Moaning into his mouth, Thalia reached between them to stroke the outline of his hard cock, squeezing until his hips jerked against her. She smiled, and he broke the kiss to run his lips down her neck, letting her focus enough to work at his sleek belt one-handed.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Somewhere underneath the haze of her lust, she’d heard the quiet series of knocks, but it was James who pulled his hips away from her, muttering a curse as he tried to catch his breath. “Didn’t I tell you that Maggie was going to kill me?”
“She can wait,” Thalia whined, reaching for his belt again, but he caught her hand and lifted it to his lips to press a kiss to her ring finger.
“Unfortunately, she can’t. The wedding is in about an hour, but as soon as the Wedding Breakfast is done I have quite a bit planned for our first night as husband and wife.” James let that wicked smile spread as he fixed his belt, adjusting his elegant shirt, before pushing a hand through his hair.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
A fresh series of knocks made her groan as Thalia worked to right her clothes, feeling the plug shift with each wiggle of her hips, which was not helping her calm down from the orgasms or the tease of play. “I still think Wedding Breakfast is a stupid phrase, it’s happening mid-afternoon.”
“It’s tradition, baby.” James winked as he walked to the door, speaking louder. “I hear you, Maggie! I promise she’s —”
Thalia was finger combing her hair when James tugged the door open and froze, the light from the hall clearly showing the surprise on his face before he erased it with a smile.
“Mum, I didn’t expect you. Is everything all right?” Somehow, James managed to sound calm, even as Thalia’s heart leapt into her throat. Evelyn’s quiet response was impossible to determine over the rapid sound of her pulse in her ears, but she desperately tugged the skirt lower on her thighs, hoping that there were no errant bruises from their play that morning showing below the hem.
Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about the way her breasts were lifted by the corset top, or the burning blush she felt in her cheeks, or the rest of her state of dress.
“Thalia, mum wants to chat for a few minutes. I’ll go tell Maggie so she doesn’t worry, alright baby?” With a careful glance over her, James grinned and gave a quick shrug before he pushed the door open.
“Thanks,” she answered, trying to smile normally as Evelyn Hawkins walked into the room, elegantly dressed in a beautiful gown the rich color of eggplant.
“You can leave us now, darling. This is a chat just for Thalia and I.” There was a warm note to her voice as James leaned down to press a kiss to his mother’s cheek.
“Of course, mum.” Lifting his eyes over the pale blonde, he smiled wickedly at Thalia. “See you soon, baby. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she answered, and this time the smile was much easier… only then James pulled the door closed behind him and Thalia was left half-dressed, soaking wet, and wearing a plug while in the same room as the woman who was about to officially be her mother-in-law. “I, um, I’m sorry about my clothes. I was in the middle of getting dressed when James wanted to talk, and —”
“Don’t trouble yourself, dear.” Evelyn waved a hand, eyes sparkling as she smiled at her. “We have all the same things, and I know you will look absolutely lovely in the dress you chose.”
“Right, thank you again for connecting me with your designer friend, I had no idea where to go. I probably would have just done a web search for dress shops!” Letting out a nervous laugh, she almost choked when Evelyn took a seat in one of the uncovered chairs and patted the one beside her.
“I was glad to help. Now, please, sit with me a moment?”
Thalia felt her smile waver as she walked over and eased herself onto the chair, fighting against the urge to gasp when the plug seated itself deeper. “Was there, um, something you wanted to talk about?”
Her heart wouldn’t slow down, beating like the wings of some caged bird seeking release, and all Thalia could imagine was that Evelyn was going to bring up the fact that James had refused a prenuptial agreement. That drama had lasted for weeks, with the Hawkins’ family law firm harassing James to have one drawn up. But he had been the one to refuse, even though she would have signed instantly.
“I have something for you.” Evelyn’s soft smile drew Thalia’s attention to the small box in the woman’s delicate fingers. “I had always planned for Katherine to wear these at her wedding, but, as she so brashly reminded me last week, she does not ever plan to get married.”
“Oh, I’m sure she’ll find someone someday.”
“Well, perhaps. However, she has also told Henry and I that if she ever does get married it will be in Las Vegas and presided over by Elvis.” Lifting a shoulder in a graceful shrug, Evelyn seemed more amused by Katherine’s antics than irritated. “To be honest, dear, I was always much more worried about James finding someone to spend his life with. You did not know him when he was young, but he was always so serious… so focused. Even when he had a girlfriend, we were lucky to even know her name. Meeting her was an utterly ridiculous idea.”
“Really?” Thalia asked, leaning forward as Evelyn laughed softly.
“Quite. It was as if he thought we would frighten the girls away!” Evelyn smiled warmly at the memories, and then she reached for Thalia’s hand, squeezing. “And then he found you… and almost lost you… but you came back to him, to us, so that we could finally meet you.”
Tears stung the edges of her eyes, but Thalia blinked them away, squeezing Evelyn’s hand gently in return. “Meeting James was the luckiest day of my life,” she replied, knowing it was an impossible understatement, but they had long ago agreed on the version of the story James’ family would know.
“I feel it is we who are the lucky ones, dear. I always knew it would take a very special woman to capture James’ attention, and keep it long enough for him to be willing to share her with us.” Evelyn delicately cleared her throat as she released Thalia’s hand, lifting the small black box in her hands. “And you are everything I could have hoped for him to have, Thalia.”
“Evelyn…” Her voice broke as she tried to speak the level of gratitude she felt at being so whole-heartedly accepted by James’ parents, but she couldn’t find the words.
Brushing a quick hand under her eye, Evelyn offered the box. “It is why I would very much like to see you wear these today. I wore them when I married Henry, and my mother wore them when she married my father.”
Taking the tiny jewelry case, Thalia opened the lid to find two beautiful, antique earrings. Each had an oval diamond nestled in the center of a circle of intricate, lace-like metal work. Smaller diamonds were tucked into the design, with a round diamond at the top that formed the base for the drop. Speechless, Thalia simply lifted her eyes to Evelyn who covered her mouth for a moment before wiping her eyes.
“Oh, I can see how much you like them and that makes me endlessly happy.” Gesturing to the little box, Evelyn was more animated than she’d almost ever seen her. “I’d love to put them on you, would you mind?”
“Of course! I… I don’t know what to say.” Shifting in the seat, Thalia bit her cheek as the plug moved, but she ignored it as Evelyn plucked one of the earrings free and brushed her hair back to work the drop through, working the hinged clasp at the back that held it in place.
“You don’t need to say a thing, dear. This makes me happier than I can express. Other side now.” Evelyn turned her head, putting the other earring in place with a soft, satisfied sigh. “Just look at you, absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you so much.” Thalia managed to speak just before Evelyn pulled her into a hug, the small woman’s arms squeezing her with more strength than Thalia would have guessed.
“I am so glad to have you as my daughter, and Henry is too. He wanted to come up and tell you himself, but I insisted it was inappropriate.” Releasing her, Evelyn let out a conspiratorial little laugh. “And I must say, I
was correct. He would have been burning to his ears to see you in this beautiful corset.”
“Right.” Feeling her own blush burning all the way to the crown of her head, Thalia was relieved when Evelyn stood so that she could as well. “Please tell Henry how grateful I am to both of you for accepting me.”
“Accepting?” Evelyn’s gentle laugh came again. “Dear, I was praying for you, you were simply a blessing to us. Now, Katherine? She was your real challenge, but you won her over easily.”
“She was intense…” Thalia laughed. “But I love her too.”
“Oh, we all do. She’s just a wild spirit.” Evelyn shook her head as she rested a hand on the doorknob, smiling as she spoke about her children. “It seems Katherine got every bit of Henry’s mischievous side, and every bit of my wild youth.”
“You?” Thalia asked before she could stop herself, but Evelyn’s eyes sparkled as she lifted her shoulder in another graceful shrug.
“We were all young once, dear. But it was James who inherited all of our seriousness. Henry’s drive and work ethic, and my quiet thoughtfulness. You bring out the joy in him, Thalia, and the one thing he has always needed in his life is a little levity.” Evelyn leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to Thalia’s cheek. “I truly do not think James understood fun until he met you.”
“I, um…” Blushing brightly enough that Thalia could feel the heat in her cheeks, she fumbled over a response — because explaining to James’ mother about exactly how he used to have his fun in BDSM clubs across Europe was absolutely not an option. Instead, she managed to squeak out a noncommittal, “I’m sure he had his fun… but I’m very glad that we found each other.”
“We all are.” Evelyn lifted her hands in the air, letting out a little sigh. “All right, dear, I’ve taken enough of your time. Go on and get dressed, we’ll be in the front row waiting to cheer the moment you say I do.”
“Thank you, Evelyn.” Holding the door as the small woman stepped outside, Thalia was looking forward to catching her breath, but then Ailsa was smiling from the hallway. A laugh burst past her lips as Thalia leaned out of the doorway to glance around, catching sight of Evelyn walking away, but no one else. “Is there a receiving line I’m not aware of?”
“What can I say, yer a popular girl today. Do ye have a minute? I promise, this is something ye will definitely want before the wedding kicks off in proper fashion.” Ailsa was almost antsy with energy, her grin growing as she stood there, a leather portfolio tucked in her arms.
“Hell, why not? Maggie hasn’t pulled the fire alarm tracking me down yet.” Gesturing inside, Thalia watched as Ailsa quickly stepped into the room with a secretive smile. When she moved to sit down, Thalia groaned inwardly, the plug shifting as she twisted to close the door. “If it wouldn’t bother you too much, would you mind if I stand while we chat?”
Chapter Three
“All right, what do you have for me, Ailsa?” Thalia smiled at her friend, and therapist, as the woman settled onto the chair Evelyn had just vacated.
Fidgeting with the edges of the leather portfolio in her lap, Ailsa spoke softly, “I knew how much ye wanted this today, but I know ye mentioned at the rehearsal dinner last night that James had said no…”
Eyes widening, Thalia took a half-step towards the other woman. “You don’t mean—”
“I do.” With a flourish, Ailsa pulled the tablet free of her portfolio and held it out. “This is purely a medical decision, completely covered by doctor-patient confidentiality.”
The seriousness in her friend’s tone just made Thalia smile wider as she reached out to pluck it from her fingers, holding it to her chest as emotion swelled inside her again. Different than the warmth that Evelyn had summoned with her kind words, but just as vital. Just as important to making today what it needed to be. Speaking past the lump of emotion in her throat, Thalia mumbled, “Is this what I think it is?”
“Do ye mean is it the tablet that James is unaware Kalen stole from yer flat this morning? The one with access to the private site for ye and the others?” Ailsa shrugged. “It might be.”
“Oh my God!” Thalia let out a laugh as she leaned the device back enough to tap the power button. Her background flared to life, a photo she had taken on a trip to Barcelona with James a few months before. “I can’t believe you guys did this.”
“Just be quick about it, okay?” Standing, Ailsa closed the space between them to squeeze Thalia’s forearm. “And when yer done give it to Maggie so Kalen can sneak it back into place. My brother has always been light fingered when needed.”
“Thank you for this. I didn’t even know how much I wanted to talk to them today.” Emotion made the last few words tight, strained, but Ailsa always understood.
With another gentle squeeze she moved towards the door, pulling it open. “Ye might want to find another spot to work on it, Maggie does know exactly where ye are.”
Ailsa left without another word, leaving the door cracked, and Thalia glanced down at her minimal dress wondering where she could hide for a few minutes that wouldn’t be inappropriate. Sneaking into the hall she walked to the very end, finally finding an open door that seemed to be a storage closet. Industrial sized tubs of cleaning supplies, vacuums, brooms, and a myriad of other things that lent their soapy, chemical odor to the air — but Thalia didn’t care at all as she pulled the door shut and sat down on the floor with a slight adjustment when the plug reminded her of its presence.
Logging in with the speed of a habit long-formed, she found her way to the site and saw the posts with new comments bolded near the top of their private forum. The one that held her interest was the one where she’d told all of the others about the wedding. It had taken days to write it, to temper her own joy with the bitter pain of the stories she’d come to know too well.
So much suffering.
So much pain. Torture. Loneliness.
A black hole of despair that had swallowed so many of those screen names — ones that were mostly now connected to real names. Real women. Scattered across the globe in various states of recovery… and she was talking about getting married to the man who had saved her. Twice.
With a slow breath of the chemical-sweet air around her, Thalia tapped her post and waited for it to load. Some of the replies she’d already read, but the ones she hadn’t were still highlighted for easy recognition.
‘Couldn’t be happier for you, TR0414. Maybe I’ll find someone someday.’ – AW0612
‘You deserve this, Thalia. Don’t let anyone ruin your day. We’re all grateful for you and JH.’ – SC1109
‘He’s dead. You’re alive. You set us free, and this is the rest of your life we’re talking about. The way you talk about JH makes me think that eventually someone will be able to deal with all of my shit. All of the shit Marcus did. Go marry your prince charming, TR, and get your happily ever after for all of us, and share some fucking pictures!’ – VE0914
There was an ache blooming behind her ribs, and Thalia rubbed at her sternum as she read Vicky’s comment. The girl Marcus had taken to replace her, to be some kind of sick, twisted surrogate… the one who had yet to reveal even a tenth of the things he’d done to her.
Victoria Evans had survived two months with Marcus, while Thalia had barely survived two and a half weeks. She was impossibly strong, even if she hadn’t moved out of her parent’s house since she’d made it home.
Every one of these girls had suffered unspeakable things at the hands of the Williams brothers, and others, and as Thalia continued to scroll through their kind messages she felt the sharp twinge in her chest growing worse. It was only when a drop landed on the screen that she realized she’d started crying, but there was no stopping it. These other women were the only ones that understood. Connected by the most terrible moments of their lives.
When she finally reached the end of the recent comments she tapped out her own, ‘Thank you all for the sweet words, I can’t express how much they mean to me. To know that you forgi
ve me for being happy with JH. It may sound strange, but you’re all with me today. In my mind and in my heart. The things that tie us together may be horrible, but I wouldn’t trade this connection for anything. I’ll post some pics, I swear, and I know that each of us will find the right person to love us for who we are. Damaged goods and all.’ –TR0414
It was pointless to fight the tears, so Thalia let them flow as she posted and moved back to the homepage, where the bright red circle of a message waiting in her inbox drew her attention. Tapping it, she felt a twist deep in her belly once more.
There was one unread private message waiting, and it was from Beth.
BD0211. Beth. Elizabeth Doherty.
The girl who had lived through the closest version of hell that Thalia could imagine. First, Anthony’s unimaginable torture, then being sold to the kind of foreign nightmare that Marcus had only threatened when she’d enraged him. Beth only mentioned her experiences there in off-hand comments on the site, casual mentions of surfacing to find herself under strange men, chained to strange beds — until she’d stopped surfacing completely. Years of her life lost, which may have been for the best.
And, yet, somehow in all that horror, all that perfectly terrible darkness… Beth began almost every private message the same way.
‘Thank you for today, Thalia. Today I watched my nephews chase each other in my parent’s backyard, pushing each other and rolling around in the mud with this completely innocent joy. They made everyone laugh and forget about the huge fucking mess in the way that only little boys can. I laughed too. I felt happy, and it felt good.
I hope you laugh today, TR. I hope you went through with removing their mark so it’s not with you, because I don’t want today to be a bad day for either of us. I want you and JH to make your wedding day perfect, and it should be. No fucked up nightmares, no tattoos, no scars, no painful memories.
Tying the Knot (Thalia Book 4) (The Thalia Series) Page 3