Next to Always: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Two

by A. L Long

  “Hey,” Dylan said as she closed the door.

  “Hey,” Rade replied as he turned to his side to face where Dylan was now standing.

  “I had no idea you were really sick. I feel really bad,” Dylan said with sympathy.

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t know either,” Rade replied.

  “So how are you feeling? Can I get you anything? Water? Soda? Something to eat?” Dylan questioned.

  “No, I’m good. I’ve missed you,” Rade confessed.

  “I’ve missed you too,” Dylan said, looking down at her pink toenails

  “Come over here,” Rade pleaded.

  “Rade, you’re sick,” Dylan said, rolling her eyes.

  “Not that sick,” Rade argued.

  Hesitant, Dylan walked over to where Rade was laying on the lounger. Before she could protest, he pulled her to him so that she was now sprawled out over the top of him. Even though he was sick, Dylan could feel the erection beneath the blanket. Giggling, she said, “How is it possible you can be this hard when you’re sick?”

  Placing his hand on her cheek, looking straight into her eyes, he said, “It doesn’t matter how I feel, Sweetness. Just thinking about you makes me hard.”

  Moving a stray hair from his forehead, she lowered her lips to his and passionately kissed him. God, he tasted so good as she moved her tongue to meet his.

  Taking her by the neck, Rade pulled her closer so that he could deepen their kiss. Just having her near him made him feel better. She was his cure. His antidote for all that ailed him. Reaching between them, he took hold of her hips and lifted her so that she straddled him with her legs bent underneath her. Dylan placed her hands on his chest for balance while Rade began lifting her skirt.

  Knowing Rade’s next move Dylan whispered in his ear. “I’d like to keep these. They are one of my favorite pairs.”

  Before she could stand to remove them, he had the lacy straps, one in each hand, pulling and twisting until they broke free from the tiny piece of material remaining barely covering her front and back. “Don’t worry, I’ll buy you more,” he said with a grin.

  Dylan looked at him, shaking her head. She wasn’t sure if it was his male dominance that was taking over or his caveman personality. Either way she liked the control he had over her.

  Freeing himself from his lounge pants, Rade slowly lowered Dylan onto him. With slow movements he began pushing inside her. “God, Sweetness, you are so tight, I could come right now.” It took everything he had to control his own release. Just the feel of Dylan’s warmth wrapped around him caused him to come undone. Moving his hand from her hip, he slid it gently between her thighs, trying to find the right spot to make her share in his pleasure. Finding his favorite spot, Rade began rubbing her clit while using the juices from her vagina to coat his finger. Taking his other hand, he slowly unbuttoned her blouse until his desire took over, making each remaining button to pop off as he pulled on the silk material. Pushing up the lounger in a sitting position, Rade deepened his position inside her as he heard her moan of pleasure. Dylan’s legs were now wrapped around Rade’s waist as he lifted and lowered her onto his cock. As the pleasure increased, Dylan’s head fell back. Hitting her breaking point, Dylan screamed Rade’s name so loud that she knew everyone below had to have heard her. It wasn’t much later that Rade also reached his own point of ecstasy. Dylan’s body molded into Rade’s chest as she slowly began to come down. His warmth soothed her as he wrapped his arms around her. She could feel every beat of his heart as she rested her head on his chest. Nothing could describe the love she had for this man. The problem being, how could she ever let him know?

  *****

  Rade wasn’t sure how long he and Dylan were asleep in the lounger. It felt good to have her wrapped in his arms. Stroking her soft hair, he thought about his life leading up to this point. He knew that he cared for Dylan deeply. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he might even love her. Admitting that he might would mean that just like his brother, she could be gone in an instant. Could he allow himself that heartache again? If it was love he was feeling, would he end up losing her just like his brother and his mom? At that moment, even though he had Dylan in his arms, he never felt so alone. His father took away the one thing he could no longer give. Because to give her the love she deserved meant he would have to give her his heart. And to give her his heart would mean there was a chance it would be broken.

  Rade was pulled from his thoughts when his cell phone began to ring. Reaching over, he grabbed it from the side table. He could see Richard was calling.

  “Richard, what do you need?” Rade questioned.

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay. I also wanted to let you know that Mr. Stewart’s plane landed. Got word from Peter that he took a red eye from St. Croix. We lost him, sir. Peter watched him board, but didn’t wait for the plane to take off. So either he turned back or he slipped past us when he landed. Peter’s trying to get more information from the flight crew to see if they remember seeing him on board. I’ll let you know if I hear anything,” Richard said regretfully. He knew he messed up. Rade was very specific in his instructions and he didn’t follow through.

  “I don’t care what you have to do or what it takes. I need you to locate him. Do you understand?” Rade said in a lower but angry tone so he wouldn’t wake Dylan.

  “Understood, sir,” Richard replied.

  If there had been a wall near Rade and if Dylan weren’t currently nestled on him, he would have punched it. He was beyond furious. It seemed every time he got closer to having Michael Stewart in his grasp, he somehow managed to slip away. Like he knew Rade’s every move. Feeling Dylan stir, he gently stroked her hair. As she fluttered her eyes open he whispered softly, “Hello, beautiful.”

  “Hey,” she said as she gazed up at him. “How long have I been sleeping?”

  “Not long,” Rade reassured her. “I think we should go inside and shower.”

  Dylan pushed away from Rade as he slowly got up from the lounger. Dylan watched him from behind as he led her through the glass doors. Such perfection, she thought as she took notice of his exceptional backside. Reaching the bathroom, Rade turned the water on in the shower and slowly finished undressing Dylan. It didn’t take long before she was completely stripped of her clothing, considering Rade had torn most of them off her earlier. He smiled as he took in her beauty. He had only his lounge pants on, so it didn’t take long before he was completely naked.

  As they stepped into the shower, Rade grabbed the shower sponge and began washing Dylan’s body. He gently took his time, making sure to cover every inch of her body. What would normally be a twenty minute shower ended up being a forty-five minute shower as they touched and kissed each other. Dylan had never felt comfortable with her own body. That is, until she met Rade. He thought she was beautiful. He knew of every imperfection that she had: the little scar on her right elbow that she got when riding her bike as a child, the faint freckles she had dusting her shoulders. Only they weren’t imperfections to him, they were just added extensions of her beauty.

  Finishing their shower, Rade ordered them food from his favorite Italian restaurant. Dylan knew Rade was feeling much better. She figured this was a good time as any to find out about Rade’s father.

  Taking a sip of her wine, she came out with it. “So tell me about your dad.”

  Rade was taken off guard by her question, hoping that the discussion of this subject was forgotten. “There isn’t much to tell,” he began. “What do you want to know?” Rade thought it best to have Dylan ask instead of telling her. The least amount of information he had to reveal the better.

  “Everything. From the beginning,” Dylan asserted.

  He wasn’t expecting that general of a question. He thought for sure she would have been more specific. He wasn’t ready to give up everything, but he knew there was no way out of it. Dylan would keep at him until she knew everything. He had no choice but to tell her, so he started from the beginning.


  “Well, you know about my brother and how sick he was.” Dylan nodded, waiting for Rade to continue. “The death of my brother was my father's fault. My father and mother were arguing over my father’s infidelity. The hospital called, letting them know they had found a heart donor for my brother and that they needed them at the hospital as soon as possible to sign the necessary forms. My father started drinking heavily, but insisted on driving. My mother pleaded with him to let her drive. He wouldn’t have it. I was so angry at him for not letting her drive. Even though she was a mess, knowing that my father had cheated on her with another woman, she was still in better condition to drive than he was. I wanted so badly to go with him. I even offered to drive even though I didn’t have my license yet. So when they left, I was ordered by my father to say behind with Richard.”

  Rade stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts. What he was about to say next was hard for him even to this day. Dylan took him by the hand, comforting him, knowing how difficult it was for him to tell her. “Go on, Rade,” Dylan said affectionately as she rubbed his hand.

  “That night I lost everything. My dad should never have gotten behind the wheel. He ran a stop sign. Because he had been drinking his reflexes were slower and he wasn’t able to stop in time before hitting a semi truck. The coroner said that my mom died instantly. She was ejected from the car, through the windshield. Her body got crushed into a million pieces. I couldn’t even see her before the funeral. It was a closed casket service because of the condition of her body. My father was taken to the hospital with only a few scrapes and a broken leg. By then it was too late and my brother never got the heart he needed. He died shortly after. My dad put me in a boarding school for boys. I guess he didn’t want to be reminded of what he did. I was in and out of trouble and couldn’t ever bring myself to forgive my father for what he did. When I was eighteen, I found out that another child was killed in that accident. My mom was six weeks pregnant. So once again my father took a life. His lawyer managed to get him off with only a suspension of his driving privileges for twelve months. I haven’t spoken to him in over thirteen years. That is, until he showed up at the gala for my brother.”

  Dylan didn’t know what to say. Just as she was about to express her thoughts, the phone began ringing. Rade stood and walked over to the end table. Dylan assumed it was their order from Russo’s. Hanging up the phone, Rade confirm that their order had arrived.

  Their meal was eaten in silence. Not being able to hold back any longer, Dylan asked, “So why do you think your father is in New York after all this time?”

  Rade just shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I thought he was here for the gala, but since he is still here, I have no idea why. For whatever reason it is, I know it can’t be good.”

  “Why do you say that?” Dylan questioned.

  “Because I know my father. His agenda for being here is for his own selfish gratification, no matter who gets hurt in the process.”

  Dylan felt sorry for Rade and the relationship he had with his dad. Even though his father made some really bad choices, she felt that he deserved a second chance. Life was too short to hold on to grudges. Even though she had a wonderful relationship with her dad, she saw how things could change so quickly.

  “Rade, I think you should talk to him. Maybe he has changed,” Dylan said.

  “It’s never going to happen, Dylan. End of conversation.” Rade picked up his remaining food and dumped it into the sink. Even though he was feeling better, the thought of talking about his father made him sick.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Rade went to work the next day with a purpose. He felt bad about the way he cut Dylan off last night. He knew she meant well by wanting him to have a relationship with his father, but there was no way in hell that was ever going to happen. To make it up to her, he decided to order her the biggest bouquet of flowers he could get. He hoped that by sending her flowers it would be a start to her accepting his apology for acting like an ass.

  Working diligently on the final proposal for Spectrum, his phone chimed with a new message.

  Dylan: Got the flowers. They’re beautiful. You didn’t need to send them.

  Rade: I acted like an ass last night. You deserved better. My way of saying sorry. Do you accept my apology?

  Dylan: No need to apologize. Just saying what you feel.

  Rade: Let me make it up to you. How about dinner, my place, seven o’clock?

  Dylan: Sounds good.

  Rade: See you then...

  Rade: And, Sweetness, no underwear.

  Dylan giggled at his last comment. Looking over at the beautiful bouquet of flowers on her desk, she couldn’t help but think about what the night would bring. Maybe she should make him squirm a little for her forgiveness. It might be fun watching him beg. She would have him eating out of her hands by the end of the night.

  Knowing she needed to get back to work, she pushed her thoughts of antagonizing Rade to the back of her mind. Just as she was getting ready to jump into another file, her phone rang.

  Picking it up, she answered, “Dylan Adams, how can I help you?”

  At first there was no response from the other end, then a voice finally came over. “Ms. Adams, this is Garrett Matheson. I know this is unexpected, but I would like to talk with you if I may. Can we meet?”

  “Mr. Matheson, whatever you have to say you can say to me now,” Dylan said firmly.

  “I would prefer to meet with you face to face,” Garrett pleaded.

  “When?” Dylan answered hastily.

  “This afternoon. If you can,” Garrett suggested.

  “Where?” Dylan asked.

  “There’s a small café a couple of blocks from where you work. I’ll meet you there at one o’clock, if that will work for you,” he answered.

  “That will be fine,” Dylan confirmed.

  Dylan wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into. Knowing what she knew about Garrett Matheson, her curiosity was getting the best of her. She needed to find out what he wanted. If Rade was correct about his father, then Dylan had a feeling whatever it was would not be good.

  Dylan was on edge from her conversation with Garrett Matheson all morning. She wished this day was over. She caught herself looking at her watch, only to find just a few minutes had passed since the last time she looked. Her concentration on work left the minute she got that call. She couldn’t let another Matheson consume her thoughts. Grabbing another file, she filled her mind with numbers instead of thoughts of her recent call. Her morning went by quickly once she was able to focus on her work. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was nearly one o’clock. She closed down the applications she was using and locked her computer. Grabbing her purse, she headed out of her office to meet with Rade’s father.

  Walking out of her office building, she felt the warm air immediately hit her as she opened the door. She loved the summer, but today was especially hot. Taking a right, she began heading down the sidewalk to the little café two blocks away. Crossing the street, she was pulled abruptly to the curb by another pedestrian as a car came barreling towards her. Her heart sank as she saw the car pass by.

  “Stupid idiot,” the pedestrian said as he flipped the driver off.

  “God, I didn’t even see him,” Dylan said, trying to get her nerves back in check.

  “He came out of nowhere,” the helpful pedestrian said.

  “Thanks for your help,” Dylan said appreciatively.

  “Not a problem,” he began, “Be careful,” he continued before he crossed the street.

  Dylan waited on the edge of the curb for the next traffic light to change. She was still recovering from her near miss. Once the signal to cross flashed, she made her way across the street, only this time she waited until the cars on the block were all at a complete stop. She wasn’t about to take any chances.

  Reaching the small café in one piece, Dylan found that Garrett Matheson was already seated in a booth by the front window. Opening the door, s
he headed towards him. She wasn’t able to get a good look at him when they bumped into him the other day, but she had no problem picking him out. The resemblance between him and Rade was remarkable. Just by looking at him, she knew exactly where Rade got his looks. She also had an idea of what Rade would look like when he got older. His dad had the same dark hair and hazel eyes. He was also in very good shape for his age. He didn’t look to be any older than in his early to mid fifties.

  As Dylan approached the table, Garrett slid from his seat and waited for Dylan. Greeting her with his piercing eyes, he said, “Ms. Adams, I’m so glad you came. Please sit.”

  Taking her seat, Dylan said, “Mr. Matheson, I’m not sure what this is about, but whatever it is that you want from me, I’m sure you are wasting your time.”

  “I think what I have to say, you’ll want to hear,” he replied.

  “Well, I’m here, so say what you have to say,” Dylan reiterated, none too happy.

  “I’m sure Rade has told you about our relationship and the hate he has for me. I never intended for things between us to end this way. Sending him away was the worst thing I could have done to him. I was so ashamed for the pain I caused. It was my fault. I took his mother and brother away from him and I’m going to have to live with that the rest of my life. I sent him away as punishment to myself, only now I see that I was punishing him as well.”

  “You should talk to Rade and tell him. I’m not the one you should be telling this to,” Dylan explained.

  “There’s more,” Garrett began. “While his mother was spending all her time taking care of Rade’s brother Isaac, I had an affair with another woman. It’s not one of my prouder moments. I felt alone even though I loved my wife deeply. I tried everything I could to spark that excitement between us, But nothing I did mattered. Liza was only dedicated to Isaac and his care. I became angry with my own son. That was when the affair started. I met a woman who showed me compassion, the one thing I couldn’t get from my own wife. She ended up dying. Breast cancer. The affair lasted only a short while. My point is, recently I found out she had a son. Our son. That’s why I came to New York. To find him. Rade has a half brother. I thought that If I could find him, I could give him back what I took.”