by Brenda Ford
“Well, James wants to help.” I point towards him, like he doesn’t know who James is or something. “We can do it between us all three of us. I don’t see what the issue is here. And wouldn’t it be better to ask Benjamin what he wants, rather than making all of these decisions for him? He knows what’s best for him.”
“I want James to stay,” Benjamin predictably answers. “I want all of my family around me during this difficult time. The heart attack has made me realize that I need to work less and see my family more.”
I shrug. Mom can be pissed off, but this isn’t her decision. It’s not her place to decide whether or not James is around since her husband is sick. This is James’s home too after all, and it’s big enough for everyone. I don’t see what her issue is to be perfectly honest. She’s being unreasonable for the sake of it.
“Well, that is just ridiculous.” Mom stomps her foot like an angry toddler. “I am perfectly capable. Now I have even more people to look after. To wash and clean up after, to cook for, everything.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. As if she does any of those things. But it doesn’t feel like the right time to point that out now, when she’s already so enraged. There’s no point in poking the bear.
“We can order take out tonight,” Benjamin replies happily. “I have missed greasy food anyway. And I know that you are all about to tell me, that I need to be careful about what I eat because of my heart, and I will, but I just want something small this one time. I will look after my body in the way that I choose to.” He looks at his son and grins. “Now, James, do you want to sort out ordering? Because I’m desperately hungry right now. I haven’t had real food in forever.”
“I’ll do it. Whatever you want, Dad. Let me go and get all the menus so you can decide what you fancy.”
Everyone is happy to have Benjamin home, everyone aside from his wife, who has a face like thunder. She doesn’t like the loss of control, and her loss of drama as well. It looks like everything will run smoothly for a while and she hates that. But I’m going to embrace it, because I need some happiness here.
Chapter Fifteen
James
I don’t know if taking the seat opposite Rue is the smartest idea, but that’s what I do anyway. I face her with our plates equally piled high with steaming food and begin to eat. Not that I can taste a lot of the food, because my mind is mostly centered on her. I think it has been ever since she first walked into my life, but even more so now that I can look at her. I could stare at her beautiful face all day long given half the chance.
“So, what has been going on around here?” Dad asks. “What have I missed?”
Mary grumbles and turns away, still in a terrible mood. There is one thing that I can say for that woman, and it’s how well she can hold a grudge. Why would anyone want to turn down help? Why doesn’t she want me to rebuild things with my father? I never said that I didn’t think she couldn’t do it alone, just that I want to be involved as well. There isn’t anything wrong with that. Children should help their parents in times of need.
“Well, Rue came back,” I say with a teasing smile. “But aside from that, not much.”
“How is Stansford? Is your post grad course going well? And your assistant work?”
“Brilliant, thank you.” It has been going well. I don’t need to tell him that I’ve been struggling to keep on top of things while he was in the hospital. My dad has enough to worry about. “Really well.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it… even if it means you won’t be working for the family company.” He holds up his hands in a surrendering gesture before I can snap back that he needs to stop asking me. “Don’t worry, I understand. I get that you don’t want the same life as me. Believe me, I’m not mad about it at all.”
“Oh.” A tight knot that I didn’t even realize was there loosens. “Well, thank you, Dad, that’s nice.”
Again, Mary mutters something under her breath, and judging by the spite it has absolutely everything to do with me, but I don’t care. I’m not in the mood to be bothered by her bull shit.
“What about you, Rue?” He turns his attention away from me. “What are your plans? Working with your friend I think I might have heard earlier? Does that mean you might stick around for a little while?”
A flower of hope blooms in my chest, I can’t stop it. If she doesn’t leave, then me and her have something worth fighting for.
“Well, Annie has an editing company that she wants me to come and work at, even if I’m not here for long, and I figure why not? It’s a great business. Plus, it means I will get to see my friend more. And it’ll be good work experience even if I don’t decide to stick around. So, for the time being, I will be here.”
She sends me a smile, reminding me that I’m not just being a good son and staying at the house for my father, even if that is a major benefit, it’s for her as well. I want to see much more of Rue. As much as I can.
My leg slides towards her, that magnet pulling me in, and I stroke up and down her bare skin. At first, she jumps as if she’s been shocked, but as soon as she realizes what’s happening and she settles into it, I can tell that she likes it. Through all of the conversation, I feel her intense gaze on me, flirting with me silently.
God, she gets my pulse racing. Especially when it’s all dangerous and exciting like this. That intensifies everything and makes my feelings and lust for her that much more wild. I can barely contain myself.
“It feels good to be home,” Dad suddenly declares, pulling all of our attention back on him. “With all of you. It’s been a long time since I felt so connected, all of my family. I would love it if nothing changed.”
Huh, if only that was possible. He knows that it isn’t, however much he hints. I won’t be able to stay around long because of Mary. Me and her can only stand so much of one another. Rue won’t be here forever either… I don’t think. Now, I’m not quite so sure. If she has a job already then perhaps, she will.
What if she’s doing all of that for me? My brain wonders, definitely without my permission because that’s a scary thing to think about. Whether it creates hope or terror, it isn’t a good idea. But I don’t seem to have any control over my thoughts right now. What if she doesn’t want to leave because she wants us to be together?
Damn it, I know that’s what I want, so what does it even matter? I will just have to wait and see.
“Thank you for the meal.” Rue suddenly rises to her feet and grabs her plate. “That was delicious. Let me clean up.” I wonder if the pressure of this is getting to her now. “Can I take your plate, James?”
Her eyes meet mine for a moment and I feel that intense buzz bolting inside of me. It takes every ounce of strength that I have not to grab her and to throw her across the table to take her once more. One time was definitely not enough… but there isn’t any point in giving Dad another heart attack.
I watch her intensely as she grabs all of the plates, earning herself daggers from her mother, but even that doesn’t seem to bother her. As soon as Rue is out of the room, I feel restless and needy, desperate to get my hands on her. Even my knee jiggles up and down because it’s really fucking hard to keep still.
“Oh look!” I grab a couple of empty glasses. “I will take these in. Give Rue a hand.”
Whether Dad and Mary can sense what’s going on, or they just assume, I can’t stand the tension of the room for another second longer, I don’t know, but I can hear them speaking to one another in biting tones as soon as I’m gone. I can only hope this means that my father is finally seeing the light when it comes to that woman.
Not only am I sure that he could be happier without her, it would also pave a much easier path for me and Rue. Not that I would think that way and wish divorce for selfish reasons, it would just help, that’s all.
“Oh, what are you…?” Rue starts as she spins around to see me. But I don’t allow her to finish her question because I grab her to press her up against the wall. I slam the glasses
down on the side, almost breaking them as I do, then I knot my fingers up in her hair to kiss her frantically and passionately.
At first, Rue stiffens up, probably afraid that we’re about to get caught, but she soon gets caught up in the wave of forbidden lust as well, she kisses me right back. Her hands snake around my waist and she pulls me in towards her. Our bodies almost become one as our tongues massage one another, it’s addictive and sexy as hell. All I want to do is peel her clothes off and explore her body once more… but I have to be careful.
“That man!” We’re distracted by Mary’s voice which tears us apart. Rue looks as shocked and terrified as I feel. I’m sure that her pulse is pounding just as loudly as mine. But I think that we might have gotten away with it because Mary continues to rant as if nothing has happened. “He is so stubborn. Doesn’t he realize that he’s ill?”
Rue spins back around rapidly and she gets back to washing the dishes, just like she was when I came in. I automatically open one of the cupboards to give me something to do as well, but I quickly realize that this is pointless, and I close it all over again. I try to appear nonchalant instead, not that I pull it off.
“All I’m saying is that we will need some extra help now, and he won’t hear it. You would think that I’m trying to sentence him to death or something. Not make his life easier.”
“Are you talking about in the house or in the company?” I need to ask because I’m so confused.
“With everything. I can’t exactly do it all on my own, you know? And you two will be no help.”
Okay, so she has slipped into martyr mode. I catch Rue’s eyes and try to silently tell her to leave it, but of course she already knows what her mother is like. She doesn’t need me to tell her.
“Anyway, if you’re so insistent on staying, James, you can get your father to bed. I am going now.”
“Sure, of course. I can do that.” I’m actually happy for the time alone. “Rue…”
“Rue is coming with me,” Mary snaps angrily. “I need to talk to her about some things. I want to know what is going on with her, and it seems to me like you have your work cut out here, don’t you think?”
Rue gives me a helpless shrug and I nod. Me and her can pick up where things left off later on, maybe. She has her mother to deal with, and I want to hang out with my dad. To see how he’s really feeling being here. So, as soon as the women go, I head into the other room to see my father smiling. He looks shockingly happy since as far as I could hear, he was just arguing with his wife.
“Is everything okay?” I ask him cautiously. “I know that this must be a bit much. At the hospital one moment, then discharged and sent home the next… how are you feeling about it all?”
“Well, I’m not exactly out of the water,” he declares. “They will be sending medical professionals around every so often to check in on me. But I much prefer to be back here around loved ones. I haven’t ever been sick before, so it was hard for me to wake up in that place, being looked after.”
“I know, I can imagine.” I sit beside him. “And then to come home and be looked after as well. Can’t be easy.”
“Well, it’s brought you back into the house, so that’s a good thing. And I know why you don’t come, before you start again, but I just want to say that I’m enjoying having you around. Now that I’m going to be around more, I would love it if you let me in to your world a bit. Tell me about your post grad.”
“Oh!” Now that surprises me, Dad hasn’t shown too much interest because it isn’t what he wants me to do. This isn’t the change that I expected from him but it’s a nice one. “Sure, that sounds nice.”
As me and Dad talk for a little while longer, it’s almost as if we’re reconnecting again. I didn’t quite realize how far we had drifted apart until now, so it’s nice to rebuild this. I hate that his marriage to Mary has driven such a wedge between us, it doesn’t seem fair. But I can change as well. All kinds of positivity can come from the awfulness of the heart attack. We just need to find a way to make the changes stick.
Chapter Sixteen
Rue
God, this shower feels amazing. Even better since it’s washing that awful conversation with my mother off. As if I haven’t heard her rant about her husband enough, she took me up the stairs for another hour of it. An hour of complaining about Benjamin, and James as well. The boy ‘invading her home’. She didn’t really want to talk to me anyway, she didn’t want my opinion at least, just a pair of ears. Every time I tried to make her see reason, she shouted until I stopped talking and listened to her once more. I needed to get away.
As the water washes over me and I rub the bubbles into my skin, feeling cleaner than I have done all day long, I allow the awfulness of her words to sink down the drain. It certainly isn’t going to be easy for me to stay, but I will still give it a go, for a little while at least. I know that if I went back to England now, I would always be wondering ‘what if?’. What if the job turned out to be perfect for me? What if James turned out to be ‘the one’?
No, I don’t want that sort of regret. That’s what this journey is supposed to be about, me working out what’s right for me. If I do go back home, I don’t want any of my heart to be left in America.
The hot jets bang down on my head, massaging my shoulders, loosening me up. I lose myself so much in the sensations the water is giving me, that I don’t even notice someone else in the room with me. I don’t hear a thing, I first see a shadow, which of course freaks me out because who wouldn’t be scared? The idea of being robbed is bad enough but being caught out naked and vulnerable at the same time is too much.
With my heart racing, I tip toe to the edge of the shower curtain, like I’m able to keep my presence a secret, and I peer around. My vision is blurry through the fog and the fear, which only dissipates when I find a familiar face looking back at me with a cheeky smile on his face, just before he shreds his top away.
Oh my God. Those muscles. Those abs. He always had a good body, but now he has the chest of a man and I fucking love it. I didn’t get to see much of him the last time that we had sex, and my God, I was missing out.
“Hey, is there room for one more in there?” James asks, smirking as he senses the stirring deep inside of me. I’m squirming with desire and he knows it. But how can I not be when he kissed me like that in the kitchen before? That was something else. “I have had a long day and could use a shower.”
“Oh, and I suppose you don’t have an en suite bathroom in your room?” I tease. “So, you’re desperate.”
“Exactly.” He drops his trousers and my eyes nearly bug out of my head. He’s hard as a rock under those boxer shorts and looking massive for me. “I have a water shortage and you are the only one who can help me.”
I giggle girlishly and step to one side. “Well, they say that sharing is caring, so I can’t turn you down.”
By the time his sexy body makes it under the water with me, his under wear has vanished too, which leaves me with a massive lump in my throat. I can hardly gulp down the desire stuck within me. He is just such a beautiful man. One who should be on the front of a magazine cover or something, not here with me. He makes any guy who has come into my life before look like a boy, because he is so masculine it hurts.
“You are so gorgeous.” James strides and closes the gap between us, grabbing me up in his arms once more. I’m overjoyed that he has decided to surprise me like this, it turns me on so much I can hardly contain it.
“You aren’t too bad yourself,” I murmur sexily, just as his lips crash down hard to mine.
This kiss is leading somewhere, that much is immediately obvious, but it’s even more intense than before. There are feelings mixed in with the passion, a caring that becomes even more obvious as his hand slides down and cups my ass. He pulls me to him, holding me against him so I can feel how much he wants me.
“You feel so good,” I cry out. “Fuck, James, do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”
I mo
ve my mouth off of his and kiss down his throat. He rests his hands on the walls behind me as I slowly move my mouth over his body, kissing every part of him that I have been admiring. His hard muscles, his soft skin, the parts of him that are already soaking wet and the bits of him that haven’t yet been covered by water… all of him is delicious, and I can’t stop myself from wanting more. All of him.
Soon, I fall to my knees, gratefully that it seems Mr. Roberts only approves massive showers that are almost wet rooms in his home. My hands grip his thighs to keep him in place as I ever so gently brush my lips against the tip of his steel rod, kissing the most sensitive part of him, making him groan with pleasure.
“Fuck, Rue. You are so sexy. Look at you, you’re beautiful.”
I slowly pull my fingers forward until I’m tickling the underneath of his balls, which makes him really stiffen up. I pause for a second, checking whether this is a good or bad thing, but as I stop, he makes a noise immediately encouraging me to continue, which I do. I part my lips as I continue to kiss his tip, letting my tongue dart out every so often. When I lick him, he shudders as if he could explode at any moment.
I love this, turning him on. It’s nearly as good as what he does to me.
“Take me,” he whispers, his head tossing back in desire. “Take me in your mouth, please.”
He doesn’t need to ask me twice. I part my lips wider and slide him down my throat as far as I can, until I can’t take him any farther. My lips stretch around him and I’m struck by how much I like having his dick in my mouth. His delicious manly taste is incredible, as is the feel of him. Each time he hits the back of my mouth, I can’t stop myself from groaning in bliss. There’s just something about him.
Is it the danger? Is it the old crush? Is it because he’s so handsome? Or is it just him?
I drag my lips up and down him a few times, swirling my tongue around him as I do, which James loves. His whole body trembles and shudders as I coax him closer and closer to the edge. My core aches because I do want him deep inside of me again, but I’m enjoying this too much to want to stop.
