by Frost, Ada
“Em, I’m not going to lie to them. And besides, I’d have needed to do it sooner rather than later. Maybe next time we could take Izzy with us?”
I sucked in a startled breath. I knew he’d mentioned her to his mum when we were chatting, but I didn’t expect him to want to fully include her. That was a huge step. Izzy was the most important person in my life; I couldn't risk her getting attached to people for them to discard her when things took a nosedive between me and Will. That was, if they accepted her. Oh, God, what if his family didn’t like my baby girl?
A warm hand slid over mine, startling me out of my nightmare. “I take it what I just said freaked you out?”
I blew out a tense breath and nodded.
“Why?”
“Izzy is just a kid; she doesn’t understand why people leave. I took a risk inviting you into our lives. I can’t risk her getting attached to your family, too.”
“Just one problem with that, Em: you talk as if we are destined to end.”
“I –”
“Just so we are absolutely clear—you listening pixie-girl?”
I bobbed my head.
“The sex is phenomenal; I seriously cannot get enough of you. But take it away and I still can’t get enough of you. I don’t recognise the man I am when I’m with you, Em.”
“Oh!” I ducked my head. My cheeks heated and a sick feeling bottomed out in my stomach.
“He’s fun, he’s happy, and I feel free to be the man I always wanted to be.”
I lifted my head to look at him, really look at him. His green eyes sparkled in the dark and his lips were curled up in a serene smile. He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles while keeping his eyes on the road.
“You don’t give a shit if I walk around in my underwear, or wear board-shorts through the week, or if I make crude jokes. You don’t complain about the smell of bacon in the morning, and most importantly, you never complain about spending time with Johan, and probably Ry, while he’s home.”
“Why would I complain about that? They’re your brothers.”
“It’s one of the things Mar and I fought over most.” He let out a frustrated sigh and released my hand. The cold wrapping around it made me grieve for the loss of his skin on mine.
I reached over and slid my fingers through his again. “He’s annoying, but I adore him. He’s pretty cool to work for, too.”
“Oh, yeah, I forget you all work together. Isn’t Dominic your direct boss?”
“He’s everyone’s boss; he’s the Managing Director. I’m his secretary, but Johan has a temp in at the moment and they do not get along, so he’s been sending me stuff to do.”
“Why doesn’t he just ask for a new secretary?”
“I think she scares him, but then again, she scares everyone. It’s like she has a banner: lawsuit waiting to happen. Seriously, she’s a bitch.”
Will’s deep chuckle warmed me.
We pulled into the driveway and once Will cut the engine, he leaned over, cupped my face, and pressed his lips to mine.
“I’m pretty certain you were made perfectly, just the way you are, all for me,” I said, smiling against his lips.
“I hope so.” The deep timbre of his voice caused me to shiver violently. “Come on, my little pixie, let’s get you inside.”
He opened his door and climbed out. I couldn't resist watching his arse as the denim hugged tightly to the sexy round globes. He moved around the car to my side and helped me out. I couldn't help the giddy gallop in my chest, because no one had ever done that for me before.
“Thank you –”
“About fucking time; it’s freezing out here.”
My heart skidded to a halt as I turned to see Rhea sitting on the front step. How the hell had I not noticed her sitting there?
“Rhea?”
“Who else would it be? Open the door, for fucks sake; I'm freezing my tits off.”
“Why are you here?”
“Em, door, now!” she demanded. I stood rooted to the spot. The heat at my back told me Will was pressed against me. Rhea’s glassy eyes lifted to his and a sickening smile formed on the rotten mouth.
“Well hello–”
“Why are you here?” I gritted out through clenched teeth.
Her angry gaze landed on me and her lips curled in a menacing snarl. “I’ve come to see my daughter, of course.”
I laughed, because she was so fucking stupid. “Rhea, it’s the weekend. Jack has her Friday to Sunday. If you’d bother to come see her, you would already know that.”
Will’s arms wrapped around my waist in silent comfort. Rhea’s eyes tracked the move and a flash of something malicious clouded her blue eyes.
“So you thought you’d bring a fuck buddy home? Another one of your one-night stands? You going to share this one, too, seeing as I’ve had all the rest?” She stumbled to the side, and instinctively, I moved to catch her, but Will held me close to him. Rhea was of course referring to Jack, but also the next failed relationship after him. It was a year after what had happened with Jack that I started dating someone from work. It wasn’t anything serious; we never even slept together, thankfully. But one night we were out having drinks and Rhea approached us. She made some snide remark about a threesome, and the interest in his eyes sickened me. He went home with her after I quite bluntly told him to fuck off.
“Maybe you should go,” I said quietly to Will.
“Not fucking likely. She’s wasted.”
“I don’t trust her with you –”
“Do you trust me?” he asked, turning me in his arms. I slowly nodded, realising that yes, I did trust him, implicitly.
“Then I’m staying.”
“I know what she’s like; she’s going to be all over you.”
“Emily, look at me. She is the type of woman you take to your bed and forget once the condom is spent. You are the type of woman you take to your heart and beg to stay forever. Why the hell would I risk losing that kind of rare perfection?”
“It happens,” I whispered quietly, not really sure if he heard me. His words hit me hard. No one, not even Jack, had said something so beautiful.
“You can lock me in your room, if you like,” he said, smiling down at me. “I’m not remotely interested in her.”
“We’re identical, how can you say that?”
“You’re not even close to identical, Em; you’re total opposites. You are my light, my magic; she is the dark, twisted throwaway. Not interested.”
“I'm not fucking deaf; I can hear you. And, babe, trust me, if I wanted you, I’d have you begging at my feet.” Rhea snapped, her voice slurred and angry. I glanced over my shoulder at her and back to Will. His eyes remained fixed on me; not once had his attention drifted.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay,” I said. My shoulders sagged. I may as well get it out of the way. If he was going to stray, it was time to find out, before he completely crushed me.
I could see the war in her eyes, the fight to trust me, and I gotta say, it fucking gutted me. We’d had such an amazing time at Jo’s, and then we’d gone home and her sister fucked it all up.
We walked into the kitchen and her sister immediately threw herself onto the sofa.
“You got any vodka?”
“No.” Em’s voice was quiet and she let out a long sigh, as if releasing every ounce of her energy.
“Figures. What have you got?”
“I don’t know. Maybe there’s some wine left.” I watched Emily as she stood against the counter, her hands behind her back clutching onto it for dear life. Her head was tilted back as she stared at the ceiling.
“Wine –”
“Here’s a clue; why not go home and drink your own alcohol?” I snapped, hating the defeated look on my girl. Rhea glared at me, red rimmed eyes trying to kill me as I stood. Em closed her eyes and dropped her head forward.
“Listen here –” I ignored the petulant child and walked into the kitc
hen to cup Emily’s beautiful face.
“Take me to bed,” I whispered, leaning forward to kiss the tip of her nose before brushing my mouth across hers. She shook her head in my hands.
“I can’t –”
“Babe, I'm hungry, and only your sweet pussy will satisfy me.” Her eyes closed and I felt her body quiver. I couldn't suppress the grin spreading across my face. She wanted me, and whether her sister was there or not, I was taking what was mine. I nipped her bottom lip.
“I will take you slow. I want to take my time with this delectable body. I won’t rush. I feel like every time we come together, I'm doing the hundred yard sprint, and this time I want to do the marathon. Slow, easy pace, until you’re begging me to make you come.”
Her soft little tinkle of laughter warmed the icy fear that I’d lost a part of her. She pressed her face into my chest and I wrapped my arms around her.
“I’m sorry she’s here.”
“I’ve got to say, she’s slightly demented.”
Her body shook in silent laughter.
“Why do you let her get to you? There is no way you can believe she is prettier or –”
“Will, I’m not delusional. I know we’re exactly the same. I'm not having a bout of self-consciousness. She has slept with or at least tried to fuck every guy I’ve ever been interested in.”
“Babe, if the men you pick up prefer me, don’t bitch about it. You shouldn’t be so uptight.” Her sister’s voice carried into the kitchen before she sauntered through the archway. She walked straight up to us and stood so close I could smell the stale alcohol permeating her pores. Emily’s body went rigid in my arms. I couldn't release her, so I locked them around her like a protective vice. Nothing would make me release her.
“Men love the fantasy of fucking twins; isn’t that right, William?” Ordinarily, I would correct her with regard to my name, but I wanted to speak to the vapid bitch as little as possible. She slid her hand up my bicep, I guess supposedly seductively. Okay, so there was one thing that would make me release Em. I grabbed the bitch by the wrist and held her hand away from me.
“Do not touch me. Ever.” I let her hand go, hating the feel of her skin in my hand. I wrapped my arms around Em, cupping her ass in my hands and lifting her against me. She released a cute little squeal and tightened her arms around me.
“I’m taking you, my lady, to bed.” Jesus, that was the worst British accent ever, but when Em smiled and buried her face in my neck, I knew I’d be attempting it again.
“When he’s between your legs, sister dearest, just remember it was me that got him all hot and bothered for you,” Rhea shouted from the kitchen, stumbling behind us.
“Go home, Rhea.”
“No, I'm waiting here for my kid.”
Em shuddered in my arms. I needed her to smile again.
“Can we shower? I feel dirty after she touched me.”
“You’re sweet, but you really don’t have to say stuff like that. I get it, okay?”
“You get what? That your sister is insane and needs a serious dose of ‘wake the fuck up’?” I sighed like a total pussy when Em giggled and covered her mouth.
“You can always join me in the shower. We haven’t had sex in water yet. It’s on my bucket list.”
“You have a sex bucket list?”
“Kinda.”
“What does ‘kinda’ mean?”
“Well, if I haven’t had my dick inside you and I want it inside you, the place goes on the bucket list.”
“So –”
“So, basically I think about having sex with you a lot.”
“I’m beginning to realise you are a bit of an old pervert.” Her dinky little finger poked me in the chest.
“I guess, seeing as I'm probably quite a bit older than you, yeah, I am.” I frowned, because I realised I had no clue how old she was.
“I’m twenty-four.” She glanced at me and smiled. “In case the frown line was because you were trying to work it out, and not another wrinkle.”
I chuckled and smacked her ass jovially. “I'm twelve years older than you. My God, I’m a dirty old man.”
Emily hugged my neck tightly, bringing her face into the crook of my neck and licking up my pulse point. “I like how dirty you are.”
And finally my girl was back.
Emily launched her naked ass onto her bed in a fit of giggles. I rubbed the towel over my wet hair and grumbled, making her laugh even harder. She clutched her sides, rolling from side to side.
“That was an epic fail.” I threw the towel in the basket in the corner. “Seriously, what use is half of a shower screen?” I’d stripped Emily in the bathroom, more than ready to get down and dirty with her in the shower, but the fucking thing was tiny. Firstly, you had to stand in the bathtub and the shower head was attached on the far wall. I was too tall to fit under the spray, so it just pelted my chest. The glass shower screen only covered half, if that, of the bath, so water splashed everywhere. And when I picked her up and leaned her against the wall under the spray, my ass cheeks pushed the shower screen open, flooding the bathroom. At which point, Emily dissolved into a fit of laughter, killing the mood. I suppose it was pretty funny.
“You laugh it up,” I said as I slid into bed beside her. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me. She curled up against my chest, pressing her soft lips to my skin. I ran my fingers through her damp hair, loving the way it glistened in the dark. Although the water made it darker, her normal colour was so fair it was still pretty light even when wet. And usually it was incredibly straight, but now it had waves running through it. I was utterly mesmerised by it.
“That feels nice,” she muttered against my chest. I pressed my lips to her forehead.
“Feels fucking incredible” She sighed and snuggled further against my chest. One of her sexy legs was wrapped around my thigh, her arm was thrown across my waist and her tiny body was plastered to my side as if she was afraid of losing me in the night.
“You really hate having her here, don’t you?”
Her loud sigh was answer enough. “I know it’s wrong and I should want to see her.”
“Not really. I think it’s amazing you allow her in your home.”
“It’s where her daughter lives. I can’t deny her access, even though I really wish I could.” She nuzzled her nose against my pec. “Jack hates the sight of her. I used to believe that, having Izzy, they would eventually get together, but he won’t even stay in the same room with her.”
“I’m beginning to see the man has sense.”
“She didn't used to be like that; we were best friends once upon a time. I could tell her anything. Then she just changed. She started being a total bitch to everyone, and don’t even get me started on Castor and the things she’s said to him.”
“Some people are just… nasty.”
“Hmm, I guess so, but I wish she would be less bitchy toward Izzy. The poor kid is terrified of her own mother. It just isn’t right. No child should fear their parent.”
“I agree.” I ran my fingers through her hair again. “But, if you care for my opinion, Izzy sees you as her mom, not Rhea. She loves you so much, Em; it’s beautiful to see.”
“Thank you. I just don’t know how she can’t love Izzy. I mean, you’ve met her, right? She’s adorable, and so goddamn smart. I don’t understand how anyone can abandon a child–”She sucked in a breath and lifted her head to look at me, her blue eyes awash with worry. “I didn’t mean you. I wasn’t –”
I lifted my head and pressed my lips to hers, silencing her.
“I didn't even think that. My situation is completely different. You are related to Izzy; she is part of you. Marissa’s kid isn’t my flesh and blood in any sense.”
“Well, I'm still sorry.” She laid her head back on my chest. She didn't ask any questions, or pry into what had happened. Since the night at her brother’s house, she hadn’t once asked me about Marissa or what had happened, and I wasn’t sure if it was bec
ause she didn't care or because she respected my privacy. Either way, I kinda wanted to tell her, help her understand where things with Mar and I stood. I wanted no doubt in her mind, I was hers, completely.
“Before I got together with Marissa, she was dating a guy called Brock. He was the high school quarterback, pretty big deal. I had a major crush on her, and because Ryan was on the football team, I hung out with them all the time. So one time at a party, I found Mar out by the pool crying. She said she and Brock had gotten into an argument about another girl and he’d admitted to seeing her behind Mar’s back.” I took a deep breath, because yeah, I was a horny douche who back then thought only with his hormonal dick. “I was so happy. I mean, she hugged me and cried on my shoulder. For a guy who’d been crushing on the sexiest girl in school for over a year, that was a pretty big deal.”
Emily laughed, causing me to smile.
“Anyway, I said some sappy shit, and asked her if she wanted to go get a burger or watch a movie. She dried her eyes and said, seeing as our parents were members at the same country club, we should head there. I should have known it was doomed from the start.”
Emily lifted her head and rested it on the hand over my heart. “How so?”
“I hated the fucking country club. Or at least I learned to hate it.” Emily frowned. “The one we were members of, the chair was Chase Dermont, Jo’s grandfather. He was a sick son of a bitch. And eight, fucking eight of the members were involved with…” I paused and rubbed my thumb and forefinger against my eyes. “Some awful shit went down with Ryan and Jo when they were kids and those bastards knew about it. But I sat there, with their bullshit smiles, trying to win Marissa over. And even when she found out a few years later what had happened, she still insisted we go there. I'm glad my parents eventually moved away from that crappy town. But as soon as I graduated, Mar insisted I move back there. Anyway –” I looked down at my pixie, staring up at me with crystal eyes. She smiled softly at me, and in that moment, I knew I wasn’t going back; she had captured my heart. Her quiet patience and understanding warmed me in a way I hadn’t felt in years, if at all. “She eventually agreed to marry me, and before you ask, it took me four attempts before she found my proposal romantic enough to accept.”