Turning, I fully take in my grandfather. His eyes sparkle with mirth as a bright smile sits on his tan face.
He’s enjoying this.
“Your dad means well,” he states.
Crossing my arms, I grumble, “So well, he’s keeping secrets.” I know I sound like a petulant child, essentially proving his earlier notion that he had a reason to worry that I wouldn’t take the news of having guards well.
The smile falls from his face, the jovial look quickly replaced by a pensive one. “Let me tell you a story.”
Eager to hear anything that might give me more insight into what’s going on, I blurt out, “Okay,” with so much enthusiasm, Tobias’s lip quirks.
His eyes bore into mine when he begins. “Nearly forty years ago to the day, your grandmother found out she was pregnant with your father, and what was supposed to be a joyous time for a young couple was instead rife with worry. My father and mother were poisoned. My brother’s and his wife’s throats were slit open in their sleep. All in the span of one night.”
I want to say something, but I’m afraid he’ll stop if I utter a sound.
“Anyone with Bradford blood in their veins was at risk. I hadn’t been head of the Council for a full year when whoever was left of my family was killed off.”
Tobias stands, walks to the bar, and pours himself two fingers of scotch.
Leaning against the bar, he takes a gulp and sighs, like he’s trying to find the words before he continues. “We had a meeting, the newly established Council. We sat down and organized a long-term solution. My family’s bodies weren’t even cold before it was decided to hide.”
I can see the pain etched into his face. There is a mixture of regret and anger in the set of his clenched jaw.
Remembering some of what I’ve been told, I state, “That’s when you decided to give Dad up?”
He shakes his head. “We wanted to keep him at first. We thought just hiding would be enough, but two months before your father was born, someone broke into the home we were living in and attempted to kill your grandmother.”
A gasp bursts from my throat when he lowers the collar of his light blue polo and reveals a jagged scar that disappears under his shirt.
“I killed the asshole who did this, but he left his mark, and it also made me realize the only way to ensure the Bradford line would live on was to make people believe the Bradford line had died.”
They staged all their deaths.
As if he can see the wheel turning in my head, he nods. “Yes. That night, the killer successfully killed your grandmother, father, and me before succumbing to his injuries and dying.”
“So, why did our grandmother risk her life to come back?”
He smiles. “Because you all needed family watching over you, and it was time to take a stand. Your mo-Elise had one thing correct. It’s time for the Bradfords to take their rightful seat at the head of the table and join the families together. But to do that, you’ll need to be patient, especially right now. We know you want answers, and you’ll get them in time.”
“How-“
Tobias holds his hand to silence my question. “When the time is right, you’ll be told. Until then, you need to be ready.”
My shoulders slump.
More evasive answers.
“What does that even mean?”
“It means, dear child, that you train.” Then he drains the remainder of his drink and exits the room, leaving me to stew on his words.
EMMA
“Fuck, you always take me so good, Love. Look at this tight pussy taking my dick. Barbell by barbell.” August groans as he rolls his hips, seating himself deeper inside me with each stroke.
“More,” I beg. My wanton plea is barely audible between moans.
Hazel eyes bore into mine, darkening with lust as he grips my ass, angling my body up to meet his thrusts.
But I want more. I need more. I want the darkness I know to linger beneath the jokester. The one that gripped my throat until I came so hard I nearly passed out.
Licking my swollen lips, I return his lust-filled gaze with my own. “More. Please, Wy.”
A smile creeps onto his face as he registers precisely what I’m asking for. His right hand slides up my stomach, gliding over my heated skin. My body shivers at the touch, my nipples tightening in anticipation. I sink my teeth into my lips when his hands wrap around my throat, pulling me to him.
“Is this what you want, Love?”
“Yes.” I blissfully sigh before his mouth crashes to mine, and he eases me back down on the bed, his hand still firmly gripping my neck.
I watch as he stares down where we’re joined. His focus fixates on his cock pumping in and out of me before his gaze returns to mine.
“Such a greedy pussy,” he growls, slipping out of me.
I whimper at the loss of him.
His hand tightens around my throat, his eyes never leaving mine. He watches me, his pupils dilating more as ecstasy is etched on my face. Then, he lines himself up with my entrance and leans over, pressing his lips to my ear. “Wanting my cock,” he croons as he slams back, squeezing my neck until I see spots dance in my vision. The loss of air heightens my sensation, making my walls spasm around him as he buries himself deeper than ever.
I want to scream my release, but he’s using his hold as leverage to piston his hips. My eyes roll until I’m sure only the whites are visible.
“Holy fucking shit,” August roars, and I feel him filling me as my vision blacks out.
My eyes shoot open, adjusting to the darkness. I look around, sure I’ll find Wy in bed with me. I swear I can almost smell him.
It was just a dream.
The wetness between my legs indicates how real of a dream it was. I guess it’s better to wake up turned on than crying.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.