Reflections, A Love Ever After Series Book 3

by Amber Lacie

  His heavy breaths filled the room as I tiptoed out into the hall and into the kitchen. Coffee was my best friend, and I prayed she wouldn’t abandon me in my hour of need. I desperately needed her. As I was filling the coffee pot, I glanced over at the empty fish tank. The bright yellow castle stood still in the empty waters. My poor fish. A jolt of sadness tore at what was left of my heart. They might have only been fish, but I loved them. I liked to think when they came to the surface to eat that they loved me too.

  Wiping my face, I finished making the coffee. There was nothing I could do for them. It was out of my hands. I just didn’t understand what I had done wrong. Jyllyan had just topped off the water for me, and when I fed them in the morning they seemed fine. Somehow, I missed something, and I failed them. I wished for once that she and I were in the apartment at the same time. I wanted desperately to ask her what had happened.

  Disappointment attacked me with a slap in the face as I rifled through the refrigerator. Shit. We were not only out of creamer, but milk as well. Damn. Black coffee with a touch of sugar will have to make do. I twirled the spoon in my mug as I thought about how I would approach the day.

  Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Evan walking into the kitchen in nothing but his boxer briefs. Fuck. Me. Standing in front of me he reached over my head pulling a mug from the cabinet. It took me a second to shake myself awake and realize I was blocking not only the cabinet, but the coffee as well.

  “Sorry,” I whispered as I moved to the side, allowing him access to everything. “I guess the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet.”

  “It’s later than I thought. No work today?” he asked.

  “No, I texted my boss around three this morning to let her know I wasn’t going to make it. There’s no way I would last an hour at work today. Not with this hangover. I just need my coffee.”

  Wrapping one arm around my waist, he pulled my back against his chest as he poured his coffee. “Does coffee always make you cry in the morning?” Placing a gentle kiss on my bare shoulder, he leaned into my ear. “Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it. Just tell me who.”

  “I’m fine. It was a rough night, is all.”

  His free hand stroked my arm as his nose brushed along my neck, breathing me in. A long sigh fell from his lips causing my stomach to sink. It was the sound someone makes when they know they have to do something that may hurt someone else. I knew that sound. I hated that sound.

  “I’m going to say this once. I won’t ever push you or pry, and I won’t make you tell me anything you don’t want to. However, last night you mentioned something about God punishing you by not letting you have a baby…but please know, that if you ever want to talk, I’m here. I’ve been a part of more than my fair share of horror stories, and reliving them isn’t something I like to do. If you don’t want to talk about it, I get it. I won’t hold it against you. Just know, I will worship you bent, broken, or shattered––because to me, you’re none of those. You’re perfect. Every piece of you is perfect.” He placed a kiss on the top of my head, searing his words to my soul. It’s too much too soon. Pulling myself from his grasp, I moved around the counter, pretending to wipe it off. He reached for me again, and I easily dodged him, turning towards the fish tank.

  “Fish should be the easiest pets to take care of and somehow, I killed them.”

  “Is that what you think happened?”

  “Yes.” Spinning around, I kept myself just out of his reach. “Obviously that’s what happened.”

  “You said Jyllyan gave you the bottle of water, correct?”

  “Yes, but she’s not here now. All I had to do was feed them.”

  Scratching the scruff along his squared jaw, Evan looked toward the tank. “That water is really clear. Almost like it’s chemically treated.”

  “What’s your point? It’s a fish tank. I have to add stuff to the water to keep the levels correct for the fish.”

  “I get that, but you said you only fed them. If your roommate added that water on purpose, then I’m afraid she killed your fish. It has bleach in it.”

  My eyes flashed back and forth between Evan and the fish tank as I took a few steps backwards. My voice quivered on the edge of hysterics, “No, she’s weird, but not that kind of weird. She’s a stripper and stays up late listening to crazy music. She wears long boho skirts and floppy hats. She wouldn’t. She didn’t. Did she?”

  “Baby, smell the water. I’m surprised you didn’t notice.”

  “Well, excuse me for having a shit fucking day yesterday and getting smashed so I didn’t have to deal with life. I don’t normally go around sniffing fish tanks.”

  One. Two. Three. Four. Five. I silently counted to control my temper as my feet slowly padded towards the tank. I didn’t need to press my nose to it; I could smell the bleach before I even reached the tank. How did I not notice? The crazy bitch poisoned my fish. “What the fuck, Evan? Who does that? Like, why? What could she possibly gain?”

  “I don’t know. People are fucked up. How much do you know about her?”

  What did I know about her? I didn’t know much, only what she had filled out on her application over a year ago. “She used to be stripper, at least that’s what she told me, but now she’s a waitress at Shores. Oh, and she’s taking a few classes at the art center in town.”

  Scratching the edges of his jaw, Evan stared blankly at me as though he was building a picture I couldn’t see. “What else? There’s got to be something else.”

  “Um, she has a boyfriend. They’ve been together for a while now. She’s a few years older than me, but you wouldn’t know by looking at her. Her skin is flawless.”

  “What’s her boyfriend’s name?” Evan asked. I could see his wheels turning.

  Shit. That’s information I should have known, knowledge I should have had. My mind had drawn a blank. “It’s Shane or maybe Blane? Something ‘ane’.”

  “That’s not a lot to work with. It’s fine, I’ll figure this out.”

  “What are you going to do, track her down while she’s on vacation? All her stuff is still in her room. When she gets back, I’ll confront her.”

  Walking towards me, Evan pulled me back into his arms. Gripping the back of his neck with my hands, he lifted me from the floor. My legs encircled his waist, gripping him tightly, as his fingers softly trailed down my back.

  “Kayla.” The sound of my name on his lips had me clenching my insides. It wasn’t his normal voice––no, this was lower, deeper.

  “Yes?” I stammered.

  His nose ran along my throat, bringing his lips to my ear. “Are you sober?” he whispered.

  My body shuddered in response. “Yes.”

  “Is my face still stupid?”

  “Not all the time,” I mumbled.

  “Be nice.” Arching his brow his dark eyes stared back at me.

  A yelp escaped me as he pinched my ass. “Ouch! No, it’s not stupid. I like it. In fact, I think it’s growing on me.”

  His lips found my throat, trailing kisses down my neck and over my shoulder. The thin strap of my tank top slid to the side, allowing him more access to my skin. His hot breath had my body awake with electricity. “What exactly are you wearing?”

  “Um, a night gown?”

  “It barely covers your ass. It’s not a gown.”

  “No? What would you call it?”

  “Pointless. It’s supposed to be covering your body, hiding what’s underneath, and all I want to do is rip it off you.” Palming my ass, he dug his fingers into my flesh. Our mouths clashed in a frenzy of lips and tongues, swirling in a hot sea of lust. Holy shit.

  Evan carefully walked towards my bedroom with me still wrapped around him. I giggled when he stumbled into the corner of the couch causing us to almost fall to the floor. Using one arm to brace himself on the wall, he shifted me higher upon his waist. My breasts were pushed up in his face and he smiled at the view. “This is much better.”

  Laughing, my head fell backward
s as we stepped into the room. “Are you going to toss me on the bed and ravage me?”

  Evan stood in doorway, looking around the room, until he found what he wanted. “Nope. Hop down, baby. I’ve got other plans.”

  My lip stuck out as I slid down his body, gently placing my feet to the floor. “But I wanted to be ravaged.”

  “You look pitiful when you pout.” Placing a kiss on the top of my head, he pulled all of the bedding off of my bed.

  What is he doing? I stood there, confused, as he spun my sheets into long ropes, knotting one end to the right side of the footboard, and one to the left. Oh. My. God. “Um, are you tying me up? Shouldn’t you ask before you do that? Or at least give me some kind of word to use later?”

  “Why? Would you tell me no?”

  No. I didn’t reply. I stood in silence, wide-eyed. There was no way for me to make sense of any of it. When he was near me, he had complete control of my body. It frightened me how quickly I had let him back in. What am I doing? All I knew for sure is that I wanted him; I needed him.

  Pressing his hand upon my lower back, he guided me to end of the bed. His fingers softly brushed against my sides as he slipped my nightgown over my head. “God, you’re sexy.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  “Not so bad, huh? Spread your legs and bend over,” he ordered. His hands guided my panties down my legs, tapping one at time, allowing me to step out of them. Once I was completely nude, he tied a sheet to each of my legs just above my knees. I was spread wide, unable to close my legs. “I can be bad, Kayla. It’s what I am. Sometimes, the bad makes the good so much better.”

  I could feel him move behind me. With my head turned to the side, I glanced over my shoulder. Evan was standing in all of his glory behind me, not one ounce of clothing covered his body. A gasp escaped my lungs as I watched his body fall to its knees, his fingers spreading me further apart as his mouth found my clit.

  “Shit.” My fingers gripped at the bare mattress for something to hold onto as he continued licking and sucking at my core, driving my nerves insane with pleasure. If I was gasoline, he was the match. Everything he did sent my body into little explosions. I vaguely remember his hands sliding up over my thighs, gripping my waist. Though, at the moment, it seemed as though he went from being on his knees to being inside me within an instant.

  With every thrust my body was pushed deeper into the mattress. I groaned as his hand slid up my stomach, palming my left breast, tugging my nipple into a tight, hard peak. His pace quickened, and I could feel him brace himself behind me. My mind was lost on a euphoric high when I heard a hiss escape his lips, followed by a low moan.

  “Fucking hell.”

  I could feel Evan pull from me as I laid spent, bent over the bed. He softly loosened the makeshift ties, lifted me onto the mattress, and then pulled me into his arms. My head resting on his chest, my fingers idly traced the tattoo on his right forearm. Pressing his nose against the crook of my neck, his lips softly placed a kiss on my skin as he whispered, “Ravaged?”

  “God, yes. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

  “Do you feel this––your body pressed up against mine? That’s how it should always be.”

  “Evan—”

  “Don’t. I know you don’t trust me. You’re afraid I’m going to run or that I might hurt you. I can’t prove that I won’t if you won’t let me stay. Don’t say anything. Just let me hold you. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted. Please, Kayla.” His voice was so soft. It wasn’t a command. It was a plea. It was official. The internal war I was having over whether or not to let him back in my life was over. He had won.

  I lay there for a few more minutes before remembering we were lying on a bare mattress. My uncontrollable need to use the bathroom and fix the covers suddenly kicked in. It took some prying, but I was finally able to peel his arms off of me long enough to go to the bathroom and clean myself up a little. When I walked back into the room, he had pulled the fitted sheet back onto the bed, along with a couple of pillows and a blanket.

  “Are we going back to bed?”

  “We can go anywhere you want to go as I long as I can touch you.”

  “You need me that badly?” I asked sarcastically.

  “I keep telling you this, but I don’t think you’re hearing me.”

  Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my phone from the bedside table to check the time. It was just after eleven. “I think we’ve spent the better part of the day in bed. Shouldn’t we get up?”

  “Why? Do we have somewhere we need to be?”

  “No, not until tomorrow––for the bachelor/bachelorette parties.”

  “Fuck. I forgot about those. Why is it a joint party again?”

  “Because Brix is a devil of a cunt who has her nails deeply embedded in Robert’s testicles.”

  A loud laugh erupted from Evan, as he laid down on the bed, patting the spot beside him. “You really don’t like her, do you?”

  “Nope. No one does.” I crawled onto the mattress and tucked my body against his, draping my leg over his waist. “Eve and I have a theory.”

  Looking intrigued, he motioned for me to continue. “Okay, let’s hear it.”

  “She’s really a witch. She needed a young, strapping man to help her place a curse upon the world. She’s poisoned his mind and now controls him like a puppet. We’re currently looking for a cure.”

  Chuckling, he replied, “You two are horrible.”

  My fingers softly brushed against his chest. “Possibly. We could be right though. You’re good at investigating, you should look into her.”

  “Sorry, I don’t handle paranormal cases, just cheating spouses.”

  “I bet you could write several Lifetime movies about the things you have seen.”

  “They’re not that exciting. It’s normally just someone trying to seek out revenge. Besides, I don’t want to work. I want to spend time, all of my time, with you.”

  Closing my eyes, I rested my head on his shoulder. “Not all of it though, I go to the bathroom alone.”

  “Same for me. Deal?”

  “Sure.”

  We spent the rest of the day in bed, only getting up to use the bathroom or scrounge through the fridge. I’m not sure how long we could’ve stayed in the apartment, surviving on scraps and one another, but I’m certain we could have lasted for days, if it weren’t for the party the next day.

  Kayla

  E ve was already lounging on my couch by the time I finished messing with my unruly curls. The thought of straightening them had occurred to me earlier in the day, but Evan continued to distract me. Thankfully, he left a few hours prior to shower and get ready for tonight. I suggested for him to pack an overnight bag for my place, but he rewarded me with another distraction. If we didn’t stop soon my body was going to catch on fire from the friction alone. I was grateful for the few hours we had apart from one another, it was just enough time to allow my body to recuperate.

  Leaning against the wall, I was precariously slipping into a pair of sandals that tied around my ankles, while holding my earrings between my teeth. “What shoes are you whearinth tonight?” I mumbled through my earrings.

  “I have no idea what you said. Earrings are for ears, not teeth,” Eve replied in a smartass tone.

  Flipping her off, I dropped the earrings into my hand. “Well, my hands were otherwise occupied. Do you think these are too understated? What shoes are you wearing?”

  “Just a pair of heels.” I glanced over to where Eve was pointing in her short, black lace dress. Just heels my ass. They had red soles.

  “Are you fucking serious? You’re going to rock some Louie and I’m stuck with these?”

  “Stop it. Theron bought them for me to wear at the wedding. I’m just breaking them in. Your sandals are cute. They look good on you. I just have one question. Do you pee naked?”

  Laughing, I looked down at my cream halter-top romper with soft brown and yellow flowers on it. “In this? Absolute
ly.”

  “You do realize you’re breaking her dress code, correct? That is not a dress.”

  “And you do understand that I whole heartedly don’t give a fuck, right?”

  “Yep. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page,” she said laughing.

  Tucking my curls behind my ears, I put on my silver feather earrings and gave myself a once over using the reflection on the glass patio doors. “Not too shabby.”

  “You know if you bought a floor length mirror you wouldn’t need to use the doors.”

  “Um, mirrors cost money. Besides, the doors are already there, and they cost me nothing. Let it be. I’m cheap. You know how I work.”

  “The boys will be back in fifteen minutes to pick us up. Are you ready?”

  Grabbing two bottles of water, I made myself comfortable next to her on the couch. I caught Eve staring at the fish tank, but I didn’t say anything. There was no normal way to explain so I waited for her to say something. When she didn’t, I decided to try finding out when she was planning on telling everyone else about the baby.

  “So, did you tell your mom yet?”

  “About?”

  “You being knocked up. If you want I can make a lovely toast in your honor tonight.”

  Eve gasped, “Don’t you dare! Brix would have a heart attack and you’d put my brother in the grave.”

  “It would be entertaining at the least.”

  “It would.” Eve sat in silence a few more moments before suddenly speaking again. “Kayla, I’m confused.”

  “About?”

  “Where did your fish go?”

  Oh, that. Well, my maniacal roommate poisoned them with bleach while I was hiding from her in your guesthouse. “They were fine a few days ago, but when I got home Thursday, they were gone.”

  “Oh, honey—”

  “Don’t, it’s fine. Evan gave them a eulogy for me.”

  Bracing herself by gripping onto my arm, Eve turned to face me. “I’m sorry, but I cannot picture Evan doing that. Big, grumpy, always silent Evan gave the fish a eulogy?”