“Just you,” she replied.
I paused and twisted to see her, she was giving me
that
smile. God, what was she trying to do to me? “You’re injured, don’t even think about it.”
“It doesn’t hurt. Besides, I’m sure you can make me feel better, I’ve missed you.”
Ah, God. What was I supposed to say to that? If I gave her what she wanted I’d be terrified of hurting her, if I didn’t I would feel guilty for the rest of eternity. “Emily, I can’t. I’ll hurt you. Please stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” She exaggerated her pout, looking even sexier at me as she invited me with her eyes. Seriously, I was certain that Emily would, one day, be the death of me. How could any man resist her?
“Will you settle for a cuddle?” I smirked as I lowered myself onto the sofa next to her.
“I’d much rather you took me to bed.”
I couldn’t resist her. My growing arousal was evidence of that as I stood and gently pulled her to her feet before kissing her mouth delicately. “Well, as your carer, I suppose I’m obligated to give you whatever you need,” I said between kisses and felt her lips quirk up into a wide grin. And, as ashamed as I was to admit it, I needed her too. Making love to Emily was the one thing that made me feel completely at ease. Completely safe.
I hovered above her on the bed, taking great care not to make any contact with the small wound on her left side. She was right, it really was very small, but that still didn’t comfort me much. I kissed her with everything I had, pouring myself into her with the slow and deliberate movements of my tongue and lips. And she kissed me back hungrily; each time I slowed, she desperately tried to quicken my pace. I smiled against her lips.
“Ever eager, Miss Braxton.” I grinned before trailing soft kisses across her neck. I stroked my hand up her healthy side, raising her top until she leaned forward and pulled it over her head. I followed the curves of her waist with my tongue as I untied the cord of her jogging bottoms, and her skin filled with tiny goose bumps in response. Her fingers tangled into my hair and she let out one of those delicious whimpering moans.
I kissed her gently as I prodded against her with the tip of my erection. The suspense was almost too much to bear as I slowly eased myself inside her. The warmth that gradually surrounded me had me quivering already. She raised her hips to encourage me in further and I pushed her back down against the mattress with my hand. “Keep still,” I whispered. “Move your hips again and I’m leaving you here, and it won’t make a difference how much you beg.”
It took every ounce of my concentration to control the speed of my rhythm as another groan escaped her. I moved slowly and cautiously, paying close attention to her every reaction whilst keeping her hips pinned to the bed to avoid any strain on her stitches.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she breathed as she pushed her hips against my firm hold, trying desperately to match my every thrust. But this only made me tighten my grasp.
The sensation that travelled through my entire body when I was so intimately connected to Emily was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was overwhelming, like every part of me was screaming out for her contact, for her touch. Never before had my body craved something so badly. It was as though I was possessed by her. Every need of hers completely took over any need of my own. Her desire being the only thing that I cared about. The only thing I could concentrate on.
Her hands found my backside and she pulled me back towards her each time I withdrew. I pushed deeper into her and began circling my hips in a slow and sensuous rhythm and her breathing became more frantic as I felt her muscles tightening around me. I had to bite my lower lip and hold on to my composure as the overwhelming urge to push deeper and harder encased me.
This time, her moan was louder as she grasped at my back and I felt her fingers clutching at my skin. She was close, I could feel it. I circled my hips, deeper this time and she cried out as her body shuddered beneath me. The sound of her ecstasy sent me over the edge and I came heavily, emptying myself into her before my arms couldn’t hold my weight any longer and I had no choice but to slump myself onto the bed next to her.
“How are you feeling?” I asked when my breathing had calmed enough to let some words through.
“Incredible,” she whispered as she rolled to her side and entwined her leg with mine. I felt my dry lips stretch with a wide smile. This woman completely unravelled me. Her head rested in the crook of my shoulder and her fingers traced their usual invisible circles on my chest.
“I don’t want to get up,” she whimpered against my chest.
“I wouldn’t be a very good carer if I didn’t feed you, would I?” I grinned. “Besides, Samantha will be bringing Maia back soon.”
“What, here or mine?” Emily’s head shot up as she seemed to be panicking about something.
“Here, if that’s okay?”
“That’s good then, I thought I was going to have to go home.”
“You don’t want to go home?” I asked.
“No. Why, do you want me to?”
“Of course not, if I had it my way this would be your home.” I shifted up onto my elbow so I could see her face. “What would you say if I asked you both to move in permanently?”
“Are you asking me to move in with you, Mr Scott?” She smiled a wide, brightening smile and raised a single eyebrow in a suggestive manner.
“That depends on what your answer would be?” I realised I was holding my breath as I awaited her reply that she seemed to be taking far too long to deliver.
“It would probably be a yes,” she said casually.
“In that case,” I smiled, pausing to press a soft kiss to her forehead, “I am asking you both to move in.”
“In that case,” she mimicked, “we’d love to.” Emily raised her chin, encouraging my lips to hers as her eyes danced, with what exactly I wasn’t sure...joy? Excitement? I couldn’t tell, but it absolutely melted me none the less. Within seconds her mouth grew more urgent and then she was on top me, lowering herself agonising slowly onto my erection as her fingers entwined with mine and pinned my hands to the soft mattress beneath me.
Emily returned from the bathroom with a towel wrapped tightly around her middle, encouraging her breasts upwards, and it was all I could do not to pounce on her again. “I’ll jump in the shower then I’ll make you something to eat,” I informed her as I hurried towards the bathroom while I could still control myself.
The bathroom was warm and stuffy and still smelled strongly of my favourite shampoo of hers. Coconut. That was it. The extra scent that I could never quite place. It was coconut. I climbed into the shower, pulling the glass screen closed behind me, and saw the words ‘thank you’ followed by a shakily drawn love heart in the frosting on the glass. I felt myself smiling like an idiot as I hurriedly washed myself. The thought of Emily and Maia being here with me every morning when I woke, every evening when I returned home from work, the thought
my
home being
their
home had my stomach clenching with sheer excitement. I felt like a little kid who had just been given the best new toy that every other child wanted but didn’t have. At least, I felt like what I would imagine that kid would feel like.
“You’re welcome.” I smiled before softly kissing Emily’s lips as I joined her in the kitchen. She smiled shyly and her cheeks reddened as her eyes travelled over my hair. Oh yes, wet hair.
“Go and dry your hair, I’ll do this,” I ordered as I took the knife from Emily’s hand and slid the plate of rolls across the counter and towards me.
“What is it with you and wet hair?” She asked, grinning.
“I believe it was you who pointed out the sexiness of wet hair. Go, or we’ll never eat.” I slapped her backside gently and she squealed before winking at me and disappearing into the bedroom, with
that
sexy smile fixed on her face. I chuckled quietly to myself, shaking my head as I turned my attention to lunch. Lunch that would end up as dinner at this rate.
We had barely finished our ham and salad rolls when the intercom buzzed. I opened the door and Maia charged through, completely ignoring me and leaping into Emily’s arms. Emily winced slightly as she lifted Maia and I felt my chest tighten.
“Emily,” Samantha scolded as she quickly crossed the room. “You shouldn’t be lifting her. Here, sit down,” she said as she took Maia from Emily’s arms. I was glad Samantha had said something so I didn’t have to. The last thing I wanted was for Emily to think I was interfering when it came to Maia, but I wouldn’t have been able to bite my tongue for long. She was clearly in pain, and I couldn’t bear that. I listened as Samantha explained to Maia that her mummy had a poorly tummy so she couldn’t pick her up and how we all had to look after her. As her little speech came to an end I found myself smiling like an idiot again. Samantha really was like your typical mother hen when it came to Emily and Maia, always trying her very best to make sure they were both okay. I was grateful for that. It didn’t surprise me in the slightest that everyone in Emily’s life absolutely adored her and Maia, and I must admit there was something about Emily that made people want to look after her, although I still couldn’t figure out what that something was. She was perfectly capable of looking after herself, yet there was a part of me that constantly felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. A very big part of me.
My phone rang out from my pocket and I felt my smile wash away as I saw the word ‘blocked’ across the screen. Who would possibly be calling me from a blocked number?
“Julian Scott,” I stated as I lifted the phone to my ear.
“Hello Julian,” a gravelly voice on the other end spoke in an almost menacing tone. It wasn’t a voice I recognised, but it held an obvious chill to it and I was instantly aware that this wasn’t somebody I wanted to be talking to.
“Who’s this?” I asked as I entered my makeshift office and pulled the door closed behind me.
“How’s your mother? I see she’s taken a turn for the worse.”
I felt my heart drumming against my chest as I took in a deep steadying breath. Why the fuck was someone calling me to ask how my mother was. And more importantly,
who
the fuck? I remained silent as I frantically began to replay this male voice over and over in my head in hope for recognition.
“Maybe I should pop to the hospital and check up on her, I’m sure she could use some company,” he sneered.
A wracking shudder shot down the length of my spine as it suddenly clicked who the voice belonged to. “You stay the fuck away from her, do you hear me?” My own voice sounded chilling and I barely recognised it myself.
“Oh, I hear you Son. But that doesn’t mean I’m listening. You help me out and I’ll help you out. I need to see Isabella.”
At the sound of my sister’s name coming from his mouth, my head filled with the revolting thoughts of what he did to her. Of how he had touched her, his own daughter and not to mention a young child. Sick bastard. All the same feelings of guilt and complete hopelessness that I had struggled to suppress for the best part of twenty years suddenly clamped hold of me, crushing every part of me. I knew I would never get over how badly I had failed Natalie, how it had gone on while I slept in the next room, and I had never known. I had never protected my baby sister because I had never known there was such a reason to. My way of protecting her had been to stay well away from our father so she never had to witness him hurting me, only now was it clear to me that by keeping my distance, I had managed to fail her more than I ever thought possible. If I hadn’t spent most hours of every day holed up in my bedroom just so I couldn’t piss him off and frighten Natalie in the process, I would have known something was wrong. I would have seen the change in her, the sadness in her.
I felt my nostrils flare as I inhaled deeply. “Well, listen to this,
Dad
,” I snarled. “You will never get near her. I swear to God I’m going to fucking kill you.”
A slow and bitter laugh sounded down the phone and I instinctively moved the handset away from my ear and tried the block the sound out.
“I will find her.”
“Not here you won’t. You know as well as I do that none of us can have contact with her,” I bluffed.
“Well, I’m not convinced that you’ve stuck to that particular agreement, Son. It’s only a matter of time before your mum slips up; after all, she’s not capable of thinking straight, is she?” He sniggered and a dry heave wracked at my throat as it tightened painfully. How was it I was now a twenty-eight-year-old man and had never felt even remotely threatened by another man, yet my father’s haunting laugh still managed to make me feel like that frightened little boy again? I wasn’t a little boy anymore; I wouldn’t ever let myself go back there. I wouldn’t ever be afraid of this man again.
“There is nothing you need from Isabella; you stay away from them both. If you want something, you meet with me,” I challenged, silently praying that he would agree to a private meeting with me. Just the two us.
“It’s not you I want. She did this to me, the sly little bitch. She will pay for it and I won’t stop until I get what is mine. I’m sure your mother will be happy to help.”
“You stay the fuck away from her!” I shouted before ending the call and throwing the door open. Emily was just the other side of the door and I had to jump backwards to avoid slamming straight into her.
“What’s wrong?” There was a tremble in her voice as she looked at me desperately, her perfect features contorted by her deep frown. The fear was evident in her eyes and I hated myself for being the one who had put it there. I had promised myself time and time again that I would protect her. That I would never let her feel afraid again. But here I was, scaring the bloody life out of her with my problems. She shouldn’t have to deal with my shit after everything she had been through. I should never have let her into my life, but it was too late. She was sure as hell never going to leave it. And I would destroy anyone who threatened to take her from me.
“I’ve got to go. Get Adrian here and promise me you won’t leave this apartment. I’ll send a couple of security guys over straight away.” I pressed a hasty kiss against her hair and began towards the door, grabbing my keys as I passed the breakfast bar.