by BJ Harvey
Chapter Ten
It’s been a month since Brax moved in officially and we’re about to spend our first Christmas together.
Since none of us have any family to speak of, Brax, Shay and I have decided to have a quiet Christmas at home. I’ve bought heaps of food and we‘re planning to stay in, enjoy a few drinks and share a few presents, just the three of us.
Living closely with a man for the first time in three years, there have been a few adjustments, but all in all it has been an easy transition. Because I own my apartment there is no rent to pay, so Brax and I just split the utility and grocery bills. Brax built up a lot of savings before starting college, so he doesn’t need a job. He just wants to focus on college. None of that matters to me. Hell, I could pay for everything without even noticing it, but he wants to pay his way. I’m just happy that we’re living together because I’ve never felt as content as I do right now.
Shay comes over quite a lot. He works security and often has jobs that go well into the night, which is why he mainly visits during the day when I’m at school. He’s a nice guy. I like him, and I can see how close he and Brax are. It’s great to experience what true friendship can be like. I haven’t had something like that in a long time. I had a lot of friends before my parents died, but none of them were very close and when I think about it, I’ve never had a best friend. Just a lot of acquaintances, something that went hand in hand with being one of the rich popular kids in high school.
I wake up Christmas morning in my favorite position, a mess of tangled limbs with Elle. It doesn’t matter how many times we move around during the night we always seem to wake up in this position, like we’re magnetized. I pull her in tight against me and I hear a cute sigh come from her mouth. She rolls over and looks at me.
“Morning, babe,” she says huskily.
“Merry Christmas,” I whisper back.
“Our first Christmas together and I have a surprise for you,” I say with a huge ass smile on my face. As soon as those words escape my mouth, she jumps up and straddles me, pushing me onto my back.
“What is the surprise, Brax?” she asks, knowing exactly what her squirming in my lap is doing to me.
“I’m not telling just yet,” I tease as she grinds her pelvis into mine, making me groan.
“Well then, it just means that I can’t give you my morning surprise either,” she states defiantly as she grounds down on me one more time before jumping off and starting to get off the bed. I grab her around the waist before she can move off me and roll her over so that now I’m the one on top.
“And exactly what was your morning surprise, gorgeous? “
“Well,” she says with her sexy grin that drives me insane, “it may have involved this position you currently have me in, or the position I was in just before.”
The look she is giving me drives me crazy with lust. Before I can offer her a smart ass reply, she attacks my mouth and we proceed to give each other ample surprises for the rest of the morning.
We finally get out of bed just before lunchtime because Shay is due to arrive at any moment. Before he arrives, I give Elle her Christmas present. I managed to find an old family photo that was taken about three months before the murders and had it put on canvas for the living room. As soon as she rips the paper off, she bursts into tears. I suddenly start worrying that I’ve done the wrong thing, but when she jumps into my lap I realize how much she likes it.
“Oh, Brax, I love it,” she says in between kisses.
“I’m glad, baby. You don’t need to hide them anymore” I say, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close.
“I love you so much.” Her voice wavering as a single tear runs down her face.
“Hey, don’t cry sweetheart. I didn’t mean to upset you,” I murmur into her shoulder, lightly kissing her neck.
“I love it. It’s so beautiful,” she says, looking over at the canvas again.
“Time for your present,” she announces as she hands me a small box with a bright red bow on top, with a proud grin on her face.
I unwrap the gift carefully and find a black velvet box inside. Inside is a titanium ring with a small emerald in one corner and a small sapphire in the other, very elegantly done, and still masculine. I look at her with wide eyes.
“The emerald represents me and my green eyes that you love so much. The sapphire is for your blue eyes that warmed my soul from the very first time I saw you.” She leans in to kiss me again and I wrap my arms around her, nuzzling her neck.
“Thank you, Elle. I love it,” I say, running my hands through her hair as I bring our lips together.
We get a bit distracted after that, giving each other a few more Christmas surprises mainly of the horizontal variety.
I remember that I have one more gift I need to give Elle. I reach into my pocket and pull out a blue box, wrapped in a white ribbon. She looks at me in shock as I grab her hand and turn it over, placing the box on her upturned palm. I can tell from the look on her face that she recognizes the signature Tiffany’s box. She pulls the ribbon and opens the box, revealing a diamond pendant necklace inside. Leaning forward, I carefully pull the necklace out of the box and gently place it around her neck, securing the clasp before letting it lie against her skin.
“It’s a platinum infinity pendant. I bought it so that you never forget the endless love that I have for you. ”
Hearing that, she pushes me down into the couch and attacking my mouth in a frenzied kiss, leaving us both reeling and gasping for breath.
Of all the days for Gibbons to get in contact with me, it has to be on Christmas Day. I get a text message from him a couple of hours later, asking me to get to a secure line and call him. Having to think on my feet, I tell Elle and Shay that we need beer and that I’m going to head down to the grocery store to grab some. Once I reached the street, I text Shay to let him what’s going on in case he needs to cover for me if Elle gets suspicious.
I find a payphone down the street from the grocery store and call Gibbons as soon as I reach it, eager to find out what is so important that he had to disturb me on Christmas Day.
“Hey, Gibbons, it’s B. What’s up?” I ask when he picks up the phone.
“Merry Christmas, Brax,” he says flatly. “Evans has been putting his nose where it is not wanted and boss man is getting antsy. He thinks we should move Elle to a safe house until we can work out what Evans and Brimstone are planning.”
“I can’t do that to her, Gibbs How would I explain that? It isn’t going to happen, boss. I don’t want her knowing,” I explain, getting more and more annoyed at the responding silence on the phone line.
Finally, he continues.
“Brax, we know you are involved with her—we’re not stupid. But you need to understand that you are working for us and these people will stop at nothing to get what they want. We know that if Brimstone doesn’t get the answer he wants from Elise, he’s going to find a way to make sure he does.”
I sigh loudly.
“Look, Elle has not told Brimstone her decision yet. She’s waiting until after the New Year. He hasn’t been around again since his last impromptu visit and I haven’t seen or heard from Evans since the little message he sent me in the alley.” I can tell by his silence that he has given up trying to persuade me. I might have won this battle, but I’m far from winning the war.
“Okay, Brax, I’ll leave this one up to you. Just be alert and tell Shay to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, and I mean anything, especially that black car. The number plate you gave us from outside the apartment came up stolen, and the photo didn’t bring up an ID either, but that doesn’t mean it is not connected somehow. Just be aware, okay?”
“Yes, boss. I’m not willing to let anything happen to her. I love her.”
“That has become glaringly obvious. The boss isn’t happy about it, but as he himself has said, you can’t help who you fall in love with. Just don’t screw this up, okay?”
“Yes, boss,” I
reply with a smile on my face. Gibbons may seem tough, but he’s a softie at heart. His wife Gloria sees to that.
After hanging up, I go to the grocery store and grab some beer. God knows I need one after that call. I head home to Elle and Shay. I’ll do anything to protect her, even if it costs me everything I’ve known for the past four years.
While I’m walking, I think about what Gibbons said. If Evans is sticking his nose around and the boss isn’t happy, what does that mean for us? Evans is a creep, he’s got his fingers in so many illegal pies that I’m surprised he hasn’t been burned yet.
I turn the corner into our street and notice the all too familiar tail lights of a black car driving away from me. It has been a few weeks since our mystery man in the black Honda has made an appearance, but seeing a similar black car in our street again puts me on edge. Who the hell is this man watching the apartment? What does he want and who the fuck is he working for? I grab the number plate before the car disappears from sight, then head inside to enjoy the rest of the day.
Chapter Eleven
Since Christmas Day I’ve noticed that Brax has not been himself.
Don’t get me wrong, he is still loving, affectionate and thoughtful but I can tell something is troubling him and I know it is nothing I’ve done. Whatever the problem is, it is affecting his sleep. The last few nights I’ve woken up to find the bed empty beside me and when I’ve gone looking for him, he’s always sitting in the loveseat by our front window, looking out into the night. The rest of the time he seems distracted in his thoughts, like he’s trying to figure out some complicated situation in his head. I’ve asked him so many times if everything is okay, but he always shrugs it off and says he’s fine, telling me not to worry. But I know that look, it’s the look I had for over three years. He’s being haunted by something and I don’t know how to help him.
I want my happy go lucky Brax back.
Even after five months together, he can still make me burn with a simple look and the passion has not waned even slightly. We still make love like we’re junkies to each other’s touch and I swear it keeps getting better every time. But I am worried about him. I know how toxic it can be to bottle everything up inside. You don’t want to trouble anybody else with your feelings so you put the walls up around yourself, trying to protect yourself and keep everyone else out. That used to be me, embracing the dark and blocking out the light.
I’m starting to think that something happened on Christmas Day. I’ve tried thinking back to work out what it could be, but all I have is happy memories of a perfect day. I thought that something might have happened when he went out to buy beer, but when I asked him he just shook his head and told me not to worry.
It’s New Year’s Day and I’ve been woken up with a kiss and an orgasm—my new favorite way to wake up. Lying in bed afterwards, Brax starts gently stroking my arm up and down. I look over and see that he is staring at the ceiling in contemplation.
“Why don’t we go somewhere for the rest of our break?” he asks absentmindedly. I sit up and look down at him with a huge grin.
“You mean a real holiday?” Pulling me back down onto his shoulder, he laughs at me.
“Yeah, darlin‘. A real holiday. I thought we could drive down to Atlanta and I could show you where I grew up. What do you think?”
It’s now impossible for me to hide my excitement.
“Yes! I’d love that. Can we even meet some of your old friends?” I’m acting like a kid at Christmas. He’s letting me into his past. Maybe this trip might help him snap out of his bad mood from the past week.
He hasn’t stopped smiling at me since he made the suggestion. “I don’t know about my old friends, but we can certainly try.”
“Well, I better get packing then,” I say as I jump out of bed and bound into the bathroom.
Just as I’m about to step into the steaming hot shower, I feel Brax’s arms wrap around my waist as he pulls his hard body against mine.
“Hello again,” I say as I lean my head back onto his shoulder, leaving my neck wide open for him.
He doesn’t miss my invitation and slowly starts nipping and kissing around my neck and collarbone, a trick he has learned is a sure fire way to make me ravenous. I move my hand behind my back and slowly start stroking his hard length. An illicit groan escapes his lips as his nips my earlobe with his teeth.
“You better not start something you’re not going to finish babe,” he murmurs, his hand drifting down between my thighs as he starts to massage me.
I move my hips in time with his hand, matching his rhythm. As things start heating up, I realize we should move this to the shower before we start devouring each other on the tile floor. I pull my hand off him and turn around. With a huge grin on my face, I pull him towards me while moving backwards into the shower, my eyes full of desire and intent.
Once we get under the hot water, we lose all sense of control and start consuming each other with a renewed hunger. You wouldn’t have thought that we were doing the same thing only an hour ago, I can’t get enough of this amazing man of mine. I lap it up, deciding it’s time to give him a wakeup call of his own. I drag my hands down through his hair and around his shoulders, lightly raking them down his chest as I lower myself onto my knees in front of him. I see his whole body shudder at the realization of what I’m about to do.
Without breaking eye contact, I bring my hand up to guide him into my mouth, making sure I take my time and worship his body like he has done many times to me. Stroking and kissing, I know I’m taking him right to the edge when his breathing picks up and his hand tightens its grip in my hair. When it gets too much for him, he hooks his arms under mine and pulls me back up his body. He turns my back to the shower wall and lifts me up, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist to accommodate him. Without warning, he enters me in one long thrust, forcing a loud moan out of my throat as we slam hard up against the wall. I revel in how good he feels inside me.
I tighten my legs around him and dig my heels into his ass to push him deeper inside me, marveling at the way he makes me feel. I love it when we’re making love like this, it’s so raw and uninhibited. As our hips continue to rock together, I feel my climax building and with one last thrust I’m screaming out his name as I fall apart around him. He follows me over the edge with a growl, murmuring loving endearments as we come back down to earth.
“Definitely a morning to remember now, babe,” he says as he turns around, grabbing the soap and wash cloth and proceeding to wash every inch of my body. After I return the favor, he leans over to turn the water off then carries me out of the shower, all with a huge smile on his face.
A good morning to remember indeed.
For days I’ve been thinking about how I can get Elle out of town for a while without making her suspicious. She’s noticed that I’ve been distracted because I haven’t been able to hide it. Being so close to her and knowing that she is in danger is consuming me. She’s tried everything to snap me out of it, but knowing that Evans is poking his nose around because of me is too much to bear.
Shay ran a trace on the black car I saw on Christmas Day and as expected, it was another stolen plate. Two black cars seen hanging around, our apartment, both with stolen number plates is no longer a coincidence.
It’s keeping me awake at night, too. I’ve even been getting up in the night to watch out the front window, looking for this stranger in the black car, or anything else out of place or anybody suspicious, but he hasn’t been back. I’m starting to wonder if he’s been called off. In my sleepless haze I’ve even started wondering if he is even here for Elle? What if he’s here for me? For all we know, he could be on Evans’ payroll. It would kill me if anything happened to her because of me. It would break me. I know I wouldn’t be able to come back from that.
This morning in bed I came up with a brilliant plan to surprise Elle and get her out of town at the same time—a road trip to Atlanta. This means I’ll be able to tie up any loose ends down there
and show her where I was born and raised at the same time. Just as I hoped, she is so excited and she can’t get out of bed quick enough. Never one to let an opportunity go by, I follow her into the bathroom and proceed to show her exactly how happy she had made me. Watching her walk into the bathroom, naked as the day she was born and with a huge smile on her face, makes her damn near irresistible.
I still can’t get over the change I’ve seen in her since we first met. She’s so much more alive now. It’s like being with me was the fire she needed to be set alight, and God does she make me happy. Even the little things she does without thinking make me smile. She has completely opened herself up to me, despite her painful past. She has given herself to me completely and, irrespective of the reasons that brought us together, I feel like I was meant to be here with Elle.
While Elle is busy in the bedroom packing her bags, I call Shay and give him a rundown of our plans.
“Do you think that’s a smart move, bro? Going back home?” he asks, sounding worried.
“It’ll be fine, dude. I’ll be with her the whole time and while I’m down there, I’ll find a way to see the boss man to sort things out with him, too. I need to find out exactly what is going on here because I think the danger is not just coming from Brimstone and Evans, and that scares the shit out of me” I say quietly, hoping Elle doesn’t overhear.
“Me too, B. I know something is not adding up, but I don’t want you to put yourself in any danger, either. You sure you don’t want to go to Canada instead?” he adds, laughing at his own suggestion.
“Hell no, I want to show her my home town and the house where I grew up. I want to show her what molded me, you know what I mean? She’s given me so much of herself, now I want to try and give her something back.”
He’s silent for a moment. “Yeah, I know. And I like you being with her, you’ve never been so relaxed and happy. The circumstances suck, but we’ll sort it out, we always do”
“Yeah, bro. Okay, well I want to do this right, so just to be safe can you jimmy the GPS on my car? I don’t want Gibbons tracking me this time,” I ask, knowing that Shay will have my back.
