Deep Down (Lockhart Brothers #1)

by Brenda Rothert

  He sighed against my neck. “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “I’ve got no self-control right now, Ivy. I’m crazy with wanting you. But don’t worry.”

  He grabbed the sides of my panties and worked them off, bending down to put his face between my thighs.

  “No,” I said firmly. “I want you inside me. Right now. Please, Reed.”

  “I don’t want to be rough with you.”

  “Be rough. I need it right now. Don’t hold back.” I gave him a frantic look. “Condom?”

  “I’ve got one in my wallet.”

  He took it out, opened it with his teeth and rolled it on.

  “At least let me take you to bed,” he said, kissing me.

  “Right here,” I said, moaning as he squeezed my ass in his palms.

  Our bodies connected in a swirl of sensation. When he entered me in one powerful thrust, I cried out and rocked my hips against his.

  No matter what he gave me, I wanted more. He hammered himself into me and I begged him to do it harder. I was overcome with emotion for him, my eyes meeting his as I came hard, his name coming out of my throat in a scream.

  His body tensed and he groaned deeply against my neck. “Ivy,” he breathed.

  I wrapped myself around him and we stayed that way, breathing each other in, until he carried me to the bedroom and we laid down together.

  The peace that surrounded me was complete and perfect. It wasn’t too late. I hadn’t lost him. I promised myself I’d never take him for granted again.

  THE NEXT MORNING, I woke up to the feel of Reed’s warm breath on my neck. He was wrapped around me, his chest to my back, our legs tangled together. The closeness was more than physical. I’d opened my soul to him last night, and he’d accepted all of me.

  I shifted slightly, hoping to sneak out of bed to the bathroom. Reed tightened his hold around my waist and kissed my shoulder.

  “Don’t get up,” he said, his voice gravelly.

  “I have to pee, though.”

  “Make it quick. I want to spend all morning right here with you.”

  I turned to face him. “Would it be okay if we went to Margie and Gene’s? I’m missing Noah after two nights away from him.”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  I stepped out of bed and searched the floor for my shirt.

  “Living room,” Reed said, giving me a lazy smile.

  “Oh. Right.” I started to walk that way but stopped in the doorway and turned to face him. “Thanks for . . . understanding, Reed. For giving us another chance.”

  “I’m in love with you,” he said. “I’m not sure you get what that means just yet. It means I’ll never give up on us. I’d do anything for you. Love’s got ups and downs, and I’m all in, Ivy. I hope you are, too.”

  “I am. I never want to be without you again.”

  He smiled at me and stepped out of bed. I turned toward the living room, knowing even one good long look at his body would result in me ending up back in bed with him.

  We both showered and dressed and Reed drove us to Margie and Gene’s. I’d missed the leathery smell of his truck and the way he looked driving it. My man was rugged, and God, did I love it.

  After we parked, Reed opened my door and we walked up to the front door hand in hand. When I saw Margie standing there waiting for us, I was expecting a happy outburst about seeing us back together. But her expression was drawn, the lines by her eyes more pronounced.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, my heart rate picking up speed. “Margie, is Noah okay?”

  “He’s fine. It’s . . . there’s something else I need to tell you.”

  “What is it?”

  Reed wrapped his arm around my waist from behind and I laid my hand over his.

  “Maybe we should go sit down,” Margie said.

  “No, tell me,” I said. “Please just tell me.”

  She sighed and gave me an apologetic look. “Walter Grieves passed away last night.”

  “Walter?” My heart dropped into my stomach.

  “His assistant found him this morning. It looks like he had a stroke.”

  Reed wrapped his other arm around my waist and pulled me close, my back to his chest. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about grouchy, particular, kindhearted Walter being gone. He hadn’t come in as usual last week, but I figured he was working on a book, or maybe that he’d gone to New York to see his agent as he sometimes did. Now we’d never have another heart to heart conversation. He’d never see me working to become a better writer.

  “I don’t even know what to say,” I said softly, wiping the corners of my eyes.

  “I know you were very fond of him,” Margie said. “And he was fond of you, too. That’s saying something coming from Walter.”

  I smiled through my tears. “He’s actually very bighearted . . . or, he was, I guess.”

  “It’s a real shame.” Margie looked up at Reed, acknowledging him for the first time since we’d arrived. “Good to see you, Reed. Would you two like some breakfast?”

  “Did Gene make pancakes?” I asked.

  “He and Noah are working on them now. Come on in and sit down.”

  I stepped out of Reed’s arms and Margie rubbed a hand over my back.

  “Everything went okay on your trip?” she asked me, still wearing a concerned expression.

  “Yeah. I’ve needed to do that for a long time, and I’m relieved it’s over.”

  She nodded silently and we walked into the kitchen where Noah jumped down from his stool, squealing with excitement. He raced toward me and I was about to open my arms when he passed me by and flew into Reed’s arms instead.

  “Hey, big guy,” Reed said, sweeping Noah off the floor and hugging him close.

  I’d almost ruined things by making our threesome into a twosome. But now that Reed was back in our lives, I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

  SEVERAL DAYS LATER, I sat near the back of the crowded courtroom, waiting to hear the verdict on the trial. It was noon, but the diner had been nearly empty and everyone with any interest in the trial was either packed inside the courtroom or waiting outside on the sidewalk.

  No matter what the verdict was, it wouldn’t affect my relationship with Reed. I felt lighter since the confrontation with my father. Facing him head-on had helped me stop projecting my resentment onto others.

  The courtroom silenced as the bailiff passed the judge a folded piece of paper and he read it before folding it back up and giving it to the bailiff, who handed it to the jury foreman.

  Reed and Chuck Ashley stood and then the judge addressed the foreman, “As to the charge of sexual assault, how does the jury find the defendant?”

  “Guilty, your honor.”

  A wave of gasps and whispers swept through the crowd and the judge held up a hand.

  “Quiet, please.”

  The courtroom went silent and the judge continued reading the list of charges, the jury foreman announcing a guilty verdict after each one.

  A wave of emotion swelled inside me. I wanted to scream with happiness, but my eyes went to Reed who stood straight and still. I could see from his profile that his face was completely neutral. Chuck Ashley’s head was in his hands.

  Reed whispered something in Chuck’s ear before the bailiff came over and led Chuck away. Reed shook the prosecutor Mark’s hand and turned to the crowd, scanning it. He stopped when his eyes locked with mine.

  I held his gaze for a few seconds before turning and filing out of the courtroom with everyone else.

  “Hope that bastard gets his in prison,” a woman murmured to someone.

  It was all I could do not tell her she should focus her hopes on Chloe. She was only a sophomore in high school, and she had a long road ahead of her. This trial had been entertainment to some of these people, which was sad and pathetic. We were here because a girl had been victimized by her own stepfather and now she needed the support of the community more than ever.
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br />   My emotions swirled, calming by the time I got back to the diner. Margie looked at me stoically.

  “You heard?” I asked.

  She nodded and opened her arms to me. I let her hold me close.

  “How you doin’?” she asked softly.

  “I’m okay. Good. Glad it went the way it did.”

  “Well, I want you to take the rest of the day off. Just take some time—”

  Her voice trailed off and I turned to see what she was looking at. Reed was walking through the diner’s front door, his tie loosened and his expression relaxed for the first time in a while.

  I left Margie’s arms and went to him, taking in his scent as he pulled me against the hard lines of his chest.

  “You okay?” I whispered in his ear, tightening my arms around his shoulders.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “I’m alright. Can we step outside?”

  He let go of me and took my hand, leading me out to the bench we’d been sitting on the first time he asked me out. For a minute, we just sat, my hand in his lap as he ran his thumb over my knuckles.

  “This is awkward,” I finally said. “I feel like I should say I’m sorry because you lost, but—”

  He squeezed my hand and let out a single note of laughter. “I don’t really take it like that. I worked my ass off on that case. I gave Chuck the best defense I was capable of. That was all I could do.”

  “But are you disappointed?”

  He shook his head slightly. “The evidence was solid. And Mark did a good job with it.”

  “So did you. I was a little pissed at you a couple times during your closing argument, so I think that means you were doing a good job.”

  Reed let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him.

  “I love you so much,” he said, kissing my temple.

  “I love you, too.”

  “Yeah? Not pissed at me anymore, then?”

  “No.”

  “I think we need to talk about getting an arrest made in your case. The statute of limitations isn’t up. You don’t have to decide now, and I support whatever decision you make.”

  I leaned back so I could meet his gaze. “I’ve been thinking about it. I want to do that.”

  “Good. I can make contact with the state police in Michigan. I think they’ll take the case since he’s a police officer.”

  I nestled myself against his chest again. “Kind of funny that the strength of a sixteen-year-old girl ended up being my wakeup call.”

  “We all walk different paths, Beauty. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

  His words, and my decision to move ahead with charges against my father, filled me with a sense of peace. Hiding from the truth had been my means of coping for a long time, but I was ready to face it now. And not facing it alone made all the difference.

  A COUPLE BLISSFUL MONTHS passed after the trial. Reed, Noah and I were nearly inseparable. When the ground thawed and spring started making an appearance, we’d walk to the park from Reed’s apartment after dinner every evening, with Snoop in tow.

  Noah still spent every Friday night with Margie and Gene. Reed and I often spent those nights in bed with a bottle of wine and no worries about how loud we were being.

  Charges had been filed against my father, and he was free on bail while his attorney worked on a plea deal. I was relieved, because while I’d been prepared to testify in a trial, his guilty plea made things much easier. Reed was following the case closely, and he kept me updated.

  Today I was making the short walk to a downtown law office to meet another Lovely attorney, Dan Stegall. Dan had business he wanted to discuss with me, and Reed was meeting me there. When I’d received an official letter from Dan requesting a meeting I’d freaked out and told Reed I was sure my dad was suing me for visitation with Noah, or defamation of character or some other nonsense.

  Despite his assurances that no attorney would take that case, I had a nagging fear in the back of my mind. Life was absolutely perfect right now, almost too good to be true, and I was scared that it would change.

  Dan’s office had plain white walls and was filled with utilitarian furniture that gave off a sterile smell. I liked the faint smell of books in Reed’s office much better. As soon as I walked in, a receptionist greeted me.

  “Miss Gleason? Mr. Lockhart is catching up with Mr. Stegall now,” she said, leading me down a short hallway.

  “Maggie, please call me Ivy. I know I’m here on business but I’m still plain old Ivy,” I said. Maggie was one of my regular customers at the diner.

  “Sorry,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Work habits die hard. Go on in, Ivy.”

  “Hey, babe,” Reed said, standing up when I walked in.

  “Ivy, nice to formally meet you,” Dan said, standing up to shake my hand.

  “You, too.”

  “Okay, let’s get to it,” he said, sitting back down behind his desk. It was impeccably clean, with only one file on the polished dark wood surface. Reed’s desk was always filled with stacks of books, files and papers. I loved it when I walked into his office and he looked up at me from behind his desk, wearing his reading glasses.

  “So, Ivy, this would normally just be a meeting between you and I . . . unless Mr. Lockhart is your counsel?”

  I glanced at Reed and he winked at me.

  “Something like that,” I said, smiling.

  “Excellent. In that case, I’ve called you here to tell you that you are the sole recipient of the estate of Walter Grieves.”

  My mouth fell open and I gave Reed an incredulous look. “Me?”

  Dan nodded. “Yes, and it’s a significant estate. I’ve been closing things out as per Mr. Grieves’ request, but he hardly owed anyone anything. I had to negotiate a few things with his publisher, but we’ve concluded our business and everything is in order.”

  My heart pounded as I took in the news. I pictured Walter sitting next to me on the bench in the park that day, wearing his hat and trench coat, telling me I should feel like a survivor. Tears welled in my eyes and I broke down in tears.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. Reed put an arm around my shoulders and I leaned against him.

  “It shouldn’t be me,” I said. “He hardly knew me.”

  “Walter was a very private man,” Dan said. “I’m not sure anyone knew him well. He didn’t have any family when he died.”

  I thought about the daughter he’d lost and shook my head sadly.

  “He thought a lot of you, Ivy,” Dan said. “He was very clear about what he wanted. He instructed me to give you this letter from him, liquidate anything you don’t want from the estate and pay all proceeds to you.”

  “Liquidate . . . you’re selling his things?”

  Dan nodded. “The house, his vehicles and his personal property. I’m planning an estate sale.”

  “I want his books. And his computer. Anything related to his writing, I want to keep.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “How much are we talking here, Dan?” Reed asked.

  Dan looked down at a paper on his desk. “Without the estate sale proceeds it’s a little over eighteen million.”

  I sat back in my chair, shock rendering me speechless.

  “Wow,” Reed said. “Ivy, this is amazing.”

  “I don’t . . . I can’t even . . .”

  “Take some time to let this sink in,” Dan said. “In the meantime, here’s the letter he asked me to give you.”

  He passed me a blank white envelope and I looked down at it and tucked it into my purse.

  “Would you like me to work with your counsel from here on out?” Dan asked, grinning as he glanced between Reed and me.

  “That would be great, Dan,” I said, taking the hand Reed held out to me.

  Now that the preliminary meeting was concluded Reed and I said goodbye to Dan and walked outside. I headed for a nearby metal bench where I sat down and opened the letter from Walter.

/>   Dear Ivy,

  I’m most disappointed to be dead. I had so many more books to write and dishes of oatmeal to eat. But it wasn’t meant to be, apparently.

  I guess by now you know I’m leaving everything to you. Being able to do so is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. You’re much more to me than daily breakfast company. Your hard work and devotion to your son remind me just how strong and resilient the human spirit is.

  Do amazing things with this money. Travel. Have fun. Finish that degree. Most importantly, write. In some measure, it makes me feel like you’ll be finishing what I can’t.

  All my best on living your dreams.

  Walter

  I was crying hard by the time I finished reading. I passed the letter to Reed and he held me against his chest as he read it himself.

  “Wow,” he said. “You do leave quite the impression, Miss Gleason. I have to agree with him there. You deserve this.”

  “But . . . it’s just so unexpected. I don’t know what to do with that kind of money.”

  “Don’t do anything with it until you’re ready. Keep going to work every day and living life as usual. With time, you’ll know what to do. I can help get a trust set up for Noah, and you’ll need a will immediately.”

  “Will everyone in Lovely hear about it?” I asked.

  “No. Dan is bound to keep this information confidential. And you and I won’t be telling people about it right now. That’s important, Ivy. People will come knocking on your door if they hear. I don’t want you in danger. Word will get out eventually, but for now let’s keep it to ourselves.”

  “No, I won’t say anything to anyone. At least not now.”

  Reed’s face fell with disappointment.

  “What?” I put a hand on his knee.

  “I was planning to propose to you before long, and I don’t want it to come off like I did it because of the money.”

  I laughed and cupped his cheeks in my hands. “Reed, I’d never think that.”

  “We’ll have a prenup drawn up.”

  “We will not. What’s mine is yours. Now stop talking about paperwork and set your mind to thinking about engagement rings instead.”

  His eyes softened. “I like the sound of Ivy Lockhart, don’t you?”