Beginning with Forever (54 page)

“In a few months, we’ll
be able to do this more often. I’ll be moving here with my fiancé.” I feel his hand gently squeeze my shoulder, indicating his appreciation for my acknowledgement of him as my future husband.

Belle reaches for my le
ft hand. “Holy laughing Buddha, this ring is humungous! A baby and a wedding—I can hardly wait!” she squeals.

“Congrats
, man! You’re one lucky guy to end up with this special lady,” Hayden says to Carson.

“Thanks Carter.
I know I am,” Carson looks at me as he replies, making sure that I hear him loud and clear.

“Can you Indiana people tell me the story behind this laughing Buddha?”
Carson curiously asks.

Belle excitedly offers
to explain, “Ooh, ooh, let me tell him. Lily prayed to God every night and rubbed every laughing Buddha belly for six months, hoping to get accepted to medical school. We used to tease her mercilessly. Emma and I bought her a tiny replica, so she could rub it every time she needed luck. We all started saying ‘holy laughing Buddha’ every time something good happened. She left the Buddha for me after she received her acceptance letter, and now Emma has it. I left it for her since I also found my good fortune.” She looks over to Hayden with sparkling eyes.

“T
hanks for sharing that cute story, Isabella.”

I see
Carson trying to refrain from snickering, so I nudge his right side and hiss, “It’s not funny.” I’m not going to let him laugh at my expense even if it was a senseless thing to do.

Both
Hayden and Carson coincidentally get up to use the bathroom at the same time. Belle and I use this opportunity to catch up with some much needed gossip. After about ten minutes or so, I notice they’re still not back yet, so I decide to investigate to see what’s going on. I walk towards the bathroom and spot the two of them standing in a corner talking guardedly about something. I remain inconspicuous behind a booth. I can’t hear what it’s about since they’re practically whispering. Their expressions tell me they’re upset. I startle them when they see me, and the topic is changed immediately. Again, so much for no secrets between us.

“Hey fell
as, what’s taking you so long? Belle and I are finished.”

“
Babe, we were just discussing work and lost track of time. Are you ladies ready to go, then?” Carson responds straight-faced. He’s skilled with emotional shifts, from hot to cold in seconds. I nod my head. He places his hand on my lower back to guide me to our seats. Their secretive conversation doesn’t sit well with me, but I shouldn’t pry if it’s business related.

Hayden and Isabella wave a
cab down for their ride home. I give them both big Amelia-hugs before they take off and then walk back to the garage with Carson. “Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, fiancé.”

“You’re welcome
, future Mrs. Bradley, but I’m not done with you yet. We still have a make-out session you promised me earlier.” He refuses to let me off the hook.

I can’t believe he’s
really going through with this. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh
, but I am.” He steps on the pedal, and we speed off onto the interstate. We drive for about thirty minutes or longer out to a suburb of Boston. I think I saw a sign for Weston. He pulls up to a private driveway and kills the engine. Thank goodness it’s dark outside, so no one can see us. I’m getting really paranoid as I survey my surrounding. “If we’re going to do this, we’ll push the envelope and be super naughty. Let’s do it in some stranger’s driveway.” He playfully narrows his eyes at me. My jaw drops. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Mr. Responsible Carson wants to break the law.

“Carson
, I don’t think I can do this. We might get caught.” I look at him with pleading eyes, shaking my head at the same time. I’ve gone this far without getting in trouble with the law, so why ruin it now.

“That’s the thril
l of it. Live on the edge, Lil!” he mischievously goads. What have I done? I’ve created a bad-ass Carson. He exits his side and opens the door for me. “Shall we?” He offers his hand for me to balance myself out of the truck. It’s nippier and windier than earlier. I’m shivering with goosebumps. I step down and follow him into the backseat with a lot of hesitation.
We’re going to get caught
, I keep thinking to myself. It’s warm again inside the truck with the doors shut. Holy hell, I can’t believe we’re really going to do this. I sit tensely next to him.

He has a sinful smirk on his face
as he glances over at me. “Is this your first time?” he asks. I shake my head, and it surprises him. “Really?” he confirms. I nod my head. “How far did you go?”

“Not far at all.
I was too much woman for him to handle.” I grace him with a wicked grin. Finally, I’m able to settle my spastic nerves.

“Hmm
, I wonder if I’ll be able to handle you.” He smiles and puts his hand contemplatively up to his chin.

“Stop talking and start kissing
, Mr. Bradley. We don’t have all night. You need to get me to home-base without getting caught.” I set my inhibitions aside to go to the wild side.

“
Yes, ma’am,” he chuckles. Laying me on my back, he starts at my neck, sending a trail of goose bumps all the way down to my toes with his dissolving kisses. My body never fails to responds to his feverish touches. He came prepared with a blanket and drapes it across us after slipping off my sweater, shirt and bra. The windows are fogging up from our body heat and heavy breathing. We lose ourselves in lust until a bright light flashes into our window. Holy shit, we’re caught and I’m half dressed. I’m panicking, struggling to find my clothes while Carson remains unruffled. “Lily, calm down. He’ll see your breasts if you don’t let me cover you up.”

A
s soon as he securely covers my chest with the blanket, he presses a button for the window to slide down. I personally wanted to bury my entire body under it, feeling ashamed. “Yes, do you need something?” he questions the security officer and flashes him a bothered look. Oh my god, I’m stunned. He’s not the least bit deterred or intimidated by this law enforcer. Money is a powerful thing is all I can say. I tuck my head timidly further beneath him.

“Oh…I’m…
sorry, Mr. Bradley. I didn’t know you were in there.” He’s startled and embarrassed, taking a couple of steps backwards.

“No problem officer. We’ll be here for the night.
Will you let security know?” He glances down into my dilating eyes and winks at me with a wicked smile.

“Yes
, and I’ll also deactivate the alarm for you.” He rushes off.

“Carson, I ca
n’t believe you had me fooled. Living on the edge, huh? More like the edge of your property.” I pinch his chest lightly for playing an awful trick on me.

“
Ouch!” He rubs his pinched spot. “I had to see for myself how willing I could push you. I love you so much, my future Mrs. Bradley.”

“Like I said
before we were interrupted, we don’t have all night. Finish what you started Mr. Bradley.” I pull him down and seal his lips over mine.

____________________

Ah, I appreciatively wake up in another bed that belongs to Carson. My eyes explore my new surroundings. This master bedroom has a cozy quality. The colors are neutrally warm and welcoming, and the furniture and beddings are luxurious. It reminds me of an Ethan Allen furniture showroom. By far, this is my favorite room of all the ones I’ve been in.

Carson
is actually sleeping in this morning. I slip out of his arms and sit by his side, watching him sleep peacefully. His handsome, chiseled face is flawless. I run my thumb pad along his bottom lip, feeling its tenderness. I lean into his lips and kiss them gingerly. His warm body is fully exposed because he prefers the coolness over the heat underneath the blankets. I trace my fingertip along the pale faded scar on his left hip, wondering still how it came to be. For once, I’m able to appreciate Carson in his raw form and loving every minute of it.

I climb out of bed and
make my way to a gigantic walk-in closet. It’s not packed full of clothes like I anticipated. I grab a white t-shirt out of a neatly folded drawer of t-shirts and slide it over my head. I brush my teeth with what I’m hoping is his toothbrush, and walk out to the kitchen—wherever that is. I have no idea where anything is kept as I try to make Carson breakfast in bed. This must not be a place he visits often because there is no fresh produce to be found. I make buttermilk pancakes from a box and coffee. By the time I complete my surprise breakfast in bed, Carson is already quietly sitting at the kitchen island watching me with his chin lazily resting on his right palm. He’s topless with tousled bed-head and boxer briefs—god, he’s hot.
Cut it out! He’s already yours
!
I yell at myself. “Are you hungry? I couldn’t find anything but pancake mix.”

“Starving
, I love pancakes.” He rubs his belly like an adorable toddler would sign for hungry. I slide the plate and a fork in front of him and pour a hot cup of coffee. Rounding the island, I take a seat on his left side to watch him enjoy my homemade breakfast.

“Car
son, is this place yours, too? Why do you own so many properties?” In my humble mind, I can’t understand why anyone would need to possess so many expensive properties if they only live in it a few times a year.

He
interrupts his bite of pancake to answer, “Yes, this place is also ours. I like to get away from the city and relax in the suburbs every now and then. As you can tell from the lack of food, I don’t come here often. Do you like it here?” he asks and then takes a sip of his coffee.

“I do.
It reminds me of home, except with an enormous real estate price tag and luxurious furnishings.” I give him a sly grin.

“We can move here af
ter our baby is born if you’d like. I can easily commute to work,” he generously offers.

“We’ll see.
I hate to turn your entire world upside down just for me and our Peanut.”

He sw
ivels his barstool to face me. He tips my chin up and kisses my forehead. “I’d sacrifice anything for you and our baby.” He takes another bite of pancakes and sips his black coffee. “Especially, if I can have all the delicious pancakes that I want—cooked by you.” He feeds me a small bite.

“Wait ‘til
you taste my blueberry ones.” I wrap my arms snuggly around his waist, mentally thanking God for blessing me with my happy movie ending.

L
il is in the shower. This will give me a small window of opportunity to call Owen and see what’s going on at Steward Laboratory. Hayden confirmed last night that one of the lab researchers is missing. He was last seen at a local bar. His girlfriend filed a missing person’s report two days ago, and the police have no leads. He’s one of five researchers that are responsible for the chemical make-up of our new drug. Without his contribution, the process may possibly be delayed or incomplete. It was my idea to break up the drug into five equal parts in case someone attempted to get their hands on it. I’m the fifth researcher.

“Owen,
do you have any news on Paul Lewanski? I met Mr. Carter last night and he filled me in briefly.”

I hear an eerie pause before Owen s
peaks into the phone, “David Phong is also missing. He didn’t show up for work yesterday, and we haven’t been able to get ahold of him. Our security team is working around the clock to locate them.”

“Fuck!
Someone knows about the progress of our new drug.” I immediately throw out a paranoid assumption. “Do you think they could be in danger? I want you to make sure the other two are under protection and surveillance.”

“I’m already on it,
sir. It’ll be wise to have a bodyguard with you at all times as well. As of now, we’re not sure if these two missing cases are related; however, it’s best to be extra cautious until we find an answer.” Owen’s tone is unusually worrisome today which frazzles me even more.

How
am I going to explain this mess to Lily? I panic. “Owen, I’ll call you for updates after I land in St. Croix this evening.” Owen will have to extend Luke’s contract and employ him as Lil’s shadow. She won’t have a choice in the matter like I led her to believe earlier. He’ll be following her around town for a legitimate reason this time. I can’t risk having her exposed to whoever’s after my Oss-Meta drug, even though this is all based on my personal speculation. My family’s safety is now my priority. Speaking of danger, I still need to get ahold of Jean-Pierre. Lil seems to be seriously shaken up by his warning. I’m not superstitious, but it doesn’t hurt to hear him out. Why isn’t he picking up? I’ll leave him an urgent message to return my call.

Lil will have to come
home to me sooner than three months later. This will be my toughest challenge yet. How will I do this without letting her know all the possible dangers that are involved? I just can’t allow this kind of stress to jeopardize her pregnancy. If only there’s a way to bypass her stubbornness, I wouldn’t have to expose her to any of my minor details. These minor details are my problems, not hers, so I want to handle them with the least amount of interference to her uncomplicated world.