone.

  I told her everything that happened between me and Tommy two nights ago. “It was sweet.”

  “Sounds like you really like him.”

  “I do,” I sigh, still thinking about the kisses we shared in the pool. “So, what’s been going on with you? Still think my brother walks on water?”

  She laughs at my comment. “Shut up. I’ve just been taking this summer writing class, volunteering at this center for kids, and yes I am still madly in love with Donovan.”

  “So, when are you guys coming back here?”

  “Well, your mom called and told us that she is throwing something for your brother’s birthday.”

  “Christian?”

  “Yeah, I think that’s pretty cool.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “You should invite your new boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  “Well, you want him to be. That’s obvious.”

  “We’ll see. He’s not a label type of guy. To tell you the truth I never thought I was a label type of girl.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Shut up.”

  Claudia laughs. “Listen, I got to go meet Jade at the gym.”

  “Since when do you go to the gym?”

  “Since the freshmen fifteen arrived to wreak havoc on my body.”

  “Oh, please. Alright, I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Bye.” I push the end button on my phone and lay back on my bed.

  “So, you have a new friend, huh?” I jerk up at the sound of my dad’s voice, coming out of nowhere.

  “Jesus, Dad! You’re spying on me?”

  “I was walking in the hallway of the house I am paying for and I heard my daughter speaking about a boy she is becoming serious with.”

  “And your point is?”

  “Daughter and boy. That’s all you need to justify it when you’re a parent, kid.” I roll my eyes and shake my head at my father’s logic. He walks in, pulling out the chair from my desk and sitting in it.

  “So, what’s going on?” he asks. This is the thing about my dad and dating, he is the typical dad when it comes to his kids and the opposite sex. When Donovan and Christian discovered the female species, he was ecstatic. When I first hung up a Justin Timberlake poster on my wall, all hell broke loose.

  “I met a guy.” I try to keep it short.

  “And?”

  “And he’s nice, funny, and handsome.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Twenty.”

  “That’s pretty old, don’t you think?”

  “Dad, that’s not a big deal. I’m eighteen.”

  “Where is he from, where did you meet him, why haven’t you told me and your mother about him?”

&nb
sp; “I told Mom already.”

  “Really? But you didn’t want to tell me?”

  “Well, let’s not rehash the Ricky Sloan incident, okay?”

  “I knew that kid was no good.”

  “We were fourteen! You pulled out your gun while giving him the sex talk.”

  “Ella, I don’t ever want you to get hurt.”

  “Dad, I get that, but you can’t stop me from getting hurt.”

  “I can try.”

  “All I’m saying is that I like this guy.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Tommy Dumas.”

  “The waiter from your party?”

  “Wait, you know him?”

  He sighs. “Tommy Dumas, twenty years old, was first convicted of murder due to insanity when he was twelve years old. At eighteen, arrested for assault and possession, sentenced to two years in upstate prison.”

  “What?”

  “I do a background check on every person that steps foot in this house.”

  “Dad!”

  “Ella,” he stays calmly. “I have the right to make sure we are safe here.”

  “I thought we were good now because you’re not involved in the big stuff anymore?”

  “We are, but if there is one thing I have learned from my life, especially these past two years, is the biggest effect of it all is that I have to always keep my guard up. I have always looked over my shoulder and I will protect this family the best way I know how to.”

  I smile at him. “I know, Dad.”

  “One of the reasons why I want you and Donovan to go to college and have a different life is so you won’t have to worry about someone coming after you.”

  “I know, Dad.” I shake my head. “So, since you know everything about Tommy, what now?”

  “I don’t know the kid. I see the last year he has been clean, but no, I prefer that you don’t date someone with that much baggage.”

  “Dad, you have always taught me to never judge a book by its cover. You only know the basics about Tommy.”

  “Well, tell me what else I need to know.”

  Okay, I don’t want to blab all of Tommy’s business, but right now for my father’s sake, I need to.

  “Well, do you know the guy he killed when he was younger?”

  “Officer Tony Sorelli.”

  “Yeah, well that guy was his dad. His mother was having an affair with him and he used to beat her and Tommy. Tommy’s mom was finally going to leave him, but he wasn’t going to let her go. He killed her and Tommy found her and went after him. They couldn’t link Tony Sorelli to his mom’s murder, of course, because he was a respected cop. Dad, you understand this. Tommy was raised on pain and grief. He has made mistakes, but right now he’s just trying to figure out how to be better.”

  “And you want to help him with that.”

  “I don’t know. Like I said, it’s not that serious,” I lie.

  “I want to meet him.”

  “Okay, you will. In a couple of weeks you will.”

  “Before the end of the month, Ella.”

  “Okay.”

  My dad gets up from his seat and kisses me on the forehead as he leaves the room. I know my dad; he’s one of the most accepting people that I have ever met. He’ll like Tommy, I know he will. Shit, I hope he will.

  Chapter 12

  “Simple Bliss”

  Tommy

  I texted Ella an hour ago to come over, tonight I figure we’ll have sex. It’s always the biggest piece of the puzzle. If I take her now, she will never be able to leave me alone. I know it’s fucked up, but I need to get this over with. I’ve been letting my feelings get caught in it, but I need to fight it off.

  I’m going to have fun with the girl, make her fall in love with me, and break her heart. What Mickey does with her family is on them. I don’t care.

  I can’t care.

  There is a knock on the door and I walk over to it. I open it and see Ella in a strapless white top and a long blue skirt. I love girls in dresses and skirts in the summer time. I mean, what guy doesn’t love that?

  “Hey.” She gives me one of those infamous bright smiles.

  “Hey,” I say back, letting her in.

  She throws her purse on my couch and looks around my living room.

  “Hey.” She folds her arms against her chest, nervously.

  “You said that, already.”

  “I know. It’s just that I have some things to talk to you about.”

  “You want a beer?”

  “Sure.”

  I walk over to my fridge, retrieving two Coronas. She hops on my kitchen counter next to it. After popping the cap off it, I hand her the beer. She watches me as she takes a sip.

  “I’m so glad you have Corona. It’s probably the only beer that’s a little decent to me.”

  “Blue Moon is a good one.”

  “Don’t know it.”

  “That’s a shocker. You don’t know something.”

  She smiles. “Shut up.”

  I walk closer to her and place my beer on the counter next to her.

  “So… what do you want to do?” she hesitantly asks me as I place my hand on her shoulder. I slowly and gently trace the side of her arm with my fingers. She shifts a little on the counter and spreads her legs a little further. Enough space for me to position myself between them after I pull her long skirt up to her thighs. I stare into those green eyes and wonder what’s she’s feeling right now. Is she nervous? Is she ready? Should I ask her? No, I shouldn’t ask her. I can just take her because if there is one thing I know right now is that she does want this. No matter if it’s now or later, she wants this as bad as I do.

  “So, what do you need to talk to me about?” I ask her as I place my hands on her waist, pulling her against me.

  “It can wait,” she says quietly. “You might say yes easier if we wait.”

  She brushes her lips against mine, sparking a fire in me that causes me to slide my hands under her skirt and grip the lining of her panties. She places her hand on my chest and bites her lip.

  “Your heart is beating fast,” she says, and she’s right − it’s beating really fast. When did I become the nervous one here? “You’re shaking too.”

  She speaks against my lips and starts unbuckling my belt. I shake off the nerves and clasp my hands on her face, pulling her into a deep kiss. She grips the front of my shirt and grinds against me, grabbing the hem of my shirt and breaking the kiss. I lift my arms up so she can remove it. She places kisses on my chest as I rub her hair. Unzipping my jeans, she reaches inside, grabbing a hold of me. The way she strokes it can send me over the edge, quick. I kiss her neck and shoulder and grip her thigh as she strokes faster.

  “Shouldn’t we go to the bedroom?”

  Why am I asking her this? Who cares what she wants?

  “I’d rather stay right here,” she whispers in my ear.

  I grab her by the arms and step back and she removes her hand from inside my jeans.

  Ella

  “What’s wrong?” I ask him, confused as to why he is stopping.

  “You sure about this? Isn’t it like a big deal to you or something?” he asks in his own sincere way.

  “Yeah, it is.” I grab his waist and pull him back between my legs. “This is why I don’t want to move. I don’t want to move from this spot. I just want you right now… right here.”

  There’s nothing left to say once he presses his lips onto mine, wasting no time as he slides his hands under my skirt as I pull it up more. He kisses me with so much hunger and want that I can’t even concentrate on what to do next with my hands as they lay flat on his chest. He squats down and pulls my panties off swiftly, but in slow motion, he gazes at my thighs. He plants sweet and wet kisses on both of them and I arch my back, leaning my head against the cabinet as the pleasure in my body spreads. He rises and picks me up, wrapping my legs around his waist, walking us to the bedroom. It doesn’t matter where we do it, I just want him. I’v
e only been in his room once. It’s the size of my walk-in closet. He has a full size bed with just a black comforter and white sheets. He doesn’t have a dresser, no pictures, nothing.

  He lays me on the bed and positions my knees up, gliding his hand down my thigh as I grip the comforter in anticipation. He smirks at my anxious smile and finally rubs the spot that sends every girl over the edge.

  “You are so beautiful,” he says, gazing at me, still rubbing my sex.

  The mixture of pleasure and his compliment causes me to smile, of all things. I’m embarrassed to do it, but he smiles back at me. He stops what he’s doing and just stares at me, dropping his smile to confusion. I know this look and I’ll be damned if I let him question this.

  I sit up and rub my hands over his ripped stomach. I see the long scar on his ribs and trace it with my fingers. It’s funny how a guy so rough could have smooth skin. I trace the tattoo on his left side. It’s the word Invictus in old English font. I lean in and place one gentle kiss on his stomach. I glance up at him and I swear I see his hazel eyes glistening.

  He rubs the back of my head and bends down to kiss me. I grab the waist band of his jeans and underwear and slowly pull them down. He breaks the kiss and takes them all the way off. I fall back on the bed and admire him fully. I haven’t seen many, but Tommy’s is very, very, very nice.

  He grabs the hem of my strapless shirt and pulls it down my body along with my skirt, very smoothly. He walks over to his black duffel bag and pulls out a box of condoms, removing it and walking back to the bed. I sit up and scoot back, watching as he tears open the condom wrapper and slides the condom over his very hard member. He sits on the bed and I waste no time positioning myself on his lap. He leans back against the headboard and I raise my body enough for him to position himself and I brace myself for the pain to come because it’s been a while.