Reed (Allen Securities) (18 page)

Heather and Candice watched as she came back to the table and took a seat, lifting a child on to each leg.

Poking the closest biscuit, she made what looked like two eyes and a nose. She held it up to show them.

“What does that look like?” Olivia said.

“A biscuit!” The woman laughed at the funny reply from Lucy.

“No!” Tommy studied it a bit longer. “Eyes and nose,” he said point on his own face.

“What’s it missing?”

“Mouth,” they said in unison.

“When it’s cooked, we’ll be able to split the biscuit in two and make a mouth.” She showed them with her hands.

Lucy clapped her hands and set to work poking biscuits randomly, but Tommy took his time, making sure the holes lined up nicely.

“It’s not a good idea to let them play with their food.” Sarah’s sharp voice cut through the fun. Tommy froze.

A bolt of anger ripped through her as the little boy froze in fear. Something she knew more than she wanted to about.

“Actually, it’s been proven that young children have better cognitive development if they get hands-on stimulation. This is not just good for social and emotional growth but also for day to day learning. In the end, this could be the thing that sets them apart from their peers.” Olivia stroked the backs of the sweet babes on her lap.

Sarah blinked a few times, and Olivia was certain that she’d not only outtalked her, but put her in a position that if she complained, she’d look like she didn’t care about their development.

The woman narrowed her eyes at her and flipped the pages in the magazine with such force that they tore a little.

“We’re all finished poking your biscuits. What’s our next chore?” She turned to the women with a smile.

Candice leaned in slightly against her and pointed to the biscuit.

“I think we should put cheese at the top to make hair.” She shyly looked at Olivia. Heather smiled at her warmly.

“Oh that’s a great idea.” She laughed and looked at the twins. “What do you think of hair?”

“Hair,” they cried in unison.

Heather laughed. “I can see tonight’s meal is going to very creative.”

Olivia grinned at her. Creative was fun.

Chapter Eighteen

As she chatted with Heather, she found they had quite a bit in common. Before Candice came along, Heather was an editor at a book review magazine. She always found talk of books to be easy. Not everyone loved a book, but those that did shared a special connection.

The conversation flowed easily among Heather and Marilyn until a dark shadow filled the doorway.

“I need to have a word with you,” Reed said darkly from the door.

Tommy hit the table with his hand. “No,” he shouted at Reed.

The surprise spread across his face at the boy’s reaction.

“Not very popular?” Olivia bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“Not usually an issue,” he said quietly.

Her heart warmed at his explanation.

“I’m just going to go talk with Reed for a moment. You be a good boy, and I’ll help you tackle him.” She winked at Tommy, who grinned in response.

Olivia sat the children on the floor and followed Reed through the house. He stopped at the backdoor and picked up a light jacket on the hook.

“Put this on,” he said gruffly.

Olivia put on the jacket. It dwarfed her in size. She raced to catch up because of his long strides across the yard, but her princess shoes made it difficult.

“Reed,” she called, exasperated.

He stopped at the boating dock behind the house and waited for her. When she reached the dock, he took her hand and pulled her into the darkened shed. After flicking on a light, Reed leaned her into the door as it shut.

“Did you seriously just give me your letterman’s jacket?” She laughed nervously.

“Want to tell me why I got a call from Finn today?” His strong arms framed her head as he leaned dangerously close.

Olivia breathed in the familiar woodsy scent. “I was just taking care of things.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Reed narrowed his eyes at her. “You don’t need to take care of things. I’m doing that.”

“Well, maybe I’m sick of you taking charge and then faulting me for not being strong enough.” She leaned forward, nearly nose and nose with him.

“I’m not faulting you,” he said, his tone dangerously low. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”

“So you can put me off again,” she breathed out hard.

“No,” he nearly shouted. “So I don’t lose you.”

His mouth crashed down on her as he pressed her into the door behind her. She moaned as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He moved it in around in and out. Olivia threw her arms around his neck and quivered in his arms.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes.

“I can’t keep going back and forth like this,” she said quietly. “My heart can’t take it.”

Reed leaned forward and kissed her lightly on his lips. “You’re mine,” he whispered.

Olivia felt her panties get wet with his words. Hungrily, she launched herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Reed grunted at the pressure and met her hungry kisses with his own.

Wild with need, he sat her on the tool bench and released himself from the confines of his pants. After yanking her roughly to the edge, Reed pushed aside the little scrap of lace and was fully seated inside her.

Her muscles adjusted to the sudden intrusion. Never stopping, Reed slipped into her at a brutal pace. The table she was on banged against the wall with each thrust. Olivia leaned back and lifted herself off slightly.

The new angle put him in even deeper, and once again, he was nudging her cervix with each thrust.

Groaning loudly, Olivia felt her climax building.

“God, Liv,” he said between thrusts. “So beautiful.”

Olivia breathed in loudly as he picked up the pace and nearly screamed as she came around him. Moments later, Reed slammed into her one last time and hot jets of cum pounded her cervix triggering another climax.

One arm still around his neck, Olivia slowed her heart and reveled in the feel of him.

“Move in with me,” he said quietly.

Olivia leaned back in shock. “What?”

“I know it’s quick, but I can’t spend my days without you,” he replied.

It was about the most perfect thing she’d ever heard anyone say.

“Do you love me?” she asked.

“I…” Reed faltered. “I can’t live without you.”

Her heart sank. It wasn’t a confession, but it was about as good as she got.

She leaned forward and pulled him closer.

“Okay,” she whispered in his ear.

Reed shot back. The smile wide on his face almost made him look boyish.

He kissed her hard on the lips.

“We should get back inside,” she whispered.

Reed nodded and pulled out. As he did, his eyes shot to hers.

“I didn’t wear a condom.” He stared at her.

Olivia thought about this. She wasn’t exactly a kid anymore, and she did want children. She looked at Reed and his handsome features. No, it wouldn’t be the best timing, but there were no reasons it would be a problem.

Reed cleared his throat. “I’ll take care of you either way.”

“Do you want kids?” she asked.

A grin lit his face. “I’d like to get in a few more years of baby-making practice before that happens.” He winked at her.

Olivia laughed. She liked this Reed, the one that was actually carefree. After fixing her outfit, she walked hand in hand with Reed to the house.

“Why is my biscuit looking back at me?” Cage gave a confused look around the table.

The children giggled at the general confusion around the table, and Olivia loved the feeling she got from making them so happy.

Looking around the table, she watched how everyone interacted. The loving family was still something of a mystery to her. Sure, she understood what it was, but on a day to day level, the operation of a family wasn’t something she had ever really been exposed to.

Even when visiting friends, she had really only been around smaller family units.

This group was interesting. Dynamic in many ways. Not everyone got along all the time, but there was still a sense of unity. The argued about their favorite football teams or who would get the last roll, but there was always a sense of love.

She came out of her haze when a pair of small hands tugged on her. When she peeked down, a little blond head popped up.

“Want up,” Tommy said to her.

Scooting back slightly, she slid the little boy up onto her lap. Roving fingers itched to explore the contents of her plate. Olivia switched him to the other knee and slid her plate the opposite direction. After pulling her napkin from her lap, she took a plain biscuit and slithered it with butter and honey.

When she looked up, several were watching the exchange.

“Do you have any kids?” Candice asked from across the table.

Olivia shook her head. It wasn’t the first time someone had assumed she did.

“When I was younger, I had to do a lot of caring for my brother.” She winked at the girl. “Once you learn it, it’s hard to forget. Sort of becomes a habit.”

Marilyn and Heather nodded in agreement.

Sarah snorted her displeasure. “Yeah well, that isn’t stopping Tommy from dripping honey all over you.”

Olivia turned to look at the sticky toddler. The room fell silent as she surveyed the mess.

“Tommy, did you make a mess on me?” The little boy shrank back and nodded.

She leaned forward and took a big bite from his sticky biscuit.

“I love honey too,” she said around the mouthful.

When she turned back, Sarah shot her a sour look and went back to picking at her dinner.

Reed leaned into her to whisper in her ear. “You’ve got a little honey on your lips.”

He swiped a finger on her bottom lip and licked it off.

“Well I should really go take care of that.” She placed Tommy on a very surprised Reed’s lap and got up to go to the restroom.

Reed grabbed her hand and pulled her ear back to his mouth. “Maybe while you’re in there, you should knock off the sawdust.”

He grinned wildly as she pulled away. When she looked around, several were wearing the same knowing smirks. She shrugged and excused herself.

The rest of dinner went without much issue. Sarah sat sourly to the side, her husband doing everything in his power to make her happy. Olivia tried not to stare as she struggled to figure out their situation. Mason was great with his children and spent much of the evening doting on them. He seemed like such a great guy that Olivia had a hard time understanding the woman’s issues.

As the dinner neared an end, she felt worry creep in. There were so many things that could go wrong with her brother. She turned to Reed, who rubbed her back absently.

“Should we go soon?” she asked.

Reed nodded.

“Oh, you kids aren’t going are you?” Marilyn popped out of the kitchen.

“We’ve got a meeting tonight,” he said.

Pinning him with a hard stare, Marilyn moved in front of him.

“You be careful,” she whispered.

She swept Olivia into a warm embrace. She had never felt so loved.

Once outside, they walked in silence to Meg’s truck, where he pulled her into a crushing kiss.

“Go get dressed, and I’ll meet you at the office. Ryder is going to meet us at the dock in order to make the delivery.”

He pulled her in to softly kiss her lips again.

“See you soon,” she whispered.

***

The parking lot outside the security building looked too empty and alone when she pulled up. She parked next to Reed’s car and went into the building. The swish of her coat echoed in the great room as she climbed the stairs. The door to his office was open.

“So do you think we’re on track?” she said, coming around the corner.

Olivia stared in horror at the office. The file cabinets were lying on the floor. Files littered the floor. The desk had been flipped, and all the contents tossed around the room. When she looked at the carpet, red dots speckled the floor, and there was no question that a struggle had taken place. She only hoped it was the other guy and not Reed that had been hurt.

She jumped when her phone went off. Shaking, she pulled it from her pocket and looked at the screen.

“Hello?” Her voice shook.

“I assume you’ve seen my handy work,” the cool voice washed over her.

“Neil,” she hissed. Her stomach lurched.

“I have something you want, and you have something I want. Let’s make a deal.” The smile in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

“How do I know Reed is still alive?”

There was a rustle on the other end.

“Liv?” She nearly sobbed when his voice came over the line. “Don’t come. He’s not going to deal. Don’t come!” he yelled as the phone moved away from him.

“Call when you have Ben and the file,” Neil said coldly. “You know what will happen if you don’t call.”

The line went dead, and Olivia fell on her knees to the floor. She placed her hands in front of her and breathed in deep. There was no winning with this. Either way Reed would die. She thought about calling the cops. No, that wouldn’t work. Neil would kill Reed the second he heard any sirens. She sat back on her heels and fought the tears that threatened to come.

She stared at her phone. There was only one option in this.

She pulled up Meg’s number.

“Meg, I need you to call everyone to the warehouse. Something’s happened to Reed.”

***

“She isn’t going to come,” Reed spat out. His arms had been tied behind his back, and his legs taped to the chair. He struggled to get out.

Neil leaned forward. “Oh, she’ll come.” A wicked smile spread on his face. “Or maybe she’ll pick her brother over you. Either way I get to have my revenge.”

Neil lunged forward and cracked Reed in the mouth with his fist.

“Revenge?” Reed spit blood onto the floor.

“I was so close to making a name for myself in this town,” Neil snarled at him. “Then you and that bitch Niki had to fuck it all up for me.”