“So, Tess, welcome.” He holds out his hand to shake. “Glad you finally made it in. Dr. Miller has been worried.” He smiles, clearly a master at bedside manner. I feel better already.
“We have your test results from him and we did blood work today. I will have the results soon. I’d like to do an ultrasound if that’s all right?”
“Of course,” I croak as he calmly gets everything ready.
“I’m sure Dr. Miller explained that your HCG levels were very high. Now with Mr. Saddington being a twin, I suspect you are carrying two.”
My breathing speeds up, my nerves causing me to sweat. I’m not even nauseous—that’s how nervous I am. I nod like a mute, not trusting myself to talk. The monitor comes to life as I stare at the flat screen.
“First, I’m going to check your lining… which is perfect and… And yes, there they are.”
“Oh my God.” I cover my mouth, glad I’m lying down because he is right. I see two beans… little beans that have a white fluttering dot. Dr. Blumen pushes a button and the room is filled with what sounds like a loud whooshing beat.
“That’s their heartbeats, and”—he listens some more—“I love the way they sound.” I watch as he punches in some keys and prints me out a bunch of pictures then removes the wand. He gently tells me to get dressed and meet him in his office. I do with limbs that feel like they are weighted down with rocks. Numbly, I clutch my pictures, knowing that this is the very moment my whole life changes.
TESS
Present day – twenty-five years old
New York, NY
I try not to jump as the driver shuts the door after me. Sliding onto the buttery-soft seat of the Audi, I mentally send both the Saddington brothers horrible energy. Logan would be so disappointed in me.
Jax is sitting up front with the driver, leaving me with Reed in the back. I tuck my body as close to the door as possible, leaving a huge gap between us. Symbolic, yes. Biting my lip at the tense energy in the car, I glance at the driver—even he seems to feel it. His brown eyes dart back and forth nervously as he accelerates.
Fuck this. I reach for my cherry red Louis Vuitton bag and search for my phone. When I can’t stand his piercing stare, I give up. Crossing my arms, I force myself not to look at him even though my body is pulling me toward him. I smell him, sense him, and suddenly I feel trapped. I am trapped. Like a fox being hunted by a hound. I take a quick breath and Reed’s fresh scent invades me, enters me, making me remember… except it’s different.
It’s as though I’ve swallowed a small razor and it’s ripping its way down my esophagus. What is wrong with me? Who cares if he smells different? I argue with my brain. But for whatever reason, tears sting my eyes. I care. He smells manly, spicy, different.
I turn to look out the window, the city whirling by as we make our way to Ian Saddington’s estate. The uncomfortable silence makes me face the truth that we are strangers, more than likely enemies. The love that we once shared is gone, incinerated.
Guilt! It’s hemorrhaging out of me, eating me up. I expected… well, I don’t know what I expected, but not this. A small shudder goes through me as I pull my black leather jacket tight around me for warmth. The car is nice and toasty warm, but I’m freezing inside.
I flinch at Jax’s phone ringing. God, I’m a wreck. I need another Valium. The one I took on the plane obviously isn’t enough today. Jax frowns at his phone before he answers it.
That leaves Reed, who’s burning a hole into me with his stare. Setting aside my bag, I give up on the Valium idea. I cross my legs and stare out the window. It’s starting to rain; big wet drops pound the windows. The clouds are dark, menacing, and I can’t help but think this is our punishment. Reed and me: both of us so ugly inside with all our secrets and lies that black clouds follow us.
Jax is arguing with someone. I try not to eavesdrop, but it’s hard when he’s the only one talking. Suddenly, I feel a strong warm hand clamp down on my leg.
I almost shriek, but the painful grip stops me. My eyes snap to his, my breath coming in harsh bursts. Christ, the last thing I need to do is panic. He holds my leg tight almost punishing.
“Get your hand off of me,” I hiss, kicking my leg out. My high-heeled boots graze his shin as I recross my leg. He leans back, his energy dominating the vehicle.
“Take your drugs, Tess,” he sneers.
Asshole.
I didn’t even realize I was doing it, and he knows that. Ever since I can remember, I’ve shaken my leg—it calms me. Reed always hated it, which makes me almost want to do it again. I clear my throat. I’m almost twenty-six and a mother. Aggravating Reed is not my top priority.
Looking away, I grab my hair and twist it into a low bun at my neck. He grabs my bag and tosses it at me. It lands painfully on my lap, almost falling over. I shoot him a death stare, trying not to notice that my hands are shaking.
“I said, take your drugs.” His voice is flat, unrecognizable, like his scent.
He’s going to be awful. Ruthless—I can see it in his eyes. He wants to hurt me, which is almost laughable since he has betrayed me and sliced my heart apart over and over. What is there left to hurt? Luke and Lilly, that’s what. My love for my children is fiercer than I ever could imagine.
Diving into my bag, I pull out my pill case and pop one into my mouth, chewing it up, not even bothering to ask if there is water. The bitterness of the pill causes me to shudder. At least I have the pill as an excuse. Jax is barking out orders. Something is going on in LA. He seems to be trying to explain that he can’t leave New York.
Reed reaches into his suit pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. The flick of his lighter snaps the tobacco to life, and he takes a long, slow drag. I’m stunned. Reed has always hated smokers.
“You don’t smoke!” I say accusingly, my face growing warm.
His eyes narrow as he zeros in on me, causing me to bounce my leg again. He’s trying to intimidate me. His eyes roam my face and his full lips latch on to the tip of the cigarette. He inhales deeply again, and for a split second, my body and mind remember what his mouth feels like when it latches on to me. Shifting uncomfortably, my clit throbs, causing me to recross my legs.
“Reed! What the fuck, man? When did you start smoking?” Jax, who is still on his phone, snaps at his brother. Reed looks at him, exhaling the smoke. It dances around his pretty, lying face like it has a life of its own.
“Christ.” Jax opens the front window.
I follow, pushing the button to open mine. Happy to have a distraction, I let the rain and wind caress my hot cheeks. It’s been so long since I’ve felt the rain and its cool wetness. I used to hate when it rained. Today, I welcome the sound of the windshield wipers gliding on the glass back and forth. They somewhat hypnotize me into a false sense of peace. It takes me a few moments to register that another phone is ringing. It’s mine, and I fumble around in my bag. I’m sure all my makeup has worn off, making me feel vulnerable and exposed. Looking down at my phone, expecting to see Brance’s picture, instead it’s a smiling Scott.
Shit! Instantly I decline it, lifting my eyes to see if Reed saw anything. Why didn’t I handle Scott before I left? Grinding my teeth, I berate myself for letting Reed make me feel like I’m doing something wrong. His lean, fit body exudes confidence as he lounges in the seat.
My gaze travels to his hand as he brings that damn cigarette to his lips and inhales deeply. I lean farther back into the door. He exhales the smoke at me, his anger and hatred sucking all the fresh oxygen out of me. Here he is, the Reed I expected. His power and rage ooze out of him like molten lava from a volcano as he smokes. His nostrils flare as he looks at me like I’m dirt, which makes me grateful. Better that he looks like a monster than like a man who wants to be a father.
My phone starts ringing again, and as if in slow motion, Reed latches his lips around the cigarette, holding it with his front teeth. He reaches over and takes the phone from my numb hand. An electric shock zaps me at his tou
ch, and I can’t help but hiss out a breath.
“Reed, don’t answer that!” His eyes stare at the screen then at me. He takes his cigarette out of his mouth and tosses the phone at me. Of course, I don’t catch it and it falls under Jax’s seat.
“God damn it!” Frustration makes me show emotions I want to hide. I hate him.
The ringing stops. My breath sounds labored, but that could be me being hypersensitive.
I reach down for it then feel myself being jerked slightly back as the seat belt locks up on me. I glare at Reed as if he made the seat belt do it. His eyes narrow on my lips, and he takes one more solid inhale. The wind and rain whip my face as he zips down his window. A quick flick and it’s gone.
A ding alerts me to a voice message. I unlatch myself only to be stopped by a strong hand.
“Leave it,” he snarls. “Put your seat belt back on.”
“What the hell? You’re hurting me.” My eyes lock on to his.
“The roads are wet. You can find your phone when we get home.” His voice is rough and gravelly, yet another thing that is different. He releases me and I jerk back against the door.
I stare daggers at the back of Jax’s head. It would be nice if he would hang up and help me.
“I need my phone. What if Brance calls? What if it’s an emergency?” We stare at each other and he reaches down and easily picks up my phone. “Here.” He looks away almost as if staring at me is painful. “Tell me, Tess, were you ever going to tell me?”
I look at him, startled at the bitter honesty of his question. Was I?
“I thought I would and then time went by.” It’s not really an answer but it seems to satisfy him.
He stares out the window. “You’re saying that had I not come back, you probably wouldn’t have?”
I squirm. “No, eventually I would have told you.”
“Hold on a second,” Jax snaps at whoever he is talking to and twists around, his eyes assessing the situation. I almost sag in relief. “This is neither the time nor the place.” It’s as if he’s speaking to us like we’re children. He turns back to the front and continues his conversation.
Why? Why couldn’t I be at the Plaza with Luke and Lilly, happily ordering room service? I grab my bag and shove my phone into it. Turning, I stare out the window, needing to block him out for my own sanity. I breathe in and out, concentrating on the rain and greenery that pass me by rather than the nightmare that has finally awakened.
REED
Past – twenty-two years old
Las Vegas, NV
Slap.
David lifts his tan hand. He grins at me like an asshole. What looks like a white-yellowish crystal is glittering on the table. Lifting my aviators, I raise an eyebrow. He plops into the lounge chair to my right.
“Is that what I hope it is?” I lean over to inspect the large crystal rock. Twirling it around in my hand, I can’t help but smirk at him. I take a sip of water and set it down. “I ordered you your usual.” Leaning back against the cushions, I lower my sunglasses again.
He reaches for it. We’re both like kids in a toy store. The sun causes it to look magical because that’s what it truly is. It can make all problems vanish. You’ll never experience a high like it.
“This is fucking Grade A Moon Rock! What time is it? You want to take it now?” His voice sounds way too excited considering I’m nursing my headache from last night’s debauchery. I take another sip of water and snicker as I lean my head back on the striped cushion.
“Ten. Can’t be later. No one has been let in yet.”
David looks around. We’re in a private cabana facing the enormous pool at the Wynn. Its twinkling turquoise water reflects a warm calm. Sunlight spills around us creating the right amount of heat. Soon, the pool will be crazy packed with beautiful bodies all trying to be seen. Girls of all colors, shapes, and sizes wanting to get fucked or get fucked up or maybe both. Guys barely able to wait to get one alone, which is a perfect distraction for me. David and I have been living in the three-bedroom Encore Duplex at the Wynn for months. At least I think it’s months. To be honest, I have no idea what day it is or how much time has gone by. All I know is that I’ve buried myself in pussy, booze, and drugs pretty much twenty-four seven.
I gave in to my darkness and embraced it.
I open one eye and look at David. He seems in much better shape than I am this morning.
“What’s the occasion for starting so early? And where did you find this?” My fingers caress the crystal rock of MDMA. “I thought you wanted to write for a couple hours.”
He looks down at his hands, which are clasped in his lap.
“Nah, today is not a day to write, and I never divulge my secrets.” He sits up and flags a waiter. Whatever demons chase David today, they have him.
I don’t ask him his past. He once offered that he was raised in Los Angeles and he and his father were in some motorcycle club. He rarely mentions it and I get the feeling whatever went down was bad. The best thing about David is even when I act my worst, he shrugs it off. He doesn’t judge; he simply rages with me. We live in harmony. Probably because both of us are running from shit.
After the blowout with Jax, I haven’t heard or reached out to my family. The loss of my brother has been my biggest shame. As soon as I got discharged from the hospital, I picked up the phone to call and tell him I was wrong. Instead, I snorted cocaine and I’ve been trying to stay one step ahead of reality. Because my reality sucks. It’s filled with privilege and the harsh reality that everything I ever wanted has been taken away. Tess. She’s my reality in my dreams and in all my fantasies. She’s still my obsession. So how do I face that? I’m fucked up enough from last night not to want to forgive her. I sigh as I look up at the blue, cloudless sky. My poor parents. I need to sober myself up one of these days enough to at least call them. With the prostitutes, drugs, and other shit we’ve been doing, it’s a good thing I’m rich. At least David gets up and writes. I do nothing but block my pain, numb myself. I look over at him, then the Moon Rock. Clearly there will be no nap for me—only sweet bliss.
“How can I help you, Mr. McCormick?” the polite blond beach boy-attired waiter appears
David chuckles, still not comfortable with the wealthy lifestyle we live.
“A Bloody Mary, please. What about you?” He frowns at me for a second. I realize I must be zoning out, so I sit up and say, “Two double Bloodies, extra spicy, and what time is it?”
“It’s ten thirty, Mr. Saddington. Anything else?” He smiles. The staff is top-notch here.
“Just the drinks and the breakfast I ordered.”
Like I’m a king, two guys approach with our breakfast. “Here it is as we speak. I’ll go get your drinks.” He leaves and I turn my plate as I inspect the food.
“I’m fucking starving. Remind me not to drink the whole bottle of tequila ever again.”
David chuckles and rubs his hands over his face. “I did, man, but you were on a mission. What did you think of Tabatha?” He arches an eyebrow.
I shrug as I shovel in some egg. “From what I can remember, she sucked me off twice never uttering a sound.”
“Told you that you’d like her. She’s into all that submissive shit you like.” He snickers as he starts to demolish his omelet. That makes me raise my head, sit up, and reach for a slice of bacon.
“Just because I don’t like them to talk doesn’t mean I like them submissive.” I take a bite of the maple bacon and groan at the sweet honeyed taste. “I hate that shit.” I want to say more, but the waiter comes back with our Bloody Marys.
David shakes his head as he downs half of the Bloody. “Reed, I don’t care what your kink is. You have rules that a lot of women might find”—he waves his fork in the air—“demeaning, domineering, rough. Need I go on?”
Before I can defend myself, the DJ starts doing his test. Loud music pounds out all around us, and I can’t help but have a rush of adrenaline that makes my stomach tighten.
&n
bsp; Fuck it—it’s not even noon. I break the Moon Rock off a crystal, one for me and the other for David. “To an interesting day.” I pop mine into my mouth.
“That’s my boy.” David jumps up, tearing off his shirt as he pounds his chest.
“I have a feeling today is going to go down as one of those days we probably shouldn’t have left our room!” He finishes his drink.
“Here they come, man.” He pushes open the cabana curtain. We watch as the slow buzz of people trickles in. The quiet, calm fairy-tale pool has turned into a harem of beautiful people who laugh at anything and drink all day. The smell of suntan oil and chlorine permeates the air.
“I’ll be back.” David follows a long-legged brunette to one of the outdoor bars. The large tattoo on his back says The Disciples, a glaring reminder he has a dark past and not to fuck with him.
I look down at all the food on the table, suddenly losing my appetite yet knowing in about half an hour or less, time is going to cease. The brunette David followed made me have thoughts better kept locked away. Forcing myself to finish my plate, I order yet another Bloody, already feeling the beautiful buzz of happiness waiting to blossom out of me.
David’s right—we should probably have stayed in our room because my cock is already swelling as I glance over at the girl David is buying a drink for. Wonder if he wants to share today? She’s a brunette, but nothing besides the brown hair reminds me of her. It’s also way shorter and stick straight. Tess has thick, long, dark brown hair. So when I grab it, touch it, it feels like silk, soft silk… Also, she has curly hair. Pain in my ass when she decides to straighten it because it takes at least an hour. I smile at the memory of Tess… What the fuck is wrong with me? Jesus Christ. I tilt my head back on the striped cushion. I’m so fucked! Stretching out my long legs, blocking out the music that is thumping through my chest, I almost give in and let my mind find her…
“Reed.” A breathy voice awakens me from my delusion.
The Enlightened (Entitled Book 2) Page 3