I fought the smile pulling at my lips, but I couldn't help it. I was grinning like a fool as I remembered Trevor clocking him, saw the blood running down his face, and very clearly saw Brad remembering it too. Bastard deserved it. You never, ever lay hands on a woman, as far as I was concerned. As far as any of us was concerned. That was one thing my friends and I agreed on. It wasn't just that it was Elise – of course that made all of us a little more passionate considering she was our best friend's little sister and it was our job to protect her. We would have stepped in to help any woman in a similar situation though. The way we saw it, there were just some lines you did not cross. Ever. Period.
“You'd rather face charges than let me talk to my girlfriend?” Brad scoffed.
“Ex-girlfriend,” a voice spoke from behind us.
I blinked as I turned around, catching a glimpse of Elise as she walked toward Brad, her chin held out defiantly, her back stiff, and a look of grim determination in her eyes.
“Elle, come on, baby,” Brad said.
“Don't call me baby,” she said. “I always hated it when you called me that, but now, it makes my skin crawl.”
Nolan stepped up beside me, and I glared at him. He should have gotten her out the back or found a way to keep her back there, not let her come up here to confront this asshole. He looked back at me, and shrugged and mouthing the words, “Her choice,” to me.
Her choice, my ass. We were supposed to protect her from him. Nolan shouldn't have let her in here. Gently, Trevor took her arm, but she pulled away sharply, and glared at him. The heat between the two of them was obvious. There was more than just anger in that look, however. Something deeper. Something I couldn't define but was curious about all the same.
“Brad, please,” Elise said, turning her attention back to her ex, “All I ask is you be a decent person, and let us stay here until the weather lets up. We'll pay for our stay, you know I'm good for it, and we'll be on our way as soon as the roads are clear enough to drive. I want out of here as much as you want us out of here.”
“I don't want you to leave,” he said, but then his voice took a more aggressive turn when he nodded toward the men. “I just want them gone. You and I can work things out, Elle.”
“No, we can't,” she said with a sigh, then rubbed her temples, the tightness obvious in her shoulders and neck. “We've had problems before, and I'm just tired, Brad. I don't want to hash it out here, in front of an audience. Just let us stay here for a day or two longer in peace, please? I've never asked you for anything, and I'm asking you for just this one thing.”
“I'll agree to this, only if you'll talk to me once this is all over and done with,” Brad said.
I piped up, “She doesn't owe you shit, man.”
Elise shot me a look, that made me fall silent. She then cast a dark look and held her hand up to stop Trevor from saying anything too.
“Guys, I've got this. Please, let me handle my own problems,” she said. “I'm a big girl now. I appreciate your help, but you're not making this situation any easier.”
Yes she was. She was a big girl now. A grown woman. It was sometimes difficult for me to remember it, but it was a very true statement. Still, she was Aaron's baby sister, and that was something none of us could forget. We'd promised him – and their parents – that we'd look after her. That we'd protect her and keep her safe.
Of course, that meant sometimes sitting back and letting her work out her own issues – as tough a pill to swallow as that might be.
“Brad, we can talk once we're back in Greenville,” she said. “I can't promise you anything more than that, but we'll talk. I give you my word. Just give me some space for now.”
Brad's jaw clenched tightly, and he furrowed his brow as he looked over at the four of us. He wanted to say something snarky or aggressive but thought better of it for once.
Then he turned to Elise, and his face softened. I saw something in his eyes – it was almost like he loved her. Hell, maybe he did, in his own way. She was an easy woman to love. I didn't believe for a second though, that a man like Brad was genuinely capable of loving anybody but himself. To a man like Brad, somebody like Elise was a possession, something he owned. Something that was his, by right – and in his mind, he didn't like us interfering with what rightfully belonged to him.
“Fine,” he said. “Do what you want. I just need to grab a few things and then I'll leave the five of you alone to do your thing.”
His voice dripped with sarcasm. He was clearly not happy, and he wanted Elise to know. Judging by the way he scowled at her as he pushed his way past the four of us, it was clear he was beyond pissed off and jealous. “Ready?” Chase asked, stepping up to Elise.
Elise nodded, not looking at any of us. “Yes, let's pay and get the hell out of here.”
“Back to the cabin then,” I said.
“Right,” she said. “Back to the cabin.”
I wanted to tell her she didn't owe Brad shit. I wanted to tell her that if she'd decided to never talk to him again, she had that right – and that he more than deserved it. But something stopped me. The look in her eyes was something I hadn't seen before. Something I couldn't put my finger on.
She was trying to be sly, and didn't think I was paying attention, but I watched as she reached into the basket she was carrying, and pluck something from the mount of things. She was doing her best to be nonchalant about it, as she slipped it into her coat pocket. I barely caught a glimpse of what it was, but I saw enough, and it made my heart stutter in my chest. My throat was suddenly dry, and I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.
She'd picked up a pregnancy test. A pregnancy test, for fuck's sake. I opened my mouth to say something, but bit back the words and closed it again quickly. No need to make a tense, awkward situation any worse than it already was.
Suddenly, it all started to make some sort of sense. I suddenly understood why she might need to stay in touch with him after this was over and done with – because if she were indeed pregnant, she'd be tied to this bastard for the rest of her life.
My heart sank, imagining that sweet, beautiful Elise tied to such a hateful piece of shit like Brad forever. That she'd never be completely free of him, and that knowing the little bit about him that I did, knew that he'd go well out of his way to make her life a living hell.
I knew her well enough to know she wouldn't get an abortion or give the child up for adoption. She'd always wanted to be a mother – I just doubted she wanted it to be in a circumstance anywhere remotely like this one. If she were pregnant, she'd be tied to that man forever – or, at the very least for eighteen years. Eighteen years of misery, abuse, and constant humiliation. The very thought of that filled me with rage.
God, please, whatever you do, please don't let it be so. If it was, please, please let her turn to one of us to help her, rather than force her to turn to Brad. Deep down, I hoped she might come to me. I'd gladly step into the role of the baby's father, if that's what she wanted. I'd take care of her and the child. I loved her. I'd always loved her, and I'd do whatever it took to protect her from the likes of Brad too. I would be a good man to her, and a good father to the child.
Any of us would.
It just came down to what Elise wanted to do, and if she'd even want that with any of us.
I gritted my teeth and hoped that all of my worry was for nothing. I begged silently, pleaded with whoever might be listening, to let her not be pregnant with that asshole's kid in the first place.
“It's a good thing someone knows how to cook,” Elise said, chuckling as she watched me boil the pasta on the stove.
“Come on, spaghetti isn't that hard. Especially with packaged sauce and no meat,” I said.
“I know. Maybe one day you'll have to make the real thing for me,” she said, playfully nudging me in the side.
“Maybe I will.”
I'd always loved cooking, especially Italian food, thanks to my upbringing. My dad worked as a chef, often spending
long hours at a restaurant, leaving me and my brothers to fend for ourselves most nights. Because he'd been a chef, we'd always had a spice rack and seasonings cupboard most people who were into cooking, would have died with envy over. Back then, I wanted to make my dad proud, and sometimes thought about following in his footsteps. I experimented with all of the different spices and seasonings, learning ways to take ordinary, cheap pasta to new heights. I'd never had anyone besides my little brothers to cook for though, and they probably would have eaten dog shit, if I'd seasoned it properly. They weren't very good judges of what was good or not and were simply empty stomachs that wanted to be filled.
I'd never had a girlfriend to cook for as I got older, much to my regret. I'd never even had a serious relationship in my life. Though I enjoyed it a lot, my love for cooking – as well as my hunt for a girl to call my own – got pushed to the back burner as I grew up, and then enlisted in the Army. Suddenly, my world wasn't all about wining and dining women, impressing them with my mad culinary skills. No, most days after that were about getting through training, and then after that, about staying alive in a fucked up war zone.
My love of cooking never diminished. It was simply not my highest priority. Now, as I stood over the stove, doing my best to make something that was more than just edible, and would do more than simply fill the void, the idea of cooking for someone like Elise put a smile on my face.
Sadly, packaged spaghetti sauce, no spices, and nothing fun to add, meant that she wouldn't even get to see my true talents at work. I'd have loved to impress her with my cooking. Maybe someday I'd get the chance. Elise yawned.
“Long day, huh?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
I thought about asking her about the pregnancy test I saw her hiding, but before I could open my mouth to ask the question, Trevor sauntered over, and leaned up against the counter next to me, facing Elise with a worried look on his face. I kept my mouth shut.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she mumbled.
Her honey blonde hair was tousled, and she ran a hand through it, trying to work out some of the kinks and tangles. I yearned to know that her hair felt like with my own two hands. Longed to run my fingers through those fine, silky strands. It looked so soft to the touch that I was barely able to keep myself from reaching out, just to touch it.
I noticed that Trevor watched her as well, fixated on her with a look of yearning even worse than my own. He licked his lips and just stared at her, his eyes taking her in from head to toe, moving from her face down lower, but stopping before he reached her breasts.
Shaking his head, he pushed away from the sink and left the kitchen, once again giving me an opening to ask her about the pregnancy test and get a better handle on what we were dealing with.
“So, is there anything on your mind?” I asked her, dumping the spaghetti noodles into the boiling water.
She leaned back against the sink, right where Trevor had been, and stared off into space. I thought maybe she hadn't heard my question, or maybe she was ignoring me. Either way, we stood there in a bit of an awkward silence as the noodles cooked on the stove. No need for me to stand watch over them, they'd be just fine, but I was alone with Elise and didn't want to ruin it or waste the opportunity. I wanted to be there, and let her know I was there for her, just in case she wanted to tell me.
“You know, there is,” she said with a sigh. “A lot of things on my mind, actually.”
“Like what?” I asked, my heart racing.
Biting her lip, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, hugging herself tightly. Her eyes flicked to the floor, then to me, then back to the floor again. She gnawed on her bottom lip, fear and uncertainty etched upon her soft, beautiful face.
“Aaron would have hated Brad, wouldn't he?” she asked me, taking me by surprise.
“Uh, yeah. He treated you badly, Elle. Horribly. There was no way Aaron would have been okay with that shit,” I said. “You know how much he loved you. And you know he would have killed somebody who laid hands on you.”
She nodded, and tears welled in her eyes, making them shimmer. I moved closer to her, wanting her to take comfort in my presence, and she let me put my arms around her, pulling her close. Her hair brushed against my face, and it was as soft as I'd imagined it to be. Closing my eyes, I inhaled the sweet scent of her. Orange blossoms. She smelled like orange blossoms and honey. It was a fresh, clean aroma that made my head spin. Just a subtle hint of sweetness mingled with her natural scent – a scent that to me, was intoxicating enough already.
“Is there anything else going on?” I whispered into her ear, pushing the hair away from the side of her face. “You can tell me anything, Elise. You know we're all here for you.”
She lifted her head and stared back at me, her clear blue eyes filled with unshed tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but before any words came out, she pressed her lips to mine. Her soft, plump lips parted for me, inviting my tongue inside of her mouth, making my breath catch in my throat.
My heart raced, and my body trembled, and it seemed like the more I tried to control it, the worse it got. I'd never been shy when kissing a woman before, this feeling was entirely new, and was so totally disconcerting. I knew it was mostly because I knew I wasn't supposed to be kissing her – and yet, it's what I'd wanted for so long.
I hesitated, and that hesitation caused Elise to pull back. Her eyes wide, she stammered, “God, I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me, Sean.”
I didn't let her finish her apology. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her closer to me and kissed her. This time, when her lips opened for me, my tongue entered her mouth, raking across her teeth before intertwining with hers. She gasped, taking my face into her hands and lifting herself up to kiss me harder, deeper than before.
I couldn't believe this was happening. I knew I should stop before things got out of hand, or one of the guys walked in on us. I couldn't force myself to pull away though, the feeling of her body against mine was like heaven. It sent the blood rushing straight down to my groin, making it hard to think about anything other than the feel of her full, round breasts pressed hard against my chest, and my cock pressing into her, straining against my pants, just begging for release.
God, I wanted her. I wanted her so fucking badly. I wanted her more than I'd wanted anything else in my life.
Footsteps dragged me quickly back to reality though. Suddenly, as if I was awakened from a dream, I remembered where we were, what we were doing – what we shouldn't be doing – and I stepped back. Elise stared back at me, her eyes wider than before, her lips trembling, and a look of utter shock and fear painted upon her face. Neither one of us said anything.
“Dinner almost ready?” Chase asked.
“Yep, almost there,” I said, turning, and rushing back to the stove.
I stood with my back to him, facing away from Chase, which was a good thing. My face would have given my guilt away in a heartbeat. Chase had always been good at reading me and knew when something was up. I looked down into the churning boiling water – strangely, making me think of how my own insides felt in that moment. I saw that the noodles were more than done, they were overcooked, but they'd have to do. Elise stepped away from the sink and I drained the water, neither one of us looking at the other, and the tension and awkwardness filling the room was palpable.
“What's going on in here?” Nolan's voice piped up.
“Nothing,” Elise and I said at the same time.
We'd spoken in unison, and probably too quickly. Even to my ear, it sounded like two guilty people piping up to preemptively deny their guilt when nobody was accusing them of anything in the first place. I glanced over at her and noticed that her cheeks were flushed bright red. God, she wasn't good at hiding this. Hell, neither was I. My erection would be obvious to everyone the moment I turned around, so I stayed near the sink and stove, purposely facing away from the guys.
“Okay,” Nolan said, sounding like he didn't really believe us. “Dinner almost ready?”
“Yes, it's done,” I snapped.
Elise dug through the cabinets and found the plates and silverware.
“I'm going to set the table,” she spoke softly.
Slipping from the room quietly, she left me alone with Chase and Nolan. I focused all my attention on draining and rinsing the pasta – a mindless task that I was suddenly very engrossed in. After that, still not daring to speak to, or look at them, I opened the sauce and mixed it into the pan, letting it warm up a bit on the stove. I took my sweet time, praying the hard-on in my jeans would die down before I had to face my friends. The last thing I wanted them to see was me standing there with a raging boner.
I'd just kissed Elise, my best friend's baby sister. Fuck, if Aaron were alive – well, it didn't matter. He wasn't. Still, it wasn't something I should have done. Even if he wasn't alive to kick my ass, it was still wrong. I'd promised to take care of her, not take advantage of her. Not that I'd ever use her like that, I cared about her. I cared about her a lot. But she wasn't in the right mindset right now, that was obvious. Having just broken up with Brad and dealing with all of the emotional fallout that goes along with that – not to mention the abuse – and then topping it off with the possibility she might be pregnant too, was way too much for one person to have to bear. I couldn't imagine the weight of the stress on her shoulders.
I suddenly felt like a dick for kissing her during a time of emotional distress, and felt like maybe yeah, I had taken advantage of her and that situation. Even though she'd kissed me first, I shouldn't have continued with things. I should have put a stop right there. I mentally kicked myself for not doing it, and for not being a stronger man.
“Everything okay?” Chase asked, suddenly right beside me.
I side-eyed him and mumbled. “Yeah, I just overcooked the pasta, but we'll deal.”
“Ain't like you to overcook anything, Sean,” he said quietly. “You're obviously distracted.”
I shrugged. “Shit happens.”
“You sure that's all it is?” he asked.
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