Reflections, A Love Ever After Series Book 3

by Amber Lacie

  This is going to destroy my mom. Does she even have a clue what my father is up to? Why is he so vile?

  The whole situation was just so confusing. Although, it made sense for Paul to be involved, he had always been a snake in the grass, biding his time for when he could hurt me next. This time, he would miss. Knowing he was going to pay for his crimes, gave me a brief moment of joy, but it was soon exhausted by knowing the damage it was going to cause.

  If it had been up to me, I would have confronted them and begged them to stop. They wouldn’t have stopped, but at least I could say I tried to stop them. Now, it was out of my hands. Evan said he had sent everything over to the FBI. It was only a matter of time before they were caught and brought to justice.

  Stripping out of my clothes, I pulled on one of Evan’s shirts, laid down in the bed, and pulled the small blanket at the end of the bed over my shoulders. Sleep wouldn’t make it go away, but it was an escape from reality, and I willingly welcomed it.

  Kayla

  S weltering. Once again, I was way too hot. A long arm was wrapped around my shoulders, a leg was propped on top of mine, and hot breaths were blowing against my neck. The clock on the table projected 6:32AM on the ceiling above us. How the hell did I sleep this long? Pushing the entangled limbs from my body, I tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. To my surprise, the mess from last night no longer existed. Replaced by three stacks of gray boxes with black lids, which were in the center of the living room.

  I had no clue what time Evan came to bed last night, and when I went to lie down I had only meant to take a nap. I never knew stress could be so exhausting. It took me a few minutes of digging through the pantry before I could find the cups for the coffee machine. I can still remember the first time Eve had come home, bragging about the coffee machine Theron had at his house. Sometimes I wonder if that’s what really won her over. It was that or the library. To be fair, Theron truly loved her, but the library hadn’t hindered his game either.

  When they first started dating, it wasn’t under the best circumstances. They had loved each other when they were younger, but she didn’t remember at the time. She had blocked the pain of losing him from her mind. Then when they met again she had been shattered by the loss of one of our closest friends. Theron swooped in to save the day, but he tried to hide too many things from her. She fell instantly for him and her heart was broken just as quickly. Eventually, after a few close calls, it all worked out. But Eve and Theron––they lasted, and I was so worried Evan and I were doomed to follow the same path.

  I was falling for him in such a short span of time, and I was so afraid it was going to explode in my face. With the craziness my family and Paul threw into the mix, I wouldn’t have blamed him if he ran. Hell, I wanted to run.

  “It’s cold,” a sexy voice said, as long, tattooed arms slinked around my waist.

  “You’re up.”

  “Because I’m cold.”

  “It’s not cold. You’re like a furnace. I get all sweaty.”

  “Come back to bed.” Evan softly kissed the curve of my neck as his fingers delicately moving my crazed curls out of his way.

  “I will. I want to grab something to eat first. I’m starving.”

  “What do you want to eat, baby? I’ll make you something.”

  Leaning back against him, I melted into his body. “I’m not that kind of hungry anymore.”

  “Your appetite amazes me. But first, you need real food. No pouting either. You’re horrible at it. Have a seat and tell me what you want to eat.”

  Thinking I could outsmart him, knowing he had spent so much time with me at my place, there couldn’t have been much food for him to work with. I smiled as I gave him my order. “Alright, I’d like a bacon and cheese omelet with a side of fresh fruit.”

  “You are in luck, lady. I went to the grocery store yesterday. Do you want coffee?”

  “I already made a cup, I just didn’t fix it up yet. Two creams and a sugar, please.”

  Evan quickly doctored my coffee and slid it across the island to where I was sitting on one of the stools. I watched in awe as he moved about the kitchen, attempting to make me breakfast. There were a few times when I had to bite my tongue, so I didn’t critique him. He cracked one egg and dropped the shell in the bowl, which was already full of yolk. Then he burnt his finger while trying to light the burner for the skillet he was using to fry the bacon. When he added the cheese to the eggs he dropped some on the burner, which led to a lovely burnt smell permeating the house. Oddly enough, it didn’t taste that bad. It was surprisingly pleasant.

  There was no noise, except the clicking of forks against the plates, as we sat across from one another, eating our breakfast. After everything that happened the night before, I found solace in knowing he hadn’t run. He was standing with me through a storm we were both unprepared for. Despite all of that, there was still a nagging voice in my head whispering that he would leave after the wedding. I did my best to drown it out, but it was still there.

  “Are you going to work today?”

  “No, I’m on vacation until next Tuesday. I took it off for the wedding.”

  “You know,” Evan gently took a bite of bacon, chewing slowly as if he were digesting what he was about to say. “If you never went back to work, I wouldn’t complain.”

  “Why would you? We could stay in bed all day. That, however amazing it sounds, doesn’t pay my rent.” My stomach did a little flip. I couldn’t tell if he was being playful or if he was serious. Either way, it wasn’t something I was willing to do.

  “And if you never had to pay rent again?” he added.

  “In that case, I would have won the lottery, so nothing would matter.”

  Sighing, Evan ran his thumb along the edge of his jaw, back and forth, as though he were sharpening a blade. “You could stay with me.”

  I let out a snort in shock. “Do you even have a place?” The way his face fell cut me a little. Was he being serious? One of us needed to be rational. “This place is Theron’s. I can’t leave my job and my apartment to live with someone I barely know, in a guesthouse.”

  “I just like the idea of you being close to me. Didn’t mean to piss you off.” Standing, he carefully laid his plate in the sink and headed toward the bathroom.

  “Evan, wait.” He continued to walk, ignoring my pleas. “Please, Evan?” Fuck. Of course, I would be the one to fuck this up before it had a good chance to really start. Setting my plate in the sink next to his, I leaned back against the counter. In a perfect world it wouldn’t matter how long you knew a person. You’d just follow your heart. The problem was, the world wasn’t perfect. Last night proved that. Nothing is what it seems. How could he ask me to be with him so soon?

  My feet stepped quietly down the hall to where the bathroom door was propped open, just enough for me to peek in. Evan was standing in the glass shower, underneath the waterfall showerhead. My mouth fell open. Not because he was glorious, which he was, but because I had stayed there more than once, and I couldn’t figure out how to work the damn thing. Eve tried explaining it once, but there were just too many levers.

  “Are you going to get in, or stand there and watch me like some kind of perv?”

  Shit. I was caught. “Are you still upset with me?”

  “I don’t know. Get in here and find out. You better hurry, Kayla, I don’t plan on being in here all day.” Evan turned, facing the glass door. My eyes roamed over his body doing a double take as his prominent erection pointed directly at me.

  Fuck it. Slipping out of t-shirt I had borrowed from him the night before, I made sure to bend over slightly while taking off my panties, in hopes of catching his attention. “Move over, big guy.” Opening the door, I stepped into the shower and planted my feet under the waterfall. It was heavenly.

  Evan’s arms slipped around my waist, pulling my back against his front. I could hear him breath in as he ran his nose along the curve of my neck. “You’re my perfect fix.”
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br />   I was so broken. I couldn’t even fix myself, let alone anyone else. My eyes closed as I whispered, “Evan—”

  “Stop. I don’t care if you are ignoring it, I can’t do it anymore. I need you and you need me. That’s final. Now let me show you what you mean to me.”

  Spinning me by my waist, his lips slowly lowered to mine. It was soft and slow, but I could feel by the way he drank me in what he meant. Only his touch could make me feel so alive and leave me completely undone at the same time. His hands carefully slid down my sides, over the curve of my ass, and lifted me off the ground. My legs instantly found their familiar place around him. Sucking my breast into his mouth, a hiss fell from my lips as he nipped at my hard peak with his teeth.

  “Oh, shit.”

  “I know.” His hot breath seared my flesh.

  “I can stand you know. You don’t always have to hold me.”

  “Fuck yes, I do. Your legs were made to wrap around me. Careful, we’re going to spin. Brace yourself.” Spinning us around, he pressed my back up against the tiled wall out of the water stream, which was still falling in the shower.

  Placing my palms firmly on the wall, I spread my fingers to help hold myself up. Slipping one hand between us, his thumb began slowly circling my clit. My head fell back, but sprung forward just as quickly when I felt his cock slide deep inside of me. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Not wasting a single moment, Evan repeatedly slammed into me, sending my back sliding up and down the wall with each thrust. There was no way to brace myself for this.

  The cold, wet tiles had my skin prickling from head to toe, but the heat that was building between my legs was worth every single goosebump. My toes curled as I wrapped my arms around his back, digging my nails into his back. His teeth nipped a trail down my neck until they buried themselves into my shoulder. Did he just bite me? His hands gripped my hips as his thumbs dug into my flesh. It wasn’t long before he lost himself to me, eventually releasing the hold his teeth had upon my flesh.

  “Fuck,” I whispered breathlessly. My body was reeling from the high he had put me on.

  “Uh huh. You okay? Did I hurt you?” Evan asked in concern.

  Shaking my head back and forth, I leaned all my weight against him. Just then, the alarming cold I had been ignoring suddenly caught up with me. My teeth chattered as I spoke into the curve of his neck, “No, but this is the first time I’ve ever had a cold orgasm.”

  “What?” he laughed.

  “I’m freezing.”

  “Oh.” Turning us around he stepped back under the water and dropped me to my feet. The hot water began streaming down our bodies, slowly warming us back up. “Better?”

  “Much.”

  “Since you’re not working today, does that mean I get to keep you all to myself?”

  “I’m yours all day today. At some point I need to get back to my apartment and straighten up a bit. I also have drop off my rent check and pick up some groceries.”

  His palms ran over my breasts. “I quit listening after you said you were mine.”

  Smacking his hands away, I stepped back out of the water and wrung out my long, matted curls. “I’m serious. Besides, I’ll have to shower again later. I have zero products for my hair here. No one wants to see a blonde version of Frankenstein’s wife.”

  “You’re just going to leave me here––all alone?”

  Cracking open the door, I grabbed a towel off the warming rack. “Just for a bit, but not until later. You can keep me for a little while longer.”

  The soft, warm towel wrapped around me felt like pure ecstasy. Squeezing as much water as I could out of my hair, I twisted a towel around it. Slipping back into my panties, I walked toward the bedroom. After searching through the drawers, I found a random hair tie I had left there and tied my hair into a giant knot on top of my head. It would be a pain in the ass later, but for now, it worked.

  A few moments later, I could hear Evan’s feet padding down the hardwood floors toward the bedroom as I slipped back under the covers. Leaning down to kiss my forehead, his body cast a shadow over my face. “Not getting dressed?” he asked, a smiled plastered on his face.

  “I figure if I’m spending the day with you, there’s no point in getting dressed. Besides, I’m still tired. A lazy day sounds perfect.”

  “Okay.” I watched as Evan dropped his towel, automatically crossing my legs in an attempt to try and calm my nerves. Though, disappointment ran through me as he pulled on his boxer shorts, followed by his jeans. “Don’t look sad, baby. I just need to make a couple of phone calls and check on a few things. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  Giving him a soft smile, I watched as he exited the room. Even though I had slept so long, exhaustion once again claimed me, as I drifted to sleep.

  Kayla

  E van and I had spent most of the day in bed. He was late joining me, but when he did, he occupied all of my attention. The man was insatiable. It was just after three in the afternoon when I was finally able to pull myself from his grasp. He did his best to try and convince me to stay, however, staying with him wasn’t going to pay my rent, and at least one of us needed an actual home. Eventually, he gave in and made me promise to call him as soon as I finished at the grocery store and got back to my apartment. I think he was a little worried about Jyllyan, but I wasn’t. She wasn’t due back home until the following day. For some reason, I found relief in that knowledge. I didn’t need any more drama.

  With it being just me at home, my food selection was sparse. The grocery store was a definite must on my to-do list. My list was short, and it didn’t take me long to gather it all. I even picked up a few extra things, so Evan and I would have food for the week, but it still didn’t make a dent in the metal cart. After checking out of the store, I ran to the ATM and pulled out the cash for my rent. I learned my lesson after I had made the mistake of writing them a check and they took three weeks to cash it. By the time they had cashed it, I had forgotten and ended up using some of the funds, which resulted in a slew of bank fees. I made a point to never make that mistake again.

  As I arrived at my apartment complex, the gates opened and I parked my car in front of the office. Making sure I had enough money to cover my half, I hopped out of my car and made my way inside. Unfortunately, the secretary wasn’t at her desk. Not wanting to leave an envelope of cash, I rang the bell on the desk and waited for someone. After a few seconds the manager, who always reminded me of a mid-fifties Bob Newhart, came out and took my payment.

  “Good afternoon, Kayla. Will you be needing a receipt?”

  “Yes, please.” I stood patiently while I waited for him to enter everything into the computer.

  “You understand rent is due tomorrow, correct?”

  “Yep. That’s why I’m here now.”

  Pushing his glasses up on his nose, he peered from the computer to me. “You only gave me enough to cover half. There’s still a balance of four hundred and twenty-five dollars.”

  Jyllyan promised me she would pay before she left. Had she forgotten? “Oh, I’m sorry, Jyllyan will be back tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll be in to pay her half.”

  “Hmm. Well––yes, that’s fine. There is a three-day grace period, but after that, late charges begin to accumulate. We’ve never had an issue with you two. I assume you’ll both figure this out.”

  “Yes, of course,” I nervously replied. “It’ll be taken care of tomorrow. I’m sorry about the inconvenience.”

  “No inconvenience. Things happen. Here’s your receipt,” he said politely.

  Grabbing the receipt, I tucked it into my purse and headed back to my car. Why didn’t she pay her half? Was she moving out? I knew that if worse came to worse, I had the money in my account to cover her half, but that was not something I wanted to do. As I drove to my apartment I couldn’t help but hope it was all just some kind of mistake. Maybe the secretary had forgot to record it. It’s like the manager said, ‘Things happen’. Maybe that was one of those things.

  After I
had all the groceries put away, I sorted some laundry, and headed downstairs to the shared utility room. Thankfully, our complex had five washer and dryer units on the lower level. I had lived in apartments in the past where the only option was a Laundromat. At least these were in my building, which had helped immensely, since I forgot the detergent upstairs. By the time I had washed and dried two loads of laundry, I had made five trips up and down the stairs. I was exhausted, sweaty, and I’m pretty sure I smelled.

  When I finally got to back to apartment I could hear my phone ringing like crazy from my bedroom. Shit. I forgot to let Evan know I made it home. Dropping the laundry baskets, I quickly answered the phone and pleaded my case, “I’m so sorry. I left my phone up here while I was doing laundry. I forgot to call. I am so sorry.”

  “I’m not sure why you are apologizing for being cleanly,” the voice on the other end stated. It wasn’t Evan. My eyes glanced down at my phone and my worst fears were confirmed. It was my dad. “Kayla, we need to talk.”

  “Do we? That’s not on my calendar, which means you didn’t schedule it. We never do anything that’s not scheduled.” The irritation in my voice was thick.

  “I see Paul was right––that man has had quite the influence on you. It’s not a good one either. You’ve never spoken to me like this before.”

  “Is that so? I believe Evan is an excellent influence. In fact, I let him influence me a couple of hours ago. For the record, I quite enjoy the way I’m speaking to you.”

  “So you’re fucking him then? That’s a whorish way to rebel, don’t you think?”

  The blood in my veins began to boil. “I’m not rebelling, I’m enjoying my life. What do you want?”

  “I’m calling to make sense of the situation. Why did you have an older man attack your fiancé?”

  “Fiancé? Are you fucking kidding me right now? We haven’t been together for years. If you remember correctly, he was dipping his dick all over town.”