Twisted Freedom

by J Grayland

  I was lost in my thoughts when she waved her hand in front of my face, “Earth to Nate. Come in, Nate.”

  Shaking my head, I slipped the headphones off my ears, “Sorry, did you say something?”

  “Yes, I said, ‘look we’re getting closer,’” she said, and I followed to where her finger was pointing at the screen in front of us that showed our flight path. “Another couple of hours, big guy, and you can have all the exercise you want.”

  “Really?” I asked with a wiggle of my eyebrows.

  “You are a dirty, dirty man, Mr. King. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  “Ha, with you, baby, my mind is always in the gutter.”

  Chapter Three

  Casey

  Once the “fasten seatbelts” sign illuminated with a ding, and we slowly started to descend, I looked out the window and watched as the thick, white clouds moved past until they finally broke, and I could see land. And with that, the butterflies started to make their presence known in my lower belly. When I leaned back into my seat, Nate took my hand and threaded his fingers through mine.

  “You okay?” he asked. Closing my eyes, I just nodded. There was nothing more I could give him. I mean, I was excited to be home and to see Flynn, and I was even more excited that Nate was with me, but the prospect of having to re-hash my past again was emotionally overwhelming and debilitating. Although Nate and I had spent some time talking about what had happened, there was a big difference between hearing it from me and experiencing the truthful, raw facts.

  I continued to stare out of the small window, watching as the outline of Sydney Harbor slowly came into view. The continual descent of the plane made my ears pop. We hit the ground with a bump and the loud sound of the thrusting engines as they powered down into a taxiing speed, and the Captain’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

  “This is your Captain speaking. On behalf of myself and the crew of Qantas Flight QF112, we hope you enjoy your stay in Sydney, Australia, and thank you for flying with us. Please remain in your seats until we have come to a full stop and the crew gives you instructions to disembark. Once again, thank you for traveling with Qantas.”

  Once we were able to get up and leave the plane, I was pretty sure I heard some cracking sounds coming from Nate’s joints as he walked down the gangway on our way up to customs with his hand holding onto mine. The poor guy. Even with the extra room in business class, his six-foot-three frame was still cramped, although it didn’t help that he insisted that I slept on top of him throughout the trip, either.

  As usual, customs was a pain in the arse, but we eventually made it through and located our bags on the baggage carousel before continuing our way down toward the arrivals lounge.

  It didn’t take long to see a familiar figure walking toward us, his lean body dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt, his messy brown hair a little longer since the last time I had seen him, but still with that eye-catching wide, beautiful smile spread across his face—Flynn. As soon as I saw him, I stepped up my pace and matched his smile with my own. It was the first time I had let go of Nate’s hand as I dropped my bags and wrapped both arms around Flynn’s neck as he scooped me up and spun me around, laughing.

  “Fuck, sweets, it is so good to see you,” he said, pulling back and looking into my face.

  “I know, it feels like forever,” I breathed out, a little winded by his crushing embrace.

  Eventually letting me go and placing my feet back on the floor, he looked at Nate and held out his hand. “You must be the lucky guy that stole my girl’s heart?” Flynn said as Nate shook his hand.

  “And you must be Flynn. Well, I hope you are, or I might have to throat punch you for pawing my girl in the middle of the airport,” Nate answered amiably.

  “No need for violence, mate, I can assure you that I am indeed Flynn,” he laughed, then turned back to me. “Come on, let’s get you home. I have some beer in the fridge chilling,” he said, picking up my bags. Flynn grabbed my hand and started toward the exit, pulling me behind him, so I quickly grabbed Nate’s hand as we walked toward the doors.

  Once outside, I was hit by the familiar smells of home, the beautiful, clear blue sky, and the heat of the early morning sun’s warmth against my face. It’s funny how different places that you travel to have their own unique smells, and as good as the air smelled right now, it had nothing on the smell of the ocean at Paxton and Lynda’s beach house.

  As usual, Flynn had parked in a “No parking zone” area, his huge, green Jeep taking up way too much room.

  “I see you brought the toad?” I said, nodding toward the Jeep, making Flynn laugh and drawing a curious look from Nate.

  “That,” I said, pointing to the ugly green vehicle, “is the toad.”

  “Well, it was better than bringing your car because that man of yours would have never fit into Daisy,” Flynn said, pressing the fob on his keys and unlocking the doors.

  “What the hell is a Daisy?” Nate asked, perplexed, as we got into the Jeep.

  “Daisy is Casey’s Mini coupe. Her pride and joy. But for you, I have the feeling it would be a pain in the arse…and neck…and legs,” Flynn told Nate.

  “Great,” Nate muttered under his breath.

  “Don’t worry, Nate, I’ll use Casey’s car while you guys are here and leave you the Jeep to get around in. Much more comfortable for a big guy like you,” Flynn said, smiling as he slid into the car.

  Nate opened my door for me, closed it, then got into the front seat next to Flynn. “Fuck, this is weird.”

  “What is?” Flynn asked, looking at Nate.

  “Sitting on the wrong side.”

  “If you think that’s weird, wait until we drive on the opposite side of the road to you. Now, that is really going to make your brain spin,” Flynn chuckled as he pulled away from the curb and we started to make our way over the familiar road to home.

  “We’re about a twenty-minute drive down at Clovelly Beach,” Flynn continued. “You guys must be tired after your trip.”

  “A little,” I said.

  “I’m just glad to be walking,” Nate said.

  Nate and Flynn made small talk as we drove. Well, it was more like sizing each other up, asking various questions about work and common interests as I looked out of the window and watched the familiar sights and buildings rush by in a haze. It was weird. I was home, but I wasn’t. I felt a little lost here, even after being away for such a short period of time.

  As we drove down Park Street, I started to feel a bit nervous. Flynn pulled into the driveway of the modern, two-story home that we had shared for so long. It should have felt comfortable being here, but it didn’t. Getting out, Nate took a look around his surroundings. Looking at me, he said, “This is nice, and I can smell the ocean.”

  “Yes, it’s pretty close. We’ll go there while we’re here,” I said, and he pulled me into his arms.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, it just feels weird being here for some reason. It feels strange.”

  “Well, I’m not going to say I’m sad about that. I don’t want you to get too comfortable,” he said with a wicked grin on his lips.

  “Don’t worry, I am very much looking forward to moving into our beach house,” I said with a pat against his chest.

  “Good, just keep that in mind.”

  Flynn cleared his throat. “Come on, you guys, enough of the PDA. There’s plenty of time for that later. Let’s go in, shall we?”

  Grabbing our bags, Flynn opened the front door, and I walked into what used to be my home, but now kind of looked like a bachelor pad. A video game console sat in front of the huge, flat screen TV with controls and games littering the floor. An old empty pizza box littered the coffee table, and dirty clothes cluttered the couch.

  “Gee, Flynn, I’m glad you took the time to clean up for us,” I said, giving him the
stink eye.

  “Sorry, I ran out of time, but believe me when I tell you it looks a lot better than it did.”

  Dropping our bags in front of the front door, I took Nate’s hand, leading him into the kitchen, which actually looked pretty clean compared to the living room. Flynn passed me and opened the fridge door, “Do you want a beer, mate?” he asked Nate.

  “No, thanks. Maybe later; it’s a bit early for me,” he said, shaking his head.

  Reaching past Flynn, I grabbed two bottles of water and took them to the kitchen table, motioning for Nate to take a seat before passing him a bottle.

  Flynn left the beer, grabbing a water for himself, and sat down at the table to join us. “So, how was your flight?” he asked as he popped the lid off the bottle and took a drink.

  “It was okay,” I said.

  “It was too long and too cramped,” Nate said almost at the same time.

  I looked at Nate. “We were in business class! With all that extra space, how could you be cramped? There was plenty of leg room, even at your height.”

  Nate gave me a smile then looked at Flynn. “Like I said, it was cramped and it took way too long.”

  “It was twenty hours, Nate,” I sighed.

  “Yes, I remember it well, baby, which still doesn’t change the fact that we left on Friday and got here on Sunday.”

  Flynn’s head flitted between the two of us before he said, “Listen to you two. You sound like an old married couple already!”

  Nate reached for my hand, bringing it to his mouth, placed a gentle kiss on my fingers, and smiled.

  Flynn leaned back in his chair, “You look great, Casey. You really do.”

  “Thanks, I feel great,” I said as I smiled.

  “I don’t know what you did to my girl, Nate, but I owe you my deepest gratitude from the bottom of my heart.”

  “I think it’s more what she has done to me,” Nate said, grinning.

  I opened my water and took a long drink before asking Flynn the question I had been dreading the whole flight here. “So…has the date and time been set for the hearing?” Flynn’s eyes dropped to the bottle of water he had in his hands before he gave me a quick nod.

  “And?” I pushed.

  “Thursday, 11 a.m.”

  “Flynn, I’m fine, alright? We knew it was going to happen one day.”

  Flynn ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I know, it’s just the timing of the whole thing, you know? You were just starting to breathe and enjoy life, and it pisses me off that you have to go through it all again,” he said with frustration.

  “It’s different this time,” I told him.

  “How?”

  “I’m not the same, Flynn. I’m a stronger person now, and I can deal with it.”

  “Casey, you have always been strong. Hell, any normal person would have given up years ago, but not you,” he said softly.

  I placed my hand on his arm. “Flynn, you have been looking out for me for a long time, but this day was coming, and I promise you I am done with it all. He’s been stealing from me for the last eighteen years, and it ends now.”

  Flynn stared into my eyes, and I saw the flicker of recognition in his own eyes when he realized my determination. Closing his eyes, he nodded.

  Chapter Four

  Nate

  My legs were still aching from that fucking long plane ride to the other side of the world, and I almost lost my breakfast with not only sitting on the wrong side of Flynn’s Jeep, but also driving on the wrong side of the god damned road. The thought of my girl going through the hell that robbed her of almost half her life all seemed to come into perspective with this, right here in front of me. The bond that I saw between Casey and Flynn was apparent, as a simple look conveyed hundreds of words without sound.

  Yeah, I admit I knew I was not going to like seeing another guy with his arms around Casey, and it might have helped just a little if he was some skinny, nerdy looking guy, but I was surprised when I saw Flynn at the airport. He was taller than I expected with a pretty solid athletic build. When he wrapped his arms around Casey, I didn’t have to rein in any ill feelings at all for this guy pawing her in public because I could feel the innocent and deep relationship they had with each other and the way he looked at her with a fierce protectiveness, but yet a somewhat disheartened look. Of what? Failure? For some reason, Flynn looked like he had failed Casey, and I wondered if it might just be because Paxton found a way to break through what I was guessing would have been years of constant hard work at keeping Casey’s identity a secret. Fuck, I hoped I wasn’t responsible for putting that look on his face. I realized that I might just have to make sure we had a chat about my brother’s powers of untangling legalities.

  The house was a comfortable double story, modern looking, tidy house, although it did have the tell-tale signs of a bachelor pad about it. In fact, the rooms that I had seen didn’t seem to show any signs of a female presence living here at all. I mean, I knew Casey had been away for a while, but considering this was her home, I expected to see at least some feminine touches in this rather large space.

  I felt a hand touch my forearm, and I blinked away my thoughts, turning to look into those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

  “You’re very quiet,” she said, in almost a whisper. “Everything alright?”

  I gave her a reassuring smile and took her hand in mine, threading my fingers through hers. “Yeah, I’m just tired,” I said.

  Flynn stood and tossed his empty water bottle into the garbage. “Listen, why don’t you both go grab a shower and some sleep. It will help with the jet lag, and I have a few things to do today anyway.”

  “You don’t have to go out, Flynn. I am pretty sure we’ll be able to sleep through an earthquake right now,” Casey reassured him.

  “No, honestly, I have some things to catch up on today, and I need to do some grocery shopping. The cupboards are a little bare,” he said, grinning.

  Casey gave Flynn a hug. “If you’re sure,” she told him, and after giving her one last squeeze, he pulled car keys from his pocket, flipped them up into the air, and caught them before he took off out the front door.

  “Come on, let’s go upstairs to my bedroom,” Casey said, grinning, with a seductive tone in her voice.

  “Now you’re talking my language,” I said as I grabbed both of our bags and followed her up the polished wooden stairs, then down a slim hallway where she pushed open a door and stepped back for me to enter. It was a good-sized room with a large bay window that was covered by thick, black blinds that I was guessing came in handy when she pulled a night shift at the hospital. I dropped the bags as she walked over to the window and opened the blinds, instantly saturating the room with warm sunlight. In the middle of the room was a queen-sized, polished, wooden framed bed with matching bedside tables and a thick gray quilt covering the bed. As I looked around the room, it wasn’t what I expected. It was pretty bare and cold. There were no fluffy pillows adorning the bed, no girly touches at all. Just a bed, side tables, a large set of drawers against one wall and a built-in closet on the other with nothing more. No pictures on the wall and no photos that I could see. For a moment, I felt a pang deep in my chest as it hit me hard just how alone Casey had been all these years.

  “It’s not as comfy as the penthouse, but it’s okay,” she said. Her words drew my attention to her solemn tone, and I realized that she was apologizing to me. I pulled her into my arms, lightly placing a kiss to the top of her head.

  “It’s perfect, baby,” I breathed into her hair and felt the tension release from her body instantly. “Now, how about that shower,” I said, letting out a low growl because damn, being this close to her was reminding my dick that it’s been lonely.

  She pulled back, smacking a hand against my chest. “I wondered how long you could last,” she said, smiling wickedly at me.

/>   “What can I say, you wouldn’t let me initiate you into the mile high club, and do you know how torturous it was to have you sleeping on me with a hard-on for all those hours?”

  “Your problem, you wanted me there,” she sang as she pulled me behind her down the hall and into a large bathroom with a huge bathtub and shower. As she reached in and turned the water on, I closed the door, flicked the lock, and watched as she started to peel off her shirt, boots, jeans, and underwear. Then, she started to un-buckle my belt as I pulled my own shirt over my head, and between the both of us, we made quick work of getting naked and under the pulsing hot spray of the shower.

  Pulling her naked body against my own, I just wanted to feel her…all of her. My hands smoothed up and down the soft skin of her back as the water cascaded over us. Placing my palms on either side of her face, I tilted it up to mine and took her mouth in a soft kiss, tasting the water as it ran over her lips. A small moan escaped from deep in her throat that made me want to take more from her. Breaking the kiss with a lustful pant, I smoothed the wet tendrils away from those beautiful, icy blue eyes.

  “I want you so bad right now, but logic tells me that it’s been a long trip, and we should get some sleep,” I said. Her eyes searched mine for a moment before she closed them and gave me a slight nod.

  I turned her around to face the shower wall and filled my hands with liquid soap. I washed every inch of her body. Every touch was driving me even more insane, but I knew that even though she was playing it cool at the moment, she was anything but cool. I knew she was wound as tight as a steel coil, just waiting to spring undone, so I decided to take a back seat with the act of fucking her senseless for the moment, but not the thought of it.

  After drying off, Casey pulled the bedroom blinds closed, and we slipped in between the soft, cool sheets of her bed. Pulling her into my arms, I dropped a kiss against her temple before we both surrendered to the lull of sleep.