Beginning with Forever (57 page)

“Oh Carson…
,” I pant breathlessly. “Deeper.”

“D
eeper?” he softly confirms. I nod my head willingly, feeling the excitement flow through my veins. He arches one brow up with a grin and withdraws himself from me. His tone and expression changes—more demanding. “Get on your hands and knees and face the head board!” he commands. I comply immediately. His dominance takes me back to that seductive night on his yacht. He slowly glides himself back inside me and grips his hands on either side of my hips. His thrusts are deep like he promised but cautious. My sensitive, pregnant body responds eagerly to his penetration. It doesn’t take long before I’m on the precipice holding on, waiting for him.

“Carson, I can’t h
ang on much longer,” I groan, clawing into the sheets.

“Come baby. Let me hear you
,” he urges and releases his milky cum inside me. He wraps his body tightly around mine, lengthening our climax as his lips kisses along my neck. “I love you, Lily,” he whispers into my ear.

___________________
_

C
arson is handsomely dressed in a black, pin-striped suit and a silver tie. He’s on his phone listening attentively to the caller while gazing into my eyes and smiling from across the room. I timidly gather the sheet around my body, not understanding my reasoning behind it. Carson already knows every inch of me. It’s not like he’s never seen me naked before, but my insecurity supersedes my confidence. As I step out of bed and make my way for the bathroom, Carson ends his call mid-stream, paces over to me and deliberately pulls the sheet away from my body. “I waited patiently for you to get up this morning, so I can see your incredibly sexy body. I can’t have you ruining my fantasy by covering it all up with a sheet.” He presses his smiling kiss against my forehead. This gorgeous man is just too amazing to be true. “I have breakfast waiting for you whenever you’re ready.”

“What time is it?”
It seems like late morning to me with the sun shining brightly through every tall glass window.

“It’s
almost 7:00 a.m., so no need to rush.” Even though he assures me that I have plenty of time, I still hustle through my shower and breakfast. I want to make every minute I have with him count.

“Lil, Luke will be
picking us up in an hour. I want you to follow his instructions to a tee. Do not ignore any of his cautionary warnings. Promise me. I won’t negotiate or compromise with you about this.” He narrows his eyes at me, showing no signs of weakness, seeking only compliance.

“Yes, I promise, but this is only temporary.
I don’t want Luke to follow me forever.” I return his stare with as much strength as I could muster, but he doesn’t find me the slightest bit intimidating.

__________________
__

C
arson throws his leather bag into the back of the speed boat and then helps me step in. We arrive on shore in fifteen minutes and find Luke punctually waiting for us by the SUV.

“Good m
orning, Mr. Bradley. Miss Ly. Where shall we head to first?” Luke asks and waits for his instruction.

“Morni
ng, Luke, I have to be on the jet by 9:00.”

“No problem,
sir. We’ll head there first, then,” Luke suggests.

“I’ve arranged for you to have und
erground access to the school. Following my drop off, I’ll need you to visually escort Miss Ly to her dorm. She’ll be working at the health clinic this evening, so I want you to follow closely behind her vehicle,” Carson dictates my schedule to Luke like a control freak. “I expect you to know her whereabouts at all times.” Argh, he’s borderline intruding on my privacy.

“You have my word,
sir. I’ll be accessible around the clock,” Luke pledges.

“Thank you, Luke.”
We climb into the back of the SUV after he barks his commands to my bodyguard. Carson’s fickle mood is rubbing off on me. I’m cross because I can’t understand why all these restrictions are necessary. I wish he would just explain the circumstance to me because I hate being told what to do without a reason. “Don’t be upset with me, baby. I promise this will all pass soon,” he tries to smooth out my frustrations.

I
want to stay mad at him, but I shouldn’t, knowing that it’ll make his trip back to Boston more unbearable. “I’m not…anymore,” I grit my response with a pursed smile.

“That’
s my good, little Angel.” He tips my chin up for our lips to meet. I hold nothing back. My dignity is out there for Luke to witness, but I don’t care. I kiss him fervently, subduing his tongue with mine. His expression tells me he enjoys my boldness. I feel his heart beating excitedly against his chest. If his fitted suit didn’t confine him so perfectly, I’d undress his sinful body and seduce him to the end. I breathe out a disappointed sigh. This man relentlessly draws out my untamed side whenever he’s with me.

Gently, he
grasps my wrists and unwillingly splits us down the center. “We better stop, or I’ll have to force you to come with me. I’m not above kidnapping and making you my love slave.” He stares at me sternly, holding back a grin.

“This dark side of you
is intriguing,” I goad to see how far I can push him.

“Don’t tease me if you’re not p
repared for the consequences,” he playfully warns me.

“O
oh, I’m scared. I better heed your warning,” I reply while holding back my giggles. He shakes his head at my attempt to draw out his gorgeous, dimpled smile.

My
tiny invisible bump is now the center of his attention. He lowers his head down and presses his lips against it. “Daddy will be gone for a few days. Please keep your rebellious mommy in line for me.” I feel his smile against my belly. My heart is completely comforted with the amount of love and devotion Carson has already developed for our unborn baby. We’re the only two fortunate people in his life to be recipients of his rare doting side. “I’m hoping to be back with you by the end of this week. Promise me you’ll stay out of trouble until then.”

“I’ll do my best.” I wink at him
with a mischievous smile.

____________________

Luke drops me off and stalks from a distant corner underneath a fruitful avocado tree while I enter my building. I hate that eerie feeling of having someone always watching over my shoulder. This man has the personality of a stern librarian merged with G.I. Joe brute force. I attempted to strike a casual conversation with him as we drove back to my school. He ended all his answers with ‘Yes or no ma’am.’ I know as much about him as I did yesterday, meaning nothing new at all. Oh well, I’ll try again tomorrow. Since Carson has condemned me to his prison term for the next few weeks, I’ll have to make the most of it. It could be a fun challenge for me to see if I can crack this man’s indestructible wall.

I enter my room to find Amelia studying
on her bed. I’ve been dying to ask her for details since yesterday’s incidence. She jumps off her bed and excitedly hugs me, bouncing up and down. “Lil, I can’t believe I finally did it. I told Richard everything—how I’ve been crushing on him since freshman year, and that I was too afraid to tell him,” she blurts out three sentences in a single breath and then takes another one to share the rest of her excitement. “Your clinic hitched us together! Thanks, Lil!” She squeezes me again with gratitude.

“Amelia, I’m
so excited for you. He’s an awesome guy.” I couldn’t be happier for them. They deserve each other.

“
I know, and he’s a great kisser too,” she chuckles. “We’re taking it slowly.  Actually, he wants to take it slowly,” she begrudgingly pouts.

“Trust me Ame,
it’s much better that way. You don’t need to be knocked up like me, too.” I pat my belly.

“Let Auntie Amelia
feel you, baby.” She palms her hands on my invisible bump. “Auntie Ame can’t wait to hold you,” she says to my belly in a baby voice. “What is this on your finger, sweetie?” Ame grabs my left hand and glues her eyes on my large pink diamond ring.

“Oh, this thing
, it’s an engagement ring from Carson,” I tell her nonchalantly while wiggling my fingers back and forth.

“Holy shit, congratulations
, Lil! When were you planning on telling me?” She narrows her beautiful greenish-brown eyes at me with her hands resting on her hips.

“Right after you
’re finished gushing over Richard,” I grin at her.

“Have you guys set a date yet? Will it be before
the baby is born?” she begins to interrogate me.

“We haven’t even thought that far, but it won’t be before Peanut is born. I promise
you’ll be one of the first people to get all the details, but for now, we better head to class. I can’t afford to skip another one or the Dean will have my head.” I crinkle my forehead and run my index finger across my neck in a cutting motion.

I ask
Amelia and Richard to meet me in front of the mermaid fountain after our Ethics class while I run to get the SUV. Tonight will be a long night at the health clinic, but I don’t mind it like the graveyard rotations at the hospital. With the success of our clinic, the Dean has kindly allowed us to substitute our hospital duties with clinic patient appointments. This is the ultimate reason for our generous number of resident volunteers.

I haven
’t mentioned Luke to them yet because I don’t want them involved with a problem I know nothing about. I’ll just wait and see if they’ll notice his presence and when or if they do, I’ll explain him to them then. I pull up to a curb and wave for Amelia and Richard to get into the SUV. “You two love birds can sit in the backseat and smooch all you want. I’ll be your chauffer for tonight, so buckle in.” They climb in the back and sit close like Carson and I would if were back there. Richard’s arm wraps around Ame as she drops her head on his shoulder. I’m glad there’s no awkwardness between the three of us. Since my pregnancy news, Richard has truly been a supportive and understanding friend to me. I believe wholeheartedly that he wants me to be happy even if it’s not with him. This is why I’ve been pushing those burning questions about Sasha aside. I don’t want anything to ruin what we have.

A
s soon as I pull the SUV onto the main highway, I see Luke following closely behind us in an old blue Honda Accord. He cleverly chose an older vehicle that blends in perfectly with the locals. Cautiously accelerating, my foot gently taps the pedal to create a subtle gap between us. These curvy roads intimidate the heck out of me. I’m a nervous, nail-biting wreck behind the wheel. My heart feels like it’s lodged in my throat every time I steer around a curvy cliff. My Cupid-stricken passengers are oblivious to their surroundings. They’re obsessed with each other, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I
seize this opportunity to sneak a peek at Luke, who’s still driving steadily behind us. My eyes leave the road ahead of me for a blinking second to check the rear mirror. When I look back, I see a lipstick red, sports car appear out of nowhere, intentionally driving towards me, and flashing its bright lights directly into my eyes. What the hell is going on? I can’t identify the driver at all because the windows are ominously tinted. I immediately slam on my brakes and steer the SUV off the road and down a sloping cliff. My entire life flashes before my eyes, and everything seems to be going in slow motion.

“Holy
shit! We’re going to die!” I scream and cry frenziedly. The same loud hysterical commotion echoes forward from Amelia and Richard. My heart is pounding violently against my chest. I have a death grip on the steering wheel. Thank the Lord for watching over us because the SUV slides down a steep cliff instead of flipping us to our deaths. It collides sideways into several small tree saplings. Amelia’s head smacks against the glass window on her side, making a bloodcurdling, cracking sound that resonates repeatedly in my mind.

“
Fuck, Ame’s head is bleeding!” Richard shouts.

“Oh god, no!
” I scream and cry even harder. I feel my seatbelt tighten painfully around my abdomen, but I ignore it. I’m more worried about Ame’s head than anything. The front airbag deploys, ricocheting my head off of it. I’m scared to death. I don’t want to die. Faint clouds of white powder fill the air as the bag slowly deflates. This is can only be a bad omen. “Richard, are you hurt?” I try my best to be brave while asking him of his condition.

“I’m o
kay,” Richard replies with a trembling voice as he hugs Ame against his chest.

O
ur troubles have only just begun. The distressed tree saplings snap in half, releasing the SUV to skid down further. We wail out in horror, thinking all hope is gone. “Oh my god, this is it!” I cry and see quick glimpses of all the people I love waving good-bye to me—my mother, Carson, Emi and Belle. I don’t know how, but all of a sudden we miraculously stop moving again. Praise to God! The SUV’s momentum is temporarily halted by a web of thick vines.

“Lil, we have to get out now!” Richard yells.
“Can you unbuckle yourself and climb out? I’ll carry Amelia. I think our luck is running out. The next stop is to the ground below where death is waiting for us.” He unfastens both their belts and waits for my response.

“I think you’re right
, Richard. Let’s go!” I sob. I open the door with my quivering hands and the gruesome, powdery cloud escapes with us. Though my body is both rigid and shaking, my adrenaline keeps me moving forward to stay alive. I have no time for panic or fear. I step out and slip on the surrounding pebbles below my feet. I fall flat on my butt, and it stops me from sliding down any further. Attempting to contain my fear, I watch stones and twigs roll down several hundred feet instead of me.