A Promise for Her Love

 

To Stephanie Taylor.
This wouldn't be a story without you.
Thanks for the inspiratio
n and for your belief in me!

 

 

Caylie Abrahams checked her suitcase one more time, pointing to the neatly packed compartments and mentally checking off things she'd already put inside. Butterflies danced in her stomach. She tried not to think too hard on the evening to come.

For the first time since they'd become a couple six months ago, she and Rick Marshall were going to spend the night together. Alone.

Taking a deep breath she raced to the bathroom and then quickly filled a cup with water. Hands shaking, she gulped down the cool fluid. Deep, loud laughter drew her attention away from what felt like prom night.

She set the cup on the counter, debating whether to keep packing or to make sure her brother would be fine for the weekend without her. Eighteen now, Kyle didn't need to be watched over. However, he still lived under her roof, and she expected him to follow the rules.

A little reminder here and there about what she expected never hurt, so she headed down the hall to his room. At his door, she lifted her hand to knock. His muffled voice sounded through the slivered opening, and she paused. Pressing a hand to the frame to steady herself, she leaned closer, wondering if she'd heard correctly.

"Look, it's not that I don't want to do it, I just... No, hey, come on Gloria, that's not fair." He laughed again.

Caylie considered rushing down the stairs and snatching up the other phone. What little vixen was trying to demoralize her brother? She'd been down that path before with Kyle; she didn't want to deal with bad influences again.

"See, here's the deal," he said, his voice turning somber. "My sis and her fiancé are waiting until after they're married to do it, and I was thinking about it and, I think that's right."

Blinking, Caylie backed away from the door, heart pounding. The diamond on her ring finger glittered in the dying light of day. She had to call Rick. Before she could make it to her room— and her phone— a heavy pounding sounded on the door downstairs. On the way down she shouted to Kyle that she had the door.

The thick shadow on the other side of the front door glass made her heart skip. Nervousness and excitement collided, causing her hand to pause over the doorknob. Inhaling deeply, she yanked the door open and couldn't stop the smile, her eyes settling on the face she never grew tired of seeing.

"Hey, gorgeous," Rick said, his voice low and silky, causing a wonderful shiver to race up her spine.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she let loose a squeal as he scooped her against his firm body. The door banged closed. In a split second, he pinned her to the wall. Breath rushed from her lungs. Feverish and demanding, his lips sought hers and Caylie didn't deny him.

For over a week they'd sufficed with phone conversations, texts and emails— all difficulties of a semi-long distance relationship. On the weekends, they stayed at each other's house, in separate rooms out of respect for Kyle. Their weekdays were spent dealing with their individual lives; they were only able to support each other over a phone line. Caylie couldn't wait for the day when they would be together for good.

The thought made her remember Kyle's words, and with frustration, she pulled away. Pushing her hands on his chest to keep him from advancing again, she shook her head. Breathless, she said, "We can't go alone to the lake this weekend."

Confusion etched his handsome face, and he pulled back slightly. "What are you talking about? Why?"

Dryness suddenly coated her throat, and she swallowed. Unable to look at him, she focused on his shirt buttons. "I overheard Kyle talking to his girlfriend. He thinks we've made the choice not to sleep together until we're married."

"So?"

She met his stare. "So, he's decided to make the same choice, because of us."

"But we didn't make that choice... did we?" The desperation straining his voice almost made her laugh. However, the same pent-up desire guided her body too, and it was screaming for her to forget what she'd heard.

Ignoring the heat coursing through her veins, she patted his chest and whispered, "I have."

A low growl sounded in his throat and he rested his forehead against hers. Sighing, he braced his hands on the wall above her. "Then I guess I have too."

Tears of both gratitude and disappointment burned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too... and that trouble-maker brother of yours."

She giggled and then sniffled back the tears still threatening. "Hey, for once he's keeping us honest. We should thank him."

He sucked air between his teeth and then kissed her neck, causing her knees to grow weak. "That's not going to happen."

"All right," she agreed, hoping he didn't do anything more.

Cold air replaced the heat of his body when he stepped away so suddenly, she almost fell forward. "Kyle!" he shouted.

She gently wiped her smeared lip gloss off from around her mouth and followed Rick up the stairs. His feet fell in heavy steps. The framed pictures on the wall jostled and Caylie paused, fixing the wedding picture of her parents. Smiling, she touched her mother's beaming face and knew instantly they'd made the right decision. How Rick felt though, was an unknown.

"Get your stuff and let's go!" he yelled again.

"What are you talking about?" came her brother's equally loud voice. Why did men have to scream everything?

"Caylie didn't tell you? You're coming with us this weekend. Like we go anywhere without you," he said with playful sarcasm.

Kyle snorted and disappeared into his void of a bedroom, the door slamming shut. Arms crossed, Caylie leaned against the wall.

"Is there room for him?"

"Of course." He closed the distance and then rested his hands on her hips. "I never for a second thought we'd be going alone."

Slack-jawed, she stared at him. "What?"

"Come on, we've been together for six months and not once have we even been able to sneak across the hall to each other's rooms. It's like being back in high school. Only," he leaned close and whispered, "I think Kyle's worse than my parents ever were."

She chuckled. "Mine too." Then a thought came to her, and she leaned over, her focus on her brother's closed door. "Do you think he said what he did just for my benefit?"

Rick shrugged. "Who knows? I like the idea of us being some sort of a role model for something so important, so let's just go with it for now, shall we?"

If she could love him more, she would have in that moment. Nodding, she said, "Okay."

"Hey!" Kyle said in disgust when he spied them.

Rick moved away and winked. Caylie's face heated, and she ducked into her bedroom to close up her suitcase. Rick stopped in the doorframe, his wide shoulders making the space seem so much smaller. Leaning against the frame, he crossed his arms.

"Do you want me to send my driver, Dan, up to get that?"

Rolling her eyes, Caylie shook her head. "No, I am perfectly capable of bringing my own suitcase down."

"It's what I pay the man to do."

Fingers wrapped around the handle, she slid the suitcase off the bed. With a heavy
thunk
, the case landed on the floor with more weight than she'd expected. Rick uncrossed his arms and straightened.

"Can I at least help you?"

She pressed an index finger to her mouth in thought. "Okay, that's fine."

His dark green eyes danced with laughter. "Don't mind a servant as long as it's me, huh?"

When he was within reach, she grabbed the edges of his jacket and rose on her tiptoes. She pressed a firm kiss to his lips. Against his mouth, she said, "
You're
supposed to be helping me when I need it. Not some man you pay."

"Eventually you'll have to get used to this lifestyle."

The
lifestyle
that came from generations of money on his mother's side and an entrepreneurial father, who started a marketing firm Rick still ran. She thought of the man downstairs, and hoped he was either in the house, or inside a running car and not out in the cold waiting to see if they needed him. Releasing his jacket, she stepped away. "I don't think I ever will."

"Do you need anything else brought down?"

"I can get the rest, thanks."

When Rick cleared the door, the wheels of the suitcase rumbling down the hall, she sat heavily on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she ran her fingers through her long hair. Thankfully, Rick's wealth didn't overwhelm her nearly as much anymore. Only when someone was asked to do things she was perfectly capable of doing herself, did she almost despise his status.

She glanced down at her ring; its size a reminder of his money. Was his the lifestyle she really wanted though? For herself and for Kyle? No matter how the deck was cut, Kyle would benefit from Rick's money. Her brother would go to the best college. Never again would she worry about whether they could afford clothes for him.

Even though he was now legally responsible for himself, he was still in school and had another six months left before graduation. Before he graduated, they'd have moved in to Rick's house, the wedding only two months away. Did she really want her brother becoming accustomed to servants, personal drivers, and not having to worry about financial responsibility?

Rubbing her arms to stave off more than just the chill in the air, she rose. Her concerns were coming a little late, but they still mattered. At some point, she'd have to address them. This weekend, however, was the calm before the storm, and the upcoming stresses were what she really needed to focus on.

Christmas break had officially started. Come Monday, she and Kyle would be hostages in the Marshall mansion, forced to endure whatever Rick's mother, had in store for them.