Escaping the Blackness (A Cooper Brothers Novel Book 1)

by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

I clear my throat and force the blush from my cheeks as I study my plate.

  “We should get a Christmas tree,” I suggest.

  “Really?” Riley gasps, drawing my eyes to hers. “Can we Daddy?”

  “Yeah, we can,” he responds sweetly, rustling her brown curls a little.

  “Yea!” she exclaims, flipping her milk over and dousing me. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I assure her, mopping up the mess with some napkins.

  “Need some help?” Jake asks suggestively in that deep, sultry voice of his.

  “I’m good,” I snort.

  “That you are.”

  “Princess Cara?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you have a crown?” Riley asks with an expectant look on her sweet face.

  I still don’t know why she calls me that. I have a feeling it’s a story that will wreck me, and I haven’t had the stomach for it.

  “I don’t have a crown,” I admit.

  “She doesn’t need one. See Cara’s crown is different. She doesn’t need shiny jewels to make her stand out from the rest of the people. She does that all on her own,” Jake explains, making my heart thud against my ribs.

  The look of awe in Riley’s eyes almost does me in. It also gives me the courage to ask about the princess thing.

  “You wanna explain this to me?” I ask Jake without giving away whatever illusion he’s created for his daughter about me.

  “Tell the story, Daddy,” Riley insists, crawling into his lap while she mindlessly strums her fingers across his golden stubble. It brings her peace touching him like that. It brings me peace watching it.

  Jake begins in a slow, deliberate voice, all the while holding my eyes with his.

  “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Cara. She had eyes of emeralds and hair of rubies. She was the shining jewel of her kingdom. And because she was so beautiful, an evil witch wanted to steal her beauty for herself. The witch came for Princess Cara in the night and stole her away. She was forced to live with a treacherous dragon for many years. But while she was there, Princess Cara grew strong in her heart.

  “One day, when the dragon wasn’t watching, the princess made a valiant escape from the blackness the witch and her dragon had surrounded Princess Cara in. She ran until her legs could carry her no further. And when she stopped, her fairy godmother appeared. She scooped Princess Cara into her arms and wrapped her in a protective charm, all the while, telling the young princess how proud she was.

  “When the princess returned to her kingdom, she was greeted with love and adoration. Her family sang with joy at the sight of their long lost princess. Her prince charming was waiting for her. He slayed the dragon and swore to protect her forever more. And when he held her in his arms, he could feel the strength of her heart beating against his. She was stronger even though the witch and the dragon tried to make her weak. Princess Cara beat them and found her way back to her happily ever after.”

  I’m up and moving around the table before I recognize the movement. Then my lips are pressed to Jake’s, desperate and wanting.

  He cups my cheek tenderly as he kisses me back, working his mouth against mine with passion. Then Riley giggles and I stand up, breaking the moment.

  “I love that story,” Riley announces, jumping into my arms. “You have a strong heart.”

  She places her little hand on my chest and locks her light grey eyes with mine, urging me to feel the beat. I beam a smile and her as I press my palm over her heart and say, “You have a strong heart too.”

  A single fat tear rolls down her cheek before she squeezes my neck with both arms as I close my eyes and soak in her love.

  “My daddy will keep us safe now,” she whispers in my ear.

  I snap my eyes open and peer down at Jake, his gaze possessive yet calm.

  He’s always kept me safe.

  “Always,” I whisper back.

  I’ve done more than take a step today. It’s a flying leap toward a future I’ve been dreaming of since the first time I saw Jake. I was terrified and tormented, but that early November morning, looking into Jake’s soft brown eyes, I saw what a real life could be. Safe. With him.

  And since that day, it’s all I’ve wanted.

  With Riley cradled in my arms, I realize my dream can finally come true and having her makes it better than I ever hoped.

  “Ready to watch the movie?” I rasp, choking on my emotions.

  I have the chance to get everything I want, but I still need to be cautious. I need to know Jake and not just the fantasy I’ve created. I want a future with him, but I need his past too. We have so much to learn about each other. I’m ready for that. I’m ready for this.

  Riley nods against my shoulder before sliding down my body. She sets about collecting the toys she wants to watch the movie with, and I start cleaning up our unhealthy dinner. Before I’ve collected the first plate, Jake tags my wrist and yanks me onto his lap.

  “I told her that story when she was in Smith’s bomb vest with only a few seconds remaining on the detonator. If she and I were gonna die, I wanted it to be with her in my arms and you in our hearts,” Jake explains, holding my cheeks in his massive hands.

  “Jake,” I whimper.

  After everything I did to him that night, the destruction my choices caused, he still wanted me in his heart. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to process that. So I kiss him again. I press my lips to his and thread my arms around his broad shoulders.

  I haven’t kissed Jake all that much, but I’ve quickly learned, he likes to be in control. That should scare me. When I was with Colton, I led all of the intimacy. I couldn’t stand for him to be on top of me or directing our movements.

  It’s not like that with Jake. I like him dominating me. The idea of being beneath him doesn’t incite fear, it brings a wash of warmth to my core. Jake would never hurt me. I know that as intrinsically as anything in life. It’s not a trust I’ve built over time, it’s always been there with Jake. It will always be there.

  He tilts my head to the side as he slips his tongue between my lips. I’m aware of Riley tittering to her toys across the room, but barely because Jake’s consuming me. I match his kiss, tussling with his tongue. The more I meet him, the hungrier he becomes. He nips and sucks before plunging back in and I cave. I’m no longer meeting him, just simply trying to keep up.

  Jake’s manly scent mixed with cedar drowns my lungs. The flavor of his mouth overwhelms my system. The warmth of his body pressed against mine, heats my skin with a raging fire. His calloused fingers running into my hair sends every follicle on end. And the passion pouring from his mouth into mine doesn’t scare me for the next step. It makes me crave it as much as I do my next breath.

  When he rips his mouth away from mine, each of us bleary and panting, he presses his forehead to mine, whispering, “You’re always in my heart, Cara Kelly. Never doubt that.”

  I drop my head to his shoulder and nuzzle in while nodding, his strong hands running up and down my spine.

  “You’re in mine too,” I breathe out raggedly.

  Always.

  With Riley passed out in my lap and Cara sleeping beneath my arm, I’m reluctant to move. Unfortunately, my bladder has other plans.

  I gently slide away from Cara and climb to my feet with my girl. Her snores continue to tickle my neck as I carry her up to her room. I lay her down and pull her white comforter up to her chin before kissing her forehead.

  I leave her nightlight on and her door cracked before jogging into the bathroom. Once I’m done, I decide to go back to Cara. I need to talk to Roman about what Riley told me, but I want Cara’s input first.

  When I enter the living space, I find Cara cleaning up instead of sleeping like I left her.

  “Hey,” I call out as she dumps a pile of candy trash.

  “She stay asleep?”

  “Yeah. Stop cleaning and come talk to me.”

  She starts to argue, but catches my gaz
e and decides against it. Civilian life isn’t going to be easy for me at times. I’m used to directing and people following. I’m hoping Cara spent enough time with my dad to understand how I work. He’s not much different from me.

  I retake my seat on the couch and Cara follows, sitting next to me.

  “No more distance,” I mutter, yanking her body against mine.

  “I didn’t mean you have to be on me twenty-four seven,” she grumbles.

  “Tough.”

  I get her settled, her head going to my shoulder as my arm wraps around her to stroke her hip.

  “I need to talk to you about Riley,” I start. Cara tips her head so she can look into my eyes as I continue. “Smith was gonna trade her. I’ve never heard of him trading anyone. Selling? Yes. But trading…that’s a new one for me. Can you help me out with this?”

  “I don’t know. The fact that he had her is still shocking. And you said when you first got her there weren’t any signs of abuse. I mean, she was a lot younger than his typical slave. I don’t know if that would make a difference to that fucker, but it could have. Did she tell you he was gonna trade her?”

  “Yeah. After you left her room earlier.”

  We both ponder silently for a while as I continue to run my fingers over her hip.

  “If he was trading her, it means she belonged to somebody,” Cara says decidedly. “He bought and sold. That’s what you do in human trafficking. Trading is what you do as a kidnapper. Ransom. Things like that. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “I’m afraid he was workin’ with someone in the DCA. Another agent,” I huff.

  “Fuck. Why did he have her, Jake? I mean the first time. Why would he have a baby?”

  “I have some theories.”

  “Do you think Riley’s his daughter?” she asks sadly.

  “Maybe,” I grumble.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she insists, grabbing my face with her hands. “You’re her dad now and that’s what matters. She has a good life. She doesn’t have to worry about her safety again. That’s what we focus on. Who gives a fuck where she comes from? You and I are proof that good people can come from evil DNA.”

  I take in her features as she speaks. Her emerald eyes are determined, the constant hurt nowhere in sight. The slope of her nose is perfect, leading to plump, pink lips. Her cheekbones are high, giving her face a soft, yet angular look. She’s so stunning.

  “Well, at least you’re a good person. I don’t think we can say the same about me,” I snort.

  One hand leaves my cheek only to come in contact again with a swift slap.

  “Don’t you dare,” she warns. “I’m not doin’ this with you. You’re a good person, Jake.”

  “Quick tip,” I growl, removing her hands from my skin. “Don’t hit me.”

  Regret passes over her face as she says, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  I was hit a lot as a kid. A lot as in every day, multiple times a day. And it was well beyond slapping. Shit, slapping would have been a preferred cake walk compared to what I went through. When I’m struck now without reason, it brings back some bad shit. I’m not a scared kid anymore and I’m libel to fight back. I wouldn’t hurt a woman, but I will leave to avoid saying nasty things I can’t take back.

  “Jake,” she soothes, pulling one hand from my grasp in my lap. She gently strokes where she just smacked me. “If you truly believe someone like you isn’t a good person, you’re sayin’ I’m a bad person too. I’ve killed people. I’ve hurt people. Do you think I’m a bad person?”

  “No,” I respond before she finishes her question. “I’m not like you though, sweetheart.”

  “Yes, you are. I don’t know much about your past, but I know it haunts you. I know someone hurt you. I know it was against your will. I know you had to do things you hate in order to survive. We’re the same, Jake. It’s why we connect like we do.”

  I nod. I don’t want to talk about my past any more than she does. We’ll get there, but not tonight. We need to finish talking about Riley. She’s the focus right now, not my fucked up brain.

  “My worry is that Riley isn’t Smith’s. There’s the slight possibility that he took someone else’s daughter and was holding her for protection. That’s what I’m worried about.”

  “You’re afraid someone’s gonna come after her now?” Cara asks in shock.

  “It’s possible.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah.”

  We sit in silence as I run my hand up and down her leg that’s across my lap while her fingers mindlessly rub my face and hair. I need more than simple caressing right now. I need to feel her body against mine.

  Quickly, I rotate our bodies so I’m on top of her, her back planted on the couch.

  “Better,” I whisper as she looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Tell me about Colton.”

  “No.”

  She starts to push me off her, but I’ve got her pinned. I rest my hips against hers while the weight of my body presses her further into the leather.

  “Tell me, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes are darting everywhere but on my face. Her pulse is thrumming as her heart pounds against mine. She’s nervous.

  “Cara, I just wanna know about what I’ve missed. You spent years with the guy. Tell me about him.”

  She releases a deep breath and closes her eyes as she begins to speak.

  “We met the first day of freshman year in biology. It was a massive class with a thousand students. I was running late, which meant I had to climb all the way to the top of the lecture hall. There was a tricky step I missed and almost face planted. Colton caught me before I wiped out.”

  “Eyes up here, sweetheart,” I request gently.

  Her eyes pop open before she rolls them, annoyed at my power over her. I smile at her and nod for her to continue.

  “We spent a lot of time together after that. He walked me to my next class at first. Then we started getting coffee before biology. Then he started taking me to lunch. It built from a friendship and then one day we weren’t just friends anymore.”

  “You fell in love,” I state rather than ask.

  “He did,” she responds sheepishly. “I held myself back from him. I tried really hard to be a good girlfriend. I was in the beginning. Your brothers were a pain in the ass back then. Well, they still are, but I needed some distance. I felt suffocated by them. I used Colton to feel free.

  “That’s a shitty thing to admit. I did care about him. He was so good to me. He never pushed me to open up. He let me come to him on my own. I don’t know if I’ve ever met someone as understanding as he is.

  “But he finally got sick of my bullshit and cut me loose at the end of last semester. I’m surprised it took him that long. He’s got the patience of a saint. When he was breaking up with me, he told me he thought only having part of me would be enough for him. He actually thought he could spend his life with me only getting what I was willing to give him. He loved me that much,” she finishes guiltily.

  “Why did you hold back with him? He sounds like what you wanted.”

  I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. But more than I wanted her, I wanted Cara happy. If she was happy with Colton, I’m not going to make her feel bad about it.

  “You know why,” she sneers.

  “Me,” I answer.

  She nods curtly.

  I drop my mouth to hers and mutter, “I’m sorry, but that makes me fuckin’ happy.” Then I take her mouth. I push my tongue past her lips and relish the taste of Skittles and Cara. I cup her cheeks and tilt her head so I can deepen the kiss as she rolls her tongue along mine.

  She digs her fingers into my shoulders as we make-out like teenagers. I kiss her for every moment I missed. I kiss her for every tear I caused. I kiss her for every smile I stole. I kiss her for every hurt I instigated.

  When she wraps her long legs around my waist, I grind into her. Now we’re dry humping like teenagers. I swallow her m
oans as I growl in response. I’m trying to let her lead. I’m keeping my hands on her soft cheeks, not exploring her magnificent body. But with her arching into me and sucking on my tongue, I’m losing the will to give her what she needs. I’m ready to give her what she wants.

  Cara rips her mouth away from mine and latches onto my neck, teasing and nibbling. I allow her exploration. I’m still grinding into her while her hips thrust up to meet me every time.

  “Jake, please,” she groans into my skin.

  “I’m right here, sweetheart,” I purr.

  Her mouth stops moving and she brings her gaze to mine, stopping her hips.

  “You said no distance,” she says with questions and vulnerability in her eyes.

  “What do you need? Tell me,” I request softly, kissing the corner of her mouth.

  “I need you, Jake. Just you,” she whimpers.

  “You have me, Cara.”

  I pepper her face with kisses ending on the tip of her nose.

  “Take me to bed,” she says tenderly, stroking my jaw as I rest my forehead against hers.

  I hop off the couch and gather her in my arms, her limbs enveloping me as I move. I palm her ass and knead her cheeks as she devours my neck. Three flights of stairs later, I plant her in the center of my bed.

  I drag her lilac sweater over her head before yanking her leggings off. My jeans hit the floor with a thud before I reach behind my head and drag my white T-shirt off. I want her so badly. It’s pulsing through my veins like molten liquid.

  “Sit up,” I demand and she instantly complies.

  I shove my shirt over her head and when her face pops out, she’s furious. I hold out the sleeves for her and she dramatically pushes her slender arms through.

  Cara tries to push me away once she’s covered in my shirt, but I grab her shoulders, one hand snaking up the side of her neck.

  “We have all the time in the world. I’m not gonna fuck you after we just started to figure our shit out. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to. I want to more than you’ll ever know. But I’m doin’ this the right way. Let me hold you in my arms all night and wake up to your stunning face. Don’t be mad at me for caring for you, sweetheart,” I say as sweetly as my gruff voice allows.