Layers Peeled (20 page)

“Yes.”

Where was he
going with this?

“Good, then
we’re going for a swim, my love.”

That wasn’t
what I had expected. Did he just turn down an offer from me he had
never refused before? Had I been too prudish upstairs? But swimming
did sound good. Perhaps after some exercise we could both go to
sleep. Although the moment I saw Tristan in those red shorts,
thoughts of a different tiring activity had begun to flourish in my
mind.

After thirty
laps of absolute silence, and me wondering how long Tristan would
last without touching me, we stopped.

“You’re a good
swimmer,” he said treading closer. “And I love looking at your
growing tummy. It’s beautiful.” He touched my skin around the
navel.

“A few more
weeks and we’ll feel the baby kick.”

“Really?” He
beamed from ear to ear.

“Yeah,
really.” I loved how the steam hovered and outlined him for me.

“I’m sorry I
couldn’t be there at the first two appointments.” The shadow of
guilt on his face was unbearable to watch. Both my ultrasounds had
been scheduled during his trips to Washington.

“Hey, business
is business. I know you’ll be there for the other ones.”

“Family is
more important than business. I promise I’ll be there. But tonight
I was hoping to get you in the hot tub; except you shouldn’t while
pregnant.”

“I know. And
how exactly were you going to get me?”

His hand slid
down my tummy and right into my bikini-bottoms, grasping my pussy.
I sucked in a sharp breath.

“Like this.”
His full palm covered my flesh, right there under the water where
anyone could see if they stepped out. And it felt exhilarating.

“Tristan,
someone will see.”

But he was
already taking charge of awakening my needs with his fingers, his
strokes stirring that deep tingling to surface closer to where he’d
first touched me. His foot pressed against my inner sole, forcing
me to spread my legs wider.

“Can you see
the house?”

I gazed
through the steam, “No.”

“Then they
can’t see us.”

He continued
to slide between my folds all the way to my opening, probing and
teasing me.

“But they can
hear.”

“Not if you
keep your mouth closed.”

And how
exactly was I supposed to do that? But it was already too late.
Tristan’s commanding fingers attacked my sensitive area with fierce
intentions. The little ripples that formed on the pads of his
fingers only added extra texture to his strokes, and I no longer
cared where I was or how loud I was going to scream.

“Tristan,
please.” My hips pushed against his violent yet provoking
onslaught, and I wanted it faster, for him to increase the
intensity to the breaking point. I wanted to come in his hand.
Tristan’s stoked me provocatively, knowing how to build my arousal
to the max before he would allow me a release.

“Please what,
baby?”

“More.” I felt
my grip tighten around his bulky arms, holding on for the support I
knew I was going to need because from within my core the
electrifying zaps were already beginning to shoot thought me.

“Like that?”
he asked lowering his mouth to my breast. He gripped my bikini top
with his teeth and slid it under my cups. His mouth ruthlessly
clamped onto my nipple, squeezing it between his firm lips, teasing
around the rim with his tongue before rolling it and sucking it all
over again.

And those
gifted fingers of his did things to me I could no longer control.
He rammed them in deep, and removed them only to slide the tips
along my swollen crevice to start teasing the peak of my bundle of
nerves with flicks and rubs that blew my mind.

“Yes.”

Yes, yes,
yes!
In my mind I sounded like a shampoo commercial model
screaming my lungs out as the swell of my orgasm burst through my
body. Yet my mouth pressed firmly against his chest, trying to
contain its delight. I buried myself in his arms, riding my rapture
until the end, letting Tristan take me to that place where troubles
and worries ceased to exist and all that mattered was the
connection between our bodies.

A soft kiss on
my forehead brought me back.

“Are you ready
to sleep now?” he grinned.

“Yeah, I think
you just fast-forwarded my clock by twelve hours.”

The steps
behind me echoed, their sound getting louder every second. But each
time I turned around, no one was there. The alley narrowed in front
of me. I couldn’t see its end, but knew it was there. A dead end:
it was so close. I would be trapped. Loud breathing joined the
steps. The far end of the alley where the walls connected into a
triangle drew near. This was it. The smell of a homemade cigarette
burned my lungs. My body whipped around to face the monster who had
hunted me for so long.

“Don’t worry,
you’re not quite ready yet,” he said, lowering his gaze.

“Get away!” I
screamed.

And he was
gone in a puff of a white cloud.

“Leave me
alone.” I felt my arms pushing through the thick smoke until
someone grasped my wrist.

“Allie, Allie,
you’re having a nightmare.”

I shot up in
the bed. It took a minute for me to get my bearings, but as soon as
Tristan encased me in his hold, the shaking of my body eased a bit.
By the time I realized I was safe in his arms, thousands of miles
away from Wright, the damage to my emotions was already done. My
arms and legs continued to tremble and my heart pounded against my
ribcage. I couldn’t catch my breath for a while, at least not a
deep one because each time I inhaled, I smelled Wright’s stinky
cigarettes.

“You’re all
right now,” Tristan whispered into my ear. “It was just a
dream.”

“I was
dreaming?”

“Yes, you
were. What about?”

I shook my
head and then leaned it back against Tristan. “Him.”

“Baby, you’re
safe. You’re both safe.”

I rubbed my
eyes. Morning had already come and we’d actually slept through our
first night in Vienna.

“What time is
it?”

“Breakfast
time. Are you up for it?” Tristan looked at me with worry, never
letting go.

“I’m all
right. It was just a stupid dream. Besides, I’m always up for
food.”

But the
tremors would not leave my body alone. I tried to remember what
Wright had said to me in the dream, but I couldn’t. It seemed
important. My head throbbed and I pressed my fingers to my temples.
I found it so frustrating that my instinct was trying to tell me
something through my dream, and I couldn’t remember what it
was.

We finally got
dressed and joined Gabe and Sam in the kitchen. Its extravagant
size didn’t take away from a homey feeling. I loved the cherry
cabinets and bamboo blinds in the window, now rolled up as the sun
wasn’t beaming through.

“Why don’t you
guys catch up and we’ll make breakfast.” Sam handed Tristan and
Gabe two steaming cups and sent them off. “Coffee or tea?” She
reached over head and handed me a mug as well.

“Tea, thank
you. What do you need help with?”

She poured the
herbal tea. The aroma of raspberry and mint made my mouth
water.

“There’s fruit
in the fridge if you want to cut it up. I’m making French toast for
everyone, if you’re all right with that.”

“Absolutely.
With my appetite these days, anything goes.”

Gabe and
Tristan sat with their laptops by the fireplace, and if it weren’t
for the darker expression on Tristan’s face I’d say both of them
were looking like they’d come off the set of Hollywood’s Buff
Hunks. The men in this family were definitely nothing to scold at.
But what had Tristan so worried? I had a feeling the gig in
Washington was turning out to be more trouble than it was
worth.

I glanced at
Sam, whose eyes seemed just as confused as mine.

“Are you
curious sometimes? About their work?” I asked.

“Yes and no. I
know there’s more to it than Gabe tells me, but honestly, I don’t
want to know. He wouldn’t do anything to put his family in
danger.”

“Neither would
Tristan, but I
would
want to know. Maybe it’s the ex-cop in
me?” I sipped on my tea.

“I wish I was
as strong as you.”

“Yeah, but it
gets me into trouble more often than not. In fact, trouble seems to
follow me all the time,” I laughed.

“Well, I’m not
a cop and believe me, it found me too.”

So was it
something to do with the Cross business after all?

My mother
joined us five minutes later, and we prepared a scrumptious
breakfast. When Sam had left for a moment, my mother finally asked
what I’d been dreading. “So, are you going to tell me the truth
now? Why are we here early?”

I bit my lip.
My mother had borne that suspicious look since we boarded the
plane. There was no way to avoid the truth now.

“Wright was in
New York.”

“Is it too
early for tequila?” Her nervous laugh vibrated along my skin. My
next step was to calm her the way Tristan had been soothing me. I
quickly recapped the events of what happened and closed off with
why we had come here.

“This home is
not connected to Cross Enterprises, me, or Tristan. And it’s
secure. Until Tristan figures out what Wright is up to, we’re
staying here.”

“I never meant
for you to run like this.” Her eyes saddened. She took the knife
from me and sliced the oranges.

“Mom, I have a
feeling Wright would eventually find you. This time we’ll make sure
he stays away for good. Now stop sulking and enjoy yourself. There
will be quite a few more people here in a couple of days and you
won’t be able to find a quiet spot in this house,” I said, scooping
the seeds out of a cantaloupe.

“Oh, this
house is absolutely beautiful, and everyone here has been so nice
to me. Really, I feel like I should do more.”

“You are by
being here with us. This is what families do. And soon we’ll expand
ours.” I rubbed my belly.

“Are you
feeling well?” she asked.

“Yes, we’re
doing just fine.”

When Sam
returned, we set the breakfast in the dinette by the patio door.
The sun shone brightly, its warmth filtering through the glass
here. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt in this house. But
it shouldn’t have surprised me. The Cross family had a way of
welcoming everyone with open arms, and so did Gabe and Sam.

“You two look
like you’ve known each other for a long time,” I said to Sam after
breakfast while we loaded the dishwasher. Tristan and Gabe went
back to work in the family room by the fireplace.

“It definitely
feels that way.” Sam glowed each time she looked at Gabe. Did I
have the same kind of look? “Now that Martinez is dead, I can
return to the US.”

“I heard you
went through hell.”

“I can cross
‘buried alive’ off my bucket list.” She chuckled, but the fear in
her voice was obvious; her memories probably as fresh as if they’d
happened yesterday.

“Sam, I assure
you Martinez is dead.” I took her hand.

“But he had a
boss.” Her voice trembled. Sam was still traumatized. “The same
boss who ordered Kendra’s kidnapping.”

“Tristan’s
told me they’re constraining him with new legislation. Someone that
size cannot be taken down overnight. Kendra’s safe as well. She’ll
be here soon.”

“How is she
doing? I don’t know if I could have survived what she did. Thank
you for getting her out of that mess.”

“In the end it
was her who saved me. I haven’t seen her since the incident. She’s
on a strict program, but Julian has promised she’ll be well in time
for the wedding.”

“You mean
Tristan’s brother? I sort of always thought she would get back with
Tristan. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s all
right. I understand they have a past. But Julian’s sort of into
Kendra.”

“And is he
good for her?” she asked, like a protective mother.

“From our
conversations, yeah, I think so.”

“It must be
difficult for you knowing she’ll be here. You know, given her and
Tristan’s history.”

“I’d be lying
if I said no.”

Tristan
regarded me as if he’d heard me.

“But I love
him and trust him with my life,” I added, winking back at him.
That
only lifted the scar on his lip.

“Then you
deserve to be happy just as anyone else. It does sound like you’re
good for each other. And I heard congratulations are in order for
you two.”

“The Pill does
not seem to work as well as it should when you’re under stress,” I
laughed.

Sam’s eyes
shot open and she covered her mouth. “That’s the only protection
we’ve been on.”

“Well, then
you better have a back-up plan, sister.”

“Nah, I think
we’ll start planning soon enough anyways. And then your little one
can have a cousin.”

An even larger
family? Could my life get any better? “I’d love that.” I embraced
Sam as if she was already my family, and she returned the
gesture.

The next few
days at the manor involved last minute preparations. Mr. and Mrs.
Cross arrived with Emma four days later with a van full of
packages, and Tristan’s little sister looked like she was in
wedding prep mode. Watching her order the men around, telling them
where to hang the lights or suspend the decorations, was like
watching a dominatrix in a bedroom. All that was missing was a
megaphone and a whip. Man, one day someone would definitely have
their hands full with Emma.

“So Emma, any
front runners for the baby names yet?”

“My lips are
sealed.” She made a fake zip gesture with her fingers in front of
her mouth.

But I knew
that was nearly impossible and waited patiently for her to spill
the latest gossip.