Their bodies were so in tune with one another. Despite how little they knew of one another, they knew exactly how to make the other feel good, or at least she hoped she made him feel even half the amount of joy that he gave her. When they made love, it was as if they had been together forever, when in reality it had only been two days. How could so much have happened in such a short time?
It hit her then, she no longer thought of Adam as a fling. A simple means to an orgasmic end. No, he was important to her, even special. When she was with him she was giving herself to him, allowing him to take her in any way that he wanted and, apparently, at any time that he wanted, if the scene in the car earlier was any indication. The fact that she knew how very true her thoughts were, that she would give herself over to him so fully and completely without any reciprocation from him at all only confused her more.
Her past relationship with Derek was filled with control and dominance. He had always been in charge of the relationship, dictating how things went, but that only got worse when he started with the drugs. The way he once tried to control every situation in their lives turned ugly the heavier he got into his addiction. Initially, he would shout and scream, maybe throw things across the room, but that only lasted a short time. His violent outbursts progressed from those shouting tirades to full-on physical abuse.
She still felt shame over what had happened. She knew she shouldn’t. Every counselor, every pamphlet, and every person that she had talked to told her that it was not the victim’s fault. They also told her that most victims had a tendency to blame themselves. Even with all of that knowledge, knowing it wasn’t her fault, knowing she wasn’t to blame, she still couldn’t get past the idea that if she had done something or said something different, maybe it wouldn’t have gotten as bad as it did. Maybe a man she once cared for wouldn’t be sitting in jail right now, awaiting trial for attempted murder.
Stranger yet was that Adam was just as domineering, if not more so than Derek had been. That alone should make her run for the hills, but instead she found herself drawn to him inexplicably.
Sure, she knew that Adam wasn’t her ex-boyfriend and that he shouldn’t and couldn’t be held accountable for someone else’s actions. Still, she couldn’t help but be apprehensive at the idea of getting involved with someone who had the same personality traits as the person who had choked her until she passed out.
Shaking her head, she laughed at herself, at how presumptuous she was being. Here Adam had made his intentions toward her perfectly, if not crystal clear. They had nothing between them. There was no relationship, just a casual fling filled with lots and lots of hot sex. So why on earth was she worrying that getting involved with him was such a bad idea when there was nothing to worry about? There was no involvement, no chance for being hurt. The answer to that question was a simple one though. She was falling in love with him.
“Oh, Chelsea, you have to snap out of this,” she scolded herself as she got up from the couch and walked toward the kitchen in search of a glass of wine. Her hope was that it would settle her frazzled nerves.
As she reached for a glass in the cupboard, she almost screamed at the sound of her doorbell ringing. The high-pitched chiming echoed in the quiet house.
It was after nine o’clock on a Saturday night. Who on earth would be visiting her? Hesitantly, she walked toward the front door. The thought occurred to her that it might be Cullen, but that was quickly dismissed as she looked through the peephole and saw three women standing on the darkened porch. She reached her hand over and flicked on the light switch. She hadn’t realized how nervous she was until she breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw it was Shelby, Tamara, and Amanda.
Although she was surprised by their unannounced visit, she couldn’t deny that she was glad to see them. Having some girl power to surround her might be just the thing she needed to get Adam out of her mind. Of course, she doubted that it was possible, but at this point she’d be willing to try just about anything to avoid feeling any deeper for him than she already did.
She opened the door with a sarcastic grin. “Well, hello there, ladies, let me guess, you were just in the neighborhood and you thought you’d drop by with…ooh, is that wine? My God, you girls are mind readers. Come inside.” She held the screen door open and waited for them to join her.
“This place is adorable, Chelsea. Did you decorate it yourself?” Amanda, who seemed to be the one out of the group with impeccable manners, asked her as she smiled at her.
Chelsea was reaching for some more wine glasses when she turned her head and peered over her shoulder to answer her. “Well, the beige paint color was already on the walls, but everything else is mine.”
She looked at Tamara before continuing. “Water for you, I guess? Or…wait, I think I have some orange juice. Would you like that?”
“Umm, no, thank you. Jack is filling me up on so many juices and organic things he throws together in an attempt to concoct something edible. I swear he spends so much time in the kitchen making what he claims are special recipes, but the jury’s still out on a few of them, by the way. That plus a million other things he reads about in a book that claims to be good for the baby. Something simple like a good, old-fashioned glass of water would be fantastic,” she answered with a small laugh.
Shelby quickly interjected, “I swear this girl is gonna drink a glass of wine the second that kid comes out. She’s dying. She used to drink wine all the time and now, well you know.”
All the women laughed as Chelsea poured their drinks. To make sure Tamara did not feel left out, she got her bottled water in a sparking crystal glass as well. They all headed for the living room and proceeded to get comfy so that the girl talk could begin.
Adam was perched on the thick branch of the pine tree. As he hunched over and looked through the lush needles, he realized his bright idea of a hiding space hadn’t been very bright at all. The dense cover of the trees combined with the setting sun made it nearly impossible for him to see the driveway.
Deciding he needed to find a better location, no matter what the chances were he could be spotted, he started to descend the tree limbs. He stopped suddenly at the sound of a car. Looking up, he saw headlights cascading across the curved driveway. From the angle he was at, it was nearly impossible to see the vehicle.
Struggling to gain leverage, he pulled himself up to the next heavy branch, hoping and praying it was strong enough to support his weight. Luckily, there was just enough light shining on the driveway from the large concrete patio that extended the length of the house.
The black limousine came to a stop at the top of the circular driveway. He literally stopped breathing as he waited for the car door to open. If he saw Danny Bianchi, would he be able to control his anger? Would he quickly climb down the tree and make his way toward the Bianchi property in what would surely be a suicide mission? No. He couldn’t, and he knew that. No matter how much he wanted to seek vengeance against the man who took his future wife and child from him, he knew charging the compound would only get him a hail of bullets.
A man got out, and while he couldn’t be sure, he was pretty certain it was Bianchi Sr. The stature, the way he moved and talked with his hands, it had to be the old man. Disappointment washed over him, and he was about to get down from the tree when he saw a door open on the other side.
His heart thumped at an unhealthy pace. He waited, watching for the other person to get out. It seemed as though time was standing still. How long could it possibly take to get out of the backseat of a limousine? He actually caught himself not breathing when he was forced to expel a huge breath that was trapped in his lungs.
Then, as he breathed in deep, regaining his rhythm of air flow, he saw him. The man that had so callously taken everything from him stood only maybe a hundred yards away. He could taste it. The animalistic hunger to hunt him down and stop his heart from beating, the same way his orders had stopped Ally’s and their child’s.
In a movement so quick it was a
lmost a blur, several guards and Bianchi Sr. escorted the young Danny inside. Adam stood, braced on the branch, his fists clenched and his heart racing as he saw the man he had waited to see for over a year disappear behind the confines of the large fortress.
He took several moments before climbing down the tree. It was dark now, and that would make the trek back to the car all the harder to navigate with the rugged terrain. Starting on his way, he felt a sudden sense of relief. He was one step closer to getting justice for his child and its mother. He was one step closer to killing Danny Bianchi.
Twenty yards away behind a tree, a man stood with a semi-automatic weapon in hand. He reached for his cell phone and dialed a number.
“Collins was just here.”
“Here? What do you mean here?” the man on the other end asked.
“I mean here. He was hiding in one of the trees behind the compound.” The man with the gun winced as the other voice shouted back at him.
“What? How in the hell did he get so close? The boss isn’t gonna like this one bit. Where is he now?”
“Collins?”
“Yes, Collins, who the fuck do you think I’m talking about, the Jolly Green Giant?” he screamed.
“Right, sorry. He’s heading back through the park. My guess is he parked out by one of the rest stops. Probably has a good half hour, if not longer walk. Why? You want me to follow him?” He waited while the only sound he heard was the other man breathing.
Finally, he spoke. “No. Continue with your perimeter sweeps. Now that Junior is back with us we’re going to have to pull double duty. There are way too many people out there that want him dead.”
“Okay, what about Collins though?”
A heavy sigh sounded. “Just worry about your job. I’ll take care of Collins myself. That bastard has been a thorn in our side ever since he walked in that alley and saw Junior…” He stopped when he realized they had already said too much for talking on a cellular phone. “Just do your sweep. I’ll take care of it.”
They both hung up their phones. The man with the gun continued to make his rounds, sweeping back and forth in the same zigzag pattern of the hundred-plus-yard stone wall.
The other man picked his phone up once again. He dialed a number and hoped that this simple phone call would put an end to at least one of his worries.
“Hello?” a voice on the other end answered.
“It’s me. Don’t say my name. AC is back, and he not only wants vengeance, he now knows that the baby is back. I don’t need to tell you what this means to our future. He’s parked at the bottom of the park in one of the rest areas. Find him, follow him, and take care of him. Any questions?” He waited for an answer and got none. “I’ll assume your silence means we’re clear?”
“Crystal,” the man replied.
“Excellent.”
They both hung up.
Chapter 21
Chelsea was near tears from laughing so hard. She couldn’t remember the last time she had such a good time. It had been ages since she had any real girlfriends. Of course a big part of that had to do with Derek. Despite how controlling he was, he had never forbid her to have any friends, but it just made things easier. The few times she had tried to arrange things with co-workers at the studio she worked in, she inevitably would have to cancel at the last minute because he wanted or needed her to do something else.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Shelby. Had she really heard her right? “What did you just say?”
Shelby looked at Tamara and Amanda before turning her stare to Chelsea. “I said, this has been fun and all, but I think it’s time to cut the crap.”
She sat there in shock for a moment before answering. “I’m sorry…I don’t know what you mean.”
All three women’s mouths dropped open in disbelief.
“What? I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chelsea insisted.
Amanda rolled her eyes and took a healthy swig of her wine before setting the glass down on the coffee table. “You didn’t really think that we just happened to be driving by with a bottle of wine, did you?”
The cold look in Amanda’s eyes made Chelsea rethink her theory that she was the most polite of the group.
“Okay, so why did you really come by then?” she asked them, more than a little hesitant to hear the answer.
“Oh come on, Chelsea. Rex and Shelby ran into Cullen, drinking and alone at the bar,” Tamara told her bluntly.
Oh God. Cullen. How big of a bitch was she that she hadn’t even thought about Cullen. All of the hours that had passed since he had come to pick her up, and she had been consumed with thoughts only of Adam, completely forgetting about the man who had brought her flowers and she’d run out on.
“Oh Jesus.” She set her wine glass down on the table and ran her hands through her hair.
“I guess the real question we want to know is, was it worth it?” Amanda asked.
She looked up at them for a moment. She was going to act shocked, even surprised, but it was obvious from the expressions on their faces that they knew exactly why she had bailed on Cullen. She didn’t have it in her to lie to them.
“Honestly? I don’t know. All I do know is that when it comes to Adam Collins…I feel like I’m in real danger.”
A more serious yet caring expression washed across Amanda’s face. “Oh, honey, you don’t mean you’re afraid of him, do you? Jesus, after what you’ve been though…Does he get rough?”
“What?” Chelsea laughed but tried to ignore the heat that crept up in her at the sound of Adam getting rough. Yes he did, but not in the way Amanda had meant.
“No, not in that kind of danger. I mean…oh, this is so stupid. I can’t stand him. He’s a jerk. He’s arrogant, selfish, and self-centered. I can’t name one endearing quality about him.”
“I see,” Tamara said. She looked to the other girls before glancing back to Chelsea.
“No, you don’t see. You couldn’t possibly see how incredibly messed up our entire relationship is. Oh no, wait, scratch that, we don’t have a relationship. We just sleep together, when it’s convenient for him of course. Then he leaves, or makes me leave. It’s really quite a wonderful feeling,” she told them sarcastically as she swallowed the remainder of what was in her glass.
“Oh no.” Amanda placed a hand on hers.
“What?” Tamara wondered aloud.
Amanda shook her head. “She’s in love with him.”
“What? I…there’s…I mean…oh, yes, all right. Yes, for some unknown reason I have fallen for him, hard, and I don’t know what to do about it. He pushes me away after every time we’re together and yet, I don’t know…it just seems like he doesn’t want to.”
Silence filled the room for several moments. Finally, Chelsea spoke once more. “I know it’s crazy, and I know I don’t deserve it, but I could really use some friends in my life right now. So, even though I did what I did tonight with Cullen, I’m asking for your friendship, even though I am very aware that I do not deserve it.”
Amanda eyed her speculatively and then smiled at her. “Well…if it wasn’t for this annoying problem like you being in love, do you think you would be smitten with Cullen then?”
Relieved, Chelsea answered, “Yes…oh, Amanda, you have no idea how much I would rather be into Cullen. He’s really sweet and,” she laughed, “sort of sexy, too.”
“Sexy? Cullen…really?” Tamara scrunched her nose together. “I guess he has a great body, and now that you mention it, he is kind of handsome. Huh? How strange that I’ve never noticed that before.”
“Not really. When you met Cullen, you and Jack had just started seeing each other. Everything was about Jack and…well, I guess things haven’t really changed, have they?” Shelby teased.
“No, they haven’t, and they never will either. My husband is the most wonderful of all the husbands in the world,” Tamara gloated jokingly to them.
“Well,” Amanda interjected, “I could say the same about A
ndrew, and I’m sure Shelby here would beg to differ and put Rex in the running. So, why don’t we just agree that they’re all great in their own ways?”
Chelsea stared at the women as they laughed and bonded over their husbands. A small pang of jealousy hit her at the sight. She wished for that, longed for it actually. Often she wondered, especially when things had gotten so bad with Derek toward the end, what it would be like, to be loved so intensely and feel the same about that person.
A few times when she had lain alone in their bed crying, she speculated whether such a love even existed. Seeing the three women, her new friends, act so happy and in love gave her hope for her future. She would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that secretly she hoped for something similar with Adam.
Her physical response to him was incredible, but the emotional response that overcame her just from hearing his voice, feeling his touch, and absorbing his stare made her realize that Adam was everything she ever wanted in a man. He was a real man. One that had flaws, but at times, could make her feel like the most desired, most precious woman in the world.
For some reason, one she didn’t know or understand, she didn’t think he was as rough around the edges as he let on to be. She knew, or at least was fairly certain, that he hadn’t wanted to leave her earlier that tonight. In fact, the thought that Adam might have stayed and what they might be doing right at this very moment if he had sent a heat coursing through her veins.
“I don’t know about you girls, but I’m starving,” Tamara told them.
“Of course you are, sweetie. Aren’t you always hungry?” Shelby teased.
Amanda, who was laughing, couldn’t resist but added her own comment. “Yes, she is. Chelsea, do you have anything us girls can munch on?”
With a devilish grin, Chelsea nodded. “Come on. I bet we can find something sinfully delicious and loaded with calories.”
Thirty minutes later, the women were sitting around the kitchen table. Crumbs left over from two éclairs that she had gotten from the bakery littered one plate. To its left was an opened container of ready-made frosting with two spoons sticking out of it. Directly across from Shelby sat a once full package of double fudge brownies.
Morgan, Nicole - Sweet Vengeance [Sweet Awakenings 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 12
