Charity's Secrets

by Maya James

  Justin's finger begins to squeeze on the trigger. He can feel it moving.

  "No one sent me," the stalker slurs. "Who are you?"

  This fucking idiot thinks he can lie his way out of this!

  Justin's trigger finger pulls tighter, reveling in the easy slide of metal underneath it. He didn't have the patience for games.

  "I warned you, asshole!"

  There is a scream outside the window, high pitched and familiar.

  "Justin—don't!"

  It's Charity. Behind her Melissa has both hands on the sides of her face in utter fear.

  His finger tightens.

  "Jesus Christ, Justin! Don't kill him—HE'S YOUR BROTHER!"

  CHAPTER XI

  "I don't know who the hell you are, but I don't have a brother!" Garrett growls while rubbing his bruised jaw and switching his untrusting stare between the three of us.

  I'm the only one that looks somewhat comfortable because I'm the only one that has a clue what is happening.

  We had moved to the back of the laundromat, away from the windows as it suddenly begins to snow outside. Confused, Justin refuses to put his gun away until he has some clarity. Garrett's denial is not helping himself, but it's not his fault.

  "Neither do I—that I know of," Justin replies. His eyes look to me for truth and I begin to cry. I still have his trust, even after what I've done.

  "It's true," I whisper. "He's part of this, of what she told me."

  Justin lowers his gun, but he doesn't put it away. "Why where you following her?" he demands.

  Garrett's head must still be ringing. He holds the back of his head while he works his jaw. "I just wanted to know who the hell she is and what the hell is going on with my mother. I wanted no know if she knows who my father is," Garrett answers.

  "Who is your mother?" Justin demands.

  Garrett meets his gaze, "Nicolette Sumpter."

  Justin looks like Garrett has punched him in the chest. He leans back against a dryer for support, his eyes pleading with me for some normalcy, something familiar.

  I step over to him carefully and put my hand on his chest. My joy at being able to touch him once again is overwhelming. "Put the gun away, babe. He's not going to hurt any of us."

  Justin does exactly as I ask and puts his gun away. We all see Garrett relax, even Melissa as she stands guard close to the front door.

  "She never told him the truth either, Justin. She never told anyone what happened." I lean in close to him, pressing my body against him desperately, and embrace him lightly. I feel his hands finally come around me. "He doesn't know a thing either."

  "Does anyone wanna give me a clue? What the fuck is going on?" Garrett shouts.

  "He is your older half-brother," I tell him, letting go of Justin. "Your mother and his father were married before you were born. She left when he was young, and I went looking to find out why."

  Garrett is shocked. "That's why I was following you," he says softly, slowly accepting what I've told him. "I've been looking for the truth for a long time. She would never tell me who my father was. When I was young, it didn't matter. I had her and that was all I needed. But as I got older, I wanted to know." He drops his head and shoulders in mental exhaustion. "There was never a man around when I grew up, and she kept her secrets locked up. I wanted to know who there was before me, who she had loved. There was something, someone. I always suspected it. She carried it in her eyes."

  I nod that we understand.

  He continues, "When she wouldn't talk to me, I took it upon myself to find out. I began watching everything, her finances, phone calls, everything. It didn't get me a thing—until you began poking around into her life."

  That was my mistake. I was hiding my tracks from Justin only, so afraid of him finding out that I didn't protect myself the way I should have from anyone else.

  "She had her reasons, believe me. She had reasons for everything she did to both of you," I say sadly, recalling their mother crying as she clutched a picture of Garrett. "And she's ready to tell you both the truth." As I remember what happened, what she confessed to me, I begin to sob. My chest hitches, making it hard to talk. "You b-both need to prepare yourselves for this—it's n-not good."

  "What happened?" Justin asks, an icy fear settling into his tone. Garrett waits for my answer with desperate eyes. They will not like my answer.

  "I know h-how badly you both want to know the secrets of your own past, and with the answer so close in front of you this is t-torture, but I won't be the one to tell you what happened." I see the fiery anger in both of them. How much they are actually alike is just starting to hit me.

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" Garrett shouts.

  Justin stands defensively toward him. Angry or not, he won't let anyone talk to me like that. "She has her reasons," he says in his JP voice, making Garrett instantly submit and it calms me as well.

  "This is her story to tell, not mine," I say as compassionately as I am capable of. "You have spent your life hating her," I say to Justin. I look at Garrett. "You spent yours loving her. You're both about to have your lives changed forever by this remarkable woman and her truth."

  My tears grow heavier.

  "I would not be able to get through telling you, and you both have to hear this from her, see her as she tells it. You're going to hurt. You're going to have questions. I can't do any of that for you."

  My sobs increase again to the point where I can no longer talk, and Justin throws his arms around me. He tries to hide it, but I see the tears in his eyes. "We've managed to survive this long; another day or so of waiting won't kill us," he says, supporting me.

  Garrett agrees. This is already more than he'd ever hoped to find out about his mother and his family. Maybe taking a little breath right now isn't such a bad idea, especially since he just came a millimeter or two away from having his head blown off by his own brother.

  "I'm going to call her, let her know what's coming," I tell them.

  "Let me know what time she'll be ready, and I'll have Shain fly us down," Justin offers.

  Melissa sees the odd look cross Garrett's face from across the room, and she understands it easily. She's use to looking at things from the same outside point of view. "Yes, he has his own plane." She looks at me. "You’re going to have to explain some things to him, Charity. He has no clue what he just stepped into. I don't think I know everything either," she says.

  WHEN EVERYONE LEFT THE laundromat, I went with Justin, sending Melissa back to my parents with the bagels we got for everyone and word about Justin. I think we're okay, but, for the sake of my heart, I have to be sure.

  Right now, neither of us is speaking. The only sound are the tires crunching the thin layer of icy snow that's been falling, and Lady GaGa belting about a "Bad Romance" and I'm hoping that's not a sign.

  I don't even know if he knows where he's driving to. He hasn't asked for directions, and we're heading out toward the farms and the high school.

  He knows I'm staring at him, afraid to speak, but he's not helping me, not letting me off the hook. I feel so fucking awkward, and I hate it!

  Just talk to me!

  This disconnect between us is getting wider with each mile. I can't be near him if we're not together—it's much too hard.

  My pulse races. My heart is feeling as empty as the road we are on.

  It's torture!

  Just talk to me!

  Just talk to me!

  "Just fucking TALK TO ME!"

  Shit! I didn't mean to let that out.

  He turns to me, his face strictly in JP mode, and calmly says, "You wanna talk, fine, we'll talk right here and right now."

  Justin yanks the wheel and puts us into a wicked spin, gliding off the road and out into a field with an arch of glistening ice behind us. His eyes are on me the entire time, never once concerned with the car or where we're heading.

  We finally come to a halt just a few feet off the asphalt. Justin punches it into park and shuts off the
engine.

  "Talk!" he orders me.

  My jaw flaps loosely with nothing coming out.

  Really, this happens now?

  "What do you want to know?" Justin continues.

  "Are—are you still angry with me?" I blurt out.

  He nods. "Of course I am." I see his jaw flexing as he tries to contain himself.

  "I'm so sorry, Justin—"

  "Don't apologize—don't you dare!" he snaps, shocking me. "You made a decision; stand behind it!"

  "I do stand behind it, completely, but I'm sorry for how it hurt you."

  For a moment, the only sound is our breathing.

  "Lena told me what was happening here," Justin tells me in his reserved tone. "She also told me that it was her fault because she put the idea in your head, and that I should be pissed at her, not you."

  "Don't be!" I demand. "All she did was give me a name. What I did with it was up to me. And when you talk to your mother tomorrow, you'll know why I'm good with what I did. You will understand it."

  "I already get it. I don't have to hear what happened to know how much you love me. That couldn't have been easy to do," he admits softly. "I couldn't see how to go on without you and I was the angry one. I think this might have been worse for you. We're both victims in this."

  I understand exactly what he means by that.

  Justin continues, "What you did was amazing. I tell you I love you, and I try to show you every way that I can, but you lived it. You put your love right out there where it cannot be denied, especially not by me."

  My voice lowers. "But you're still angry with me."

  "I have that right."

  "Yes," I agree, "you do. How do we get past this and reconnect, because this is killing me? I don't like this feeling that I will never touch you again. I can't stand that I caused this gap between us, so how do we fix it?"

  "Intimacy and punishment," Justin growls.

  "Excuse me?" I gasp, shocked.

  "Take your fucking clothes off! You want to feel close and I want you to beg. We're going to have both." His eyes are on fire, fueled by raw desire. "I ache to feel you; I miss the musky scent of you, the sweet taste of you flooding my mouth, and I can't wait another minute."

  Holy Christ, he excites me!

  "You were scared in the laundromat, but you were turned on, too. I could sense it in the air around you, like an animal, and you wanted to fuck me almost as much as I wanted my hard cock inside you. I can still smell it on you, a hungry urge drawing me in.”

  He's not wrong, not a damn bit!

  The rolling thunder in his deep voice sends vibrations right to my pussy and makes me want to climax, just by listening to him. I need pressure between my legs in the worst way, so I cross them tightly and lean forward on myself.

  "There's only one way that I like to see you cry," he says. "I've seen too much of the wrong crying from you; and it's time to make it right. I'm going to remind you why you love me, how happy I can make you. And I'm going to remind you how much you love to beg."

  As he's talking, his hands work at his zipper. A moment later his massive, delicious hardness is exposed and teasing me with one of his strong hands wrapped around its base, tugging at it. I missed him so much and I just want to attack him.

  "Stop trying to grind your own thighs and take your God damn clothes off!" he orders, sliding and twisting his hand up his cock to its head as a tease.

  Why the fuck has he had to tell me twice?

  I kick my shoes off like a maniac and rip at my coat and shirt, then my pants. His shirt slips over his head and I'm hypnotized by all those freaking muscles; the perfect squares of his stomach, the finger-like ripples between his ribs. It makes me want to dig my fingernails through his yummy flesh. Unable to wait another second, I take my panties down and run my fingers through my steamy folds, stroking my swollen clitoris while I watch him jerk himself off beside me.

  Justin grabs my hand, pulling it from between my legs and shoving it in his mouth where I feel his tongue licking them clean. I circle my fingers around his wet mouth muscle and tingle with anticipation of what it's going to be doing to me very soon. As if that isn't enough, I hear his voice roll again, "Take the bra off and climb into the back."

  There's a rush of heat and thick wetness from my eager crotch and my nipples practically pop out of my bra as it falls off. Before I move, Justin grabs one of my hard nipples and pinches it. I watch him jerk himself off faster while my tit sends crippling shocks to my core.

  "I need you to kiss me, please. It's been far too long and I need your lips," I beg.

  He smiles at me, lets go of himself and puts his hand on the far side of my face to draw me closer. His lips graze mine gently, barely brushing the surface. It gives me passionate chills that grow deeper as his lips press harder against mine, opening my mouth to his soft tongue.

  The sweetness that he offers me sometimes is so intense that it makes me cry. His love for me is monumental and when he kisses me like this it’s all the proof I'll ever need.

  When he moves his face away from me I give his lip a playful bite, letting him know that I'm ready for my punishment.

  Justin motions with his head for me to move to the back seat. I'm only half through, my legs not quite yet between the front seats, my warrior parts open and exposed, when he grabs my thighs and stops me. He breathes on my wetness to show me how close he is and it makes me clench and release over and over with anticipation.

  His hands glide up and down the backs of my legs, squeezing my ass and spreading me open further. I hear him inhaling me deeply and my pussy screams. He makes me whimper without even touching me and my juices are running down my quivering inner thighs.

  Fucking lick me already!

  I don't think I can wait any longer. He blows on me again and my cries fill the car.

  "Are you ready to beg yet?" his voice rolls. I'm sure he's close enough to see me dripping.

  "I am begging." I literally bounce on my hands and knees to emphasize my frustration. "Please, Justin, just—"

  Suddenly, his tongue is in me, sucking out my honey. The pressure of his face crushing into me is exactly what I wanted, my clit is grinding on the wet stubble covering his chin.

  My orgasm is already here, as if it had been waiting for days just under the surface. I buck backwards, trying to ram his face while the pulsing in my gut grows into a rhythm.

  "Make me cum, Justin, please!"

  As soon as I beg for it he stops. My climax shrinks back from the edge, but it's not for long. Justin slips several fingers into me and strokes my G-Spot while his other hand grips my leg. He slaps my ass suddenly and the sound is explosive in the small car. It sends pins and needles straight into my vagina ripping my orgasm back from hiding.

  "Are you ready to cum already?" he asks.

  "Yes! I need it. I need you!"

  I feel his tongue slide onto my screaming clit and my body catches fire. He sucks me into his mouth so his tongue can rub my hard nub like a hot, wet finger. His other hand is now stabbing my internal pleasure zone, torturing me inside and out.

  "Christ! I'm going to cum. Please let me cum, Justin. Please! Smack my ass and let me cum."

  His tongue stiffens and his other hand begins to practically beat my ass. Chills drip from my stinging flesh in waves that match my orgasm. I shut tight on his fingers, clamping in spasms each time he smacks me.

  "Cumming! Cumming! Cumming!"

  Suddenly, he pulls away from me, both his hands and tongue, when I'm right there starting to spill over the edge of ecstasy.

  "Justin! Touch me! Are you fucking crazy?" My shouts become a desperate squeal as I thrust one of my own hands into my heat.

  Justin grabs and pulls it away and my entire body becomes an ache. My orgasm seizes and my body trembles on the edge.

  He shifts around and out of nowhere I am filled with his cock. His girth pulls my opening tight. His muscular upper body covers my back while his strong hips fuck me—hard.

>   "If you're going to cum this fast, it's going to be on my hard cock."

  Once again the vibrations of his voice rumble to my insides as his hardness plunges in and out of me in wonderful thrusts that demand my satisfaction. The inner walls of my womanhood enclose around his thick piston, uselessly attempting to clutch it in place.

  My orgasm becomes my angry warrior—it will not be denied again. I'm lost in it, consumed until I exist for nothing but this massive climax. My body slides back to collide with his pounding hips, unable to take any more of him in me, but trying anyway.

  One of Justin's hands is on my shoulder forcing me onto him as he impales me once again. His other hand slides up my side and finds my breast, filling his palm and fingers with its fleshy softness. His sexy voice comes to me again. "I love you, Warrior, every inch of you. I wouldn't have stayed away long because I can't survive without you." Justin's hot lips press onto my soft shoulder and kiss me gently. "We're together now, united, so let yourself go. There's nothing to be afraid of."

  Just as before, the vibrations of his voice travel through me and tantalize my warrior, but now it's mixed with the sweetness of the words that I desperately wanted to hear. My orgasm is not exploding; it's not erupting, my orgasm is all there is and I'm crying through it like he promised me I would. I am swept up in the emotions; his sweet gentleness and raw aggression, the close connection and perversion, the pleasure and pain.

  Joyful tears roll across my cheeks and fall onto the car seat while I hold on for dear life, clawing at the seatback. Justin withdrawals his cock to its tip and I can feel his legs and arms tighten and flex around me, holding and pulling me as he rams his powerful hips forward.

  "Oh God! God! G—"

  Suddenly, it takes me. My cries become a single, incoherent wail and Justin is yelling over my shoulder, cumming with me. My entire body is a blanketed in both his physical and emotional love. My fist hammer-punches into the seat and my legs wrap behind his to help keep him humping me through his climax.