Wicked Mercy

by Mae Doyle

  By the time he sat down, I was already stuffing my face. Junk food had never tasted so good to me as it had since I went to Taylor Prep.

  “But there is one more thing I want to say about this, and then I promise we don’t have to talk about it again tonight, because I want to eat snacks and watch a scary movie with my boyfriend, okay?”

  He nodded and snagged a chip before I continued.

  “Your mom didn’t turn her back on you. Do you really think that she would have let us stay in the guest cottage if she didn’t love you? She’s scared, Brett, and I think that you need to take that into consideration when judging her, okay?”

  He nodded, chewing. “You’re right. I’ll consider it, but now I’m done talking about her and Taylor Prep and the stupid fucking council. I want you, on the sofa, with all of the snacks. We have a huge movie collection, so you can pick the one that you want to watch. Then, in the morning, I’m making breakfast in bed.” Brett paused, watching my face. I had a feeling that there was something else he wanted to say, so I waited. “And you’ll be the dessert, do you understand?”

  Oh, yeah, I understood. The flush that immediately went through my body told me everything about what he wanted and what he meant, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.

  “Dessert?”

  “Main course, whatever. You can pick if you want to eat before or after, Rose, but I don’t think that I can wait any longer to have you. I’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?”

  Swallowing hard, I kept my eyes locked on his face. I knew what it was like to kiss him. I knew how warm and strong his lips were and what it felt like to have his hands search my body. What I didn’t know – not yet – was what it was like to give myself over completely to him.

  But I couldn’t wait to find out.

  I nodded, still looking him in the eyes.

  “I want that, Brett. But do you want to wait?” Now that he’d mentioned it, all I could think about was getting him in bed, but even as I asked the question, I had to stifle a yawn.

  Leaning forward, he kissed me on the cheek. “I don’t want to wait, Rose. I haven’t wanted to wait from the moment that I saw you at Taylor Prep. You tear me up, Rose, and there’s something about you that has gotten into my heart and split me open.”

  He paused and I suddenly realized that it was my heart pounding so hard. The throbbing in my head was making it hard for me to concentrate on anything other than him. His face, his body, his…everything.

  “But you’re exhausted, and I am, too. I need you, Rose, but I want to be able to take my time and not have to worry about you falling asleep.”

  “I wouldn’t.”

  He laughed and stood up, picking up the snacks and then pointing at the living room with his chin. “I promise you, Miss Bennett, that after a good night’s sleep tonight I’m going to make you wish that you could nap the day away, okay?”

  His promise spiralled through me, settling deep in my core. There was something about the way he looked at me and the way he spoke that made my whole body throb and long for him.

  If Brett wanted to wait, then I’d wait.

  I just hoped it wouldn’t kill me during the night to be next to him, to have him so close, and not be able to have him.

  Brett was filled with self-control, but I wasn’t.

  Chapter 16

  My heart was pounding so hard that I sat straight up in bed. Gasping, I reached out next to me, but Brett was gone, so I flipped the covers off of me and got up, trying my best to remember what had happened.

  We watched a movie and ate more snacks than was healthy. Then we’d gone to bed and he’d curled around me, his body warm and protective as I finally drifted off to sleep. Now there was sun slanting through the window. He must have cracked the window sometime during the night, because a cool breeze blew through and the curtains moved.

  A loud clang made me turn to the door.

  Breakfast.

  I’d completely forgotten that he said he would make breakfast. Even though I’d completely stuffed myself on chips and cookies last night, the thought of some coffee and something warm to eat this morning drove me to open the door and pad quietly down the hall.

  It wasn’t that I wanted to sneak up on him, but I really wanted to get a glimpse of him cooking before he knew that I was up.

  Peeking into the kitchen, I grinned to myself when I saw him at the stove in an apron. He was singing softly to himself as he stirred something in a pot. The smell of coffee was overpowering, and I popped out into the door.

  “Good morning, Rose,” he said without even turning around. “How did you sleep?”

  “Great. But how did you know I was there?” Walking up behind him, I slipped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his back. He was so warm and strong, and just being this close to him made me feel safe and protected.

  “You’re not as quiet as you think you are.” Stepping to the side, he flipped some English muffins onto plates and then topped them with poached eggs before pouring on some hollandaise. The sauce pooled in the nooks and crannies of the muffins and my mouth watered.

  “Did you make the sauce from scratch?” I dipped the tip of my finger in it and tasted it. “Because, holy cow, that is what I’m talking about.”

  “I did. Come on.” He grabbed his plate and handed me my coffee before leading me back down the hall. “I think that I promised you breakfast in bed at some point last night.”

  There was something that I wanted to do in bed with Brett, and breakfast wasn’t it, but I couldn’t deny the fact that the food he’d made smelled absolutely amazing. We climbed in next to each other, leaning against huge fluffy pillows and devoured the meal.

  When I’d completely licked my plate clean, he took it and put them both on the floor before pulling me to him.

  “Now, my sweet Rose, there are so many things that I want to do to you. You are the most gorgeous and incredible woman that I’ve ever met, and I’m not going to let anything like a council, or the harpies, or the fact that I just ate a huge breakfast stop me from loving you.”

  Every touch of his fingers lit my skin on fire. I could feel my core tighten as he pulled me so that I was straddling him. The t-shirt that I’d worn to bed rode up and he hooked his thumbs lazily in the top of my panties, giving them a little tug.

  “Do you have any idea just how sexy you really are?” Brett’s voice had changed from normal to something huskier and deeper. It was thick with longing and I felt the same need rise up in me.

  “I don’t.” I was beginning to get the idea, though.

  “Well, you are.” He planted a line of kisses from my ear to my jaw, making me shiver every time he kissed me. “You are sexy.” His hand slipped up and grabbed my hip, squeezing my skin and holding me tight to him. “You are gorgeous.” His other hand slid up under my shirt, his thumb barely grazing my nipple. “You drive me absolutely wild.”

  This time, he didn’t move. His thumb still traced lazy circles around my nipple and I could feel my skin pebbling. For months, I’d wanted to be in bed with Brett Cox, and now that I was there, I wasn’t sure that I could even move.

  “Tell me what you want.” My voice was so filled with longing that I barely recognized it, but he grinned at me, dropping his hands back down to my panties and tugging harder on them.

  “I want you, Rose. I want to fill you and feel you around me. I need to make you forget all of the terrible things happening to you right now and let you know that I am safe.” As he spoke, he pulled me down with him so that we were both laying in the bed.

  My breathing was shorter and more hurried. I was gasping for air like a drowning person, trying to fill my lungs while at the same time enjoying every single choked second. I could die happy with Brett, I knew that, and nobody would be able to take that from me.

  “And then?”

  “And then I’m going to make you explode. You’re going to feel safe and finally understand how much you mean to me.” />
  The promises he made me coursed through my body and I bit my lip, trying hard to keep breathing. I knew that sex with Brett was going to be incredible.

  I needed him.

  “Show me. Brett. Show me that you care for me. Show me that…”

  “That I love you?” as soon as the words left his mouth, he flipped me over and pinned me to the bed. I gasped, more out of excitement than out of fear, and he ripped my shirt off of me before sucking my nipples.

  Reaching up, I stripped him of his shirt, finally getting to run my hands over his strong chest. He was all muscle, dark skin, and strength, and my body clamored for him.

  “You are incredible, Rose. never in a million years did I think that I would be so lucky as to find someone like you, but now that I have you, I’m never letting you go. Do you understand that?”

  Nodding, I grabbed for his pjs pants. I could feel his hard cock pressing into my leg, and I needed it out. I needed him in me, taking me for his own. He stood up and stripped before slowing pulling my panties down. As soon as they reached my ankles, I kicked them off, finally naked and free for him.

  He sucked in a breath and ran his hand through his hair. “Holy hell, Rose, you are absolutely gorgeous.” The look on his face took my breath away and I reached for him, pulling him to me. He slid between my legs, landing a line of kisses up my inner thigh while I wrapped my hands in his hair.

  “Take me for your own, Brett,” I begged, the words falling easily from my mouth. We had so much history and a past that would draw a barrier between most people, but instead of letting it separate us, we used it to draw together.

  It was our bridge to each other, no matter how rocky and dangerous it had seemed at first.

  His touch was fire on my thighs and he licked me, making me shake under him. When I wrapped my hand in his hair and forced his head closer to me, I moaned, the sound flowing out from deep in my core. Brett was going to take me close to heaven, but I needed to take him there with me.

  “I love you, Brett.” The words became a chant as he slid up between my legs. I watched, my eyes wide, as he slipped his condom on. He centered himself between my legs and I pulled his shoulders, wanting him as close as possible to me. We’d been so close for so long when we were little, but I’d never once imagined that we would come together like this.

  Especially not when I thought that he’d hated me so badly.

  Gasping as he entered me, I dug my fingernails into his skin. He moaned, the sound rolling out of him as he filled me. Already I could feel him filling and stretching me, and I rocked under him until he leaned down and sucked my nipple.

  It hardened in his mouth and he flicked his tongue over it, making me cry out.

  “Oh, God, Brett, you feel amazing! Don’t stop!” My skin was slick with sweat and he slid over me, gently coaxing me to the edge with him.

  “I could be in you forever, Rose,” he whispered, finally looking up at my face. We locked eyes and I found myself falling into them, completely consumed by the dark look that he gave me. “You need to come with me, baby,” he said, dropping his hand down between my legs.

  My eyes rolled back and I clamped them shut as he began to roll my clit between his fingers, gently putting more and more pressure on me as I took breaths that were more and more shallow.

  “Brett – ” I began to beg, but he hushed me with a kiss, finally taking me with him.

  I felt his muscles tighten as he thrust deeper into me and I screamed out, digging my nails into his back and raking them down, leaving angry red marks on his skin. They welted almost immediately, and I ran my hands over them, feeling the raised welts as I crashed around him.

  My panting was shallow and uneven when I finally opened my eyes again. Brett was still between my legs, his head dipped down, his forehead resting on my chest. We could barely breathe, both of us fighting to pull it together, but all of my nerves were on fire.

  Finally, he slipped from me and stretched out next to me, lazily tracing a finger on my stomach. My abs tensed at his touch, but I couldn’t take my eyes from him.

  “You are just as incredible as I thought you would be.” He dropped a kiss on my collarbone and I shivered under the touch.

  “Had I known,” I answered, “I think that I wouldn’t have been able to wait that long.” Biting my lip, I paused, suddenly thinking about the rest of our day. I didn’t want to think about what the rest of the day would bring, but it was hard not to when there was a huge shadow looming over our happiness: Taylor Prep.

  He sighed and pulled me to him, curling his body around mind as I snuggled back. “You want to take a shower before we get out of here? I think that my mom was serious about us not staying the entire weekend.”

  I nodded, even though the thought of leaving this little guest cottage was enough to break my heart. I wanted to stay in bed all weekend with Brett, and as soon as we got back to Taylor Prep then we wouldn’t be able to steal time apart like this again.

  “Let’s do it, then. I’ll admit – part of me knows that we need to get out of here so that my mom doesn’t freak, but the other part of me is just excited to get to shower with you.”

  Laughing, I threw a pillow at him, but I let him pull me out of bed. “Okay, a short shower, but then you’re right. We need to get out of here before your mom decides to kick us out. I really think that we need to talk about what’s going on with her, though.”

  He kissed me, his mouth forcing mine open as he rubbed his thumb across my nipple, making it spring to attention again. “Okay, shower first, though. I don’t want to think about my mom right now. I want to think about what it felt like to be in you. That’s all I want anymore, Rose, I’m a simple man.”

  Chapter 17

  “What’s this?” The butler had brought Brett’s car down to the guest cottage for us sometime during the morning when we were in bed. Brett was scowling down at the front seat when I walked up, carrying my overnight bag.

  “You got something in there?” Dropping my bag in the open trunk, I scooted next to him to look in the car. There was a box on the passenger seat and Brett was staring at it like it had a bomb in it. I sighed and opened the door, lifting up the lid before he could stop me.

  “No, Rose!” He leaned over to grab the lid from me, but by then we could already see what was in it. Tucked inside was a plate of cookies, two bottles of soda, a box of candy, and a note. I grabbed the box of candy and shook it in his face.

  “Do you remember these? I loved these when we were kids!” Popping open the bottom I shook out some chocolate buttons and offered him one. He shook his head, but I tilted my head back and threw two into my mouth, sighing as they melted on my tongue.

  He had the note in his hand and was looking at it curiously but hadn’t moved to open it. “I think that I remember those.” His voice sounded far away and a little curious, and I leaned over to take the note from him.

  “You want me to open it?” When he didn’t respond, I slipped my finger under the flap and tore it open. There was a single sheet of paper inside, and I pulled it out to hand it to him.

  His hands shaking, he took the paper from me and unfolded it, his eyes quickly scanning the writing. When he finished, he swallowed hard and put it back in the envelope before shoving it into his pocket.

  “Get in the car, Rose. We need to go.”

  The tone of his voice made me hurry and I lifted the box to sit on my lap. As soon as I was buckled in, Brett started the car and backed out, driving faster down the long driveway than I would have thought necessary.

  It wasn’t until we were out on the open road and about twenty minutes from his mom’s house that I turned to him. His arm was rested casually on the center console, and I put my hand on his to get his attention. “Brett? What was in the letter?”

  His eyes flicked over to me but then looked right back at the road. I watched as his hand tightened on the wheel, his knuckles turning white.

  “Brett? I need you to tell me what was in the lette
r. Should I be worried? Are we in trouble?” The box on my lap suddenly fell oppressive and I lifted it down to fit between my feet. Now, more than ever, I wished that I had taken the letter from him and read it so that I could know what was so upsetting to him.

  After a moment he sighed and then pulled over, the tires crunching on the gravel on the side of the road. The ground dropped off from the side of the road about five feet away, leading to a sharp hill with thick woods at the bottom. Brett didn’t turn off the car, but he did put it in park before turning to look at me.

  “Rose, we have to get you back to Taylor Prep. At least, when you’re there, both Kaleb and Jackie will be helping me keep an eye on you. When we’re out here, just the two of us, I can’t guarantee that I can keep you safe. The council isn’t going to stop, Rose, not until you’re gone.”

  My heart dropped and I felt myself get dizzy. Reaching out, I braced myself on the dash of the car. “Is that what the letter said? Did your mom write that?”

  He nodded, reaching out to take my hand. It wasn’t until after he kissed my knuckles that he spoke. “Yes. She said that we need to go and that I need to keep you on campus. You can’t go home at Christmas break, Rose. I have to make sure that you’re safe, and I can’t do that unless I’m keeping an eye on you at all times.”

  “I can’t go home? No, I have to, Brett. I don’t think that I can survive living at Taylor Prep without a break.” Panic began to well up inside of me, but I kept my eyes locked on his, searching them for something that would help me feel grounded.

  “Rose. You know that I wouldn’t do anything that would put you in danger, and that I’ll do anything I can to keep you safe. I have to believe that my mom was serious and has your best interests at heart, especially when you think that she was really trying to warn us yesterday.” He chewed his lower lip, and I thought that he was going to keep talking, but he just shrugged and fell silent.