by Ryan Michele
The rumbling turned into growling. French dips were my favorite. Another thing he knew about me.
His heat came to my back as he leaned down. “Sorry, had some business that needed attending to. Took a little longer than I expected.” Warm lips pressed where my shoulders met my neck, stirring me up once again. Damn body. “Come eat.”
I pulled out of his grasp not looking at him. Instead, I went right to the food. It tasted divine and was gone in under five minutes. Pax just watched me inhale the food, not touching his. After I wiped my mouth and tossed down my napkin, I retreated into the bathroom, locking the door. He wanted my attention, and I wasn’t going to give it to him. Or at least I was going to try not to.
There was nothing special about me. I had a job I couldn’t stand, working for a man that I couldn’t stand, but typed all of his reports with ease. It paid the bills. My place was cute, but nothing for anyone to write journals about. I had enough money to live comfortably. There were no pets. I was just me. Plain old me.
Looking in the mirror, the ghost staring back at me had a very haunted look in her eyes. One that screamed to disappear like some of the paranormal books I’d read over the years. Too bad the magic wasn’t there.
My hair still looked the same and it should, considering Paxton had everything in the bathroom that I used. Another very weird thing. No makeup, which I didn’t wear much of it anyway, but all of my usual products for my hair and face.
The woman staring back at me looked hurt. Like there was a pain so deep down there was no way to get it pulled out and repaired. The pain had lived with me for so many years, and being here with Pax was like ripping a Band-Aid off of an old wound and letting it bleed once again.
My back straightened. I wasn’t this woman. This broken, thinking everything was doomed kind of gal. No. I’d been a fighter all my life. Now would be no different.
He caught on to my seduction immediately, and I supposed with as much practice he’d had with women, it was expected.
I needed to go from a different angle— talking, laughing, and connecting once again. It would hurt and I’d have to keep a hell of a padlock on my heart, but I could do it. I would do it to get out of here.
While taking care of business, the door opened. Inside I wanted to jump from the toilet, but was able to hold back. I’d lived alone for a very long time and never had to share a bathroom. I wouldn’t really say share in this case though, more like barged he in because he ruled the world. He forced his way into my life. I never should’ve thought the bathroom would be any different.
“I’m almost done.” There was no use fighting it. He would damn well be in the bathroom if he wanted to. Obviously, the locks weren’t going to keep him away. I just had to deal. Sure, I could throw things at him to get him to leave, but in the grand scheme of things, where would that get me? Nowhere different from where I was now. I had to think ahead, react without emotion, and make every move count.
Paxton was right about one thing. I was a damn smart woman, and he’d be wise to keep that close to his vest.
“Look, I know you’re pissed I left you here alone.”
I wiped and flushed the toilet, pulling my pants up and moving to the sink to wash. “If you think I’m pissed about that, then you haven’t been paying attention, Pax. I’m pissed you took my money. I’m pissed you interfered with my life. I’m pissed that you think you rule the free world and have everything handed to you on a damn silver platter. I’m pissed that I can’t see my brother. I’m pissed I’m stuck here wearing who knows whose clothes. I’m pissed at a lot of things, Paxton, so don’t just single one thing out.”
I brushed past him and moved to the closet, needing a longer shirt. Yoga pants were awesome, but when I moved sometimes, I felt like they were riding up. I needed sweatpants. Looking, there were none. When I turned around, Paxton was there, his arms above his head on the door frame staring at me.
“Please move.” Trying to move past him didn’t work as he held his ground.
“You think you’re wearing someone else’s clothes?”
Turning back around, I opened and shut drawers looking for sweatpants since none were hanging. The ones I pulled out were a forest green color and about seven sizes too big. They’d work considering I wouldn’t be going anywhere, but changing in front of him wasn’t happening.
He held out his hands to me, and I placed mine on my hips. I’d been told before it was the bitch stance, but I really didn’t care. “Move. I need to change.”
“You think I have another woman’s clothes here, and you want to change into more of it?”
It did sound stupid, but I figured these were Paxton’s and I’d probably regret having his scent around me all day. They were soft, and I needed comfort to plan and think.
“Please move.”
He shook his head and backed me further into the huge closet. I had no choice, with his bulky frame, to move back with him. “First,” he growled, “the only woman in this bed is you. The only clothes in this closet are yours. Never, Laurel. Never has there been another woman in this house besides Ellen Sue.”
He kept rambling off, but the name rolled around in my head and damn if the pit of jealousy hit me hard once again. Pax wasn’t mine, and there was no reason for me to feel this way. It pissed me off because I did. If I was going to get through this, I needed to get my emotions under control. Whoever he had in this home shouldn’t matter.
“You have another woman here while I’m here, Pax? Tell me that you’re not sticking your tongue down her throat and your hand down her pants as well because I’ll castrate you in your sleep.”
As soon as the words left my lips, I hated that I showed my cards. That’s what I did—laid them all out on the table for him to squash and trample on. Fuck.
Judging by the smirk that tipped his lip he knew it too. It was like we were kids all over again. Him getting one over on me to get the information he needed. Except this time, I freely gave it.
“Love that you’re fuckin’ possessive of me, angel.”
I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest, the fabric dangling down. The air crackled around us. “No, I’m not. I just don’t appreciate a man kissing me and sticking his fingers inside of me only to go and do it with someone else. It’s dirty and gross. I won’t have it.”
“Your body is the only one I’m touching.”
“No, it’s not. You’ve never only been about me alone. Sorry, Pax, been there, done that, and my heart wore the scars. And just so you know—there will be no more of it.”
Even I didn’t believe myself because I was throwing my plans out the window with every second longer I stayed here. Didn’t I just say I would become his friend, talk to him, and all that jazz? Here I was going way off in a tangent that I needed to rein in and fast.
“Pax, just please take me home. Nothing good can come from me being here. We both know this. Just give me my money back, and we can go on with our lives like none of this ever happened.”
He tossed his head back and laughed. “Come on.” He grabbed the sweats and threw them down to the floor then pulled me to the door. He plugged in numbers and opened the object that had been in my way of getting out of here. As we stepped out of his bedroom, pure adrenaline shot through me.
This was my chance. I had to learn the layout of the place and memorize it. I needed to find the keys to his SUV. The mental checklist in my head kept going on as we flew down the stairs.
“Where are we going?”
“To meet Ellen Sue, of course.” I stilled, but with a tug I was following him once again. Emotions tore at my insides. I didn’t want to meet one of Paxton’s lovers, and I had to use everything in my power not to claw her eyes out.
Fuck Paxton for opening up all these old feelings. I hated him. Hated this.
I would get out.
10
Paxton
This shit felt good. Too fucking good. The way she got so wound up thinking I had another woman here, it gave he
r away. It was only a matter of time before I had her complete submission. Lacing my fingers with Laurel’s, I led her to the kitchen.
It calmed my need for a cigarette. Something about Laurel always did that to me—wound me up in a way I didn’t feel with anyone else. It was a high greater than any drug and a pull that filled me stronger than any cigarette I had ever smoked.
At the sink, she took in an older woman with light blonde hair that had these gray streaks running through it that almost made her hair sparkle. Ellen Sue was always a kind-hearted woman with a beauty that radiated from within. I watched as Laurel’s mouth dropped open and then closed shut when she caught herself.
Ellen Sue turned to us and clapped her soap-covered hands together. “I was just washing the dishes to put them in the dishwasher. Who do we have here, Pax?”
“You know I bought the dishwasher that doesn’t need pre-rinsing, right?” I reminded her. “All that shit you’re doin’ is extra work, Ellen Sue.”
“It softens my hands,” Ellen Sue explained, drying her hands and coming to us. She was set in her ways and if she wanted to pre-rinse the damn dishes who the fuck was I to stop her.
“Ellen Sue, this is Laurel.” I looked at Laurel.
Ellen Sue extended her arms wide and moved to wrap them around Laurel. I stepped aside to allow Ellen Sue her chance to hug Laurel. Ellen Sue’s eyes met mine looking for some sign. I gave her nothing.
“Are you going to stay here for a while?” Ellen Sue asked Laurel.
Laurel looked at me. I smirked. Yes, she could say what she wanted, but Laurel just showed her cards again. Layer by layer I could see I had more than the upper hand. I was winning the game. Rather than take the first opportunity to throw me under the bus, she kept quiet and looked to me for guidance. Loyalty. While she would argue this wasn’t a sign of loyalty, I would disagree. This was her opportunity to cross me, and instinctively she came to me for guidance rather than lay shit out there. She waited me to lead to which she would follow. When she submitted, it was going to be beautiful.
“I took all her money. She’s stuck until I give her life back to her,” I told Ellen Sue bluntly.
Laurel gasped at my honesty. Ellen Sue took it in and patted her on the shoulder.
With a smile, Ellen Sue laid it out. “You seem surprised, precious. My boys don’t tell me lies. While I may not like everything they do, I accept them. You’ll see, Paxton is a good man underneath it all. He won’t lie to you even if the truth hurts. That’s something to respect.”
“Your boys?” Laurel questioned.
“Onyx, Paxton, Dane, and Garrett. They’re my boys. Well, I guess they wouldn’t like me callin’ them boys since they’re all grown up now.” Ellen Sue smiled fondly. “But they’ll always be my boys.”
I could see the wheels turning in Laurel’s mind. I never hid my past from her. She knew I came from an orphanage. She knew Onyx, Dane, and Garrett shared a room with me there. While I never brought her around them back then, I told her about them. She was my safe haven when I felt like the world might just crash around me. I didn’t believe in secrets between Laurel and me back then.
Now, well, sometimes they were necessary.
Except with Ellen Sue. I didn’t keep secrets from her. If she asked, I answered. If she didn’t want to know, she didn’t bother to ask. It worked for all of us.
“I don’t know what to say,” Laurel replied honestly. “You aren’t what I expected.”
Ellen Sue laughed. “What, were you expectin’ some young thing? My hot days are behind me, precious. I’m just here to help the boys when they need it. I have to say, I’m glad Paxton brought you here. I’ve been missing the quiet and all the views since he bought the place.”
I smiled proudly. “Ellen Sue helped me decorate. I showed her a picture of Grandma Nadine’s cabin. Step-by-step Ellen Sue assisted in getting it just right.”
“So you live here?” Laurel wondered.
“Well, I have a room at each of my boys’ homes. It really just depends on who needs me most. I have been with Onyx for the last bit of time. He lives at The Manor. It’s an ostentatious home, but it makes Onyx happy to have space. He doesn’t like to have anyone around or in his business. The more room for him, the better. The space was void, stark white everywhere, until he got his woman. Torryn is all about colors and making changes. It’s nice to see the space come alive.” Ellen Sue went on proudly. “Now, they need some time alone, so this worked out. While he had Torryn for collateral I was there to cook and help her should she need it. I’ll stay here for as long as Pax wants then move where I’m needed most. Since Dane travels so much for his work, I tend to be there more regularly if I had to admit to being with one of them more than the others. Although I don’t see much of Dane, I do more at his home,” Ellen Sue rattled off.
“Wait,” Laurel blurted out, “Onyx kept a woman as collateral!” Laurel let the panic be heard.
I laughed. “It was necessary,” I explained, and Laurel seemed to grow wide-eyed with fury.
“You’re all mad. Just plain crazy!” Laurel threw her hands up and looked at Ellen Sue. “How can you be okay with this? Where is the sisterhood? Help your fellow woman out.”
Ellen Sue remained calm as she gently patted Laurel’s hand. “These men have a reason for everything they do. I trust them not to cross a line.”
“He took my life. He took all my money leaving me to struggle, and you’re okay with this? You accept it!” Laurel spouted off.
“Well, he may have taken your livelihood, but you’re standing in front of me, precious, so he didn’t actually take your life,” Ellen Sue corrected Laurel, making me give a small laugh. “I’m not okay with some of their antics. But I know my boys, and they have a reason for everything they do. If it wasn’t necessary for the bigger picture, Paxton wouldn’t have done it. You need to trust him and his reasons.”
Laurel watched Ellen Sue as if the woman was indeed crazy. I rested my hand on the small of Laurel’s back. I waited for her to jump at the contact. Instead, she relaxed.
Good.
This was a good sign.
“Laurel thought I had another woman in the house to fuck,” I told Ellen Sue. “Now she can see while I love you Ellen Sue, you’re like my grandma.”
The older woman smiled at Laurel. “Oh, precious, you got it bad for Pax don’t ya? He’s a good man under all the smoke.”
Absently, I rubbed my chest and thought about smoking a cigarette. Ellen Sue hated that I smoked, but it was a habit I wasn’t ready to let go of.
“Hard to find the good when you were taken under duress,” Laurel fired back, looking at me.
“You had a weakness. A vulnerability. I exposed it,” I told her how it was. “Now, you know to better safeguard your money, angel.”
She turned beside me, causing my hand to move and rest on her hip. “Oh so you did this as a favor to me, huh?”
I loved her smartass mouth.
Dropping my head, I pressed my lips to hers. I expected her to pull away. She didn’t. She gave in. Lips opened, tongues tangled, and emotions filled me that had long ago been shut down.
She willingly gave into me. She gave into us. The world ceased to exist as I got lost in our kiss.
I got lost in Laurel Conrad, something I hadn’t done since we were teens.
When she finally pulled away, she covered her mouth as if she was surprised by her own reaction to me.
“Relax, angel. Enjoy the time here,” I whispered as Ellen Sue was back at her task as if we weren’t even in the same room.
“I don’t know what to do with you, Paxton Williams.”
I smirked. “Whatever the fuck you want.”
She smacked my chest playfully. Her face turned serious. “Will you ever give my life back?”
“When the time is right, I have every intention of giving you what you had and more,” I answered truthfully.
“Why? Was this all to get my attention? You have it.”
“Why doesn’t matter. You’re here, I’m here. Let’s have some time together. The rest will fall into place.”
Laurel paused like she was going to say something, but then thought better of it. The house phone rang which meant my cell phone had been blowing up. It was in my office. Ellen Sue went to the kitchen phone and picked it up.
“Hello,” she answered and paused. “Oh, Dane, he’s right here, hang on.”
“Angel, feel free to check out the house. I’ll find you when I finish this call. I’m probably gonna have to leave for a bit to handle some business, so Ellen Sue is here if you need anything.”
She looked at me wide-eyed as if I had two heads. “I’m free to roam? Can I use the phone?”
“Sure.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “You mean I can call Riley? Can I leave?”
“Yes and no.”
“Huh?” She raised an eyebrow at me.
“You can call your brother. I don’t recommend it, but what you do with him is your business. Riley really needs his attention to be elsewhere, but I’m not cutting you off from him. You just can’t leave.”
“Okay,” she complied.
It was my turn to raise an eyebrow in question, wondering what she would request next.
She gave an exasperated sigh. “You have my money, Pax. I have no car here, and honestly, I’m not sure where here is. So I’ll call my brother, and I’ll agree to stay today. If Riley can get me some cash and pick me up, then you should know I’ll be leaving. That’s that.”
“Riley won’t come here. No one will,” I told her frankly, knowing that no one would dare to come here.
“What’s the catch?”
“Nothing,” I said as I moved away from her and to the phone. “Hey,” I greeted Dane.
“Everything on Riley and an update on the situation at hand is in the drop box. He’s in deep. I think we need to send Case to you.”
“That bad?” I asked, wondering why Dane felt it important enough to send Onyx’s head of security to my home.
We kept our circle small. Case had worked for us, more specifically Onyx, for eight years. I knew he was good at his job, Dane trained him after all. But I had never needed someone to watch over me.
