Embracing Ellie: K&S Securities Series

by A. J. Andersen

  When we finish eating Blake insists on clearing the table while I put Auggie down for his nap. I could get used to this teamwork thing. Mom and I have a routine, but usually when I’m home she’s working, so things like dishes and nap time fall to me to handle alone.

  When I return to the kitchen Blake is waiting by the back door, tall glasses of iced tea in hand.

  “Wanna go sit in the yard?” He asks, quirking an eyebrow at me.

  “Yes. Let me go tell Mama to listen for Auggie. Meet you out there?” I hurry to answer.

  “Okay,” he leans forward, “but kiss me first.”

  My heart races. There is no way I could turn that down. Closing the space between us I place my trembling hands on his raspy cheeks and press my lips against his, lingering for a moment before stepping back. “Be right back.” I murmur, spinning and jogging down the hall one more time.

  Tiptoeing into my mom’s room I ask quietly, “Mama, can you listen for Agustus so I can sit in the yard with Blake?”

  “I have taken care of children when I’m sick, querida,” Mama reminds me with a laugh.

  “I know Mama,” I say, “it’s just…”

  “It’s just that you try to shoulder the burden for everything, but you don’t have to do that. I’m capable of taking care of Auggie and Lizzie. You need to take time for yourself, Elinor. I’m glad that you have met someone who is helping you slow down a little. It’s not good to be pushing yourself all the time the way you do.”

  I blink my eyes in shock, I had no idea that Mom was aware of how I’ve been feeling, let alone had been worried about me, but the relief in her voice makes it evident that she has been.

  “It’s hard, Mama.” I admit. I know that she understands what I mean.

  “I know sweetie, it is hard. Everything you do is appreciated, even when we forget to tell you.” She rises from her bed, pulling me into a tight hug, rubbing her hand soothingly over my back.

  “Now go spend some time with that nice boy of yours.” She directs, pushing me gently toward the hall. “And don’t forget to wash your hands again.”

  “He’s not a boy Mama,” I laugh, doing as she said and hurrying toward where I know he’s waiting for me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Blake

  It’s like being in high school again. Or maybe what high school would have felt like if I’d had a normal teenage experience instead of the one I had. Pulling to a stop on the street outside of Ellie’s house in the early morning light I wait for my girl to come jogging out. She texted me that she was running late because she couldn’t find her shoe. I’m not sure exactly how a shoe goes missing, but I’ve never lived in a house with three women and a little boy before. She says it’s normal.

  Our drives are the only time that we get to spend alone. With Xavier’s uncle Dominic still on the loose and causing trouble I barely have time to think about anything except for how to tighten security and locate the man before he wreaks anymore havoc in Xavier and Ana’s lives. Ellie and I sneak brief moments, but they are just that. Moments passing in the halls, stealing a quick kiss or eating a hurried lunch outside. At least I can usually find her on the security cameras and check on her that way. My biggest concern is making sure that Lawrence is staying away from her now that she isn’t covering as many shifts in the cafe.

  Neither of us have told anyone about our growing relationship. Her family knows, and I’m pretty sure that our friends suspect that something’s going on. On the few occasions we’ve all been in the same place at the same time Ellie gets nervous. I know it’s because she isn’t ready for everyone to know. I, on the other hand, am ready to announce that she is mine from the rooftops and the only reason I haven’t is because I know she isn’t ready for that. I understand, things are moving fast between us, but I’m almost finished with waiting.

  The sound of her sweet voice calling out a goodbye and the front door slamming alerts me that she’s on her way out. I quickly exit the car and round the front, opening the door in time for her to get in. She jumps into my arms instead, barefoot and giggling. She looks less tired now that everyone is feeling better and she’s working less. I’m also taking some credit for her being able to get more rest. Picking her up and driving her home every day saves her the time that she would usually have to be on the bus, so she gets to sleep in a bit. I like knowing that my being in her life is, in some small way, making things easier for her.

  “Where’s your shoes?” I grumble, only half concerned by her lack of footwear.

  “In my bag, silly. I can’t go to work without shoes!” she laughs, hugging my neck and wrapping her legs around my waist and holding on tighter when I move to lower her into the passenger seat.

  “Is there something you want, angel?” I tease, knowing full well that she isn’t going to let me put her down until I’ve kissed her good morning.

  “No, Mr. Stone, but there is something that I need.” Her emphasis on the word need sends a jolt of lust raging through me, making me even more aware of how the thin fabric of her dress is bunched up around her hips leaving just the barrier of her panties and my t-shirt between her hot little pussy and the hard muscles of my abdomen. I’ll wait for as long as she wants, but God help me, I hope it isn’t too much longer.

  “And just what is it that you need, Miss Lovell?” I rasp, burying my face in the soft space between her neck and shoulder, inhaling the sweet scent of light floral soap and warm woman. My woman.

  “Everything.” She whispers so softly against my ear that for an instant I think maybe I didn’t hear her right.

  “Everything?” I whisper back.

  “Um hm.” She mumbles, tucking her face into my neck and refusing to look at me. Fisting my hand around her thick, dark ponytail I tug carefully until she meets my eyes, her cheeks flushed a bright pink and her eyes shining with anticipation. Capturing her mouth with mine I kiss her chastely, mindful of the probability that Lizzie or Beatriz is watching from the window and finally lower her into her seat and buckle her in. Once she is secure, I brush my lips over her cheek and nip her small earlobe bringing a shuddering sigh to her lips, before husking softly, “I can give you everything, babe.”

  She gasps and I back away, closing her door and making my way back to the drivers’ seat and sliding behind the wheel. She stares at me with surprise in her melted chocolate eyes. Her lush breasts are heaving slightly under her drab, grey dress and thin cardigan. There is a throbbing pulse at the base of her throat.

  “Let’s get to work first, and tonight maybe I can steal you away from your family so we can have a real date.”

  Her cheeks flush even brighter and she covers them with her hands, eyelids drifting shut and closing me out for a couple of beats while she gathers her composure. My quietly spoken promise has unnerved her. She is the perfect combination of innocent maiden and brazen temptress all rolled up in one sweet little package. I can’t wait to unwrap her layer by layer, and I don’t just mean her clothing. Shifting the car into gear I head back toward the city, taking the now-familiar route, her slim fingers wrapped in mine. I can feel her gaze on me, but every time I take my eyes off the road to look her way, she is looking out the window with a flirty smile curving her lips.

  Leaving Ellie in the parking garage gets harder every day. What I want is to walk inside with her hand in mine so there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that we’re together. I haven’t quite figured out what the holdup is about announcing our new relationship, but something has her wanting to keep it quiet for the time being. It’s okay, I suppose. I don’t like it, but the endgame is earning her trust and if this is what it takes then this is how it’ll go. For now. At least she doesn’t insist that I drop her off on the street so she can walk in alone like she did the first few times I drove her to work. Progress is progress and if we keep moving in the right direction, I won’t push. Even though every instinct in me says I should stake my claim.

  Opening her car door, I take her hand and help her to the ground, swee
ping my lips across hers. With a small moan she clutches the open edges of my flannel, her lips part beneath mine, granting my seeking tongue access to her honey sweet flavor. After a long, teasing moment she steps back, breaking our connection.

  “I’d better get going,” she sighs, still not releasing her handful of fabric. “Margot will have me scrubbing bathrooms if I’m late.” One by one her fingers unfurl, letting me go as she creeps backward, widening the space between us. I’m torn between laughter at her obvious reluctance and pulling her back into my arms. She’s moved far enough that she is now pulling my shirt open and still not letting go, so I don’t think she would object. Much.

  A voice clearing expectantly behind me makes Ellie jump. Her hand lets go so she can peek around me to see who witnessed our kiss. Her face pales and she audibly gasps. I don’t need to see him to know who it is. My back stiffens and my hands ball into fists, ready to defend her from whatever is coming.

  “Good morning, Elinor, I see that you’re taking your slutty behavior to a whole new level,” the cruel voice sneers.

  I can’t believe he has the balls to say shit like that in front of me. Suddenly it hits me. This is what’s been holding Ellie back. Exactly this. She knew this would happen. He’s not going to let up on her now. A bully like him will always press what they see as an advantage, and he’s sure to say something to make Ellie think that we’re breaking a rule. My angel likes to follow the rules, and I know she won’t make any exceptions. This isn’t going to be good. Damage control. I need to fix this.

  “Neither of you is on the clock yet,” I snap, unable to stop myself. The way her shoulders straighten, and her eyes lose their spark, I know speaking up wasn’t what she wanted me to do.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Stone. Lawrence.” Her voice is shaking. She smiles, but it’s the fakest expression I have ever seen on her face. Her eyes flit to mine briefly, too many emotions in their endless depths for me to even begin to decipher, and she shakes her head. Sorrow, disappointment and regret. I see them all in the eternal moment before she breaks our connection and walks away. I open my mouth to say something to stop her but the satisfied gleam in Larry’s eyes tells me that would only give him fuel for his fire. He’s already gained enough ammo to torment Ellie today. I refuse to give him anything else. Because of me she’s going to have a bad day. Fuck!

  Narrowing my eyes threateningly, I push by him, purposely driving my shoulder into his as I pass, forcing him to stumble back a step before regaining his balance. Without further acknowledgement of his presence I follow Ellie, but she’s already through the door and gone from sight. Fuck! I played that all wrong. I thought women liked their man to stand up for them. Knowing that she’s working in housekeeping today, I go there first to do a walk through that isn’t needed, but it serves the purpose of allowing me to check the assignment board so I’ll know where to find her today.

  After making a quick round of the ground floor hoping to locate Ellie, I make my way to the security office. It’s where Travis will most likely be if he isn’t still holed up in his apartment with Faye. I’ve never seen so little of my best friend since the day we met in boot camp. I’m delighted for him though. Faye’s absence from his life and his worry about her well-being was a heavy weight he carried around since the day we met. His constant tension has dissipated now, leaving him less intense and happier. The right woman makes us better men. I never understood that before, but now that I have Ellie in my life I do.

  Travis isn’t there.

  Geno, Xavier’s head of security is, though. His phone is in his hand and over his shoulder I register the name Starla on the screen before he powers the device off and slips it into his pocket.

  “Blake,” he rises, reaching out for a formal handshake like he always does. Geno’s a big dude. He’s about my height and is built like a brick shithouse. I wonder what he did in New York before he came out here with X. A web of light scars crisscrosses the backs of his meaty hands and there is a wide one cutting through his eyebrow. The guy’s a fighter, I guarantee it, but that’s all I know. He plays his cards close to his chest and doesn’t give much away.

  “Geno. How’s things?” I ask, pulling a chair over toward the multitude of small screens that fill one large portion of the wall. We plan to triple the surveillance, so by the time I’m done with this place, the entire wall is going to be covered with them.

  “Nothing much going on,” he indicates the live footage streaming in. “We had a few drunks last night who thought they could cheat at cards, but nothing that wasn’t easily handled.”

  I nod, seems like something they’d be used to seeing in a casino.

  “Any sign of Xavier’s uncle?” I ask, it’s the most important question to Travis and X right now. I’d like to see the bastard pay for putting two innocent women in harm’s way like he did. A week ago, I couldn’t fully comprehend the depth of rage they were feeling over what happened to Ana and Faye. Now I know that I’d go to any lengths necessary to make sure that anyone who hurt Ellie would pay for it.

  “Nope,” there is a wealth of weight behind that single word. I know that Geno wants to find Dominic Cerelli as badly as anyone else, though he hasn’t dropped any hint about why that might be. Not to me anyway. I know there’s a reason, there always is. I guess time will tell. Secrets always seem to end up being revealed.

  Settling into my chair, I slide the keyboard close and click a few times, cycling through camera views until I locate Ellie walking down the quiet corridor on the ninth floor. Her shoulders are slumped, her face sad, making me want nothing more than to rush to her side even though I know she wouldn’t welcome me right now. She already looks tired from pushing the heavy cart in front of her. Seriously, who thought those were a good thing for any of the housekeepers to be pushing around? There must be a better option. I’m surprised there haven’t been any injuries. Come to think of it, maybe there have been.

  “Geno, can we pull HR files?”

  “Well,” he hesitates, “we do have access to them. Why?” He’s looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.

  “Those carts the housekeepers use,” I don’t see any reason to lie, “are too big, don’t you think?” He glances to the screen I’d been monitoring. Ellie is still there, clear as day, struggling to push the heavily burdened cart down the hall.

  “You know, they really are, aren’t they?” he sounds genuinely surprised. Like it’s the first time he’s even noticed the housekeepers.

  “You never noticed?” I ask.

  He has the good grace to look sheepish. “I should have,” he says. “I sit here half of the day watching them come and go. I should have brought that,” he points at Ellie fighting the stiff wheels of her cart over the threshold into a room, “to Xavier’s attention our first day here.”

  “You were looking for threats,” I slap my hand onto the desk, pulling his gaze off Ellie and back to me, where it belongs. He nods. “Then you were focused on doing your job. Don’t beat yourself up.”

  “Easy for you to say. You noticed it’s a problem in only a couple of weeks. I’ve been here more than six months.” His expression is grim as he swivels back to face his own screens. Beneath his breath I catch his muttered words, “Should kick my own ass.”

  I silently chuckle. I may not have noticed either if I didn’t have a vested interest in Ellie, but I don’t have to tell Geno that. Let him think what he wants. I’ve been here long enough to know he’s not looking forward to telling Xavier that he missed something that should have been taken care of months ago.

  “Glad I brought it to your attention then,” his hand comes up and the sleeve of his black sport coat slips up a fraction exposing dark tattoos. He does a good job keeping his ink hidden. This is the first time I’ve ever caught a glimpse of it. I don’t know why he would keep them hidden, Travis and I wear ours proudly. Xavier’s are usually covered up too, now that I think of it, but he doesn’t go to the same lengths to keep his hidden as it appears that Geno does. I’m not
sure why that is. Now I have something else to figure out.

  I’m trying to frame a way to dig for an answer when the door opens behind us and we both turn to face Travis as he enters the room.

  “Come on,” he looks at me and jerks his head toward the door.

  “You gonna be okay alone till someone gets here?” I ask Geno who nods and turns back to his post.

  “Okay, boss. Where are we going?” I can tell by the look on his face that something’s happened. My stomach plummets to my knees. My first thought being that something has happened to Ellie, but I was literally just watching her on the screen. I know that other than working too hard, she’s fine.

  “X thinks the penthouse or his office might be under surveillance.”

  “Bugs? Or something else?” I ask, my mind already going to what equipment I will need to get from my room.

  He shrugs, “He didn’t say. Just that he wanted us to come take a look around and see if we can find anything.”

  “I have to get a couple things,” I say, pressing the appropriate button on the lit-up panel.

  “Where have you been running off to lately?”

  Travis’ question doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been unavailable this past week more than I ever have before. I have no doubt that he’s curious, but until Ellie and I talk I’m not telling anyone anything. Not even my best friend.

  “Been busy,” I grunt in response, relieved when the doors slide open with a ding, ending the conversation. Without a backward glance I stride to the door of my room and slide the key card. The room is cool and dark with the blinds closed, but I know what I’m looking for and right where it’s at.

  Travis is waiting by the door when I come out of the bedroom. He doesn’t bring up my frequent absences again. “Got what you need?” he nods at the device in my hand.