Deception, p.14
Deception, page 14
Ty: No. I wanted to see if I could take you out on a real date. Just the two of us.
My heart stutters in my chest. Is that why he’s dressed so nice? Is he coming here? That can’t happen. Dad won’t let me go anywhere alone with him. Hell no. And if he shows up while Ford is here… I can’t even visualize what kind of situation that would turn into.
“Well,” Dad grunts. “What does the kid want?”
Peeling my stare from my phone, I meet my dad’s hard glare. “He, uh, wants to go on a date. Just the two of us.”
Dad studies me for a long beat. Sweat dampens the back of my neck. I try to remain calm and steady. Then, he nods. Barely perceptible.
“What?” I whisper, frowning at him.
“It’s fine. You can go out on a date with Mr. Constantine.”
“Dad, I don’t understand.”
“What’s there to understand? The answer is yes.” He groans in pain when he tries to sit up. “Of course, I’ll send a security detail because I can’t rule out that what happened wasn’t a calculated attack by people who wanted to hurt me personally.”
“You think it was someone you know?”
“Or sent by someone I know.”
“You didn’t get a look at the guy?”
“There were three of them, I think. Maybe more. It’s a blur.”
My phone buzzes again.
Ty: I’ll take that as a no. Is it creepy if I try again tomorrow?
I’m still reeling at Dad’s words. Did Ford bring a bunch of friends? His brother? He’s mentioned a brother before. The truth of the matter is, I don’t know much about Ford. I don’t know what kind of people he hangs out with or his motives for befriending me.
This morning was more than what friends do.
His fingers were inside you, girl.
He made you come.
“Are you going to answer the poor guy?” Dad asks, gesturing at my phone. “Don’t keep him waiting.”
I nod slowly and then tap out a reply.
Me: Fine.
Ty: Fine…what? Try again tomorrow?
Me: Fine. As in, we’ll make it a date.
He sends me a bunch of smiling emojis, clearly happy with that answer. I’d smile back except I can’t shake the way Dad looks at me. Like he’s setting me up to fail. If he only knew. I failed spectacularly this morning. Any minute, that failure is going to show up at my home and who knows what sort of catastrophe will ensue.
Ty: I’m on my way to an event my family is making me attend, but when I get back in town, I’ll text you about our date. Tell your dad I hope he feels better soon.
Me: K. Bye.
I lift my chin and meet Dad’s probing stare. “He’s excited and hopes you feel better soon.”
Silence befalls the room. Sandra is no longer shouting at the help. It’s quiet aside from the booming of my heart that seems to be echoed in my ears. I fidget in my seat, hating how exposed I feel right now.
Can he see it written all over my face?
What I did today with Ford?
The doorbell rings and I jump. Anxiety claws its way up my chest, gripping my throat and rendering me unable to breathe. My face heats, giving me away. It’s so damn obvious. Dad, who never misses a thing, watches me with narrowed eyes.
“It’s just a date with a boy from a powerful family, sweetheart. Not a marriage proposal. You’ll always be my little girl. No one else’s. Just mine.”
The possessive, threatening tone has me withering.
There is no escape.
I was stupid to even hope.
Chapter Nineteen
Sully
Someone is blowing up my phone and it’s pissing me off. As if dealing with Heathen, who’s acting like a beast from hell in her carrier, isn’t enough, I have someone calling my phone over and over again.
For fuck’s sake.
Exiting the elevator, I set the hissing cat in her carrier down, and fish my phone out of my pocket. It’s Sparrow. He can be such a goddamn woman sometimes.
“What?” I demand, irritation dripping from the word. “I’m kind of busy.”
“Yeah,” he snaps. “I can tell. I only called you fifteen times.”
“What’s wrong? Is Mom okay?”
He sighs. “I’m sure. She’s in prison, not dead. No, this is worse. It’s Scout.”
My blood runs cold. Scout went to school in place of Sparrow today. Since Scout isn’t answering his phone, I’ve been on edge wondering how it went. I mean, he was on a college campus, so surely he couldn’t have gotten into too much trouble.
“He did something. I don’t know what, but it’s bad.” Sparrow curses and breathes heavily into the phone. “She told me never to speak to her again.”
“Fuck,” I grumble. “Did she say why?”
“I asked her what happened and she said, ‘You happened.’”
“Did you talk to Scout?”
“Not answering his phone.”
“I’m sure he was just being a dick. It’s fine.”
“Dude, she blocked me.”
“Could she have found out it was us Wednesday night? Would he have told her?”
“Knowing Scout, anything’s possible. Do you think he could have hurt her?”
Flashes of the past burn behind my eyes in rapid succession. I’m not going to let him go down this path again. Last time, we were collateral damage. This is a pattern for him—obsess over someone he can’t have, take it too fucking far, and then get destroyed by the ones who love her. In this case, Alexander Croft has the ability to crush us like Winston Constantine did.
“I’ll find out,” I assure him, “and I’ll make it right.”
He lets loose a long, relived sigh. “Thanks.”
“I have a question, though.”
A beat of silence and then a bit of hesitancy in his voice. “Okay.”
“Why were you talking to Landry?”
“What do you mean? It’s our job.”
“Texting or talking on the phone. Your job was to deal with her at school. Nothing more. You didn’t tell me you were talking to her on the phone, too.”
“It’s not a big deal, man.”
“It is because I have to make sure my part of the story adds up. It’s fucking embarrassing when I say shit or do shit that contradicts what you’ve done. Why are you keeping your interactions with her to yourself? I told you what happened when I was at her house. I just don’t understand why you aren’t sharing what happens when you’re with her.”
“I gotta go.”
“No. Fuck. Just answer the question, Sparrow.”
“Nothing,” he growls, a bit too defensively I might add. “Nothing of importance.”
“Have you fucked her?”
“Seriously? When? At school? Fuck off, Sully.”
“Stop being a pussy and tell me what the hell’s been going on.”
“What? You want to know that I had phone sex with her? Huh? The night after you fucking kissed her?”
He’s jealous.
This is Ivy Anderson all over again.
Or, worse, Ash Elliott.
At least with Ivy, we got in a little bit of trouble. With Ash, our lives blew up in our faces. We barely survived that shit.
And Landry?
Her dad is evil and connected with the Constantines. The potential of this going nuclear is a real possibility.
Scout is acting crazy.
Sparrow is turning possessive as fuck.
And me?
I want to throttle Sparrow for carrying on a secret phone sex rendezvous behind my back and to punch Scout for hurting her or doing whatever the fuck he did.
This means I’m in just as deep as them.
“I think you need to take a step back,” I state, voice cool. “I think we all need to.”
“We can’t,” he bites back. “It’s our job. She’s our job.”
“We’ll quit. Bryant can get over it.”
Sparrow laughs, cold and cruel. “We’re Morellis now, Sull. We don’t get to just quit. You know this. It’s why you’ve been such a pissy bitch lately. We’re stuck and there’s nowhere for us to go.”
“I’m not a fucking Morelli. I’m a Mannford.”
“Just find out what he did and fix it. I’ll do damage control on Monday at school.”
Heathen snarls from her carrier, reminding me that she’s an unhappy bitch in that cage.
“Fine. I’ll text you later.”
Not bothering to wait for him to reply, I walk over to the Croft’s door. I ring the doorbell, ignoring the hideous sounds my cat is making.
Not my cat.
Scout’s cat since she likes him more.
I’m just borrowing her at this point to keep the charade up.
A few minutes later, the door opens. It’s not Sandra or one of the other staff or even Della. No, it’s her.
Landry.
The root of this growing problem between me and my brothers. I know why, too. When I’m in her presence, I sort of forget she’s a job. I grow fixated on how her bottom pink lip is slightly swollen and how it tasted when I kissed her. I’m entranced by the way golden-blonde hair dances with her movement, framing her pretty face and drawing your attention there always. Even dressed in just jeans and a T-shirt, she’s elegant and lovely and tempting.
I know how her tit feels beneath my palm. Full but not too full. Enough to grab onto and claim.
Her blue eyes are hard as she assesses me. Accusation gleams in her stare. Maybe even a little hurt, too. A glimmer of fear.
What did you do to her, Scout?
“Hey, honey.”
She visibly relaxes at my words. The fierce stance she’d been in fades and she grabs onto the doorframe as if to steady herself. Her nose turns pink and tears well in her eyes.
Fuck.
Scout did hurt her.
How do I explain this? She thinks I’m him. I have to fix what it is he did to her. Somehow. Some way.
“May I come in?” I ask, keeping my voice soft. “Please?”
“I shouldn’t let you within fifty feet of me.”
A tear grows too heavy for her eyelid and races down her cheek. Despite her words, she wants me to make it all better. I can see it in her eyes. Reaching a hand up to bridge the distance between us, I cup her cheek and swipe away the wet streak with my thumb.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur.
It’s the truth. I am. I’m sorry that my psychopath brother has somehow gotten his claws in her. He’s rough and brutal and fucking scary when he wants to be.
She steps back, but it’s not to escape me. It’s an invitation. Della peeks around the corner and sticks her tongue out at me. I stick mine out at her and then offer the cage.
“Take Heathen,” I say, making sure she sees the movements of my lips. “I’ll be in the classroom in a minute.”
Della grabs Heathen’s carrier from me and disappears. Once I close the door behind me, I grab onto Landry’s hand, tugging her into the bathroom just off the foyer.
“I can’t be alone in here with you,” she whispers, but she doesn’t fight me. “If Dad saw…”
We whipped his ass pretty good. I doubt he’ll be prowling the house right now looking for his daughter. I bet he’ll be down for a few days at least.
I lock the bathroom door behind me and pin her against the countertop with my hips. She sucks in a breath and her blue eyes search mine.
“Listen,” I start, but she cuts me off.
“Your eyes are the color of caramel.”
“And yours are blue like the sky on a hot summer day.”
She smirks. “That’s not what I meant, lover boy. I meant that when your eyes are like this, you’re different.” Her brows furl. “A lot different than this morning.”
“I’m sorry,” I say again. “There are things about me you don’t understand. Things I can’t exactly tell you.”
“You’re sick.” She taps at my head. “Here.”
You have no fucking idea, honey.
“Yeah. A little, I guess. What can I do to make it better?” I stroke my fingers through her hair, making sure to be gentle and caring. “Let me kiss you.”
“It’s not like I have a choice.”
“You do right now. With me. In this moment. Can I kiss you?”
Her brows scrunch as she studies me with intensity. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“Look at me, honey. Today…that won’t happen again. You can trust me.”
“Trust you?” She barks out a disgusted laugh. “No, Ford, I can’t trust you. You’re hiding so much from me.”
I rest my forehead against hers for a moment, closing my eyes. “I know I’m a complicated man, Landry. I really hope one day you’ll fully understand…my layers. Until then, trust that I care a lot about you and would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. I truly am sorry for what happened to you.” I reopen my eyes and pull back so she can see the sincerity in my stare. “Now, please, can I kiss you?”
She makes me wait an eternity, but eventually she nods. I tangle my fingers in her hair, tug until her mouth parts and is primed for a kiss, and then press my lips to hers. At first, she’s tense, but as my tongue teases along hers, she turns to putty in my arms.
I kiss her deeply, but I make sure to infuse my apology into it. Soft swipes. Gentle caresses. Sweetly murmured things to her whenever we pull apart enough to breathe. I could continue kissing her all afternoon. I wonder how much it would take to fix what Scout did to her.
“You hurt me,” she whispers, her fingertips finding the center of my chest and pushing. “I was scared.”
“Where did I hurt you?”
She scowls and turns her head from mine. “You know where.”
Taking a chance, I slide my hand between us, finding the warmth between her legs over her jeans. “Here?”
“Y-Yes.”
“I can make it better.” I tug at the button and then lower the zipper. “I’ll kiss it all better.”
“Ford,” she murmurs. “We…I…You…”
I leave her to her mindless stammering as I kneel. With as much tenderness as I can muster, I ease her jeans and panties down her thighs. Her pussy—waxed smooth—makes my mouth water for a taste. I run my thumb over her slit and then pull aside one lip, exposing her pink bud. With a grin, I lick the small nub, loving the way she whimpers in return.
Her fingers tangle in my hair and she gasps when I suck her clit into my mouth. I want to rip off her jeans completely so I can spread her thighs. I’m starved and want to feast on her sweet-tasting pussy. To get my face all up in her slickness, sucking off all the juices of her pleasure I can find. I ache to tongue her tight hole, licking away the soreness of the hurt Scout inflicted.
A growl rumbles from me, loud and needy. I’m about to start ripping away her clothes completely when she stops me with a smack to the head.
“Oh God. No. Quit. We can’t do this here.” Her voice raises an octave, panic laced in her tone. “My dad.”
Though I’d love nothing more than to keep going, I know she’s right. He’s a bastard who hits his own daughter for fucking nothing. I can’t image what he’d do if he found out we were doing this.
“I really, really want to apologize to your perfect pussy,” I rumble, running my nose along her slit. “But, you’re right. The things I want to do to you will take hours.” Glancing up, I wink at her. “One orgasm just isn’t enough. It’s gotta be all or nothing, honey.”
Her smile, though she tries to hide it, peeks out. Maybe I’ve been forgiven for my brother’s sins. I’ll make it up to her over and over again when we have the time and privacy, that’s for damn sure.
“I have to go check on my father,” she says with a slightly disappointed sigh. “I’ll see you Monday.”
She jerks her clothes back on and slips out of the bathroom, leaving me unsated and with a raging erection. I stand back up, wash off the scent of her pussy, and manage to cool the blood that was making my dick hard.
Maybe I fixed shit with her.
I find Della in the classroom trying to con Heathen to come out from beneath a table. Heathen hisses at her but she doesn’t hear. Walking over to Della, I playfully thump her on the head.
She signs something vicious to me, but I don’t know what the fuck it means. Lifting a brow, I point to our usual spot where we work.
“Playtime’s over.”
She cocks her head, frowning. I say it again and gesture at the cat. With a huff of understanding, she abandons her efforts and walks over to the desk. Once she’s seated, she signs slowly to me. We don’t discuss the fact that I don’t know ASL, but she’s not stupid. For some reason, she plays along. Probably using me for the damn cat.
It takes me a minute to decipher what she’s saying.
Dad got beat up.
Playing innocent, I say back to her, “He did? How terrible.”
She grins and shrugs before signing something I don’t know. Then, she takes the time to spell it out for me, k-a-r-m-a.
“Karma?”
Yes. She folds her hands in her lap and waits patiently for our lesson to start as though she’s a sweet little cherub and not the little devil herself.
I like this kid.
And Alexander definitely had that shit coming.
A sudden realization hits me right in the gut. The smile I’d returned to Della fades. If Alexander hits Landry, I wonder if he does the same to Della.
Karma.
I’ve seen the way she looks at him—with barely hidden hatred. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her if he hits her too. In the end, I keep my mouth shut. Deep down, I know the answer. He does.
It makes me want to beat his ass all over again.
Chapter Twenty
Sparrow
Normally, I’d be completely fine with attending an event where I’m required to wear a nice suit and flash my charming smile. I’m good at it. I actually like it, unlike my brothers.
Not tonight.
Tonight, I’m buzzing with anger and frustration. I am stuck in fucking Boston of all places. Bryant wants me to attend some real estate dinner and bid on some properties. Basically, he wants me to rub elbows with people in the biz, learn a thing or two, and then somehow use it against his enemies.
