Pretty Bitches (12 page)

“Make sure you get behind my ears.” I teased.

He laughed out loud then pulled me into the shower where he baked my mind.

CHAPTER 4:
THE FARMHOUSE

H
e shut the shower and grabbed two towels. Everything had happened so quickly I was still stunned. My mind was racing while I toweled off. Why is he here? What does he mean he loves me? He said he would never let me go again—what does that mean? All these questions were bubbling through my mind.

He read me like a book.

“Stop analyzing, Gemma. I can practically see your brain devouring itself for answers.” He said, running the towel over his messy wet hair.

“I’m just confused.” I turned to meet his gaze. “This just doesn’t seem real. It’s just so much to take in…”

He stroked a finger across my cheek. “It is but don’t shut it down, love. I can’t take that freeze out again.”

I nodded because I felt the same. There was no way I could survive that again.

We continued in silence. He watched my every move in the mirror with a glazed look in his eyes. It was the first time that I had ever let a man into my bathroom and certainly the first time I let one stay for more than ten minutes after my eyes first opened.

That thought made me snicker and I just shook my head. He raised an eyebrow and I just shook my head again,

“Nothing.” I said.

He stared at me but the look was so adoring. I leaned over and placed a kiss to the center of his shoulder blades. Once my teeth were thoroughly scoured I walked to the closet. When I opened the door and turned on the light a bag was packed and waiting by the entrance. I studied it for a moment and glanced over my shoulder.

“What the fuck is this?”

He laughed out loud. “Oh, yes, well, Marriett has done the honors of packing your shit. I have no idea what you women require so I relied on her expertise.”

He spit toothpaste into the sink and wiped the towel over his mouth as he leaned against the sink crossing his feet at the ankle.

I stared at him dumfounded. “I’m still wondering how the fuck you got in my bed last night. I don’t know if I should thank her or fire her. She let a stranger into my bed. You could easily have come equipped with a scalpel intent on experimenting new torture methods on my body.”

He smiled wide and stalked toward me as he said, “Oh, Gemma, the only thing I wish to torture your body with is my cock.” Then he grabbed my face and battered my tongue.

That made me snort. I turned and continued on into my closet. “Well, could you at least tell me what I need to wear?”

He slipped behind me. “Wear a dress and skip the panties, there are things I want to do on the journey.”

I shivered.

An hour later we were having breakfast and coffee in the kitchen. I noticed Marriett lurking in the darkness watching with a huge grin on her face. He gave her quite a show, too. His hands were like snakes slithering and inching over my entire body. I never complained because honestly it was the best sensation of my life.

Once I cleared our plates he grabbed my hand. “Get ready, gorgeous. You’re going to love this.”

I was smiling like an idiot enthralled with his enthusiasm.

Then it hit me.

“Wait. Holy fuck.” I smacked the heel of my hand on my forehead and angrily fisted my eyes. “My job. Fuck. Ok, you are seriously wrecking my career, Cailen. God, what is
wrong
with me? I can’t believe I just fucking forgot like that…”

He cupped my face. “Its taken care of, Gemma. I’ve already been in contact with your office and they seemed thrilled with the notion of downtime for you. Apparently someone has been a raving bitch the past few weeks.” He was smiling, absolutely thrilled with him-self.

I blinked several times then busted into a round of hysterics. He was my match—my other half.

Marriett basically shoved me out the door while I was giving detailed instructions of what needed to be done while I was away. Cailen simply shook his head and smiled.

Elliott wore a mask of smugness on his face. But nothing could rain on my parade today. I simply rolled my eyes and smiled. We folded into the seat and he instantly reached for my hand pulling it into his lap. Getting used to this type of physical contact would he hard.

When we pulled to the private airstrip I gave him an extreme eyebrow.

He laughed, “I fucking hate flying commercial. I hope you don’t mind.” He threw me a sinister smile and I laughed out loud.

He tested my no panties theory the entire way up the steps to the plane. I wouldn’t admit it but it gave me a thrill each time his hands touched my skin.

We finished the entire bottle of Glenlivet and had a tray of hors d’oeuvres before the plane landed. As soon as we stepped off the plane I knew exactly where we were.

Scotland.

My heart skipped several beats. I didn’t know how to feel about being back here. It’d been three years and my emotions were still raw. I glanced over and he was watching me intently. I wanted to say something but my mouth and throat were so dry.

He placed his hand on my back and stroked. I felt an immediate sense of ease drift over me with his touch.

But I froze.

I turned back to the entrance of the plane and he grabbed me tight.

“Gemma, you need this.” He said as he buried himself in my neck.

I took several deep breaths. “You have no idea what you are asking of me, Cailen. I’m not ready, I can’t do this.” I said shaking my head.

He simply grabbed my hand and pulled me down the steps. Before I knew what was happening we were climbing into the back seat of a car and driving away. I watched as the familiar landscape passed before my eyes.

We whizzed through the streets of Edinburgh. People were walking, laughing and my heart felt heavy as lead in my chest. When I noticed the familiar road we traveled and the noticeable thickness in the trees I knew where we were going and my already mangled heart broke apart.

My childhood home.

I leaned forward resting my elbows on my knees as I tried to control my breathing. It felt as though a boa constrictor was squeezing my chest. He wrapped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into his side.

When we turned onto the long dirt drive my heart broke into a sprint. Everything looked exactly the same as it had twenty-five years ago. The trees were taller and fuller but it was precisely what I remembered walking every day.

When the farmhouse came into view tears spilled over my cheeks. Even the paint was the same. I recognized the huge oak tree situated in the front of the house where I used to escape and play out my fantasies every afternoon.

The car stopped at the front steps and Cailen reached for my hand opening the door and pulling me out. Once my feet were planted on the gravel I’d walked on thousands of times I just stared at the structure. Remembering the front window I’d broken when I tried to learn baseball. My eyes rolled over the scene and I could feel the happy memories flood my soul.

The front door still had the crack in the glass where I’d been too eager to get outside and play and had ran face first into the glass. I looked over and he was soaking up my reaction. My eyes darted back and forth between his face and the house.

After several moments I pulled him tight against me and buried myself in his chest. Somehow he knew exactly what I needed and had given me the one thing no one else could—closure.

Slowly he pulled my hand closer to the stairs and then stood in front of the door. He gave me a questioning eyebrow and I nodded. Then he took out his keys and placed it in the lock turning the knob.

Once the door swung open I was the first one to step across the threshold. Even the smell was exactly what I’d remembered. The furniture was different and placed out of order but it was all too familiar to me.

My feet pulled me into the room and I walked around touching walls and surfaces letting memories flood my eyes. He stayed close by my side and let me discover the place I used to call home.

My attention drew automatically to the kitchen, which was just several paces away. I looked at him and gave a pleading gaze and he squeezed my hand. I turned back and began walking forward.

The horrible memory of me stalking around the corner as a child thinking this was another game of hide and seek came to the forefront of my mind. When we rounded the corner and I took in the scene I wasn’t prepared for the round of hysterics that exploded from my body.

I began to shake violently and the sobs were deep as I began screaming and crying holding my chest tightly. His arms encircled me and he began to whisper in my ear,

“It’s ok, sweetheart. I’m here. Nothing or no one will ever hurt you again, I swear to God.” He chanted over and over.

After several minutes I pulled back and fisted the heels of my hands over my eyes.

“I try so hard to forget what I saw that day. My beautiful granpy lying there still, staring at the heavens. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t see his face flash in my eyes.”

Cailen touched my face and wiped a tear from my eye. “I know, Gemma.” He stepped closer until his face was just an inch from mine. “I want you to face this so we can move on together, love.”

I scrunched my eyes together and gave a slight smile knowing he was right. I pulled my hand from his and inched forward. The farmer’s sink had the familiar faded yellow stain and the window still held the flower box I once had to water everyday. My fingers trailed the surface of the wooden island I spent so much time preparing vegetables while my granpy readied the meat.

My sigh turned into a smile as I remembered the endless days I spent in this room—the heart of the house, granpy called it. Cailen let me explore for nearly two hours. Every step I took grounded me to a halt with another memory.

Finally I turned to him.

“Thank you.” It was the most honest two words I’d ever spoken.

His responding smile was beautiful. “Love is a powerful thing and you’ve just shown me how much of that I have for you, Gemma.”

A tear spilled over my cheek as I cupped his face in my hands. “And I you.” I sealed that declaration with a kiss.

We walked through the rest of the rooms downstairs and then he guided me up the steps. My feet became heavy as I approached my old room. The familiar creek of the floorboards filled the silence as I stepped in front of my door.

After a deep breath I turned the knob and opened the door. Again, the furniture was different but the bones were the same. I walked in and went straight to the closet door. When I opened it a huge smile spread across my face. The drawings of my family were still etched across the old wood. My hands traced the figures as I closed my eyes and remembered the faces of the people I loved so much.

Cailen appeared beside me and stroked my hand.

“Did you draw those?” His voice was full of surprise and awe.

I smiled. “I did those right before he died.” I pointed to my granpy’s face etched in ink on the door. “That is exactly how I remember him.”

He didn’t speak for several minutes then he turned me to his gaze.

“This was my room. I can’t tell you how many nights I placed a pillow against that frame and stared at those pictures thinking what a happy family that must have been. I’d never felt the bond and love of a family but that was the closest I ever came—staring at your drawings.”