Rescue Me (11 page)

“Whatever! Like you and Luke don’t do the same thing! Who in the hell are you trying to fool?”

We fall into another round of laughter. As our silly conversation winds down, we talk briefly about getting together this weekend. After we hang up I don’t even have the strength to get up off the couch, so I toss my phone onto the floor and fall instantly asleep.

Chapter Thirteen
Adam

My heart, my head, and even my cock are so fucking happy today. Without a doubt, nothing has ever felt as good as being inside of Erin. I have never gone without a condom before, but with her I just want to fuck her like a wild man, come inside her, and coat her with my scent. By no means did I want her to be sore, though. Even though she said she was fine, I could tell by the way she walked this morning that I fucked her too hard. But hell, I can’t help myself when it comes to her. I feel myself start to harden already just thinking about her. Thank God I’ve already dropped Sierra off at school. How creepy would I have looked walking her up to the door with a damn hard-on?

Attempting to get myself out of this cluster fuck of morning traffic, I finally get on the road and head over to the construction site. The sound of my phone buzzing catches my attention. When I look down and see it is Erin, a rush of panic starts to set in.

“Hey, is everything okay?” I ask anxiously, snatching it up. The sound of her sweet voice puts me at ease.

“Yea, everything is fine. I just wanted to tell you that Shelby will be here tonight. I tried to tell her she didn’t have to come, but once she gets something in her head you can’t change that girl’s mind.”

“I think it will be great for her to visit with you. I know how much you miss her and Sierra was so excited when you told her. She talked about Shelby the whole way to school.”

“She is so giddy about having her here.”

“Does she need to be picked up at the airport?” 

“No. Are you kidding me? Miss Independent? No way, she is renting a car. She should be here around seven, she said.”

“I can’t wait to meet her,” I say as I pull into the site.

“You say that now, but that girl has a mouth and she talks faster than a whippoorwill’s ass, so just be prepared. Even with all of that, my little sister has a heart of gold and I am so thrilled to see her. Anyway, I am going to go to the store and get a few things. Is there anything you need?”

Damn, I have never had her ask me if there is anything I needed from the store before. I like it. As a matter of fact, I fucking love it.

“Sweet cheeks, the only thing I can think of that I need is you.” I hear her sharp intake of breath and as she stumbles over her words I chuckle to myself.

“Well, you have me,” she finally gets out.

“Oh yeah, lover girl. I had you all right, and I want more of you. Remember I said not to buy anything to make for dessert because there isn’t anything that will satisfy my sweet tooth craving like the taste of you, so let’s give that sweet tasting, addictive pussy of yours a few days’ rest. If you’re only going to the store for me you don’t even need to, because I can survive off of eating you every day for the rest of my life,” I speak with certainty.

“Adam, you’re driving me crazy here. How can you talk so dirty and sweet at the same time?”

“It’s easy when you’re all I think about. Now, I would love to sit here all day and talk about every part of you and especially how perfectly shaped your ass is, but I have to get these guys moving on this house and I have a meeting in an hour.” I push my hard-on down for what seems like the hundredth time today as I say goodbye. I am going to die with a permanent fucking hard-on, all because my dick has found his home and Mr. Happy wants to become a damn homebody.

************

Jesus Christ. I am about ready to throw this damn phone. The son of a bitch has been ringing all damn day with people wanting to know when their homes will be done. I want to tell them to quit changing the original plan around and it will get done. This is the only part I hate about owning my own construction business - the constant phone calls. As much of a perfectionist as I am, I don’t trust anyone else with dealing with the day-to-day task of dealing with a client. I haven’t gotten shit done today. I toss my phone on the passenger seat of my truck, but suddenly the thought of going home to my girls puts me in a better mood. That is, until I start to pull out of the driveway and the motherfucker rings again.

“What?” I answer harshly.

“What the hell crawled up your ass and died today, Adam?” Shayne asks, annoyed.

“Oh, hell. Sorry about that, brat. It’s been one hell of a day and all I want to do is get my ass home and have a beer. So what’s up? How’s my Lucy?”   

“Lucy is perfect and so is my husband, by the way. Thanks for asking.”

“You’re so funny, little girl.”

“Anyway. I talked to Erin today and she told me everything.”

“What do you mean, everything?” Fucking girl talk!

“All about Shelby coming and that you guys...”

“Stop! I am not talking to you about this shit.” I have to pull the phone away from my ear because she is laughing so hard and loud.

“Adam, I love you. And I just want to say thank you for bringing my friend back to life. She is the happiest I have ever seen her.”

“Hey, Shayne. No need to thank me. I am falling for that girl. Hell, as far as I know, I already have. Listen, I am pulling into the drive but if you guys aren’t doing anything this weekend I thought about having everyone over for dinner and a campfire on Saturday.”

“That sounds perfect. Let me ask Luke, and I know the girls would love the fire. I will call you tomorrow and let you know.”

“Sounds good, brat. Thanks for the call. Give Lucy a kiss for me, would ya?”

“I will. Bye.”

I enter the house and something smells so fucking good.

“Daddy! You’re home!” Sierra beams when she sees me, and runs right into my arms. Damn, that word feels so good to hear from her.

“Hi, Butterfly. Did you have a good day today?”

“I did! I keep looking out the window for Aunt Shelby. She called and said she should be here soon.”

My little girl is so excited her eyeballs are about to pop out of her head as she bounces up and down. She takes off running and perches herself right in front of the window. When I enter the living room my heart actually starts to beat faster as I take in the picture of both her and her mother staring out the window. It takes all of a few seconds for them to get up and take off running towards the front door as I notice a bright red sports car pull into the drive.

Peeking out the window, I watch the three of them embrace each other. I give them a couple of minutes and then I step outside. In a few long strides I am staring into three identical sets of eyes. Erin introduces us.

“Shelby, this is Adam. Adam, this is my baby sister.”

“Holy crap, Erin! You little bitch, you didn’t tell me how yummy he is! Hell, I may have to go back home and think of a dish to name after him at the restaurant,” Shelby grins. I am in love with this woman already. I watch the two sisters exchange some kind of stare down between them.

“Shelby, watch your mouth in front of Sierra,” Erin remarks.

“That’s okay, Mommy. Aunt Shelby says bad words all the time. I remember that one time when she said…”

“Sierra, enough. Come on you guys, I have lasagna in the oven and before you say a word about my lasagna, Shelby, it’s grandma’s recipe.”

My girl is a feisty little thing when she is around her sister, and I love it. I full out throw my head back and laugh because even though these two sisters look so much alike, they are such opposites. I have a feeling things will be all kinds of interesting around here as I am going to see a whole new side of my girl Erin I never even knew existed.

“What’s so funny?” Erin asks and puts her hands on her hips acting like she’s mad.

“Just wondering what’s up with the lasagna remark,” I say and shrug my shoulders as I place my hands in my pockets. The minute those words come out of my mouth the sisters start laughing like crazy.
Must be some inside joke
, I think to myself.

“My sister thinks she knows how to cook, that’s what’s funny,” Shelby laughs.

“Shut the hell up, Shelby,” Erin mutters under her breath.

“Come on, Aunt Shelby! Let’s go inside. I want to show you my room,” Sierra pipes up, bringing the sisters out of their own little world.

“You betcha, my angel. Let’s go.” Shelby reaches down and picks Sierra up.

“Aunt Shelby, guess what?”

“What, baby girl?” Shelby stops and listens to Sierra as she whispers something into her ear.

“Oh, really?” Shelby turns and gives me a peculiar look and continues into the house with Sierra.

“What was that all about?” I ask Erin as I carry Shelby’s suitcases into the house and set them down by the front door.

“I have no idea, but don’t worry about it. Shelby is totally harmless. She just likes to think she is a badass.”

“I am a badass, biotch. Don’t you ever forget it.” Shelby saunters back into the living room minus Sierra. “Look, I am just going to put this out there before Sierra gets back in here. I am here to make sure that rotten prick doesn’t come anywhere near my sister or my niece ever again. Thank God that precious little girl in there has no idea what kind of monster Joel is and that she doesn’t remember anything about him. However, she startled me a few minutes ago when she told me
you’re
her daddy. These two have been through so much, especially my sister here.” She pauses and I stand there watching tears form in her eyes as she continues. “All I am saying is, please don’t hurt them, Adam.”

“Shelby, Adam’s not like that, he would never do anything to hurt me. I have told you this,” Erin says.

I turn to face Shelby, pulling Erin in front of me and wrapping my arms around her waist.

“I would never do anything to hurt either one of them. That little girl in there is my daughter in every sense of the word. I love her, and as for your sister, I care about her, too. For the first time in my life I feel like I am building a family here, and that family now includes you.”

Erin sighs as she leans her head back on my chest.

“Well then, welcome to the family, Adam. But I will chop your balls off if you hurt either one of them, and I mean it.”

Damn. As I look into her eyes, I actually feel my dick shrivel up the tiniest bit because something tells me that this chick’s bite is as big as her bark.

************

“Mission accomplished,” I tell Erin and Shelby after I finally get Sierra to sleep. “I am going to go take a shower and let you two catch up for a bit.”

“Okay, Hot Stuff,” Shelby smirks before taking an elbow to the gut from Erin.

My shower feels good as I let the jets beat down on my back and neck. Standing underneath the spray I let my mind drift to this morning. I picture Erin’s naked body as I held her in here. My thoughts are suddenly jerked away as I hear screaming and yelling coming from downstairs. I dry myself off as fast as I can and throw my sweats on just as I enter the living room. What. The. Fuck? I come to a dead halt.

“You stay the hell away from them, you fucking piece of shit! I will kill you, you rotten motherfucker, if you ever come near them again!” Shelby is screaming.

My eyes go to the subject of her tirade and I finally come face to face with Joel.

Chapter Fourteen
Erin

I freeze when I open the door and see Joel’s piercing stare glaring at me as he demands to see Sierra. The first thing I want to do is run to her and wrap my arms around her to keep her safe. My nails are digging into the skin on my hands and a lump has formed in my throat. My entire body is shaking. In a moment Shelby shows up by my side and gets right in his face yelling at him, and that is the moment I realize I will fight to keep him away from my daughter.

“Shelby, you have always had a smart fucking mouth on you, but do you honestly think I am afraid of your empty threats? I have every right to see my daughter.” He points his finger directly at me. “If you do not let me see her, I will take your ass to court.”

I will not break down. I have seen him a lot angrier than this.

“Joel, let’s take this outside. Sierra is sleeping and there is no way we are waking her up.” I direct my attention right at him and even though my insides are shaking like a leaf, I hold my head up high. I will not back down when it comes to the welfare of my child. I trust this man about as far as I can spit.

“I got this, Erin.” Adam comes up behind me and puts his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulders. “I am only going to say this to you once, Joel, and you’d better listen very fucking carefully. One, do not
ever
show up at my house again. Two, don’t ever threaten my woman again or you will be dealing with me, pal. Trust me when I say I will hurt you in more ways than you ever thought possible. Three, there is no fucking way I will ever let you come near Sierra, so get the fuck out of here, you fucking spineless piece of shit.”

Adam is pissed off I can tell, but he is staying so calm.

“Ah. You’re fucking your boss. I always knew you were a fucking whore,” sneers Joel.

Adam flinches and he starts to remove his hands from around me but I place my hands over the top of his and firmly try to hold them in place.

“Leave now, Joel. We mean it,” I state very firmly. Joel turns to leave but not without getting the last word in.

“This is not over, you dumb bitch. I will see my daughter and there isn’t a damn thing any of you will be able to do about it,” he threatens.

I don’t think I breathe again until I hear his car start up and pull away. I feel my legs give out and if it wasn’t for Adam I would collapse to the floor.

“Oh, God. What am I going to do? He’s a monster. He can’t be anywhere near her!”

I can’t help myself, I feel like an emotional wreck from this sudden situation life is throwing at me. I don’t even realize that I have dropped to the floor until my sister is by my side. I sob with such force that my entire body is trembling.

“Please don’t let him hurt her. Oh, God, please,” I quiver as I try to speak.

“Shh. Come on, Erin. You know we would never let him get anywhere near her, or you either. Now look at me, sis,” Shelby commands.

I raise my head and stare into eyes that are so much like my own. My baby sister cups my face softly and starts to wipe away the tears that are so swiftly falling.

“Don’t let him break you again. Don’t do it. Not when I have finally gotten the sister I love so much back. You have come so far and you’re so strong. Honey, please?”

“I am so scared, Shelby,” I cry as I try and stand back up on my wobbly legs.

“You have every right to be scared. But look at the support system you have here.” She points to where Adam is standing. “You have a man who adores you. I mean, I have been here for only a few short hours and hell, the way he was eye-fucking you at dinner got even me all hot and bothered for Christ’s sake.”

If anyone can make me laugh and cry at the same time, it’s my sister. She has a way with words that makes you want to laugh your ass off.

I absolutely hate feeling helpless when it comes to Joel. If I would just let my conscience speak for itself, I would be so much more balanced and at peace. When I turn to look at the man I am one hundred percent sure I love with everything within me, my vision becomes clearer as I see nothing but love glancing back at me.

I take small steps until I reach Adam and when I do, all sense or reason is locked away tightly. He says nothing to me but instead lifts me into his arms and carries me down the hall. I twist my head around to glance at my sister and mouth, ‘I love you’. I get a wink and an ‘I love you, too’ from her. I lay my head on Adam’s chest and the comfort of just being in his arms soothes me.

“What are you doing?” I whisper as he places me on the edge of the bed.

“Stay here, babe. I will be right back.” I sit there for a few minutes contemplating everything that has happened this evening. I know Joel so well. He will not give up. For whatever reason he is here to try and hurt me, and my inner self knows the only way he can accomplish that is through Sierra. What he doesn’t know is, I am stronger than I was, and I will be damned if I let that prick of an excuse of a man get his hands on my daughter.

Adam comes walking back in trying to juggle a bottle of wine and several candles in his hands. I just sit there with my mouth hanging open as I watch him enter the bathroom. I tilt my body as far as it can go on the bed so I can stare at the sight of his beautiful, tight ass in his sweats. I never even noticed he didn’t even have a shirt on as I watch him light the candles and turn the lights off in the bathroom.

He saunters in to the bedroom and lowers himself in front of me. After he removes my socks, he kisses each one of my toes and then places them delicately back on the floor. Meeting my eyes, he sticks out his hand for me to take. I put my hand in his and he slowly lifts me off the bed and strips me of all my clothing.

“Go climb in the bath. I hope the temp of the water is okay for you. Let me just check on your sister and make sure she is okay, then I will be in to join you.”

Inside the bathroom, I see all the candles around the tub and the bottle of wine sitting on the floor. I step in and immerse myself in the water. The temp is perfect and the aroma coming from the bubbles smells so good. It’s my favorite wildflower scent. As I lay my head back, I smile over the fact that Adam seems to know exactly what I like and need. Like the fact that baths calm me, and that I love wine and candles and the smell of wildflowers. For such a tough man, he really is a romantic when it comes to taking care of me. I love the fact that when I talk, Adam really listens to what I am saying. It doesn’t matter what I am talking about, he listens, and the most important thing is he remembers everything I tell him. I love the way he is with the girls and the way he cares for Shayne. He is the first person to jump in and protect those around him that he loves. I simply love him. I shoot straight up in the tub after that latest revelation. I do. I love him.

The expression on my face must be a shock to Adam as he steps into the bathroom gloriously naked. I do a double take at the hottie standing before me. Damn, I have the urge to just climb out of this tub and have him take me right here. He bends down and picks up the bottle of wine, bringing it to his lips and taking a giant swig. I simply watch as he drinks half the bottle. Even that is sexy as hell.

“From the way you are looking at me, I would guess you’re happy to see me?” His tone is cocky as hell when he pulls the bottle from his mouth. I have to give myself a mental headshake before I can finally speak.

“I am always happy to see you,” I reply huskily.

“Good, now scooch your sexy ass up so I can climb in there with my woman and hold her, because something tells me she needs it right now.”

Oh, hell. Here he goes with the Mr. Romantic side again. When he climbs in and has me positioned how he wants me, he reaches for the bottle of wine. I take a long sip as he puts it to my lips.

I lean back on his chest. “You know, I have never drunk expensive wine straight out of the bottle before. I kind of like it.”

“I’m glad you do.” He gently starts to run his hands up and down my arms. “I need you to tell me that you’re okay, Erin. You have come so far and I don’t want him to set you back.”

I am not sure how to answer that, so I give myself time to think for a minute before answering him the best way I can.

“I won’t let him tear me down again, that’s for damn sure, but I do think it is time for me to tell you some of the things he did to me.” I turn and look deep into his eyes and try to decipher whether he is going to be able to handle what I am about to tell him. He simply nods. I turn back, not wanting to face him as I speak. It amazes me that I can go from seeing Joel for the first time in years, to thinking about how lucky I am to have a man like Adam, then back to thinking about Joel again. So with a small sigh and a feeling of confidence and contentment, I relive my worst nightmare all over again.

“One night Joel came home extremely drunk. How he even drove home, I have no clue. Sierra was sound asleep, thank God. I was just sitting on the couch reading and I have no idea what set him off but he went ballistic. He started hitting me, then threw me down on the floor where he continued punching and kicking me. I think he may have broken a few ribs that day but I was too scared of him to go to the hospital for fear he would take Sierra. You see, he always threatened to take her if I ever told anyone about the things he did. I was so naïve. I didn’t know anything. I believed he would take her and I would never see her again.” I pause as Adam tenses behind me. “He raped me that night.”

Adam takes in a sharp breath. I lay my hands on his legs to try and comfort him as much as I can. He goes to speak but I give his leg a tight squeeze as if to signal to let me finish.

“It took all the love I have for my daughter for me to keep going because all I wanted to do was die as I laid there after he got up and went to bed. I laid on that floor for hours, Adam. I just couldn’t seem to get myself up. I felt so dirty. I couldn’t believe my own husband had just done that to me.”

“Fuck! I want to kill him for even laying his hands on you. And to think you went through all of this on your own.” The tone of Adam’s voice is furious yet compassionate.

“I wasn’t alone. I knew I could get up and go get Shayne and Sierra and I could have left right then and there, but instead I showered and cleaned myself up the best I could. For days I couldn’t get the smell of him off me. I hid myself away inside the house. The worst part is that a couple of days later, he came home hung over yet again and he... he hit Sierra.”

Adam slams his fist against the side of the tub. “That fucking son of a bitch! Fuck! How dare he even lay a finger on that precious girl?”

“It was horrible. I felt as if I had failed her as a mother, and I had. The thing is, I don’t know if I would have left Joel for raping me. I might have stayed even after that, if only he hadn’t put his hands on my daughter. That same day, Shayne came knocking on the door because I wouldn’t answer my phone. I told her what happened and she begged me to get the hell out of there. So we planned my escape. The next night Joel came home drunk again and slapped me around a little more, but this time Shayne was waiting for him and we called the police.” I exhale and wait for Adam’s reaction.

“Did you tell the police about him raping you, or about what he did to Sierra?”

“No. And that is my biggest regret. The only ones who know are Shayne and Shelby, and they both tried to convince me to tell the police, but Adam, I just wanted to be done with him and never see him again. I don’t think anyone ever understands unless they have gone through something like that themselves. I may be a coward because I didn’t press charges, but he lost everything because of what he did. He lost his job and his parents and brother were angered at what he had done. I have no clue if they made peace with him or not. He took off and no one has heard from him until the phone call I got the other day.”

“I don’t know what to say to this except, you are the strongest woman I have ever met. You made it. It makes me want to kill the son of a bitch for hurting the two of you.”

I turn my body completely around to straddle him, not in a sexual way because that is not what either of us needs right now. I do it to look in his beautiful eyes to let him know I really am all right.

“I am okay, I really am, and I owe it all to you. You see, I never thought I was worthy of being loved or having anyone love me back. And even though this isn’t the way I wanted to tell you, I need you to know that I am deeply and absolutely head over heels in love with you. No matter what Joel’s reasons are for being here, I will not let him destroy me again. I will fight him this time with everything I have, not only for me, but for Sierra and for you, too.”

Adam lifts both of his hands and cups my face, softly running his thumb over my bottom lip.

“Do you realize what you just told me tonight proves to me and to yourself just how strong of a woman you really are?”

I simply nod because for the first time in years I feel strong, and as I sit in this tub staring at the man who I just confessed my love to, I vow I will take my last breath before I ever let Joel take that away from me again.