Stay with Me [Brook Hollow 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lee Rose

  Now Mia knew why those women were looking at her at the wedding over the weekend. Did Abel tell Jane about Mia and the baby? Did he tell Jane Mia was trying to trap him? She didn’t want to believe it, but he had not even told her he was leaving the wedding but Jane knew. Jane claimed to be in contact with him. Why would he be texting Jane if he had no interest in her? Had he lied to Mia all along?

  “Oh, Mia.” Reva patted Mia’s back. “I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me? We’re friends.”

  “I know. I haven’t told anyone besides my aunt and Abel of course. I suppose he told his family. I am just now getting adjusted to this huge change in my life,” Mia explained tearfully. She was angry with Jane and Abel, too. “I can’t believe he would tell Jane of all people. I trusted him.”

  “Men can be clueless,” Reva told her, starting to put the dishes away so they could finish closing up. “Are you going back to New York or staying here? I vote for staying here. Jane is a jealous cow. She had always thought her shit don’t stink, but it does.”

  Mia felt confused and her head was starting to hurt. “I thought I might want to stick around Brook Hollow, but now I don’t know, Reva. I don’t like being the focus of gossip and false rumors. Just because I am a single mom, does that mean I will always be on the lips of the gossipers?”

  “Rumors come and go, Mia. Smart people ignore them and they die down eventually. I bet Jane is just jealous. She has been bragging for two years now that she would be marrying the sheriff. Now she knows for sure she has no chance. Abel would have taken her up on her offer long ago if he was interested.”

  Mia wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Abel had not even called her since the wedding. She made excuses for him knowing the snow often brought accidents and trouble that kept him busy. She finished cleaning up. She drove home and although the snow falling was a beautiful sight, it failed to cheer up as it usually did.

  * * * *

  Mia and Becky spent a quiet Christmas day at her house. They baked a ham and watched Christmas movies after exchanging small gifts. Abel asked her to go to his family’s home, but when Melanie mentioned Delores had invited Jane and her father, Mia had said no. Was Delores trying to tell Mia she would never fit in with them? It was depressing. She had a quick phone call from Abel, but he was at work and she could hear all the noise in the background.

  Talking to Gwen on the phone only made her feel worse. She missed New York and Gwen, too.

  “So Gwen wants you home, huh?” Becky said with sympathy. Mia nodded, holding back her tears.

  “She does. I thought about staying here in Brook Hollow but now I am not so sure. People know about the baby and are saying I am ruining Abel’s life and future marriage with Jane.”

  “That is all bull.” Becky snorted, setting her cup of hot chocolate on the end table. “He never had any interest in that woman. He is polite to Jane because he has good manners, Mia.”

  “Maybe,” she said without much confidence. It was hard when he was so busy she didn’t get to see him much. She felt the eyes of people as she walked through the grocery store, heard the whispers behind her back. What kind of life would her child have here? Would Delores treat her child with affection, or be a grandmother out of obligation only? Her head pounded with the stress of it all.

  “I had a good Christmas, Becky. Thank you so much.” Mia gave the woman a smile. “I feel like we are family despite it all being a fake story. I hope that is not too forward of me to say.”

  Becky gave Mia a huge hug. It felt so comforting to Mia. She had always wished she had a mom when she was a kid. Some foster parents had been kind but she knew they weren’t her family. “Oh, child, I feel the same way. I adore you as much as I adore Gwen. I have two beautiful nieces and I dare someone to argue with me about it.”

  Mia chuckled. “I expect you to come to New York and visit us. This baby needs all the family it can get.”

  “Of course.” Mia helped Becky clean up and went home.

  She was tired and needed her sleep. She offered to open up tomorrow so Becky could sleep in. She had just closed the door and locked up when she heard a knock. She peeked through the hole and spotted Abel. She was tempted to send him away but her soft heart wouldn’t let her. Mia opened the door.

  “Merry Christmas,” Abel said softly, handing her a small black box with a gold bow. Mia grabbed it and went to the couch to sit down. She had bought him a small gift, too. She handed it to him shyly. She hoped he liked it even though it wasn’t expensive. Jane had probably bought him something flashy and expensive, she thought bitterly.

  Mia opened her gift a pulled a gold chain with a cross at the end of it. “Oh, Abel, it is beautiful. I can’t believe this. It’s too much.”

  His tender smile confused her. He acted like he cared then he ignored her for days. She was tired of the up and down, of having her hopes dashed over and over. “I saw it and thought of you. It’s beautiful and delicate just like you are.”

  She blushed and he helped her put it around her neck. She felt his lips brush her skin and she shivered. “I hope you like your wallet. It has a chain on it. I remembered Jessy saying once you kept losing yours, and Lincoln threatened to staple the next one to your uniform.”

  Abel laughed out loud and nodded. “He did. Thank you, Mia. I missed you tonight.”

  “Even with Jane there?” She couldn’t help sounding petty. It hurt her to know how well Jane fit in with his family. She probably had a family tree hanging on her wall, and Mia had no idea who her father was and who her mother’s family was.

  “My mom likes her a lot and I don’t know why.” He sighed, sounding frustrated. “I would have preferred to have you there with me. I was afraid she was going to follow me to the bathroom. Shit, it was a long ass dinner.”

  “I guess I feel angry she started all those rumors about me ruining your life,” Mia admitted. “I hear people whispering about me when I pass. It feels like high school all over again and I hate it.”

  He gave her a curious look. His brows creased downward. “How do you know Jane started them?”

  “Reva told me. She heard it at the salon in town. Jane told people you were on the verge of proposing until I trapped you.”

  “I heard the rumors and I ignored them. I did ask Jane if she started them and she swore it wasn’t her,” he said carefully, as if not wanting to upset Mia by calling her a liar. Mia felt her anger level rise up. Surely he did not think Jane was innocent?

  “And you believe her? She is always so snotty and rude to me. At the wedding she told me you were texting her.” Mia snorted, crossing her arms angrily. Now she was jealous, too.

  “I was not texting her, Mia.” He frowned. “Listen, it’s best to ignore her and any gossip. It will die down. I promise. Gossip in this town comes and goes.”

  “Easy for you to say. I am cast as the evil witch in all of this,” she snapped, feeling grumpy. Abel smiled and tugged on her hair. “But you are a sexy evil witch, and I am nothing but your puppet.”

  “Oh brother.” She rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. She tilted her head, giving him a curious look. Thinking of Jane made her feel so frumpy and dull. Especially with morning sickness. “Am I sexy?”

  “The sexiest witch in all the land. I swear.” He crossed his heart with his finger, forcing her smile to appear against her wishes.

  “So tell me what you need. Do you want my kisses all over your body, mistress? Need me to suck those luscious tits of yours?” His voice was deep and sexy and she felt her pussy throb with need. She should be strong and say no. They were not a couple after all. Wasn’t it wrong to have sex when they were supposed to be just friends? Her body disagreed. Her body said go for it. It had been much too long since she felt his hard body taking her so wildly.

  “Maybe if you strip, I won’t turn you into a frog,” she teased him, letting her fingers trail down his muscular chest playfully. She was going to relax tonight and forget her woes.

  Abel quickly stood up an
d pulled her to a standing position. They stood face to face, staring into each other’s eyes. The butterflies in her stomach did a dance as he looked into her eyes with such desire.

  “I’ll do one better and strip us of both of our clothes.” He wiggled his eyebrows and started taking her clothes quickly off of her body, letting them land where they may. Her body shivered and she was sure it wasn’t from the cold. She felt her breasts become tingly with need. He swiped the nipple with his thumb. She wanted to remind him he was still fully clothed but her eyes closed and she practically melted at his feet. She felt his tongue latch onto her nipple and suck hard. She felt the tingling sensation to her stomach. He did the same to her other breast until she felt wetness dripping down her thighs.

  He laid her down on the couch. Mia watched him stare down at her body while slowly divesting himself of his clothes. She felt slightly self-conscious but she tried not to show it. She hadn’t gained weight yet.

  She might as well tease him back and make this a night he will never forget. At least they wouldn’t need a condom this time. She let her thighs fall open wide He sucked in his breath and she saw his hands shake as he removed his jeans. So he was excited?

  She touched her pussy with her fingers and felt her own juices coat her fingers. She was sensitive down there, more than before. She watched him watching every move her fingers made and she moaned loudly really getting into this. She had never been this bold before, but with him, it was fun and easy. “Mmm someone is taking way too long. Guess it’s up to me to get this party started.”

  Abel fell to his knees and moved her fingers out of the way, giving her a look telling her she was asking for trouble. He touched her pussy with his fingers and licked the juice off of them. “Pure honey.”

  It made her wetness increase. “You are so wet, Mia. Are you horny, you bad girl?”

  “Maybe.” She lied, and he chuckled seeing right through her teasing. Once his tongue replaced his fingers, any teasing went out of her head. She leaned back and exhaled. It had been a while since she felt so blown away by Abel physically. She had thought to never feel him again. She wanted to enjoy it and not worry about tomorrow. He licked her swollen clit and she bucked up and groaned, biting her bottom lip. He tormented her with his talented tongue until she couldn’t hold back her screams of pleasure. She came so hard she almost fainted. Abel licked his lips. “Yeah, pure honey for sure.”

  She felt his body hover above hers. She eyed his large hard cock and licked her lips. She gripped his hardness and stroked his cock back and forth with her hand. “If you are my puppet, I am one happy witch right now. This cock of yours is so hard and so thick. I want to taste you, Abel. I want your cum all over my mouth, my lips.”

  He closed his eyes and muttered under his breath. She watched his face, feeding off his pleasure. She would love to have watched him come but he stopped her. “I want to be inside of you when I come, Mia. Is it okay to do this with the baby?”

  She nodded. “Slow and gentle is good. And no need for a condom.”

  He gave her a tender smile as if he really cared about her, or did she just want to believe that to make the sex okay? “Skin to skin sounds amazing. A first for me, love.”

  She didn’t want to read too much into his words, so she let her body relax. She felt the tip of his cock at her entrance and she wanted, needed him. She prepared herself for him to enter her. She always felt so full as his hardness slipped into her wet pussy. His thickness stretched the muscles of her pussy.

  “Oh yes, so good,” she admitted as he held still for a minute as if he too wanted to savor the moment. “I missed this.”

  “Me, too,” he whispered against her neck. He pumped his cock in and out of her slow and easy, rotating his hips in movements that drove her need higher and higher. It was like reaching for the stars, knowing it would burn you up but not caring either. It drove her wilder than the fast pace she was used to from him. She had thought the wild craziness of their lovemaking before was perfect, but the slow touch had its selling point, too. Mia wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to his hips. She moved with him. She clung to him, feeling her body tremble all over. She wanted to demand he hurry but she bit her lip and stayed quiet. She rotated her hips to his slow rhythm.

  “You are sweeter than sugar, Mia,” he swore. “I am addicted to you.”

  She tried not to take his words too seriously, knowing it was the heat of the moment only. Passion made you say things you normally wouldn’t say. He took her lips into a steamy kiss that made her feel like she was floating in the air. She clung to his shoulders, just feeling every sensation running through her body until her orgasm hit her inner core. She felt her body tense, her vision became cloudy and then it came. Her body bucked under his, welcoming the climax. Her pussy clenched tightly around his cock.

  “Yes.” She moaned. “Amazing, every single time.”

  His body tensed and he held still for a second. He buried his face in her neck, whispering her name so softly she wouldn’t have heard it if his mouth wasn’t so close to her ear. She felt his seed coat her pussy. It was so different, so intimate. He let out a loud sigh and scooted her over. He scooped her next to him and hugged her tight. “You wore me out, babe.”

  “I did nothing but hang on.” She contradicted him with a yawn. She felt sleepy now.

  “Can I stay the night?” He surprised her by asking. He never showed an interest in sticking around for long. Was it because of the baby?

  “Sure.” She tried to sound casual, but her heart was thumping loudly inside of her chest. Why were men so confusing? She would never understand Abel.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I can’t believe someone would do this.” Mia cried. Reva had her arm around Mia. Mia felt her body shaking. Her vision was cloudy.

  “This is bullshit.” Reva was angry as they stared at the painted window. Whore was written in large red letters. “I bet Jane or one of her stooges did this. That girl is vicious as a rabid dog.”

  Mia was afraid Reva was right. The rumors weren’t stopping, they were increasing. Mia knew Jane was the one adding fuel to the fire but she couldn’t prove it. Jane came into the coffee shop often now when she had only been an occasional customer before. She dropped Abel’s name in every sentence, knowing it hurt Mia’s feelings. Mia did her best to keep her composure, but she wanted to cry each time she faced Jane. Being pregnant made her so hormonal. Gwen would have taken Jane head on but Mia felt weepy and hurt.

  Abel stayed the night with her on Christmas night, but she hadn’t heard from him since. It was New Year’s Eve and they were supposed to be open half a day today. She knew he was busy with his brother out of town, but he could text her or something to let her know she crossed his mind occasionally. She felt used and betrayed, and Jane and her antics were not helping at all. Mia wanted Abel to defend her and tell people to leave her alone but he didn’t. He went on ignoring every rumor since she was the villain in all of this.

  “I’m calling the police and Becky.” Reva stomped to the phone on the wall. The sun was just coming up and it was still cold outside. Ice particles had formed over the ugly words. Mia sat in a chair, her knees felt shaky. She felt in a daze and didn’t come out of it until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Abel’s worried face. His hair was wet from the snowflakes. His brown eyes were filled with concern. Probably for the baby, she thought bitterly.

  “Mia, you are pale and shaky.” His words sounded like they were coming from far away. He shook her lightly. “Mia, should I call an ambulance?”

  She took in a breath and focused. “Um no. I just needed a minute.”

  She looked around the coffee shop and saw an officer taking pictures of the window and talking to Reva. He bent down to her level and touched her cheek with his hand. “You’re freezing. I talked to Becky. She said to close shop and go to her house. She is going to make you a fire and some hot chocolate.”

  Mia nodded, rubbing her arms. She looked at
him through watery eyes. “Okay. I don’t know where my purse is.”

  He looked more concerned. “It doesn’t matter. I am taking you home right now. Reva can lock up.”

  Mia stood up and he led her out the door, feeling numb inside.

  * * * *

  “I’m worried about her, Becky,” Abel muttered, looking at Mia wrapped in a blanket and staring at the flames with unfocused eyes. She hadn’t said a word on the way over to Becky’s house. He talked all the way and she looked out the window without responding.

  “Of course she is in shock. Jesus, Abel, if you would stick your head out of your office once in a while you would know that crazy Jane Lopez enjoys tormenting her by insinuating you and her are still very close. God knows what she is telling people. They look at Mia as if she broke up a wonderful couple like you and Jane. You and I know it’s bullshit, but Mia doesn’t. She is insecure and you should know that.”

  Abel felt his blood boil. Becky was glaring at him as if this was his fault. Maybe it was. He got lost in his work and never thought about it. He was going to have to change all that now.

  “I haven’t spoken to Jane since Christmas dinner and that was casually. Jesus, we talked about the weather. Mom must have told her Mia was expecting because I never said a word to Jane, but all of a sudden she knew. I have been meaning to talk to Mom but I’ve been busy. I hear the rumors but I ignore them knowing they will fade away.”

  Becky sighed, looking agitated and upset. “You need to talk to your mother. I have a feeling Jane is filling her head with lies. Delores isn’t rude to Mia, but she isn’t exactly kind either. I’ve tried talking to her but she changes the subject and tells me Mia is my niece and we shouldn’t discuss her. As for rumors, ignoring isn’t helping them go away to fix it. You say you care for Mia. Well prove it, buddy, or let her go for good. Your choice.”

  Abel ran his fingers through his hair. He had been spending so much time training his new officers that he neglected to see what was going on in front of him. “Shit. Fine I will see what is going on with my mom. Last I heard she was happy and looking forward to having a grandbaby before the wedding. You take care of Mia for me. Tell her I will be back in a bit.”