“How about we share a relaxing bath? Just what we both need after today.”
“Can we take our hot chocolate?” I nod with a smirk. “Well then, you have a deal.”
We enter the room and I go straight into the bathroom and start running a bath. It doesn’t take long before the room is filled with steam and the bath is ready to step into.
“Sophie,” I call through. I strip and climb in. She enters the bathroom naked, carrying the two cups of hot chocolate. I take them from her, so she can get in the bath tub.
She joins me and sits in between my legs resting her body against me. I can feel her relax against me for the first time today. It’s been a trying day. I hand her the hot chocolate.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“I am now.” She wriggles closer to me if that’s at all possible.
I sip away at the hot chocolate; I wouldn’t usually have this at this time of night. But then my timing is all out with all the travelling and then dealing with what has happened here today. With my free hand I run it through her hair.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.
“Alex? Not really. But I will say this, I don’t want to see him until he has his memory back, because I can’t listen to him speak about women the way he did before Libby. Libby is my friend and I know the pain she is going to be in because of him. She doesn’t need this added stress.”
“Sophie, he’s still your brother and is going to need all the support from his family to get through this.”
“And so will Libby,” she tells me. “What happens if he never gets his memory back? What happens to Libby and the twins?”
“We deal with it, when and if it happens.”
“He made me so angry. And I know Michael must feel the same because he chose to stay with Libby and make sure she was okay. My poor mom, she is going to struggle with all this. And I’ve not even told her my news.”
“We have time to tell her, maybe wait until Alex is on the mend.” I put my cup down, so I can put both my arms around her. “I love you, Sophie.”
She puts her cup down on the floor. “I needed to hear that,” she says softly. Her head rests against my shoulder and I can feel her breathing even out as she settles into a comfy position.
“I will always try to give you what you need and what you need to hear.”
“I know.” Her voice is almost a whisper. “I think you need to take my mind off of things. I need a distraction.”
“You do, do you?” I move her hair and place small kisses down her cheek.
“Yes, I do. Do we have a time we need to collect Lucy by?”
“No, I’ll phone Tom and Moria when we get up and arrange to get her after we’ve seen Alex and Libby. Hopefully Libby should be released after she’s been scanned,” I tell her.
“I will see Libby, but I’ve already said I’m in no hurry to see my brother. Now less of the how would you put it, chit chat. And more of the distraction.” She turns in the bath to face me, causing the water to splash over the sides. She is now in a very interesting position as she straddles me. “Now, are you going to distract me? Or am I helping myself?”
Holy fuck!
“Well, sweetheart, given the position you are in, I think you better help yourself.” I grin, because I can’t deny how turned on I am with her words. Her mouth crushes against mine and I deepen our kiss. Her tongue dances with mine and my arms wrap tightly around her petite frame.
She hovers above me. One quick thrust from me and I would be inside her, but I’ve handed myself over to her. I’m all hers for the taking. Our lips stay connected through every moan each of us make. Her hands thread through my hair before she grips my shoulders and sinks down on my length. We’ve been in this position before and it’s slowly becoming one of my favourites.
Her on top means I get to enjoy the view.
No better sight than her perfect body moving above me. Those amazing breasts . . . I pull my mouth away from hers and tilt my head. In the position she is in, those breasts are right where I want them to be. I scrape my teeth across each nipple in turn, sucking hard. Her fingernails claw into my shoulders and it feels so fucking good.
She sets a slow torturous pace that I want to change. That I have a need to change. I keep my attention on her nipples and breasts trying not to think about the bubbling desire within me. I move my hands from around her and fondle her breasts. I pay extra attention to her over-sensitive nipples. She moans against my neck.
I wish I could keep this pace and draw this out, because boy do I want to. But my need is building as she slides up and down my length. I’m using every last bit of my will power to stop me from thrusting against her.
I look at her beautiful flushed face, her eyes are almost closed and I know she is ready to throw back her head in defeat. Ready to let her enjoyment take over searching for her own release.
I move my hands now to her hips looking to control her movements. Her movements change from sliding up and down my length, to a rocking back and forth. Eyes closed, head now back. She’s looking for relief from the friction that’s building.
That I can help with.
I thrust against her wildly, holding her in place. Over and Over. I’m taking us both to the edge and only when I’m satisfied that we are both close, will I allow us to fall. Her eyes fly wide open and she watches as we both climb higher and higher.
She tightens and pulses around me as my own orgasm takes me over the edge. We fall together.
Her weightless body falls against mine, her head resting against my shoulder. I can feel the soft smile of her lips against my skin. I hold her close to me, wanting to keep her in my arms forever. Our breathing slowly returns to normal, but neither of us are in any hurry to move. To break our connection.
“We should get out and try and get some sleep. Even a few hours,” I say, reluctantly as the water is growing cold around us now.
“Okay, but I’m not sure if I’m tired.”
I move her and climb out the bath and grab a towel. I hold the towel as she steps out and wrap it around her body. She yawns. Who was she trying to kid? As soon as her head hits that pillow she will be out for the count.
I take a towel for myself and quickly dry, before leading her back into the bedroom.
“Bed. Now,” I say firmly, pulling the duvet down.
“Bossy, aren’t you.”
“Oh, I think you know I can be, when I want to be.” She pulls a face; I try to stifle my laugh. “Now even a few hours’ sleep and then it will be time to head back into hospital.”
“Don’t remind me. But I do want to see how Libby is and the twins.”
“I’m sure she is going to be fine, if I know my sister at all.”
I climb into the bed beside her and take her in my arms. This is the best feeling in the world.
“I love you, now try and sleep.”
WHO THE FUCK IS CALLING so bloody early? Opening my eyes, I grab my phone. Dad, and its only six am. Does he not know how little sleep I’ve had? Maybe something has happened at the hospital.
“Dad, is everything okay? It’s not Libby is it?”
“No and no. How could you be so fucking stupid?” he shouts through the phone at me. I swing my legs out of the bed and with a final glance at Sophie. I leave the bedroom, not wanting to disturb her at this ridiculous time.
“Not quite sure what THE HELL I’ve done wrong.”
“Well, I have no idea what I’m going to do about damage control for this. And god knows what Sophie’s parents or Tom and Moria will make of all this.”
“Look, can you tell me what the hell I’ve done?” I ask puzzled.
“Oh, I can do better than that, why don’t you google your fucking name on the internet and see what comes up. As if I’ve not got enough to deal with today, with trying to keep Alex’s accident out the papers. And your sister. I now need to deal with this for you.”
“Dad, just spit it out.”
“Your night with the hooker. I can only p
resume this was what, a few weeks before Libby’s wedding when you were out with Stephen?”
Holy Shit! Not what I fucking expected him to say.
“No, Dad, we were all out together, Stephen and Sally and Sophie before the wedding. Our night out was at the beginning of January. No, this was months ago.”
“So why the fuck is it just making the papers now?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know?” I draw in a deep breath before I ask my next question. “How bad is it?”
“Well the headline reads, ‘What’s the timescale for grief?’ Ethan this article doesn’t paint you in good light, son. I don’t know what Tom and Moria are going to say about this.”
“Oh, Dad, I’ve fucked up.”
“I’m sure you have. I am on my way over.”
“Sophie is here.”
“I know that, but I think you need to tell her about this, because the story has got some details about your relationship with her as well. Someone has been digging and they seem to have everything they want. Sophie’s not going to like this. I need to diffuse this situation before it gets out of hand.”
“Okay, see you soon.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
The one fucking skeleton in my closet that I haven’t told Sophie about is coming back to haunt me with a vengeance. I have no idea how the hell I can deal with this. I know I should go and wake her up, but she’s hardly slept. And the little sleep she’s had, she has tossed and turned.
But she should hear this from me.
I walk back into the room and sit on the bed watching her. She’s not going to take this well. I can sense it.
I can’t do it. I just can’t wake her up to break her fucking heart. She is going to hate me for this. God, right now I fucking hate myself.
I leave the room without waking her and make my way downstairs, just as my dad’s car pulls into the drive. Opening the front door, I watch as he walks toward me, disappointment etched over his face. I turn away and go into the kitchen; he follows behind me. I switch the kettle on. It will have to be black coffee, there’s no milk.
I turn back to face him when I hear the newspaper landing hard on the table.
“I’ll make the coffee, you better read that. Then tell me everything as it happened, exactly so I can be prepared,” he tells me, moving past me.
I pick up the paper and yes it’s as bad as I imagined. A full front page spread followed with a page within the paper. I start reading and I suddenly feel sick. All my past staring back at me haunting me all over again, details of my marriage alongside details of Lindsay’s death.
All the memories come flooding back.
I hang my head in shame. Completely disgusted with myself for one stupid incident that should never have happened. This one article is going to hurt so many people. But I know it’s going to hurt Sophie the most. She is the only one who matters to me. The only one I care about.
“Have you read inside? It gets better,” Dad says with a frown, handing me my mug of coffee. Shit! I lift my head and start turning the pages until I’m on the right page. It talks about all my family, including Lucy. Seeing my baby’s name makes me angry; it shouldn’t be here. It mentions Libby and Alex, although nothing about the car accident yesterday. Which is a good thing. Dad is wanting to keep that story away from the papers for as long as he can.
My relationship with Lindsay and all the details about her death are now in front of me, in black and white. This article is going to bring back all the heartache for Lindsay’s parents. Christ, I will need to call them before I go and collect Lucy. They might not want me there. Then my relationship with Sophie comes into question. They talk about the timescale for grief; it says I’ve moved on too quickly from the death of my wife. Then there is my night of shame. The hooker has given them every detail of our night and some more. What did she hope to gain from this?
“Okay, you need to tell me your side of this story. I need to know what I’m dealing with. Most of this can be dealt with easily, especially concerning both Lindsay and Sophie. Although on a personal note, you are going to have to speak to Tom and Moria and Richard and Sarah. To apologise for the pain this will cause both of their families. We all make mistakes, son, but it’s how you deal with the fallout.”
“I’m not sure I have the strength to deal with the fallout from this.”
“You have. I know you have. Now let me help you because your mother is worried sick.”
We sit and I tell him everything. I even tell him that I would punish myself. We talk in depth about that night and I don’t leave anything out. What’s the point in doing that, I want him to help me out of this mess. But I also find myself telling him all about my marriage, or rather the lack of my relationship with Lindsay.
“Okay, is that everything?” he asks.
“Yeah, and don’t you think that’s more than enough? This is a fucking mess.”
“I’ve dealt with worse. There is plenty for us to work with. This is just some girl who has probably seen the pictures of you and Libby, maybe at her wedding and thinks she can get her fifteen minutes of fame, along with a nice healthy pay cheque. We will work on a press release and you will give a statement.” I frown, realising what he wants me to do. “Or we could offer the paper an exclusive interview.”
“I’m not sure,” I say hesitantly.
“Ethan, this has to be done. I won’t use anything about the cracks in your relationship with Lindsay, because I don’t want to upset her parents. But I will use information about you and Sophie, because your story is a love story. Everyone loves a love story, a happy ending. And Sophie is your happy ending, son.”
“Dad . . .”
“Ethan, do you trust me?”
“Of course I do. There’s no one more qualified than you to do this.”
“So why the long face?”
“Because I know this is going to break Sophie’s heart.” I swallow hard.
“Yeah there’s no denying it, she will probably lose it when you tell her. No woman wants to hear about this.” He pauses. “Son, if she loves you it will all work out fine. I’m going to go and see your mum, try and put her mind at rest. Then I’ll work on your statement and I’ll give you a call before I attend a meeting this morning for Alex. But do yourself a favour and go upstairs, wake Sophie up and tell her. Because if she reads this, it will make it all the worse for you. Maybe a phone call this morning to Tom wouldn’t hurt before he sees the newspapers.”
“Okay.”
Dad leaves me on my own, sitting reflecting on everything that’s happened. I put my head in my hands. I can’t believe I’ve done this, been so fucking stupid. I want to call Libby and speak to her, she always knows the right thing to say and do. But I won’t. I can’t do this to her today, on top of everything she’s going through with Alex.
Fuck! Libby I will need to see her today. I want to see how she is.
I’m still sitting with my head in my hands when two soft hands massage lightly into my shoulders. It feels so good. I wish I didn’t have to tell her about this. Maybe I could just whisk her away and then she wouldn’t need to know. God, I don’t know if I can face her yet.
“Why did I wake up alone?” she asks in a soft voice as she kisses my neck. I fight the urge to moan.
“Sorry, something came up.” She moves and sits in the chair opposite me.
“Ethan, you’re scaring me, what’s wrong?”
“I’ve fucked up, but it was before you and me.”
“Whatever it is, tell me and we will work through this together.”
“I don’t know where to start,” I say now looking into her sad and worried eyes.
“The start is usually the best place.” She smiles, but I can see it’s forced. I hate that I’m about to turn her world upside down considering everything else going on. We have just got back on track after the whole James incident back in New York. I know she will always carry the scars he caused, but I had hoped I would be the one to help rebuild her. Bu
t no, here I am about to shatter her.
I slide the newspaper across the table and let her read the story for herself. She reads the headline and her eyes narrow as she glances across the table to me. I take a deep breath and ready myself for whatever she decides to throw my way. Whatever it is, I do deserve it. I watch her as the expression on her face changes as she reads the front page and turns the pages until she reaches the rest of the story.
I don’t interrupt her; one because I don’t know what to say and two; because I know she’s hurting reading this.
She finally closes the newspaper and slowly lifts her head. I’m such a fucking fool. I can see what this has done to her. She is struggling to hold it together. Her silence is killing me.
“Sophie . . .” I mutter.
“Ethan, don’t say it. You should’ve told me about this. I thought we had no more secrets.”
“I had forgot all about this. Put it to the back of my mind for good reason. I’m so ashamed of that night. It’s not something I want to remember.”
She stands and leaves the kitchen. Leaving me on my own. I have well and truly fucked up. A for arsehole. That’s what I am.
I hear her footsteps go back upstairs. I know I should go after her, but my legs are unwilling to move. Or is it that I’m too chicken to go and face her? I hear her moving upstairs and I can imagine she is looking for clothes so she can get dressed and leave me.
Leave me.
I can’t let her leave me. I love her more than anything.
Moving quickly. I make my way to her. Entering our room, I find she is now fully dressed brushing her hair. She is going to leave me.
“Sophie, what are you doing?”
“Getting dressed, we have things we need to sort out,” she states, finishing pinning her hair in place. I look at her not understanding what she’s meaning. “I can only presume your dad has already been here and that’s the reason you are up?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then I can presume you meant what you said; that this incident happened before me?”
“Of course it did.” I walk toward her. “You are more than enough for me. I love you.” I stop in front of her still unsure. I hang my head. Soft hands touch my face and tilt my head so I’m now looking into her eyes. Yes, she is hurt with this secret and the way it’s come out, I can see it in her eyes. But I also see determination, she is preparing for the fight ahead. Sophie is more like Libby than I give her credit for.
She's Captured my Love (Captured #4) Page 22
