Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) (30 page)

“Andrew, Madison,” Callie said in her sing song voice.

Both Andrew and Madison had been so lost with one another that neither had heard Callie approach. Madison sighed against him and then turned to her friend.

“I’m sorry to disturb you both but Elias said the jury has a verdict and that Andrew needs to come back inside.”

“That soon?” Madison asked in shock. It had only been a few hours.

Callie shrugged. “They asked to hear Jimmy’s testimony again and then thirty minutes later they informed the judge they had reached a decision.”

Madison and Andrew got up and started walking alongside her. Neither knew what that meant, whether that was good or bad that they had the verdict so soon.

“They didn’t want to hear my testimony again as well?” Madison asked worriedly.

Callie touched the hand that wasn’t gripping onto Andrew. “Elias said it’s because they believed you but had doubts about Jimmy.”

Madison nodded as they made their way to the courthouse again. Andrew was now concerned. The first jury he had did not deliberate very long either and that had not gone well for him. Andrew helped Madison into the pew and then came around to sit next to Mr. Bennett. Mr. Bennett turned and smiled at him and Andrew noticed that he seemed happier. He placed his hand on Andrew's shoulder.

“I have already told your aunt and uncle this but now I will tell you, if this turns out to be a guilty verdict, then you need to know that I will immediately file for an appeal. This won’t be over if they convict you. I promise you that.”

Andrew took a deep breath, nodded, and looked up as the jury stepped back inside. The bailiff took a piece of paper and handed it to the judge, who opened it and gave no clue as to what the result was. He handed it back to the bailiff who passed it over to the foreman.

“Andrew Thomas Harrison, please rise,” the judge said.

Both Andrew and Mr. Bennett rose to their feet. The judge looked at the foreman, who stood up and opened the paper.

“Have you reached a verdict?”

“Yes, we have, Your Honor. On the sole count of aggravated assault, we the jury, find the defendant, Andrew Thomas Harrison, not guilty.”

Andrew stared in disbelief and turned to Mr. Bennett, hugging him tightly. He heard crying behind him and let go of Mr. Bennett only to grab both Madison and Olivia at the same time, pulling them close to him. Pretty soon everyone was hugging him. He glanced up, wiping his eyes of the tears he didn’t realizing he was shedding, only to see Jimmy glaring back at him. Jimmy turned and pushed through the door, followed by his father. Andrew would worry about what that look might mean later, right now though he wanted to feel Madison in his arms. He heard the judge talking but he didn’t hear what he was saying, only something about how he was free to go.

“Not guilty!” Madison whimpered against him. She looked up with tears in her eyes. “I love you.”

Andrew smiled. “I love you too.”

He grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her with the passion only a free man could give. He was not being sent back to prison. He would get to go home, he would get to make love to Madison, and they would be together forever. With the heaviness of the trial dispersed, he felt as if he was floating, as if the smile on his face would never fade. They could hear chattering going on around them but both of them ignored it, their continued need for one another ever present.

“Let's go to Mac’s tonight,” Jayden said, grabbing Andrew’s shoulder and breaking his and Madison’s connection. “So we can celebrate.”

Andrew smiled at him and then looked at Madison. “Will you be able to come?”

“Umm, I want to but I shouldn’t leave my Gra...”

“Bring her, Madison,” Callie said with an energy that should be bottled.

“Nine people, Terry,” Liam said smiling. “We’re celebrating.” There was silence for a minute and then Liam started laughing and shaking his head, “No, it’s nothing like that. God, I wish,” he said as he handed the phone to Elias.

“Hey Terry,” Elias said with a confused expression and then he chuckled and grinned widely glancing at Jayden. “No, Terry, Jayden and Callie did not run off and elope.”

Jayden rolled his eyes at his parents. “Very funny.”

Liam pulled him into a hug. “One day soon, I hope,” he said, looking at him intensely and then smirked. “I want to be young enough to actually enjoy being a grandpa.”

“Oh for crying out loud, Dad, honestly,” Jayden said, throwing his hands up.

“Lighten up, Jayden,” Elias joked, as he began messing up Jayden’s hair before winking at Callie, who was blushing profusely.

Madison and Andrew were laughing at the interaction Jayden was having with his parents, who suddenly looked so carefree. Elias had none of the bad ass persona he displayed in court but was simply a father teasing his son, and the forlorn look that had been on Liam’s face earlier was suddenly replaced with a beaming smile and a carefree spirit. Andrew glanced at Aaron and Olivia as well and saw that they were both smiling, relief clearly evident on their joyful faces. After several minutes, the bailiff came over and ushered them all out of the courthouse, each party going their separate ways so that they could meet in a few hours for dinner. They definitely had something to celebrate tonight.

Madison pulled out her grandmother’s wheel chair from her trunk, setting it up and helping her grandmother out of the car. Her grandmother was not excited about going to the restaurant, feeling she would be a fifth wheel and that Andrew and Madison would probably want to be alone. She had told her granddaughter that she was comfortable in her home where she didn’t need to dress up, but Madison had been insistent. Madison had finally convinced her only when she had informed her that Aaron and Olivia would also be there.

“Come on, Grans. I want you to meet my friends,” Madison said, stroking her grandmother's long gray hair.

As Madison reached down to unlock the wheels to the chair, she sensed his presence and looked up, smiling as Andrew gleamed at her and then her grandmother.

“Hi Grans,” Andrew said, as he kissed her forehead. “You look really nice.”

Madison’s grandmother smiled and blushed slightly. “Thank you, Andrew. I hear congratulations are in order.”

Andrew nodded. “They are. I’m glad you could join us.”

“I’m not sure I had much choice in the matter. My granddaughter can be quite stubborn,” she said, glancing at Madison, who grinned.

“I wonder who I got that from,” Madison replied, standing up and kissing her on the cheek.

Andrew let his eyes roam up and down Madison, who was in a flower print sundress that tied around her neck and came to her thighs. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and she was wearing a pair of wedge heels. He came around and kissed her lightly on the forehead and then her lips.

“You are so beautiful, Madison,” he said huskily.

He gently ran his fingers along her long and sensuous neck and then placed them on her shoulders, letting them slowly make their way to her lower back. He ran his tongue over her lips, making Madison want him desperately.

“Let me help you.”

Andrew took over for Madison, who seemed to be in a trance, and pushed Grandma Downing’s wheelchair inside the restaurant. Madison grinned and shook her head, trying to get out of her Andrew induced stupor and watched as he parked her grandmother next to Olivia, who immediately hugged and kissed her. Andrew knelt down to lock the wheels and then pulled out the chair for Madison as he had seen Aaron and Jayden do earlier. Madison chewed on her bottom lip and looked down, unable to contain her smile.

“Grans, I’d like to introduce you my friends Callie and Jayden.”

Callie immediately jumped up and offered her a hug and a peck on the cheek. Jayden stood as well and shook her hand, bowing his head just slightly.

“Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jayden said politely. He motioned towards Elias and Liam. “These are my parents, Elias and Liam Bennett.”

They both smiled warmly at her and walked over. Each man kissed her hand and then went back to their seats. Madison was beaming. It was clear to her where Jayden got his country charm. As they walked back to their seats, Madison turned to her grandmother.

“And of course you know Aaron and Olivia,” Madison said, grinning.

“It’s nice to finally meet all of you. My Maddie speaks highly of each of you.” She then glanced at Aaron’s smiling face and motioned her head in his direction. “Now, don’t let his sweet demeanor fool you, Aaron cheats at cards,” Grandmother Downing said, much to the delight of everyone at the table.

“I do not,” Aaron replied with a hearty laugh and looked at everyone across from him. “Really, I would never cheat,” he said, batting his eyes innocently.

Everyone erupted in laughter when Olivia mouthed, 'he does' and Aaron nudged her shoulder playfully. Andrew was sitting next to Madison and casually took her hand into his, stroking her fingers tenderly. He still couldn’t believe that he was actually acquitted. That he wasn’t going back to prison. He had been sure that he would and was still floored with the way Mr. Bennett worked the jury and wondered if his fate would have been different eight years ago had he known Mr. Bennett then. Andrew glanced across the table when the waitress walked over to visit with Liam and Elias, who were deciding on what wine to order. It was clear by their interactions that they came here often. Jayden leaned close to Andrew.

“My dads love this place. They know the owner so we come here often, but I swear, it takes them an hour to order wine,” he said, shaking his head.

Andrew grinned and watched as Liam pointed out something on the wine menu and glanced at Elias, who shook his head and scrunched his eyebrows together. He said something to Liam as he pointed to something else. This went on for several more minutes until Jayden raised his hand to draw the waitress’ attention away from the dialogue happening with his parents.

“Can I have a Guinness?” he asked and then looked at his parents. “Why don’t you order a white and a red, that way it will go with whatever people want to order?”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Jayden,” Elias said, smiling at his son. “Babe, you pick the red, I’ll pick the white.”

Liam nodded with a spirited smirk on his face. As they were selecting the best wines for any possible meal, Jayden laughed and shook his head at them, thinking that this decision would probably take another ten minutes. He grinned and looked at his friends.

“When I turned 21, we went to Napa for a wine tasting tour. I swear to God, they drove the employees crazy.” Jayden winked at his parents when they both looked up from the wine menu.

“We did not, you’re exaggerating,” Liam said, rolling his eyes.

Jayden started laughing. “Really?” Jayden turned back to Aaron’s side of the table. “The dude leading the tour got so flustered he made a snarky remark that my dads should lead the tour, since they knew so much and, ya know, they totally took him up on that.”

Everyone glanced at the two of them, who looked at each other and shrugged.

“He wasn’t very good at his job,” Elias said, taking a sip of his water.

“No, he wasn’t,” Liam agreed and grinned at Elias. “He showed absolutely no enthusiasm for the task.”

Elias quirked the corner of his lips into a sexy smile as his eyes bore into Liam’s. Heat flushed his body as he remembered that particular excursion and the fun they had during the tour and afterwards.

“Afterwards, the owner of the winery actually visited with my parents,” Jayden interrupted before they got to the mushy part of the story that occurred after that.

“Yes, he actually offered us a job,” Elias said, turning to everyone. “But he was trying to be coy.”

Liam reached over the table and pulled Elias’s hand on his lap so he could squeeze it. Elias smiled at him and then Liam turned back to everyone with a bright smile.

“So, El goes, 'do you have any idea what I do for a living'?” Liam said mimicking Elias’ voice and mannerisms, all the while stroking his hand that was now resting on his thigh, “The guy stared blankly at him because he really had no idea who El was. He must not have watched the news very much because El had just finished this high profile case that got national attention so he was constantly on TV for a good month it seemed.” Liam shook his head and then arched his brow at Elias. “Tell them what you did?”

Elias was trying desperately not to smile because he had been a smart ass to the owner. But, in reality, the owner was being a smart ass to them as well. He shook his head and took another sip of water, slightly embarrassed.

“What did you do?” Olivia asked, generally curious.

Elias couldn’t stop smiling and then Liam chuckled and whispered something in his ear which caused Elias to laugh as well. Jayden snickered and motioned for everyone to come closer as if he was going to tell them a big secret.

“My dad whipped out his phone and pulled up a YouTube video of his latest press conference. So the guy just stares at him with his eyes big, like freaking saucers, and then actually had the audacity to ask if he could take a picture with him. He was all Mr. Bennett this, Mr. Bennett that, after that. He offered us a private tour and everything. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen.”

Elias grinned and shrugged while Olivia covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh and Aaron shook his head, chuckling. Andrew wasn’t entirely sure what was so funny but hearing Madison giggle next to him made him smile and laugh as well.

“I bet he went around showing that picture to anyone who went by. He probably had it framed so everyone could see it and now tells the tale of how he met the famous Mr. Bennett,” Aaron said when he finally stopped laughing.

“He did give us a special tour of the vineyard,” Liam interjected with a smile.

He glanced at Elias, who smirked, and then got a feral look in his eyes. Liam remembered the tour very well, and based on the look on Elias's face, he did as well. The owner had allowed them to walk off on their own while he visited with Jayden about the unusual carts they used to travel between the vineyards. Liam subtly licked his lips as he remembered what occurred when they were alone and how they had found this lovely tree that overlooked the vineyard. Liam’s mind wandered to what they had done under that tree and how perfect everything had been. He finally took a deep breath and looked down, needing to break eye contact with Elias before he did something he would regret. They never showed affection in public. It was something they carried with them from Texas and was now a way of life.

“The vineyard was beautiful,” Elias interrupted. “Something I know I’ll never forget.”

Elias stroked Liam’s fingers before squeezing his hand. It was then that Liam looked up at him with complete adoration before finally turning back to everyone else.

“Jayden refused to go with us the following day,” Liam finally said with a chuckle. “He just stayed at the hotel, video chatting with Callie. I think he thought we might embarrass him,” he said, grinning at his son.

Jayden rolled his eyes while Callie giggled next to him.

“What a lovely story,” Olivia said sweetly.

“You guys should go to Italy or something. Go to the source,” Madison said enthusiastically.

“That is definitely on our 'to do' list,” Elias replied with a smile as he squeezed Liam’s hand again.

Elias gave the waitress their wine order and a few moments later she came back around and poured wine for everyone. She then told them she would be back in a couple of minutes to take their dinner orders. Elias raised his glass once she was gone.

“To justice!” he said with a smile and then added, “And second chances.”

“Second chances!” Everyone said in unison and then took a sip of their wines.

People continued to talk and visit with one another throughout dinner, but as the night went on and the wine was refilled the stories became wilder and wilder. Even Madison’s grandmother told several stories, mostly about her late husband, who it was obvious she still missed greatly. Soon the musicians came out and said they would be playing and to feel free to dance. Aaron and Olivia were the first to go out, followed by a very tipsy Jayden and Callie.

“Are you getting tired, Grans?” Madison asked, rubbing her shoulders.

“I’m fine, Maddie. You two don’t need to babysit me,” she said, smiling. “In fact, why don’t you go dance.”

“Do you want to dance?” Andrew asked, loving the idea of holding her close.

She nodded and he took her hand. He pulled her close to him as they gently swayed to the music. They weren’t necessarily keeping in time with the notes being played like the other couples on the floor. They were in their own world, enjoying one another. Andrew unintentionally moved his hips against her in a way that immediately elicited a response from the two of them. As they slowly moved against each other their desire began to escalate. Madison needed him desperately and the thought that she would still have to wait several more hours to make love to him was driving her insane. By the time he walked her back to the table, Madison felt as if she were on fire. She quickly excused herself, thinking she needed to throw some water on her face to try and calm her raging hormones.

Andrew watched her make a hasty exit and gently tapped his fingers on the table. A few minutes later he jumped up, excusing himself as well. Liam and Elias, who had been watching the exchange, looked at one another and smirked, knowing exactly what would be happening next. Andrew waited in the hall and as Madison exited the bathroom his tongue swept across his lips as he jerked her inside the men’s bathroom and locked the door.

“What’s...?” Madison began to say but was stopped when Andrew pushed her up against the door.

Madison moaned as his tongue penetrated her mouth and his hand slipped under the hem of her dress. Madison wrapped her hand in his hair, pulling on it tightly while her other hand deftly maneuvered his pants undone. They both knew this was probably not the time or place for any of this but neither cared. All the pressure of the last several weeks, the worry and fear needed to be released. They needed to connect with one another desperately.

“Andrew...” she moaned against his mouth.

Andrew let out a deep and guttural growl as he lifted her up, one hand holding on to her and the other against the door. His mouth claimed hers once again in a wet and sloppy kiss that intensified when she wrapped her legs around his waist. Andrew was breathing hard as he tried to keep the steady and vigorous pace. He was so close, he needed this and based on her response she needed it as well. He was putting all of his chaotic up and down emotions throughout the day into this, releasing everything with every thrust he made. Madison’s hands were pulling and tugging on his hair with such force that she thought she was actually going to pull some of it out as she seemed to have no control over herself any longer. They were both gasping and panting and moaning loudly as their motions turned into what can only be called a primal frenzy. She was aroused beyond anything. She liked when they were out of control, when they could take each other with reckless abandon.