MisplacedLessons

by Mari Carr

  Now it looked like they were going to spend the afternoon at a ballgame. As much as he’d love to drag out this sexual escapade, they’d have to settle for a quickie with the promise of more, later tonight.

  “You sore?” He was concerned about her after their adventure in the club. Neither he nor Tom had held back, both of them losing themselves inside Amy’s sweet body.

  She shook her head. “I feel incredible. Last night was…” She paused and he wondered what word she would use to describe it. “It was bloody amazing.”

  “So you think you might give the threesome thing a try again?”

  “No.” Her response was quick and took him by surprise.

  “Why not?” Had he misread her? He thought she’d enjoyed the experience.

  “Because I don’t think you want to do it again and, honestly, you’re the only person I can picture myself ever doing that with.”

  He’d given himself away to more than just Tom. Amy had picked up on his unease over sharing her as well. “I’m sorry, Amy. I don’t want you to think I didn’t love what we did at the club, I—”

  “Oh, I know you did. I loved it as well. But, well, I like it better when it’s just us. If that makes sense.”

  It made perfect sense. He felt exactly the same way. He rose from the couch and pulled his pants down. His erection stood out long and hard. Amy sat up in front of him, grasping it in her hand.

  He cupped the sides of her face and tilted until she looked at him. “I want you to suck my cock.”

  She gave him a saucy smile. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, she engulfed the head with her sweet lips. He didn’t bother to restrain his groan of absolute bliss when she took him deep on the first pass. Her mouth was lethal to his control as she used her tongue and teeth to tease his sensitive flesh.

  “God, Amy. That feels so fucking good.”

  She increased her pace and the pressure, taking him from zero to sixty in less than a minute. Damn. He wanted this to last, but she wasn’t holding anything back. It had been this way since their first night together. Amy gave herself over to him, without reservation. She didn’t seem to suffer the same misgivings as other lovers he’d been with in the past. Instead, she was simply herself.

  One of her hands tightened at the base of his dick and Andrew saw stars. When she used her free hand to up the ante, stroking her fingers between his ass cheeks, toying with his anus, he knew he was a goner.

  “Shit. Amy. I’m not going to be able to stop.”

  She wiggled her finger harder against his tight opening, pressing in to the first knuckle.

  Game over. Once again, she’d come out on top.

  His fingers tightened in her dark tresses. He loved the soft texture of her hair. Amy showed no mercy as she continued to suck on his cock.

  When he came, she swallowed, then slowed her sucking.

  He gasped for breath, his heart galloping a million miles a minute. He’d spent nearly a week inside her, and yet every experience was as exciting as the first.

  Amy released him with a pop. Her too-pleased grin proved she knew exactly what effect she had on him.

  “Come on.” He grasped her hand and pulled her up.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Shower. I need a few minutes to recover.”

  She stood to follow, but her cell phone rang. Amy bent to retrieve it from the coffee table and glanced at the screen. She grinned. “It’s Harper. She’s probably checking to make sure I got the tickets.”

  Andrew held out his hand, indicating he wanted the phone.

  Amy shook her head. “Nope. She called me. Not you. Go start the shower. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  He wanted to protest, but he knew if Harper were in trouble, Amy wouldn’t hesitate to tell him. Best to let them have their girl time.

  “Tell her I said hello. And that we’re going to have a long chat when she gets back home.”

  Amy laughed. “Big bully.” Then she clicked on the phone and said, “Hello.”

  He picked up his sweatpants and headed upstairs.

  “What’s up, girlfriend?” Amy said. “It’s kind of late for you to be up, isn’t it? Tomorrow’s a school day.”

  “I just wanted to hear a friendly voice.”

  Harper’s tone set off alarm bells in Amy’s head. “What’s wrong?”

  Silence met her question until Amy prompted again, “Harper?”

  “I had a bad day. I fucked up.”

  Amy couldn’t imagine anything Harper could do that would be so bad. “In class?”

  “Oh no. The kids are awesome. Seriously. I love them. It’s something more…personal.”

  “You’re going to have to give me more to go on, Harper.”

  Again, her friend didn’t immediately reply. Like sister, like brother. The similarities between Andrew and Harper were never more apparent. Both of them played their cards close to their chests.

  “Listen. If you can’t talk to me, what about Marc or Keith? I’m sure either one of them—”

  She didn’t have a chance to finish her comment before the sound of Harper crying cut her off.

  “Holy crap. You’re killing me. Please don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

  “Marc and Keith are wonderful. But I screwed things up with them. And then Ronnie…” Harper’s words faded away and Amy sensed she was struggling to pull herself together.

  “Ronnie? You mean Big Mac? That guy’s an arsehole. If he’s bothering you, tell Keith, or hell, if you can’t do that, tell Hunter or Hazel. Don’t let him hassle you.”

  “How’s Andrew?”

  It was an abrupt change of topic and it took Amy a second to switch gears.

  “He’s fine.”

  “I miss him.”

  Amy wanted to chalk the phone call up to homesickness, but it was clear there was something else at work. “He misses you too. Do you want to talk to him? He’s just upstairs. I can—”

  “No! No, please don’t tell him that I’m crying. He’ll flip out. I don’t want to cause him any more worry. I’ve hurt him enough.”

  What the fuck did that mean? “If you’re upset or hurt, Andrew would want to know. I’ve kept the fact you’re at Farpoint a secret because I thought you were safe and happy. It doesn’t sound like that’s true anymore. What do you want? Do you need me to fly home? Or do you want to come back to Chicago?”

  Harper sighed. “I don’t want to come home.”

  Amy wasn’t sure what comfort she could offer. She felt helpless, too far away. “Tell me what you need, Harper. I hate that you’re sad.”

  Harper scoffed, the sound filled with sadness. “I thought I’d kicked the demons of my past to the curb. These last few days have been perfect, some of the best of my life. I got blindsided today and now I’m struggling to find my way back.”

  “Demons?”

  “One day I’ll tell you about why I came to live with Andrew and my dad when I was a kid. For now, let’s just leave it at my stepdad wasn’t a very nice person.”

  Amy’s heart lurched. Had Harper been abused? That would definitely explain Andrew’s tendency to be overprotective of his sister and her hesitance to put herself out there, to take chances. “We’re going to have that talk.”

  “I know. I want to tell you. I need to tell someone. I can’t talk to Andrew because he feels guilty about it. Listen. I’m sorry I called. I can tell you’re having a great time and I really didn’t mean to bring you down or ruin your trip. I’m just having a pity party tonight. I’m sure things will be better in the morning.”

  Harper’s tone didn’t match her words. Amy couldn’t help but think the morning wasn’t going to be much better for her friend. Had she inadvertently unearthed some best-buried can of worms with this damn life-swap idea?

  “If they aren’t, call me. Or text. I’m sure we can figure this out. Somehow.”

  “Okay. Give Andrew my love.”

  Amy felt sick to her stom
ach. “Sure.”

  “Goodbye, Amy.”

  “See you later.” Amy tapped End on her iPhone and tried to figure out what the hell she was supposed to do now. Harper had asked her not to tell Andrew she was upset, but this secret wasn’t sitting as easily on her shoulders.

  * * * * *

  The phone conversation returned to her at various times during the day. She’d tried to concentrate on the baseball game, to let herself enjoy the moment and Andrew’s hilarious, over-the-top, maniac-like devotion to his Sox, but she couldn’t shake her worrying.

  All day long she kept asking herself what Andrew would say if something truly bad had happened to Harper at Farpoint and he discovered Amy hadn’t told him.

  He’d never forgive her. Bloody hell, she’d never forgive herself.

  “Earth to Amy.”

  She blinked a couple times, letting her vision focus on Andrew once more. They’d returned home from the game an hour ago. Andrew had offered to make her dinner at home, as neither of them wanted to spend their last night together in some crowded restaurant. They’d eaten most of the meal in silence.

  It was the end. Amy’s chest tightened. They would say goodbye tomorrow morning, most likely forever. “Sorry.”

  “What’s going on, Amy? You’ve been lost in the Twilight Zone most of the day.”

  “I’m worried about Harper.” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out so abruptly, but something told her Andrew needed to know what was going on. Maybe he could shed some light on the demons Harper alluded to, so Amy would know if she needed to call Keith.

  Several times today she’d considered texting him to see what the hell was going on, but something held her back.

  Andrew scowled. “Why?”

  “She was a little upset this morning when she called.”

  She’d never seen such a dark expression on Andrew’s face. Not even during his confrontation with Schuster at the club the previous night. “What the fuck did she say? What happened?”

  Andrew rose from the dinner table, pacing to the counter. He slapped his hand on the smooth surface and she jumped. “Goddamn it. You swore to me she was safe. That she was happy.”

  “She is. Or was. I don’t know what happened. She wouldn’t say.”

  Andrew stopped listening. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and dialed. No doubt he was calling his sister. Amy’s gut told him she wouldn’t answer.

  Pure anger radiated when he spoke. She’d been right. He’d gotten Harper’s voice mail. “Call me. Now.”

  He slammed the phone down and started pacing. Amy wasn’t sure what to say to calm him. His response seemed so over-the-top.

  Amy was too tired to even try to figure out what time it was on the other side of the planet. Most likely Harper was teaching class and didn’t have her phone turned on.

  “What happened between Harper and her stepdad?” she asked after several minutes proved his sister wasn’t going to return his call.

  Andrew froze, his gaze capturing hers. “She told you?”

  Amy shook her head. “Nothing in detail. She just said he wasn’t a nice man.”

  Andrew snorted, the sound malicious, cold. “That’s a fucking understatement.”

  “He hurt her?”

  Andrew’s chest rose and fell, his breathing coming harder now. She’d never seen him out of control. Her dominant lover never lost his cool. He didn’t speak and the silence grew unbearably long.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I shouldn’t have pried. Shouldn’t have agreed to this life swap. I didn’t know…”

  What? She didn’t know what?

  “It’s okay, Amy. Harper needs someone like you in her life. God knows you’re probably better for her than I am.”

  She shook her head, hating the sudden desolation in his eyes. “No. You’re wrong. Your sister loves you.”

  “I have no idea why. She should hate me.”

  Amy frowned. “Why? Why would you say that?”

  “Because I left her alone with that man. She called me and asked for help and I brushed her off.”

  Amy walked to him and took his hands, led him back to the table, to his chair. “Sit down. Start at the beginning.”

  He followed her command, his head bent. Amy’s heart ached for him.

  “I’ve never told anyone about this. I was too…” He paused. “I was too fucking ashamed of myself.”

  She returned to her own chair then clasped his hands in hers. “Tell me.”

  “Remember how I said Harper went to live with her mother after our parents divorced?”

  She nodded.

  “Her mom remarried pretty soon after that. The guy, Ross, was a slimeball. Harper hated him almost instantly, but I figured she was at that age where she resented having a new father. After all, I’d had those same feelings when my dad married her mom.”

  “That makes sense. She must’ve been what? Eleven, twelve?”

  “Ten. Anyway, Harper lived with them for nearly a year. She sort of started withdrawing, getting quieter, more sullen. Like a dumbass, I chalked it all up to early puberty.”

  Amy gave him a sympathetic smile. “That’s a rational assumption.”

  Andrew’s grip on her hand tightened. She sensed he was trying to draw strength from her. She was happy to give it. “I was wrong. She called me one night. I’d just turned twenty-one a few months earlier and I was enjoying the newfound privileges, getting ripped with my friends every weekend. I’d planned to do some serious club-hopping that night. Harper asked if I would come get her. If she could spend the weekend with me and Dad.”

  Andrew swallowed heavily and Amy suspected this was where the story would get tougher. She gave him an encouraging smile.

  “I guess you said no.”

  He nodded.

  “You were young with fun plans. I don’t think there’s an older brother on the planet who would have given those up willingly just so he could babysit his kid sister. Where was your dad?”

  “He was out of town on a business trip. I should have gone to get her right then. I could hear in her voice she was scared. She said her mom was out for the night and she didn’t like to be alone with Ross. I told her to just go to her room and watch TV.”

  He closed his eyes, but not before she caught the flash of pain there.

  “I went out, hit a couple of clubs, but I couldn’t shake the idea that something was wrong. Really wrong. I ditched my friends, grabbed a cab and headed over to check on Harper. No one answered the door when I got there, but I could see Ross’ car in the driveway. Then I heard Harper call out.”

  Amy tried not to cry. Her tears wouldn’t help Andrew, but his story was tearing her apart. “What did you do?”

  “I kicked the door down.”

  Jesus. She’d seen snatches of his incredible strength over the past few days, but she could only imagine the force he’d produced to break down a door.

  “I ran down the hall to Harper’s room just as Ross was rushing out. The son of a bitch was zipping up his pants.”

  “Bloody hell,” Amy whispered. “Did he…had he…?”

  “No. I got there before he could…” Andrew took a deep breath, steadying himself before he was able to say, “Rape her.”

  Amy closed her eyes. “Thank God.”

  “I punched the motherfucker hard enough to knock him out. Then I grabbed a suitcase and started shoving a bunch of shit in it. I picked Harper up and I carried her out of there.”

  Amy couldn’t stand the distance between them any longer or the pain etched on every line in his face. She left her chair and knelt before him. “You saved her, Andrew. Where’s the shame in that?”

  “I should have gone when she called. Should have taken her away from there before it got that far. I let her down, Amy. I didn’t protect her.”

  Andrew was a strong, proud man. Those attributes had likely been there since birth. She couldn’t imagine how many nights he’d suffered, thinking of how he’d failed his sister. The pain he c
arried for so many years must have been unbearable.

  “You’re a good man, Andrew. You took your sister out of hell. You brought her here and provided a safe, loving home. Even when your dad passed away, you stuck around and raised her. You’re amazing. Loving. Wonderful.”

  He started to shake his head, but she refused to let him deny the truth. “Bloody hell, Shaw. Stop beating yourself up over this. It’s time to let the past go. You and Harper are both alive, healthy, together. Start facing forward, looking toward your future. The past can’t hurt either of you anymore. Besides, Harper clearly doesn’t blame you.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I know because she misses you. She may have called me this morning, but I guarantee it was your voice she really needed to hear.”

  He gestured to his cell. “Yeah. I can tell. She ran off to Australia without telling me and she’s been ringing my phone off the hook since then.”

  “She’s in class right now.”

  He frowned. “Class?”

  Amy nodded. “She’s teaching my students at Farpoint Creek Cattle Station. It’s just outside Cobar.”

  Andrew’s eyes softened, though the sadness still lingered. “You really are a cowgirl, living on a ranch.”

  She laughed. “No. I live on a station and there’s no cowgirl about it.”

  “Come to bed with me?” His request was hesitant, uncertain. Spoken by a broken man.

  She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “There’s nowhere on earth I’d rather be.”

  They held hands as they climbed the stairs together. Kissing, they took turns slowly undressing each other. Neither of them seemed inclined to stop touching, to break the connection.

  He lifted her, placing her gently on the mattress before crawling over her body. She loved being sheltered beneath his large, strong form. Andrew continued to kiss her as he pressed his cock inside, the path a familiar one to him now. He understood where to press, appreciated how fast, how hard she liked it. He knew her body.

  He knew her.

  And now, she felt like she knew him. It made the moment so much more precious. And painful.