Can't Walk Away (The Thomas Family Chronicles #1)

by Ashlee Taylor

  “There was a fire here a couple years back. The owners just up and left the place. It sat around as a burnt out shell for months. Finally it went on the market for just the price of the land. I bought it, bulldozed the house, and had the basement dug up and filled in.”

  “Why’d you do that?” I asked. “Didn’t you want to rebuild?”

  “Oh, of course I did. As soon as I came up here I knew I wanted to rebuild it, but not the placement of the house the way it was. I wanted to be able to look out from the house and see the water. The idiot that built the house built it at this weird angle.”

  “It would be perfect with a wraparound porch that overlooked the water,” I mentioned as I walked a little closer to the view.

  “You miss your porch, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll make sure you get one, complete with a porch swing,” he said, his voice deep and close to my ear.

  Nicholas’ hand ran down the length of my arm, while his other hand moved my hair out of the way. His lips suckled while his teeth nipped at the skin on my neck, my body arched and spasmed at his touch.

  Both of his hands grasped my hips unexpectedly, which caused me to gasp out. I could feel the hardness of his cock nestled in the crack of my ass and I wanted it desperately. One hand reached forward around my midsection holding me to him, the other was cupping my breast, flicking my nipple through the flimsy material of my dress. Leaning my head back, I tipped up my face to look at him. He looked down at me, licking my lips before his hands left my body, turning me around and pressing a deep kiss against my mouth.

  I was needy, so needy that I lifted my leg and hooked it around his hip. “I need you,” I whispered against his lips and he chuckled. The laughter rumbled through his chest causing me to smirk.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I’m going to give you everything you need.” He laughed again before picking me up and carrying me back to his car.

  Placing me carefully on the hood, he set my feet on the metal bumper before standing between my open legs. His hands held my knees open while he kissed me long and deep. They began to slide slowly up my legs and under my dress. Nicholas had a firm grasp on either side of my panties, he tugged a little, then pulled on them before ultimately ripping the lace apart.

  Nicholas backed away from the kiss and pushed the hem of my dress all the way up my thighs, exposing me to the night air. One minute Nicholas’ eyes were locked on mine, the next moment he had both of my knees resting on his shoulders as he pushed me up the hood of his car before burying his face between my thighs. I moaned out loudly, so loud I managed to shock myself.

  The things he was doing with his tongue should be illegal. One minute his lips were wrapped around my clit, his tongue flicking at it methodically, and then the lips were gone and his tongue was buried deep inside of me, mimicking the way his cock moves when it’s inside of me.

  I screamed out, my hands grabbing handfuls of his hair while my thighs clamped around his head.

  Slowly and sinuously he was driving me crazy and he knew it. Forcing my legs apart, he continued with the pleasure until I screamed again.

  “Oh God,” I yelled.

  Pulling his face back, I looked down at him in my lust-filled daze to see him smile. The moonlight hit his face in such a way that I could see his face glistening. He must have noticed the look I was giving him because he licked his lips and let out an “Mmmmm” before he spoke.

  “I’m not God, sweetheart. Say my name.” He laughed before his tongue went back to its assault.

  My head fell back against the car hood and I looked at the night sky. Nicholas sucked my clit again before I felt one and then a second finger slip inside of me. He was filling me, pumping into me. His fingertips hit my sweet spot and my legs began to shake; my breaths became heavier.

  “Oh Nico!” I screamed the name I never called him, it seemed to spur him on. He wrapped his one arm tight around my thighs and he began to devour the last bit of me as I cried out again as I came, writhing all over the hood of his car. My legs slowly fell open and Nicholas lay them gently on the car.

  He towered over me, his smile was so bright that even my heavily lidded eyes could see. I was content, about to doze off at any minute. I still managed to smile at him in return.

  Slowly he began to unbutton his shirt, taking it off and placing it on the car next to me. I grabbed it with my limp arm and pulled it over to my face, smelling it. It smelled of Nicholas, sweat, outdoors, and my pussy. I needed him to fuck me.

  “How attached are you to this dress, sweetheart?” he asked.

  “Fuck the dress,” I moaned before I heard the ripping of the fabric.

  ***

  Nicholas

  Christianna lay almost asleep on the hood of my car, sated, her hand grasping the shirt I laid against her face. She looked beautiful and relaxed under the moonlight. I almost hated that I had to break her out of her euphoria, but I wasn’t quite done yet.

  “How attached are you to this dress, sweetheart?” I asked, because it needed to go, one way or another.

  “Fuck the dress,” she moaned and my dick twitched.

  Grabbing the side of the dress where a seam was, I pulled, ripping it all the way up. I pulled a little more and it was ripped up the side. I pulled the offending garment from her and looked down. She lay on the car in a black lace bra and stiletto heels, so fucking sexy I was about to blow my load before I even got to enter her. I didn’t bother with unhooking her bra, I just pulled the cups down and let them out. Her nipples were hard and ready to be touched.

  Running my hands down the sides of her body, my fingers traced over Layla’s name on her ribcage. I needed to add Layla’s name to mine and I would soon enough. I would also be showing Christianna how much she means to me by marking myself with her name. I know they say it’s a bad omen to tattoo a woman’s name on you—things seem to go bad afterwards.

  I knew how much she meant to me and I knew this was going to be the long haul for us. I loved her that much, and I knew she loved me.

  My hands stopped over her stomach, the place where she carried our daughter. The place where she’d carry many more of our children if I had anything to say about it. I knew she’d oblige me.

  Holding her tightly, I pulled her toward me. Her face registered shock for a moment before she realized what was about to happen. She smiled up at me.

  Lining the head of my cock up to her opening I pulled her down as I entered her slowly.

  “Oooooh Nico,” she called out. Hearing her say my nickname pushed me. I was going to give her all of me.

  Sliding deep inside of her, pumping slowly, rhythmically, was a dance I knew so well. Her body reacted to mine in ways that drove me crazy. I focused on her face, watching the way her eyes rolled in the back of her head. I let my hips guide me. Leaning forward, I latched onto Christianna’s nipple, tugging it with my teeth before sucking it between my lips. I felt her pussy spasm around my dick, I knew she was getting close.

  I knew exactly what to do now. I cupped my free hand around her neck and pulled her mouth to mine. I kissed her with every bit of passion I had in me, her arms wrapped around my back holding me tightly against her.

  “Give it to me baby,” I whispered against her lips. “Give me all of your pussy, come all over my dick. I need it.” She moaned again.

  I started to move in stronger, harder, longer strokes. The tips of her nails dug into my skin as she broke the kiss and screamed out.

  “I can feel you baby, come for me right now,” I grunted before grabbing her tightly and started to fuck her hard.

  Throwing her head back, she moaned again, begging. Her pussy clamped down on my dick so hard that I cried out, and like a teenage boy experiencing premature ejaculation, I came like a man on a mission deep inside of her.

  I collapsed on top of her, heaving. She held me in a protective hug, stroking my hair, kissing the top of my head. I lay there with her for a few moments, closing my eyes, and it came bac
k to me. The first night we were together, she had comforted me in the same way. She held me and I accepted this from her even though any time I’d fucked a woman there was no cuddling. I cuddled with her—she was something special to me then and I knew it.

  Pulling back, I looked at her; the way the moonlight hit her face, the way her smile graced her face as she brushed the hair away from my eyes.

  “I love you,” I said before going in for a kiss.

  She didn’t need to say the words, she said it with the kiss she gave me in return. Slow and tender, she caressed my face. This woman was mine and I’d do everything I could to make that so.

  As much as I didn’t want this to end, I needed to get my girl home and in my bed to do this all over again. I stood up, tucked my now sleepy cock back into my boxers, and zipped up my pants. Christianna looked up at me with her lust-filled smile, I held my hand out for her. She took it and I lifted her up from the cold metal.

  “Let’s get you home, sweetheart.”

  “Mmmm, home,” she purred in my ear. “I miss being home.”

  Home missed her too.

  “I don’t have any clothes, Nicholas.”

  Fuck, I hadn’t thought of that when I ripped her dress apart. I had to think. I tagged my shirt and helped her put it on.

  “This should be long enough to cover you, no one will be around when we get back so you should be okay.”

  Christianna nodded. I found the ripped dress lying on the asphalt, but I had stuck her shredded panties in my pockets to keep for later. I don’t know why I wanted them so badly, but I intended to keep them.

  She helped herself off the car. I picked up my jacket and shook it off. I got her seated comfortably in the car before going to my trunk. I knew I had a t-shirt back here in case of emergencies. I threw my jacket in and pulled out the shirt, putting it on. Climbing back into the car, I noticed Christianna was curled up in her seat asleep.

  I leaned over and kissed her gently on the head before starting the car. Pulling up to the house in a matter of seconds, I got out of the car quietly and opened her door. As soon as I put my arms under her legs and back she woke up.

  “Hey there, sleepy head. We’re home.”

  With a big huge smile, she looked at me, giving me a huge hug. “We’re home.”

  I helped her carefully out of the car, keeping her covered as I unlocked the front door and led her inside. We were halfway up the stairs when I heard a car door close out front, so I sent her up the rest of the way. I walked back downstairs to see who our visitor was. I was surprised when Luke and Bobby came through the door, and they were confused to see me waiting for them.

  “I thought you were still out, but I’m glad you’re here.”

  “We just got home a couple of minutes ago, I was just heading up to bed with Christianna. What’s going on?”

  “Nico, Anderson’s gone—like gone with the wind,” Bobby said.

  “He can’t be gone, gone. How do you know for sure?” I inquired.

  “His house is closed up and there’s a for sale sign on the lawn. His wife is gone, she closed up and paid off all her open charge accounts at the boutiques downtown. There has been no sighting of Anise anywhere; neither her credit cards nor her bank accounts have been touched.

  “Nothing? So you’re telling me they just poof—vanished into thin air like nothing?”

  “Nico, when Bobby told me, I double checked everything he said. He’s right, there’s nothing left. I’ve even contacted some of my guys that do recon and they haven’t even tried to get any flights, public or chartered, out of the country. It’s like they never existed.”

  I sat down on the sofa with my head in my hands. I didn’t know what to make of any of this.

  “Luke, call my dad. Let him know what you’ve found out. I’m sure he’ll get in contact with Antony and Jerry. I’m sure their contacts can do some sleuthing as well. In the meantime, I need to beef up security. I just brought her back tonight—Layla is supposed to come back in the morning. I shouldn’t have to be worried that some asshole has the ability to become invisible, especially when he’s a huge threat to me and mine.”

  Luke nodded before going off to my office. I looked at Bobby and for the first time he looked nervous. He was pacing around my living room like he seemed worried. Seeing as how this was the first time we’d ever been around a threat of this magnitude, it was understandable. I knew it was different for me, I had to keep my head in this. I didn’t want my girls to feel afraid anymore.

  “Fuck!” I said in a loud whisper.

  I walked over to the bar and I poured myself a shot of whiskey, downing it before taking another.

  “You okay, Nico?”

  I nodded, taking a third shot, enjoying the burn as it ran down my throat.

  “I’m just a little tired of not being able to end something that someone started.” I offered him some whiskey but he declined.

  “You know, Bobby, one day you’re going to find the woman of your dreams. You’re going to hope that no asshole decides she’s unworthy of you because they want to better their position and standing.”

  Taking a fourth shot, I could no longer feel the burn. I was starting to experience a little buzz.

  “I hope I find a woman as good as yours, Nico.”

  Luke walked in before I could respond. He looked a bit relieved.

  “I talked to your dad. We’re lucky he was with Antony and Jerry when I called him. They’re going to start the chain by contacting their guys. Hopefully by the morning we’ll have a resolution.”

  I nodded. There was nothing I wanted more than a resolution at this point.

  “Well then, I’m going to go upstairs and sleep with my beautiful girlfriend and then tomorrow bring our little girl home. I’ll see you all at some point, and if you hear anything else, just let me know. I’ll have my phone close by. “

  “Okay. Goodnight, Nico.”

  I turned to walk up the stairs when finally Bobby spoke again.

  “You know, Nico, it could be worse.” I didn’t say anything in response, just waited for him to continue.

  “The people around you that you trust the most in the world could be the ones you should fear.” And with that, he walked out the door.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Christianna

  The next morning I woke up, stretching with all my might. My body was stiff, but knowing why it was stiff made all if it worthwhile. I looked over to see that Nicholas was passed out next to me. It was a little before nine, so I let him sleep. I sat up in bed before leaning over and leaving him with a kiss. He smelled faintly of whiskey, so I quickly wondered when he had something to drink.

  Slipping out of bed, I realized I was still semi-naked from the night before. I only had on the dress shirt he’d worn to our date with nothing on underneath. I went into the closet and found a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, grabbing a pair of panties and a bra from my drawer before leaving the room. I decided to go into Layla’s room to take a shower so I didn’t wake him.

  After a long hot shower I was clean, my hair was blown dry, and I was downstairs with Mrs. Phillips, who was happy to see me and ready to make any breakfast my heart could desire. I wanted an omelet with the works. I was starving, so I asked for extra cheese. While I waited, I called my mom, who was very happy to hear that we had a good time last night. I left out our extracurricular activities because there was no way I would have that conversation with her. I’m sure she knew, but I didn’t want to come out and just say it.

  Letting me know that she’d be around after eleven, I knew I had plenty of time to eat and get some work done. I even left a message for Alex, asking if we could meet sometime today so I could start getting back on track.

  Before I knew it a plate filled with the biggest, cheesiest omelet that I’d ever seen was placed before me. I dug into it as if I were starving, savoring every single bite. When I returned the perfectly clean plate, Mrs. Phillips looked up at me and smiled.

  �
�Thank you.”

  “Anytime. It’s nice to cook for someone.”

  “You didn’t cook for Nicholas?” I was confused.

  “While you were gone, he wasn’t here much, and when he was, I would find him sitting in Layla’s room. You both have really changed his life for the better.”

  “He’s changed ours too.”

  “I’m glad he found you.”

  She wiped a tear away and I leaned in to hug her. She hugged me back and we both had a little laugh. I let her know that Layla would be home today, and she let out a little squeal. She started talking about a welcome home meal and something that Layla could eat. Then she was off pulling out cookbooks while I excused myself upstairs to grab a couple of notebooks and a pen.

  I knew I would be immersed in work when Mom and Layla showed up so I grabbed my things, then headed back downstairs to the living room. I curled myself in the closest chair so I could see the driveway. I wanted to be able to see their arrival.

  Roughly remembering where I left off, I just let all the words flow out. I had filled several pages when I heard a car coming. I got excited, jumping up and running outside to greet them. As soon as my mom came to a complete stop, I opened Layla’s door. She was so excited to see me she started chanting “Ma” repeatedly while thrusting her hands toward me. I unhooked her from her car seat and pulled her to my chest, hugging her and kissing her tight.

  “Angel, darling. You look beautiful,” Mom said, hugging both of us and giving me a kiss.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “I tried calling your cell phone but it went straight to voicemail.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know where it is. I think it’s in my purse, which I think is still in Nicholas’ car.”

  “Well, no bother. I’m here now, but I’m sorry I can’t stay. We had a huge issue with the Italian markets, some of the designs didn’t come out properly. Now I have to find out what the problem is. I’m sorry about this.”