I made a low sound. “That makes sense. I think I would feel the same way, and I’m sorry you had to see him. To hear that. I had no idea he was coming. I didn’t invite him. I would never have. I hadn’t seen him in months, long before we got involved. I had no intention of ever seeing him again.”
“He’s good-looking. Rich. Was he a good kisser?”
Oh, the little insecurities that came out in his voice with everything he said. How my heart ached, and how my fist tingled with the urge to punch Preston right in his nose job.
“I can’t remember how he kissed because you erased all memories of anyone before you. And yes, he has a large bank account, but he could never, not even once, fill up my heart. And as far as his looks… I prefer innocent golden eyes, full lips, and a chin that fits in my fingers when I hold it.”
“Can I ask you one more thing before I never want to talk about him again?”
“Anything.”
“Did you ever do it without one?”
“What?” I asked, confusion muddying my brain.
“You know,” he insisted, pushing closer to hide his face.
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.” I confirmed. “Sit up here and look at me.”
“A condom!” he burst out, then buried his face again. “Did you ever forget one with him?”
Ahh. A smile blossomed over my face, and I was glad he was hiding because he would probably be irritated that his jealousy gave me the tiniest bit of joy.
“I told you before I hadn’t.”
“Well, I’m asking again. About him.”
This time, I forced him out of hiding. Gripping his shoulders, I waited until he lifted his eyes so he could see the truth in my stare when I spoke.
“I always, always used protection with him. I never once forgot. You are the only person I’ve ever I’ve been inside bare.”
He smiled secretly, lips curling in on each other. “At least I have that.”
I made a sound. “No. You have everything. Things I never even knew I had to give.”
“I feel better now.”
I laughed. “I’m glad.”
He puckered his lips, and I sealed in every truth I’d told with a kiss.
But not just any kiss.
True love’s kiss.
56
Fletcher
* * *
“Dinner is going to be here soon.”
The low, rumbly voice above me caused tingles to race over my scalp and chase their way down my spine.
Making a sound of contentment, I curled in tighter, refusing to acknowledge his suggestion that we move. “I’m already full,” I murmured.
Low laughter vibrated my cheek when it moved through his chest. “Well, yes, but you can’t live on this alone,” Ethan replied, thrusting his hips just ever so slightly.
I sighed. Despite the fact that we’d already finished and his cock was softening, my body still held him tight. “I can try.”
There was something about how our bodies fit together, something so pleasurable about being physically connected. The intimacy, the reassurance… the warmth. It was a feeling I’d been missing my entire life, a feeling I didn’t know how badly I needed.
Now that I knew, I couldn’t go back. I wouldn’t. If I could, I would warm his cock inside me all night long.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, fingers lightly brushing near the bandaged, stitched-up gash on my head.
“Okay.”
“Puppy…” The word held a note of warning as if he wouldn’t tolerate any kind of lie.
Propping my chin on his chest, I said, “I’m a little sore, but it’s nothing some pain reliever won’t fix.”
“Did we do too much?”
I snorted. Since coming home from the hospital, all we did was shower and have sex. He’d been gentle and sweet, and it was better than any medicine any doctor could give. “No.”
On a nearby pillow, Gwen stirred, making a little mewling sound, stretching, and then walking over to put her face in mine.
I laughed, pushing up to straddle his hips, the movement making him flex inside me. His palms engulfed my thighs, thumbs rubbing slow circles over the skin.
Gwennie’s purr grew louder when I scratched behind her ears. “She must be hungry too.”
Ethan made a sound. “So you’ll get up to feed the cat but not me?”
My smile faded quickly when I focused on his blackened eye. Caressing the traumatized skin, I pressed my lips against it, a silent apology for the hits he took.
“I don’t like these,” I murmured, moving from the bruised eye to the lump on his forehead.
“Well, I don’t like that you have stitches in the back of your head because you got in the middle of me and Milly.”
“Like I’d stand there and watch you get clobbered.”
A rude sound echoed out of his throat. “No, I had to watch you get clobbered instead.”
I opened my mouth to let out a very good retort, but he silenced it with a steely look. “Don’t do that again, Fletcher.”
I admit I liked it when he was commanding. I even kind of liked his bossiness. But I did not like being told what to do, especially when it came to his safety. I had every right to protect him, as he did me. “If you think I’ll just cower behind you, you’re wrong about me.”
“Cowering and not putting yourself in harm’s way are two separate things.”
“Not always.”
His scowl was a clear indication that he absolutely did not agree, and I was about to hear about it.
The sound of the doorbell echoed from downstairs, signaling our time in bed and this conversation was over. At least for now.
I was definitely glad about this conversation, but getting out of bed was more questionable.
“Food’s here.” Ethan echoed the bell, hands grasping my waist to lift me.
I pouted when he slid out of me, then wrinkled my nose when his earlier release slid down my thigh.
“Wanna watch Spider-Man while we eat?”
Forgetting I was pouting, I looked up. “The Amazing Spider-Man?”
“As if I’d watch another.”
My enthusiastic nod earned me a sharp sting of pain. “Ow,” I whined, reaching around the back of my head.
The dark flash in his eyes swirled with regret, regret that I took this hit instead of him. But I didn’t regret it, not for a single second. “I’ll get some ice for your head,” he murmured, leaning over to press his lips at my temple. “Take your time.”
He was wearing a designer tracksuit when he stepped out of his closet just moments later, the pants and jacket both having a matching blue and white design.
Ring! The doorbell echoed up the steps again, and Ethan made a face. “The audacity of them to ring that twice! As if I wouldn’t come and get the food I ordered.”
“Richie,” I teased.
The offended look fell from his face, and he laughed. “You’re lucky I have to get the door.”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Put that away.” He cautioned me, disappearing into the hall.
My muscles were definitely sore as I slid out of the massive bed and then gently set Gwen on the floor. Cleaning up as quickly as I could in the bathroom, I went into the giant closet to my little section of clothes to select a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Then I grabbed one of Ethan’s hoodies, tugging it over my head.
Gwen was meowing at my feet, nearly tripping me with the way she zigzagged between my legs, so I scooped her up to bring her along.
My stomach growled ferociously, the muffin and hot chocolate I’d had this morning long gone. The thought of the burger, fries, and plentiful dipping sauces waiting downstairs made my steps hasten, only to stall when I got to the top of the staircase.
“What are you doing here?” Ethan’s voice resonated. He was not at all speaking in the teasing tone he had just minutes before.
“We came to see you—” Adrian Abbott’s voice made my stomac
h drop.
“Now isn’t a good time. Leave.” Ethan cut him off savagely.
Gwen squirmed in my arms, and I hushed her, hesitating at the stairs, not knowing what I should do. Should I just stay up here?
Stop hiding.
Didn’t I tell myself I wanted to be strong enough to stand beside Ethan and not behind him? How could I just leave him to deal with them alone?
“Is Fletcher here?” his dad asked as I stepped onto the top step.
“You don’t need to concern yourself with him.”
“We want to know if he’s okay,” Ethan’s mother replied, her voice much softer than her husband’s.
Pushing on, I descended the stairs.
“He’s fine. Now please go. We can speak later.”
“Oh, there he is,” Elizabeth said, seeing me.
Ethan turned instantly, eyes sweeping me from head to toe. I stopped a couple steps from the bottom because Ethan was in the way, almost as if he’d positioned himself there to bar anyone from getting upstairs where I was.
“We’d like to speak with you, Fletcher,” Adrian said.
My eyes widened. “With me?”
Ethan made a rude noise. “I said no.”
“We came to the hospital, but they wouldn’t let us in,” Adrian said, sliding a glance to Ethan. “Did you hire a bodyguard?”
Ethan made a face. “No. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself and Fletcher.”
“I can take care of myself,” I announced.
“Then who was that scary Asian man?” Elizabeth whispered, eyes worried.
A low laugh bubbled up out of me.
Ethan flashed a small smile.
“That’s Earth. My brother,” I replied.
“Your brother.” Adrian frowned. “That can’t be possible.”
“Not all family is by birth, Father. Some are chosen,” Ethan retorted coolly.
He was in a mood, wasn’t he? Geez.
“Anyway, Fletcher, we wanted to—” Adrian began, forgetting the talk of Earth.
“What part of leave did you not understand?” Ethan’s voice chilled me. Even Gwennie seemed frightened and let out a loud meow.
“Ethan,” I admonished. He glanced around. “You scared Gwen.”
“The cat is fine.”
Oh, he wanted to be like this, did he? Fine. My lower lip wobbled. “I’m not.”
Apology overtook all his coldness, warmth seeping back into his eyes. “I’m sorry I yelled,” he apologized softly, grasping me around the waist to gently lift me down the rest of the stairs, depositing me beside him.
Both Adrian and Elizabeth stared at us with open curiosity but also with surprise.
“Ethan…” His mother started, dividing her gaze between us both.
“Fletcher has a head injury. We just got home from a night in the hospital. Can this not wait?” This time, his voice was patient and much kinder. I reached up and patted his back. Maybe he liked praise too.
“We want to apologize,” Elizabeth announced quickly before her son really did force them out.
I felt Ethan’s surprise. “What?”
“For heaven’s sake, you act like we’re thugs trying to break in. We just want a civil conversation. I’m your mother.”
Gwennie began squirming all around and nearly leaped from my arms. The second I put her on the floor, she went off in the direction of the kitchen.
“She’s hungry,” I explained when I saw Elizabeth watching her go.
“That is Gwen?”
I nodded.
“She’s very small.”
“She was abandoned in the subway.”
“You brought home an abandoned cat?” She glanced at Ethan, surprise in her eyes.
“We couldn’t just leave her there,” I answered. Wasn’t it obvious?
“Of course not,” Elizabeth murmured.
“You can come in, but only for a moment, and if you upset Fletcher in any way, you’re out.” Placing a hand against my lower back, Ethan nudged me toward the living room. “Come on. You should sit down.”
His parents followed silently behind us, my stomach making a loud grumble when I passed the cart with our dinner on it near the sofa. “Oh, it did come,” I said as the scent of French fries made my mouth water.
I sat in the center of the couch, the cushions swallowing me, and tugged the blanket Ethan kept there over my lap.
“Please, have a seat,” Ethan said graciously to his parents.
I wanted to laugh. I’d never had to invite any of my brothers to have a seat when they came over. They just automatically sat wherever they pleased.
Is that rude? Did their behavior offend Ethan?
“What’s the matter?” Ethan asked, suddenly right in front of my face.
I blinked, startled by his sudden nearness but then overwhelmed by his familiar scent. “My brothers just sit wherever they want. Are they supposed to wait for an invitation?”
Ethan laughed beneath his breath. “Like they would wait even if they were supposed to.”
That really wasn’t an answer, but he was right.
“You two are very close,” Elizabeth observed, sitting on a nearby leather chair. His father sat in the chair right next to hers.
Straightening, Ethan faced them again. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you.”
Ethan went off to the kitchen, reaching into the huge stainless fridge and coming back with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. Before sitting down beside me, he tucked it carefully behind my head near my stitches.
Reaching up, I held it in place. “Thank you.”
“Last night was quite a scene.” Adrian started, voice gruff.
“I apologize that had to happen at our grand opening. I realize I’ll need to do damage control, but it’s just going to have to wait. I have other things to prioritize right now.”
I almost told him he should go to work if he needed to, but I stopped myself. I didn’t want him to go. I wanted him with me. The past twenty-four hours had been a roller coaster, and I was still trying to work out how I felt. Before leaving the hospital, I’d given a sample for a DNA test, and now we would all be staring at the clock, waiting for the truth to come out.
All these years, I’d thought I had no one. Just a mother who despised me and thought I was unlovable. Had all of that been a lie?
Did I really have parents who loved me, who celebrated my birthday more than twenty years after I’d gone missing from their lives? They never gave up hope they would find me.
The woman who hated me didn’t hate me because I was unlovable. She hated me because I was born out of love she didn’t have. Because she was jealous.
How did I even begin to understand that? To let myself believe it all to be true?
“Don’t worry about the business,” Adrian was saying to Ethan. “I’ve already got the PR team on it. Take as much time at home as you need.”
“You mean I’m not fired?” Ethan asked.
“Of course not,” Adrian replied. “Can’t very well fire the heir to the group.”
“I meant it when I chose Fletcher.”
My stomach clenched at his words, at the reminder of the fight that day in his office. It seemed so long ago even though it had only been a couple days. I didn’t want Ethan to lose his family, his job… everything he loved because of me. I couldn’t let him sacrifice so much.
“I know that. And you don’t have to.”
My head came up.
“What are you saying?” Ethan’s words were measured.
“We’re saying we’re very sorry for what happened the other night,” Elizabeth said. Turning her eyes on me, she said, “We’re very sorry for making you feel unwelcome, Fletcher. It’s very clear how much our son loves you, and it’s even clearer how happy you make him. I—” Her eyes slipped to Ethan, then back to me. “Could I ask you something?”
Ethan stiffened, but I nodded. “Sure.”
“Do you love my son?�
��
“Yes. I love him,” I said, my belly dancing around in my middle. “A whole lot.”
Ethan’s palm settled over my blanket-covered lap.
“I can see that too.”
“You’re saying that you accept my relationship with Fletcher? That you support it?” Ethan asked, much more skeptical than I was feeling.
“Well, it would have been nice if you didn’t, ah, display your affections so passionately in the middle of our Abbott Group ball last night,” Adrian said, face flushing. “But yes, we accept your relationship with Fletcher. We hope that you will forgive—well, I hope that you can forgive the way I acted.”
“Of course we can!” I said instantly.
Ethan’s hand gave my thigh a squeeze. A quick glance in his direction showed that he clearly was not as happy and relieved as I was about this.
“Ethan?”
His eyes remained on his father, jaw hard. “Is this because of Fletcher’s true identity?”
“I thought you might say that,” Adrian deadpanned.
“You can’t blame me for thinking it.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, the ice pack slipping a little, its cold edges making my neck chilled.
“Well, if the DNA results come back the way we think, then you won’t be some riffraff off the street. You’ll be Upper East Side royalty. Heir to the Cossgrove fortune and son of the music legend Henry Cossgrove, who also happens to be my father’s best friend.”
Adrian made a sound.
“You did say you could accept my preference for men if I brought home one with good breeding.”
“But I don’t want their money!” I burst out, the ice pack falling between me and the sofa. “I don’t even want their name.”
Reaching between me and the cushions, Ethan fished out the ice pack, placing it on the coffee table close by. I didn’t realize I was shaking until he tucked an arm around me, anchoring me into his side. “Calm down,” he whispered.
The back of my head bumped on his shoulder when I flung it back to look up. “Ow!” I hissed, slumping forward to avoid any further contact on the stitches.
Elizabeth jumped up to rush forward, but Ethan held his hand out, stopping her.
“Let me see.” His voice was gentle, meant only for me. The pads of his fingers were warm against the iced skin of my scalp as he tilted my head down to lift the bandage slightly to look beneath it. “Looks okay,” he announced, smoothing everything back into place and then tugging me partially into his lap. “Stop jumping around so much,” he scolded, but it was more of a plea.
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