by Claire Adams
Hell, I didn’t even understand the spot I was in. I walked out to the car and started the engine, feeling a sickening lump in my stomach. I pulled out of the lot and headed back to my parents’ house to get my things packed and wait for Mom to get home. I wanted to see Dad again before I left since I didn’t know when I would be back.
I had to see Dad again. I needed someone to understand what my business meant to my life; what it had always meant.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rebecca
I stopped by the hospital on my own to check on Mel since I hadn’t heard from Austin since he dropped me off. I was so worried, and Kim told me that she was going to get us some dinner and would meet me at my house later. I knew that Christmas was not going to happen, other than the necklace that was secured around my neck.
A quick look around told me that Austin wasn’t parked anywhere near me, making me feel sad. I sighed and got out to go back up to the ICU, greeting a few acquaintances along the way who asked about Austin’s dad. I told them that last time I checked, he was doing well. I assured them that I was going to check again. Hugs were exchanged, along with murmurs of how good it was to see us together again, which balanced out the dirty looks from the local girls who I was not friends with. For as many who supported whatever it was we were doing, there were an equal amount who were jealous. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got the news that he was back and hoped for the chance to leave this town. Austin had a lot of money and influence, and in their eyes, he could make all their dreams come true.
If only I thought that, this might work out for us.
I walked up to the station to make sure he was still in the same room. They told me he was. Mel was a well-loved man in North Reed, and the concern for him warmed my heart, reminding me why I wanted to stay here. I couldn’t stand the idea of living in a city where I was just another face and a stranger to most people.
I knew that everyone made friends eventually if they moved, but I didn’t think that I would care for Austin’s friends. The girls who he’d been photographed with in the past were beautiful, but in a cold way, as if they weren’t genuine or nice to anybody. The pictures looked staged and nothing like the pictures I had on my walls of times with friends around town.
I made my way to the room and pushed the door open slowly. I only saw Sally and Ned, the police chief, sitting by the bed, but the sight of Mel’s eyes open made me smile. “Hello there. How are you feeling?” I asked. He met my eyes and tried to adjust himself. “No, you stay right where you are. I’ll come to you.” I hugged him from the side of the bed where Sally sat, kissing his cheek warmly. I felt how difficult it was for him to sit up. Looking at him, Mel seemed weak and tired. Was he better at all?
“I am a bit worn out, but nothing a good night’s sleep can’t fix. I think they want to keep me here for a few days. No faith.”
Sally shot him a dark glance before smiling too brightly at me. “He needs a little observation is all. They know what they’re doing.” Sally patted Mel’s hand, and I saw something in her face that showed how upset she was. “He’s much better than I thought he would be this morning.”
We made some small talk, and she apologized for not being able to serve Christmas dinner tonight.
I smiled at her. “It’s fine. This is much that is more important than that. We’ll make up for it.” I didn’t add that it would be without Austin, more than likely. I didn’t even want to think about that.
“Is it?” Sally asked in a low voice. “I’m glad that some people feel that way.” Ned was talking to Mel at that moment, and the men missed it, but I shared a long look with her.
“Where is he?” I asked softly.
She narrowed her eyes. “I have no idea, but maybe you can find him and knock some sense into him,” Sally told me.
She stood up and told Mel she’d be right back. I followed her into the hallway, and Sally explained that Austin had some crazy idea that he was going to fly off to save some business deal. She went on to say that she felt like Austin was a stranger. She didn’t even know who this man was who was staying in her house. I calmed her down as we walked, causing her to lower her voice until we were outside.
“What do you mean, Austin is leaving?” I asked as she stood beside me, shivering in the cool but welcome air. “Where is he going?”
“He didn’t say, but what does it matter? He’s not staying here to support any of his family.” Her drawl was thick when Sally was angry.
I frowned. “You know that there are so many people here for you and that Mel is going to be just fine. Didn’t Austin have a doctor coming to see him? Have you met him?”
She shook her head bitterly. “No, I haven’t. Is he some kind of magician, just because he’s from New York? That’s not enough, Rebecca.”
I hugged Sally and calmed her down as she cried against my shoulder. My feelings toward Austin were all mixed up right now. He should be here, not me. Or at least, he should be here with me. I had some things to tell him once I was out of here, but I’d take care of his mom and dad first.
She calmed down and got a fresh cup of coffee before going back to the room, where I spent some real time with Mel. I could see by the look in his eyes that he knew something was up, but he didn’t ask before I left. I told him I’d be back in the morning and left to go over to Austin’s house. I was keyed up by this time and had a lot to say. I parked in the driveway and grabbed my phone to send Kim a text that I was going to be a little late.
Getting out of the car, I stomped up to the door and pounded on it. It took a minute for Austin to open the door, and when he did, I noticed how tired and disturbed he looked. It was no wonder with what he was trying to pull, but I waited for him to invite me in before I entered the house. It felt so empty without his family here, mostly dark apart from the kitchen and a room down the hallway.
“What are you doing here?” Austin asked me, running a hand through his messy hair.
“I went to the hospital and didn’t see you there. I wanted to stop by and see how you were doing.” I looked closely at him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I talked to Mel. He looked like he was doing better.” It was a bit of a white lie, but my anger was fading at the sight of his handsome, distressed face. “Why are you here alone?”
“I just don’t like seeing him like that. I needed a break.”
“You don’t look like you’re taking a break,” I said.
He stepped toward me and pulled me against him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and breathed Austin in as I closed my eyes. God, I loved him.
“I need you,” Austin murmured.
He reached for my hand to lead me to his room. I went willingly, putting aside my frustration with him. Desire flowed through my body. Austin led me to his room and pulled me inside before he kissed me hard. I felt all his emotions in the kiss. His tongue plunged into my mouth.
“God, I needed to feel your kiss right now,” he said, before claiming my lips again and pushing me against the door as it closed.
I moaned into him, wrapping my arms around him to pull him closer to me. My nipples ached for his touch. I knew I was going to give in to him tonight. He kissed me and slid his hands into the waistband of my jeans.
Austin unbuttoned them and slid the zipper down in a fluid motion. I felt the cool air hit my bare legs.
“I need to feel you around me,” he said. “I need you to ground me, Rebecca.” There was a desperation to his tone, and in the way his mouth tasted mine. He needed this as much as I did, no matter how it might break our hearts.
He eased me away from the door, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I kissed him, trying to soothe his racing heart. Austin dropped me down to the bed. He hovered over me, and his hands tugged at my sweater. I arched my back to let him slide it off me.
He kissed my neck, pressing his lips hard against my skin. It felt so good to feel him against me, wearing only a pair of fitness shorts. His hands unclasped my bra easily. His mo
uth wrapped around my nipple, sucking it deep into his mouth. I cried out and felt the warmth between my legs.
He continued to assault my body with his mouth, doing more to me than anyone had before. I knew I was close to release. His teeth dragged against my skin, and his erection pressed into me through our clothes, right where I needed him most.
“Austin, don’t stop,” I begged him shamelessly. “I need you.”
He moved to the other nipple and gave it the same rough treatment. “I never stopped needing you,” he assured me, breathing hot air against my skin before sucking me back into his mouth. I clenched my lips together, dragging my nails down his back and jerking against him.
I could remember so many other times that we were together. When we first started, there was an innocence to us. It felt like we were learning about our bodies. He guided me to discover my needs and the things that stirred the desire in me the most. I did the same for him. It all flashed through my mind, and I cried out his name, desperate to feel him inside of me.
Austin pulled back to look at my face. I slid my hands down his incredible body to tug at his shorts. “I need you. Inside,” I grunted.
He leaned down to kiss my lips. Austin made my mind a scrambled mess before he knelt and stood, leaving me breathless.
He gave me a wicked look before he eased the shorts off, exposing his thick cock. I raised my hips and slid my cotton underwear down. He licked his lips with a strained expression. “I am going to fuck you hard tonight, Rebecca. I need that.”
I shivered at his words, not sure whether to take them as a threat or a promise. Either way, I wanted it, and I nodded. I pushed back against the pillows and spread my legs wide. I reached one hand up to cup my breast and the other down my stomach to tease my wet pussy. He drew his lower lip into his mouth, his eyes smoldering when he raised them to meet my gaze.
Oh, God. I was so wrapped up in this moment. I flicked my finger against my hard clit and moaned. Austin dropped against the mattress, stroking himself slow and hard. He crawled over me, kissing any part of my skin that he could find with his mouth.
Then, he slid inside of me. I gasped.
It was hard and rough, but I was wet enough to allow him easy entrance. Austin bottomed out inside of me, and I rocked against him. He groaned at the feeling. I needed more. He pulled back and took me again with a hard thrust, continuing to do so with rising speed. I moved with him. Our bodies slapped together, and sounds left my mouth, impulsive and inarticulate. I felt exhaustion flood me at the same time as the adrenaline of another orgasm shook me, making me scream his name.
Austin moaned my name, and he thrust one more time. He stilled, filling me with his own release. I felt him in every nerve ending of my body as I continued to moan.
Austin dropped against me, breathing in roughly. I slipped a hand into his hair. His lips brushed against my damp skin, and I let out a moan, both tired and obsessed with the feeling of this man inside of me. He was everything, but I knew things now that made me want to run away from this.
Austin pulled away from me and kissed my lips with the slightest brush of his lips before dropping to his back. I wasn’t going anywhere. I turned to face him, sliding my arm over his body and tugging him closer.
I didn’t think too hard about his mom coming home before my eyes closed. I needed sleep. I needed Austin. I needed all of this as I snuggled against his body and allowed myself to drift off to sleep. He stayed beside me the way I needed him to, and I breathed us in one last time.
Everything went dark.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Austin
Despite not sleeping too much, I rose early. I made a point not to wake Rebecca after spending a few moments looking at her. I knew that I was leaving today, and I memorized every detail of her stunning face before I grabbed my phone and brought it out to the living room. I dialed a number and heard a phone ringing before my mom’s sleepy voice came over the line. “Hello.”
“Hi, Mom.” My voice was quiet. I started to brew some coffee, and she cleared her throat.
“Austin.” She sounded sad, and I closed my eyes as the hot water started to drip.
“How’s Dad?” I asked her.
A sigh escaped her lips. “He’s going to be here for a few days so they can make sure he continues to get better, but he seems to be doing better. He’s sleeping right now.” Her voice was clipped as much as it was soft. I sensed her disapproval, and I moved to the table to sit down and look out over the large yard.
A light dusting of snow still covered the ground, and I stared at it for a moment as I tried to collect my thoughts. “Has he been seen by the doctor I called in?”
“Yes. Surprisingly, he isn’t a witch doctor and said that they did everything just fine in this hick town.” I heard all the bitterness in her tone and winced from it. “He agreed to stay and look on until your dad goes home, which was just one more thing to irritate him. But I want my husband home and safe. I am going to agree to that so I can worry just a little less.”
“I…” My voice faded off as I struggled with what to say. “I am doing the best I can with what I’ve got, Mom.” She was silent, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I will come home as soon as I can to check in on things. I promise. “
“That’s not the same thing as you being here, Austin. Your father feels the same way about it, and your leaving is breaking his heart.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I am doing the best I can.” I didn’t want to hurt either of them, not to mention the beautiful woman in my bed right now. I just worked too hard on this deal not to see it through. Once I got there, I’d speed along the process as much as possible. “I will call you soon, Mom.”
She merely said goodbye before hanging up. I clutched my phone in my hand for a long moment. What the fuck was I doing?
I poured some coffee into a large mug, fixing it the way Rebecca liked it. I’d send her home before I left, so I wanted to do it as well as I could without ruining that, too.
I crept back into my room to finish the packing I got distracted from last night. Rebecca slept so peacefully in the bed where I’d held her most of the night. I kept the light as dim as I could and stayed quiet, but she stirred as soon as I started to zip up my bag.
Rebecca looked at me as I finished the last thing I needed to do before I left. I raised my eyes to hers and offered her the coffee. She looked at the cup. “You’re still leaving?” she croaked. She accepted the cup and held it in her hand for a moment, seemingly to warm her hands.
“I have to. We spent months on this project, and I feel like I need to see it through. I did everything I could to keep it from coming to this.” I secured the bag and set it down on the floor. I took a seat next to her on the bed. She sipped the coffee before sliding it over to me. I took my own drink, swallowing it down my tense throat.
“How long will you be gone?” Rebecca asked me.
I looked at her. “It will be for a long time, more than likely. I am traveling far, and there will be a lot of negotiating.”
She nodded and stared forward. I was so certain she’d get mad, but Rebecca seemed resigned to the truth of the matter. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about that. I was glad we weren’t arguing about it, but at the same time, her lack of emotion suggested that she didn’t care that I was leaving.
“I called the hospital and checked on Dad,” I said.
“How is he?” she asked. She glanced at me with raw emotion filling her eyes.
“They’re keeping him there for observation,” I told her.
She nodded. “I’ll make sure to come by and clean up the house and things for her. Is the key still under the same pot?”
I nodded. In New York City, people didn’t leave keys to their homes outside of the building. That was just inviting trouble, but here in North Reed, it was a normal thing to do.
“Okay. I’ll take care of them.” Rebecca sniffed and stared at me for a moment. “You know that he needs you
here? They both do.”
“I know that.” My voice broke as I responded to her, feeling so conflicted on what to do. I was a son but also a businessman who needed to keep working so I wouldn’t lose what I knew to be my life.
“It’s just money at the end of the day, Austin. It’s just money, and you have so much already. I don’t know why you’re chasing more when so much is going on here.” Rebecca spoke slowly, thoughtfully. “When will it be enough?”
“It’s not just money. It is everything that I worked towards and dreamed of growing up. It’s the only thing that I knew before I came here.” I moved beside her, sliding my arm around her warm body to pull her close to me. “It’s the thrill of the chase and knowing that I made a difference somehow. And I can do so much with this money.”
“Does it make you happy when you get all of those things?” she asked.
I thought about the answer. “It isn’t happiness as much as it is a high for me. I feel so accomplished, and everyone admires me for it, pushing me up just one more step. It’s an addiction.” It was the truth. I didn’t know how to quit, not even when my family was damn close to falling apart with everything going on.
“I get that here, Austin. I get it from this town, my job, and being close to my sister. I don’t understand your addiction.”
I nodded and kissed her head. “I know you don’t. I wish I could explain it to you, but the only thing I can do is ask you to come with me.” I let the words fill the air. Rebecca tensed beside me. “That would make me happy and feel like I have a little bit of both worlds.”
“Where are you going?” she asked quietly.
I sipped the coffee. “Singapore when it’s all said and done,” I told her.
She breathed in deeply. “That’s so far from everything that you know here. Does your mom know?”
I shook my head. “She was already pissed off enough at me,” I explained. I looked at her body, covered by a blanket. “Please go with me, baby. I need you there.”
