by Loni Ree
She turns in my arms and leans up to kiss me. “I won’t turn down the massage, but your sister has all of two suitcases and a couple of boxes. It’s not going to be a huge job.”
On my way out the door, I manage to persuade Elyse to take my SUV so they can move Rachel’s shit in one trip. She fights me since she’s not used to the huge vehicle, but I win in the end. Elyse does get a little dig in. “What is it about men and their need for big toys?” She looks at me, and her eyes trail down the front of my jeans.
After grabbing her without warning, I toss her perfect body over my shoulder and spank her curvy ass a few times. “You know I don’t have anything to compensate for, so don’t go there,” I grunt in between smacks. As she squirms around on my shoulder, all the blood in my body flows directly to my cock. I turn my head to the side and take a little bite out of her side, causing her to squeak. It takes all of my self-control to release her. The heat shining from Elyse’s dark brown eyes when I place her back on the ground nearly causes me to say to hell with my meetings.
Elyse shocks the hell out of me when she runs her hand over the front of my cock then smiles seductively. “Maybe tonight you can remind me of what you have to work with.” Then she playfully winks, and I know at that moment this girl will own me, heart and soul, for the rest of my life.
Before she walks out the door, I slide my arms around her waist and bury my face in her sweet-smelling hair. “God, I love you. Now, get your smart-ass home early so I can prove to you just how much.”
She waves while driving away, and I realize it’ll be another unbearable day without her. It won’t take much for those assholes at the shop to get me to snap today. Luckily, I’ll be gone most of the day.
After Rachel moves into Elyse’s old apartment, things settle down a little. Rachel and Zander mostly ignore each other, and all our lives get a little easier. Since the apartment is a glorified broom closet, there’s barely enough room for one person to live, much less two, so when Elyse’s lease expires, I convince her to give it up and let Rachel take over. Now, I have Elyse living with me permanently, and the Hendersons have Rachel as a new tenant.
After several weeks, we all settle into a normal pattern. I hate that Elyse is determined to continue working at the hospital and volunteering at the animal shelter. There hasn’t been any more trouble, so the police assume the break-in at the shop was a random act, but I still worry about Elyse any time she’s out of my sight.
It’s Friday night, and I’m looking forward to a relaxing night out. It’s been a busy week, and I’ve hardly gotten the chance to see my woman at all. Elyse is sitting at the breakfast bar playing on her computer when I walk in the door. All the exhaustion drains from my body and is replaced with intense desire for my girl. She looks up at me and smiles before I walk over and kiss her until she’s clinging to me. With her eyes glazed over, Elyse blinks a couple of times and bites my bottom lip. “Nice way to say hello. I was starting to wonder if you’d make it home in time for the six forty-five show.” A new theater just opened up in town, and we’ve been dying to try it out. You actually eat dinner while watching your movie in huge heated recliners. I’m also hoping it’s mostly empty so I can mess around with my girl a little.
After the waiter takes our orders, I push the armrest up between our seats and pull Elyse over next to me. We’re sitting on the last row at the top of the mostly empty theater, and I plan to take advantage of the situation. The waiter brings our drinks and warns us it’ll be at least thirty minutes until our food arrives, so I decide to use my time wisely. When I slip my hand around her waist and inside the waistband of her yoga pants, Elyse stiffens a little. Leaning over, I whisper in her ear, “Thank God, you wore these pants like I requested. It’ll make things much easier for me.” No one is around to see what I’m doing, but her long shirt hides my actions anyway. My fingers slip down past the edge of her thong, and I feel her breath catch as I rub her clit.
Elyse squirms in the seat, and I push a little harder before sliding a finger into her wet center and thrusting deep. Her quiet moan reaches my ears, and my eyes nearly roll back in my head when she unzips my jeans and slips inside to graze the head of my cock. She lays her head on my shoulder and bites the side of my neck then quietly inquires, “No underwear? Planned ahead?”
“I had hopes,” I manage to grunt as her thumb rolls the cum around the head of my cock. Elyse surprises the fuck out of me by sliding down over my lap and pulling my aching cock out of my pants. When her lips close over the tip and she runs her tongue around the sensitive skin, I tell myself I’ll pay the fucking fine if we get caught.
I reach down and squeeze her beautiful ass then slip two of my fingers into her tight pussy from behind. She groans around my cock, and I know it’s time to give her a warning. “I’m about to come in your mouth.”
When Elyse sucks even harder, jets of cum hit the back of her throat, and I thrust my fingers into her silky core until her pussy starts pulsing around my digits. She sits up, and I pull her close to kiss her. My fingers slip back into her wet pussy, and I rub her clit while swallowing her cries as she continues to orgasm.
I have no idea what movie is even playing on the massive screen, and neither of us touches our food, but it’s the best date we’ve ever had. Elyse squeezes my hand as we walk through the lobby. “We need to do a movie date every weekend I have off.”
I’m leaning down to suggest she quit work so we can have one every weekend when my shoulder is shoved and the little dickhead I fired loudly announces across the lobby, “This is the mob-connected asshole everyone in town should run from.”
Elyse takes hold of my arm as I step forward to grab the little son-of-a-bitch. I hear her pleas over the roaring in my ears. “Ignore him. Everyone in town knows that Tony Durmont is a lying little thuglet.”
I fucking see red. My vision literally turns red when the motherfucker turns to my girl and snarls, “You fucking cunt.” It takes the security guard and a couple of men to pull me off of the little fucker. Since he ends up with a broken nose and two black eyes, I almost end up behind bars, except the little fucker has an outstanding warrant, and there are plenty of witnesses reporting that he touched me first.
Later that night, we’re sitting on my sofa, and Elyse is icing my hand when I ask her, “How do you know that douchebag?”
She looks up and bites her lip for a second before kissing my cheek. “I could lose my job for telling you this, so please don’t repeat it, but he’s a known drug-seeker at the hospital. He comes in all the time, claiming to have injuries, hoping the doctors will give him narcotics.”
I kiss her and smile. “You don’t have to worry. I’d never do anything to hurt you. Now, I have a boo-boo I need you to kiss and make better.” She lifts the ice pack and leans down, but I stop her. “That isn’t the one I’m talking about.” Passion flares in her eyes as I stand up and lift her. I drop the ice pack on the bench in the hall and run up the stairs with Elyse thrown over my shoulder.
The next morning, I step out of the shower and stop to watch Elyse blow-drying her long brown hair. I can’t imagine my life without her at this point, and I’m struggling with how our relationship stands right now. It’s been five months, and I’m ready to make our relationship permanent. Part of me is scared shitless, but the other part of me knows I’ve never had a choice in the matter. Not since the day Elyse looked up at me and stole my heart right out of my chest. She smiles at me in the mirror and raises an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
“Just thinking about how much I love you.”
She drops the hairdryer on the counter and spins around. As her soft arms wrap around my waist, I breathe in her familiar scent. She sighs against my chest. “I love you, too. So much.”
“Then, you’ll quit your job and let me take care of you?” Elyse’s head pops up, and her mouth is hanging open.
She opens and closes it several times, and her arms fall limply to her sides. When she looks up, I see tears in her eyes. My
heart drops into my toes, and I wonder what the fuck is bothering my woman. A hiccup rumbles up her throat. “Do you want to live together permanently?”
Fuck! I’m such an asshole. I realize I’m fucking this up royally. I take Elyse’s hand and pull her into the bedroom. After gently pushing her down onto the bed, I kneel in front of her and open the bedside table. Reaching inside, I pull out my gun case and open it. Several months ago, I hid her engagement ring inside of it. When I pull the ring out, she gasps and begins to cry. I reach up and wipe her tears before slipping the solitaire on her finger. “I wanted to give this to you months ago, but I was waiting for the right time.” Elyse throws her arms around me, and we both fall back onto the floor. She places little kisses all over my face as I laugh at her happiness.
I grab hold of her chin and look into her eyes. “Now, will you put me out of my fucking misery?”
Elyse smiles down at me. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
After rolling her over, I start to tickle her then kiss the side of her sweet neck. “I wasn’t asking you to marry me. You don’t have a choice in that matter. I’ll just kidnap you and keep you. I want to know if you’ll quit your job and stay home to have lots of babies with me?”
She throws her head back and laughs happily, then leans up and kisses me. When she lays back against the floor, Elyse giggles. “I’ll agree to stay home and have maybe two or three babies, but then we’ll have to re-negotiate.” I’m happy with her answer to my proposal.
Brock throws the invoices from yesterday down on my desk and growls, “I hope you come back from your honeymoon a changed man. Between you and Zander, I’m about to lose my fucking mind.” Then he spins and slams the door shut.
It’s been five fucking months since I proposed to Elyse. Actually, it’s been five months since I told her she was going to marry me and asked her to quit her job. Our wedding is a month away, and my nerves are eating me alive. After she’s mine for life, I’ll be able to breathe easy and relax. Until then, these assholes will just have to deal.
There’s a backlog of work to catch up on, and I’m ready to bang my head on the desk. I’m tempted to lock my door and turn up the music to drown out all the distractions so I can blast through this shit. I have a warm, willing woman waiting for me at home, and I have no intention to stay late with these grouchy assholes and work on fucking paperwork.
Twenty minutes after Brock stomps out of my office, the door crashes against the wall. Zander prowls over to my desk and bangs his fist on the distressed wood surface. “Your sister decided she didn’t need to show up this morning. Now, I’m stuck playing receptionist because my cousin has shit to do.” I truly try hard not to laugh at his imitation of Brock, but the lower-pitched timber of his voice pulls the laughter from me.
“Dickhead.” He doesn’t appreciate my humor, and my poor door takes more abuse when he barrels through it after flipping me off. At least, that should keep him out of my hair for a few hours.
After I grab a cup of coffee, I notice my phone is on vibrate. I’ve missed a call from Elyse. She texted me that Rachel needed her, and she’ll explain everything later. Curiosity gets the best of me, and I try to call her back, but she doesn’t answer. I turn the ringer up and try to get back to work, but there’s an unexplainable worry in the back of my mind that won’t go away.
Chapter 12
Elyse
Our wedding is coming up in a little over a month. I wanted to plan the wedding of my dreams and managed to hold Slater off for five months by quitting my job and cutting back to one day a week at the shelter. At first, I thought I’d be bored, but taking care of our home and the little canine princess actually keeps me fairly busy. I also spend time with Rachel and Emerson, and I haven’t really missed the hospital at all.
After our run-in with Tony at the movies, Slater had his lawyer send a warning to Tony. Slater also obtained a restraining order for both of us just in case the jerk decides to retaliate for his beating.
I’m making my grocery list when I get a text from Rachel.
Call me!
My heart drops. She’s still working at TBD Auto, and I’m so scared something has happened. After grabbing my phone, my fingers are so clumsy that I misdial her number three times before the call finally goes through. She answers, and I shout at her, “What? Is Slater okay?”
“I have no idea. I called in sick.” Relief floods my body as I sag against the counter. I realize Rachel is still talking. “So, I need you to get it for me. No one will think twice about you buying it.”
“Wait. My phone cut out, and I missed everything you said after calling in sick.” I cross my fingers behind my back as I lie and wait for her to explain again. Oh my God. She’s late and wants me to buy her a pregnancy test. Holy shit. Who’s the father? Zander is going to shit a litter of kittens.
“Okay!” I cut her off. “Let me throw on some clothes, and I’ll be over in a few.”
I call Slater to explain everything, but he doesn’t answer. Since I don’t want to type it all out in a message, I shoot him a quick message that Rachel needs me, and I’ll give him the whole story later. Oh, and I love him.
Of course, Jackman’s pharmacy is packed. There’s a long line at the checkout. I’m sure at least five people will call Slater and congratulate him before I can explain why I’m buying a double pack of pregnancy tests.
Mr. Henderson is changing the oil in his truck when I drive up, and I wave as I run up the stairs to Rachel’s apartment. She throws the door open before I can knock. “Did you get them?”
I roll my eyes and hand her the bag of tests then step in after she spins and races toward the bathroom. While standing in the hallway, I lean up against the wall and talk to her through the closed door. “Are you going to explain this situation to me? You know, since I’m going to be dealing with a hysterical Slater tonight. I’m sure he’s already gotten calls from at least five people.”
Rachel throws the door open. Her face is ghostly white. “Fuck! I didn’t think about that. You don’t think he’ll mention it to Zander, do you? God, I don’t want to deal with him right now.”
I lead her to the sofa and sit her down before she falls. After sitting next to her, I point over my shoulder. “What did the test say?”
Rachel shrugs as tears fill her eyes. “I don’t know. I was too scared to look. You know how much Zander hates me. I can’t even imagine having to tell him we’re having a baby.” She lays her head on my shoulder to cry, and my heart breaks for my friend. I’m not really sure Zander hates her, but the big asshole doesn’t seem to know how to express what he actually feels.
After giving her hand a squeeze, I take a deep breath and suggest, “Why don’t I go look, and then we can make plans.” Rachel nods against my shoulder, and I give her one more squeeze then head to the bathroom. Relief flows through me when I see the “Not Pregnant” displayed on the test. I wash my hands and decide on how I’m going to handle my talk with Rachel.
I decide on my strategy and walk back into the living room. When I turn the corner, all my plans flee my mind, and fear takes their place when I find a large bald-headed man standing behind Rachel holding a knife to her throat. He sneers at me, “Sit your ass on the sofa and don’t say a fucking word.”
Since I don’t have any other choice, I follow his command, slipping around the far end of the sofa and slowly dropping down. He’s rocking back and forth while holding Rachel, and I wonder if this is her ex-boyfriend, but I’m too scared to say anything. As her terrified eyes meet mine and raise slightly as if to question me, I shake my head no slightly, answering her silent question. Her body sags slightly with relief, and the huge asshole barks, “Bitch. What the fuck is up with you?”
“Nothing. My feet are going to sleep,” she lies then grunts as he drags her up even closer to his massive chest.
“You were supposed to be alone. I watched for the perfect time, and I thought I hit the jackpot when you stayed home this morning. This bitch had to go and ru
in it.” He snarls, and my heart drops. God, this must be her crazy ex-boyfriend. I wonder how he snuck past the ultra-observant Hendersons, and then fear for my previous landlords flows through me. Hopefully, he hasn’t harmed them. “Okay. I know.” He points the knife at me. “Get your ass up and walk slowly to the bedroom.” Fear hits me. The knowledge that I’m about to die runs through my mind.
“Wait. I’ll do whatever you want, Dooley. Just don’t hurt my friend,” Rachel begs as he drags her, and they move along behind me.
I’m preparing myself to turn and fight since it’s the only chance we have when the front door splinters in. The room fills with chaos, and I find myself lying on the floor next to Rachel as grunts and bangs sound all around us. Turning to the side, I see a uniformed policeman trying to pull Zander off of the bigger man while another officer holds Slater back. I pull myself together and run over to Slater. The officer lets me wrap my arms around him, and he immediately ends his struggles. As I bury my face in his neck, his racing heartbeat soothes me, and I cry against his skin, “How did you know to come?”
His hand trembles as it runs through my hair. “Trenton Mills called me and congratulated me. I was calling you to find out what the hell was going on, but you didn’t pick up the phone.” He takes a shaky breath and lays his forehead against mine. “I called George Henderson, and he mumbled ‘call 911.’ After I had a fucking heart attack, I raced over here and called 911 on the way.”
“Oh my God, are the Hendersons okay?” My heart breaks for my former landlords.
Slater rubs my back and sighs. “Hopefully, George will be okay. It looks like the dickhead just hit him over the head with something hard. Edna was tied up but unharmed.”
I’m so caught up in Slater’s explanation; I miss the officers dragging a half-dead Dooley from the apartment.
