Love Me Like You Do (Love Me Book 1)

by Jaime Russell

  “He said that I won’t let him live his life?” Sally’s eyes come to me as she asks Abby the question.

  “Sally,” I reach for her, but she shrugs me off and heads for the door.

  “Wait there’s more.” Abby continues. “He told me he loves you more than anything in this world.” She squeezes my hand. “My father and brother are just as protective, but my dad is a lot worse. I won’t bore you with those details. The main thing is, Cash loves you, and I don’t want to cause problems with you two. I don’t want to stop spending time with him. I’m not after his money. And I want you to know that I understand your need to protect him; why it’s so important to you that he doesn’t get hurt. He’s all you have left, and your parents would want to know he’s safe and happy. Am I right?”

  Sally has tears streaming down her face as she nods and moves forward to embrace me and then Abby.

  After they break apart, I tug on Abby’s hand to move her closer to me. I can’t believe that she stood up to my sister for me. For us. “Thank you,” I whisper in her ear. “Why don’t you get changed for dinner tonight. Give me an hour and I’ll meet you in your room so we can go to down together.”

  “Okay. Don’t be too hard on her.” She kisses me and walk out. I watched her until she steps into the elevator. I turn to look at Sally, Joan, and Shawn.

  “Wow,” Joan says as she hugs me. She kisses me on the cheek and with a quick look at Sally, who nodded her agreement, she heads back to the kitchen to resume her duties.

  Shawn gives me two thumbs up and wiggles his eyebrows at me. I need to kick his ass later. I turn to talk to Sally, but she’s not there. Shawn points to his office, and I nod, walking over and knocking on the closed door. Hearing her crying, I don’t wait for an answer and step inside. Sally is sitting on the floor, her head resting on her bent knees as she shoulders shake with sobs. I sit next to her and put my arm around her, letting her lean on my chest.

  “How did we end up here?” Sally asks me through her tears.

  “When we lost our parents, you took your grief and turned it into trying to replace our mother. You’ve just taken it a little too seriously,” I try to joke as I lace our fingers together like we used to do when we were younger and scared.

  “What do you mean by that?” she questions me.

  “It’s been said numerous times, Sal. You just don’t want to hear it. You control me and everything in my life. I love you, but I want to be with Abby. You need to accept that I’m capable of making my decisions. While she’s here, I want to enjoy the week with her.”

  “What happens when she goes back?”

  “I don’t know, and that’s the beauty of it. We live in the now.”

  “How can you live life like that?”

  “My sister taught me.” I kiss the top of her head.

  “How did I teach you that?”

  “When I see you with Matt. You two live for each other and your kids.”

  “I love you, Cash. I never wanted you to feel what you felt when mom and dad died. I barely got you back last time. You went so far into depression, alcohol, and women. No one saw you for days, weeks even. It scared me that I’d go weeks without you. I don’t know if I can do it again.” Sally’s head is on her knees as she lets it all out.

  “Sally, you don’t know this, but Abby saved me. Shawn introduced me to the gaming world, and I met her, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. She had this smart mouth that made me laugh and want to spend time with her. We scheduled time together. She made me want to get out of bed. I even showered before we would get together. She couldn’t even smell me.” I can feel myself relax.

  “I didn’t know any of this. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You never asked. You just think the worst of people who want to spend time with me.”

  “Can you blame me with your track record? I waited for the phone to ring or the knock on the door having to identify your dead body. Can you forgive me?” Sally’s eyes plead with me.

  “Yes, I can, but you need to apologize to Joan for the way you behaved. Then I want you to meet Abby properly, not today but maybe tomorrow.”

  “I would like that. I need to eat crow with Joan and Shawn. I’ll make it up to everyone. It’s going to be hard for me to give up control, but Cash, you just need to know that I only want what’s best for you. What Mom and Dad would have wanted?”

  “I know that, Sal. I do. And I’ll try to give you the benefit of the doubt, but try for me. I beg of you. Can we do dinner when she comes back into town? I want to spend time with her.”

  “I can understand that. I will, I promise. You need to get ready for dinner with Abby. Get changed and I’ll clean up the mess I made.” We stand up and hug. I open the door to find Joan standing there crying. The two women fall into each other in a tangle of mumbled words and tears, each talking over the other. I shake my head and leave them to sort out their issues.

  ABBY

  “What am I going to wear?” I keep asking myself as I ride the elevator up to our hotel room. I have an hour and don’t know what I’m going to do. Sarah’s watching a movie when I step into our room, and I’ve never been happier to see her. “I’m freaking out, Sarah. Help me, please. What am I going to wear?” I burst out as I come through the door.

  She laughs at me. “First of all, breathe, then look in the closet,” Sarah tells me as she walks over to open the closet doors.

  “Sarah, I can’t fit in your clothes.”

  “Remember I did pack for you.” She winks at me. I peer inside the closest and gasp. It’s full of clothes. I don’t even bother to look at everything. Eyeing a green dress, I reach in and yank it out, loving the feel of the silky material between my fingers. Sarah leads me over to the dresser to show me the things her mom bought for us. I choose a matching set of white lace panties and bra; the lacy material is beautiful and perfect for me. I let out a tiny squeal and hug Sarah, thanking her over and over. She giggles and shoves me towards the bathroom to shower.

  I set a timer because I can’t be naked when he comes to my room. I put the tunes on and start singing and dancing while getting ready. Once I dry off, I slide on my white lace thong and matching the bra. I put on my garter belt so I can add my thigh highs. I slowly roll them up my legs, waiting to look in the full-length mirror until I’m done to get the full effect. I start on my hair, pinning up my sides and curling it. Glancing at the timer, I panic realizing our date starts in ten minutes. I slip into the dress, and it just melts into my body. I put on a little lipstick and mascara. I don’t like a lot of makeup; I want to feel like myself. Looking in the full-length mirror that’s hanging on the bathroom door, I gasp. I can’t believe the transformation; I felt beautiful. I was raised to look like I was part of the background. My dad would never let me wear makeup or dresses. I had to wear baggy clothes, basically dressing like a boy. I was always shy because of my weight to begin with, but tonight for the first time I felt beautiful.

  A knock on the door tells me that Cash is right on time. His back is towards me when I open the door, and notice that he’s on the phone. I clear my throat to get his attention. The look on his face makes me realize that I’ve made the right choice with this dress. It’s a cocktail dress designed for a full figured woman. The pleats make my curves look like perfection in itself, with its tiny little cutout yoke, makes me feel like an absolute goddess. The two pearl buttons in the back give it an old-school Hollywood look.

  “Abby, you look—” Cash stops mid-sentence, trying to find the right words.

  “Do I look that bad?” I tease him.

  He shakes his head. “Just the opposite. You’re so beautiful, breathtakingly sexy. You just keep getting hotter. I don’t know if I want to take you out for every guy to ogle you.” I blush at his words and tell him I’m hungry, and he needs to feed me. We start out, but he stops me pull me in for a kiss. “Now we can leave.”

  “Oh, crap. I need to let my family know that we’re heading downstairs.” I
bang on the door that we share.

  Aaron opens it. “Holy shit!” He takes my hand, twirling me. “You look fabulous. Oh hello, Cash.”

  “Hi.” They shake hands, and he kisses Sarah on the cheek. “Are we ready to eat? I have a hungry girl on my hands.”

  “Let’s go. I’m starving too. This meal better be good or someone’ is in trouble.” Sarah teases as she hooks arms with me and we walk out of the room. We make small talk about our plans for the following day; shopping, checking out restaurants and hopefully a night out for some dancing.

  “The food is out. You ready, my dear?” Cash asks as he holds out his hand to help me out of my chair.

  He pulls me up to him, molding his mouth to mine. Oh, my God, these kisses. He’s either touching me or kissing me, not that I was complaining. The more we are together, the more nervous I become for tonight. I stand in line behind Sarah, and whisper in her ear while Max talks to Cash about a nightclub he heard about. “What am I going to do if he wants to have sex?”

  “You give it to him,” Sarah replies immediately. My reaction must have been funny as she bursts out laughing. “Put away the shocked look at what I said. Abby, you just have to live in the moment.”

  “That seems to be the theme for the next week.” Tears have gathered in my eyes; I set my plate

  down and go in search of the bathroom. I find one near the offices and sit down on a plush couch near the door.

  “What’s the matter?” Sarah drops down beside me on the couch.

  “Why did you do this? How could you inflict pain on me? I thought you loved me?” I ask her in between the sobs.

  “I do love you, and how am I inflicting pain on you?” Her eyes hold her confusion as she gets up to grab some toilet paper to wipe away my tears.

  “Sarah, I have one week with him. Do you know what this is going to do to me when I have to say goodbye to him? I’m falling in love, and I’m going to be ripped to shreds pulling out of that parking lot. I want to go home, and I want to go back now!” I stand up and start walking towards the sink to wash my face off.

  “Okay. Let’s go. Tell that man that you love, that you’re afraid to live. Tell Max that his black heart has finally crept into yours.” Sarah snaps, holding the door open.

  “My black heart? What the hell are you talking about?” Max demands.

  “Oh, you heard that?” Sarah asks, pissed off. “You’ve been afraid to show anyone love. You say the words, but keep people at arm’s length. You’re afraid to experience it or have others love you back. Max, you taught Abby to be afraid. She wants to leave. She’s mad at me for bringing her here to meet her soulmate. She thinks life is just going to end when she pulls out of here. You, your parents, and siblings have all contributed to this. Fix it, and fix it now!” Sarah walks right into him, hitting him in the shoulder. He watches her leave, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

  “Abby?” Max tried to get me to meet his gaze, but I refuse. I don’t want him to see what a coward I am. “Abby.” I turn my whole body towards him. “Is this true, Abby?”

  “Which part?”

  “Everything she just said.” Max folds his arms over his chest and waits for me to start explaining. I can read Max better than he can read himself some days.

  “Max, I want to go home. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

  “Don’t want to do what? Talk to me.” He drops his hands to my shoulders, preventing me from leaving.

  “My heart. I’m afraid to give my heart to anyone. Gregg nearly broke me, and I don’t even feel a fraction for him of what I feel for Cash.”

  “I think there’s more to this story than you’re telling me. I hate that I let you down. What happened to the girl that believes in love? The girl who’d try to find love for everyone? The girl who wants a love like in those romance novels she reads?”

  “It doesn’t work that way; there is no happily ever after. People don’t fall in love at first sight. There are no soulmates. Not everyone is going to get love, and I know that I never want to feel like I did when I broke up with Gregg. Love is overrated.” I head out the door to avoid doing this with Max. The look in his eyes is killing me.

  “Did I do this to you?” Max asks above a whisper.

  “No, I was just taught this from a very early age. Could you please let Cash know that I’m not feeling well and went to my room to rest? Can you also tell the rest of our group that I want to leave?” With those parting words, I head to the elevator. I keep my eyes down, so I don’t make eye contact with anyone.

  Once back in my room, I lean against the door and cry.

  “Abby?” I jump at his voice; he’s in my room.

  “Cash?” I ask as I step further inside. He turns on the light, and I blink several times.

  “Yeah, it’s me. Sarah said you were ditching dinner and that I’d find you here.”

  “Please leave, I need to be alone.”

  “No, we need to talk.”

  “I don’t feel like talking. I’m going to take a shower and go to sleep. I promise to call you in the morning.”

  Closing the bathroom door behind me, I let out a sigh of relief when I heard the hotel room door click shut. I finish my shower and change into my tank top and boxer shorts. Hanging up my towels, I head to my room and beeline for my bed. I need to be asleep before Sarah comes back to avoid any conversation about what I’ve done. Cash startles me when I find him sitting on the bed in black basketball shorts and a tank top. He must have changed and then let himself back in.

  CASH

  “What are you still doing here?” Abby asks, annoyance written across her face.

  “I’m not still here, I left to change and came back,” I smirk at her.

  “Don’t be a smartass, I’m not in the mood for it tonight.”

  “Fine. You said you want to sleep, and I want to talk. So I figured two things, we’re going to talk then sleep or sleep then talk. It truly is your choice, but I am not going anywhere.” She needs to understand that I’m serious. Sarah told me that Abby was ready to leave, but I’m not sure why. We were getting our dinner and something happened. I know that after meeting her, I can’t just keep things to gaming, never seeing her again. I refuse to let that happen; she doesn’t realize what she has done for me. She’s made me want to live; to love. I want to love her and only her. She saved me the first time and now it’s my turn to save her from herself. I look up at her when I realize that it’s quiet, and she’s standing holding the door open.

  She motions for me to walk through the door. “Leave please.”

  “No.” I grab the remote and start changing stations. She slams the door and grunts in frustration.

  “I don’t ever remember you being this much of a pain in the ass.” Abby sits on the other bed and crosses her arms pushing up her tits. I can’t stop myself from staring. I meet her stare, and her eyes are pointedly on my cock. “Really?” she drawls.

  “I have a beautiful woman half-naked in the same room with me, and you expect me not to have a reaction.”

  “Oh, I get it. So when I leave, I can expect you to get hard at every one of your guests walking around in their bathing suits? I’ll just be a distant memory to you.” Her tone is piercingly cold.

  “Wait a goddamn minute.” I’m on my feet marching over to her, at a loss when she jumps off the bed to back away.

  “I’m done talking, and you’re leaving.” Abby’s hands shake.

  “So you get to spout off your bitterness and accuse me of something that I haven’t even done then think this conversation is over?” She doesn’t say a word in response, just steps out onto the balcony. I need to calm down, so I stuff my phone in my pocket and leave. We’d skipped dinner, and I’m hungry, and I know she is as well. I make us up a couple of plates in the kitchen and take it back to her room. She answers my foot kick of a knock with a surprised look on her face. Abby tries to shut the door, but I push my way in before she can shove me out.

  “I’m tired and want to go
to sleep,” she says, irritated.

  “Like I told you, we can sleep now and talk tomorrow or talk now and sleep later, the choice is yours. I’m not leaving.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you, what part of that are you not getting?”

  “All of it. We’re playing by my rules.”

  “I’m an adult and can do what I want when I want.”

  “If you’re an adult then why don’t you act like one?” She huffs and glares at me. I ignore her and dish out the food. She watches me quietly, and when I’m finished, I motion for her to sit.

  “I’m not hungry,” she protests just as her stomach growls, betraying her.

  “I think you’re lying to me, but I could be wrong.” I start eating the excellent Christmas dinner the kitchen staff put together while she stares at me, considering her options. She finally decides to sit down and eat. Pushing her stubbornness aside, she reluctantly thanks me for the food. We sit in silence as we eat our dinner, and it pisses me off. The longer we sit not talking, the angrier I get. We finish our meal, and I set the plates aside.

  “Are we talking or sleeping?”

  “You aren’t leaving are you?” she whispers.

  “Nope.” I lay on the bed and put my hands behind my head.

  “Fine,” she mumbles something that I don’t quite hear, but I think she called me a pain in the ass. “Let’s get this talk over with, where do you want to start?” This side of her is completely new to me. I’m blown away at how she’s acting. In all our chats, she’s never been this cold and callous with me. I guess this is the art of getting to know someone. She sighs and tells me to go ahead.

  “I’ll go first. There are two things we need to discuss. First, you’re acting like the minute you leave here I’m going to stick my dick in anyone. Since you came into my life, I haven’t talked or looked at another woman. I want to see where this takes us. Abby, look at me.” She raises her eyes to me, confusion filling her gaze. “I want you, Abby. No one else.”