There You Are

by E. L. Todd

  Maybe it was best if we didn’t make love. We could always do this in stages. Fooling around was a good place to start. There was no pressure and we just explored each other. I could wait forever—for her.

  She dug her hands into my hair. “Slade.”

  I loved it when she said my name. It felt like old times.

  “I want you to make love to me.”

  I gave her a final kiss before I held myself up by my arms. “You’re sure?”

  She nodded then pulled me up her body.

  I slowly positioned myself on top of her and kept my eyes focused on hers. “We can just fool around tonight. No sex.”

  “I want you.” She ran her hands up my chest and to my shoulders.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  Since she seemed certain I maneuvered between her legs and pointed myself at her entrance. “We can stop anytime you want.” I gave her a soft kiss on the lips then rubbed my nose against hers.

  “I know.”

  I kissed the corner of her mouth and felt the moisture at the head of my dick. “I love you, Trinity.”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I love you too, Slade.”

  I slowly inched myself inside her, stretching her along the way. It felt so damn good to be inside her that I wanted to cry. I hadn’t had an orgasm in weeks, which was a world record for me. But I tried not to fall too deeply into her. I suspected she would get scared and ask me to stop.

  She dug her nails into my skin and released a sexy moan. Her eyes became lidded with pleasure and she breathed loudly. Her lips were slightly parted and her body relaxed, like this feeling was second nature to her.

  Since she seemed okay with it, I finally allowed myself to fall into the moment. I rocked into her slowly, savoring every inch of her I could feel. She constricted tightly around me, making it feel just as good as it used to. Her tits slightly shook every time I moved and that just turned me on even more.

  I kissed her from time-to-time, distracting myself from releasing. I hadn’t had any sexual experience in a long time so my threshold was dangerously low. I was determined to give her an orgasm, to make her forget the previous incident ever happened.

  Trinity would have come by now if everything was back to normal. She was clearly enjoying it but not fully there. I kissed her slowly then moved my hand between her legs. I rubbed her clitoris gently, giving her just enough pressure to feel it.

  Her nails dug deeper into my skin in reaction. She panted harder, falling further into the moment.

  She needed something more. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, Trinity. I’m so glad you’re mine.”

  Her eyes lit up in emotion and then her body naturally reacted. She tightened around me, squeezing me like a boa constrictor. My dick felt every sensation a million times more. She squeezed her thighs around my waist then moaned as she climaxed. Her nipples hardened and her stomach became tight. Her moans almost turned into a scream. “Slade…”

  I was so grateful this night became beautiful rather than painful. It felt the way it used to, and I knew we would get through this just fine. Knowing she was enjoying me hit my trigger and I felt myself explode.

  The pleasure started in my stomach then moved down to my balls. The burn was white-hot, and when it finally hit me everywhere it was overwhelming. The orgasm was powerful, and not just because I hadn’t had sex in so long. It was because I fixed Trinity.

  I fixed her.

  I lay on top of her and kissed the skin over her heart. I was covered in sweat but she didn’t seem to mind. I held her like that, just enjoying the tranquility of our moment. Somehow, we survived the tragedy.

  And somehow, we were stronger.

  ***

  Trinity was asleep in my arms when I heard a noise.

  I was still partially asleep when I heard the sound. It sounded like a piece of metal hit the hardwood floor. It was loud enough to register in my brain but not alarming enough for me to jolt of bed.

  But now that I was awake I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  What was it?

  We were far from the street so we couldn’t hear the traffic. Who would be walking to their room at this time of night? I glanced at the clock and saw that it was four in the morning.

  Paranoid started to sink deep into my bones. What if that wasn’t just a harmless sound? Or was it something more?

  Since I couldn’t sleep anyway I gently slithered away from Trinity and put on my sweatpants before I went exploring. It could have just been the wind blowing against the window or something else. It was probably nothing and I was just overreacting.

  I ran my fingers through my hair as I walked down the hall with sleepy eyes. All the lights were off and I couldn’t remember where the light switches were. I got to the main living room and fished my phone out of my pocket so I could use it as a flashlight. But it slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor. I sighed then reached down to get it when I heard the boom of the gun.

  It reverberated loud in the suite and echoed in my ears. Immediately, my heart kicked into overdrive and the fight or flight mentality kicked in. I wasn’t alone in the suite. There was an intruder.

  And I knew exactly who it was.

  I dodged out of the way and landed in a roll. I didn’t know where he was but I knew I had to move. He had a gun and he would pull the trigger in just a nanosecond.

  The second shot went off and I wasn’t hit.

  I had to think fast. He was somewhere in the room, probably behind the couch.

  The lights turned on. “Slade?” It was Trinity, sounding borderline insane. The fear in her voice was the highest I’d ever heard.

  Fuck. “Trinity, run!”

  My eyes scanned the room and I saw Maximum standing there. The gun was pointed at me but he shifted his aim to her.

  “Shoot me, asshole.” I sprinted as fast as I could. I needed to knock the gun out of his hand or at least take the shot instead. There was no way I was letting him hurt Trinity.

  He pulled the trigger before I got there in time.

  No.

  Shit, no.

  I collided with his shoulder and sent him crashing to the ground. I was stuck on him but all I was thinking about was Trinity. “Trinity! Trinity! Are you okay?”

  “I’m okay.” Her voice was so different she sounded like someone else. “I’m not hit.”

  Maximum took advantage of my confusion and turned the gun on me.

  My Krav Maga kicked in, and instinct took the reins. All my years of training from junior high until college came into effect. I didn’t hold back and used everything I had.

  I threw my weight into my punch and hit him right in the wrist.

  His hand flew back, the gun smacking against the hardwood floor.

  I punched him hard in the skull, feeling my knuckles ache from the force I exerted.

  He blacked out for a moment, his eyes wide and unblinking. His movements became sluggish.

  I snatched the gun off the ground. “Trinity, call the cops.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Maximum came back around then grabbed me by the neck.

  I head-butted him hard, and he clearly didn’t expect that. He fell back to the hardwood floor and hit his skull again.

  “They’re coming!” Trinity yelled. “They’re just down the street.”

  Thank god. “I got him.”

  Maximum grabbed my upper arm then yanked me down to the floor. His other fist slammed into my nose, making it crack and bleed.

  I didn’t feel the pain because I was too absorbed in the situation. It was life or death at the moment.

  He grabbed the gun again, but I had a firmer grip. I wouldn’t let it go no matter what.

  He kept pulling on it, squeezing my neck at the same time.

  He was bigger than me so he had more muscle mass. In a close fight like this I couldn’t overpower him. All I could do was use his momentum to get what I needed. I turn
ed the gun and aimed it right at his chest.

  I had no problem killing him.

  My fingers moved for the trigger but I realized I couldn’t reach it, not the way we were situated.

  Fuck.

  All I had to do was keep holding on until the cops got there. I had to focus and not let go. I could do that.

  I could do it.

  The gun sounded and Maximum froze. His eyes widened and he stopped breathing.

  I froze.

  He pulled the trigger again, hitting himself right in the heart.

  Then he went limp.

  I sat absolutely still and released the gun. It fell to the floor right beside him. His eyes faced the ceiling, wide and lifeless. The blood pooled out everywhere, making a large puddle.

  Unable to believe what just happened, I just stared.

  “Slade?” Trinity’s hysterical voice came to my ears. “Slade?”

  “I’m here…” I still couldn’t process what just happened.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “No.” I was behind the couch so she couldn’t see me. My eyes were still on Maximum. I’d never seen a dead person before.

  Trinity ran across the room then came to my side. Tears streaked down her face and she immediately felt my body everywhere, making sure I wasn’t hurt. “You’re alright. Thank god.” She wrapped her arms around me.

  “I’m okay, baby. We’re okay.”

  “You killed him. You saved us.”

  “Actually…he shot himself.”

  Trinity pulled away and looked at me with surprise. “What…?”

  “He pointed the gun at his chest and killed himself.” I still couldn’t believe it. It felt strange saying it out loud.

  “Why?”

  “Even if he killed both of us he never would have gotten away, not with the cops so close. He knew it was his only option.” I would have taken the same route if I were in the same situation.

  Trinity stared at his lifeless body. “So, he’s gone…for good.”

  I pulled her into my side and rubbed her back. “Yeah. He’s gone for good.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lexie

  I walked through the door prepared to give my mom a serious talk.

  “Did you like Logan?” she asked immediately. “Macy said she adored him.” She stared at me and eagerly waited for a response.

  “He was great, Mom.”

  Her smile stretched until all her teeth showed. “I’m so glad. I told him my girls had to like him if our relationship was going to go somewhere.”

  “Well, Macy and I like him. He makes you happy and that’s all we care about.”

  “He does make me happy.” She breathed a deep sigh. “Too happy.”

  I was going to tell her about Dad but now I wasn’t sure. She seemed so happy with Logan and the news about Dad might just confuse her. Or even make her feel guilty. Knowing her, she would feel bad for him and run to his side even though he didn’t deserve it.

  “Were you going to say something?” she asked.

  I debated the choice for a few seconds before I found my answer. “I just wanted to tell you how much I liked Logan.”

  She squeezed my shoulder affectionately and the stars shined in her eyes. “Awe. That makes me happy indeed.”

  ***

  I didn’t mention my dad to Conrad. Since we got into a fight and had some amazing sex afterward I dropped the topic. He and I would disagree about this subject eternally.

  Conrad didn’t mention it either, and he was loving like he usually was. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders while we watched TV in the living room. Apollo sat beside me with his chin resting in my lap. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Why am I responsible for dinner?”

  “I didn’t say you were. I was just curious what you wanted to eat.” He drank his beer and rested his feet on the coffee table.

  “I want something cheesy.”

  “Like a cheese pizza?” he asked.

  “No…like mac and cheese.”

  “I know how to make that,” he said. “I just hope I have milk and butter.”

  “I like the kind in the cup. You just add water and you’re done.”

  He set his beer down and regarded me with curiosity. “I didn’t know you ate stuff like that.”

  “I did when I was depressed…” I ate a lot of shit I wasn’t proud of. I used to cook everything but then I started eating whatever was easy to find. Or I didn’t eat at all. That was more common.

  “That has too many carbs in it. I can’t eat that and look sexy like this.”

  I eyed his beer. “And that doesn’t have carbs in it?”

  “Well, beer is different…”

  “How?” I pressed.

  “It’s beer.” He said it like that was final and there was nothing else to discuss.

  I rolled my eyes but smiled at the same time.

  “You think I didn’t see that?” he asked.

  “I was hoping you would.”

  He nibbled on my earlobe playfully then growled in my ear.

  “Grizzly has come out to play…”

  He gave my shoulder a gentle bite before he looked at the TV again. “Don’t mess with a wild animal, baby.”

  “I’m wild too.”

  “Maybe like a bunny,” he teased. “All white and fluffy…”

  I nudged him in the side. “Whatever.”

  My phone vibrated on the table and I sighed before I grabbed it. Who would be calling me? I didn’t have a lot of friends. When I saw my dad’s name on the screen my heart stopped beating.

  What did he want?

  “Everything okay?” Conrad asked.

  “Not sure yet…” Should I answer it? Did he have anything good to say?

  Conrad spotted the name on the screen. “Take it.”

  “Just butt out of this, alright?” I marched off into the kitchen then took the call. “Hello?”

  “Hey, kid. It’s me.” He tried to sound normal but I could tell it wasn’t normal at all.

  “Hey. You doing okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I wanted to apologize for the other night. I wish you hadn’t seen me like that…”

  That makes two of us.

  “I hope I didn’t scare you too bad.”

  “I’m not scared of anything,” I blurted.

  “Well…that’s good.”

  I shifted my weight back and forth as I stood in the middle of Conrad’s kitchen. “Is that why you called?” Because we could hang up now and move on.

  “Actually, I was calling for something else. I know this is awkward and you don’t owe me anything but…I was hoping you could help me out with something.”

  He was going to ask me for a favor? Seriously? “Do you need money?”

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” he said quickly. “I was actually hoping you could talk to your mother for me…”

  About what?

  “Feel her out for me, you know?” he asked. “See if she wants to see me. Maybe give me another chance.”

  “She’s with someone else now.”

  “I know, I know. But I still have hope.”

  “She’s too good for you,” I said savagely. “I would much rather see her with someone else than my own father.” It was a cold thing to say but I didn’t care. He took off and abandoned all three of us, not just Mom.

  Dad was quiet for a long time, probably speechless at my words. “I can’t change your mind, then?”

  “No. You can ask Macy but she won’t do it either.”

  “I see…”

  “Dad, just leave her alone. If you love her at all or at least have some respect for her, you’ll leave her alone.” I hung up because I didn’t want to continue this conversation further.

  I stepped out of the kitchen and almost ran into Conrad. “Were you eavesdropping?”

  He held up his empty beer bottle. “Was getting a new one.”

  I eyed him suspiciously.

  “So…I could listen
to your conversation.”

  I was extremely sensitive to this topic. I smacked him in the chest because I was so frustrated. “Why do you always defend him? He’s a cheater and a liar. Do you defend your own kind or something? It really bothers me that you’re so quick to come to his aid. It’s like you think it’s okay to leave your wife for some slut bag half your age.”

  He gripped the bottle in his hand and almost crushed it. “Knock it off.”

  “No,” I snapped. “Why do you always take his side?”

  “I’m not taking his side.” He raised his voice and Apollo jumped off the couch. His echoes traveled through the entire apartment. “He’s your father, Lexie. Families don’t turn their backs on each other like that. There’s nothing my own father could do to make me despise him like that. I’m just trying to teach you to grow the fuck up. No, I don’t approve of what he did to your mother. I would hope by now you would understand what kind of guy I am.”

  My anger made me take this too far. “I’m sorry—”

  “Don’t say that shit to me again, not unless you want to walk out that door and never come back.”

  I shut my mouth and felt the slap of his words.

  “I know seeing your parents split up like that was traumatic for you, but you need to get over it. Just because I show your father a little compassion doesn’t mean I’m like him. Actually, it means I’m nothing like him. I have too much empathy and compassion to hurt someone the way he hurt your mother.” He shook his head in disappointment. “But you should have known that.” He tossed his bottle on the ground and walked away.

  “Conrad—”

  “You should go.” He grabbed my purse and tossed it at me. “I’ll talk to you whenever the hell I feel like talking to you.” He headed to his room without looking back at me.

  “Wait.”

  He kept walking.

  “Conrad, I’m sorry. You’re right about everything…”

  He finally stopped but didn’t turn around.

  The fact he stopped at all was a good sign. “I just…I don’t know. I love my mom so much and I hated seeing her go through that. Probably because I had to go through it myself. I can’t see straight when it comes to this because I’m so emotional about it. I know you would never do that to me.”