by HELEN HARDT
“Braden, please.”
Dan nods. “Braden, you seem to know this Garrett. I need to get in touch with him.”
“Not a problem,” Braden says. “If Garrett Ramirez gave Tessa ketamine, I will find out.”
“Thank you,” Carlotta says. “But what can we do now? The deed is done. I’m just thankful Tessa is all right.”
“We’re all thankful for that,” Braden agrees, “but I will look into this. I’ve looked the other way far too long.”
Chapter Forty-Three
“What did you mean back there,” I finally get up the nerve to ask, when Braden and I are back at his place, “when you said you’ve looked the other way far too long?”
He sighs. “Remember when I showed up at the MADD gala, and Peter Reardon stayed away from you after that?”
“How could I forget?”
“I didn’t want you with him because I wanted you, but that wasn’t the only reason.”
“Oh?”
“I’d already decided his father’s firm wasn’t going to get my contract, even though their bid came in the lowest.”
“Are they not good architects?”
“They’re excellent architects, actually. I just don’t like the way they do business.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“They’re not the most ethical people, and it begins at the top with Peter’s father, Beau Reardon.”
“Braden, Betsy is dating Peter now. And they got cuddly awfully quickly. You don’t think…?”
“It’s possible. I hear things in my circles that don’t become common knowledge. Beau Reardon sometimes uses unconventional methods to get what he wants.” Braden’s eyes are dark with anger. “I’ll take care of it,” he says succinctly.
“How?”
“Does it matter?”
“Well…yeah. I don’t want you getting into trouble.”
“I won’t get into any trouble. Don’t worry. But the Reardons and Garrett will wish they’d never crossed a friend of mine when I’m done with them. Now, let’s get you that warm bath I promised you.”
…
I lean back against Braden’s hard chest and let the warm and fragrant water soothe every part of me. Yeah, my sore ass needs it, but the rest of my body needs it no less. This night has given stress a new meaning. I close my eyes.
At least Tessa’s okay.
I have more questions. So many more. Like how did Addison end up at the convenience store across the street from Tessa’s after midnight? For that matter, how does Addie always know everything about Braden and me?
Is she stalking me? Is she still stalking Braden? If she is, he must know. He has eyes and ears everywhere.
I can’t ask, though. At least not now, when I’m breathing in the soothing lavender steam from this amazing bath. Braden turned the jets onto low, so they give the water just the gentlest of swirls, as if we’re bathing in a lovely natural hot spring.
He moves his hand slowly up and down my arm, just the whisper of a touch, and it soothes me.
I’ll figure everything out.
Later.
…
My eyes pop open. The sun streams through Braden’s bedroom windows. I turn my head. No Braden. Then I sit up and grab my phone from the nightstand.
No way! One p.m.?
Makes sense, I guess. We were up almost until morning waiting for news on Tessa. Then we came back here and bathed together, which was amazingly sensual.
I rise, pad over to Braden’s closet, and grab one of his shirts. I button it around me and breathe in his piney and masculine scent—my favorite perfume in the world. Then I grab my phone and call Carlotta. She lets me talk to Tessa.
“Hey, Skye.” Tessa’s voice is a little hoarse, but she sounds…okay.
“Tess, thank God. How are you?”
“Tired. But okay. Very thankful for you and Braden.”
“Please. If I’d been with you in the first—”
“Stop,” she interrupts. “Don’t go there. Don’t do that to yourself. I’m an adult. At least now I know why I was acting so strangely.”
Fresh anger ignites in me. “I can’t believe Garrett. Braden’s going to take care of this.”
“Good.” Tessa lets out a hoarse scoff. “Tell him to let the pig have it.”
“Don’t worry. I will. When are they springing you?”
“Today,” she says. “Mom’s staying with me for a while. I couldn’t talk her out of it.” She coughs softly.
“I don’t want to keep you. You need to rest. Do you want me to come by?”
“No. I think I’ll take some time to hang with my mom. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. Whatever you need. I’m here if you need me.”
“I know. Thanks, Skye.”
I end the call and walk out of the room. “Braden?”
“In the office.”
I follow the sound of his voice to his home office. He sits behind his desk, staring at his laptop screen.
“Hey,” I say.
“Good morning. Or should I say good afternoon.” He finally looks up and sucks in a breath. “You look fucking sexy in my shirt.”
I smile. I can’t help it. The soft cotton against my body infused with his scent. I feel sexy in this shirt.
“What are you working on?”
“Nothing that can’t wait. Come here.” He moves his hand downward.
Once I’m behind his desk, I see that he’s freed his cock from his lounge pants. I part my lips.
“Fuck, you’re sexy,” he says. “Climb on, Skye.”
I’m wet already. No surprise there. Braden’s mere presence makes me wet and ready, and right now, with his tousled bedhead and heavy eyelids, I’m ready to pounce.
I climb onto his lap and straddle him, slowly easing down onto his erection.
“God…” I groan.
His moan meets my own as we sit immobile for a few seconds, and I relish the feeling of him deeply embedded inside me.
“Fuck.” He inhales. “I can’t get enough of you. Never enough.”
He takes charge then, and grips my hips, lifting me until his cock head is only teasing my pussy lips. He holds me there for a minute, my nipples abrading the cotton of his shirt. I struggle against his strength, trying to sink back down so I’m complete again, and just when I think I may seriously lose my cool, he finally pushes me back down onto his hardness.
It’s quick. It’s lusty. It’s not romantic at all, but I don’t care.
It’s us.
Simply us.
He grasps me harder and harder, and I feel like a piston on an engine. And I love it. I love it so much. The pressure builds inside me, and before I know it, an orgasm is imminent. “Braden! I’m going to come. God!”
“Do it, baby. Do it. Come.”
With his words, I shatter, only to be forced together at the molecular level as I stare into his mesmerizing blue eyes.
Those eyes look at me with wonder.
With awe.
With lust.
With love.
“I love you,” I say between breaths. “I love you so much.”
He jams me down hard onto his cock, and as my climax continues, I feel every spurt of his.
Every last one.
I lay my head on his hard shoulder, still panting. He did all the work, but still my breath comes in sharp rasps. The climax. Braden. All of it. He literally takes my breath away.
I smile against his shoulder. This is so not us. Every lovemaking session is usually a huge deal. Either he’s thought it out ahead of time, or he comes up with it spur of the moment. Either way, it lasts way longer than the few minutes of this one.
I wasn’t bound. I wasn’t told to focus on one sense. I wasn’t told not to talk.
&nb
sp; Even so, I didn’t speak, except to tell him I was coming and that I loved him. I didn’t move, so I may as well have been bound. And though I wasn’t told to focus, I focused anyway, on each movement. On his scent.
On everything about this precious moment in time.
We’ve come to a new understanding, Braden and I.
And I’m all in.
“Skye,” he says into my hair.
“Hmm?”
“Have you checked on Tessa?”
“Yeah. She’s being released today. Her mom is moving in with her for a while to take care of her.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“Sure. Carlotta’s great.”
“I mean”—he pushes a stray strand of hair out of my eyes—“do you need to be here for her?”
“No. I’ll only get in Carlotta’s way. Tess and I talked. She wants some time with her mom.”
“All right, then.”
I close my eyes, feeling dreamy. “All right what?”
“We’re going back to New York. Tonight.”
Chapter Forty-Four
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The selfie is me puckering like a fish, and believe it or not, I don’t look butt ugly. It’s a fun pose for a fun post. Already the likes are heating up.
I don’t have to look perfect in each shot. I’m not Addison Ames. I’m Skye. Imperfect Skye. And I’m beginning to see the merit in that—what Eugenie and the rest of the Susanne staff see.
It’s okay to not be perfect, because you know what? Not one of us is.
Addie may think she is. Some of her followers may even believe it.
I know she’s not.
And I wish I hadn’t started thinking about Addie, because now I have more questions for Braden.
No.
No.
No.
I’ll let him come to me in his own time.
We’re heading to New York in a few hours. I’ve already contacted Eugenie and we’re set to meet tomorrow with dinner in the evening.
And then…Black Rose Underground?
I don’t know.
Braden seems distant. Not distant toward me. He’s been very affectionate. But he hasn’t mentioned the club. We’ve done the anal sex taboo, and I’m yearning for more. Candle play intrigues me. I still like the idea of neck binding, but it’s a hard limit for Braden, and I understand. Just as I know he understands my hard limits. Blood sports, for example, which I didn’t even know existed until he told me about them.
Not a hard limit for him. He made it emphatically clear he only has one hard limit. Has he done blood sports? Do I even want to know?
Plus, he was just in New York, and this new trip came up quite suddenly. Something’s brewing in his head. I wish he’d confide in me, but I know better than to ask. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.
I can’t push him. I won’t. I’m learning to gauge his moods and his needs. At the same time, I’m learning how to control my own needs. Yes, I want to know all these things. I’m curious. But I can exist without knowing.
It’s freeing, really, to let someone else take charge.
Tessa always tried to tell me. Let your hair down, Skye.
She was right.
Though her “let your hair down” attitude may have gotten her into some trouble. Thank goodness she’s going to be all right. In fact…I want to see her. Sure, she said she’s fine, but I don’t feel right leaving Boston without seeing it for myself.
I finish packing my small suitcase for New York. Braden is still in his office. I knock softly and then enter. “Hey.”
“I’m almost finished,” he says.
“Great. I’m going to go see Tessa. She should be home by now. Her mom’s going to stay at her place for a while, but I want to see her before we leave.”
He nods. “Be back in two hours. That’ll give us enough time to get to the airport.”
“I will.” I grab my phone. “Just going to catch an Uber.”
“No need. A car’s waiting downstairs for you.”
“Is Christopher back?”
“No. I ordered a car today in case we needed one, and it turns out we do. I’d go with you, but I need to finish up this document.”
“It’s okay. I understand. I don’t want to overwhelm her.”
“You think I’d overwhelm her?”
“Braden”—I try not to laugh—“you overwhelm everyone.”
The left side of his mouth twitches slightly. He’s trying not to smile. I can’t help myself. I laugh. I laugh like I’ve never laughed before. “You try so hard to be stoic all the time. Why? Let yourself go, Braden!”
“You sound like Tessa,” he says.
“Yes, I do. And she has a point. Let it out! Let yourself laugh! For God’s sake, I’m right and you know it. You do overwhelm everyone. It’s who you are. Love yourself for who you are. Let it out!”
A smile forms on his lips. “Oh, Skye,” he says. “You don’t want me to let it out.”
“Of course I do. Be happy!”
“I am happy. You know that. I’m happier than I’ve ever been with you.”
His words warm me. Make me feel all cuddly like a teddy bear. “That’s not what I mean, though I’m really glad about that. What I mean is that life sucks sometimes. We’ve had a few rough times. But we’re back together. Tessa’s going to be okay. Life is good, Braden. Enjoy it.”
Braden’s eyes smolder. “You really want me to let myself go?”
“Yes. I really do.”
“Are you sure? Because I’m not sure you know what you’re asking for.”
My legs weaken, and I quiver all over. He’s turning this into something sexual, and my body is all in already. Has he truly never let himself go sexually?
And if so, what does that mean for me?
“Maybe I don’t know what I’m asking for,” I tell him. “Most of what you’ve shown me has been new to me. But I love you, Braden, and I’m willing to go wherever you want.”
His gaze burns into mine. “We’ll see about that when we get to New York.”
I’m so ripe from his words and gaze alone I’m ready to pounce on him again.
But I need to see Tessa.
“I’ll be back,” I say.
“Give Tessa and her folks my best.”
“I will. Thanks for being there with me last night.”
“Skye, where else on earth would I be other than with the woman I love?”
I nearly swoon. Nearly melt into a puddle right there on the floor. How is it possible that I got so lucky to have Braden Black fall in love with me?
I don’t understand it half the time.
Right now, though, I need to see Tessa. I smile at Braden and turn to leave his office.
…
“I remember all of it,” Tessa says to me, lying on her couch in bright red—so very Tessa—flannel pajamas. “And no, I didn’t take any drugs last night. Certainly not ketamine.”
“It’s good that you remember. You didn’t get enough to cause any amnesia.”
“Do you really think Garrett drugged me?”
I shake my head. “I honestly don’t know, but last night, while you were going through all this, I started thinking. That night when we went clubbing, and it was Betsy’s first date with Peter, she seemed to get friendly with him really quickly. I mean, more quickly than I’d have thought she would.”
“You and I have only known her for a little while.”
“True,” I say, “but I thought I had a pretty good feel for who she is.”
“In other words, I might sleep with a guy I just met but Betsy wouldn’t?”
“Well
…yeah. You’re Tessa, and she’s Betsy. What made me think something might be going on with you was that you were so distraught over Garrett leaving last night. That’s not you, Tess. You’re usually a ‘whatever’ kind of girl, you know?”
She inhales. “I’ve been doing some thinking of my own.”
“And…?”
“You’re right. I haven’t been myself the last couple times with Garrett. When he started calling me after I caught him with Lolita, I told him to fuck off. It wasn’t until he showed up at yoga that I even considered giving him another chance. Then last night… I’m sorry, Skye.”
“For what?”
“For blaming you. Laying a guilt trip on you for not going to dinner with us. I made my own choice to sleep with him.”
“Are you sure it was your choice? It may have been the drugs.”
“It felt like my choice,” she says, “but at this point, I just don’t know. I mean, I’m not going to cry rape. I don’t have any regrets. My only regret is getting all teary-eyed over him leaving. I must have been a complete flake.”
“No, not at all. But I just kept thinking that it wasn’t like you.”
“You’re right. It wasn’t. Thinking about it now, I kind of want to hurl.”
“You’ve hurled enough.”
She shakes her head. “Ketamine. I can’t even believe it.”
“Tess…”
“Yeah?”
“What about the ecstasy you took? The last time?”
“Not my finest moment.”
“Where’d you get it?”
“One guess.”
“Garrett?”
“Peter, actually. He had it at the club that night. Betsy wouldn’t touch it. I took it but just put it in my purse. Then, after the whole Garrett thing, I said what the hell?”
I’m not sure what to say, so I say nothing.
“I know,” she says. “You’re thinking that isn’t like me.”
“No, but you weren’t on ketamine that night.”
“I wasn’t. Or I don’t think I was. Who the fuck knows anymore? Ketamine isn’t the only date rape drug. I’m more than a little freaked out by this.”
“So am I.”
“It’ll be a long time before I accept a drink from anyone that I haven’t had analyzed first,” she says. “I’m thinking my days of clubbing are over.”