by E. C. Land
Taking in my surroundings as we walk, I’m surprised by how cute it is. On the front porch is a sitting area of Adirondack chairs painted blue with a matching table between them. Instead of a flower bed, he has a rock bed filled with river rock. There’s a birdbath and a few other things in the bed decorating the front of the house.
Lillian had told me a little bit about her boss’s house but knowing this is Kenyon’s makes me smile.
Opening the door for me, he lets me step in front of him, and I’m stunned by the beauty of the house. Kenyon steps in close behind me, his hands coming to my waist as he guides me further inside.
“Lillian must have taken Ryland for a walk. It’s what they typically do around this time of day,” Kenyon announces, taking us deeper into the bowels of his home. In the large family room, he pulls me down on top of him as he sits on the massive couch. I can see why he’d need something large like this, considering his height. He has to be at least six foot three. Last night the boots I’d been wearing had a six-inch heel, and when I’d faced him, I’d been on a platform near the bar that put me right under eye level with him.
I attempt to move from his lap, but he tightens his grasp on my bare thighs. Why did I think it was a good idea to wear shorts is beyond me. His touch sends a thrill of want through my body, wishing he’d take me again.
Right here.
Right now.
God, I’m a slut for thinking such a thing.
“Alright, aingeal, time to tell me what is going on with your sister. What did she mean by her threat?” Kenyon mutters.
“There’s nothing to talk about. Nothing about Ensley is any of your business,” I whisper, diverting my gaze from him. I’m ashamed and I don’t want him to know about my past. If Kenyon knew, he’d probably throw me off his lap in disgust.
“Enya, I’m making it my business whether you like it or not,” Kenyon says as the front door opens. I scramble to get off Kenyon’s lap as Lillian walks in with Ryland in her arms. Kenyon stands and pulls me into his arms.
“Hey, cool, my best friend is here. What’s going on?” she asks with a bright smile until she gets a good look at my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I utter, not wanting to talk about Ensley and what happened.
“Don’t lie to me, Enya. I know you better than that. Now I get why my boss has his arm around you, but I want to know, what has you looking nervous as hell and him pissed,” she mutters and moves closer to us and places Kenyon’s son in a playpen set up for infants his size.
Shaking my head, I step away from Kenyon and wrap my arms around myself protectively as I speak. “Ensley showed up as we were leaving.”
“Oh hell, please tell me you finally stopped giving her money,” Lillian says, narrowing her gaze on me.
“I, um, I didn’t have anything to give her,” I admit, ashamed even more so as I feel Lillian’s eyes lock on me.
“Of course you didn’t because you keep giving her everything you have, and by doing so you’re bleeding yourself dry.”
“What else do you expect me to do? She’s my sister. I have to take care of her,” I murmur quietly, not meeting either of their gazes.
“How about she can take care of herself. Ensley is a cold-hearted bitch and doesn’t care about you, stop caring about her. Now I need to get some food going unless you both want to order in,” Lillian mutters in annoyance.
God knows now she’s really going to have to stop. If Lillian keeps going, she’ll blurt out what she knows and that will be the end of anything I have left in me.
Chapter 8
Kenyon
Staring between the two women in my living room as they ramble on about a bitch who Enya shouldn’t even care about is pissing me off.
“I don’t give a fuck about food right now. I want both of you at the kitchen table right now and I want answers about what the fuck is going on here,” I demand, pointing at the table for them to do as they were told.
My mind has been playing what happened with Enya’s sister since leaving and I’ll get it out of her one way or another. I intended to use her body against her, but it seems I can simply get Lillian to make her tell me, or the woman would spill it out enough that I can figure it out for myself.
While the two of them move to the table as they were told, I move to where my son laid. Checking on him, I run a hand along his cheek. “Hey, buddy,” I murmur, getting a smile from his sleepy face.
Turning, I see the women at the table, Lillian clearly upset for her friend and I can’t even see Enya’s face.
Making my way to the table, I take a seat looking between the two.
“Alright, someone start talking. Why are you giving your sister money, Enya, and how much?” I mutter the question firmly.
“It’s not any of your business, Kenyon,” Enya whispers, not looking up.
“Enya, look at me,” I command. Slowly she does as I tell her, and I continue, “This is my business, aingeal, I told you I wanted you as mine. So that means anything to do with you is my business and I take care of those I claim. Now, fuckin’ tell me how much you gave your sister the last time and why the fuck did she threaten you today for not paying her?”
“Ensley threatened you today?” Lillian murmurs, and I glance in her direction to see her pale. “Please tell me she didn’t threaten with him.”
“Lillian,” Enya utters even quieter, and I start to wonder more or less who they’re talking about.
“Talk or I find out other ways, and trust me, you don’t want that to happen because then I’ll know every little secret there is about you, Enya,” I state firmly what I’ll do. Shit, I’m sure Marc is already looking into both Enya and Zoe after meeting them last night at the bar. He’s protective of his family and anyone he surrounds himself with. Plus, he loves Ryland and doesn’t want him around anyone he can’t trust.
“Kenyon,” Enya utters, tears welling in her eyes as she goes to protest.
“Enya, you can trust Kenyon,” Lillian murmurs. “He will understand.”
Now I really want to know what’s going on.
Enya shakes her head in denial.
“Lillian,” I urge.
Sighing, she shakes her head. “I can’t tell you because it’s Enya’s story to tell; however, I can say her sister is a fuckin’ bitch and will stop at nothing to stay in control of her. Enya works her ass off to make sure Ensley doesn’t do something stupid, and I, for one, am sick of it.”
“And you don’t think I’m not sick of it. I’m tired, but if I don’t it’ll happen again, and it’ll be ten times worse,” Enya whispers, and I don’t miss the tears spilling down her cheeks.
“Enya,” Lillian mutters.
“No,” Enya snaps quietly as she stands from the table. “I can’t talk about it and besides Ensley’s Ensley. She won’t follow through with it. It would put her in eyesight as well. Can’t have one without the other, right?”
What the fuck?
Standing, I round the table and look her in the eyes as I pull her to me. “Tell me,” I demand.
“No,” she says, and I can sense her near breaking point when she plants her face into my chest.
I never realized how much smaller she was compared to me, considering she’d been in heels when I saw her at the bar, and I didn’t pay attention to her height at the bookstore. She’s like my very own little fairy.
“Aingeal, tell me,” I encourage her once again to tell me.
“I can’t,” she utters words that barely reach my ears.
Looking to Lillian, I give a motion with my head for her to go ahead and leave. I need her gone. For now, I’ll drop the situation. I can put two and two together to know that whoever ‘he’ is did something to hurt mo aingeal álainn. More than anything, I understand some dark secrets and I’m willing to bet hers might even be worse than my own.
I scoop Enya up into my arms and carry her over to the couch, making sure to peek at Ryland as I go. He’s sound asleep, and I move to sit on
the couch where I tuck my woman into my arms. “I’ll leave it for right now, mo aingeal álainn, but just know that you’re in my bed, you’re my woman, it makes everything about you my business.”
“Technically, I’ve not been in your bed, so that’s not true. And I just want to forget about it rather than talk about it, so if you’ll excuse me for keeping it to myself.”
Fuck me, even upset, Enya can be funny.
I’ll enjoy rectifying that technicality later this evening when I carry her to my room, strip her naked, and lavish her pussy with my tongue before sinking my cock deep into her depths.
Oh, just wait for it to happen.
Grinning, I pull her even tighter, deciding to drop the subject completely and let her think she’s getting her way. It’ll mean I get to have fun tonight and I know exactly how I’m going to do it. There’s a pretty red scarf sitting in the nightstand of my bed, and I have straps laying in wait with Enya’s name on them.
Yeah, I’m going to enjoy bringing the truth from her pretty little lips. I just gotta prepare for whatever she gives me. Because I know in my gut it ain’t gonna be good.
Chapter 9
Enya
The rest of the afternoon and through the evening was spent trying to relax with Kenyon and his son. My ovaries scream out at seeing how good of a dad he is, and I wonder where Ryland’s mom is. I want to ask but feel it’s not my place.
Kenyon ordered dinner for us, and we’d sat together in front of the TV talking with the volume down low. I enjoyed our conversation. I learned he’d grown up with his mom, who lives over in Ireland now. I’d been surprised to find out his mom had originally been from the country and came over here when she’d been only eighteen and didn’t go back until recently. I’m sure he misses his mom.
While Kenyon puts Ryland down for bed in his room, I went to where he showed me his room was and started a bath like he suggested. Considering my apartment above the bookstore only has a shower, I definitely loved the idea. Apprehensively, I sit in the tub once it fills with water and bubbles. I close my eyes and relax, keeping my mind from going to that dark place.
The one where I hear his laughter as he forces me to do things. His threats to go after my sister if I didn’t listen. His gloating about how he controls everything.
Sucking in a breath, I inwardly shake my head.
“That’s one beautiful sight, aingeal,” Kenyon says, and I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of his voice as I open my eyes.
My gaze locks on his while he moves further into the room, stripping out of his clothes with each step he takes. “Scoot forward some,” he orders, and I lick my lips as his jeans slide down his thighs. Kenyon’s cock juts forward demanding attention.
I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from moaning at the sight of the thing. Doing as he asks, I scoot forward, and he steps into the tub right behind me. Once he’s seated, he pulls my back flush with his front, where he then wraps his arms around me.
Oh, this is nice. I’ve never known caring like this feeling he’s giving me right now.
The two of us sit quietly for a bit in the silence, enjoying the warmth of the bath. Kenyon’s hands run along my front, his legs encasing me in between his.
“You ready to talk to me yet about what happened earlier?” he asks, and inwardly I cringe.
“No,” I utter without hesitation.
Kenyon doesn’t push it, and I’m thankful for that. We finish our bath and get out. Soon as we’re dry, he lifts me into his arms bridal style, carries me to his bed, and places me in the center. Climbing onto the bed, Kenyon presses his lips to mine, and I’m entranced with the way he kisses me. The tenderness in his touch so sweet, I can feel my heart reaching out to him.
I’m so drunk on his touch, I don’t feel him lift my arms over my head until both my wrists are restrained. I gasp into his mouth and fear starts to take hold.
Oh God, no.
Please don’t let this be happening.
Kenyon senses the change in me and lifts up enough to look me in the eyes.
“Enya?” he calls my name, but I can barely hear him. My mind goes to somewhere I hate and tears spill down my cheek.
The sound of my stepfather’s voice fills my head as I remember the times he restrained me and did what he pleased.
“Fuck,” Kenyon growls, and I find myself instantly freed from the restraints and pulled into his arms. “I didn’t realize you’d react this way, mo aingeal álainn, I’m fuckin’ sorry,” he says, holding me tightly to him while running his hand, not holding me, along my hair soothingly.
I know he didn’t know and didn’t think it would bother me. I mean, he’s held me in place with my arms over my head, but those times it had been with his hands and not a strap. I know in my mind he wouldn’t hurt me while leaving me immobile.
Kenyon holds me to him for a long time and I realize after this, I do need to tell him. Whether he looks at me differently or not after will be up to him.
“He used to restrain me when he wanted to be mean to me,” I whisper, feeling Kenyon stiffen at my admission.
“Who, Enya?” he asks calmly, but I can feel the tension in his body.
“My stepfather. He would threaten me with going and hurting my sister if I didn’t do as he said, when he said it, and how he said it. To protect Ensley, I allowed him to defile my body until one night I overheard him telling someone that they were welcome to join him in his plans for the evening at our house. I packed up my sister, and we ran. She didn’t understand and wanted to go back home. I begged her and that’s when it started. I paid her to stay away from going home.”
Letting out a shuddered breath, I sink deeper into Kenyon.
“No more, mo aingeal, never again do you give that bitch money. She’s old enough to make her own decisions. Ensley has abused you enough, and now that you’re mine, I won’t have her hurting you anymore. And not tonight because you’ve already been through enough but I’ll be finding out the name of that motherfucker. He won’t get away with what he’s done to you.” The sense of my body and mind being freed of a weight so big it’s been suffocating me for years seems to lift off my shoulders with Kenyon’s words.
Unable to form words, I nod in agreement, suddenly far more tired than I’ve ever been. Kenyon rotates us on the bed, pulls the covers over us, and holds me tight to him.
“Codladh go síochánta, mo aingeal lómhar,” he murmurs.
I don’t know what he means by this, but I find it beautiful nonetheless and ask him. “What does that mean?”
Kenyon presses a kiss to the top of my head and runs a hand along my spine. “It means sleep peacefully, my precious angel.”
Smiling into his chest, I curl deeper into him and do simply that.
Chapter 10
Kenyon
Through the night, I didn’t sleep after what happened with Enya. Instead, I held her to me the entire night, making sure to keep any nightmares at bay.
When I’d cuffed her wrists in the straps, I didn’t think it would affect her in such a negative way. She’d allowed me to hold her down before while I pounded her into the bed. Shit, at one point that first night I’d taken her, I remember her letting me press my hand against her throat and hold her down that way.
Raging fury on her behalf fills me as I want nothing more than to find that motherfucker right now and cut his fuckin’ dick off his spineless body. Those who would defile a young girl piss me off. And what she’s been through is far too close to home for me. My own mom dealt with being raped by a man who got her pregnant with me.
I know my mom loves me and doesn’t regret keeping me when she could have ended her pregnancy with me or even put me up for adoption. Still, I get I’m also a reminder of what she went through.
Worst of all, I know who my father is and I’m waiting for the time to come to end him on her behalf. He’s a sick asshole and needs to be put down like the dog he is.
Shifting my thoughts back away from the man who will d
ie by my hands when I find him, I think about how Enya wanted to protect her sister, and yet that bitch extorted her to get money.Drained her dry. That’s why Lillian got pissed the way she did.
I’m glad Enya has friends like Lillian and Zoe.
Glancing at the clock, I think of all the shit I’ll have to do throughout the day. I make a mental note to find time around lunch to take Enya out. Unlike Dean and Mitch, where they’d had contracted marriages to both Bridget and Alison and lucked out, I get to take the time before marrying my woman.
Another thought pops into my head, causing me to wonder, why didn’t Enya’s father protect her? If anything were to happen to Ryland, I’d do everything in my power to protect him from being hurt. Why didn’t he? Where is he?
My phone starts ringing from where it sits on the nightstand, gaining my attention. This early in the morning something has to be going on. I lift the phone into my hands and stare at the screen to see it’s Chance calling.
I immediately answer. He’d been working last night on something important to all of us. “You good?” I ask.
“Yeah, Ken, but you’re gonna wanna get here. I’ve found Kean and Jewel, at an old cottage looking place out by the creek about ten miles down the road from the Sinner’s . . .” Shots ring loud in my ear, and all I hear is Chance’s grunts.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Slipping out from under Enya’s body, I quickly get dressed and wake her up.
“Enya, I need you to look after Ry for me. Gotta get somewhere,” I state quickly, getting a frown from her, but that doesn’t stop her from nodding.
“Yeah, I’ll watch him. When Lillian comes in, I’ll get her to take me to the bookstore,” she murmurs sleepily but alert at the same time.
“Alright, aingeal, thank you. I’ll see you later on. If not before the store closes, then here. I want you here again tonight,” I declare, leaning in to give her a quick kiss and head for the door with my phone in hand.