by A. L Long
Ryan opened the door to the main office and allowed me to enter first. Even the office was spectacular with its stone fireplace and the plush leather seating all around it. In the center of the seating area was a low wooden table that had to have been made from a large redwood. It was polished to perfection with a mixture of sunflowers and smaller mum-like flowers sitting on top in a beautifully crafted centerpiece. When we walked toward the reservation desk, an older lady peeped up behind the counter with her glasses hung low on her nose. The minute she saw Ryan, a big small softened her features. The way she was looking at him, I knew that she recognized him.
Without warning, she hurried around the counter and gave Ryan the biggest hug ever as she said with excitement. “Never in my years working here have I received two surprises in a week.”
“Eloise, you haven’t changed a bit. Still the most gorgeous woman in Willow Crossing,” Ryan smiled sincerely.
“You are just saying that only because I am the only woman here,” the older woman commented as she looked my way. “That is, until now. Who is this pretty little thing?”
“Eloise, this is my good friend Charlie Winters,” Ryan replied.
“Nice to meet you, Eloise. This place is beautiful.” I had no other words to describe this paradise as I looked over my shoulder through the window, which was covered with a partly-open embroidered curtain.
“Enough of that. What brings you here, Ryan? Are you here with your brother? He only arrived a few days ago,” Eloise inquired.
“Yeah. Can you tell me which cabin he has decided to stay in so I can meet up with him?” Ryan spoke confidently, like he and Josh were vacationing together.
“He must be doing really well for himself. He rented the Hickory Gate House,” Eloise revealed.
“Leave it to Josh to rent the very best.” Ryan played along even though I knew his blood was boiling.
Eloise handed Ryan another set of keys to the guest house upon Ryan’s request. Even though it wasn’t very late, Ryan made the excuse that he didn’t want to disturb Josh in the event he was sleeping. I got the feeling that Eloise knew that Ryan was feeding her a bunch of baloney. After accepting the keys, Ryan and I headed out the door and back to the car. The guest house Josh had rented was further up the road and too far to walk.
Closing the car door, I waited for Ryan to get in the car before asking, “Do you think he is going to be there?”
“I can only hope. As hurt as he was when he left the hospital, my guess is he’s there resting. I have to give him credit for at least picking a prime place to do just that. My concern now is how he was able to afford it?” Ryan questioned.
When we got to the cobblestone house, there was no sign that Josh was even there. It made sense since his car was still back at Ryan’s apartment building. Ryan pulled the car around the circular driveway, and the cobblestone home was even more beautiful close up with its cherry blossom trees lining the greenway just to the left of the house. As I took in the beautiful surroundings, Ryan opened the back door and grabbed our bags off of the seat. Removing the key from his pocket that Eloise had given him, he climbed the sandstone steps and placed it in the lock.
The inside of the home was nothing at all like what I had imagined. It was actually pretty modern considering how old the house was. I believe I may have read something about it being built sometime during the 1920’s. Knowing that the bedrooms were upstairs, I followed Nick up the steep steps, taking careful steps so I wouldn’t trip. The house was very quiet and nothing from the outside could be heard. When we came upon the first room, we both looked at each other, knowing this was the room that Josh had chosen to sleep it. His things were scattered everywhere. Like he was searching for something, but couldn’t find it.
The other two rooms in the house had twin beds in them. Nick thought it would be better if we shared a room. I went along with him only because there were twin beds in it. Looking at him, I took my bag from and placed it on the bed to the right while he placed his bag on the other one. Taking a seat on the bed, I watched Ryan pull back the sheer white curtain just enough to see outside. Cursing between gritted teeth, he hissed, “Shit, Josh.”
Standing to my feet, I stood at the window next to Ryan and lowered my eyes. Walking in the distance I saw Josh carrying an armload of wood, heading for the back entrance to the house. Ryan was out of the room and down the stairs in a flash. Running after him to make sure he wouldn’t do anything stupid, I yelled his name. “Ryan, wait.”
Either he didn’t hear me or he was ignoring my plea for him to stop. Just as I hit the bottom of the steps, he was already out the door. I was thankful that he had left the door open so that I didn’t have to waste time of opening it. Ryan was well out of view by the time I rounded the side of the house. Stopping dead in my tracks, I looked onward and watched as Ryan tackled his brother to the ground. Heading in their direction, I ran around the pile of wood that Josh dropped in order to get away from his brother. In order to stop the two of them from killing each other, I tried my best to separate them. Although I was using all the strength I had, I noticed that Josh put forth little effort like he had been run over by a bus. It was definitely an uneven fight based on the way he acted. Knowing that there was no way I was ever going to be able to separate them, I put my fingers between my lips and blew as hard as I could and made the loudest high-pitched sound I could. When the two of them stopped and looked at me with confusion, I fisted my hands to my sides and shouted at the top of my lungs. “STOP!”
Ryan held out his hand to assist Josh up from the ground, but Josh refused to take it. Instead he rolled over to his side and propped his body into a doggie style position before pushing to his feet. Ryan must have thought that he was going to try and run again, so he grabbed the collar of his button-down shirt and pulled him back toward him. As he walked Josh back in the direction of the house, he said in a commanding tone, “You are going to tell me everything, even if I have to beat it out of you.”
I knew that look. Ryan was serious and he meant every word he said. Completely clueless, I had no idea what was going on between these two, but whatever it was, there was no way I was going to be left in the dark. Ryan made it clear that he wanted me back in his life and there was no way I was going to let him keep things from me. If he wanted me, that was a non-negotiable condition.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ryan
When I heard Charlie tell me that there were going to be no more secrets between us, it wasn’t the time or the place to be laying ultimatums on me. The less she knew about the situation with Josh the better. As far as she knew he was really sick and I was angry with him for not staying at the hospital where he could get the care that he needed.
When we got inside the house, I looked to Charlie and asked as tactfully as possible without sounding bossy, “Charlie, can you make us a cup of coffee while I have a few words with my brother? When you come back, I will tell you everything.”
Charlie gave me one of her pissed-off looks, but finally agreed to do what I requested. God, she was gorgeous even when she was pissed off. The minute she was out of the room, I turned my attention to Josh, who was sitting on the couch looking as though he was about to throw up. Taking a seat across from where he was sitting, I looked at him with determination and told him point blank, “This starts now. I know you were there the night Jason Carlson got his throat cut. I still don’t understand why, so you are going to tell me everything. I want the truth, Josh.”
Josh’s eyes said it all as he slumped further in his seat, marking his surrender to defeat. With his head hung low he said, “Morris Gallo.”
I didn’t quite understand what he was saying. “Who the fuck is Morris Gallo?” I hissed, keeping my voice low so Charlie wouldn’t hear.
“He’s the man behind that Jason’s death. He’s the man who made sure I understood where I stood with him,” Josh muttered.
“And the other guy, who is he?” I inquired.
“Another guinea
pig. Only he wasn’t as lucky as me. Morris had him killed. He shot him right in front of me. When I left the hospital, I went straight to Gallo to try and reason with him. I found out that he had him killed. I guess he was setting an example. I had to get away from Manhattan before he made an example out of me. He’s looking for me, Ryan,” Josh confessed before breaking down. “I don’t know what to do, Ryan. Not only is Gallo after me for his money on a deal that went south, but the guy I sold the fake painting to wants his money back too.”
Before I could get any more out of Josh, Charlie showed up with our coffee. Taking a seat beside me, her arms crossed and her eyes shifted between me and Josh. Her tone was serious and I knew she meant business. “Okay, I want the truth, so one of you better start explaining what the hell is going on.”
The wrath of Charlie was on board and I dared not explain myself. Once I was able to get her calmed down, she finally allowed me to explain. Even though it wasn’t the whole truth, it was enough to satisfy her curiosity. I knew that sooner or later, Nick would meet Josh formally and know that he was the other guy in the alley. For now, I would keep that small bit of information to myself until I knew what to do about Josh’s predicament.
****
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Josh offered to let us have the master bedroom, while he took the larger of the two remaining bedrooms that housed the twin beds. Gathering his things, I helped him carry them to the other room. Picking up the black bag that he stowed away in his closet at the apartment, I couldn’t help but look inside before tugging it over my shoulder. There it was, the money he got in exchange for the fake painting that he was supposed to give to Morris Gallo. I just stared at the money like it was going to give me the answers that I needed to get him out of this mess.
When I handed him the bag, Josh said he felt drained and he’d decided to rest. Closing the door to his room to give him some quiet, I headed back down the stairs to find that Charlie was sitting on the couch with her eyes focused towards the window. Taking a seat beside her, I swiped away a strand of hair that was hiding her face. When her eyes looked into mine, I lowered my mouth to hers and gently kissed her on the lips. Her lips parted, letting me absorb the warmth of her cavity. As our kiss began taking over, I knew that this was not the time or the place to get intimate. Pulling away, I rubbed my thumb across her cheekbone and whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”
With a smile on her face, she rose from the couch and held out her hand to assist me up. Wanting to take advantage of this gorgeous day, I thought it would be perfect to explore the grounds. Charlie had never been here, and even though we had initially come for a different reason, I wanted to share with her what I loved about this place as a child. Taking her by the hand, I led her out the front door, down the dirt road, to the lake that was about half a mile away. As we walked, I began telling her stories about how Josh and I used to race down this very road just to see who could get wet first. It had been so long time since I had been here, so I wanted to see if the beach where we used to swim still remained. Thinking back to the contents in the box he had hidden under his bed, I finally figured out why he kept the picture of us all these years. It was his only happy memory. That, and meeting Trish.
Arriving at the lake, Charlie and I stood by the water for a moment just watching the fish jump to rid themselves of parasites. This was a fact I learned from my father as a child. I was always fascinated about why they did that. I always figured it was because they didn’t want to get caught. Taking Charlie by the hand once again, we headed north around the lake to where the beach was. Everything was still pretty much the same, only now a small bathhouse had been built to allow swimmers to rinse off and possibly change out of their wet swimsuits into dry clothes.
When I headed in that direction to investigate, Charlie pulled me back and led me away towards a wooded area behind the small house. I wasn’t sure what she had in mind, but I took her lead and followed her. We were well out of view from everyone when she turned and faced me. There was a look of mischief on her face as she pushed to her tiptoes and planted a kiss on my lips. It was very unexpected, but inviting all the same. Taking her in my arms, I deepened our kiss, devouring her softness. In response to my eager exploration, her arms lifted and wrapped tightly around my neck, pulling me even closer.
Feeling a delicious sensation, I moved forward, pressing her body against the strength of a large tree. “Okay, baby,” I said, before I harnessed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. Her simple nod was all I needed. Catching the sight of a branch as I moved my lips to her throat, I threw her shirt over it to avoid getting it dirty from the damp ground. The instant my hand was free, it was working the clasp of her bra, which was located in the back. I knew with her bare skin against the hardness of the tree, she would soon be raw from the bark. Charlie removed her bra while I removed my shirt and placed it on the grass where I knew it would be soft enough to lay her on. Taking her in my arms, I carried her bear style over to the grass and knelt down so I could position her on the soft cloth.
As she lay there with only her pants covering her perfect body, I positioned my body over hers and kissed her on the lips. Leaving her mouth burning with fire, I lowered my head to her ample breasts as I began exploring her ivory flesh. Even though it was a warm day, the shade that the woods provided caused her nipples to peak. Placing my mouth over the taut bud, I began teasing it with my tongue while caressing the other between my fingers. Charlie’s back lifted from the ground, causing her breasts to push upward. It was like having my cake and eating it too. The taste of her flesh in my mouth was like creamy sweet frosting.
Leaving my temple of enjoyment, I lowered my head further down her body, searching for yet an even sweeter taste. Releasing the button to her jeans, I worked them down her legs and pushed them off while admiring her skimpy black silk panties. Trailing kisses down her abdomen to her center, I inhaled her scent before kissing her at the beginning of her womanhood. I slid her silky panties off and continued to consume the warmth of her glistening folds. Just as I predicted, her cream was even sweeter. Lapping up her wetness, I moved my tongue to her clit while I swept my finger between her folds. When I dipped my middle finger inside her most guarded place, her body began to buck forward, accepting the intrusion like a welcomed guest. “Ryan,” was all she said as her moans of pleasure bounced off the trees and a smile of satisfaction presented itself upon my face. With just a flick of my tongue on her clit, I knew she was mine.
Smiling, I positioned myself between her gorgeous legs as I ripped open the small packet and sheathed myself before entering the confines of her warmth. It took all the control I had not to spill my manhood inside her before I had a chance to enjoy her tight pussy. Bracing my hands on either side of her shoulders, I began moving my hips, thrusting my cock inch by agonizing inch deeper and deeper inside her. I could feel the strength of her walls as they gripped my member, pulling me even deeper inside. Not even the cool air could impede my imminent release. Unable to hold back, losing my control, my orgasm took flight, sending me to a faraway land I never wanted to leave. With our bodies completely sated, I held Charlie close as we looked for the blue sky between the thick leaves. It was then that I knew I was falling hard for her and I never wanted this feeling to end.
****
When we got back to the guest house it was late afternoon. I wanted to do something special for Charlie, so while she went upstairs to take a bath, I decided to make her the greatest meal she would ever have. Taking a peek inside the fridge, I pulled out a brew that was probably going to cost me a fortune and popped off the lid. With my first swallow down, it dawned on me that I didn’t let anyone know at Jagged Edge where I was. I never even told Chavez when we dropped Nick at the safe house. Digging my phone from my pocket, I brought it to life, realizing I wouldn’t be getting in touch with anyone. I had no bars, which made it impossible to contact anyone. Walking to the window, I held my phone up high, hoping that I would be able
to get at least one bar. No such luck.
Heading back to the kitchen, saving my call for later, I pulled out some of the ingredients that Josh must have purchased from the little store next to the main office and set them on the marble counter. There weren’t a whole lot of options on what to cook, but there was enough to at least make a killer salad, with chicken as a topping. Even though it wasn’t freshly grilled, the taste was amazing as I sampled a small piece. Stowing my creation in the fridge, I headed to the main house to make a call to Peter to let him know that I had found Josh and that we would be heading back to the city in a couple of days. We could by all means leave tomorrow, but I wanted to really get to know Charlie again, and that was something I wouldn’t be able to do with her brother around.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Charlie
The warmth of the water enveloped my body like a blanket of cotton as the bubbles surrounded the surface of the water. The relaxed state I was in left me wanting nothing more than to fall asleep. My mind began to wander and the touch of Ryan’s body next to mine was all I could think about. Even though I was okay with sleeping in separate beds, sharing a king-sized bed in the comfort of his arms sounded like a much better plan.
Stepping out of the comfort of the tub, I wrapped a towel around my body. Grabbing another towel, I began drying my hair before wrapping it turban style around my head. I had forgotten to grab a clean change of clothes, so I gathered my soiled ones and headed to the master bedroom. I wasn’t too worried about being seen, especially since Ryan knew every inch of my body and Josh was still asleep in his room.
Dressed and feeling one hundred percent better, I headed down the stairs to check if Ryan needed any help with dinner. When I got to the kitchen, he wasn’t there. He must have been outside. Walking back to the front room, I looked out the window to see that he was walking up the road.
