by Amy Cecil
She began, “I met Brianne in college. She was my roommate. We hit it off so well together, we remained roomies until we both graduated. When I met Brianne, she was dating Mark – that’s how I met him. They had only been dating for a few months before things suddenly ended between them. I never knew all the details of their breakup. Brianne never talked about it, and I never asked or pushed her. I got the impression that he was not the love of her life.”
She took a couple of deep breaths and then continued, “Three years after we graduated we ran into Mark in a bar. Brianne was well over him and was dating someone else at the time. When he started hanging around us, I thought he was trying to get Brianne back. But, it was me he was pursuing. I did not feel comfortable with his intentions. You know, the ‘friend code’ and all.”
I looked at her quizzically, but I knew better than to ask. Realizing that I didn’t have a clue what she meant by the “friend code”, she continued, “Girlfriends have a code: you don’t date your friend’s ex-boyfriend. But Brianne encouraged me. She wanted me to date Mark. So, after several weeks of him pursuing me, I finally agreed to go out with him.”
I was getting frustrated, as I was not sure how all this pertained to the issue at hand. “Emma, I assume you have a point?”
“I do, Cade – just be patient, please. I think this back history is important. I’ve been thinking about this and it is all making sense now.” She took another deep breath, as if she was about to head into battle, and then continued, “So, Mark and I started dating. At first, he was quite charming. Our relationship blossomed, and over the last several years, we talked more and more about marriage. However, the more we talked about it, the more afraid of marrying him I was. I kept putting him off. Something was always holding me back, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Three days before Brianne disappeared she told me that she was wrong about Mark. She said that she didn’t have time to tell me everything, but that I needed to break all ties with him. At that point, I really didn’t know what to think. I had been with Mark for the last five years. So, I did the only thing that made sense at the time. I questioned him.” She started to fidget again and I could see she was getting nervous about what she was going to say next.
“When I confronted Mark, he became irate. He basically turned the conversation back on me, saying that I didn’t believe in him nor trust him. He could not believe that I would even consider something that Brianne had said about him to be true. I had a hard time coming to terms with his anger, but I chalked it up to him having a bad day. Three days later, Brianne disappeared. When I asked Mark for help, he became angry again. So, here I am. That’s why I came to you.”
I sat there for several minutes, taking in all that she had said. “Ok, so now why don’t you tell me about the phone call today?”
“When I left yesterday, I could not bring myself to talk to Mark. I was afraid he would be angry, and frankly he scared me when he got angry. So I texted him. Told him I needed to get away for a few days. I didn’t tell him where I was going or what I was doing. Ever since then, he has been blowing up my phone. He has been calling and texting non-stop. I kept ignoring his calls and texts. Today, I realized that I needed to talk to him, so I finally answered his call. When I did, he became irate. He knew that I had gone to the apartment. He knew who I was with. How would he know those things if he was not tailing me? I realized that this relationship was never going to work. So, I broke off our engagement. When I did, he changed. He spoke to me as if I was dirt on the side of the road. And, he threatened me.” She stopped talking to allow me to absorb that last statement.
“He what?” My blood pressure was rising by the minute. When I got my hands on that prick …
“He threatened me.” She was trying to keep me calm, but it was not working.
“Emma, what exactly did he say?” I said, trying very hard to keep my composure.
“Well … he called me a bitch. That’s not normal for him. He has never spoken to me like that before. He said that I can’t get rid of him that easy, that we are meant to be together. But then he said something that really scared me. He said that I didn’t realize the fate I had cast on the ones I love. He said I would be sorry and that he was sure I would come running back to him.” She paused for a moment. Then she added, “Maybe now you can understand why I was drinking earlier.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. That fucking son of a bitch; what a cocksucker! I’m gonna kill him. It all made sense now. “Emma, you are safe here. I will not let him or anyone else harm you.” I knelt down in front of her and made her look at me. “Do you believe me?” She nodded. I then asked, “Do you trust me?”
She nodded again as tears started to well up in her eyes. “What about Brianne? Caden, what if he has done something to her?”
“Right now, I don’t know. But we will figure this out, I promise.” I needed to talk to Skeeter, give him a description of Grayson. Maybe if he sees him hanging around the Satans, we can find Brianne. “Emma, why don’t you go and get some dinner. I have a few things I need to take care of. I’ll join you later. I think spaghetti is on the menu.” I winked at her, knowing that spaghetti is her absolute favorite thing to eat.
“Spaghetti!” she squealed. Damn, I know her so well. She left my office and I called Skeeter and filled him in on the details.
Chapter 15
Emma
That was the best spaghetti I had ever eaten. Honey sure could cook. She was being a lot nicer to me, too. I wonder what was up with that? I wasn’t complaining, just curious.
I finished my dinner and realized that I hadn’t seen Caden all night … he didn’t even come down to eat. I was sure he was busy, and this whole situation had us both on edge, but he has to eat. Maybe I should take him a plate? I leaned over to Honey, who was sitting next to me, and asked, “Do you think we should take Caden – oh, I mean Ice – some dinner?”
She smiled and said, “I’ve already sent a plate to his office for him, although I doubt he will touch it. When he is engrossed in work, he never eats.” Suddenly, I was jealous of her all over again. I hated that fact that she knew more about him now than I did. All I had was our memories, but she knew the man he was today. I hated that. Still, I had nobody to blame for that except myself. He may have pushed me away, but I chose to stay away. Well, hopefully I can make up for lost time.
I helped Honey clean up, although she protested. I wanted us to be friends and I was trying; I could see she was, too. After we cleaned up, Cade still had not emerged from his office. I decided it was best to just retire for the night. It had been a long day and I was exhausted.
I got a cup of decaf coffee, asked Scratch to drop a shot of whiskey in it, and took it upstairs with me. If I had any trouble sleeping, I was sure the drink would help.
Once I got to my room I did my normal bedtime routine; you know, wash my face, brush my teeth, etc. When I was done, I couldn’t fall asleep. I sipped at my coffee and decided to do some work instead.
I had totally lost track of time when I heard a knock at the door. It was quiet, and then I heard Cade call softly, “Emma? Are you still awake?” I looked over at my phone lying on the nightstand: it was 1:48 am. Why was Cade still awake? Actually, why was I still awake?
“Come in, Caden. I’m still awake.” He walked into to my room, looking exhausted. I don’t think I have ever seen him so worn down, not even when his parents passed away. I was beginning to worry about him. “Caden, are you ok? You look like you have been to hell and back.”
“I’m good, sweetheart. Just trying to get things in order for tomorrow. We have to play this right or we may never find Brianne, or figure out why Grayson is involved with this. But don’t go worrying your pretty little head about that; just trust that I got you.”
“Cade, can I ask you something?” I already knew the answer, but I just needed his reassurance … to make it real.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“This thing … this
thing that you are doing for me, the plans you are making to find Brianne, is there a possibility that you or your brothers could get hurt?” I just had to know.
He nodded. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you. There is a good possibility that we could get hurt. But Emma, you have to understand, this is what we do. We won’t back out of a fight just because we might get hurt.”
Since I had come here, I had felt this was dangerous. I guess deep down I’d known it would be. But hearing Cade say it made it real. “Promise you will be careful? I’ve waited a long time to get you back in my life, I can’t lose you now.”
He walked over to the bed, leaned over, and kissed my forehead. “Beautiful, you can count on that. You are stuck with me. I know we have a lot to talk about, but right now, my brain hurts. Why don’t you slide over, put that laptop away, and show your man how much you love him?”
What in the world is he talking about, my man? “Since when did you become my man?”
“About twelve hours ago, sweetheart, when I kissed you and you kissed me back.” Suddenly I felt giddy. Caden and I were finally together, if that’s what we were. There were so many unanswered questions between us, but just then, I agreed with him. My brain hurt too. All I wanted to do was snuggle up against “my man”.
Following his instruction, I closed my laptop and tucked it away in the case lying next to the bed. When I looked up, Cade was standing next to the bed in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. Oh my God! He was magnificent! He was so different now. I remembered a tall, lanky, and scrawny boy. The Caden that was standing before me was a tall, muscular man with chiseled abs and downright sexy tattoos. And please do not get me started on the V! You know, that incredible part of a man’s body where his lower abs meet his hip. He was beautiful, and I couldn’t stop staring at him. He looked over at me and caught me staring. He grinned and sauntered toward me, then pulled me from the bed and into his arms. He held me close, and his body felt so good against me. He slowly nuzzled my neck and whispered in my ear, “Fuck, you smell so good.” He held me like that and took a deep breath against my ear. There were goosebumps all over my body. I could feel the moisture pooling between my legs. Oh dear God, I wanted him. I didn’t want to wait, I wanted him right now!
Caden turned me around and wrapped his arms around me. His body pressed flush up against me, with my back to his front. He held me with his left hand, pulling me even closer against his body. His left hand was splayed across my stomach while his right hand was pulling my hair away from my ear. He pressed his lips to my ear and said with a ragged breath, “So tell me, beautiful, did you end your engagement with that asshole?”
My legs were quivering from his words and breathlessly I answered, “Yes.”
His left hand moved up my stomach, pulling my tank top with it. With the edge of his thumb, he gently stroked the underside of my breast. I began to tremble – if he wasn’t holding me, I probably wouldn’t have been able to stand. His touch felt so good. He slid his hand higher up my body, tracing over my ribs until he had the full weight of my breast in his palm. He feathered kisses down my neck. He took his right hand and began to slide it down my front to the waistband of my shorts. He hesitated for a brief moment, as if he was asking me for permission. Then he whispered, “Emma, if you don’t want this, stop me. If you don’t stop me now and I keep going, I won’t be able to stop later if you change your mind.”
“Then don’t,” I whispered. I didn’t want to stop him. I couldn’t if I tried. I’d wanted this for as long as I could remember. I needed him, and by the bulge that was pressing into my backside, I knew he needed me too.
I was so desperate for him and wanted him to kiss me. I needed to feel his lips fused with my own. I leaned back, hoping that he would get the hint. He did. No hesitation, no questions asked, he claimed my lips with a need like I have never known. Before I knew it, his hand moved back to my hips and he was lifting me toward the wall, bracing me between the wall and his chest. His hardness was pressing against my behind and the pleasure was unbearable. He was tormenting me with his lips and his hands. Breathlessly, I whispered, “Caden, I want you.” When he continued with his torture, I begged, “Please.” With my final plea, he pulled me away from the wall and carried me to the bed. He tossed me upon the rumpled covers of the bed and immediately reached for the band around my shorts and started to tug.
He then hesitated and looked up at me and asked, “Are you sure?” He looked worried. Did he really think I would push him this far and then change my mind? Obviously, he had no idea how long I have wanted this.
Anxious with anticipation, I nodded reassuringly. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Convinced, Caden quickly removed my shorts and my tank top. He drew my hand down to his boxers and pressed my palm against his erection. “Touch me. I need to feel your touch Emma, please.” I hesitated, but only for a second – not because I didn’t want this, but more because I was unsure as to where this all would go. Sure, it was clear he wanted me then, but would he want me tomorrow? I loved him so much, at least the Caden that I had known all my life. He’s different now and a little intimidating by the power that he holds. However, the temptation to touch him was too strong. Trembling, my hand slid down the inside of his boxers. Caden groaned as he jerked his hips, thrusting into my palm. Twenty years ago he had been a teenage boy that I had a crush on. Now, he was this beautiful man that I knew I would never be able to get enough of. I ran my other hand over his chest, broad and thick with muscle, tracing the intricate tattoos that covered his entire chest. My right hand continued to stroke his huge cock, as it lay heavy in my hand. Caden relished in the pleasure that I was giving him.
He bent down and took my nipple between his lips. He sent shivers of need to my core as he rolled it with his tongue, feeling the combination of the cool air on my skin coupled with his hot, wet mouth. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped, and the instinctive arch to my back offered him more. He released my nipple and said, “That’s right, baby. Give it to me. Give it all to me.” He then turned his attention to my other breast. He placed his hands on my hips and I ground the curve of my sex against his thigh. The friction felt amazing and my body was enflamed with need. I continued to rock against him, never getting enough; I needed more than the tease of him against me that he was allowing me to have. I tightened my grip on his shaft and worked him as hard as I dared. I slid my hand up and down his shaft, being sure to touch him from balls to tip in a steady rhythm. He gave out a tortured groan, and demanded, “Harder.” I didn’t think I could get much wetter, but hearing the want and need in his voice, I realized that I was wrong. He just made me want him more.
“Caden, please, I can’t take this torture anymore. Take me. Now.”
“Are you ready for me?” he asked breathlessly.
“Touch me, and find out for yourself.” With my words, Caden palmed my cleft and slid his fingers through my folds. He groaned as he pushed one finger inside. I immediately clenched around him.
“Oh God baby, you are so hot. So wet. So ready.” He got up from the bed, walked over to his jeans and pulled out his wallet. Digging through, he pulled out a condom and quickly removed the wrapper and sheathed himself. “There’s no turning back now, Emma. If we go any further, I own you. All of you,” he stated. He waited for a brief moment and then asked, “Do you understand what I mean?” I nodded and then he asked, “Do you accept these terms?”
I really wasn’t sure what he meant, but conversation was the last thing I wanted right then. All I wanted at that point was him. I didn’t care what he was asking, I was primed and ready to accept any terms he was offering. I quickly nodded. My body ached for him, and in all honestly, my brain was not making any rational thoughts. All I wanted was to feel his hot hardness inside me. Caden walked over to the bed and positioned himself on top of me. He entered me with one powerful thrust and then stopped. The only movement was his body shaking, and I could sense that he was trying to hold back. He was huge, and I kno
w that he was waiting patiently for me to adjust to his size. I didn’t know if I could take any more, but I wanted more. His cock was throbbing inside of me. I pushed against him, encouraging him to take me deeper, harder. I whispered, “You feel so good, Caden, so hard, so thick.”
“Emma,” he said breathlessly. He groaned, and with a sense of purpose started to hammer into me. My hands dug into his flesh as I tried to keep up with the frantic rhythm of his thrusts. He was so deep, and I could feel every movement of his hardness inside me. This was nothing like I imagined. I had dreamed about being with Caden for so many years, but I never imagined this kind of passion and the burning need that I feel for him. We were both sweaty as our bodies slammed together, the sound of our flesh slapping against each other. It was incredibly erotic and my orgasm built quickly, heating my body even more. My muscles coiled inside and out, and I felt as if I was going to combust. My undoing came when Caden reached between us and brushed his thumb against my clit. I exploded with a low, guttural groan, shuddering around him. It was too intense, but Cade continued to hammer into me. I could feel his muscles become taut and I could see the sweat beading on his brow. As he continued to find his release, I could feel another orgasm building. I could feel Caden growing inside me and just as he reached his climax, I did too. This orgasm tore through us both as we rode it out together. When the last ripple of pleasure had faded away, he collapsed on top of me. He lay there for several minutes and then finally he released me and rolled to my side. He pulled me to his chest. As he held me, he murmured in my ear, “My beautiful Emma.”
We lay there for several minutes and eventually I could hear Caden’s steady breathing. He was asleep. It wasn’t long after that I found sleep myself, realizing that my only dream had just come true.
When I woke the next morning, Caden was gone.
Chapter 16
