Ending with Forever (18 page)

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ntil I witnessed it for myself, I couldn’t fucking believe how heinous my father is. There isn’t anything he isn’t willing to do to keep his fortune—murder, kidnapping, blackmailing, and torturing—that’s just naming a few. Bridgette and I flew to Fort Wayne to visit her Aunt Lia who’s been in hiding for the past twenty-two years. After seeing her again, I remembered her sweet face. She was the mystery woman who was kept in the far wing of the mansion. That was the one area of the house I wasn’t allowed to roam around or play in. Granddad used to remind me every time I came to visit him. I only saw her a few times when Uncle Collin snuck her out to the rose garden for some fresh air. It was always very brief. He’d give me candy or some kind of treat to persuade me to keep his secret. I never told anyone because even as a child I felt sorry for her. She never spoke and always appeared depressed. I didn’t understand why she was so miserable then, but now I do. She was kept a prisoner against her will.

It wasn’t easy to convince Lia to open up to us. We were two strangers at her door asking her to blindly handover her trust to us. She wouldn’t allow either one of us entrance until Bridgette mentioned her grandfather and grandmother’s name as well as her mother’s. Bridgette also showed her pictures of them, which stirred painful tears to spill. It had been so many years that she’d lost.

My father’s threat was still very real for Lia. I saw it in her trembling brown eyes and hands when she heard his name. She didn’t want to defy the devil who could still cause her daughter great harm. Bridgette assured her that Marcus would handle everything. From here on out, she would no longer have to live in fear or as a commoner. Lia corrected Bridgette straightaway. “I’m not a commoner. I’m a nurse and a damn good one, too.” It’s the Ly women’s spitfire that makes them so fucking enticing. I chuckled at her comment, which earned me a stiff look from Bridgette.

Lia had a hundred inquiries for Bridgette starting with, “How’s grandmamma? And why are you here with this man?” I knew exactly what she was implying. She knows my face as Carson Bradley and not Wes Montgomery. She wanted to know why I’m not with her daughter. Bridgette disclosed that I’m a Montgomery—Chandler’s adopted son. Her face turned a grayish shade as she panicked. “He’ll tell his father everything.” She coiled her arms around her chest in defense, shrinking away. As I watched her fall apart in fear, I felt more apathy for my father. He had scarred this woman so deeply that she was afraid to run to safety, even though it was begging and waving her over.  

“
A-yi-
, he’s nothing like his father. He’s a good man who’s here to help you and Lillian,” Bridgette explained, trying her best to calm her aunt who was still shook up. “He and Carson are twins,” she blurted out without my consent, slipping the rug from under my feet. I was livid. That should’ve been my decision to disclose, not hers. Lia turned her attention to me, studying my face with her cautious eyes. She was deciding whether or not she should trust me.

“I don’t understand,” Lia surrendered. “Lily never mentioned anything about a brother. She spent the night with me this past weekend. We talked about everything. Neither one of us slept at all that night.”

“Carson doesn’t even know that he’s adopted. It’s complicated and probably not the best time to bring this up, but I need to prove to you that you can trust Wes,” Bridgette expounded.

“
A-yi
-, Bridgette is telling you the truth,” I cut in. “Mimi is still the same Mimi, self-centered and cruel. As soon as I could speak, I was told I wasn’t from the Montgomery bloodline. Thank God I’m not. After knowing what my father has done, I have no desire to be associated with him. Like Bridgette mentioned, I’m here to help you and Lillian. You can trust me,” I assured her. She still didn’t seem convinced. Who could blame her? I’d have a hard time swallowing all that crap, too.

“You just told me you’re here to help me and Lily. Is she in some kind of danger right now?” she asked worriedly. “Please be honest with me. She’s all I have. I’ve worked very hard all these years to keep her safe.”

“She’s with Carson. He won’t let anything happen to her,” Bridgette pledged. “She’s well taken care of. We’re here to bring you back to grandfather. He misses you very much.”

“This is a lot to process. I don’t know what to say,” she frets. “I can’t go. This is home for me. As far as I’m concerned, Marcus is already dead to me,” she snipped, exposing an obvious grudge she still held for him. “I just want to see my sisters and mother.”

“Please forgive him. Mama told me he’s been punishing himself ever since he married you off,” Bridgette pleaded for her granddad. Lia refused to respond. She appeared to be just as stubborn as Bridgette. I didn’t want to put my two cents worth in because I honestly understood how Lia felt about Marcus. Once he’s set his mind, he’s a downright tyrant and inflexible no matter how hard you try persuade him.

“Lia, will you at least consider paying a visit sometime in the future?” I persuaded, using my most charming voice—not that I believed it would budge her mulishness.

“I will, but only for my mother and sisters,” she finally agreed. Her consent was enough to make Bridgette smile, widening her red lips to a beautiful curve.

~~~~

Bridgette insists that I accompany her to a meeting with Carson as soon as the jet lands.
What am I going to I tell him when I see him?
I’ve been chasing the thoughts running madly in my head. No matter what I disclose, nothing will settle well with him. I’m his brother, but my father is his hated opponent, putting me on the wrong side. How will he trust me? I wouldn’t trust me if I was him.

“Wes, we’re here,” Bridgette tells me. “The driver is waiting for us.”

“Are you sure it’s wise for me to come with you?”

“Yes. This is the best time for you to expose your father—before everything goes down, so Carson doesn’t think you’re a coward. He’ll see a brave man prepared to stand up to his father. You’ll earn his faith this way,” Bridgette enlightens me. She’s brilliant. Her mind always operates strategically. “The brother thing can wait, but I don’t know how he’ll miss it when he sees his face while looking at you.”

It’s past 7:45 a.m. and Carson is still lying lazily in bed with me. I convinced him to take one of his prescribed sleeping pills this morning after he woke up for the second time. His lack of sleep is catching up with him. His eyes are sunken in with dark tread marks along the bottom. I don’t know how he’s able to function at the office. I’d be a walking zombie if I was him. Grazing the back of his neck and trailing up to his cheek I meet his lips with a rousing kiss. “Morning,” I whisper into his ear so I wouldn’t startle him.

His lids flutter slightly before they open halfway with his sluggish smile. “Morning, angel,” he answers, lifting his head drowsily off the pillow. “I’m late for work. Aren’t I?” I nod with a cheeky grin. “You’re a naughty influence on me. Before you, I didn’t even know the word tardy. After you, I’ve played hooky for a month, called in several times and now I have two tardy marks against my record. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my unprofessional conduct at the office. I’ve had sex twice on my desk and once on the sofa. What am I going to do with you?” I shrug my shoulders, smiling innocently. He reaches his arms out and captures me, making me shriek unexpectedly as I fall backward into his chest. “How’s my baby doing today?” he asks.

“I have a horrible craving for a delicious alpha male,” I tease as my bottom backs into his very stiff morning bulge.

“Do you now?” His hands caress my tender breasts, kneading them delicately. “I was referring to the little sprout in your belly,” he murmurs along my neck and then nips my skin. Those darn goosebumps won’t stay dormant when Carson’s around. They have to be in the limelight, covering every surface on my body. “But I won’t leave any cravings of my other baby unmet.” He rolls on top of me and cages me under his very sexy, hard frame. “You know the drill. Spread them, sweetness.”

“Yes, honey.” Willingly, I submit to his command. I want him to take me to the edge of a glorious sunset and persuade my body to melt under his unrelenting heat. We could stay there for eternity and I’d be happy as a lark and I’m confident he would be, too.

“I love that you’re always wet and ready for me,” he groans after dipping two fingers inside me. There are advantages to sleeping in the nude—no barriers to slow us down.

The reverberating sound he makes when he’s stimulated excites me to no end. “How can I be anything but wet around you?” I gasp as my breathing quickens.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he croons before submerging his thick muscle inside me, parting my walls, satisfying my addiction.

“Ah…,” I exhale, releasing the weight of my body into the bed. His movement is slow and deliberate, not rushed. His attention is locked on me, mesmerized by our intimacy. The feel of his warm lips and the smooth edges of his teeth grazing against my skin is tantalizing and intense. He’s a sensual biter, especially when he’s extremely aroused. It’s never painful and feels out of this world. What I’m left with at the end of a mind-blowing orgasm are tiny, pink, Carson-sex marks. I wear them proudly. I’m halfway to the edge of my golden sunset, but he needs to give me his all—harder and faster to get me completely there. Should I beg him? Would I sound desperate? Do I really care? No. “I want more,” I pant, clenching his tight ass with both hands.

My plea lights a blazing fire in his gleaming eyes like an explosive match stick. “You want more, baby? I’ll give you more,” he tells me, crashing his mouth into mine. “Brace yourself,” he warns me as his palms glide under my buttocks to give them a boost. My mound is pressed firmly against his erection. “I’m going to give you a morning fuck you’ll think about all day.” He grinds his pelvis against my clit, hitting it relentlessly over and over again until my body starts to tremble, going into an orgasmic shock. But he’s not done with me yet. My thighs are supported with his forearms while he’s on his knees thrusting in and out of me at a downward slope. “Ah…fuck.” His eyes roll back. He’s close. But he’s still not done with me. My body is flipped over so I’m lying face down with his on top of mine. His knees spread my legs apart, the left and then the right. Again he enters me, driving his rod forcefully while he secures my arms above my head with his. My breathing is labored, hindered by the bed sheet ruffled around my face. I’m overcome with sensations, tingling from head to toe. I’m exhausted, but still greedy for my sunset. “Have you had enough?” he asks, kissing along my shoulder and breathing heavily also.

I want to say no, but I fear he’ll go for another hour. My body can’t handle another hour. “Yes,” I surrender.

“Are you sure?” he confirms. Against my better judgment, I shake my head. “I didn’t think so.” Slowly, his firm shaft surges in and out of me like a steady tidal wave teasing the border of a coastline. His lean, tone muscles, coated with perspiration, glide back and forth along my entire backside. This is the melting I was craving for. Every thrust pushes me closer to my sunset until I finally let go. I see bright colors: yellow, gold, red and orange and then I feel heat bursting inside me. The overpowering sensation runs up and down the length of my tensing body. I want to hold on to it for as long as I can, but just like lightning it comes and goes violently and fleetingly. The aftermath I’m left with is a sex glow, a gratifying smile and a hunger for more. Damn. He’s so good at this.

“I think you’re really late for work now,” I gasp. “Your boss isn’t going to like that.”

Grinning, he replies, “You think he’ll fire me?” He kisses my forehead, peels his body off mine and strides into the shower.

I lay here flat on my front, still coming down from my high. It might take me awhile to drag myself out of bed. Between the pregnancy and my orgasms, I’m all spent. Unfortunately, I don’t have any time to spare today, especially since Carson is still here at the penthouse instead of BPC. As soon as he’s out the door, I have to put my new plan into action. Rather than trapping Luke in one of the bedrooms that he’ll easily break out of, I’m going to give him a couple of Carson’s sleeping pills. It’ll knock him out for a few hours until I get back from Sasha’s place. This plot is fool proof. All I have to do is confirm that Carson has removed all the other bodyguards.

“Angel, what are you up to today?” Carson hollers from his side of the closet. “Want to meet me for lunch? I can have Luke drop you off.”

“I’d love to, but I want to tackle that enormous pile of charts in your office,” I fib. This will be my very last lie. After today, I’ll never be dishonest with him again.

“Alright. Don’t work too hard,” he tells me disappointedly as his bottom hits the edge of the bed.

“I won’t,” I reply.

“Good.” My handsome CEO, dressed to intimidate in his black three-piece suit, gazes dotingly down at me and cups my face in his hand. I can’t imagine how many women from his past have dreamt of a moment like this with him and here I am lathered with his undivided attention and love. Yes. I’m blessed. “I want to start a tradition with us.”

“What kind?”

“A morning and an evening I love you. It should always be the first and last thing we hear from each other,” he expresses glumly. Is he trying to tell me something? Is he facing another danger I don’t know about? I can’t help being paranoid.

“I love the idea but why do you so sound sad?”