by Avery Gale
“Lara? It’s so late, what are you doing out and about in the city at this hour, my dear?” Lately each visit with Miss Pearl had seemed more important because the older woman was becoming alarmingly frail. The facility provided the best care they could with the money they had, but there wasn’t anything of interest for the residents to do with their time. Lara often wondered how many of them simply withered away and died of boredom. She spent the next hour telling the older woman about her scare with the shrimp—leaving out many of the details of the dinner. Miss Pearl knew Lara worked at Dark Desires, but they’d never discussed any of the details of her personal participation. Her older friend might be incredibly open-minded, but Lara didn’t think she was quite ready to hear all the intimate details of her ménage lifestyle.
“Were you having dinner with those two hotties of yours? Good Lord, but I’d like to get a look at them—it’s just not the same seeing men on this little television.” Lara laughed out loud, maybe she needed to bring Miss Pearl to one of the club’s Meet and Greet events, there were actually a couple of widowed men her age who attended each month’s get-together. “But I don’t think your visit to the emergency room is what’s sent you to see an old woman in the middle of the night, is it?” When the older woman’s wrinkled hand grasp her own much smoother one—and it was that casual gesture of love and support that was Lara’s undoing.
Grabbing a small bottle of lotion, Lara gently massaged Miss Pearl’s dry hands and let her tears fall as she told her friend about seeing Simon again and the betrayal she’d felt when she’d discovered he’d never really been interested in her and that everyone around her seemed to already know the man. As the story poured out and Lara answered Miss Pearl’s occasional question, she had to admit the men had all seemed surprised she’d known Simon, but they certainly didn’t act as though he was a stranger and she’d needed to put space between herself and the whole mess so she could think clearly. God she was grateful CeCe had told her about the Panic Room and the hidden exit in the master suite. Lara was surprised they’d left her in the room alone long enough for her to utilize the safety feature Cameron Barnes had installed in his home.
When she finally wound down and looked up at Miss Pearl, her friend was watching her with kind eyes surrounded by deep laugh lines speaking of a lifetime spent making others smile. Miss Pearl’s dark eyes never seemed to miss even the smallest detail and Lara had never known her to be wrong in her assessments of people or situations. “Well, I saw you with Simon and I can assure you the man was quite smitten.” She held up her hand when Lara started to protest, halting the argument, “I understand that his intentions weren’t honorable and that he obviously wouldn’t know the truth if he walked into it face first, but I know what I saw. He fell for you but you can bet your bottom dollar he knew he didn’t stand a chance with that web of lies he’d spun closing in on him.”
Miss Pearl just waited, giving Lara a chance to think about what she’d said before asking, “Tell me, would you have given him the time of day after finding out what he’d done? Even if he’d told you he’d fallen in love with you in the process?” When Lara shook her head, Miss Pearl smiled, “Of course not, and he had to have known that as well. And you know how fragile men’s egos can be—he’d have walked away before facing that loss. Now, about your two hotties—honey-girl, you owe it to them to at least listen to what they have to say. Don’t you suppose they are worried about you being out alone this late?” Lara noticed Miss Pearl looked over her shoulder but didn’t turn around because it wasn’t unusual for the staff to stick their heads in to confirm who was visiting.
“No. One of their team saw me leaving and followed me, so I’m sure they know I’m safe. And since someone out there is under the mistaken impression my parents sent me something valuable, I’m willing to concede that I need help. But I’m not sure how much I trust anyone right now. How do I know whether or not they are with me because they want to be or simply because they are a part of the investigation?” She felt another tear roll slowly down her cheek and found herself leaning into Miss Pearl’s touch when the older woman cupped her cheek with her cool palm.
“Honey, trust your heart. You may experience pain now and then, but the joy will outshine the darkness. Remember, you can’t truly appreciate the mountains unless you’ve seen the valleys. Take a chance that there are mountains beyond this valley, sweetheart—I promise you won’t regret it.” Miss Pearl leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against Lara’s forehead and then quietly added, “Now, honey, it’s past my bedtime and I do believe there are a couple of young men here to collect you.” Lara spun around on the small stool and gasped at the sight of Peter and Fischer both leaning against the doorframe. They filled the door and once again Lara found herself almost mesmerized by their appearance.
Lara had lost track of the number of times she’d found herself staring at them struck speechless, but it was more than their physical attractiveness—which was remarkable itself. But both men had a presence that drew people to them. Perhaps it was their unique ability to hear the thoughts of others—did that give them such an advantage understanding others that people sensed the connection? Peter stepped forward to kneel in front of Miss Pearl, introducing himself and then his brother. Fischer held out his hand to her and Lara didn’t hesitate to place her much smaller hand in his larger one, and the first touch reminded her why she’d trusted them from the beginning. Even though the first touch always sent a zing of electricity up her arm, it was the sense of security that always lingered that she found the most attractive.
Fischer didn’t even realize he was holding his breath until Lara placed her hand in his without even a heartbeat of hesitation. Relief swept through him knowing that her trust in them hadn’t been completely destroyed simply because of their association with Eric Roberts. He wasn’t a fool, Fischer knew full well that it wouldn’t matter that he’d never actually met the man, the fact Peter knew him could have easily been enough to sink them both. “Come on, baby, you look completely spent. Peter will say your goodbyes and be out in a few minutes.”
What he wasn’t going to say—yet, was that Peter was talking to Lara’s friend about moving to another facility. When Micah had told them what he’d learned about the elderly woman’s situation, they’d made a couple of calls and could have Mrs. Pearl Betts moved in to a beautiful new assisted living apartment by noon tomorrow if she was willing to go. After learning how Ms. Betts had befriended the lonely college coed living across the hall from her, caring for her when she’d been ill, encouraging her to continue her education, and helping her learn to safely navigate their neighborhood, there wasn’t anything Peter and Fischer weren’t willing to do to make the last years of her life more pleasant.
Just as they walked out the front door of the nursing home, Lara sighed deeply, “I hate it that she has to live here. There isn’t a single activity for her, she sits in her room day and night watching that ridiculously small television—she is bored to distraction.” Fischer wasn’t sure Lara even realized she’d spoken out loud.
Using the hand he was holding to spin her into his arms, he looked down into her eyes and smiled, “Cupcake, Peter is talking to your friend about that very thing right now. We were going to wait and surprise you, but you’ve already got so much on your plate, I don’t want you worrying over this any longer. If she’ll let us, we’ll have her in one of the nicest retirement villages in the city and I promise you there will be so many things to keep her busy you’ll have to make an appointment to visit her.” The gratitude and relief he saw in her expression made his heart squeeze, knowing such a small gesture on their part had made such an impact on Lara spoke to the type of person she was at her core.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you. She wouldn’t let me help her, but I have a feeling Peter won’t take no for an answer—and I can’t tell you how happy I am about that.” He pulled her close wrapping his arms around her and just enjoyed the feel of her curves pres
sing against him. Worrying he’d never hold her again had terrified him and hugging her was as much about his own comfort as it was about hers.
“We’re happy to help, what use is money if you don’t use it to help others?” Money was an issue they’d be discussing at some point in the very near future because one of the things the investigation had turned up was the fact several incredibly large deposits had been made during the previous two years to Lara’s trust fund account. There was no evidence that she knew about the deposits since she seemed inclined to completely ignore the fact she even had a trust fund. All of the details were handled by her family and from what Micah had been able to uncover, Lara was under the mistaken impression that her mother was estranged from her family, when in fact they’d spoken several times during the past several years. Why her parents had hidden that fact was just another question to add to the growing list he was hoping their visit to her grandparents’ estate would be able to clear up.
Fischer could read the satisfaction in Peter’s expression when he emerged from the nursing home to join them on the sidewalk despite the glare he gave Fischer, “Is there some reason you have our woman standing out in the cool night air?” ‘Completely exposed to anyone who might want to take a pot-shot at her?’
“Yes, as a matter of fact there is—I wanted to hug her.” ‘Can it. She and I both needed this moment, or have you forgotten that we have some ground to make up thanks to your pal, Eric Roberts?’ Walking Lara the rest of the way to the Towne Car they had waiting, he held out his hand for her keys and tossed them to Taz before helping her into the dark interior of their car.
Once he’d settled in beside her, he leaned over and snapped her seatbelt in place before securing his own and enclosing her soft hand in his own. “We’ll be home soon and then you really need to eat something before you sleep, baby. We’re going to push back our trip to your grandparents’ estate a couple of hours because we’re worried about you.” He saw her eyes sparkle with questions, but he wasn’t willing to argue the point with her. “No, cupcake. This is not open to discussion. We’ll sort everything else out tomorrow, including the fact you put yourself in danger by leaving this evening. But we will do it after you’ve allowed us to take care of you—you’ll eat and rest first. We’ll go see your grandparents and perhaps find some answers about this mess that seems to be building like a damned tsunami wave.”
This time she didn’t attempt to argue and before they’d even gotten out of the parking lot she had unfastened her seat belt and curled up in his lap. Fischer felt as if his heart was going to explode with gratitude because he’d been terrified at the devastation he’d seen in her eyes just a couple of hours ago. He wasn’t sure what all Pearl Betts had said to Lara, but the woman had definitely cemented her place at the top of their most favored vanilla friends list.
Fischer knew the minute Lara’s mind finally shut down and she fell asleep cuddled against him with the top of her head tucked under his chin because her entire body sagged in relief from her utter exhaustion. Once their driver parked in front of the building where they lived, Peter opened the door and Fischer gently laid her in Peter’s waiting arms before climbing out of the car. “She’s had an unbelievably difficult day, yet she took time to stop and buy Ms. Betts a sack of her favorite candies. I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone like her.” Fischer appreciated the almost reverent tone in Peter’s voice and his own thoughts echoed those of his older brother, except he wasn’t convinced there was anyone like her.
Chapter Thirteen
Peter loved carrying Lara, she’d opened her eyes briefly as they’d stepped into the elevator, a small smile lifted the corners of her full lips but then her eyelids slid closed as she sighed contentedly. There was no greater feeling for a Dom than being trusted by the submissive in their care and a feeling of utter contentment moved through him. Trying to wake her so she could eat something proved to be a battle they decided wasn’t worth fighting. They quickly abandoned the idea, opting instead to use those few moments she was half awake to get her undressed and settled in the middle of their large bed. By the time they’d both finished showering, she was once again sleeping deeply.
The trip to her grandparents’ estate north of Houston seemed to take forever and Peter wondered more than once what was going through Lara’s mind as she stared out the windows of the car. ‘I hate the hesitation I see in her eyes. She doesn’t trust her family anymore and I’m not sure that I blame her.’ He and Fischer had let Kent and Micah take the lead briefing Lara this morning on what they’d learned about her trust fund and he’d seen the disbelief in her eyes. The implications were too obvious to need mentioning aloud, and from that moment on, he’d noted she seemed to be slowly slipping away from them.
Lara’s emotional detachment would have to be dealt with quickly, but right now she was already dealing with a barrage of unsettling information and he knew there was nothing to be gained by adding to her burden. He left her to her own thoughts but continued watching her out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to let her sink too far into self-doubt. Knowing when to step back and when to intercede with a sub had never been an issue before, but not being able to connect with Lara as an empath was presenting more challenges than he’d ever anticipated. ‘Are you able to hear her yet?’ He knew Fischer had connected briefly the night before at the penthouse, but he wasn’t sure his brother was still able to hear her.
‘Not like I want to, but I’m getting stronger impressions of her emotions. Damn I wish Adam wasn’t out of the country. We could really use his help.’ The oldest Weston brother was married to Cecelia Barnes’ sister and Adam had taken Camille and their young children on an extended vacation immediately following her sister’s wedding. Adam was an empath as well, and they hoped he’d be able to give them some insight with Lara. Adam hadn’t been able to hear Camille for a long time, but since he nor Fischer had ever had any trouble, they’d hoped he’d be able to help.
‘I agree and the rat-bastard had the nerve to laugh at me when I called him to find out for sure when they planned to return. Hell, I never did get an answer. I swear I think we should worship the ground our saint of a sister-in-law walks on for taking him off the family’s hands.’ Peter could almost feel Fischer’s laughter at his words.
When he turned to Lara, he saw she was watching him, the corners of her lips tilted up ever so slightly. “I can tell when you two are doing that you know. The air around you almost crackles with a really weird static electricity, it gives you away every time.” Peter was completely stunned and seeing Fischer turn around to gape at her from the passenger seat in front of them let him know his brother was just as shocked. Lara’s eyes became wary as she appeared to push back into the seat, “What?”
“No—it’s okay. We’re just surprised—very pleasantly surprised I should add. It’s really rare to find anyone who can sense what you just described—we’ve never had that happen with anyone who wasn’t gifted.” Peter reached over to take her hand in his and couldn’t hold back how right everything about her felt as he pressed a kiss against her slender fingers. “It just proves how perfect you are for us.”
When the driver turned through the stately brick and wrought iron gates onto the lane leading to her grandparents’ estate, Lara felt memories assail her. Looking out over the track that circled the large front lawns, Lara fondly remembered riding the ponies her grandfather kept for her. Looking out over the track she knew if she closed her eyes she’d practically be able to feel the wind blowing through her hair the one and only time she was allowed to ride one of her grandfather’s full sized horses. She’d ridden ponies for years, but it was that one brief sprint around the track on a regular horse before her grandmother had come storming down the front steps of their stately mansion like a Category 5 hurricane that she remembers best—and it had been enough to hook her forever. And even though she hadn’t ridden in more years than she wanted to count, she’d never forgotten the joy she’d found in those precious few m
inutes.
“Mi amõre? Are you all right?” Peter’s softly whispered question brought her back to the moment and when she turned away from the window to face him, he reached over and gently wiped away the tears she hadn’t even realized were falling. She wasn’t sure why she was so emotional, she hadn’t seen her grandparents in a very long time. She’d been told there had been some sort of falling out between her parents and grandparents, and rather than getting pulled into the drama, Lara had opted for the good old Ostrich Theory and simply avoided it altogether. In hindsight, that seemed like a terribly selfish and cowardly decision, but there wasn’t anything to do about that now, so she tried not to get tangled up in the emotions of guilt and regret.
“I am, or at least I will be. But I appreciate you asking. I just got caught up in a memory.” She didn’t want to tell them how much she’d longed for some sort of family connection—how much she envied the fact they had each other and an older brother they both seemed to admire. She’d met the Weston family a couple of times and they seemed like lovely people, but she’d felt like an outsider despite how welcoming they had been. The bottom line was without a commitment from Peter and Fischer, she simply didn’t feel like she was a part of their family. And thanks to her parents’ nonsense with her grandparents, she didn’t really feel as if she was a part of her own family either.
