I can’t answer, only moan as he thrusts inside. My body’s hot, slick and ready for him. He thrusts over and over until we’re both mindless with pleasure. His hand slips down, pressing lightly against my clit. I bury my face in the comforter to muffle my screams.
“That’s it, Ella. Let go for me. You can let go, because I’m never letting go of you.”
I pride myself on having a lot of control. I need it to make it in the business world I grew up in. But now? I just want my woman. Rough and hard.
That’s how I’ll have her.
Love the way she lays down a challenge.
After almost losing my mind when she put her mouth around my cock, I’m desperate to fuck her.
The labels and the past six years have melted away this weekend. We’re not stepsister and stepbrother any longer. Not that I’ve ever harbored a single brotherly thought toward her in the first place. No. She’s my woman and I’m her man. I intend to keep things this way between us.
At the end, she bucks back against me. She’s so slick, the sounds fill the air around us.
“Please, Flynn. I want—”
“I know what you want. I’ll give it to you.”
I’ll give this woman everything and anything she wants.
Later, she’s cradled in my arms, almost asleep. My fingers absently rub small circles on her stomach.
“Ella, are you awake?”
“Sort of.”
A smile stretches across my lips and I chuckle into her hair. “How about tomorrow, you come home with me? We’ll tell our parents about us and get it out of the way—” I don’t get to explain the rest of my plan to her, because she bolts upright and scrambles to the other side of the bed.
“Are you nuts?”
Reaching over, I flip on the bedside lamp, then turn and face her. “No. I’m dead serious.”
“There’s no way in hell I’m going back to that house.”
She throws back the covers and storms over to her suitcase, digging through it until she finds a T-shirt and a pair of underwear, covering her beautiful body from view.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t. I can’t talk about this.”
Something in her voice sets me off.
“About what, Ella?”
She drops down onto the loveseat, arms wrapping around her middle as she rocks back and forth. What the fuck?
“Haven’t you wondered why I never came home again after high school?”
All the time. But I’ve always chalked it up to embarrassment over what happened. “Baby, I know it was horrible. It was embarrassing as all hell. But looking back, isn’t it sort of funny now?”
She snaps her head up and glares at me. “Funny? Are you fucking kidding?”
Her reaction seems extreme to me, and I can’t figure it out.
“You don’t know, do you?” she asks quietly.
“Know what?”
“What happened that night after my mother dragged me out of your room.”
Yeah, I knew what happened. My father came in and slugged me across the face. Not for defiling Ella, but for embarrassing him.
“My Dad gave me hell. I assumed your mother did the same. When I got up the next morning, you were gone. The maid explained they’d taken you to boarding school. It took me months to figure out where they sent you. I came to see you as soon as I found out where you were.”
She half-smiles. “I remember. I didn’t know you didn’t . . . ” Her face twists in agony, and she hugs herself even tighter.
I have to go to her. Kneeling down beside her, I take her hands in mine. “Ella, what aren’t you telling me?”
“Your father beat me!” she screams. The impact of her words hits me like an explosion. I stand and stagger back a few steps.
“What are you talking about?”
She stands and faces me. Anger, more than anything, seems to color her movements. “My mother dragged me out to the pool house.” The shivers wracking her body kill me. Her arms wrap around her middle again. “She stripped me naked. Told me what a whore I was and how I was going to ruin her marriage. Then your father came in.”
A sick feeling curls in my gut. I’d been half-unconscious in my room, with no idea what happened to Ella. My father hitting me wasn’t a surprise, but going after Ella?
“What happened, baby? Tell me everything.”
She trembles so hard she has to sit on the edge of the bed. Carefully, I kneel in front of her again. Not touching this time, just waiting.
Tears run freely down her cheeks, and I want nothing more than to brush them away. But I’m afraid she’ll shut down if I touch her, and I need to know everything.
“First, he lectured me. I was mortified, trying so hard to cover myself. He told me if we ever looked at each other again, you’d lose everything: your inheritance, your trust fund, the family business. Everything. And you’d hate me for it. He said everyone in his company knew us as step-siblings, so even a hint of our relationship would ruin him. He told my mother he’d make arrangements to send me to boarding school, so there was no further temptation.” She pins me with a harsh stare. “Those were his exact words.”
And he made good on that threat. Ella was gone before morning, and it took me months to track her down. I understand now why she was so cold to me during those first few visits. Back then, her indifference burned like hellfire.
“I was too terrified to do anything except nod. Too embarrassed to move. Then he took his belt off.”
“Ella, no.”
“He whipped me with it from my shoulders to the backs of my thighs.”
My stomach drops. My hands clench and unclench. “Jesus Christ.”
“My mother watched and never said a word. Eventually, I passed out. They kept me locked in the pool house for a few days, then took me to Briarwood. I was still so badly bruised, the ride was excruciating.”
More tears tumble down her cheeks.
Rage. A red-hot, howling rage like I’ve never experienced before blows through me.
I’ll kill him.
“Honestly, I was relieved they sent me away. I found one teacher I trusted there and explained the situation to her. That’s who I spent my holidays with. She helped me with my college applications, found me a job after graduation, and let me stay with her until I started school.”
She finally meets my eyes. “Even if she hadn’t helped me, I would have lived on the streets before I returned to that house.”
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I never—” I stand and finally wrap my arms around her. “I never knew or I would have done something—”
“What could you have done? Realistically. You were as under his thumb as I was. Now you understand why we can never be together and why I’ll never return to his house.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Ella.”
She sniffles and glances up at me. “How? He’ll ruin you and leave you with nothing.”
“Ella, baby, I don’t care.” I run my palm over her cheek, brushing damp strands of hair off her face. “I won’t lose you again. I’d rather have nothing at all, than not have you.”
“I don’t want to be the cause of your family breaking apart.”
“Ella. He’s the cause of it. Not you.”
“You’ll end up hating me if you lose everything.”
She’s not listening. Even years later, my father has her so fucked up and convinced I care about money more than her. “If I don’t have you, then I’ve already lost everything.”
I catch a glimmer in her eyes, like maybe she’s finally allowing my words to sink in.
“I wish you’d told me sooner, baby.”
“I tried. I wanted to. I almost did that one spring break when you came to visit. But then you told me you were with Lena, and I couldn’t.”
Oh, Christ. What a stupid fuck I’d been. Even once I found Ella, she put so much distance between us that I fell for Lena’s innocent act. “I never should have been with her. I missed you so much
, baby. I was trying to stay close to you by hanging out with your friends. Lena took it the wrong way and we . . . I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Shit, it’s not even her fault. She and Summer never knew the full story.”
Knowing Lena the way I do, I doubt it would have made a difference. She has to be one of the coldest women I’ve ever known. But there’s no point tearing her down right now. She doesn’t matter. No one matters except Ella and getting justice for her.
She reaches out and takes my hand. “I’m fine. It’s over with. My mother’s dead to me. She’s never apologized or admitted she did anything wrong, so I’m fine without her in my life. But your father? He still terrifies me. Whether you go with me or not, I won’t return to his house for any reason.”
“I don’t blame you. And I’d never ask you to.”
“My body healed, and most days I don’t even think about it.” She waves her hand at the television. “Unless I see him on the news or something. The sound of his smug voice still makes me want to vomit.”
Fuck. An awful thought worms its way into my brain. “Ella, do I bring all that up for you again?” How can we be together if every time she’s with me, she relives the worst time of her life?
My heart hammers while she pauses to consider my question. “No.” She runs her hand up and down through the air and chuckles. “You look so different now. It’s like you’re another person.”
Her fingers trace the lines of ink on my shoulder. “Plus, I know how much your father would have hated this.”
I snort out a humorless laugh.
“Only when you call me Lil’ Sis, does it bring it back for me.”
“Oh, fuck, Ella. I’m so sorry. I just do it to rile you a bit. I didn’t—”
“You didn’t know.”
“I’ll never say it again. Promise.”
She nods, but I don’t think she’s convinced. Her mouth parts in a wide yawn, and I take in how bloodshot her eyes are. “Come on, sweetheart. You need some rest. We can talk more in the morning.”
I scoop her up in my arms and get her under the covers. When she’s tucked tight against my chest and I feel her slip into sleep, a plan begins to form in my mind.
My father has a lot of crimes to answer for.
Chapter Eleven
Releasing all that garbage from our past doesn’t lighten my heart much. All night, I’m chased by dark, twisting nightmares where I’m running through long hallways, unable to escape.
When I wake, it’s early.
Flynn’s gone.
I stumble into the bathroom and there’s no sign of him.
I almost dial his number, but then stop myself.
After waiting for a few hours, I know he’s not coming back.
Heartbroken, I pack up my things. I wish I’d kept my mouth shut. I knew telling Flynn the truth would only push him away. His father’s media corporation is potentially worth billions, too much money to ever walk away from—even for love.
The owner of the bed and breakfast helps me arrange a rental car. The drive home seems to take forever.
My apartment’s exactly the way I left it Friday morning.
I can’t close my eyes without feeling Flynn’s hands on my body, hearing his voice.
Wait a second. That is his voice.
Coming from my front door.
I’m out of my mind. After handling business with my father, I return to find Ella gone.
The owner of the bed and breakfast explains that I just missed her.
I drive like a lunatic to her apartment. It’s a miracle I don’t get a ticket.
“Ella!” My fist hammers against her door. I hope like hell she’s here. I don’t know where else to go.
The door opens and she stares at me. I’m not waiting for an invitation. No, I sweep inside and kick her door closed. “Why’d you leave, baby?”
“You were gone.”
“I left you a note and told you to stay put.”
She shakes her head sadly, as if I’m lying to her. “Ella. I left you a note . . . you know what? It doesn’t matter. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Why are you here?”
Why am I here? Is she serious?
Suddenly, she gasps and touches my arm. “Flynn, what happened to your hands?” I turn them over and see the bruised, torn skin on my knuckles. It doesn’t hurt . . . yet.
“What do you think, Ella?”
She stares at me.
“I couldn’t let his crimes against you go unpunished.”
“You . . . you fought your father? For me?”
“Damn fucking right I did.”
She chokes and her eyes fill with tears. “Flynn, I never wanted you to do that. You didn’t have to—”
“Like hell I didn’t.”
“But your—”
I grab her face between my hands and stare into her eyes. “I’m nothing without you. I won’t go another day without you in my life, where you belong.”
“The company—”
“Ella, baby, please listen to me. I own my own company. I split off one of the smaller ones and run it myself. I came into full control of my trust fund at twenty-one. He can’t do jack shit to me.”
“He’ll try to ruin you. Because of us.”
“Let him. Let anyone judge us. I don’t give a fuck. What we have isn’t wrong. Anyone who thinks so can go straight to hell. Are we clear?”
Finally, everything sinks in, and she flings herself against me, wrapping her arms around my neck and clinging tight to me. “I can’t believe you . . . oh, Flynn.”
My hands rub circles over her back. “I love you, Ella. I’ve always loved you. I want to be your protector and your provider. Can you handle that?”
She sniffles and draws back. “I think so.”
“Hmm . . . we’ll need to work on that.”
I pull her into my arms, and we hold each other for a while. She yawns, and I squeeze her one last time before letting her go. “Did you get any sleep last night?” I ask.
“Barely.”
“Come on, let’s put you to bed.”
She eyes me skeptically, as if I won’t be able to keep my hands off her.
Okay, it’s a valid concern.
“Let me take care of your hands first.”
Sweet and tender, my girl cleans and bandages the worst of it. I’m thankful she didn’t ask me to explain in greater detail what happened. I don’t want those images in her head. She’s suffered enough, and I only want happy things for her from now on.
Chapter Twelve
I don’t consider myself bloodthirsty by any means, but I can’t deny that a certain thrill takes over me when Flynn explains how he handled his father.
For me.
It’s the only justice I’ll ever get. I hate that Flynn had to stoop so low, but I’m also grateful.
“I’m not tired anymore. Could we go out together?” I ask.
He smiles down at me and rubs his hand over my cheek. “Sure. Any place special in mind?”
“Not really.”
His smile turns into a wicked grin. “I brought my bike. Are you feeling adventurous?”
Am I? “Yeah. That sounds like fun.”
“Ever ridden before?”
“Only with my dad when I was little. Before . . . ” Well, duh. Before he died.
He has me dress in jeans and boots. Then he digs through my closet until he finds an old leather jacket I never even wear any more and hands it to me. “It’s a little warm for this, isn’t it?”
“Trust me, you’ll want it.”
Once we’re on the road, with the wind whipping against me, I admit to myself he was right. The bike cruises beautifully along back country roads, and after a decent amount of miles, I’m able to relax and enjoy the scenery.
I’m more than a little confused when he turns onto a long driveway lined with rows of grapevines. We pass under a large sign “Masterson Vineyards.”
“What is this?”
>
“Mine.”
“You own a vineyard? Since when?”
“Since last year. It was a distressed piece of property my father bought for the location. But then he didn’t think it would be profitable enough, so he sold it to me when I took over my trust fund.”
“Wow. So is it up and running?”
“Yup. Five hundred acres. I’ve got a wonderful tour guide. We do tours on the weekends. And we’re going to start up production of olive oil within the next year.”
The genuine pride in his voice melts me. “I’m impressed.”
“I didn’t bring you here to show off. I want you to see that I can stand on my own two feet without my father or his money. Well, without any more of his money.” He flashes a quick grin.
My hand rests on his arm. “Flynn, I know you. I know how capable you are.”
His lips curve into a smile. “I also have a redevelopment project in the city I’ve been overseeing that’s independent from his corporation.”
“Okay.”
He sweeps his gaze over the breathtaking property. “I already had these things in the works. I was trying to sever ties as much as possible. I don’t ever want you to think you’re the cause of the rift between my father and me.”
His attention is drawn to his hands. “I would have done it slowly and quietly, but not after what he did to you. He needed to pay.”
“Flynn—”
“No. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He was always a tough-love sort of disciplinarian. But I never thought he’d do something so extrene . . . hurt you.”
“It’s done. It’s over. We’re free.”
He hooks his fingers into one of my belt loops and tugs me close. “You’re mine now. No one tears us apart ever again, Ella,” he says, his voice rough and husky as he stands there staring down at me.
“Never again,” I agree.
Chapter Thirteen
“You’re sure you’re not mad at me for stealing your idea?” I tease Summer.
Her laughter floats through the phone, loud and clear. “Of course not, Ella. Even if I did, it’s too late to do anything about it now.”
Infatuation: A Rebel Stepbrother Romance Page 6