“He’s awake,” Dr. Goff said in a shocked tone, confirming Carter’s consciousness with a small penlight.
“Carter.” Scarlett leapt from her chair, still holding his hand. “Do you know me?” she demanded.
Carter blinked fuzzily, trying to make his mouth move so he could answer. He knew who she was, and he was remembering the last time he’d seen her.
“Give him a moment,” Dr. Goff cautioned. “He’s still trying to process everything.”
Focusing on Scarlett, Carter said his first word. “Sorry.”
“Sorry?” she asked, puzzled. “Why are you sorry?”
“Hurt you. Made you leave.”
“I came back.” Tears streamed down her face. “It wasn’t important.”
“Heard you.”
“You heard me talking to you?”
“Yeah. Floating and talking.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too,” Carter told her with his last reserve of strength before closing his eyes again.
It was several days before Carter was strong enough to have a long conversation. When Scarlett arrived at the hospital, she found Carter sitting up in bed, eating. His complexion was no longer so sickly, and he looked less haggard. “We need to talk,” he said abruptly.
Her stomach tightened with fear. She’d been expecting a confrontation with him, but had hoped it could wait. “What about?”
“Us, and the events that have happened.”
“I’m sorry about what my father tried to do,” said Scarlett, dropping her gaze. “I came to warn you, but of course, it was too late.”
“Your father has caused more trouble than he should have been allowed to. I listened to him, and I was a fool. I owe you the apology. I know now that he was lying.”
“Yes,” Scarlett said firmly. “It was all lies, whatever he told you.” She waited for him to recount the conversation, but he remained silent. Sighing, she said, “Fine, don’t tell me then.”
“I won’t tell you because it isn’t important,” Carter dismissed.
“And to protect me,” Scarlett said softly. “Have you heard about the fire?”
He lifted a brow. “Fire?”
“Terini Manor was burned to the ground,” Scarlett informed him matter-of-factly. “My father refused to leave his ancestral home, and there’s been no trace of his body.”
“What was the cause of the fire?” Carter asked suspiciously.
“Arson.”
Scarlett knew was he was thinking, without a body meant that her father may not be truly lost. He may have set the fire to cover his tracks. He could still be out there, waiting for his revenge.
“Well I’m sorry.”
“No you’re not, but that’s okay, because as long as we’re together, we’ll be fine. You and me together.”
“Forever?” He offered.
“What?”
He pulled a small black box from under the sheet. “Will you be with me forever? Will you marry me?”
Scarlett’s eyes widened with shock. She knew now that he really did love her, regardless of her father’s evil nature. He opened the box and inside was a giant diamond. She walked over with tears in her eyes and he slipped it on her finger.
“Yes, a thousand times yes.”
She knew they wouldn’t be planning a wedding until Carter was fully healed, but she could wait. She would always wait for him.
Epilogue
Scarlett lay in the sun, stretched out on a towel, and watched as Carter came toward her, carrying Maura on his shoulders. She giggled and clutched his hair as he swooped down on the towel beside Scarlett. “How’s the construction going?” Scarlett asked lazily, hoping everything was going to schedule. She was anxious to move into their own home and away from the hostile presence of Lydia.
“Lazio assures me that they’ll complete the house within a week.”
“I can’t wait,” Scarlett admitted, keeping a lazy eye on Maura as she ran to the water’s edge. Their three-year-old daughter gave new meaning to precious. “She seems to love living here.”
“Do you?” Carter asked.
“I love this place,” Scarlett assured him. “Only Lydia detracts from the charm of this island. When you first brought me here four years ago, I never wanted to leave. After the wedding, I was willing to stay forever, but...”
“I had to get Roche in order first, and I didn’t want to have to worry about your health.”
“Women have babies everyday,” Scarlett dismissed. “There’s a terrific hospital in Athens, and a medical center on Mykanos.” She scrunched up her face. “You know, since I’ve met you, I’ve gotten over my fear of hospitals, maybe because I’ve been in so many.”
“Maybe I cursed you,” he teased lightly. “First you sprained your ankle and had that concussion—”
“Your coma, Maura’s birth, last year when she broke her arm.” Scarlett completed the list for him. “Maybe you did curse me.” She looked at him, her desire plain to see. “How do I get uncursed?”
“I might have an idea.” Leaning over to whisper in her ear, Carter gave her explicit instructions, and she was blushing by the time he finished.
“I don’t think I can do that right now,” she admitted.
He forced a disappointed expression. “It was merely a suggestion.”
“You know how much I love you?” Scarlett asked.
“How much?”
“This much,” she answered, kissing him passionately.
“Mama!” Maura stamped her tiny foot in the sand. Her long black hair flew around her face in the breeze, and disgust gleamed in her purple eyes.
“Hm, we should wait until there’s no audience?”
Carter called to Maura, “Head back up to the house, Mama and I will meet you there.”
Maura smiled and waved to them both skipping through the sand as Carter wrapped his arms around Scarlett.
“I want you,” he growled in her ear.
“But we’re on the beach, your family, the workers, people will see.”
“I don’t care.” She knew that was true, in the past four years they certainly hadn’t hidden their love.
She dragged her fingers across his scars, the ones her father had inflicted so many years ago. They never heard from him again, and her sister’s had both moved on with their lives. They had gotten married and found real jobs to earn their own way. Scarlett had finished her schooling and was now studying Greek architecture locally. Everyone had found their way.
Carter chewed on her lower lip and she let a moan escape her lips. His hands ravaged her skin, digging into her. He slipped off her bikini top and began to kiss her flesh, moving down her nipples. His hands found their way into her bottoms and he felt the wetness of her mound. As his body pressed against hers she felt his cock harden, he was ready for her.
She reached down and rubbed it as her breath became ragged. He made her feel so alive, so desired.
And that’s how it would be.
Forever.
Payback
Payback
A Bad Boy Romance
By Nicole Elliot
Copyright
Payback
Copyright © 2017 Pink Empire Publishing
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.
Prologue
Cami
April 2013
“Sissy! Sissy!” Tommy calls, running through the
knee high grass towards me excitedly.
“What is it?” I ask as he reaches me, opening his hands and showing me the butterfly he caught.
“Sissy, it's for you,” he says, smiling brightly.
“Thank you so much, Tommy. It's so pretty, but we have to let it go. If we don't, it’ll probably die.”
His little face drops and tears fill his eyes.
“Oh, Tommy, don't cry,” I reply, pulling him into me. “It’s just how things are, you can’t keep something so pretty captive. You have to let it be free.”
Freedom is all I want, but I’m not as pretty as the little bug, with its delicate wings and colorful exterior. No, I’m just me. But for Tommy, I’m enough. I cradle his hands in mine and we pry open his little fingers together. I watch his wondrous blue eyes as it flutters away. When he can’t see it anymore, he wraps his arms around my torso and looks up at me. I know what’s coming. A question. He always has questions. Nature of his age, I guess.
“Sissy?”
“Yeah?” I answer back.
“Am I going to die?”
I fight the lump in my throat. “No, Bubba, you're not going to die.”
I hold him tightly, knowing I may have just told him a lie. Closing my eyes, I draw in a deep breath and try to slow my heartbeat. I know he can feel it, and I don’t want to give away my deceit.
When I open my eyes, we’re no longer at home. The sterile white walls and hum of the machines bring me to tears. Looking to my left, I see Tommy, lying there in the hospital bed that seems too big for his tiny body. His little face is swollen and his eyelids are a pale hue of purple. He opens his eyes and smiles. “Sissy,” he says, his voice like paper. I take my time to get to him—I have to be strong. He’s the child, not me. It’s my duty to protect him. I tried, I really did.
“I love you, Tommy.”
“Me too,” he says weakly.
Sitting down on the bed beside him, I hold him as he rests his head on my shoulder. I close my eyes again, feeling the tears as they escape, running down my cheeks. I open my eyes again, and this time, I'm caught in a sea of black. My mother and father are in front of me, looking down at the child sized coffin. I look around, recognizing family I haven't seen in years. Each person here has tears in their eyes and a somber look on their faces. Suddenly, the sky opens up, and a cleansing rain begins to fall. Walking up and standing beside my mother, I look down at the floral arrangement atop Tommy’s tiny coffin. Taking a closer look, I see a beautiful butterfly fluttering around the arrangement. Its yellow and orange wings are almost an exact replica of the one he let go that warm spring day. I watch as they beat against the soft rain until it lands on top of a lovely purple carnation. A sob rips through my chest as I remember that day and the exuberant young boy Tommy was before the cancer took over his delicate body. My words ring back through time.
“No, Bubba, you're not going to die,” echoes through my mind.
In an instant, my eyes flicker open, wet from the tears shed in my sleep. Glancing over at the clock, I see it's a quarter after five. I wipe my eyes and slowly sit up in bed, all the old memories flashing through my mind.
It’s been eight years since the day I lost my baby brother, and not a day goes by that I don't ache from the loss. It’s Saturday morning. Since Tommy died, it’s become my least favorite day of the week. My mother has me up by six o'clock to do chores and catch up on laundry—usually while she sits in a rocker in the front window, sucking down mixed drinks. Grief affects everyone differently, but sadly, both of my parents handle it the same. With alcohol.
I am literally holding this family together by the skin of my teeth. If I wanted to be free before, those feelings were nothing like the prison I’ve been encased in now. They’d simply fall apart without me here to take care of them. But I finished all the laundry and caught up on chores yesterday so I could go out with Jett today. A moment outside the prison Tommy’s absence keeps us all in is a welcome break.
Stretching, I slowly get out of bed and head to the adjoining shower. As I get out, I hear my dad’s truck start up. I know where he’s headed: the river, to drink. His typical weekend routine even this early. It’s not even like they can wallow together. I wonder how much longer until one of them leaves for good. I try to shake the thought from my mind. Quickly, I get dressed and blow-dry my hair. I'm standing in front of the mirror, looking at the ensemble I’ve chosen: a pair of blue jeans, my favorite red top, and my ballet flats.
I hear another car door shut from the street and I peek out the curtains to see Jett standing next to his car. He leans on it like he would wait all day for me to come out. Smart boy.
My heart thumps in my chest as I put on my lip gloss and smile at my reflection in the mirror. I grab my coat and purse as I rush out of my bedroom, practically slamming the door behind me.
“Mama, I’m leaving. Jett is here. I’ll be back later.”
She doesn’t even make eye contact, just continues to look out the window. I stop for a moment and wonder what she sees. How she’s managed all this time. I feel horrible for thinking that one of them may abandon us. Whoever the us is that’s left. I walk over and kiss her on the forehead and she mumbles incoherently as I turn to leave. I make my way down the steps, anxious to get away from her and the sorrow she carries. Sometimes I’m afraid it’ll spread like a disease, taking me down with it.
I miss Tommy every day. But I refuse to let my life go to waste. That blue eyed little boy, who’s buried in the cemetery on Peach, wouldn’t want that. I’m sure of it.
Jett gives me a kiss on the cheek. “You ok? You look a little down today,” he says, as I practically jump into his arms.
“Mama’s blitzed, as usual,” I reply, looking back at my mess of a mother through the window.
“Getting close to the anniversary, aren’t we? I feel like she’s always worse then.”
He’s right, we’re only a couple weeks away. She’ll be really bad for about a month before the date. But Daddy? He’s just in a drunken daze all the time.
I tear my eyes off of my mother as I hop in the passenger side of Jett’s truck. I know what I have to do. As Jett's truck barrels down the dusty dirt road towards town, I look back once more, and I swear I must be losing my mind, because I’m almost positive I see tears sliding down her cheeks. She hasn’t cried in years.
Her tears dried up, just like the love in that house.
1
Jett
August 2013
Cami stands and shoves me down on her bed. I roll over, looking up at this beautiful fucking woman above me. Her tank top falls to the floor, followed quickly by the booty shorts she slept in last night. I lay there, unable to move, struck completely immobile by the most magnificent sight I've ever set eyes on.
She shoves me back, climbing on top of me.
Feisty, I like that.
Her hands grip my jeans and she pulls, taking my boxer briefs down with them. Leaving my jeans on the floor, she crawls her way back up my legs. She kisses up my thigh, trailing her soft, full lips across my skin, all the way up to my hip bones and across my stomach… then lower.
Lower.
Lower.
I can’t decide if I need to hold my breath or let it rapidly barrel out of my lungs. She sits back on her heels and gazes down at me. I wish I could read her mind. I’d pay anything to know what she’s thinking right now. Her hand replaces her lips, running along my chest, my abs. My breath catches when her hand reaches the short stubble of hair on my groin.
She reaches out and gently, almost reverently, runs her finger down the backside of my cock. It jumps the moment her cool skin touches it, and she laughs, low and sexy. Wrapping her hand around me, she pulls, stroking up and down.
My eyes slam shut as a tense groan of painful pleasure escapes me. She slows her rhythmic pumping just before I feel her breath puffing out against me. Her tongue slips out between her sexy lips and circles the head of my dick. I force my eyes open to see if this real. I fe
el like I’ve died and gone to heaven.
She glances up at me from under her lashes, watching my expression. She licks the head, leaving a trail of spit on it. My cock jumps again before she slides her mouth down, sucking me into her warm mouth. I feel her tongue still circling my dick, popping against the head of it each time she rises, before lowering herself back down again.
Her hand wraps around me, stroking along in tune with her mouth. I feel my orgasm building in the base of my cock. My hands grip the sheets tightly. Sweat beads on my brow.
Her ass is poking up in the air, wiggling a little bit. I watch for a minute, imagining pounding into her hard and fast from behind. She moans, taking more of me. There’s no way she can swallow all of it. No one ever has. It doesn’t stop her from trying, though. I can feel the back of her throat when she drops down and I can’t take another second. I feel the orgasm start deep inside of me, racing through my veins.
My cock hardens even more.
I try to pull her off, not wanting to fill her mouth with my seed, but she keeps going. Sucking harder and stroking me faster and faster, her tongue licking the head over and over.
The first wave crashes over me. My cock pulses and my cum shoots out, coating the back of her throat. She moans and swallows a mouthful before sucking more of me down again. I pulse again and again, filling her mouth with my hot seed. My body shudders, and I lay there, stupefied. Never in my life have I had a blow job like that. I can't move. My heart is pounding in my chest at an alarming rate.
She licks the head one more time before kissing her way up my chest to my neck, my cheek, and my lips. I capture her, flipping her over on the bed below me. My cock is already stirring, ready to slide deep inside her silken folds.
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