“Keep your hands up and walk into the living room.”
Tate’s brooding face came into view.
“Ms. Culver, is this Tate?”
I walked toward him. “Yes.”
“How can you tell them apart?”
“Tate grew his hair out. We also agreed on a secret number only he and I would know.”
Tate’s hands remained in the air.
“What’s our number?”
“Eight,” he sighed.
I fell against his thick winter jacket. Tate kissed the top of my head and gripped my waist. His strong arms squeezed me tight through my coat.
“Thank you for keeping her safe, Mr. Finch.”
“You’re welcome. Why did you enter the back door?”
“I parked two condo units back.” He gestured over his shoulder.
“Just in case someone was watching us they wouldn’t see us walk into the same house. It was also best we didn’t arrive at the same time. I had to drive around for twenty-minutes before arriving to ensure no one followed me.
I stepped beside Tate.
His heavy hand landed on Tate’s shoulder.
Mr. Finch nodded. “If you two decide you want to leave this weekend call me. I’ll be here in a heartbeat.”
I smiled. “Thank you so much, Mr. Finch.”
“You’re welcome.”
I sank into the sofa. Tate locked the door behind my bodyguard.
“Wow, that guy’s thorough.” He shrugged off his winter coat then tossed it on the chair. Tate sat on the sofa and kicked off his boots.
“He has to be. That bitch is really certifiable.”
His brow rose. “Agreed.” I’ll take your coat and boots. “You’re probably cold. Give me a sec. I’ll turn on the heat and start a fire.”
“Do we have food for the weekend?”
“Yes, my granddad's assistant stocked the fridge and cabinets with items we like. Well that was what I requested. I’ll check.”
“Ok. I’ll walk around after you get that fire going.”
“Where’s your bag?”
“Not sure. Mr. Finch carried it upstairs.”
“Ok.” He tossed a match into the fireplace and pushed the logs around with the poker.
“Connie asked what was really going on between us,” I hesitated. “I told her.”
“Shocked you waited this long.”
“I didn’t want to endanger her. I already involved Matt and Rocco.”
“No, we did. I won’t allow you to take the blame alone.” He peeked over his shoulder. “I am proud of you, baby.”
My cheeks heated.
“Would you like tea or hot chocolate?” He stood and stretched those muscles. My body vibrated with need. I was tired of being away from him.
“Tate, come here.”
I gripped the edge of my sweater sleeves into my palms. He sat and pulled me into his lap.
“I wish we never had to leave.”
My head rested on his chest. I could feel his heart racing.
“Me either. You know I didn’t want to play today, and then she sat behind you. If Mr. Finch wasn’t there, I would have put a stop to her bullshit.”
“I hoped you wouldn’t have stepped off the court.”
He massaged my leg. “Not taking action is taking its toll. I want to kill my own brother. He’s returned from the dead and has done nothing but stir up trouble.”
Our blue-eyed gaze locked. “I want to be free to kiss you in public. Take you anywhere I want.”
He widened his hands. “Not hide out here. I have to confront Mason. Chelsea, I can’t guarantee the outcome. He needs to be put down.”
I caressed his face. “Tate, we will figure it out together.”
“Are you warm?”
He changed the subject.
“A little.”
“We’ll relax upstairs in front of the fireplace. We can drink hot chocolate and watch a movie.”
My eyes rolled in the back of my head. “That sounds perfect.”
He laughed. “We’ll create special memories right here until we head off to college.”
My lips pressed against his. “I am all for creating beautiful memories we’ll never forget.”
Lying fireside, I was mesmerized by the orange and blue flames warming my skin. Tate was in the kitchen grabbing snacks and our hot chocolate. His duffel bag caught my attention. I darted over and retrieved a T-shirt. I whipped off my panties and stuffed them in my bag he placed next to his. Tate’s fingers caressing my body was what I wanted more than anything else at that moment. We’d tackle a plan on how to handle Mason and Marisa. I swept my hair over one shoulder and returned to the bear skin run. I flipped through the channels until I found an action movie.
“You found my favorite movie.” His boisterous deep voice bounced off the walls as he walked into the room. Tate placed the tray of goodies on the floor at my side.
“I did. Who could ever not watch Iron Man one through three at least a hundred times?”
His lips melted against mine. “At least.” That boyish smile I missed appeared. He was the boy I always loved. Now he was all grown up.
“Tate strip down to your boxers. I want to caress that muscled chest.” I winked.
“I have something else for you to caress.” He flashed a cocky grin.
He tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. “As promised, you’d be on your knees.” He hooked his finger in the air, drawing me closer.
“The affection you showed my cousin was over the edge. A quick friendly hug. Not bodies touching. You’re my woman,” he growled.
I blinked, and he had completely shed every stitch of clothing. Standing on my knees, I peered into his lust filled eyes. My fingers smoothed along his hips. His rock-hard cock stole my attention. I gulped then my lips parted. Tate’s fingers massaged my scalp, pulling me closer. I stroked his length and slipped my lips over the head.
“Fuck, Chelse.” His head fell back.
I only ever loved my nickname falling from his lips. It was an instant turn on. Gripping his dick, I sucked faster. He fisted my hair and stilled into my mouth. I stared at him as I swallowed his release. He helped me to my feet and pressed his lips against mine.
I scooted onto the bed. “Lie back.”
Dropping to his knees, he lowered his head between my legs and his tongue circled my clit.
“Tate, I needed you.” Tears seeped down the sides of my face.
He paused. “Damn it, baby, believe me I know. I needed you too.”
I tugged his silky locks every time his tongue slid inside of me. My back arched and my legs trembled as a surge of heat shot through my body. The uncontrollable tears continued. They tried to steal the man I loved. They had to pay.
Tate scooped me up. He sat us in front of the fire, resting his head against the bed. I caressed his neck as Tate held me tight in his embrace. The salty tears slipped over my lips.
“Cry as long as you need to. Chelsea, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
An alarm went off in my head. I straddled him, gripped his face, and stared into his eyes. He was ready to destroy the world to protect me. Shit.
“You can’t do anything crazy. Remember, you just asked me not to behave recklessly. You can’t either. I know you want them to pay, but we have to figure this out together. You need to hear me, Tate. Don’t take matters into your own hands.”
Darkness flashed in his eyes.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
TATE
The pressure was building and building, and I was ready to break. Sitting in that dungeon, I had nothing but time to figure out what to do with my brother. The moment I was able to pound his face in gave me new life. He kissed my woman while I was locked away. He made plans to marry and impregnate my woman. Killing my own brother consumed my thoughts most days. Chelsea asked that we handle them together. I’d try to control my rage when the time came to have a face-to-face meeting with him. Right now, all that mattered wa
s getting lost in Chelsea this weekend. I whipped my T-shirt over her head and chucked it on the floor. My teeth clenched her bottom lip, as I gripped her ass cheek, and buried my cock deep inside of her.
I’d do anything for her. She had no idea how far I was willing to go to keep her locked in my arms. Murder wasn’t off the table. Stroking deeper inside her, I watched her come undone for me. I was the only man who’d bear witness to such beauty.
“Take it all, Chelsea.”
Arms anchored around my neck, she stood on her knees. I plunged inside of her, keeping a steady rhythm. Her head dropped back and my tongue slid across her collarbone.
“Tate, don’t stop. Faster,” she breathed.
Her orgasm was coming. I loved watching her beautiful face contort. Nothing more beautiful in this world. Lying her on her back, I sat on my knees and slid inside her warmth again. Holding her thigh, I plowed into her. Chelsea’s eyes hooded and the cutest smile lit her lips. I knew she was ready to explode. The action movie playing in the background couldn’t drown out our skin making constant contact. One of her breasts rose and fell under my hand. I loved every minute. Our eyes locked as her body shook in my grasp. Tiny shivers waved over her skin. I didn’t let up. A sea of steady strokes brought on a ripple effect as she came again.
I fell apart inside of her as I slammed into her heat a final time. “You’re mine,” I grunted, through gritted teeth. I slumped over her chest heaving. “I’ll kill him,” I repeated on a loop.
Chelsea held my head against her heaving bosom. “Tate, no.” she cried.
After I thoroughly cleaned Chelsea, I warmed up our hot chocolate. Resting my head against the headboard, I peeked down at her. “Are you all right?”
“No.” Lying in the crook of my arm, she swayed my hand along her belly under the blanket as she sipped the piping hot cocoa.
My lips pressed against the side of her head. “I can’t sit on my hands any longer.”
“At least hear Rocco out tomorrow.”
She met my gaze.
My lips melted against hers. “Ok.”
I woke up in need of my face being between her legs again. My hunger for her was always insatiable. My friends witnessed first hand over the years my need to be near her. She just had no idea how bad it was. The second I received my driver's license I drove to her little hick town, sat in the bleachers and watched her run cross country. Just watching her run off into the distance and return kept me from losing it.
But when she returned to Haven River for good, I hung on by a thread. The second she stood on her porch and kissed Ethan, I knew I had to shut that shit down. My stubborn princess wasn’t trying to hear what I had to say. But the way she whimpered against my lips in my backyard, told me everything I needed to know. She wanted us just as bad. That fucker was working on borrowed time. She was my woman. Always had been. So you could imagine my rage when I learned my brother returned from the dead and wanted her for himself. No motherfucking way. If my brother would have stopped the stupid games once we were back in Atlanta, maybe I wouldn’t be ready to commit murder. Mason knew what he was doing. It was all a part of his mischievous revenge plan. He needed to get the fuck over it already. Chelsea was back in my arms where she belonged and nothing would change that. Poor Lake received the brunt of my anger. It wasn’t his fault Chelsea, and I had to run around in secret.
I considered being civil. Mason and I could pound each other’s face in, until I was the last man standing. My lips tipped up.
“Tate. Tate, wake up.”
I must’ve been dreaming about bashing in Mason’s face.
My eyes slowly opened. “Huh?”
That cute little nose slid along my neck. “I cooked breakfast come and eat.”
My hand swayed over her ass. “I already ate.”
She giggled. “That was so fucking good. But I’d like it if you join me downstairs.”
I sighed. “All right.”
Chomping on a slice of bacon, I stood with Chelsea staring out the window at the thick fluffy snow sticking to the ground.
“The weather channel said we may get six inches of snow. We’ll be snowed in until Tuesday.”
I kissed her cheek. “Fine by me. No place I’d rather be than right here with you.”
Her finger swept over my nose. “Me either.”
Chelsea shook her head trying to shake off my spell. I chuckled inside.
“First, we need to talk to Rocco.” She tugged my hand until I was sitting at the counter next to her.
She placed the cell on the marble counter between us.
The phone rang on speaker.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Rocco. Tate and I are here.”
“Rocco, what’s up?” I slipped my fingers through my tousled hair.
“I dug up info on the crazy chick.”
“How crazy is she?” I caressed Chelsea’s arm.
“Full on stalker. Once you are in her line of sight, there’s almost no way of escaping.”
“How many other guys?”
“Four including you. They transferred to other schools.”
“I am not doing that shit. It’s obvious we need to prove she’s crazy. Once she’s locked up, she can’t cause anymore trouble. Chelsea would be safe again.”
“Rocco, did you find a connection between Marisa and Regina?” she asked.
“No. She probably paid her in cash.” Chelsea dropped her head and growled. I rubbed her back.
“I agree with Tate. Focus on proving she’s insane. If you don’t, I’m afraid she might follow you both to college.”
“Rocco, Regina said her father relocated to Atlanta for a job. Where does he work?” She bit her lower lip.
“Shit. Brauner Holdings.”
Chelsea’s eyes lit up. “I knew there was a connection. Can you forward her address and license plate info to my Sabrina email?”
“Sure.”
“Did anyone file restraining orders?” I asked.
“Yeah, two chicks who almost lost their lives.”
Chelsea gasped. “What the hell?”
“Yeah, one girl’s car flew off the bridge with her in it. She was smart enough to roll down the window before the car hit the water and climbed out. The police couldn’t prove the faulty brake line on the new truck caused the accident.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Oh please. We know she did it.”
“The other girl was nearly trapped in the girls burning locker room at school. She escaped within an inch of her life. You have to be careful not to piss her off, Chelsea.”
“I have a plan.” A devilish smile took her lips.
“We will drive her crazy. Her parents will be forced to commit her to a mental institution.”
“Let me know what you need.”
“Will do. Thanks, Rocco.”
“No problem. Bye, guys.”
Chelsea disconnected the call.
“God,” she screamed, jumping to her feet.
“This is crazy.”
I stood, pulling her into my arms. “Hey, we’ll get through this together. Tomorrow before we leave, we’ll devise a list of ways to display her craziness.”
Chelsea sighed. “Sounds like a plan.”
“I think we should build a snowman in the backyard, then warm up inside while baking chocolate chip cookies.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned up on her tippy toes, kissing my lips. “Today will be a blast.”
I loved watching her face light up.
The remainder of Saturday we spent playing video games and watching movies. Making love was obvious. We couldn’t get enough of each other. We’d have to be careful returning to our special place at least for a few weeks.
∞
We studied Regina’s routine for a week. Rocco hacked her laptop, and we bugged her house.
Regina insisted I meet her parents. I agreed.
“Rocco, we’re in place,” Chelsea stated, over the earbud.
Rocco
and I sat outside in a white painter’s van. We watched the live feed camera on Chelsea and Megan’s jacket. Rocco unlocked their computerized house. The girls slipped inside. They scurried up to her personal bathroom and changed out her brand of toothpaste for the one we added numbing cream to.
Connie and Matt stood outside the organic grocery store pretending to ask customers to sign a petition. They chatted with Regina’s parents, asking them to help save the town mall from closing. It wasn’t closing, but they didn’t need to know that. I laughed inside.
Chelsea and Megan walked into Regina’s closet and sprinkled itching powder on her uniforms, underwear, and the dress that was displayed on a single hanger on the closet door.
“I bet this is the dress she’s wearing for Tate tonight.” Chelsea and Megan laughed.
“All right, ladies, you need to get out of there.”
I peeked at the second monitor. “Connie and Matt just walked away from the parents.”
“We’re on our way out,” Chelsea stated.
Hiding behind, dark wigs, hats, and sunglasses the girls peeked both ways before crossing the street and hopping into the van.
“What an adrenaline rush,” Megan exhaled.
“Yeah, that was cool.” Chelsea smiled.
They peeled off their disguises. Carefully, they ditched their leather gloves and the itching powder in a disposable plastic bag.
Rocco climbed into the driver’s seat and drove toward the supermarket.
My cell rang, and I looked at the screen.
“Chelsea, it’s for you.”
Her eyebrows rustled together as she grabbed the phone from my hand.
“Hey, Matt.”
She glanced out of the windshield. “We are pulling up now. I see you guys. Rocco, they are on the left.” She hung up the phone.
My best friend had forgiven Chelsea but not me. Today was the first time he called my cell in a long time. I figured he’d rather talk to Chelsea. She scooted into my lap. “Why didn’t you talk to Matt?”
“Chelse, I don’t want to argue about him. We’ll talk about it later.”
The side door slid open, and he climbed inside, shutting the door behind him. Connie hopped in the front seat.
Matt released a low whistle. “Rocco, nice surveillance set up.”
You're To Blame 2: A High School Bully Romance (Haven Saints High) Page 14
