Translucent (31 page)

“Stop fidgeting,” Madden says as he places his hand on top of mine.

I calm my fiddling fingers and look over at him in the driver’s seat with a sigh. “How do you expect me to not be anxious? It’s terrifying enough to meet your parents, but I have to do it in a bathing suit surrounded by a bunch of other family and friends I don’t know,” I protest.

“Everyone will be wearing a swimsuit, Blake,” he pulls his gaze from the road and sweeps his eyes over my body with a hungry smile, “but none of them will look as stunning as you.”

I roll my eyes and fix my line of sight forward. Underneath my cobalt blue floor-length sundress is a solid black bikini, which Madden insisted I wear, even though I only wanted to bring it with me
just in case
people were swimming. I’ve been silently praying for rain since I found out this celebration was a swimming party, but as I gaze out the windshield, it’s evident with the clear blue sky my prayers have gone unanswered. At least my scars are almost completely faded.

He lifts my hands to his mouth, kissing each one softly. “We’re almost there. Stay by my side and I’ll introduce you to everyone. I promise they will all be very nice.”

A few minutes later, we pull up to a beautiful home that looks like a larger version of Madden’s with its sand-colored stucco, burnt orange clay roofing, and immaculate landscaping. There are five or six other cars parked in the driveway and in front of the house, which I assume are people here for the party. We both get out of the car, and he immediately grabs hold of my hand and leads me around the side of the house directly into the backyard. The minute we step into the secluded oasis, a woman—who is no doubt Madden’s mom—makes a beeline towards us.

“Madden, you’re here,” she calls out as she strides towards us. Her blonde hair is styled in an elegant French twist, and her sparkling eyes are the exact shade of blue as her son’s. Dressed similarly to me, she’s wearing a long, printed sundress with bathing suit straps exposed around her neck.

“Hello, Mom,” he greets her with a warm embrace. As they part, he introduces me. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Blake,” he says, resting his hand at the small of my back. The combination of him using the word
girlfriend
and the physical contact helps calm my racing pulse a tiny bit.

I smile politely and extend my hand out to her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Decker. Thank you so much for inviting me to your home.”

She glances down at my hand and then back up at my face; then, taking a step towards me with a huge grin, she engulfs me in a hug. Startled by the movement, I gasp lightly before returning the gesture. I hear Madden chuckle lightly at my response.

After releasing me, she takes a step back with her face still lit up and says, “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Blake. Our Madden speaks so highly of you; his father and I’ve been looking forward to this, but he didn’t tell us how gorgeous you are.” Taking my hand in hers, she tugs lightly. “Come with me. I want to introduce you to everyone.”

Overwhelmed by her gracious welcome, I allow her to drag me away, my nerves appeased a little bit more. I gaze over my shoulder at him with wide eyes, and he simply shrugs with a sheepish grin. I’m going to kill him later.

Nearly an hour later, I’ve met almost everyone at the party, including Mr. Decker, as his mom has led me around the backyard, while name after name has been thrown at me as I attempted to catalog each one with the image of the person. I’ve become quite good with remembering faces over the past couple of years, and by the end of the tour of introductions, I’ve added over twenty new ones to memory. Much like Mrs. Decker, who insists I call her Mallory, mostly everyone is extremely nice, making me feel comfortable and at ease. There are a few fake smiles here and there, primarily from the younger females, but nothing too concerning.

The entire time, I could feel Madden’s eyes on me—I assume ready to come and rescue me if necessary—but by the time I make it back to his side, I’m quite proud of myself. As soon as I’m within an arm’s length of him, he reaches out and grasps my waist in his strong hand, pulling me in snug to his side. With no qualms about public displays of affection, he bends down and presses his lips to mine in a forceful kiss.

“I missed you,” he moans into my mouth. “You weren’t supposed to leave my side.”

I playfully slap his chest, laughing softly. “You didn’t do much to save me when your mom kidnapped me.”

“She didn’t kidnap you, sweet girl; I knew where you were at every moment. I was here waiting to save you if you needed it,” he confirms, still nipping at my lips.

A loud noise from the other side of the yard catches my attention, so I tear my mouth from his to witness Emerson and Easton’s grand entrance. I still haven’t figured those two out yet. She’s his assistant at the office, and based on what I interrupted the evening I brought Madden dinner, it’s safe to say they have a more-than-professional relationship. They attended the charity gala together, and have now shown up here together, which would lead me to believe they are a couple, but she makes no attempt to hide her dislike for me, and I don’t quite understand why.

“The circus has arrived,” Madden grumbles lowly. I whirl around to ask him about their specific affiliation, but Emerson’s shrill voice pierces the air before I get a chance.

“There’s the birthday boy,” she yells out as she leaves Easton’s side and rushes over to where Madden and I stand, nearly pushing me out of the way to throw her arms around his neck.

Without being overtly rude, Madden peels her arms off of him and forces a small tight-lipped smile. “Emerson, it’s nice to see you too. Thank you for ensuring my brother made it.”

I turn my head towards Easton, who shoots his older brother a disparaging look, and then veers off in a different direction to talk with some other people. I’m not sure what is going on, but the tension between the two siblings is obvious, and I make a mental note to ask Madden about it later. Thankfully, one of the other young women calls out for Emerson’s attention, and she flits across the grass to greet her.

Mallory announces the food is ready shortly thereafter, and I follow Madden’s lead to the buffet table that’s been set up under the covered patio. We both load up our plates with the delicious-smelling food and find a place to sit with several others. Conversation flows easily around the table, and I find myself having an excellent time. It’s the first time I’ve seen Madden in a social setting around his friends; typically, outside of work, the two of us are alone when we’re together. His charm and congeniality are always on display as everyone around him obviously enjoys his light-hearted banter and easygoing attitude.

Once I’m finished eating, I excuse myself to the restroom, mainly to ensure I don’t have any food stuck in my teeth and to wash my hands. Following his directions, I slip in the backdoor, not at all surprised by the perfectly-decorated interior of his parents’ home, and make my way down the hall. I make quick work of freshening myself up, and then head back towards the door I entered through to rejoin Madden outside. As I grow closer to the kitchen, I hear two female voices in a hushed, but still audible conversation, and immediately, I recognize one of them as being Emerson’s. Knowing I should continue walking outside and not eavesdrop, curiosity gets the best of me, and I slow my strides to a silent tip-toe until I’m close enough to hear them, but still stay out of sight. I’m hoping to find out what’s going on between Madden and Easton, as I’m sure Emerson is well aware, which make me a little bit jealous.

“I’m so confused,” the unknown voice says. “Why did you show up with Easton? I thought you were with Madden? Who’s the new girl?”

My stomach coils up in a hard knot instantly, and as much as my head tells me to leave and not listen to the rest of this exchange, I just can’t.

Emerson laughs an annoying, bitchy cackle. “Easton is just fun; he and I have had an understanding since high school that it’s just sex, and that’s all it will ever be. We can work together and fuck regularly, and it suits us both fine. Madden, on the other hand…” her voice trails off for a minute, “…I think he’s having an early mid-life crisis because of everything that’s happened with their dad and the stress of having to take over the company, so he’s found this little girl to play with. It boosts his ego, I suppose.”

“But what about the two of you?” the other girl asks.

“I’m sure once he gets tired of playing
Daddy
, he’ll be back. Once she finds out what a freak he is in bed and invites Easton to join them, I’m sure she’ll run for the hills. I’m surprised she’s managed one Decker brother this long; there’s no way she’ll be able to handle them both.”

I silently spin on my heel and rush back to the bathroom, emptying all of the food I’d just eaten into the toilet. My entire body is trembling over the words I just heard. My brain is overloaded as the questions begin to mount. Madden and his brother share girls? He’s planning on doing that with me? Knowing how upset he’s been at Easton over his irresponsible behavior, I can’t believe any of it. Is that what their issue is about right now? Sharing me? My breaths grow more and more shallow as I begin to hyperventilate. Stepping over to the sink, I splash some cold water on my face and rinse my mouth out, but it’s no help.

“Blake, are you in there?” Madden’s voice carries through the wall as he knocks on the door. “Are you okay?”

I can’t answer him. I have no idea what to say. I need to get out of here.

“Blake, unlock the door.” He bangs louder. “I’m worried about you.”

I don’t want him to alert anyone else, and if I don’t open the door, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Slowly, I reach out to the knob and twist it, allowing him inside the small restroom. He barges in, takes one look at my face, and knows something isn’t right.

“What’s wrong, sweet girl? What happened? Did something trigger a flashback?” he asks, closing and locking the door behind him before pulling me to his body.

“No,” I whisper into his chest, my body still quivering.

He strokes my hair, attempting to soothe me. “What is it then? Please, tell me what happened.”

“I-I uh…overheard some people talking about you…and me,” I admit.

“Who? What were they saying?” His loud voice booms through the enclosed space.

I pull back from his arms and stare up into his worrisome eyes. If this is where it ends, I decide I might as well tell him exactly what I heard. “It was Emerson. She was telling some other girl that after you’re finished playing
Daddy
with me, and when I refuse to fuck you and Easton both, you’ll be running back to her.” With each word that tumbles of my mouth, I become more and more enraged, until I’m pounding my fists on his chest as mad tears stream down my cheeks. “How could you not tell me? What do you think I am—a play toy?”

The worry in his eyes rapidly transforms into furious rage; however, instead of raising his voice, he speaks to me in a desperate whisper. “Blake, look at me and listen to every word I’m about to say. I have never lied to you before, and I don’t plan on starting now.”

The tears won’t stop, nor will the wild beating of my heart, but the conviction in his voice and the pleading of his eyes compels me into believing what he’s saying. I nod, keeping my stare locked on his.

“Do you remember me telling you about finding out about my ex-fiancé cheating on me? Well, it was Easton she was sleeping with the entire time we were together. When all of that happened, I was heartbroken and devastated, but even more than that, I was filled will hatred and contempt for my brother. In an extremely immature attempt to get back at him, I slept with Emerson, who at the time I thought meant something to him. I soon found out they were basically just fuck buddies, and he didn’t give two shits if I was fucking her too. Shortly after it all happened, we were all at one of our parents’ parties, and the three of us ended up getting shit-faced together, and…well, one thing led to another.”

He reaches up to touch me, but I jerk away from his hand. “Finish the story,” I demand through clenched teeth.

“That was about eight years ago, I guess, and ever since then, she’s just kind of hopped back and forth between our beds. On a few occasions, we’ve all been together again, but that hasn’t happened in over a year. I know it sounds fucked up…it wasn’t supposed to happen; it just kinda did. Then, about a year ago, I started seeing this other girl, Polly, casually—or so I thought. She took things to be more serious than they were, and became borderline psychotic and stalkerish, so Emerson and I pretended to become a couple to get rid of her. We started hanging out a lot more, and she told me she stopped sleeping with Easton, which I really didn’t care about. She was and always has been just a convenience; I’ve known her since I was a kid. I’ve never had serious feelings about her. It’s nothing like what we have; nothing has ever been like us.”

We stand there staring at each other, both realizing the crucial magnitude of this moment in our relationship. I believe him—I really do—but I’m still in shock over the entire story. In good conscience, I can’t get mad at him for not telling me about his past; I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface in revealing my own to him. Although the entire thing is a bit
fucked up
, as he so eloquently put it, it doesn’t hold a candle to the inferno of fucked-up-ness in my history.

“Do you want to share me with Easton?” I ask in a hoarse whisper.

He picks me up and sits me on the countertop; then, positioning himself between my legs, he crushes my lips with his, branding me with a single kiss. “I am yours, and you are mine. I don’t want to share you with anyone. Ever. And I don’t expect you to share me either. All we need is us.” He sucks my bottom lip in-between his teeth while threading his fingers into my hair. “You and me, sweet girl. Always.”

My breath hitches as a flood of moisture surges southward to my sex. I’m not sure how the man does this to me, but I don’t want him to stop. He presses his cock against my pussy, causing me to whimper into his mouth. “Talk to me, Blake. Tell me what you’re thinking. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you.”