~Nineteen~
“I’ll come back for you.” Those words kept ringing in my head as I watched Ryan walk away. There wasn’t much time and I knew I needed to hurry. Over and over again, I relived that day for the past year. It tormented my days, but even worse, my nights. My body felt clammy and my pillow was soaked all the way through. Removing my arm that was still tucked under Tessa’s cheek, I slowly pulled it free and slid out of bed to the bathroom. Reaching inside the shower, I turned on the water and tested it to make sure it was a little cooler than what I would normally shower in.
As I slipped under the stream of water, it hit me like needles as I felt my body begin to cool. I would be glad when these thoughts from my past were finally gone and I could move on with my life. Maybe what I needed to do was face the music and take responsibility for what I did. Then and only then could I truly move on with my life and not be afraid to lose Tessa over this.
Dying off my body, I wrapped the towel around my waist and wiped away the steam from the mirror to get a good look at myself. Every day I was reminded of what I did by the five-inch scar running across my abdomen and by the man who stared back at me from the mirror. Even though I had never taken a life, I was just as guilty. Working for Colin made me just as guilty as him. “Guilty by association,” is what I think they called it.
Lost in my own pity-party, I didn’t hear Tessa walk in until she said, “You’re up early.”
Turning to face her, I wrapped my arms around her and said, “Yeah, couldn’t sleep.”
Tessa meant everything to me and as I held her close, it was then that I realized just how much. I knew she was a strong woman, but I wasn’t sure she would be able to accept my secret. Holding her at arms’ length, I swiped away a stray hair and said, “I’m going to get dressed and head downstairs. Go back to bed and I’ll wake you later.”
Nodding her head, she kissed me lightly on the lips and went back to the bed. As she dipped comfortably inside the still-warm comforter, I walked over to my bag and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to put on. As I pulled the towel from around my waist, her voice rang behind me and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to come back to bed?”
There was no way I would be able to resist her. Throwing my clothes on top of my bag, I sauntered over to the bed like a tiger on the prowl and crawled to where she was lying. Straddling her body, I balanced my weight by placing my hands on either side of her shoulders. Tilting my head lower, I captured her mouth with mine and slowly dipped my tongue between her lips. To kiss her just like this, passionate, I could have kissed her forever, and even then, it wouldn’t be long enough.
Pulling the covers away. I lowered her silky nightgown, continuing to cover her soft skin with sweet kisses. Kiss after kiss, my mouth rained mercilessly down her neck to the valley between her glorious mounds. Teasing her nipple into a hard peak, her back began to arch as I flicked my tongue over the taut buds. Her breath came in soft pants, reveling in the pleasure she was given. I could feel her excitement with every touch as the heat surged, causing my cock to become unbearably hard.
Spreading her legs wider to accommodate my body, I positioned my hard shaft at her entrance, wanting only to tease her with its hardness. Pushing her panties to the side, I moved between her slick folds in a slow, steady rhythm; her hips moving back and forth enticing me to bath in her sweet juices. This was more for me than for her. I didn’t want to give up the feeling of knowing that I controlled her pleasure. It wasn’t long until my will to be inside her took over. With little self-restraint, I eased inside her warmth, wanting nothing more than to feel every inch of her.
Tessa’s hips began to sway back and forth, pulling me deeper inside. Her walls were like a vise, squeezing and milking me. I didn’t want the feeling of being inside her to end. Slowing my pace even further, I snaked my hand between our heated bodies and beneath the material of her panties, searching for her clit, which was swollen from my previous play. As I pinched it between my thumb and index finger, her hips changed direction and began making circular movements, gyrating in sync with the movement of my cock as I continued to tease her swollen nub.
Her efforts were taken to the extreme as her screams of pleasure sounded, coating not only the walls, but my rod that was deep inside her. When my own release matched hers, our bodies meshed together as one and I knew she would forever be mine. Meeting her sated eyes, I brushed my hand along her cheek and asked, “Do you know how much you mean to me?”
Before I gave her the chance to answer, I covered my mouth with hers and kissed her more passionately than I had ever kissed her before. Not because my feelings for her had changed, but because I wanted to let her know exactly what she meant to me.
~*~*~*~
After taking a shower for the second time, only this time in the company of Tessa, I headed downstairs to get the cup of coffee that I so desperately needed. Realizing that I had left my cell on the nightstand, I hurried back up the stairs to grab it. When I got to the room, it felt like a knot tightening in the pit of my stomach as I saw Tessa holding my phone. I could only imagine the worst possible scenario as I called her name, “Tessa.”
There were no words from her as she turned to face me. Confusion filled her eyes, telling me that whoever was on the other line had said too much. Walking up to her, I took my cell from her hand and asked softly, “Who was on the phone, Tessa?”
Looking up at me like she was seeing me for the first time, she asked hesitantly, “Is your real name Josh Hyatt?”
It was then that my world began closing in on me. The last thing that I wanted was for her to find out the truth about me before I could tell her myself. Taking her by the hand, I led her to the bed and took a seat. I held my head low trying to hide who I really was. Acting like I didn’t know why the caller would be calling my phone, I asked her again, “Who was on the phone, Tessa?” hoping that she would tell me who it was and what he said to her even though I was certain it was the truth about me.
“He said his name was Ryan and that he was your brother. He said it was important that he talk to you,” she stated.
“What else did he say?”
“He said that he has been looking for you for a long time and to tell you that he forgives you for what you did,” her voice was shaking as she tried to explain. “Xavier, are you this Josh Hyatt person?”
I had mixed feelings between telling her the truth and lying. Normally it would have been easier to lie and tell her he had the wrong person, but I wasn’t sure if I could do that. I knew that she would find out the truth sooner or later. It was in that split second that I decided to keep my secret a little longer, prolonging what I knew would happen.
“Tessa, whoever was on the phone had to have had the wrong number. I have no idea who Josh Hyatt is.” Hoping that she would believe what I said, I pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. “Now, how about some coffee.”
When she nodded her head, we stood from the bed and headed downstairs. Feeling pretty confident that Ryan hadn’t said too much to her, I knew my secret was safe. I also knew that the only way I was going to keep him out of my life was to confront him. Calling him back wasn’t going to be pretty, especially considering what I had to say to him. For now, it would have to wait. My focus was on Tessa and keeping her safe.
Heading to the kitchen, we found Agnes had outdone herself. The counter looked like a pastry smorgasbord displaying everything from cream filled éclairs to fruit-stuffed croissants. I wasn’t sure how she expected us to eat all this food, but again she had prepared a meal for an army. Dishing ourselves, we decided to eat our delicious meal out on the back deck. Even though the view wasn’t much to talk about since the cabin was surrounded by hundreds of pine trees, it was a welcome change.
Pulling open the glass door, we found that Jonathan must have had the same thought. He was already digging into his breakfast and enjoying the fresh air that the mountains provided. Taking hold of one of the chairs, I pulled it out for Tessa and waited for her to get settled before taking a seat myself. Jonathan’s eyes were following our every move, anticipating what we would do next.
I just about choked on my food when he said, “Colin is back in town and we have a meeting with him this afternoon.”
Once my throat was clear of the obstruction that prevented me from responding, I asked, “Did you just say what I thought you said? I think this fresh air may be messing with your judgement.”
“He wants to hash things out. He feels that we can come to a mutual agreement without anyone getting hurt,” Jonathan stated.
“And you believe him?” I questioned.
Looking over to Tessa, her face had turned pale and she looked like she was about to be sick. Watching her push from the table, she covered her mouth and quickly escaped to the inside of the house. Giving Jonathan a disapproving look, I said, “This conversation isn’t over.” Moving my chair back, I quickly rose from my seat and went after her. How the hell could Jonathan do this to his daughter knowing good and well that Colin was offering a compromise only to get Tessa back in his bed?