by Natalie Ann
Her hand went around him, her lips moving up and down, then stopping at the tip and sucking. “Jesus.”
“He can’t help you tonight.”
He snorted. “I don’t need help.” At least he didn’t think so until she started to suck the full length of him.
Her hand was moving as fast as her mouth and he was ready to just let go. He grabbed her hair and tugged her head back. Her eyes were glossy, her blonde hair tangled, her lips rosy red.
If there was ever a sexier sight on the face of this earth, he’d never seen it.
“Enough,” he said. “I can’t take much more.”
He didn’t give her a chance to argue, but flipped her over on her back and had her panties down and off, his mouth going right toward her core, licking the dew between her lips.
“Not fair,” she said. “You get to finish me off but I can’t do it to you?”
“I’m not ready to be done,” he said. “And you said no talking.”
He went back to his main target and got to work. He spread her wide and put her thighs over his shoulders, his tongue sliding into her opening and probing and prodding, his thumb pressing on her swollen bud.
Her hips went up grinding against his face. He was doing everything he could to get her there, but when she started to sob out his name, he realized it didn’t take much effort at all.
The minute her hips stopped moving, her legs slid off his shoulders and he stood up to get the condom out of his shorts.
He shouldn’t have turned his back to her because he felt the heat of her hand on his bare ass.
“Whoa,” he said.
“Just paying you back. Turn some more.”
He did, his dick lined up with her mouth and she wasn’t letting him stop this time. He knew it by the fact she gripped his hips and held him there while she covered him, going deeper than before.
She started to move his hips so that he was fucking her mouth. He never expected this of her and that made it all the more erotic in his mind. That this shy but firm woman that never had a hair out of place was giving him a blow job in a hotel room. Demanding almost that he didn’t stop until she was damn good and ready.
He wasn’t going to either. He wasn’t sure he could.
It was to the point his legs were shaking, his hands going into her hair. He tugged it a little, her eyes lifted up and looked toward him and gave him a little nod. That was all he needed.
As much as he wanted to watch, he found that he didn’t have the strength to keep his eyes open.
The minute he started to come, he felt her suck more, then swallow and do it a second time. The coughing didn’t register in his brain. Nothing could other than he realized her hand was stroking him now.
When he finally opened his eyes, he saw her grinning. “Sorry about that. Thought I could take it, but I guess I was wrong. I had no idea it’d be that much.”
He started to laugh. He couldn’t help it. “Is that the first you’ve done that?”
“The first I’ve swallowed?” He nodded. “Yeah.”
He was touched more than he could explain. Just for today, his ass.
26
Losing Her Heart
The next morning, Bella rolled over and looked at the clock. It wasn’t even five and there was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep. The fact that Eli wore her out last night was the only explanation as to how she’d fallen asleep as it was.
Before she could get up, she felt large hands come around her back and pull her close. “Can’t sleep?” Eli asked.
“I’ve slept about as much as I’m going to be able to. Why don’t you go back to sleep? It’s early yet.”
“We can get up and get ready, get some food.” He grabbed his phone and looked at it. “We have three hours before we go to your aunt’s.”
Riva had texted last night to say her aunt wanted to see her and if they could meet at her house. She’d sent the address and said they’d see her at eight. She was glad they were doing this first thing and then she and Eli could leave. She didn’t want to stay here another day, no matter how beautiful the area was. There was too much going on in her head and it didn’t all have to do with her father’s family.
No, she was slowly losing her heart to Eli Bond and she needed to get back to the casino where she didn’t see him as much and couldn’t fall for his charm. When he was giving her one hundred percent of his attention. It seemed that made her the weakest.
“Might as well get up and shower,” she said. “I’m not hungry, but I’ll try to eat. We can go to the restaurant downstairs.”
She threw the covers back and stood up. “Let’s shower together,” he said. “I’ll take your mind off of this again if you want.”
She smiled at him. “Give it your best shot.”
An hour later they were walking into the restaurant. It opened at six and they were the only ones there. There were a few in the continental breakfast area, but she’d rather sit and kill more time this way.
“Try to relax,” he said. “As you said, it went better with Riva than you thought and I’m sure it will with your aunt. What do you remember about her? Anything?”
“No. I was young. I know her name and I know she’s divorced. I did remember my father talking about her a few times over the years, but it was so long ago. And it was behind closed doors.”
“Why do you think that is?” he asked.
“I think it caused fights between my parents,” she admitted. “I never heard everything, just bits and pieces and I don’t want to assume either. I want to hear what my aunt has to say and then I’ll go from there.”
“It’s all you can do.”
And a few minutes before eight, she was ringing the doorbell of her aunt’s home in a gated community. The houses were large and well-manicured. This area spoke of wealth and she suddenly realized how many people would wish they were in her shoes, but money meant nothing if there were secrets and unhappiness.
“Bella.” Her aunt was standing there looking so much like her father that she actually felt tears gather in her eyes. She could see the hesitancy in her aunt’s face, but the woman finally opened her arms. “Can I have a hug?”
She moved forward and found it wasn’t as awkward as she thought it might be. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want to see me.”
“That makes two of us. Please come in. Riva and Roman are here. Roman would like to meet you and they both want to know what is going on. With you. With your life. Anything and everything you want to tell us.”
“Thank you. This is Eli Bond.”
“I heard about you,” her aunt said. “I’m Gretchen Kingston-Carmichael. Come on in. Can I get you something to eat? Coffee?”
“Coffee would be nice,” Eli said.
“Same,” she said. “We ate already.”
She followed her aunt down the hall to the kitchen where Riva was sitting at the island with a man that looked very similar to his sister.
Her cousin stood up and moved toward her, his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Bella. This seems odd shaking hands with my first cousin.”
“Everything is odd to me at the moment. I don’t even know where to start. I have so many questions.”
“And hurt feelings,” her aunt said. “You and my kids were the victims here. I will tell you, my father doesn’t know you are in town. I’m not ready to say anything or if I’m going to at all. It might hurt to hear this, but I need to be honest with you.”
“Is he a threat to her?” Eli asked standing up fully. He looked ready to pick her up and run for the door, covering her like Captain America’s shield again.
“No. Not like you think. Have a seat and I’ll start.”
“Please do.”
“My brother was the apple of my parents’ eye. The oldest and a little bit of a Mama’s Boy. My father had grand plans for Ben.”
“Politics?” she asked. “I did see that when I did some research though he never talked about desiring that, that I can rem
ember.”
“Yes. When he went to France, my father was thrilled. Getting my father’s approval wasn’t easy.”
“I have the feeling you are still trying to get it,” she asked. “I don’t mean any disrespect by saying that.”
“None taken. You would be right. I’ve worked hard to prove my worth in the business, as have my children. Most would say why bother and move on, but Kingston Law has been in our family for generations. It’s a legacy I don’t want to lose.”
“Grandfather has taken Roman under his wing,” Riva said. “But once he retires, we’ll do things our way. If he ever steps down.”
“Ah. I get it. It’s a male thing? Are you being primed for politics too?” she asked her cousin.
“No. I made it clear it’s not what I want. I’m not a pushover,” Roman said firmly.
Her aunt sighed. “I’m not either. My children are respectful, but they don’t understand the way things were years ago. As Riva said, we are biding our time. It may sound horrible to some, but it’s the way it is. Moving forward, Ben met and fell in love with Adrienne Dubois. What a beautiful full of life woman she was.”
“One that you and your father didn’t approve of?” she asked.
“Correct. For me, I just wanted my brother happy. My father and mother, they weren’t thrilled with your mother’s history. Her appearance in the tabloids in her country ruffled some feathers of the Southern upbringing we had.”
“I’m aware my mother had a wild side in her youth; however, when she met my father she changed.”
“She did. But my father was not happy that his plans for Ben weren’t going to come to fruition. My mother was devastated that she lost her son to another woman. One in another country.”
“And one she didn’t approve of either?” Eli asked.
“Yes. My parents tried to talk Ben out of the wedding. They tried it all. Money, threats, bribes. He and I were close and he confided in me. All it did was push Ben to marry sooner.”
“I’m going to assume my mother was aware she wasn’t liked?” she asked.
“She would have been aware of it. There were a lot of fights and your mother was very outspoken. My father didn’t tolerate being talked to that way.”
“Or by a woman,” Roman said, snickering. “I think I might have liked meeting my aunt.”
Bella grinned. She had to. She wouldn’t talk ill of her parents, but she could see that her cousins had a much more loving and close relationship with their mother than she had with hers. “She didn’t have a problem being heard. She loved my father deeply though,” she said.
“She did,” her aunt agreed. “I knew that. After you were born, we all flew over to meet you. I’m afraid to say that my father tried to convince your father to return to America without your mother.”
“What?”
“It wasn’t pretty and Ben told our father to leave. Your mother and I had some words because she was blaming me when I was just trying to keep the peace.”
“My mother could hold a grudge,” she admitted.
“She could. For years, Ben and I only communicated in secret. It was awful to be so sneaky and I hated it, but it kept the peace in his marriage and made it easier for me to deal with my parents.”
She looked at Eli and could see he was conflicted. She’d bet his family never had anything quite like this in their past.
“I believe my mother discovered that you two were still talking. I remember some colorful fights behind closed doors.”
“I’m sure. And Adrienne was close with her father and brother. Not so much her mother. That is who she rebelled against in her youth, per Ben.”
“She would have told them how my father’s family felt about her,” she said.
“Yes,” her aunt said.
Uncle Oliver and her grandfather would have gone to great lengths to keep her mother from leaving the country and if Ben left, they’d make sure Bella didn’t. That could have been a nightmare back then.
“So this went on for years?” she asked.
“My mother was diagnosed with cancer when you were around ten,” her aunt said. “Ben flew home. They were close and he said there was no way he was staying away from her any longer. That our father wasn’t going to make him.”
Bella smiled softly. “I’m surprised he didn’t talk to his mother secretly like he did you.”
“My father would have found out. You don’t cross Vernon Kingston. My mother was aware I talked with Ben and I was the go-between with them.”
This was amazing to her. That one man could keep the rest of the family apart like this.
“So when my parents died,” Bella said, “Riva said no one told you and when you found out you couldn’t get anyone to return a call to you? I don’t understand that.”
Her aunt took a big breath. “We were aware that Oliver was listed as your guardian. Back to when my mother was sick and Ben flew home to see her, that was the last straw. He told us if anything happened to them, you would remain with Adrienne’s family. My father was livid and said he wouldn’t allow it.”
This could be why her uncle watched over her as much. Maybe more from her father’s family than for political reasons. “What was he going to do? Kidnap me? I was fifteen when they died. Once I was eighteen I was an adult.”
“I’m not sure what my father would have done. I never asked. But when we found out your parents had died, we flew there. I needed to say goodbye to my brother. I needed to see you were okay. You were guarded; everything was in secret. We knew there was an investigation into the death.”
“They blamed my mother for the media following them, didn’t they?” she asked. She knew the story behind her parents’ death. Her mother was recognized out one night, not her father.
“My parents did. And the more that your family hid you, the more my father hated he couldn’t get to you.”
“He wanted you because he couldn’t have you,” Riva said.
“Riva,” her aunt said. “That is uncalled for.”
“It sounds like it’s the truth,” Eli said.
“Sadly, it probably is,” her aunt said. “But that didn’t mean Riva had to say it.”
“I don’t understand why my uncle wouldn’t have told me any of this. I don’t see why I couldn’t have any communication with you. Even after I was an adult. I could have made these decisions on my own. I don’t understand any of this.”
She didn’t want to be upset with her uncle but found that she was furious that he’d keep this from her. Especially for so many years.
Maybe when she was a teen she couldn’t understand, but she was far from that. She was almost thirty years old. She could come and go when she wanted.
And she believed that deep down her uncle knew she’d seek her father’s family out while she was here. If he thought that, why not give his side of the story? Why make her figure it out on her own?
“And you don’t know what to believe?” her aunt asked.
“I don’t. I need to talk to my uncle.”
“You can call and asked him,” Riva said. “I’m sure he won’t deny it.”
She had to tread lightly as she didn’t want them to know her reasons for being here. “He’s unavailable at the moment. I think this is a conversation we need in person too. Can I ask that you don’t tell anyone I was here?”
Her aunt laughed. “I was going to ask you the same thing. We don’t speak your father’s name at the firm. My father can hold a grudge with the best of them. I need to feel things out.”
“How do you know so much about me?” she asked. “Riva seemed to know things and recognized me at Susanna’s office yesterday before we were introduced.”
“I’ve been getting updates on you over the years. I haven’t in a while. The last I knew you were working for Oliver. Living there and seemed happy. I was happy to hear that. I had to be content with it.”
“Why haven’t you ever tried to come to see me?” she asked.
“Your uncle’s rea
ch is far,” her aunt said. “When we went there to find out about the funeral there might have been threats to have us arrested. In a foreign country, it’s not something you can risk.”
Eli started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” Roman asked.
“Let’s say I’m familiar with Oliver’s reach and his threats.”
“But you two are a couple? Did he try to buy you off?” Riva asked. “Like Grandfather tried with your father and my father.”
Interesting, but she wasn’t going to ask those questions. It wasn’t her business and had nothing to do with why she was here other than Vernon Kingston was just another controlling man in her life.
“I’m not for sale,” she said. “And not much scares Eli.”
“Where do we go from here?” Riva asked.
“I don’t know any of you well enough to hold a grudge. It’s not who I am. I’m not going to take on the feelings my parents might have had. I want to believe that you had a relationship with my father just by the fact you’ve kept tabs on me.”
“I did,” her aunt said. “I miss him so much. I never got to say goodbye. My mother died years ago heartbroken. She always thought she could mend the fence and get Ben back. When he died and she couldn’t even see where he was buried... I’m surprised she lived as long as she had.”
“My family would have moved the ends of the earth to get to someone if they had to,” Eli said. “I find it hard to believe one man wields this much power.”
The Bonds wielded power like her uncle did. She was starting to think her grandfather didn’t come close to those levels and that was why he had more bark than bite.
“It was better this way,” Riva said. “Grandfather can make life difficult for us all. If you stay on his good side life is easy.”
“It seems to me you don’t always stay on his good side,” she said, looking at Roman.
“Nope. He says I’m just like him. I tell him not to insult me and he laughs.”
She smiled. She desperately wanted to believe what they were saying to her. She wanted to get to know them more. But she wasn’t going to open her heart up until she heard her uncle’s side of it. Maybe the three in this room were feeding her a bunch of bull.