Sully's Fantasy

He cleared his throat. “I miss Pika and Skittles but...I also miss Cal and Jess. If they’re having so much fun over there, I thought we might as well go see what all the fuss is about.”

“Really?”

He smiled. “I know that won’t be an issue for you, seeing as you were born to travel.”

“I was born to find you.”

“Yes, well, you found me. And now we have another adventure to look forward to. Together.” Taking my hand, he pulled me toward the door. “Now, come along, England is too cold for my taste. The sooner we say goodbye, the sooner we can chase the sun.”

“And you call yourself a good friend.” I tutted as Sully escorted me down the long corridor with its medieval flair of decoration. “Leaving the day after we arrive.”

“Jethro knows who I am. He knows I have a small tolerance of people—no matter if I like them or not. He can sense it.”

“Sense it how? Nila said something similar last night when we visited the stables.”

Sully waited until I clutched the banister of the sweeping staircase before descending with me. “He’s an Empath. Also known as HSP—Highly Sensitive Person.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“It means he’s in-tune with a sense all humans have. His is just more developed, and he can’t shut it off. It’s caused a lot of complications in his world.” He smiled as we reached the bottom level. “In fact, I bet you he’ll know exactly what our plans are the moment we sit at the table.”

I laughed, looking up at him and admiring the shadow and sun highlighting his lovely face. “What do you bet me?”

His blue eyes glistened. “An orgasm?”

I pursed my lips, weighing up the bet. “Make it two and you have yourself a deal.” I held out my hand.

Sully chuckled but shook. “You’ve already lost, Eleanor, but deal. I expect to collect my two orgasms the moment we touch down in the Philippines.”

“That can be arranged.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Sharing another laugh, rich with affection and happiness, we followed the twisting, gothic corridor and entered the sun-dappled drawing room.

Chapter Fourteen

“GOOD MORNING.” JETHRO GLANCED from me to Eleanor as he stood respectfully from the table where he and Nila waited. His amber eyes narrowed and the tell-tale sign that he was listening with a sense other than his ears hinted I was about to win the bet before we’d even sat down.

However, with a knowing smile, Jethro returned to his seat and waved elegantly at the large spread waiting to be devoured. “Please, join us. I assume you two slept well.” He smirked before he could wipe his face back to politeness.

He couldn’t fool me.

We’d gone through too many trials, errors, and confessions to hide his gift.

Giving him a mocking bow, I grinned. “It seems daylight has reminded you of your manners, Hawk.” Guiding Eleanor to the table, I held out her chair and waited until she sat before sitting beside her.

Nila rolled her eyes, answering me on behalf of her husband. “Kite forgot to keep his barriers up last night. He listened to things that weren’t his to hear.”

Jethro chuckled. “Nila is quite right. I do owe you an apology. Especially you, Eleanor. You don’t know me, and I hope I didn’t make too bad a first impression.”

Eleanor shook her head, her gorgeous chocolate hair a dark cascade against the white of her jumper. “Not at all. I hope it’s okay, but Sully mentioned a little of your...expertise?”

“Disease, more like it.” Jethro took Nila’s hand sitting on top of the table. “Until Nila came along, of course.”

Nila smiled gently before remembering her hostess duties. “Please, tuck in. Your security staff advised that you’re vegetarian, so I ensured all our fare this morning is edible by all of us. Our eggs are free-range from hens that basically run this estate, and the milk is from our almond grove.”

I bowed my head. “That’s very considerate.”

“Not at all. I’ve been leaning more that way myself lately.” Nila shuddered. “I’ve seen our gamekeeper skinning rabbits and deer, and I have to say, it makes me queasy after seeing them happily living in our woods before ending up dead on our plates.”

Jethro winced, picking up on the truth of Nila’s admittance. Clearing his throat, he glanced at Eleanor. “Did you have a pleasant evening? The room wasn’t too drafty while you, eh...scratched the itch you were both suffering from dancing last night?”

Eleanor choked on a mouthful of orange juice.

Nila swatted her husband.

I just laughed. “Instead of coming up with your own conclusions of what we got up to last night, I can tell you in explicit detail. You’ll never be able to guess.”

“Oh, no need.” Jethro chuckled. “I have a rather cohesive answer just from looking at you two.”

“Let’s put you to a test, shall we?” I steepled my hands on the table, watching him carefully. “For old time’s sake.”

“I didn’t like your tests then, and I’m not interested now.” Hawk scowled. “You’d think you were writing a book on my condition—”

“I did actually. I wrote all your symptoms down—the ones you shared with me, especially in those earlier days—and asked my head scientist, Peter Beck, to see if there was a way to give you distance from other’s emotional broadcasts.”

“And?” Jethro cleared his throat. “Did you find anything, or did you just formulate that abysmal drug you gave my father to shut me down completely?”

I sat back, guilt flaring over that.

Eleanor gave me a quick look, sensing the nasty history and my role in it.

“He lied to me.” I shrugged. “He said you were self-harming because you couldn’t cope anymore. I tried calling you—”

“I was self-harming because I’d fallen in love with Nila and couldn’t unscramble her love for a monster like me and the hate my father had for her. I was being split apart. I couldn’t hear myself think over the evilness of my family and the pureness of the woman I’d fallen for.”

Nila interrupted gently. “Is this really breakfast talk?” Throwing Eleanor an apologetic smile, she added, “Jethro wasn’t, eh, well when we first found each other. He—”

“I hurt her unforgivably,” Jethro snapped, glaring at the diamond collar that sparkled around Nila’s neck. The choker had looked stunning last night with her ball gown, yet here, while she wore a simple cream shirt and jeans, it drenched the table with rainbows full of wealth and yesteryears debts.

“It all worked out in the end,” I said. “You know I didn’t intentionally try to break you guys apart.”

“You what?” Eleanor asked, her eyebrows flaring high. “They broke up because of a drug you made?”

“No.” Jethro shook his head. “I take full blame. I sent her away to protect her. My father threatened me, as per usual, and gave me some pills that he said would help. They drowned out every part of me and only left the son my father wanted. It caused struggles between Nila and me.”