Ending with Forever (2 page)

“How about a quickie?” I suggest with my arms wrapped around his fit waist from behind, smiling against his warm skin.

“Quickie? No way. With you, I like to savor my time. Enjoy your body like a ripened fruit, deliciously sweet to the very last taste,” he adds lightheartedly, craning his neck around to kiss my cheek.

“Then don’t regret my offer when you’re lying in bed all alone tonight,” I remind him.

Grabbing my wrists with his batter-covered hands he twirls my body around to face the kitchen island. “Bend. Spread your legs and lie face down on the granite top,” he commands sternly. Without hesitation, I obey the sexy sound of his authoritative voice. The granite is cool against my skin with my breasts pooled on top of the hard stone, rousing goosebumps to sprout everywhere. Exposing my ass for his pleasure, he lifts the hem of my plush robe and rests it over my backside. “I hate regrets,” he murmurs into my ear after stroking my hair away to graze his teeth on my lower lobe. I’m wet with need. His pants drop to the floor around his ankles and then I feel his fully erected shaft plunge inside me. My body trembles from the unexpectedness of his force. “Quickies aren’t just about me. I want you moaning like last night and this morning,” he smolders. As if he has to coach me on when to release the pleasurable sounds I cry out because of what he does to drive my body crazy. I give him an ear full and he rewards me with another powerful orgasm.

T
hanks to Lil’s irresistible body, my mind has been temporarily distracted from the vices that still lie before us. Disappointingly, I can’t avoid them forever. It’s time to face them head on. Owen collected Jean-Pierre at Logan International Airport early this morning. I’ll have a brief minute to fill him in on the plant sample that Marcus Ly generously donated to me. Samantha, my bio-chemical specialist, is almost convinced she has David’s part of the formula down from all the testing she’s been doing with Alex, but she won’t swear her beloved cat’s life on it, not just yet. Sam intends to work closely with Jean as soon as security clears him for the lab. My hope weighs heavily on the success of their results. If Mateo or Alpha doesn’t come through for me, my last resort is to surrender the incomplete drug to the kidnappers. It’s not something I’m proud of, admitting that Lil’s life outweighs thousands, but I love her insanely. I can’t lose her. All I care about is to have Paul and David safely returned and keep Lil out of their reach indefinitely.

“Lil, are you ready? The limo is waiting outside for us,” I holler from the bedroom into the bathroom. After she convinced me not to disregard her proposition for a quickie, I ran my filthy batter-covered hands all over her body and hair as I rammed her from behind and then flipped her around and fucked her some more against the wall. Mmm…I never knew uncooked pancake batter could taste so good.

“Hold on. I’m almost ready. Thanks to a certain someone I had to wash my hair twice to get all the batter out,” she grumbles.

Picturing her sated body pressed against the kitchen wall with tousled hair speckled with batter makes me chuckle. Only my Lil can look fucking sexy like that. She slips out of the bathroom in one of my light blue dress shirts with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a black leather belt hanging loosely around her tiny waist. The shirt’s hem barely comes to mid-thigh on her, revealing a very naked pair of long legs. They’ll have to be concealed before we leave this house. Her hair is tied back in a typical Lil ponytail and her face is fresh without makeup.

“This is the best I can do with what I have,” she tells me as her hands continue to tug on the hem, forcing the shirt to lengthen impossibly beyond its limit.

“You look amazing in anything, even a brown paper bag,” I assure her. “I’ll have one of my personal stylists fill up that closet for you so whenever we visit here you’ll have clothes to wear.”

“No. That won’t be necessary. I’ll just pack a bag next time. It’s so wasteful to spend all that money on clothes I might wear just a few times.

Shaking my head, I tell her, “As you wish. But I wish you’d loosen up and learn how to spend a little money. It won’t kill you. I promise. You might even enjoy it,” I kid and toss her a wink.

“I’m too practical, I guess,” she admits, shrugging her shoulders up to her ears.

“You are,” I agree and kiss her lips breathlessly.

“I’m ready if you are,” she gasps after catching a much needed breath.

Hand in hand we walk out to the front door. Before exiting, I reach for my trench coat and drape it over her lean frame to shelter her from the cold as well as coveting eyes who might steal glimpses of her long bared legs. Rollin sees us and rushes over to open the limo door.

“Good morning, sir, miss,” he greets, flashing us a gray mustache smile and a head tilt.

“Morning, Rollin,” we say in unison as Lil slides in and I follow after her. Our eyes smile at the coincidence of our greeting.

“Morning,” Owen turns his head around to receive us from the front seat. Lil smiles big and waves her hand to acknowledge him. “Jean is waiting for us at BPC headquarters,” he informs.

“I look forward to seeing him.”

“Me, too,” Lil chimes in. “I want to apologize for my temper,” she divulges in a remorseful tone as her eyes drift distantly away, probably recalling that painful night.

“Lil, I’m positive he’s forgotten all about it. I don’t think it’s necessary,” I convince her. The last thing we need is to bring up the miscarriage, a source of hurt we’ve both been working hard to forget.

“Okay…if you think so,” she agrees and reclines into the black leather. “What’s this?” she asks when her hand scrapes against a rectangular box sitting on the far end of the seat.

“Open it,” I urge, holding back a satisfied smile. Evelyn searched high and low for me and luckily found a place that had it and was willing to expedite the delivery process for a nominal fee of one hundred dollars.

She rips into the box and is immediately overjoyed when she realizes what it is. “Omgeez! But…how did you find one so quickly? It’s exactly like my old sweatshirt.”

“Remember. There’s no limit to what I’d do to make you happy. I know it’s not your mom’s sweatshirt, but I hope it’s a good enough replacement for now.”

Winding her arms tightly around my neck, she squeals, “It’s better than good. I swear you’re too perfect to be real. I have this constant fear that I’ll wake up one day and discover you were just a dream.” I peer into the rearview mirror over Lil’s shoulder and see a reflection of a grinning Owen.

Unraveling her one hand behind my neck, I kiss along her knuckles and then purposely bite down on the tip of her index finger so the sting would grab her attention. Her eyes grow wide, expanding her lustrous pupils. She appears stunned, maybe even appalled that I bit her. “Did you feel that?” I ask, staring into her large chocolate eyes.

“Yes. I did,” she retorts with a wince.

“I’m real and this,” I point to my heart, “is very real. I’ll never disappear. You can count on that,” I vow and seal my lips over hers, kissing them indulgently. How many times do I have to tell her that I’m hers for keeps until she believes me? As many times as it takes I guess.

~~~~

The limo is followed by two security cars, one in the front and one from behind. Lil hasn’t noticed them, but I’ve been eyeing them since we hit the interstate. I’ve never been a gambler. I don’t take any unnecessary risks, especially when Lil’s life is at stake. Owen already has a team of men waiting for us in Fort Wayne as soon as the jet lands. He rented a place tucked away from the city for added protection. But from what Lil has described of her little hometown in comparison to Boston or Chicago, it doesn’t seem to be a robust or intimidating city. I’m not overly concerned with the people around there.

Damn. This hour’s drive into Boston is dragging for me, contrasting last night when I was having my way with Lil back here. Supposedly, I was punishing her for defying me but that was debatable. She certainly knows how to push my buttons, testing my limits and patience, but she wouldn’t be my Lillian if she was boringly passive. I glance over to Lil to see her staring out the window, appearing anxious with her new sweatshirt hugged to her chest. Against the bright morning light, her glowing skin looks flawless and supple. The persistent smile on her face tells me she couldn’t be happier heading home to see her mother. Guilt has been jabbing at my conscience like a piercing icepick for keeping her confined in Boston. I know how much she’s wanted to be with her mother and friends, especially after the miscarriage. They would’ve been the support she needed to help her heal faster. I did what I could. I softened my dominance within reason and offered her a tender and vulnerable side of me that no one else has ever witnessed. When it comes to Lil, my besotted love knows no boundaries. I’m willing to do or give up anything for her. The thought of Lil being taken away from me is far worse than being tortured to a slow death. I can’t even allow myself to imagine it for a split second because even that is too long and painful for me.

“Carson, what’s up?” Lil asks while studying my face with dissecting eyes. I’m losing my touch. I’m unaware that I’m displaying my concerns through a troubled expression that I’ve failed to conceal.

“Why do you ask?”

Shrugging her shoulders, she tells me, “Because you have that look.” Her eyelids furrow so only a narrow strip of her brown pupils is showing.

“What look?” I pry, interested in hearing her observation of me.

“You have this emptiness in your eyes that almost fades your hazel color away. Your brows are crinkled tightly together and your lips are pressed into such a hard line that it’s difficult to imagine there’s a handsome smile hidden under there. You also rub your right thumb along the length of your left thumb.”

Oh shit. She’s right. I look down at my hands and see that my right thumb is doing exactly what she said. Lil has been keeping closer tabs on me than I’ve given her credit for. I wonder what else she’s learned about me.

“What’s my I-want-to-fuck-you look?” I trifle, hoping she won’t pry further for answers.

“Horny,” she mouths and snickers. “Don’t try to change the subject, mister. Are you going to tell me or will I have to beat it out of you?” she threatens with a light jab of her index finger into my chest.

“Beat me, baby,” I provoke, grabbing her hand and holding it captive. “Give me all you’ve got,” I goad with a cheeky smirk.

“You’re lucky I’m not into S&M,” she replies coolly, trying to free her hand from my iron grip.

“I don’t consider that lucky. I wouldn’t mind trying something new with you,” I reply with a deviant arch of my brow. “Like tying you up to a bed post and fucking you to my heart’s content. It could take me days.”

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Maybe in your dreams, Mr. Bradley,” she adds.

“My dreams have all come true since I met you, Miss Ly,” I bare. My response forces the grandest smile to spread across her blushing angelic face.

“Mr. Bradley,” Owen interrupts. “We’re using the underground entrance into BPC this morning. Alpha sent a decoy through the main entrance. No one needs to know you’ll be missing for the next few days.”

“Perfect.” It’s a relief for my over-exerted brain to know that I have such dependable people working for me. “Where will Luke meet us? Here or the airport?” I ask as my eyes settle on Lil’s.

“He’s completing an errand and will meet you at the BPC tarmac,” Owen discloses casually as he gives me a subtle nudge of the head. Luke bugged Sasha’s place and phone so he can still keep tabs on her while we’re away. He must be testing it out to make sure everything is working properly.

The limo finally comes to a stop to park in its usual reserved spot. Being underground has never bothered me before, but for some strange reason, I have this panic sensation tethered around my chest today. I’m not sure what’s causing it. Maybe it’s from my nightmare of Lil being trapped in a hole with no means of escape. Right now, I don’t give a shit what it is. I just need to get the hell out of here. I grab Lil’s hand and practically yank her out before Rollin could come over to open the door for us, leaving Owen startled in the limo. This isn’t normal for me—losing my composure like this.

“Carson, slow down,” Lil hollers at me. “What’s your rush?”

Loosening my tie and tugging at my collar, I inhale a big gulp of freedom and then blow it out slowly, releasing my suffocation. “I just need some air,” I snip. “Let’s get you up to my office so you can change into something warmer.”

She narrows her untrusting eyes at me and trudge along my lead, holding her sweatshirt. Owen follows right behind us, baffled at my unusual behavior. We step into the elevator and finally, I’m able to get a grip on myself. I wrap my arms around Lil’s waist and straighten my shoulders with confidence.

Argh!
I don’t know what’s gotten into Carson. He’s driving me freaking crazy with his mood swings. He’s high and then he’s low and then he’s mellow. I can’t keep up with him. It’s exhausting. He thinks he may have diverted my inquiries about the kidnapping thing, but I’m far from being done. I’m only behaving because I don’t want to ruin our trip to Fort Wayne. However, as soon as we get back to Boston, Carson is in for a rude awakening. He’ll be facing several demands, not requests, from me that’ll sure to test his tolerance. 

His change in temperament has made me so uptight that I’ve been oblivious to the twenty-plus floors we’ve already ascended until his deep voice interrupts my silent grumbling. Placing his palm at the small of my back, he urges me to exit. “Lil, we’re heading to my office first. Evelyn arranged for your bags to be packed. There should be a warm outfit waiting for you,” he informs in a reserved tone, looking straight ahead. What happened to the lovable man I just had breakfast sex with? He’s disappeared and is now replaced with this neurotic man of whom I’m not very fond.

“Where do you want me after I’m dressed?” I ask as I make cordial eye contact with Evelyn who’s smiling timidly in our direction.

“Don’t you mean after I help you undress?” he mutters under his breath as he nods at Evelyn.

Omgeez!
Now he’s being frisky again. How does he flip his switch like that?

“No. I mean where should I meet you?” I retort, purposely snubbing his flirting.

“Good morning, Evelyn,” he greets and then whispers, “On the sofa. Either on your back or front.”

“Good morning, Mr. Bradley and Miss Lucy,” Evelyn replies. “Would you like me to bring you coffee?” she offers.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” he answers. “Miss Lucy and I have some unfinished business to attend to. Make sure I don’t have any interruptions,” he instructs, turning his trifling face to me. “Am I clear?” he emphasizes.