“Fine. But as soon as I’m done we’re writing a new prenup so I can shove it in that wench’s face.”
The week leading to my bar exam was the most insane time of my life. I had locked myself in my bedroom for five consecutive days, only leaving my room to shower and use the bathroom. Kennedy and Caleb left for their pre-honeymoon, sorting out the last few things for their wedding. While I devoted myself to the small space of my bedroom, I even managed to eat in bed while I studied. Peyton didn’t like the idea of me disappearing for five days, but he understood that I needed this time to focus.
The night before my exam, after all the studying was finally finished, Peyton showed up at my small apartment with take-out food and a variety of flavors of ice cream. He looked like the typical boy next door, wearing jeans and a black T-shirt.
Once he set the bags of food and ice cream on the kitchen island he turned towards me, closing the space between us. He wrapped me in his arms, lifting me off the floor and his lips caressed mine as I wrapped my legs around his waist. I had missed him in the five days we were apart. I craved his touch. One strong hand supported my bottom as his other hand gripped the nape of my neck. Our kisses were hungry, needy, sucking and stroking each other’s tongue as we began to pant. Breathless, he pulled away from me, his golden eyes locked on mine.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered against my lips.
“We can skip dinner,” I moaned, arching against his pelvis.
“Oh, no you don’t.” He stood me back on my feet. “I’m here to keep you company tonight. There’ll be none of that.”
“Come on. Just a little?” My hand moved to his crotch and he whisked it away.
“I’m serious, Braelynn. I want you focused on tomorrow.”
It had been five days, and yes, in the past we had gone longer than that, but I had become accustomed to having him every night—multiple times a night. I was spoiled. I bit my lips, planning how I could convince him to take me. Just once.
“Well, since you don’t want me, I’ll just be a few minutes. I need to shower first, take care of something.” I drew my shorts down my legs, kicking them towards him. My hands cupped my breasts, pinching my hard nipples. “Maybe ten minutes.”
I winked at him and yanked my shirt over my head. My heavy breasts hung on my chest, my nipples perked up with desire.
His breath was heavy as he eyed my body. Moving his hand to the front of his jeans, he began to stroke his already-hard cock. “One time.” He growled as he unbuttoned his jeans.
“That’s all I need, Haas.” My hands reached between my legs, my fingertips sliding along my clit.
His boxers and shirt joined the rest of the clothes on the kitchen floor. His hands gripped my waist, tossing me up on the cold granite. The heat of my body cooled when I lay on the kitchen island. My legs spread for him.
“This is going to be rough and hard, doll,” he grunted, stroking his ready cock, pressing it over my clit.
“You know how I like it.”
My hand reached below, rubbing my clit as Peyton wasted no time slamming into me. His fingernails dug into my thighs, spreading them further apart as he tore through me, long, hard thrusts slamming deep over and over. Gasping for air, I pinched my nipple with my free hand. Peyton growled, fucking me hard, driving his cock deeper each time.
The world around me went dark as my eyes rolled to the back of my head and my lids fluttered closed. My back arched off the granite and I split into millions of pieces as I came. Peyton was right behind me. His hand released my thigh and he yanked on my nipple, slapping it at he came. His body shook and my walls milked him as he poured himself deep in me.
Gasping for air, he leaned over and kissed my red-marked breast. “You’re a fucking tease.” He slid his tongue around my nipple. “But God, I love your fucking cunt.” I giggled at his comment.
Once Peyton and I were cleaned up and dressed again, I cleaned up the kitchen, sanitizing where he had screwed my brains out while he reheated the food he had brought. Thai didn’t reheat well, but I wasn’t complaining. After sharing a pint of ice cream, we made our way back to my bedroom. It wasn’t late, but my body was exhausted from the last few nights of cramming.
The city lights outside my window lit my small bedroom. This was the first time Peyton was spending the night with me at my place. It was—as he’d said so many times to me—sweet. My heart filled with love as he crawled into bed and patted the side next to him. It was a queen-sized bed, not like the California king he was used too, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He fluffed the pink pillowcase his head rested on and lifted the purple comforter for me. With his arms opened for me, I found my spot next to him, curling into his side. His lips pressed a kiss on my forehead.
“You’re going to do great tomorrow.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I have never seen anyone study as hard as you.”
My head rested on Peyton’s chest. With sleep crawling up my body, I drew the three little numbers that allowed me tell him how I felt without saying a word. I traced the number one, followed by a four, and then the number three over his heart.
“You know, you said that to me once.” He spoke with his lips pressed firmly on my head. I snuggled closer into his nook, unable to move away.
“What?”
“One, four, three.” He paused. “And for the life of me I have no idea what it means.”
“It’s easy.” I giggled. ”How many letters in the word I? One.” I wrote the number on his chest. “Love? Four. You? Three. I love you. One, four, three.” I repeated them again before I looked up at him and kissed his cheek.
He paused for a minute before he spoke again. “One, four, four, three, six.”
“It doesn’t work like that, Peyton. You can’t just make up numbers.”
He rolled onto his side so my chest was exposed for him. Between my breasts, he started to draw his own numbers. “One. I. Four. Will. Four. Love. Three. You. Six. Always.” My giggles stopped abruptly. “I will love you always, Lynn,” he whispered against my lips before kissing them.
“Always,” I repeated back to him.
His lips covering mine he mumbled again, “Always.”
The day I found out I passed the bar, my life felt surreal. Through the struggles and pain, I felt, the weight of the world on my shoulders began to subside. Peyton, Loren and Gus were all around when I got the news, and Gus Skyped Kennedy so she wouldn’t miss the moment. We all went out to celebrate and I was over the moon. I was officially a lawyer, able to practice law in the state of New York. Help others and put the assholes behind bar. Except the one asshole who still haunted me.
I had no leads on who had taken me. Poochie had gotten involved, looking into the case for me, but he came up empty-handed. All he was able to find was the same information I already had.
I started working on some smaller cases at Peyton’s firm, but night after night I found myself pulling out the file and reading it over and over as I stared at the pictures. I sat on the floor of Peyton’s living room with my knees tucked under my legs, pieces of paper scattered around me.
Peyton came up behind me. “Braelynn, you’ve been at this for weeks. Can I convince you to take a break?” He had been lounging in his office for the past few hours. He hadn’t asked me to move in, but we’d spent every day together. He never wanted me to leave, but never pushed the topic of me permanently leaving he
“Hmm,” I moaned when he sat on the floor behind me and lifted me onto his thighs. “I feel like I’m on a carousel going around in circles. Nothing seems to make sense.”
“Where’s your passport?” he asked while kissing my neck.
“Home, why?”
“Tomorrow morning we’re going to go get it. I have a suitcase in the closet for you.” He continued trailing kisses down my neck and along my shoulder. “Though you can plan on being naked most of the time. You and I are getting out of town.”
“Where are we going?” I smiled up at him.
“
Somewhere to clear your mind. You’ll see, love. Just for a long weekend.”
I turned around on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck, holding him close to me. “You’re the best, you know that?”
His lips covered mine, kissing me with his answer.
Braelynn
The next day Peyton and I were up early to get all the last minute things we needed for the trip. Since he wouldn’t tell me where we were going, I’d packed for every type of occasion. I had never been out of the country. Kennedy and I had planned a trip to Mexico for spring break our last year of college, but when we both came down with the flu we had to cancel our trip.
When we were at JFK. I wheeled my suitcase behind Peyton, following him to the premiere check-in area. I giggled to myself; the excitement was more than I could contain.
Peyton handed our luggage to the attendant, then winked at me when he handed me my boarding pass. “Surprise!”
I scanned the document until I found the city we were flying to. Naples, Italy. “We’re going to Italy?” I bounced around before moving closer to him, lifting onto my tippy toes so I could kiss his cheek. Not only was I flying out of the country for the first time, but I was going to Europe.
After checking in, we walked through security, making it to our gate in time for boarding. Group 1- Business Class.
The flight attendant brought me sparkling water and a whiskey for Peyton. I leaned my seat all the way back, lying flat on my back before straightening it back up.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Peyton leaned forward from his seat to look over at me.
“A little more than I should be.” I beamed.
“You’re beautiful when you smile, you know that?” he whispered, and I felt my face burn from the embarrassment.
The flight attendants were still boarding the first-class section. I raised my eyebrows when another thought popped in my head. “I want to join the mile high club,” I whispered.
Peyton leaned forward, his lips mere inches from mine. “To join the mile high club we have to be miles high up in the sky, not at the gate.”
He was making fun of me. Jerk. I pulled the sleeping mask out of my travel pack and slid it over my face. “I’m going to make you pay for that.”
“I like your threats.”
Nine hours later we were landing in the beautiful country of Italy. Though I’d joked with Peyton about joining the mile high club, once we were in the air I’d curled up with my Kindle before passing out for the night. My limbs ached from the cramped position I fell asleep in, but the ache was quickly forgotten when the plane touched down in Naples.
Walking out of the airport with our luggage rolling behind us, we were greeted by a man who looked to be in his early thirties with dark hair and eyes as he waited by a dark red convertible Ferrari California T. I knew that because the name was embedded in the back. At first, I thought he was Peyton’s friend who was there to pick us up, but as we walked closer, he straightened his stance and popped the trunk of the car.
“Ciao, Mr. Haas. Your car.” His accent was mouthwateringly delicious. He took our suitcases and stowed them in the trunk of the car. Peyton introduced me to Giuseppe, then walked to the passenger side and pulled the door open for me.
“I guess you come here often.”
“Not as much as I’d like. It’s my escape destination.”
Peyton said goodbye to Giuseppe and hopped in the car, lowering the top and taking his Tom Ford aviators from the glove compartment to cover his golden eyes. He looked delectable, young, filled with life and I wanted more than anything to have him. I ignored how much I wanted to crawl over the gearshift and have my way with him.
Peyton and I drove for an hour and a half southward towards the Almafi Coast. The air was fresh, the scent of the salt water all around us. There wasn’t a worry on my mind as I gazed up at the sky, letting the morning sun coat my skin. When we entered the town of San Cosma, he pulled the car over near a bistro that had been built on a ledge looking straight out into the ocean.
Peyton led me into the small bistro, where we sat facing the water. We sat there without saying a word, watching the water come in, crashing over the rocks as we enjoyed our breakfast. After two cappuccinos that were to die for, pastries and fruit, we were back on the road. Peyton drove slowly down the highway, pointing out different landmarks and explaining where we were. It also gave me a chance to catch the amazing views of the mountain and blue water on my phone camera.
Peyton drove up to a villa that sat high on a mountain. The villa was massive, built completely out of white marble and stone. The gate opened electronically as the car pulled up to the cobblestone driveway. Two staff members waited at the front door for our arrival.
“Welcome home.” Peyton smiled as he shifted the car into park.
I jumped out of the car, excited to explore the property. Like a true tourist, my eyes darted around, taking it all in. Peyton met me around the car, wrapping my hand in his. “Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”
The seven bedroom home sat on top of a cliff looking over the ocean. An infinity pool measured long across the terrace. Peyton guided me through the foyer and into the family room that overlooked the cliff. Crystal blue water crashed into the rocks three hundred feet below us. The house was filled with bright Mediterranean colors. The furniture, carpet, curtains, everything exploded with color. The pictures on the wall were the sea below. Like in his penthouse, we looked down on the world below us, but instead of our Central Park view, here it was the Almafi Coast and all its glory.
Peyton followed me into each room. I explored one after the other, mesmerized with it all, especially the nine—count them, nine!—bathrooms. The state-of-the-art kitchen was open, the panoramic window allowing a complete view of both the oceanside and mountainside. The eat-in-kitchen led to the back terrace laid with stone pavers. Lemon trees and grape vines provided shade over the outdoor patio set. The staff had prepared lunch for our arrival: fresh fruit and an assortment of cheeses were laid out neatly on the glass-top table. The freshly squeezed juice made my mouth water.
One of the servers pulled out my chair and I sat, taking my napkin and laying it on my lap. “Gratis.”
“Possiamo avere un po ‘di acqua minerale per favore?” Peyton asked before looking at me. “Do you like the house?”
“I love it. I would live here if I could.”
“We can if you want to.”
“Oh yeah, because leaving our lives behind in New York would be so easy.”
“If I get to wake up every day with you, and see that smile on your face every day, leaving it all behind would definitely be worth it.”
I tucked my chin to my chest shyly before I took a sip of my orange juice. “Is this your vacation home?”
“My grandfather built it for my grandmother when they decided to retire. At first it started as a small house, but with each year that passed my grandfather added another room until my grandmother could fit all of her children and grandkids inside it.”
“It’s beautiful. I still can’t believe I’m in Italy.”
“We can come here anytime you want.”
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart.” He leaned forward, pulling my chair closer to his. My lips met his halfway.
The weekend flew by. Peyton sent the staff home for the weekend and we were left with the house to ourselves. We managed to fill one entire day with activities around the town of Sorrento. We took a hike up to the volcano, swam in the ocean, and watched as homemade limoncello was made. But the other two days we spent locked inside the house. We were like teenagers, unable to keep our hands off each other. Peyton catered to me, bringing me breakfast in bed every morning before we’d shower together then laze around the pool naked.
Peyton’s love was my everything. The way he took me, kissing me passionately with each thrust. He had me, all of me. I would always be his because no other man would be able to climb under my skin and take control of my heart, my soul,
and possess me the way Peyton had. Needing him like I needed my next breath was an understatement. He was the breath I needed to keep me going.
I pouted when Sunday morning rolled around. I repacked my bag with the clothes I never wore and got in the car heading back to Naples. I was heartbroken to leave, but Peyton promised we could come back towards the end of the summer and spend as much time as I wanted. The drive to Naples was quick, but I was dreading the long flight home. Flying to a new destination is always easier than flying ho
I fastened my seat belt and took my Kindle out of my bag. I managed to read the whole flight home while Peyton slept. I tried to keep him awake so he wouldn’t be jet-lagged, but he insisted he could handle it. The plane had begun its descent into JFK airport when his eyes met mine.
“Hi,” I whispered.
“Did I sleep the whole flight?”
“Pretty much.”
The plane taxied to the gate and we walked down the long corridor to customs. Peyton strolled next to me, rubbing the kink in his neck. “My neck is killing me,” he complained as we walked to the immigration line. “I don’t think that was a good idea.”
“I didn’t want to tell you I told you so, but I told you so. Now I doubt you’ll be able to sleep later.”
“Next,” the TSA attendant called. I walked forward with my passport in hand.
“I’ll have to keep you up with me later,” I heard Peyton say. I looked back at him and laughed at him cracking his neck. He was in for a few days of jet lag.
Some call it déjà vu, others say it’s your inner intuition, but when your memory returns in a jolt, your whole body shuts. One moment I was laughing at Peyton, and the next I turned forward and my whole life changed again. My laughter stopped abruptly as I handed the TSA employee my passport. My eyes locked with his and I couldn’t stop my vision from going black as images began to play in my mind. Unwanted images.
The void had returned. I felt unresponsive; my body craved the emptiness that was shot through my arm and my neck ached from the uncomfortable position I was in. It was the first time I saw the sunlight. The stir of voices pulled my attention from the pale walls. Focusing on the door, I saw two men talking. My eyes locked with one of them and I tried to call for help, but it was pointless. No one was ever going to take me away from this hole. “You!” I whispered at the officer. “I know you. You were there.” I pointed at his face. He was the same person in the photos. The world around me went dark again and I began to blink. Memories flooded my brain.
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