“Laura,” I urged, trying to make her stop while I kept my eyes on the road. I grabbed her arm. “Laura, stop.”
But my kid wouldn’t stop. Her hits, her thrashes only hit harder, and when her little hands tugged at the door handle, I had to pull over. We’d made it close to the house but still had a couple of miles.
That didn’t seem to stop my daughter.
Going for the lock, she tugged it open, and before I knew it, I caught nothing but her back. She was out of my truck then and on her feet, running out into the world.
What the hell…
“Laura!”
I called through the open door first before unbuckling my belt and getting on my feet. Free, I sprinted into the prairie grass after her.
Until I realized I didn’t need to.
My steps slowing, I knew exactly where she was headed and I found her there. I found her past the seemingly miles of land.
And gravestones covering them.
A tiny girl out of breath lay against one of them, holding herself while she stared off into the distance. Despite where she was, what she was doing, she looked at peace. In fact, I knew she was.
A short time ago, she always looked that way when she watched Jo’s hands, her head against the back of the piano while the older woman played it. She’d sit for literally hours if Josephine’s hands held up and some days they did.
My breath all but lost, I stepped up to the gravestone that was engraved with the woman known as Josephine Bradley, a woman who’d done more for me, hell more for my daughter, than I’d been able to do in the last three years of her life. Since I’d gotten Laura I hadn’t known what to do with her, for her, but this woman had. She’d gotten my daughter to open up and if she’d lived longer…
I might have been able to hear my daughter’s voice again.
Chapter Four
Alicia
Bastian picked up on the third ring and I breathed easy, settling back into my bed. It was lonely out here in Kansas, dark, and I needed to hear a familiar voice.
“Off the train maybe twelve hours and you need me already?”
His warm chuckle drummed into the phone and I grinned at the fact he poked fun at me.
I pulled up one of my aunt’s old quilts around me, staying in the guest room of her wide home. I still felt like a guest here and that seemed appropriate. I turned on my side, making sure not to unplug my phone that had only been charging in the few minutes since I got in.
“Shut your filthy mouth,” I said, being mean too, and he only laughed again. He had a voice like smooth velvet and a laugh just as rich.
“Filthy, huh?” he asked, showcasing that depth. He barked another chuckle before continuing. “I can show you filthy.”
And I knew he could. I wished he could. It was so lonely here, the only sounds deep in the dark of the woods around me.
My thigh warmed the other, my legs curled under the sheets. I pressed my hand between my legs and hummed at the feel of the touch to my thighs.
“You know, you could come out here,” I said. “Join me?”
I spread my legs open and purred into the phone. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
And even more tonight if he was game. About to suggest that, I gripped the sides of my panties to pull them down.
“You know I can’t do that, Alicia.”
I removed my fingers from my panties, sighing when I fell to my back.
“It wouldn’t be for long,” I explained. “You could come down for a few hours while I’m here, take the jet one day.”
He had many. His status as CEO of a Fortune 500 company allowed him perks beyond that of many. That’s how I met him, the firm I worked for represented him.
“Work doesn’t stop for play,” was all he said and I knew he wouldn’t be coming.
I didn’t even know why I asked.
A pregnant silence filled the seconds of our connection and if not for his soft breathing, I’d think we lost our call.
“Besides, you’ll be home soon,” he said. He let out a sound like he turned over and I assumed he was in bed just as I was. I didn’t call that late, only choosing to go to bed because I had nothing else to do without Internet. Bastian, though, always chose to go to bed early, rising with the day.
“You will,” he went on, “and then….”
And… then. What would happen next? I didn’t know but had high hopes. Feeling light, I wanted to discuss what that “then” might be, but some chatter in the background took my attention.
The sound of small voices overtook the air and a softened, “Dammit,” drummed into the receiver from Bastian’s own lips. He didn’t speak to me next and I knew right away.
The hurried dips and peaks of an Asian dialect moved into the line, Bastian’s native language. He was second-generation Japanese and Brazilian, hailing for Brazil before coming to America and self-making his billions.
The softened chatter continued on, not much of which I could understand. I picked up a few things here and there since knowing him, but was still a novice until I had time to take in a few classes, which I definitely planned to. Especially, if we intended to have some kind of a future together.
“Erik wet the bed,” was what finally came my way into the line, Bastian’s deep groan following. Moving sounded in the background before he spoke again.
“I’m sorry, Alicia, but I have to go handle that.”
He sounded incredibly frustrated, but I on the other hand found it adorably sexy. A man taking responsibility for his children and whatever problems turned up showed off his responsibility.
I smiled, rolling on my back. “Okay, no problem. You go take care of everything. Can you call me when you’re done? Only if you remember of course.”
“Probably not the best idea,” he said. “Long day tomorrow.”
I tried to hide the disappointment I felt within myself, but the ball in my chest couldn’t be unknotted. Instead, I tried to respect the fact that he valued his work and the company he ran. I supposed that had to be enough for me.
I told him I understood and then goodnight.
“I miss you,” I said on the tail end of it all. I wanted him to know that all jokes aside he was right. I did miss him. I did want him no matter how far away.
He didn’t respond to what I admitted immediately and a few seconds ticked by before he actually spoke again.
“Alicia, we are taking things casually, right?” he questioned, breathing a long breath into the phone. “The divorce… It did just finalize.”
My throat tightened, silence between us both in the air. It was true that he just finalized a divorce. In fact, he’d been married for over fifteen years and the settling of the union had been messy. But not once did he talk to me about slowing down during the period of separation when we originally got together.
If anything he only begged for me to go faster, harder while he fucked me for nine months.
I said nothing at first, really not knowing what to say, but I guess I knew the answer to my earlier question now. I knew where we stood officially.
I knew now what came after the “then.”
Chapter Five
Gray
“Grayden…?”
She’d answered the door in a negligee, pink silk hugging pert breasts the tone of caramelized honey. Robe open, the extended length and overall thickness of sugar-brown thighs were on full display as well as how subtle silk could play along the curves of a clearly unsuspecting woman. She hadn’t expected me today.
But she’d invited me.
Alicia had given me back the key Josephine gave to me for emergencies, but I obviously wasn’t going to use it if her niece was still inside the property. I thought I was doing the civil thing by knocking.
I severed my gaze from the view of her thighs and back up.
I barely hit breasts before she closed her robe.
Alicia apparently hadn’t realized she answered the door this way, and under my gaze, she suddenly
shied, wrapping herself like a mummy in her silk and pushing strands of hair the color of various golds and browns from behind her back and over her shoulders. Maybe she believed this concealed her better despite the length. Her hair only came to her shoulders.
Full lips pressed together.
“What are you, um,” Alicia started, pushing her hair around again. “What are you doing here?”
I picked up my toolbox from the porch.
“At the bar you mentioned more work done on the house,” I said. “I’m here to get going with that.”
Her lack of argument told me she at least knew the conversation I was referring to, but her squinting into the low light of the day behind me clued me in that something still felt off to her.
“It’s like six o’clock.”
“Five actually,” I corrected, rocking back a little in my work boots. “I’d like to get started as early as possible.”
If I got done even a fraction of what I wanted to accomplish to Josephine’s home and property overall, I’d consider today a job well done. There were things lingering around her home that had been niggling at me for a while. Like I told Alicia at the bar, the elderly woman had been a little stubborn when it came to things that needed to be fixed at her house.
I shrugged. “That is if you don’t mind,” I said, seeing as how I did kind of barge my way in here today. Alicia had never really given me a set time to roll through at that bar.
Perhaps, that explained the deep lines of unsettlement on her face.
I’d seen the expression before, unease… discomfort. She’d seemed displaced in the bar, which was why I had been so shocked to see her in such a place. She’d walked in wearing fancy shoes and a white blouse, a towny only a beer slip away from drenching that silky top of hers.
Alicia’s hands did something similar to a grip action on her robe, again like I hadn’t seen what had been behind it. Her nightgown hadn’t been see-through or anything, but I’d seen people wear more on the beach.
“I suppose that’s fine,” she said, pushing her hand into the crown of her hair. She dropped her fingers. “But I don’t know where anything is so I can’t help you in that department. And if you need anything extra—”
“Not a problem,” I told her, pushing my way into her home. She reluctantly followed her way behind me, closing the door.
I turned to her. “I have all I need right here and if I need anything else I’ll retrieve the resources myself. I’m assuming I have a budget.”
Some of these repairs wouldn’t be free considering the parts and supplies and I had no plans to lie to her about that. My labor I’d do on the house, though. It’d be my gift.
It’d be an honor to a woman who’d been so kind to me.
Knowing that kindness, I passed a look through Josephine’s sheer curtains, my pickup out there.
And my kid in the front seat.
I didn’t take Laura with me on jobs if I could help it, but today had unfortunately not been my choice. She didn’t have school today with Jolene and the other potential set of eyes to watch her…
I gripped my hand on my toolbox. Alicia had wandered off somewhere and I called to her.
“Do you um,” I started, hoping she’d find my voice wherever she was at. “Do you mind if I brought my daughter in? She’s in the truck. She’s eight and won’t be any fuss to you. She’ll probably sleep the whole time I’m here.”
Which was part of the reason I came here so early today. I wanted to outwork my daughter’s sleep schedule. I usually got her up around nine and that gave me a few hours to work.
I was well aware my child should get up earlier than that, but the fact of the matter was getting her up even that early was easier said than done. She slept a lot, my kid. She slept more than I liked.
Alicia’s silence wherever she was had the hairs on my arms standing on high end. It took a lot for me to ask her such a request and she could easily say no.
“What was that?”
Her voice came somewhere in the general direction of the kitchen.
I stepped into the living room, which was closer. I pushed my thumb behind myself. “My kid. She’s in the car. Can I bring her inside? She’s sleeping. I’ll put her in the spare bedroom—”
“Yeah, sure, fine,” she said, voice clearly distracted by something.
But since she said what I needed to hear…
Placing my toolbox down, I sprinted out to my car, a quickness on my heels as I kicked up the rocks and gravel lining Jo’s driveway. Laura was on the passenger side and I gingerly cracked the door.
She fell into my arms with the gentle weight of a child, her smell of sunshine and things like honey bees and summer emanating off her. I’d bottle that scent if I could. I hiked her up, pushing her arms around my neck and letting her rest her chin on my shoulder. Holding her head, I pushed the door of my truck closed with my hip, giving it an extra kick with my boot to secure it closed. Sometimes it needed the extra muscle to close, as I didn’t always keep up with such things.
Holding underneath my daughter’s legs, I took her inside, keeping a look out for Alicia when I crossed the threshold of the house. She may have given me permission to bring Laura in, but I wasn’t going to take my chance by letting Laura actually see Alicia. Her sudden appearance might startle Laura.
And my girl could be easily startled.
I took Laura up to the spare bedroom like I told Alicia, figuring it’d be the perfect place as Alicia was probably staying in her aunt’s room. Upon going in, the sheets were tossed, but that didn’t mean anything. I’d never seen this bed made once when I came over here. I put Laura on top of it, then took off her shoes. I knew where a quilt was in the closet and I grabbed it to cover her. After giving her a kiss on the forehead, I left the room, making sure to close the door quietly. I’d let my kid sleep all she wanted if that made her feel any ounce better. I had no idea what she was feeling half the time.
But I had a notion her incident at the cemetery was an indicator.
Dipping my head, I attempted to block that out as I went down the stairs. My daughter was clearly taking Josephine’s passing hard.
She wasn’t the only one.
Making my way into the kitchen, I found a surprise in a woman wearing lingerie. I wasn’t surprised she wore such things to bed considering her dress at the bar, but I was surprised she was actually still awake and humoring me. She was clearly trying to get her day somewhat started, rooting through pans and other things under the counter.
“You’re not going back to bed?” I asked, allowing her to know I was there by the appearance of my voice. Instinctually, a tiny hand went to a pink silk robe, and I smiled as I came up behind her.
Again, it wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen.
Almost dismissively Alicia passed a look over her shoulder.
“I figured why not,” she said, putting her attention back on the pots and pans. She rooted through them. “I’m up. Might as well start my day.”
I could respect that, and though I didn’t regret my plans to come over, a little guilt settled that I ripped her out of her bad. For that, I figured she was at least owed a cup of coffee from me so I got the pot from under the coffeemaker then went over to the sink to fill it with water.
My hand hesitated at the many bottles in the sink.
Empty, Alicia had cleared out some of her aunt’s best wine in little more than forty-eight hours. I knew because I’d just seen her at the bar and had been well-aware of her arrival only earlier that day.
Not knowing what to make of that, I ignored the bottles and pushed the coffeepot over them, filling it with enough liquid for one.
“Let me get some coffee started for you,” I said, turning off the faucet before pouring the water into the machine.
Dark eyes flashed up at me from the floor.
She sighed. “You’re a godsend.”
I had to admit that’d been the first time I’d been called that. I considered myself personally less of
a god and more of something a bit darker most days.
My hands moving, I made the motions to get that coffee for a woman I barged in on this morning. When she got up from the floor and made her way to the kitchen table, clearly waiting, I figured I relieved her of a task she’d been trying to embark on by herself.
Silent, I kept my back to Alicia while the pot brewed, the notes of fresh roasted coffee beans spinning themselves through the air. I’d picked the beans up for Josephine not long ago, thinking she’d like them when I went into the next town over for a job. I had been so quick to buy them and even quicker to get them back to her, my foot heavy on the gas. Little did I know she’d never get to taste them. She’d passed in her sleep that very morning, due to her age I was later told.
It’d been the first time I ever had to use my key to get in.
My lids covering my eyes, I finished the coffee on autopilot, trying not to shake when I opened and poured the single cup for Alicia. She was still sitting at the table when I turned around, and right away, the fact I had an audience settled itself upon me, her gaze drifting up from the broad shape of my back and to my eyes. Perhaps noticing that, she flitted them away, again appearing dismissive about the action before accepting her coffee.
A soft and cool, “Thanks” on her breath, Alicia accepted the cup and I nodded in response, grabbing the fridge handle.
“Cream?” I asked her, knowing there was some in there. I’d been popping back in to do little fixes here and there and kept the fridge stocked with at least that for myself.
“Please.”
Again, I nodded to her, getting the cream and the sugar for her. After placing it down, I started cleaning out the coffeemaker. It was just something I did while I was here. I assumed Alicia watched me again while I did so, the soft heat of lingering eyes I felt in my direction.
She spoke after a while, saying my name.
“So you’re a handyman?” she asked, her voice followed by a slurp of coffee behind me. “Does that take a lot of schooling or…?”
His Sweetest Song Page 4
