“Well, that stupid sister of yours just landed a deal for the city to hire two hundred people to start with, then another hundred or so after the first training goes well. That kid, as you called her, is pretty important to our town right now, so you had better tread lightly where she’s concerned. You just might find yourself in a heap of trouble.” He asked her if she had just threatened him. “No. That would be ridiculous, don’t you think, since I’m a law-abiding person. I’m just letting you know that people around here are thrilled with her work and will do just about anything to keep her happy. You remember that when you go around spouting off about how she’s stupid from now on.”
When she left him, he laid there thinking about the people of this town. They were going to ruin his chances of getting any houses sold if they kept this up. His name had meant something to everyone. He and Harley had worked very hard to not only make sure the town came to them when they needed to sell or buy a house, but they would also call them when they needed information about the town. He’d been lying through his teeth since they’d started out about how wonderful this town was, and now it seemed it was going to be a fact. Shaking his head as gently as he could, Brock reached for the little buzzer thing to get himself checked out of here.
He’d pushed the button for the tenth time when someone finally came into his little curtained-off area. The first thing the nurse did was take the call button away from him and disconnect it from the wall. Glaring at her had no effect on her disposition, as she was already spitting mad.
“You think you’re the only one in here today? Do you have any idea how many people, much worse than you are right now, have been brought in in the last five minutes? You will need to wait your turn and—”
“I want out of here.” She told him he had a concussion and needed to be watched for a few more hours. “I don’t give a rat’s ass. I want you to sign me out of here right now, or so help me, I’ll have your pension.”
She was still laughing as she moved out of the area, leaving the curtain wide open. Pissed off at the entire human race, he sat up and swung his feet over the side of the bed. Falling forward, he realized he was going to be staying longer and that there wasn’t shit he could do about it.
The next time he woke up, he was tied to the bed at his wrists and ankles. He thought it was overkill on keeping him in the bed, but he didn’t move so much as his eyes when the pain shot over his entire body like an electrical shockwave.
“You’re pretty stupid yourself, don’t you think?” The man stood up and looked down at him. “My name is Peter Archer. Yes, I’m related to Del. I’m here to explain to you anything you might not understand about your sister, father, and grandda. Not that I think you deserve to know shit about them, but that’s not my call. What is it that has you willing to fall the fuck out of bed to find them? Didn’t they tell you that you had a concussion?”
“Yes. Not that it’s any of your business, but I need to find my father. He’s moved out of his home and taken my grandfather out of the nursing home my brother and I have been paying for.” Peter nodded. “Is there a screw loose in your head? Answer the fucking questions. That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?”
“If I’d not promised Merce I’d not harm you, I’d hit you again. Your father has moved out of the house because he wanted something that was all on one floor. Your grandda is living with him, and he thought it would be easier than putting him through going up and down stairs all the time. Taking the older man out of the nursing home has given him a fresh outlook on his life, and he’s thriving more than he ever has. You’ve not paid anything on the nursing home for the last fourteen months. According to the home’s records, you never visited the elderly Lowery, nor did you send him anything in the way of birthday cards or Christmas gifts in all the time he’s been there.” Brock asked about Merce. “She’s now the sole owner of Lowery Construction. From my understanding, she’s also going to change the name to Lowery and Archer. They’re working together now, and it is a good fit. Also, you might not care about this, but my brother and your sister are dating. That will make us sort of related as in-laws if they decide to take it further. That won’t keep any of us from using your head as a bowling ball if you get uppity again, but then you did ask about her.”
“I forbid her to get married.” Peter just cocked a brow at him. “She’s just a child and a promiscuous one at that. I tried to tell your brother that, but he hit me instead. I should sue him.”
“Yeah, good luck with that one. Are there any other questions that I can answer for you? By the way, you didn’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway. Merce has moved into the house. Harlin turned it over to her just the other day.” He’d have to add that to the list of shit he was going to take care of. “Also, you might be aware of this too, but my mom bought your building. Why would a real estate company not own their own building? Anyway, she bought it and is going to tear it down, so you don’t have a place to work from. Most of your employees have come to work, in some form, with my family. I’m sure you know that. Also, if you think you’re not going to pay them their vacation time since they told you they were leaving, I’ll not just own your asses, but every little thing you’ve acquired since you turned eighteen. Understand me?”
“You’re one of those vampire lawyers, aren’t you? I should have guessed it. There is nothing you won’t try to get a man when he’s down.” Peter laughed. “You think this is funny? That my being here in the hospital is anything that I deserve?”
“Oh yes. You deserve that and more. As for you being down? You’ve not yet seen down if you don’t behave yourself and leave everyone alone. I’ll make you have to look up at a worm if you fuck with me. Not only am I good at being a vampire of an attorney, but I will gladly take you down just so you can understand that I mean business.”
After the man left, Brock realized he had no way of calling to the nurses to come and release him. Since he was still in a great deal of pain right now, he decided to let them slack on this for a little while longer. He had some thinking to do anyway.
His father had insanity in his family, so that would be all he needed to have him committed. And once he was in the nursing home, his grandfather would have to be put away as well. Brock was sure he could get his sister there as well. The way she did business was something that was frowned upon in most states.
He needed to talk to Harley. There were a lot of things they had to discuss. Like, how were they going to get on the good side of Katherine Archer? She had all the money, and that was the only way that he could see any of this getting fixed to their satisfaction. He still believed Merce was behind all this trouble he and his brother were having. Merce could be so incredibly childish at times that he wondered why he and Harley were the only ones that could see it. He’d take care of her getting married too. While he wasn’t sure what he’d do about her in that sense of the word, he would think of something.
He thought about his mother and her way of dealing with things that upset her. Harley was starting to have those same traits. Acting the same way she had acted when he was stressed out. Rocking in his chair and talking to himself. Brock did as well, talked to himself, but that wasn’t nearly the same thing. Working out problems by talking to himself wasn’t the same as being insane.
Mother had been in and out of the hospital since he’d been old enough to remember. She’d be all right for a while, then she’d be this monster that would cry at the silliest things. Her temper would flare too, and she’d either beat him or Harley or lock them in a part of the house that was dark and scary. Most of the time, they’d be in the basement until his father came home or the staff would find them. Brock had always thought they didn’t try hard to find them but said nothing more about it. His father had been upset with him for suggesting such a thing.
However, when she got pregnant with Merce, their mother was so different they actually enjoyed being around her. They loved going with h
er on outings, as well shopping at the big department store that used to make her have panic attacks much worse than the one his brother had had.
“Brock? Are you all right?” He wiped at his tears, not knowing he’d been crying. Seeing his father there embarrassed him. Knowing he’d seen something that no one other than Harley had ever seen had him snapping at his father. “You’re not to talk to me that way. No matter how old you are or how big you think you are for your britches, you’re still my son. Peter told me you wanted to talk to me. What is it you want?”
“This is all Merce’s fault. She’s the one that made Mother try and kill herself. When she wasn’t around, Mom was fun. We did things with her that we couldn’t before Merce came along. I hate her. I will always hate her.” Father sat down in the room’s only chair and told him he didn’t mean that. “I do. I really hate her. So does Harley. Before she was born, we would go places with her. Mother was sweet and kind to us.”
Dad stood up and jerked Brock’s gown down, the snaps at the shoulders pinging around the room as they hit different pieces of equipment. As soon as he had it pulled nearly to his groin, he ordered him to look at himself.
“She did that to you, Brock. Your kind and sweet mother did that to you before your sister was even a part of her body.” He looked at the scar that stretched from the bottom of his ribs to his hip bone. “Do you remember her trying to cut you open? How she had your brother lying on you to keep you down while she decided to remove the demon from you? Had the staff not hit her in the head with a pan, she would have killed you. You would have bled out when she removed your kidney, or whatever it was she was going for. She did that to you before Merce came to be your sister. Is that what this is all about? Your hatred toward Merce because you think she did something to your mother? How do you think that was even possible? She was four days old when she was put into the oven to be baked for our dinner by your so-called good mother. Christ, Brock. I just don’t know what to say to you right now. If you want to talk to me, have someone call me. But as of right now, I’m finished with you and your brother if you don’t get your heads out of your asses and stop blaming your sister for every little thing that pops into your fucking mind.”
When his father left him, Brock thought of the day his mother had knocked him to the floor. She’d nailed his hand to the carpet with a nail gun she’d bought just for that very day. Then when he’d woke up, not only was father right about Harley sitting on his legs to hold him down, but Mother was stabbing into his belly over and over to remove the devil from him. Brock could still see the insanity on her face as she screamed at him to let it go.
A nightmarish replay of their mother played in his mind. It was as if his remembering the removal, what he’d called it, had made him remember everything. His mother was insane long before Merce had been born. That was true. But she could at least come home sometimes to be with him before Merce had made them take her away.
~*~
It took most of the day to move the things out of the house that she didn’t want. There wasn’t much, not really, but Dad had wanted some of the things for his new place. Also, there was a bedroom of things that had been set aside for her brothers should they have a need for it.
“What is that stuff anyway?” She looked at one of the many chests in the room. After getting the thing open with Del’s help, he looked inside of it and frowned. “It looks like every sheet of paper they ever drew on. Not to mention grade cards and things that might have been made in class. Why would you keep this?”
“Mom did it, I’m sure. My brothers would know, of course, but I’m not going to go and ask them. I was, however, thinking of the things I could do with these trunks. What if we had a garage sale and got rid of a lot of this stuff here and in the attic? Dad told me it’s where Mom would go when she would hide from him. To be honest, I’m sort of afraid to go up there.” Del told her he’d go with her. “Thanks. I might take you up on that. What time are our reservations for tonight?”
“Six. I didn’t know a lot about what you like in the way of fancy eats, so I picked one that has a little of everything. I did notice you don’t eat much in the way of red meat. You love a meat pizza. A contradiction, in the event you might not have noticed. You don’t care for sweets all that much unless you’re stressed. Also, you’ll take diet cola over anything else being offered if you are given a choice.” She grinned at him. “I’ve been paying attention to you for some time now.”
“Did you notice I sometimes don’t wear a bra?” He nodded as if he had broken his neck at some point. “I see. Did you also notice that when I know we’re going to be alone together, as we are now, I wear a skirt? And look, no panties.”
“You’re playing a very sexual game here, Merce. Are you sure you want to go this far? I do, but this would be wholly your decision.” She sat up on the nearest trunk and pulled her skirt up over her hips. “Holy fuck, woman, you’re going to kill me.”
“Good. Just being around you has made me wet nearly all the time. It’s why I just simply stopped wearing panties. They would get—” His low growl was the only warning she got before he was taking her mouth, pulling at her clothing. Merce did the same to him. His pants were the first to go. She was glad he’d not worn a belt today. She had no idea how to take that from someone else’s pants.
Her body burned once he removed all her clothing. When he stepped back, she thought for sure he was leaving her. It wasn’t until he told her to lean back and said he wanted to see her entirely that she felt better.
“I’ve fallen in love with you, Merce.” She stared at him and realized she loved him as well. “I’ve been falling a little more in love with you every day. Since you’ve been around, it’s made me realize everything I’ve been missing in my life. I want you so badly right now I’m hard as stone, as you can see. But I want you to consider marrying me. I know it’s soon that we’ve—”
“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Del. I love you as well. I think I was in love with you even before we met. I love you with all my heart and soul.” He picked her up and took her down the hall. She was glad no one else was in the house—the staff had taken the day off to decide if they wanted to stay in her employment or not. Some of them had been ready to retire for some time, and she thought they were happy she was going to be living in the house now.
The bed touching her back made her realize he’d scoped out the house before she’d gotten here. The bedroom was hers when she stayed over. The bed had been made up, she’d bet, since the last time she was here, which had been a few days.
“I love you.”
Before she could tell him how much she loved him again, Del was kissing her. Giving her more of his love with each swipe of his tongue, the touch of his fingers on her overheated body.
Her breasts ached and felt fuller. When Del put his mouth over her nipple, she could only cry out with it. Not in pain, not really, but with undeniable pleasure. As soon as he suckled at her breast, taking into his mouth, Merce came, screaming out his name. A wonderful heady feeling of love blanketed her.
“Again, love. Come again for me.” She did so many times that she lost count. Her body, seemingly too exhausted to go on, would rear up and give him what he wanted. As he moved down her body, his hands making short work of exploring her, she felt her pussy soak the covers beneath her. “I’m going to stretch you for my cock.”
Even the word sounded sexy to her. Cock. Something she had desired only from this man for what seemed her entire life. She held her breath when she felt him blowing over her heat. Del took his time making her wetter and wetter until he took her clit into his mouth and nibbled.
“Mother fuck, yes.” She roared out her release. It came from her feet through her head and down through her throat. If she came like this again, she was going to die right here. Telling him that, he only laughed. Then he touched her with his finger.
It felt strange at first, like an invasi
on of her private parts. Then as he slid slowly in and out of her, she couldn’t understand why she’d never had sex before. This was wonderful. Amazing. Awesome. There wasn’t anything better than this, she thought. It was then that he took her clit into his mouth again and suckled hard.
She was on a boat capsized. Her body was no longer her own. Every part of her, every cell and drop of blood, screamed out for Del to stop but to go on. As soon as she came a third, then a fourth time, she knew she was going to die right there. There would be nothing to keep her from it.
As he moved up her body, she begged him to stop, telling him she couldn’t take anything more. But he only had to sit back on his knees and fist his cock for her, and she knew whatever he did to her next was going to blow her mind. It would be epic enough that she’d beg him every day, every second of every day, for more.
“Don’t tense up, love.” She did what he asked, spreading her legs for him when he moved over her. She was still tense, she could feel it, but he was gentle with her, telling her how much he loved her, how her cream tasted to him. When he moved his cock at her entrance again, she cried out when he pushed forward, breaking through the barrier that made her no longer a virgin but his other half for life.
Neither of them moved while she tried to deal with the pain. It wasn’t as horrific as she’d thought it would be, but it was still painful. Moving her hips to try and get herself in a better position, she moaned when she realized he had moved with her.
“If you keep moving like that, I’m not going to be able to be a gentleman about this and let you get used to me.” She looked up at him. His face was granite hard, the strain of him really being a gentleman taking a huge toll on him. Moving her hips again, watching his face, she rolled her hips upward and watched the stiffness of his face disappear in a kiss that he gave her.
It didn’t take her long to come several times after that. Del seemed bent on making her enjoy this more than he was. When he pulled her hips up to meet his on his downward stroke, she held onto his shoulders as if she knew she was going to break apart. When she did, when she came with him, Merce knew that nothing would ever be the same between them. That they were forever and more a couple, no matter what others might say to them otherwise.
Delmar (Archer's Dynasty Book 1) Page 7