Authors: M Leighton

Down to You (26 page)

He carries my bag in and takes it into my
room. Rather than just dropping it, he sets it on the bed and sits
down beside it. Before I can ask what he’s doing, he clears his
throat.

“Why don’t you pack a bigger bag and come
stay with me?”

My stomach flutters at the thought of going
to sleep in Cash’s arms every night and waking up in them every
morning. Of going to sleep with his taste on my tongue and waking
up with his tongue in my mouth. That’s what it would be like. At
least for a while. For a few days.

It sounds like heaven.

But then, as it so often does at the most
inopportune times, reality intrudes. And I think of Marissa.

“Look, Cash, I understand why you’ve done
what you’ve done and how important it is, but I can’t pretend now
that you aren’t Nash. That when Nash is sleeping with Marissa, it’s
not you. Because it is. And it always has been.”

Cash reaches for my hands and pulls me into
the space between his spread legs. When he looks up at me, his dark
eyes are sparkling. My breath hitches in my chest.

“I broke up with Marissa on Wednesday.”

I ignore the fact that my heart feels like a
balloon that someone filled up and then let go before tying it off,
like it’s soaring around the room at the speed of light. “You
did?”

“I did.”

I’m almost afraid to ask. But I do.
“Why?”

“Because she’s not the one I want to be
with.”

“But you work with her father.”

“I already talked to him, too.”

“You did?”

He laughs. “Yes. I’m done with all
that…stuff. I can’t really tell people that Nash is dead, but I
don’t have to continue on the same path. I’m letting Dad’s case go.
Moving on. I’ll finish my internship and then decide what to do,
whether I want to practice, where and how. I’m not letting the past
rule my future anymore.”

While I appreciate what he’s saying,
something bothers me. “But he’s your only family. And he’s in
prison. If you can get him out, if there’s any chance at all, don’t
you think you should still try?”

He looks down at our joined hands. He rubs
his thumbs over my knuckles. “I haven’t felt like I’ve had a real
home in years.” Cash pauses and looks up, his eyes meeting mine.
They are warm. They are sweet. They are sincere. “Until I met you.
You
feel like home. And that’s more important than anything
else. You’re my home now. You’re what matters.”

I want to kiss him. And hold him. And tell
him I love him.

Do I love him?

The answer comes quickly.

Yes. I do.

But he hasn’t said those words to me. So I
don’t say them to him. But I feel them.

“But if there’s something you can do to help
him, I want you to try. Don’t abandon him because of me. I’ll help
you however I can. I’m not afraid.” It’s just as I speak the words
that I realize I’m not. I’m not afraid. And it’s because of Cash.
And what I see in his eyes. “I know you won’t put me in danger. Not
on purpose.” I tug one of my hands loose and trace his strong,
square jaw with my fingertips. “I trust you, Cash. I trust
you.”

He grabs my wrist and presses his lips to the
inside then pulls gently until I’m bent at the waist and my face is
close to his.

“Come home with me. Please.” I can feel his
warm breath on my lips, they’re so close. I lean forward to close
the small gap, but he leans away. “Please,” he repeats softly.

I would never tell him, but he could ask me
anything right now and I’d agree to it. Anything at all.

“Okay.” As soon as the words leave my lips,
his mouth is on mine.

His hands are hungry and urgent as he grabs
me around the waist and turns to lay me on the bed. We undress each
other as though we’ve never made love, as though this is the first
time and we can’t wait one more second to feel skin on skin.

When he enters me, my whole world collapses.
It melts and covers us as he moves within me, like a perfect
crystalline cocoon. And when we are both satisfied and breathing
heavily, Cash lays his forehead against mine and whispers,
“Home.”

I think to myself that this is the very
moment when I’m lost. Lost to Cash. Forever.

CHAPTER FORTY- Cash

As I straighten up my apartment, I can’t help
but recognize that I’ve probably never felt more positive about
life. Even before the “accident” I didn’t feel so good about the
future. So optimistic. So…enthused.

And the difference?

Olivia.

I smile and shake my head as I think of her.
She wanted to take a shower and clean up before she packed and
headed over here. She suggested I go ahead. I’m not really
surprised, I don’t guess. I know how girls are, what with their
need for grooming time and personal space. So I kissed her and
left. The strange thing is, I had to make myself leave rather than
join her in the shower. I don’t know what it is about her, but I
can’t seem to get enough. Even when I’ve had enough, I want
more.

When my phone rings, I pull it out and check
the screen. It says simply, “Olivia.” I smile wider.

“You’re supposed to be over here by now.
What’s taking you so long?”

There’s a pause before she speaks. When she
does, I hear her shy voice. “Um, I don’t know what kind of, um,
plans
you have for us tonight. Should I bring work clothes
for tonight and tomorrow night? Or…?”

“You haven’t met him yet, but I have a guy
that helps manage the bar. His name is Gavin and I already had him
rework the schedule to cover your shifts this weekend. Why don’t
you just take the time off and spend it with me?”

She laughs a little and when she answers, I
can hear the smile in her voice. “I’d love to spend the weekend
with you doing…whatever, but I really can’t afford to miss much
more time.”

I’m smart enough and an astute enough
observer of women to know offering her money would be a huge
mistake. So, to keep the peace, I do what I need to. “Well, then
just plan to work tomorrow night. Will that be enough, since you
worked last night at Tad’s?”

“Yeah, I think that’ll be fine.”

“All right then. Get your ass over here.”

“On my way,” she chirps then the line goes
dead.

I wonder if I’ll ever stop smiling and, if I
can’t, what kind of excuse I’ll have to make up to explain it. Or
if I’ll even bother. Because at the moment, I just don’t give a
shit. I’m happy. She’s happy. That’s all that matters.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE- Olivia

Cash didn’t say where to park, so I stick
with the lot out front, just to be safe. I’ll probably need to move
it later, so as not to announce to everyone I’m getting
preferential treatment because I’m screwing the boss.

I can’t help but grin. That sounds so trashy,
but I just don’t care. I refuse to let anything or anyone ruin this
happy time of my life. Happy times come by so infrequently, I’m
determined to enjoy them as much as I can,
while
I can.

Retrieving my bag and purse from the back
seat, I lock the doors and head around the side entrance to the
apartment. Butterflies are alive and well in my stomach, which is
kind of ridiculous considering that I’ve had sex with Cash well
over a dozen times. But still…

The garage door is open as I approach. So is
the interior door. And Cash is standing just inside it, smiling. He
stops me from entering and takes my bag and purse from me, setting
them on the floor behind him. Then, with a wicked grin, he sweeps
me up into his arms and carries me inside, kicking the door shut
with his heel.

“I’m supposed to carry you over the
threshold, right?”

I laugh. “If that’s what you’re doing, I
must’ve slept through something important,” I say dryly.

He quirks one eyebrow and shoots me a cocky
grin. “Oh trust me, I won’t let you sleep through any of the good
stuff.”

I wrap my arms more tightly around his neck
and he bends his head to kiss me. When his lips meet mine, there is
fire, just like always. But there’s something else, too. Something
deeper, sweeter. More meaningful. It makes my heart sing like his
kiss makes my toes curl.

He carries me into the bedroom and lays me
down on the bed. He starts to lie down beside me, but I stop him.
This time is different. It
feels
different. And I want to
start things off with a bang. Pun intended.

I come up onto my knees and move to the edge
of the bed. Smiling up into his eyes, I don’t say a word. I just
set about untucking his shirt. Just like I was doing the first time
we met. It takes only a few seconds for understanding to dawn on
him. And I know the instant it does. His lips twitch and his brow
rises, much like that first night, and he spreads his arms out,
away from his body, also much like he did that first night.

I giggle as I stand up on the bed to peel his
shirt off him and toss it aside. I can’t think of a more perfect
way to start this new leg of our relationship. It’s almost like
we’ve come full circle and we’re getting another chance. And if
that’s the case, I plan to make the most of it.

Dropping back onto my knees, I place my mouth
over one flat nipple, flicking it with my tongue until it forms a
tight bud, then sucking it into my mouth. I hear him gasp.

“Even then, I knew you’d be a handful.”

I look up at him as I drag my lips down his
stomach. My fingers are already working his zipper loose.

“Baby, you have no idea.”

I know by his smile that he’s happy. And
that’s all that matters.

********

Nearly an hour later, Cash is resting on top
of me, his weight braced on his forearms. We’ve been lying like
this for several minutes, just enjoying the feel of him softening
inside me, the feel of his skin against mine, the feel of the world
so quiet around us.

When Cash lifts his head and looks down into
my eyes, there’s a wealth of emotion in the dazzling depths, so
much so that it brings tears to my eyes. I think of what he told me
earlier and I smile up at him. Cupping his handsome face, I whisper
against his lips, “Welcome home.”

When he kisses me, I know we’re both where we
belong.

EPILOGUE- Duffy

The lock was too easy to pick. Duffy thinks
it’s funny that rich people think they’re safe, think they’re
protected against any intruders as long as they’ve got a security
system. He actually laughs out loud before he shushes himself.

If they only knew
….

Making his way through the darkened rooms,
Duffy finds what he’s looking for—her bedroom.

Duffy will be making a call to the landlord
at midnight, complaining of a television being left on too loud. In
this apartment. He’ll demand that the tenant be notified and
ordered to reduce the noise. She’ll come home to take care of it
and Duffy will be waiting for her. With his van parked outside.

Duffy is nothing if not patient. He’ll see a
good plan through to the bitter end. And theirs is a good plan.
They only need her long enough to get the books. And then Duffy can
get rid of them both. Easy peasy.

Moving to the space behind her bedroom door,
Duffy dials the landlord’s number to make the false report. When he
hangs up, he calls his boss.

“Yeah, I’ll bring her tonight. I’ll have you
the books by sunrise. Then I’ll get rid of them both.”

Flipping his ancient cell phone shut and
stuffing it in his pocket, Duffy settles in to wait.

For Olivia Townsend.

TO BE CONTINUED

A FINAL WORD

A few times in life, I’ve found myself in a
position of such love and gratitude that saying THANK YOU seems
trite, like it’s just not enough. That is the position that I find
myself in now when it comes to you, my readers. You are the sole
reason that my dream of being a writer has come true. I knew that
it would be gratifying and wonderful to finally have a job that I
loved so much, but I had no idea that it would be outweighed and
outshined by the unimaginable pleasure that I get from hearing that
you love my work, that it’s touched you in some way or that your
life seems a little bit better for having read it. So it is from
the depths of my soul, from the very bottom of my heart that I say
I simply cannot THANK YOU enough. I’ve added this note to all my
stories with the link to a blog post that I really hope you’ll take
a minute to read. It is a true and sincere expression of my humble
appreciation. I love each and every one of you and you’ll never
know what your many encouraging posts, comments and e-mails have
meant to me.

http://mleightonbooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/when-thanks-is-not-enough.html

Other books by M. Leighton

Beginnings: An M. Leighton Anthology

Blood Like Poison: For the Love of a
Vampire

Blood Like Poison: Destined for a
Vampire

Blood Like Poison: To Kill an Angel

Caterpillar

Fragile

Gravity

Madly

Madly & the Jackal

Madly & Wolfhardt