“Sure thing, Emerson.” He smiled.
I stood next to Alex and kissed his cheek while holding on to one of the lobster’s claws. Once the boat took us back to the dock, we thanked Rick and Devon and began walking back to the cottage.
“That was really cool.” Alex smiled as he kissed my head.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
“That was something I never thought I would like doing.”
“See how fun life can be when you step out of your corporate world?”
“Yes, and speaking of which, we need to head back tomorrow.”
“I figured as much. I’ve spent enough time here anyway.” I laid my head on his shoulder.
When we got back to the cottage, Alex turned on the fireplace. “Come here,” he said.
Walking over to him, I fell right into his arms. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” My lips touched his.
His fingers unzipped my hoodie and he slid it off my shoulders. Unzipping his, I tossed it on the floor and lifted his shirt over his head. He went to take the hat off and I stopped him.
“Leave it on.” I smiled.
“Really?” He arched his brow.
“Yes. Really. I find it incredibly sexy.”
He laughed as he lifted off my t-shirt. “Fine. But I don’t want you wearing a damn thing when I fuck you.”
He reached back and unhooked my bra, letting the straps fall down. Groping my breasts with his strong hands, I reached for the button on his jeans as he did mine. Kicking them off, we tossed them to the side and Alex laid me down on the floor in front of the warm fire.
“Are you warm?” he asked as his tongue slid down over my breasts.
“Very.” I smiled as my fingers tangled in his hair.
Hooking his fingers into the side of my panties, he pulled them down and slid his tongue along my soaking wet opening, forcing me to have an orgasm. My body shook in delight as he grabbed hold of my hands and held them over my head.
“I enjoyed that.” He grinned.
“Me too.” I smiled as I stared into his beautiful brown eyes.
He rolled on his back and pulled me on top of him. “Ride me, baby.”
I moaned as I smashed my mouth into his and felt his hard cock at my opening. He thrust inside me and I gasped. Sitting up, I took him all the way in and slowly moved back and forth, circling my hips a few times and watching the expression of pleasure on his face. His hands groped my breasts and his fingers played with my hardened nipples. His low moans were getting louder, as were mine the faster I moved. His hips thrust up and he moved in and out of me at a rapid pace, causing me to ride the wave of another amazing orgasm.
“Fuck, baby. Go. Don’t stop. I’m so close,” he whimpered.
Riding him faster, his grip on my hips tightened as he strained and poured himself inside me.
My heart was racing at the speed of light and my breathing was rapid. He pulled me down on top of him, holding me tight while I buried my face into his neck. We lay there for a few moments in silence, trying to regain our normal breathing rate.
I lifted my head and kissed his lips. He smiled as he pushed my hair from my face. “You are amazing.”
“So are you. Not to ruin this beautiful moment, but I’m starving.”
He chuckled. “Me too.”
I climbed off of him and we went into the bathroom and took a shower together. The tub was really small, and it was difficult, but nonetheless, we made it work.
After having lunch, we did some shopping. We stumbled upon a small art gallery not too far from the cottage. Hanging on the wall was a portrait of the Bass Harbor Lighthouse.
“Is this the same painting your parents had?” Alex asked.
“No. It’s different. It’s so beautiful.” I ran my finger along it.
Alex called the sales lady over and told her he would like to purchase the painting.
“Really?” I asked excitedly.
“Of course, Emerson. We’re going to hang this in our house as a memory of the start of our future together as a couple.”
My heart melted when I heard him speak those words. I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head on his chest.
“Thank you, Alex. And you said you weren’t a romantic guy.”
“To be honest, I never was until you walked into my life.”
****
Alex
We were sitting on the plane, sprawled out on the couch with Emerson’s head on my lap. She was finally coming home where she belonged. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. I loved her so much and I never wanted to be apart from her again.
“Emerson, there’s something I have to say.”
“What is it?” she asked as she looked up at me.
“Just because you’re coming home doesn’t mean you have to stop seeing the places on your map. I promise you that we’re going to go to all the places you have left. You’re never going to have to go alone again. I want to see everything you and Emily talked about. I want to explore the world with you.”
She gave me a small smile as she reached up and placed her hand on my cheek. “Thank you. That means so much to me, but if you noticed, the map is almost full of red circles.”
“Then how about we start our own map?”
“Really? Do you really mean that?” she asked in excitement.
“Yes. I really mean it. I would do anything for you.”
****
We were finally back in California and Phillip was waiting for us with the Bentley.
“Welcome back, Emerson. I hope you’re here to stay.”
“I am, Phillip, and thank you. It’s good to be home.”
Opening the door to the house, Parker came running to us.
“Oh my God! There’s my baby,” Emerson screeched as she bent down and Parker licked her face.
“Welcome home, Mr. Parker and Emerson.” Jenna smiled.
“You can call him Alex. You’ll confuse the dog if you call him Parker. Right?” She looked over at me.
“Right.” I slowly nodded my head. “You may call me Alex, Jenna.”
“Oh. Okay,” she spoke with a hint of fear in her voice.
I grabbed both of our bags and headed up the stairs, Emerson following behind. When we reached my bedroom, she stopped in the doorway.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Making sure it’s okay to step inside His Majesty’s quarters.”
I took in a deep breath and glared at her for a moment. With a smile on my face, I walked over to her, picked her up, and carried her inside the room.
“This is our quarters now, Your Highness.” I softly kissed her lips before setting her on the bed.
Parker ran into the bedroom and jumped on the bed, jumping all over Emerson.
“Do you like this bed, Parker?” she asked as she grabbed his face.
I stood there watching her play with the dog, and my heart melted. I knew she’d make a wonderful mother someday.
“There’s something I need to do,” she spoke with seriousness.
“Adam?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
Walking over to the bed, I sat down next to her and Parker went wild all over me.
“Why don’t we have him over tomorrow for dinner and the two of you can talk.” I grabbed hold of him and pinned him down, rubbing his belly.
“I think it’s best if I talk to him at his house. Come here, my little baby.”
I leaned over to kiss her.
“Not you. The dog!” She smiled as she got up from the bed.
“I don’t think I’m going to like sharing your attention with the dog,” I spoke.
“I have plenty of attention to go around,” she spoke as she grabbed my face and kissed me.
Chapter 37
Emerson
The next morning, as I was cooking breakfast, my phone rang and it was Adam.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey. I saw you called last ni
ght. I was out and, by time I got home, it was too late to call you. Where are you?”
“At Alex’s house.”
“I see.”
“Adam, we need to talk. I need to talk to you.”
“I’m going to the cemetery at eleven o’clock. If you want to talk, that’s where I’ll be.”
The tone of his voice was flat. He was still hurt and mad at me and it killed me inside that I did that to my brother.
I took in a deep breath. “I’ll meet you there.”
“When you turn into the cemetery, take a left on the first turn. Go down about a quarter mile and their graves are on the left.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
Just as I set my phone down, Alex walked in with Parker.
“Did he go?”
“Yep. He sure did.” He walked over and kissed me. “What’s wrong? You seem upset?”
“Adam just called. I’m meeting him at the cemetery at eleven to talk.”
Alex sighed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be okay. This is something I need to do on my own.”
“Okay. But if you need me, I can be there in a flash.”
I broke our embrace and kissed his lips. “I’ll be okay.”
“I know you’ll be.” He softly smiled. “Is breakfast ready? I’m starving.”
“Yes. Breakfast is ready. Go sit down.”
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Nah. You only love me for my mad cooking skills.”
“Maybe, but I also love you for your mad fucking skills.” He smirked.
“Get your ass to the table, you dirty-talking man.” I slapped his ass with the spatula.
“Make sure you bring that to bed tonight.” He pointed at me with a grin on his face.
****
The pit of my stomach was twisted in knots as I pulled into the cemetery. Making a left on the first turn, I saw Adam’s car parked at the curb. I pulled behind him and took in a long, deep breath as I got out of the car. Feeling sick to my stomach, I leaned against the car for a moment to collect myself. I could see Adam straight ahead, kneeling on the ground. Slowly walking over to him, I stared at the headstones that displayed my sister’s and parents’ names.
“Hey,” I spoke as I placed my hand on my brother’s shoulder.
He turned and looked at me, squinting his eyes as the warm sun beat down on us.
“Hey. Thanks for coming.”
I knelt down beside him. “The headstones are beautiful.”
“Yeah, they are. When did you get back?” he asked without looking at me.
“Yesterday.”
“Are you staying?”
“Yeah. I’m staying.”
“So you and Alex are a thing now?”
“Yes. We’re dating and living together. Is that okay?”
He glanced over at me. “Are you happy?”
“Yeah. I love him, Adam.”
“Then it’s okay.” He reached over, grabbed my hand, and gave me a small smile.
“Listen, I’m so sorry for everything. You’re my brother and all the family I have left and I really screwed us up over the past eight years.”
“I understand now why you left, Em. But I was here to help you get through it.”
I looked down at the ground and pulled a weed. “I didn’t want help, Adam. I just wanted to escape the reality of what happened. It was a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from and the only sense of peace I could find was to try and live the dream Emily and I had. You were right all along; I was running. Running away from the accident, the deaths, and my home. But I’m home now and this is where I’m staying.”
He hooked his arm around me and pulled me into him. Laying my head on his shoulder, I smiled.
“I’m happy you’re back, sis. I want our relationship back.”
“I will spend the next eight years making it up to you.”
“Only eight?” He laughed.
“Yeah. I was only gone for eight, so why would I take any more time than that?”
He sighed. “Sometimes I wonder how Alex puts up with you and that mouth.”
“Between me and you, he loves it when I give him attitude. It turns him on.”
“Okay. That’s enough. I don’t need to be hearing things like that about my friend and my sister.”
I laughed as I lifted my head and looked at him. Kissing his cheek, I spoke, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making me come back and stay with Alex. If it wasn’t for you, we never would have met and I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him.”
“You’re welcome. It’s still strange to me, though. Of all people, Alex Parker was the one I wasn’t worried about. In fact, the only thing that worried me was that he’d kick you out on your ass before I got back.”
“Thanks!” I laughed.
He shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
“It’s pretty here. Have you been keeping the grave sites up?”
“Yep. I come every Sunday and tend to things.”
I looked at the headstones once again and then got up and ran my finger along them.
“They’re always with us, you know,” I spoke.
“Yeah. I know. That night after our argument, I came home, opened a beer, and sat down on the couch. When I turned the TV on, it shut off and the picture I had on the wall behind the couch fell down. Scared the shit out of me. When I got up and picked it up, the room suddenly got really cold. I threw my hands up and said I was sorry for being such an asshole. The TV turned on by itself after that. I knew it was Emily or the parents yelling at me for the way I talked to you.”
“Probably.” I walked over to him as he stood up and wrapped my arms around him. Suddenly, I felt raindrops hit my skin.
“They weren’t calling for rain today,” Adam spoke as he broke our embrace and held his hands up.
“No, they weren’t. But it can rain all it wants.” I smiled.
Chapter 38
Emerson
Six Weeks Later
Life was wonderful. Alex and I were wonderful. In fact, we were perfect. Was that possible? Yes. With me and Alex, it was. I was out and about running some errands and thinking about him, missing him, and craving his kisses. Looking at my watch, I decided to pick up lunch, bring it to his office, and surprise him. After picking up some salads, I headed to his building. As the elevator doors opened, I stepped out and headed to his office. Apparently, his secretary, Olivia, must have been at lunch because she wasn’t at her desk. When I reached his office, I noticed the door was slightly open. As I was about ready to lightly knock, I saw him through the crack of the open door. My eyes widened and my stomach fell sick with what I saw. He was locked in an embrace with Bella. The two of them, alone in his office, hugging, and not a quick hug, but a long embrace. My heart started pounding out of my chest and it was hard to breathe. I went to the stairwell and, like a mad woman, flew down thirty flights of stairs. Making it to the lobby, I ran out the front doors of the building and down the street to where I had parked my car. Once I was inside, uncontrollable tears streamed down my face. When I finally calmed down as much as I could, I drove home. My mind was a train wreck and I needed to get a grip on myself.
When I arrived home, Jenna was in the kitchen. She could tell something was wrong the minute she turned and looked at me.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
Did I tell her? We had become very close since I moved back and she trusted me with things that she had never told anyone before. I needed to talk to someone, so I took a seat at the island.
“I went to Alex’s office to bring him lunch and I found him in there in a tight embrace with Bella.”
“WHAT?!” she exclaimed.
I wiped my eyes as the tears started to fall again.
“Did he see you?”
I shook my head. “No. The door was only open a
crack.”
“Emerson.” She took hold of my hands. “There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. There has to be. Alex would never do that to you. He loves you so much. I have never seen him so happy.”
“I don’t know anymore.”
Parker was whining at me.
“Okay, stop right there. You’re jumping to conclusions. Once you ask him about it, he’ll tell you and everything will be all right.”
“I’m not going to ask him about it. I’m going to wait and see if he tells me. If he doesn’t, that’s when the real trouble will start.”
“You’re overreacting. He’ll tell you. He would never keep anything from you.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’m going to go upstairs and lie down for a while before meeting Adam and his girlfriend at the club.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“Thanks, but no.” I got up from the stool, picked up Parker, and went upstairs.
I opened my eyes when I heard the bedroom door open and Alex walked in.
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you okay?” He sat on the edge of the bed and began to rub my back.
“Just a little tired.”
Parker went crazy and was jumping at him. He kissed my head, got up and started changing out of his suit.
“How was your day?” I bravely asked.
“Shit. Total shit.”
I could tell something was bothering him.
“Why? What happened?” This was his opportunity to tell me.
“Just everything that could go wrong did. Nothing for you to worry about.”
Nothing for me to worry about? Was he serious? Was he not going to tell me? Strike one.
“Are you sure you feel well enough to go to the opening of the club?”
“I’m fine. I’m going to take a shower.” I climbed out of bed.
“I’ll join you.” He smiled.
I put my hand up. “No. I started my period today.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll just go shower downstairs.”
He left the room and I stepped into the shower. I couldn’t believe I lied to him about my period. Just as I finished showering, he walked in the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was so fucking sexy with his ripped body and soaking wet hair, but the image I saw earlier was playing in my mind over and over like a bad movie.
“Didn’t you have your period two weeks ago?” he asked.