FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  I went back downstairs and fixed her a plate of eggs. She came down and sat at the island. I slid the plate in front of her, and she looked at me with a surprised look on her face. She asked me if I made everything myself, and I told her I had. She seemed surprised at the fact that I could cook. I brought my plate and sat down on the stool next to her. She looked over at me as she took a bite of her eggs, and with a smirk on her face, she asked if she had harmed me in any way last night. I wanted to tell her that I wished she would’ve, but instead I decided to play with her a bit.

  “No. In fact, you put your arms around me, started rubbing my chest, and called me Peyton. I was quite turned on.”

  The look on her face was amusing. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. She was so damn cute that I couldn’t help but smile. She knew at that moment I was joking, and she went to playfully smack me on the arm. I grabbed her hand before she could hit me and looked at the scar on her wrist. Our playful mood turned serious as I stared at it for a moment. I dropped her hand, got up with my plate, and headed towards the sink.

  “My scars really bug you, don’t they?” she asked in a serious tone.

  “They sadden me, that’s all,” I replied as I put the plate in the dishwasher.

  “Why, Connor? I didn’t even know you when this happened. Why would my scars sadden you so much?”

  I kept my back turned to her as I stared out the window. “It saddens me that someone could think so little of their life to want to do such a thing.” I knew that was the wrong thing to say, and I probably shouldn’t have said it.

  “I told you why I did it, and it wasn’t because I thought so little of my life. I did it to lessen the pain for my father, and how dare you, Connor Black.”

  She got up from the stool and walked out of the kitchen. I didn’t mean to upset her, but I had. I ran after her, grabbed her, and pulled her into a warm embrace.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I swear I didn’t. I just get sad when I see them because it reminds me of what you went through,” I whispered in her ear. I regretted every word I had said. She looked up at me as I gently wiped away a few tears that had fallen from her eyes.

  “It’s okay. Let’s just forget about it and head out,” she said.

  I placed my forehead on hers. “I’m an insensitive bastard.”

  She lightly smiled as she whispered, “You’re in luck as I’m quite fond of insensitive bastards.”

  My first thought was to kiss her lips. I wanted to feel them against mine, but I had to hold myself back. It was getting harder and harder each day to control myself with her, especially after last night. So, I opted for her head instead. I kissed her gently on the head and smiled at her. When the moment passed, we headed to the Range Rover to start our road trip to Michigan.

  I threw our bags in the back as Ellery settled in comfortably. As I started driving, I looked over and noticed that she was staring at me. She didn’t care that I noticed, because every time I glanced over, she was still watching me.

  “Why are you staring at me?” I grinned.

  “I was just wondering about Connor Black, that’s all.”

  I sighed and looked back at the road. She wasn’t going to give up until she found out more about me. I know I need to open up to her, and I would; just not right now. She put her earphones in and stared out the passenger window. I could tell she was irritated with my response. I tapped her on the shoulder. She looked at me and took her earphones out.

  “Are you going to ignore me the whole way there?” I asked her.

  “Are you going to tell me a little bit about Connor Black?” She smiled in a cocky way.

  My god this girl was starting to piss me off, but in a sexy way. I sighed and tried to think about what I should tell her or better yet, where I should start. She turned her head and put in her earphones again. I was not about to be ignored by her, especially for the next ten hours because she was too damn stubborn to respect my privacy. I reached over and yanked out one of her earphones.

  “Hey, what the hell, Connor?”

  “Take those things out, you stubborn girl, and I’ll talk.” I smiled.

  She knew she won, and I bet she did it on purpose. There was no getting around not telling her something about me or else she would make me suffer. I started with the story about my twin brother, Collin, and how he died when he was seven years old from a virus that attacked his heart. After I finished explaining the story about Collin, I told her about Cassidy and her son Camden. I explained how Camden is autistic, and that he was the reason my company and I were involved with the charity for autism. She gave me a sympathetic look as she put her hand on my shoulder and started rubbing it. She cared. I could see it in her face and in her eyes. Ellery was the most caring and helpful person that I’d ever known. I went on to explain to her about my father and how he started grooming me for Black Enterprises when I was thirteen years old. I told her all about Harvard, how I took over my father’s company when I was twenty-eight, and how I’ve doubled the company’s profits over the past two years. It wasn’t hard talking about my personal life to her. I didn’t think I would be able to do it as I’d never discussed anything about my life with anyone. She was easy to talk to, and I could tell she was happy with the information I gave her. That was until she spoke the unspeakable.

  “What about past relationships?”

  I pressed my lips together and took in a deep breath. I didn’t talk about my past relationships. There was no point, and why revisit the past?

  “I don’t have a girlfriend, nor do I want one, ever.” The comment just fell out of my mouth, without even thinking about it first. She looked away after I said that and then back at me.

  “Why don’t you? Even if you’ve been hurt before, you just have to pick yourself up and move on. Everyone’s been hurt at least once in their life, some more than others, but you have to make a choice what to do with that pain,” she said.

  “It’s not that simple, Ellery. Trust me,” I said as I continuously stared at the road ahead of me.

  “So, you don’t ever want to get married or have children and do the whole perfect family thing?”

  I looked at her with a seriousness in my eyes. “No. I never want any of that, and to quote you, nothing lasts forever.”

  “You really need to stop quoting that, Connor. I think you took it the wrong way.”

  “Regardless of which way I took it, I already told you that I don’t do relationships, and I mean that,” I said.

  She looked out the window. “I know.”

  I couldn’t tell if she was hurt or put off by my comments. I didn’t know why she would be hurt, and it wasn’t like she wanted any of that bullshit. I’d admit, maybe it wasn’t all bullshit, but it scared me. We made small talk for a while, and she kept putting one headphone in my ear then asked me if I liked her music. She seemed to be okay, and she was having fun, making me listen to her songs. We had different taste in music, that was for sure. But I played along, because every time she put on a different song and asked if I liked it, she smiled.

  * * *

  We had already been driving about four hours, and I needed to stop for gas. I pulled off the highway and stopped at the first gas station I saw. Ellery had fallen asleep about thirty minutes before and woke up when I stopped the Range Rover.

  “What’s going on? What are we doing?”

  “I’m going to fill her up and then we’ll stop for something to eat,” I replied.

  I got out and walked over to the gas pump. Ellery opened her door and got out, stretching her back and legs. She walked over to where I was standing and kissed my cheek.

  “What was that for?” I asked.

  “It’s just a thank you for telling me about your family.” She smiled.

  I smiled back as she told me she was going inside the store to pick up a couple of things. I finished pumping gas and headed inside to find Ellery. I saw her standing in the candy aisle, looking over the vast amount of junk food in front
of her. She was so engrossed in the chocolate that sat before her eyes, she didn’t notice me walk up behind her.

  “You’re going to fill your body with this junk, are you?”

  She quickly turned around as she stumbled, and I caught her in my arms.

  “Ellery, are you alright?” I asked as I held her close to me.

  “I’m fine. I just got a little light-headed,” she replied as she held her head.

  I continued to hold her until she felt better.

  “I knew we should have waited an extra day to leave. You’re not ready to travel yet. You need more time to recover from your fall.”

  I was pissed at myself because I played around with the idea of leaving tomorrow instead. She kept her head on my chest and told me to stop being overprotective and that her light-headedness was probably caused from the pain medication she took. I found that odd because I didn’t see her take any pain meds. I started to worry about her. In fact, I’d been worried about her since she fainted. I told her that I was finding us a hotel, and we were stopping for the night so she could rest. We were ahead of schedule, and we’d be in Michigan tomorrow with plenty of time. She told me she wanted to drive for a couple of more hours and get something to eat before we stopped for the night. She pointed towards the front door and asked me to get her a basket.

  “You aren’t seriously buying that much, are you?” I asked.

  “Okay, Mr. Black, if you must know the truth, it’s my PMS time.”

  I took a step back and put my hands up. “Whoa, enough said.”

  She grinned as she took the basket and filled it with chips, chocolate, and pop. I stood there and watched her with a horrified look on my face. I didn’t think I’d ever seen anyone eat that much junk food. The women I’m used to practically starve themselves.

  “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to take me on this road trip. I’m just trying to keep the peace because without these foods for a woman at that time of the month,” she waved her hand, “Well, you don’t really want to know.”

  We walked over to the checkout, and she placed the basket on the counter. The cashier overheard our conversation, and she looked at me and said, “Trust her; we girls are two sheets short of psycho when it comes to our special little time.”

  I just stood there and looked at both of them, speechless, as she rang up the food. The cashier gave the total, and Ellery looked at me.

  I looked at her in confusion, “Really? You want me to pay for this crap?”

  The cashier leaned over the counter and looked me straight in the eyes. “Remember, two sheets short of psycho.”

  I pulled out my wallet and paid as I mumbled under my breath. I took the bag and headed out. She climbed in the Range Rover, and we headed for the interstate. I looked at her and shook my head.

  “What?” She smiled.

  “You’re crazy. I just wanted you to know that,” I said in a serious, but playful tone.

  “Aw, sweetie, I know, but I promise it’s only for a few days.” She laughed.

  I tried so hard to hold back a smile, but I couldn’t. She was just too damn adorable, and my feelings for her were getting stronger by the minute.

  Chapter 11

  While driving along the interstate, we saw a sign for multiple restaurants. I got off the highway and asked Ellery where she wanted to eat. She asked me to surprise her as she liked just about anything. I asked her if she was sure, and she nodded her head in response. I had a craving for seafood as I saw the restaurant on the left. I turned into the parking lot, got out of the car, and opened the door for Ellery. I held my arm out for her as she hooked hers around mine, and we walked into the restaurant. The hostess informed us that there was a thirty-minute wait. However, Ellery didn’t seem to want to wait. I told her thirty minutes was nothing as I grabbed her hand and led her to the bar to have a drink while we waited for our table to free up.

  As we took our seats at the bar, the bartender set down some napkins and leaned on the bar in front of me. I wouldn’t lie, she was an attractive woman, but not my type. I could see Ellery eyeing her from the corner of my eye. She had a ‘back off’ look on her face as she stared at the attractive bartender. I wanted to test her and see if she would get jealous.

  “What will it be, handsome?” the bartender asked.

  I leaned in closer to her. “I’ll have a sex with the bartender.” I flirtatiously smiled.

  “One sex with a bartender coming right up, stud.” She winked.

  Ellery gasped, and by the look on her face, I could tell she was pissed. I waited for her to say something to me, but she didn’t. She looked at the bartender and did the unthinkable.

  “Um, sweetheart, when you get his drink, don’t forget to bring those luscious boobies over here.” She smiled.

  My eyes widened as I slowly turned my head and looked at her. I couldn’t believe what she just said. “Ellery, what the hell are you doing?” I whispered.

  “What? Am I embarrassing you, Mr. ‘I’ll have sex with a bartender’?”

  The bartender walked over and handed me my drink. She looked at Ellery, and asked her what she wanted in an irritated way. Ellery looked at her and pouted.

  “Don’t you think it’s only fair that you give me the same kind of service you’re giving him? Why should he be the only one to get to see your boobies?”

  I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t believe she did that. I threw some money on the bar and stood up.

  “Come on honey, I think our table is ready.”

  I grabbed her hand and shook my head. She looked at me and smiled. I leaned over and whispered in her ear.

  “Point taken, you bad girl.”

  My plan had obviously backfired on me. This girl was not a force to be reckoned with, that was for sure.

  “You love it, Mr. Black, and you know it,” she said.

  I did love it, and I hated myself for it. This girl was everything I never thought I wanted. She broke every rule I had.

  The waitress showed us to our table and handed us the menus. I looked it over then watched Ellery as she looked at hers. I asked her what she was going to order, and she said she wasn’t sure. The waitress brought us our drinks and asked us if we were ready. I closed the menu, and Ellery looked at her, biting down on her lip. It was then that it hit me, she didn’t like seafood. I looked at the waitress and asked her to please give us a moment. I was in disbelief that she agreed to have dinner here.

  “You don’t like seafood, do you?” I asked.

  She looked at me and shook her head while biting her bottom lip.

  “Why didn’t you say something?” I said as I ran my hands through my hair.

  “Well, I wanted you to have what you wanted,” she innocently spoke.

  I sat there and stared at her. I tried to think of why she would agree to come here for seafood when she didn’t like it. It was because she was a kind and generous woman who thought of other people first. I remembered the times she showed me new experiences, so I decided I was going to be the one to show her something new this time around.

  “I’m going to order for us.” I smiled as I waved for the waitress to come back. “We’ll start with an order of calamari, crab legs, and a lobster tail for each of us. Also, please throw in an order of broiled scallops.”

  The waitress looked at Ellery as she managed a slight smile. I crossed my hands and placed my elbows on the table, leaning forward so I was closer to her.

  “Remember the times when you made me eat things. The pizza, hot dog, and let’s not forget the use of the chopsticks?”

  “Yes, I do, and I’m fine with everything you ordered,” she said.

  “We’ll see about that.” I smirked.

  She leaned over the table. “You’re a vicious man, Connor Black.”

  “Not as vicious as you are, darling.”

  Just as Ellery leaned back in her seat, the waitress came over and set the calamari in the center of the table. Quickly, Ellery took out her phone and placed it on her l
ap. She was looking down at it and typing something. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “You Googled ‘calamari’ didn’t you?” I asked.

  She nodded her head as she took a sip of her drink, and I could see the fear in her eyes. I felt really bad for what I did.

  “You don’t have to eat it. I’m sorry,” I spoke.

  She told me it was okay, and she was going to try it. She took a piece of calamari with her fork and looked at it. She took a bite and started to make the most adorable faces. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone. This was a moment that I didn’t want to forget. She tried everything I ordered and was a great sport about it. She even told me that she actually enjoyed everything. We laughed and talked throughout dinner. Her laugh was as much of a turn on as her smile. She was fun to be around, and she made me feel human. That was the only way I could describe it, because I’d never been happier than I was when I was with her.

  We finished eating, and as we exited the restaurant, I put my arm around her and pulled her into me. She put her hand on my chest and laid her head on my shoulder. I wanted her as close to me as possible.

  I was used to staying at the best hotels around the world, and I wouldn’t settle for anything less. I drove out of the way to find a Ritz Carlton. I pulled up to the entrance and let the valet park the Range Rover. We walked into the hotel and up to the reservation desk where I gave them my last name and reserved the Presidential Suite. The concierge called over the bellhop, and he took us to the elevators.

  “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Black, and welcome to the Ritz Carleton,” he said.

  I started to explain that we weren’t married, but Ellery quickly interrupted me and started playing some game with him.

  “Thank you so much. What my husband is trying to say is that we won’t be staying long.”

  As soon as the elevator doors opened and we stepped into the suite, Ellery turned and looked at me.