Divining Elise

by Jody A. Kessler

  “No.” Her answer came out as a squeak, which surprised her more than his abrupt response to dragging her away like a captive. His strides were long, and she almost had to jog to keep up.

  Rob led her into the shadows beneath the trees. The lake lapped at the shore a few feet away. The organic smell of the water mingled with the scents of cedar and spruce as the forest washed over them. Once they were away from the light of the brewery, he captured Elise in an embrace and kissed her the way she’d wanted when they were on the deck. A full body kiss where the connection between their lips was only the beginning. Only Rob could kiss her that way and she knew she’d never walk away from him again.

  Before she could comprehend that there was a world beyond the two of them, she felt her back up against the trunk of a tree. Rob’s hands were everywhere. His palm cradled her breast as his other hand snaked up her thigh and slipped beneath her thong.

  “You’re amazing. I love you. You’re so beautiful and sexy, Elise. I don’t ever want to fight with you again.” He fingered her most sensitive flesh and alternated kisses with telling her how much he loved her.

  If she could remember to thank Autumn for suggesting she wear the skirt, she would. I’ll buy her a freaking gift card. The note will say, “Thanks for fixing my life and for making me have mind blowing orgasms against a tree!”

  The sound of Rob’s clothes being shoved out of the way preceded the tip of his cock sliding between her thighs. He wrapped his hand around the side of her leg and widened her stance. The head of his erection pressed against her opening then slid inside in one long splendid thrust. The tree bark scraped against her bare ass as his hips worked back and forth. Rob rubbed his pelvis against her mound until she was in a frenzy that sought release.

  “Come for me, Elise. Moan into my mouth. I need to feel you shudder while I’m buried inside you.”

  “Don’t stop. You feel so good. Oh, please. Yes. I’m coming,” she said. Her head fell back as the sensations of losing herself began to take hold.

  His mouth wrapped over hers and Rob possessed not only her mouth, but her mind, body, and soul. Elise found the release she didn’t know she needed more than her next breath.

  He held her close and put her clothes back in order. Their hearts beat heavy against each other’s chests.

  “Sorry I was so rushed. It’s just been a while and you cursing in Spanish makes me hard as a rock.”

  “I’m not sorry. Sometimes I like it fast... and hard,” she said with a low laugh. “Besides, we still have the rest of the night to take things slow.”

  She liked that he held her in his arms and neither of them were in a hurry to leave their private spot in the woods. They kept their voices at a whisper. The illusion of being in their own private bubble was heavenly and she held onto it.

  “Does that mean you’re coming home with me?” he asked.

  “Yes. If you’ll have us.”

  “If I had my way, my home would be your home.”

  She tipped her face up to see if he were really making this offer. His face softened as he realized what he said. There was no regret in his tender expression.

  Elise kissed him slowly and with all the love she felt. “I didn’t tell you all the details of my dream. Someday, I will. But you can count on me and Colton being with you at the house, the three of us together, for a long time.”

  Twenty-eight

  VEHICLES BEGAN FILLING THE parking lot at the brewery. He waited and watched and just like he thought, she appeared without the kid in tow. Elise hurried across the street from the bookstore to that fancy as fuck new Black Bear Brewery. This is my chance, he thought. Javier could speak with her without the brat hanging onto her leg, or without that friend of hers listening to his private conversation.

  He’d been watching her for a couple of days and trying to come up with the best way to approach her again. She never left that damn bookshop by herself. She wouldn’t want him stopping by like he did before. She was so uptight, especially about the damn kid. When they got back together, she was going to have to chill the fuck out.

  He waited a quarter of an hour before going inside to find her. He’d act surprised to see her and then make her talk to him. Once she realized he was a changed man, she would want him back. Then Elise would return to Arizona where she belonged.

  Before inviting himself into the party, Javier saw her talking to those bastardos through the front window. He held back. Damn it. If he went inside, and those assholes noticed him, there was no doubt they would throw him out on the curb. Anger seared a path down his backbone. He had to approach her carefully or she’d get scared.

  He decided to wait for her to come outside and then make his move. Javier’s impatience grew thin, but he finally saw her on the back porch. He crossed the parking lot to join her, but the tall cabrón who owned the fancy house beat him to her.

  Javier moved to the shadows below the deck and listened to his woman and her lover exchange words no one should overhear. They hurried off the deck and disappeared into the trees. He followed, but kept out of sight and hearing range. When they were finished in the woods, Javier was ready to murder someone.

  * * *

  Javier would get back at Elise for cheating on him the best way he knew. Get her back where it hurts most. He told himself to be patient. Her time was coming and if she begged for forgiveness, he may even take her back.

  But Javier wasn’t going back to the pen. That decision had been made the day he was released from prison. Elise was making him screw everything up. She invaded his mind and he had lost track of the days since he left Arizona this second time. His stash of drugs was running low. He couldn’t remember how long it’d been since he had slept or showered. This was all her fault, and she repaid his dedication to her by fucking that pendejo—right in front of him. His palm itched to wrap around the grip of the handgun he’d bought off his dealer. He never wanted to use it, and knew having a gun was against the terms of his parole, but he had to be prepared for anything. And anything had just slapped him across the face.

  Javier’s mind reeled with visions of how he would make Elise suffer.

  He continued to spy on them and watched as Elise returned to her bookstore. The asshole followed her a couple minutes later by driving his truck across the street and parking behind the store. He walked up to the back door and rang the bell. Javier gripped his gun and took a long breath. He could end the guy’s life right now. Get this fucker out of his way and take Elise back.

  The door opened and Elise’s friend let the cabrón enter. He didn’t like that there were now three of them inside, not including the kid. More people meant more complications. As he stalled, Elise, his kid, and the pendejo climbed into the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. Javier knew exactly where they were going, and the secluded neighborhood would be just right for what he wanted to do.

  * * *

  The lights inside the house went dark. Elise and her lover were inside with the kid. Javier had seen the roommates, or whoever the fuck they were, at the brewery and knew they weren’t in the house. The thought of them together kept his blood on fire, but his mind stayed the course. He waited in the chilly mountain air for as long as he could stand it. Patience was key and calculated revenge would make her suffering even more unforgettable.

  Finally, he moved out of the trees and around to the far side of the house. He checked the doors and windows on the lower level. The door was locked, but the third window he inspected had been left cracked open. Stupid idiotas, he thought. Why was everyone so fucking dumb? He slid the window open, stopped, and listened. Silence greeted him. They were asleep.

  He needed to find his retard kid without waking the motherfucker who was screwing his wife. The plan was simple because he knew Elise and she would do anything Javier wanted if he had the kid. And if she woke up and found him inside the house, then he’d take her, too.

  * * *

  Rob packed to-go boxes full of appetizers before leaving t
he party. Shane and Bodie told him to get out, hurled a couple of insults at him for leaving the party early, then agreed they wouldn’t return to the house any time soon. In other words, he and Elise would have a few hours to themselves. Not that it mattered much. He planned on taking her to his bed and staying there as long as possible, and with Maisie staying the night with his parents, he could do just that.

  It was already past Colton’s bedtime when they entered the house. Elise tucked him into the guest bed and joined Rob in the kitchen with the video monitor in hand.

  “One day, I’ll give this thing up,” she set the remote on the counter and smiled at Rob. “But it may not be for a while still. Maybe next year, if his therapy goes as well as I hope.”

  “It will,” Rob said. “But you don’t have to give up the monitor. I plan on spying on Maisie until she moves out. Especially, when boys start coming around.”

  “Sounds like a solid parenting plan. Maisie will really appreciate your thoughtfulness,” she said with a sarcastic smirk and a laugh. She opened a takeout box and peered at the food.

  “I’m not sure how much beer you had, but I thought having a snack might be good before we go to bed.”

  “I’m starved. I didn’t eat at the party.” Elise chose a Southwest eggroll and bit into it. “Outdoor sex must burn a lot of calories.”

  “We’ll have to test your theory again another time.” Rob picked up a macaroni and cheese bacon bite and popped it into his mouth.

  Elise licked her lips in response, and Rob’s cock twitched. He opened the second container full of miniature cheesecake, brownie bites, and petit fours. “Do you want chocolate or something creamy?” he asked.

  “All of it,” she said with a hint of suggestion that further stimulated what was going on down below.

  Rob picked up a tiny and elaborate looking dessert and brought it to Elise’s lips. She opened for him and took the cake and his finger into her mouth. The tip of her tongue circled the end of his finger. His lips were against hers before he realized he’d moved to kiss her. A second later, he had her propped on the counter with her legs wrapped around his waist. He broke their kiss to slip her shirt off and pull his up and over his head. Their shirts landed on the floor. Then his mouth traveled from her jaw, along her neck, and down the sweet valley between her breasts. He lingered, savored, and tasted her caramel silk skin until he found her lips once more.

  He couldn’t get enough of her, but he slowed the frenzied animalistic rush to be inside Elise and moved at a more attentive, slower pace. Rob lifted her off the countertop and carried Elise to the bed. After laying her on her back, Rob stretched out along her side and stared into her dark eyes, her beautiful face. The tenderness he held for her was reflected back at him with her soft smile, the caress of his cheek, the way her hands never left his body.

  Sex with Elise had always been unbelievable. White hot orgasms and out of control lust, but that night Rob knew their connection felt stronger, on a different level somehow. Their passion had intensified, but from a place inside him that couldn’t be named. Elise filled a space that he didn’t know was empty. He could have gone his entire life perfectly content with the missing piece of himself, but now that she filled it, there was no going back.

  Elise fell asleep tucked inside his arms. Rob dozed but didn’t think he’d slept for long before waking again. The monitor had been left on the counter and he knew Elise would want it in the room with her. Even with Maisie away for the night, his internal clock told him it was time to feed the baby. If she were here, he’d stumble to the kitchen, make the bottle, feed her, change her diaper, and put her back down. Someday, she’d sleep through the night, he told himself as he rolled out of bed to retrieve the video monitor and get a drink of water.

  Rob left the bedroom and entered the kitchen, trying to be quiet so he wouldn’t wake Elise. He closed the door, but didn’t catch the latch to avoid the clicking sound.

  The kitchen lights were still on, exactly the same way as they had been. Had he heard a sound? He wondered if his brothers were back. He thought he would have heard them come in, but the bedroom door had been closed and he’d been distracted by the sexiest woman he’d ever met. Holy witchery, Elise had a way of distracting him like no other person on this planet.

  From this side of the house, he couldn’t see the driveway and didn’t know if Bodie was downstairs or if Shane was in the other bedroom. He listened for household sounds coming from the other rooms but heard nothing.

  Rob picked up the monitor to check on Colton. The shadowed shape of someone walking in front of the camera caught his attention. The camera lens wasn’t very clear in the dark and the image was difficult to discern. If Colton needed the restroom or something simple like a drink, he was happy to help the kid out and not wake up Elise. Then he noticed the definite shape of Colton still in the bed.

  Rob went to the hallway. The bedroom door was shut. They always left it open for Colton. He didn’t think Elise had closed it behind her, but he hadn’t checked, either. What the hell? he thought and opened the door to make sure Colton was all right.

  Something, or someone, spun around and lunged at him. The man said something intelligible but sounded like, “You mother fucking pendejo!”

  Rob had wrestled with his two brothers for as long as he could remember. He may not have professional defense training, but he could handle himself. Not to mention that basic instincts for survival was a superpower in and of itself. He grunted as the intruder caught him in the gut. Rob deflected most of the man’s weight and he threw his attacker out of the bedroom door. His instincts were to protect Colton at all cost. Time slowed and sped up simultaneously. Rob reacted without much conscious thought. Every cell in his body moved with one goal, keep Colton and Elise safe. Light from the kitchen cast a muted glow into the hallway. The intruder hit the wall and fell to the floor, but he was quick and his momentum kept him rolling.

  Rob caught a glimpse of the man’s hands and threw himself to the side as a gun went off. The next few moments were a blur of fighting and confusion. He heard his brother’s voice yelling obscenities. Then Shane tackled the dark-haired man and the gun fell to the floor.

  “Grab the gun!” Shane yelled.

  Rob dove for the weapon.

  “You bitch!” the man screamed.

  Rob looked over his shoulder and saw Elise running toward them.

  “Javier, no!” she said and ran past their scuffle. “Where’s Colton!”

  Colton’s bedroom door slammed shut behind her.

  “Stay in the room, Elise! We’ve got him!” Rob yelled.

  Shane had Javier pinned to the floor so quickly that Rob missed how he’d done it. Javier bucked and fought, but with his arms captured behind his back and Shane’s knee jammed into his spine, his efforts were futile.

  “There are cuffs in the dresser! Top drawer.”

  Rob lowered the gun he had trained on Javier and ran to grab the handcuffs. He passed them to his brother and put the gun to Javier’s temple.

  “I’ll blow your brains out if you move an inch!”

  Bodie decided now was the time to enter the scene. “What the hell are you two doing?”

  * * *

  Javier rode away in the back of a police cruiser. Rob, Shane, Elise, and Bodie reported what happened to the Granite Lake detective and police who arrived at the house. One of the officers remembered Elise from when she filed a complaint which helped move the night along more swiftly.

  While his brothers took their turns talking to the officers, Rob sat with Elise as she explained to Colton that a very bad man had broken into the house. She said Rob and Shane caught him before he could do anything bad like steal their belongings. Amazingly, Colton didn’t know Javier had been in his bedroom. Elise didn’t inform Colton that the man was his father. Rob guessed she would never tell him, and he thought it was for the best.

  By the time the police left, morning was approaching. His brothers ate the leftover party food and re
lived the excitement, but Rob wanted to be with Elise and Colton. The three of them climbed onto his bed. Colton lay between them, cuddle blanket secure in his hands, and they formed a human wall of protection around his small body. Rob didn’t think he would sleep, but he would stay with his family, the family he chose, and keep watch so they could rest.

  Elise reached across her son and interlaced her fingers with his. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “For what?” he whispered back.

  “For being here. For keeping us safe.” A tear slid from the corner of her eye.

  “There’s no place I’d rather be. I love you. Both of you,” he said.

  Her small and fragile smile nearly broke him. He could have lost them tonight and he wouldn’t have been able to live without her. He understood this fact so painfully clearly now and almost wept with her.

  “I love you,” Elise said, her hand squeezing his. Her eyelids drifted closed, long lashes lying against her cheeks. “I love you,” she said again before her breathing slowed to the even peaceful rhythm of sleep.

  Rob lay awake, unable to take his gaze off the most precious faces he’d ever seen. He wondered if she dreamed and if her dreams were foreboding or hopeful. But then it didn’t matter because he knew he would be there for her no matter what—and they would share their dreams from this day forward.

  Twenty-nine

  Three Weeks Later

  “ARE WE READY?” the technician asked.

  Elise nodded, met Rob’s eyes, and then smiled reassuringly at Colton. For her son, she hoped her face looked brave.

  Today was the day. The moment she’d dreamt of since first learning that Colton was eligible for the hearing implants. Nervousness, excitement, and a range of complicated emotions had invaded her mind and body since she’d woken up that morning. Yesterday, she had been calm and centered. She knew that no matter what happened with the implants, Colton would be okay, that his life would be full and not lacking in any ways that mattered. But today, she teetered on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum.