by LLP, Lan
“No points needed. I’ll be an angel from now on,” I convince him with a cheeky grin.
“Somehow I find that hard to believe.” His eyes narrow at me, questioning my sincerity as he attempts to control his smiling, pursed lips.
“Somehow you’re probably right. I’m not one to be passive. What’s the fun in that?” I dare challenge him, knowing that he could either tickle or screw me to death.
“You’re lucky you’re pregnant or I’d have you on your knees again, angel,” he warns me. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I want him to be gentle on me. In fact, I crave him in a needier way. I can’t get enough of his hard body and the pleasure he gives me. I hope he doesn’t slow down. “Let’s eat before I change my mind.” Offering me his hand, I place mine on top of his and slide off the bed to follow him into the kitchen.
Carson has a candlelit dinner of cheese pizza slices on fine china with two goblets, one with wine for him and the other with juice for me. This is a man after my own heart. He knows me so well. “You’re the best! I don’t care what Luke, Owen or Evelyn says about you.” I wink. “You’re the sweetest and most considerate.” I squeeze him. Pizza sounds so good right now. How did he read my mind? I’ve been craving it all day.
“Come. Have a seat,” he offers me, pulling the bar stool out. Sugar has a designated place on the island, too. He’s smiling at me, propped on top of a sparkling silver case. “It’s thick, not thin crust pizza.” He brings to my attention.
“What did I do to deserve thick crust?”
“You’re carrying my baby,” he grins.
“Maybe I’ll just have to get pregnant more often.”
“Maybe you’ll get all the pizza you want then,” he replies lightheartedly. “Dig in before it gets cold.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I devour the slice in four mouthfuls with gooey cheese strings hanging from each corner of my mouth. Yum. I must be hungrier than I thought. He watches me eat with amusement, admiring my big, unladylike bites. “Hold on. Don’t eat my fingers,” he tells me as he wipes the cheese off my chin with a devilish smirk. “I take it that you’re happy with my dinner choice.” I nod because my mouth is too full to speak politely. “After this next bite, I’d like for you to open the box under Sugar.”
“What is it?” I ask, excited and curious at the same time.
“Open it and see for yourself,” he encourages.
I lift Sugar up, hand him to Carson, and then reach for the jewelry case. “It better not be expensive,” I warn him. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head at me. I flip the lid open and a gleam of the silvery bracelet reflects off my pupils. It’s so me—not extravagant and completely sentimental. The design around it is distinctive, intertwining vines that link together to form infinity symbols. “I love it. Did you come up with the motif yourself?” I’d be impressed if he did, but not surprised.
“Of course I didn’t. I’m a biochemist, not a jeweler,” he denies with a sly grin. He can’t fool me. This man is capable of anything when he puts his mind to it. Carson removes the bracelet and clasps it around my right wrist, next to Richard’s pink stone bracelet. I can’t believe that dainty thing is still with me. “It’s a perfect fit.” He admires his gift on me. “Just like my ring, promise me you won’t take it off.”
“Okay. I promise” I agree as I crisscross my index finger over my heart. I wonder why he’s making such a point for me to not remove his bracelet. Is it because I still have Richard’s? “This is my favorite gift from you, second to the baby.” I lean into his lips and press gingerly on them. “Thank you. I love you.”
“It can’t be more than I love you,” he retorts. “And you’re welcome to the baby.” Gosh, I adore that rare, mischievous face he bares only to me. If the world was also exposed to this endearing side of him, I’d have a lot more women to fight off than I already do. Giving me one last kiss he asks, “Are you done eating? I’m really tired. I need to hit the sack.” He throws his arms in the air to exaggerate a fake yawn. I know what he’s after and I’m all for it.
“Yes. I’m r-e-a-l-l-y tired, too.” I reenact his fake yawn with more exaggeration, dropping my head on his shoulder to enhance my melodrama.
“You’re a brat, Lil,” he tells me with his arms tethered around my shoulders.
“I’ll be your brat soon.” I reply in a spoiled voice.
“I can’t wait. I love you in all forms.”
~~~~
“Carson, wake up!” I yell, pulling him back to me. “You’re having another nightmare. You were screaming my name out this time.” Though dim, there’s enough evening light peeking through the sheer curtains for me to see his eyes are moist like he’s been crying. “What was it about?” I ask, desperate with my hand banded around his arm. My heart is aching terribly for my lover. His face is lifeless with perspiration along his hairline. I see fear in his saddened hazel eyes. He’s powerless and scared like a little boy being defenselessly cornered. I can hardly recognize the dominating man who intimidates everyone he encounters.
“I lost you,” he cries, losing all his composure. I’ve never seen Carson this shattered and vulnerable. My eyes fill with tears, feeling so helpless for him. He’s not one to crumble easily. This is a man who’s defeated a disease that’s plagued the entire world and claimed so many innocent lives. “I couldn’t save you.” His hands reach for my face, caressing it with a need to hold on, to keep me safe. A nightmare about losing me is what’s causing those burning tears to stream from his eyes. How could I ever question his love for me?
“I’m here. You have me,” I assure him, steadying myself. I wrap my arms around his clammy torso and let my body fall into him. His heart beats uncontrollably. I can hear it screaming from inside, hammering forcefully against his chest wall. “When will this nightmare end for you? I hate seeing you hurt like this.”
“I’m sorry I scared you. It’ll be over tomorrow,” he declares in a cold tone, not directed at me because his eyes are soft and affectionate. His face turns stern and threatening as his mind travels distantly to a dark place away from my company. His detached demeanor tells me he’s done putting up with this shit. He’s going to end it somehow, someway by tomorrow. “I won’t lose my control again,” he vows, coiling his arms even tighter around me.
“I just want you to be okay. Please tell me you’re going to be okay.”
Returning to me from the other side he whispers, “I will and you will be, too,” as his adoring eyes swaddle my face, telling me I’m the only one in his universe.
“What’s happening tomorrow?” I pry. I can’t help fearing for his life now that I understand the danger he encounters every day being at his level.
“My researchers are going to be rescued.”
“How?”
“You don’t need to know the details, angel. Just know that we’ll be leaving this craziness behind us after tomorrow.” He’s right. I don’t want to know the details because I know it’s more than I can handle. His complicated world is nothing anyone can mentally grasp.
“How can you be so sure? These people don’t seem like they’d give up easily.”
“No one threatens my family or me unless they don’t value their life,” he tells me in a slow, deep and dangerous tone. A forbidding chill shoots down my spine, making me shiver uncontrollably. Frightening doesn’t even come close to describing his temperament. I can understand why people fear him without reservation. What is he going to do to those people? It doesn’t sound promising for them. I don’t want to think about it because I have no desire to meet that malicious side of Carson. “It’s only 1:14 a.m.” he brings to my attention after looking over to the clock. “Your body needs rest. Stress isn’t good for your pregnancy.” I agree and lay back down with him, curving my body into his. My eyes are sealed, but my mind is wide open, mulling about the choices I’ve made that have led me here. The only sure thing I know is Carson’s undying love for me and there’s no other place I’d rather be than here wi
th him.
Chapter 20
Wes Montgomery
Until I witnessed it for myself, I couldn’t fucking believe how heinous my father is. There isn’t anything he isn’t willing to do to keep his fortune—murder, kidnapping, blackmailing, and torturing—that’s just naming a few. Bridgette and I flew to Fort Wayne to visit her Aunt Lia who’s been in hiding for the past twenty-two years. After seeing her again, I remembered her sweet face. She was the mystery woman who was kept in the far wing of the mansion. That was the one area of the house I wasn’t allowed to roam around or play in. Granddad used to remind me every time I came to visit him. I only saw her a few times when Uncle Collin snuck her out to the rose garden for some fresh air. It was always very brief. He’d give me candy or some kind of treat to persuade me to keep his secret. I never told anyone because even as a child I felt sorry for her. She never spoke and always appeared depressed. I didn’t understand why she was so miserable then, but now I do. She was kept a prisoner against her will.
It wasn’t easy to convince Lia to open up to us. We were two strangers at her door asking her to blindly handover her trust to us. She wouldn’t allow either one of us entrance until Bridgette mentioned her grandfather and grandmother’s name as well as her mother’s. Bridgette also showed her pictures of them, which stirred painful tears to spill. It had been so many years that she’d lost.
My father’s threat was still very real for Lia. I saw it in her trembling brown eyes and hands when she heard his name. She didn’t want to defy the devil who could still cause her daughter great harm. Bridgette assured her that Marcus would handle everything. From here on out, she would no longer have to live in fear or as a commoner. Lia corrected Bridgette straightaway. “I’m not a commoner. I’m a nurse and a damn good one, too.” It’s the Ly women’s spitfire that makes them so fucking enticing. I chuckled at her comment, which earned me a stiff look from Bridgette.
Lia had a hundred inquiries for Bridgette starting with, “How’s grandmamma? And why are you here with this man?” I knew exactly what she was implying. She knows my face as Carson Bradley and not Wes Montgomery. She wanted to know why I’m not with her daughter. Bridgette disclosed that I’m a Montgomery—Chandler’s adopted son. Her face turned a grayish shade as she panicked. “He’ll tell his father everything.” She coiled her arms around her chest in defense, shrinking away. As I watched her fall apart in fear, I felt more apathy for my father. He had scarred this woman so deeply that she was afraid to run to safety, even though it was begging and waving her over.
“A-yi-, he’s nothing like his father. He’s a good man who’s here to help you and Lillian,” Bridgette explained, trying her best to calm her aunt who was still shook up. “He and Carson are twins,” she blurted out without my consent, slipping the rug from under my feet. I was livid. That should’ve been my decision to disclose, not hers. Lia turned her attention to me, studying my face with her cautious eyes. She was deciding whether or not she should trust me.
“I don’t understand,” Lia surrendered. “Lily never mentioned anything about a brother. She spent the night with me this past weekend. We talked about everything. Neither one of us slept at all that night.”
“Carson doesn’t even know that he’s adopted. It’s complicated and probably not the best time to bring this up, but I need to prove to you that you can trust Wes,” Bridgette expounded.
“A-yi-, Bridgette is telling you the truth,” I cut in. “Mimi is still the same Mimi, self-centered and cruel. As soon as I could speak, I was told I wasn’t from the Montgomery bloodline. Thank God I’m not. After knowing what my father has done, I have no desire to be associated with him. Like Bridgette mentioned, I’m here to help you and Lillian. You can trust me,” I assured her. She still didn’t seem convinced. Who could blame her? I’d have a hard time swallowing all that crap, too.
“You just told me you’re here to help me and Lily. Is she in some kind of danger right now?” she asked worriedly. “Please be honest with me. She’s all I have. I’ve worked very hard all these years to keep her safe.”
“She’s with Carson. He won’t let anything happen to her,” Bridgette pledged. “She’s well taken care of. We’re here to bring you back to grandfather. He misses you very much.”
“This is a lot to process. I don’t know what to say,” she frets. “I can’t go. This is home for me. As far as I’m concerned, Marcus is already dead to me,” she snipped, exposing an obvious grudge she still held for him. “I just want to see my sisters and mother.”
“Please forgive him. Mama told me he’s been punishing himself ever since he married you off,” Bridgette pleaded for her granddad. Lia refused to respond. She appeared to be just as stubborn as Bridgette. I didn’t want to put my two cents worth in because I honestly understood how Lia felt about Marcus. Once he’s set his mind, he’s a downright tyrant and inflexible no matter how hard you try persuade him.
“Lia, will you at least consider paying a visit sometime in the future?” I persuaded, using my most charming voice—not that I believed it would budge her mulishness.
“I will, but only for my mother and sisters,” she finally agreed. Her consent was enough to make Bridgette smile, widening her red lips to a beautiful curve.
~~~~
Bridgette insists that I accompany her to a meeting with Carson as soon as the jet lands. What am I going to I tell him when I see him? I’ve been chasing the thoughts running madly in my head. No matter what I disclose, nothing will settle well with him. I’m his brother, but my father is his hated opponent, putting me on the wrong side. How will he trust me? I wouldn’t trust me if I was him.
“Wes, we’re here,” Bridgette tells me. “The driver is waiting for us.”
“Are you sure it’s wise for me to come with you?”
“Yes. This is the best time for you to expose your father—before everything goes down, so Carson doesn’t think you’re a coward. He’ll see a brave man prepared to stand up to his father. You’ll earn his faith this way,” Bridgette enlightens me. She’s brilliant. Her mind always operates strategically. “The brother thing can wait, but I don’t know how he’ll miss it when he sees his face while looking at you.”
Lillian Ly
It’s past 7:45 a.m. and Carson is still lying lazily in bed with me. I convinced him to take one of his prescribed sleeping pills this morning after he woke up for the second time. His lack of sleep is catching up with him. His eyes are sunken in with dark tread marks along the bottom. I don’t know how he’s able to function at the office. I’d be a walking zombie if I was him. Grazing the back of his neck and trailing up to his cheek I meet his lips with a rousing kiss. “Morning,” I whisper into his ear so I wouldn’t startle him.
His lids flutter slightly before they open halfway with his sluggish smile. “Morning, angel,” he answers, lifting his head drowsily off the pillow. “I’m late for work. Aren’t I?” I nod with a cheeky grin. “You’re a naughty influence on me. Before you, I didn’t even know the word tardy. After you, I’ve played hooky for a month, called in several times and now I have two tardy marks against my record. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my unprofessional conduct at the office. I’ve had sex twice on my desk and once on the sofa. What am I going to do with you?” I shrug my shoulders, smiling innocently. He reaches his arms out and captures me, making me shriek unexpectedly as I fall backward into his chest. “How’s my baby doing today?” he asks.
“I have a horrible craving for a delicious alpha male,” I tease as my bottom backs into his very stiff morning bulge.
“Do you now?” His hands caress my tender breasts, kneading them delicately. “I was referring to the little sprout in your belly,” he murmurs along my neck and then nips my skin. Those darn goosebumps won’t stay dormant when Carson’s around. They have to be in the limelight, covering every surface on my body. “But I won’t leave any cravings of my other baby unmet.” He rolls on top of me and cages me under his very sexy, hard frame. “You know t
he drill. Spread them, sweetness.”
“Yes, honey.” Willingly, I submit to his command. I want him to take me to the edge of a glorious sunset and persuade my body to melt under his unrelenting heat. We could stay there for eternity and I’d be happy as a lark and I’m confident he would be, too.
“I love that you’re always wet and ready for me,” he groans after dipping two fingers inside me. There are advantages to sleeping in the nude—no barriers to slow us down.
The reverberating sound he makes when he’s stimulated excites me to no end. “How can I be anything but wet around you?” I gasp as my breathing quickens.
“That’s what I like to hear,” he croons before submerging his thick muscle inside me, parting my walls, satisfying my addiction.
“Ah…,” I exhale, releasing the weight of my body into the bed. His movement is slow and deliberate, not rushed. His attention is locked on me, mesmerized by our intimacy. The feel of his warm lips and the smooth edges of his teeth grazing against my skin is tantalizing and intense. He’s a sensual biter, especially when he’s extremely aroused. It’s never painful and feels out of this world. What I’m left with at the end of a mind-blowing orgasm are tiny, pink, Carson-sex marks. I wear them proudly. I’m halfway to the edge of my golden sunset, but he needs to give me his all—harder and faster to get me completely there. Should I beg him? Would I sound desperate? Do I really care? No. “I want more,” I pant, clenching his tight ass with both hands.