Fantastic. If she hadn’t run off to stay with her mother already, it would probably be a cold day in hell before she agreed to go back with him.
“Mom, go back inside.”
Malia’s mother stood on tiptoes to glare at Robert over her shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I just need you to trust me and let me handle this.”
Sean set a hand on her mother’s arm. “Honey, I think it’s best if we—”
She shook his hand off. “No. My daughter just said she’s in love with Robert Farrell. I demand to know what’s happening. Is he making you say this? Why are you here? Why didn’t you tell me you were in town?”
So many questions and not one that Malia wanted to answer. Goodness. “Mom, I’ll explain everything later.”
“No, you’ll explain everything now.”
Malia stared at her mother, searching for the words. The words to explain something she didn’t even understand. “I...I didn’t know who he was. Then by the time I found out, it was too late.”
“By the time you found out? Do you have any idea what he did to us? The nights we had to sleep on the streets, begging for enough change to get food? That’s all his fault!”
“It’s his father’s fault. Robert wasn’t the one—”
“They’re all the same, Malia. Like father, like son. Whatever he’s telling you, whatever he’s promised, it’s a lie. Come inside with me and forget you ever met him. We can work this out.”
“He’s different.”
“Malia—”
“I’m different from you.”
Her mother stepped back. “What?”
“You dragged me all around the country, pulling me in and out of schools, and then right after we got settled into Hawaii, you went back to the mainland. You and I are so different, most people barely believe we’re related. So if I’m not like you, how can you say Robert is just like Walter?” Her mother looked as if she’d just been slapped, and guilt ripped through Malia. “Mom, I’m just saying—”
“You’re saying I’m a shitty mother.”
“No, I’m saying we both wanted different things. So it’s not fair to say that all the Farrells are the same when we aren’t either.”
But her mother was past the point of listening. “I see the way it is. Go be with the man who ruined our lives. Who took your college fund and any hope of a stable home. Feel free to blame it on me, though. I’m just your flighty mother who didn’t know how to care for her family.”
“Mom, I never said—”
“You said it! You came here with that man!” She pointed accusingly behind Malia and once she glanced around, she saw Alex and Robert together. The only thing worse than bringing a Farrell home was bringing two Farrells home. Malia let out a defeated sigh. There was no reasoning with her mother right now. Hell, if their places were reversed, Malia didn’t think it would go any better. She just didn’t know Robert like Malia did. Didn’t know how sweet he could be when he wanted to.
Or how stupid he could be, as evidenced by the situation she was in at that moment.
“Mom, I have to go, but we’re going to talk about this later. Okay?”
“Go be with him and forget your family. Your choice is clear.”
Malia rubbed at her temples. “I’m not choosing anything. We’ll talk about this later.”
“If you go off with him, we won’t be talking at all.”
She stared at her mother, trying to determine how serious her threats were. If she’d really stop talking to her. “It sounds like you’re the one making the choice here. I’ll call you.” Malia turned away and walked back to the guys. They both had serious expressions and she knew they would be curious about what just happened.
Malia shook her head. She couldn’t talk about that now. As soon as she reached them, she cut off their questions before they had a chance to ask them. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Come on.” Robert led the way to his car.
Alex shook his head. “Okay then. I’ll just go back alone, I’m assuming.”
Malia shot him a quick smile. “Thanks for the ride.” By then, Robert had his car started and ready to go. Malia ran around to get into the front seat of the shiny black SUV. It was only once they were out of her mother’s neighborhood that he spoke.
“I thought you left.”
“No. All my stuff was still at the house. I just assumed you’d see it...” She trailed off as she finished the thought. She shouldn’t have assumed anything. Not after their tumultuous relationship.
Robert set a hand on her knee. “I’m sorry I messed things up with your mother.”
Malia let out a sad laugh. “You didn’t. I mean, you didn’t exactly help our relationship. But I barely talked to her since she moved out here.” A phone call once a year on each of their birthdays. Not exactly a healthy relationship.
“I thought you got along pretty well.”
“We went through so much together. But when she met Sean, she moved here to be with him after they’d only known each other for two weeks. Apparently it worked out, but I begged her not to go. We’d been together forever, through some really bad times. And then she was running off with some tourist.” Malia had been older by then. Able to fend for herself and manage the bumps in the road, but it had still been such a shock to have her one friend and ally in the world suddenly gone. It wasn’t as though either of them could afford lots of trips back and forth between the mainland all the time.
Except for one trip she and Sean had made after saving for months, this was the first time Malia had seen her mother. So being told that she shouldn’t trust Robert was something she had more than taken into consideration in the craziness of the past week. But if she thought she could order Malia around or dictate who she could or could not fall in love with—well, she’d given up that right long ago.
Robert kept his hand on her knee as he drove through the LA traffic. Malia wasn’t sure whether she should feel calmed by his touch or terrified because he was weaving through all the cars and trucks on the road with only one hand on the wheel. She distracted herself from her thoughts by looking at Robert. Every time she felt doubts about them, his steadying presence seemed to calm her. Even when they were on that boat and she was furious with him, the sight of his strong, beautiful body would cause her to forget and fall back under the spell he’d somehow cast.
And now, for the first time, she was willing to go under that spell. To see where it was going to lead her.
He wore a pair of nice black slacks that fit him perfectly and a lightweight blue sweater that fell perfectly over his broad shoulders and ever so slightly showed off the bulge of muscle in his arms. Yep, it was hard to be mad when she looked at him.
Besides...considering where she’d been, she could hardly be mad at him for confronting her family.
He pulled into his driveway and was silent as he pulled the SUV into his garage. The garage door was one of those quiet models, adding to the unease as she stepped out of the SUV. She didn’t think he was mad at her, but it was hard to tell when he was like this. He’d been touching her the entire drive, so that had to be a good sign, right?
He unlocked the door that led into the back side of his kitchen and held it open for her. She stopped a few feet in, completely ready to confront him about his strange behavior and ask him what the hell was going through that hard head of his, but she never got the chance. As soon as he shut the door, he cupped her head with his hands and bent in for a deep kiss.
Malia gasped at the sudden kiss and held onto his shoulders as he pushed her back into the wall along the hallway, trapping her body between him and the drywall. Malia gave in to the kiss as she opened for him, allowing his tongue to plunge into her mouth. His hands roamed along her sides, cupping her breasts briefly before going lower to cup her ass, pressing her firmly against the thick bulge of his cock pressed against the fly of his pants.
He
abruptly pulled away—well, pulled his face away. His cock was still firmly pressed against her stomach. “Say it again,” he breathed.
She frowned, trying to get through the fog of arousal to think clearly. “Huh?”
“Tell me you love me.”
Oh, shit. She had said that, hadn’t she? Well, it was true. Robert was stubborn and controlling, but she believed one hundred percent that he loved her and that every insane, crazy thing he had done so far he’d done because he cared about her. Whether she could deal with that controlling side of him was still debatable, but she couldn’t deny this strange urge that had her coming back. And she was willing to find out where it would lead them.
She cupped his strong jaw with the palm of her hand, appreciating the feel of his short facial hair against her skin. “I love you, Robert. It’s probably stupid and I’ll probably regret it later, but—”
He kissed her again, tilting her head to get the best angle. One of his hands was still on her ass and the other one tangled in her hair, keeping her right where he wanted her. And, to be honest, right where she wanted to be.
As the kiss continued, they both became frenzied. Desperate to touch as much of each other as possible as the clothes started to disappear.
His shirt was first. She hooked her fingers in the hem and pulled up, forcing Robert to move away and release her as he pulled it completely off. As soon as his chest was bared, she ran her fingers over his chest and stomach, letting out a soft moan of approval at the touch. Good Lord, the man was gorgeous.
He bent down, kissing along the side of her neck and up to her ear. She tried to catch her breath as he reached to the front of her shorts, undoing the button and sliding the material of the shorts and her panties over her hips until it slid to the floor.
And then he slid down, kissing her collarbone and pulling her tank top lower to press his head against her cleavage.
Then he slid lower, raising her leg over his shoulder as he kissed her between her thighs, right where she wanted him the most. She closed her eyes and her head fell against the wall as he went down on her. His mouth moved against her as his fingers slid inside, assaulting her body on both fronts. It was so hard to...anything. She couldn’t keep quiet as the tremors raced through her body. The one leg on the ground could barely support her as all of her attention was focused on Robert and the things he was doing to her. But she didn’t need to do anything. He took care of it all as he played her body perfectly; he held her up, all while driving her crazy. And as she came, he supported her weight as her mind shut out everything in the outside world so all that remained was her and Robert.
As she tried to catch her breath and come down from the climax, Robert unhooked her thigh from his shoulder and gently set her back on the ground. As he stood, he reached into his back pocket to pull out a condom. She wanted to crack a joke about his optimism, but she couldn’t manage any words as he undid his pants, freeing his hard cock, and rolled the latex over it.
Even though Malia had just orgasmed, she couldn’t help but become completely aroused again at the sight. She wanted him inside her and she wanted him now.
But he didn’t make her wait. Once the condom was on, he set a hand on either side of her waist and turned her so her hands were against the wall. He bent her forward until her ass stuck out at exactly the right spot for him.
There was one quiet moment that seemed to stretch on forever as she waited for him to enter her. She closed her eyes, her palms and forearms now pressed to the cool wall as she waited for him, wishing he would hurry.
And then he was sliding home. Her body was so ready, there was no resistance and he slid right in, filling her. She gasped at the intrusion even as she pushed back against him, wanting all of him.
Robert groaned as he was enveloped in her heat, but he didn’t start to thrust right away. He reached around her, pressing his fingers against her clit. The sudden sensation on the spot, which was still so sensitized from her previous orgasm, caused her to jump against him, eliciting another groan from him as he withdrew almost completely and slammed back in.
Malia let out another moan, amplified by the fingers still on her clit. He didn’t move his hand, but with every thrust of his body, her hips would move against his hand, doing all the work.
He thrust faster, holding her steady for him. Malia closed her eyes and let the sensations take over. Robert seemed to be everywhere, controlling her every movement as he fucked her hard and fast.
Her second orgasm almost caught her by surprise, it came so fast. As she shuddered in his arms, he reached around with his other arm, holding her still by her breasts as he kept pumping. The rhythm picked up as he came closer to his own climax. And when it hit him, he let out one deep groan and held her impossibly tight. His grip bordered on pain as she pressed herself as tightly against him as possible, loving the feel of him losing control inside her. It was nice to know she wasn’t the only one...
As he came down from the orgasm, she held herself up against the wall, sucking in deep gulps of air as she tried to refocus.
After a few moments, he slowly slid out of her, and she mourned the loss of the feel of him.
Malia slowly straightened, still leaning against the wall for leverage. She kind of expected Robert would leave to clean himself up, but he was still there, right behind her. When she finally turned around, he met her eyes and they both smiled, still high off the sex. He leaned forward and kissed her again. It started gentle, reveling in the moment, but soon it became more heated and intense until he ripped himself away.
“Why don’t you go upstairs? I’ll meet you up there in a minute.”
Malia nodded, not sure she was capable of speech yet. She bent down to pick up her clothes before slowly making her way across the kitchen and to the modern staircase. Considering how rubbery her legs felt, she didn’t want to rush up anything.
It was only once she was at the top of the stairs that she remembered they had different rooms. At this point, she could safely assume she wasn’t going to be sleeping in the spare room. She went straight for Robert’s room, and sat down on the green comforter. She looked at the panties and shorts in her hand. Did she put on more clothes or take off the shirt she still wore?
Take off her clothes. That was definitely the answer. She pulled off her shirt and bra, setting the clothes in a neat pile next to the bed before she slid under the covers. She wanted to be cool, calm, and collected, but she couldn’t help her moan of pleasure as she felt his sheets against her body. Good grief, why would he ever leave this place?
Robert came into the room, still shirtless, but his pants were unfortunately buttoned up. “I brought you some water. There’s not much food here at the moment, but maybe we can order something in?” As he talked, he crossed the room to set a bottle of water on the nightstand next to her and then went to the other side of the bed, where he set his water and started to undo his pants.
Malia bit her bottom lip as she watched him push his pants down until the only thing he wore were boxer briefs.
Food. He’d asked about food... “I’ve noticed that your pantry is seriously lacking. Do you just never have time to go to the store?”
“I live out of New York most of the year. I only stay here a few weeks here and there. No point in keeping food that will go bad.”
She’d almost forgotten that Robert didn’t really live here. It might be his house, but his home was in New York. “If this is how nice your vacation home is, I wonder what your apartment looks like.”
He chuckled as he crawled under the blankets and pulled her against him. Malia closed her eyes as she savored the feel of his hard body against hers.
“I’ll take you there. I don’t think you’ll like it, though.”
“Because it’s in Farrell Tower, which is my least favorite place in the entire city?”
He laughed again. “Because it’s nothing like you.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s... I don’t know. Ev
erything is black and white and you’re not that kind of girl.”
It was Malia’s turn to laugh. “I’m not a black and white kind of girl?”
“I have a feeling you’re more of a rainbow. Everything you wear is bright and bold. I bet your room was full of stuff like that. At least when I think of you, that’s all I can see. Bright and beautiful color.”
Malia bit her lip as she took in the compliment. He wasn’t wrong about her decorating tastes. She’d gotten permission to repaint the room she’d rented. It had a decent window, so she chose an aqua color to remind her of the ocean she loved so much. And her clothes...well, her mother would joke that it looked like a rainbow exploded in her suitcase whenever they moved.
“It might not be my style, but as long as you’re there, I’m sure I’ll like it.”
His arm tightened around her waist and pulled her closer. He didn’t say anything but let out something between a breath and a groan as she settled against him.
Whatever it was, it was a sound of happiness, and Malia was happy to relax in the moment.
But Robert had different plans. “I need to tell you something.”
She stiffened in his arms. “Something bad?”
“Kind of. The reason I... The reason I made an ass out of myself and raced over to your mom’s place was because I got another email.”
“You think it’s from the person who burned down my place?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re still in Hawaii though, right?”
“That’s what I thought. But the email said this son of a bitch is in town and I lost it. I ran home and you were...”
“I was just out for a few minutes.” Or hours. But he didn’t know that.
“I tried to call.”
“And I didn’t answer.” She hadn’t, and still didn’t, want him to know where she’d been. “I wanted some time alone. I didn’t think it would be such an issue.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I went crazy when you were gone and lost any ability to think straight.”
Malia’s lips tightened. She really did understand why he did what he did. And even though she hated that her mother was mad, Theresa had no right to judge her. Not after she left. Robert shouldn’t have to feel guilty about that. She tried to change the subject. “I didn’t realize you ever had any ability to think straight.”
Reckless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 2) Page 14