Page 26

James

D ing, ding, ding.

I tapped the fork against the side of my champagne flute, thechime echoing through the ballroom despite the chatter amongst the guests. All eyes fell on me as silence descended.

On one side of the room, my father narrowed his eyes on me. Elijahwore a bored expression, and Welch was too busy staring at Willow to notice everyone in the room was waiting for me to make a speech.

Thankfully, Jackson, loyal as ever, was still by Willow’s side otherwiseI was certain Welch would have used the opportunity to approach her.

“Good afternoon,”I started, addressing the guests and projecting myvoice so every single person in the huge room could hear me.“I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for coming today. Your support means a great deal to both myself and my father. As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for us, but to have your support gives us the strength we need to get through these tough days.”

Bullshit.

It was all fucking bullshit, and everyone here knew it. When the wakewas over, they’d leave the house and wouldn’t give my mom a second thought. All they would care about would be the deals they’d secured with fellow Legion members.

“Abbie Carter was a wonderful woman, and she will be sorelymissed.”I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Speaking about my mom was harder than I imagined.“She was an incredible support growing up, and neither my sister, Kiera, nor I went a day without her love.”

I paused again, doing my best to curtail the smirk trying to form on mylips at the sneer on my father’s face. He could pretend all he likedthatmy sister didn’t exist, but my mom never forgot Kiera, and neither would I.Next to him, Elijah rolled his eyes, and the need to pummel his facerightthenwas stronger than ever. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold my temper in check unless I reminded himthathe was never going to take Legion from me.

“Family meant everything to my mom,”I continued, telling myself Iwas doing the right thing.“For years, she would tell me how she looked forward to the day when she had lots of grandbabies to play with. While this is a day filled with sadness as we mourn her absence, my wife and I have decided today is the right time to share our news as we both know how happy it would have made my mom. So it gives me great pleasure to announcethatWillow and I are expecting our first child.”

Oohs and aahs filled the space. Across the room, Willow’s facedrained of all color, her eyes widening in horror. Jackson lowered his mouth to whisper something in her ear. He knew my plan. In fact, he’d encouraged it, agreeing with methatitwould buy me and Willow at least a couple of extra months if I didn’t succeed in putting a baby in her before my time was up.

Somehow, despite the bomb I’djustdropped on her, she managed tocompose herself, plastering a small smile on her lips.

My attention moved from her to my father who was glowering at mewhile Elijah looked like he was about to commit murder right there andthen. He began hissing in my father’s ear, flapping his arms maniacally, only to be silenced by a withering glare from my father.

I needed to wrap things up so I could get to Willow before my fatheror Elijah had a chance to interrogate her. I should have brought her in on the plan before now, but I had been hoping it was a plan I didn’t need to use. I only hoped she didn’t fuck everything up when my father inevitably quizzed her.

I held up my glass, ready to bring my speech to a close.“Pleasecould you all join me in raising a glass in memory of my mom. To Abbie Carter.”

Chimes of‘Abbie Carter’rang out, and as everyone took a mouthfulof their drink, I quickly made my way through the guests to Willow.

“Congratulations,”Jackson said, holding his hand out and goingalong with the rouse while we had an audience.

“Thanks,”I replied, shaking his hand. Releasing him, I grabbedWillow’s arm.“Come on, we need to go.”

Her face was still ghostly pale, anxiety written all over her. I started tolead her out of the ballroom, intending to take her up to my old bedroom so I could speak to her without anyone overhearing, but before we could get far, our path was blocked.

“You fucking liar!”Elijah roared, spittle flying from his mouth.“Sheisn’t fucking pregnant, you’re talking shit!”

“And you knowthat, how?”I retorted, giving him a smirk, knowing itwould piss him off.

“Now, now, Elijah,”my father said, reaching usjustin time to hearElijah’s outburst.“I’m sure James has proof of the pregnancy.”

He raised a brow, and for a few tense seconds, the two of us glaredat each other. Obviously, it was a lie, but it pissed me offthatmy father couldn’tjusttake my word for it.

I snorted when he refused to back down. Releasing Willow’s arm, Irummaged in the inside pocket of my jacket and pulled out a folded letter, something I’d been carrying since Cleo had sent it to me two days ago.

Handing it to my father, it took monumental effort to not grin smuglyas he read the contents, Elijah peering over his shoulder with a scowl on his face.

The letter they were reading was from Dr. Henry Armstrong fromHeathlands Private Clinic. He was a real doctor. The clinic was a real clinic, and the letter confirmingthata blood test showed Mrs Willow Carter was approximately three weeks pregnant wasreallywritten by the doctor. And if my father decided to enquire with the doctor himself to confirm the pregnancy, he would be toldthatthe results were true and accurate.

It transpired Dr. Henry Armstong had a propensity to fuck escorts,something Cleo had discovered when I told her I needed her help. It paid to have a best friend who worked as a honey trap. One night with him, followed by a few threats to expose his sordid secrets, and the Dr was on board with the plan to help fake Willow’s pregnancy.

“Thatdoesn’t mean anything,”Elijah bellowed, baring his teeth.“Tellus the truth, you fucking little bitch!”

Before I could stop him, he grabbed Willow’s arms, and pulled herforward, his fingers pressing into her arms hard enough to leave marks.

Red mist covered my vision, and without thinking, I grabbed his wristand twisted it, making him cry out in pain and releasing Willow.

I took a step forward, putting myself between them.“Keep your filthyfucking hands off my wife,”I snarled, my voice low. Deadly . I twisted his wrist a little bit more, another couple of inches, and the bone would snap.

“Release him, James. You know the rules,”my father said coolly,looking between us.

I didn’t immediately tear my gaze away from Elijah, butreluctantly, I released his wrist.“If I ever catch you touching her again, I won’tjustbreak the bones in your hand. I’ll break every fucking bone in your body. Rules be damned.”

Stupidly, my focus was solely on Elijah which meant I missed myfather turning his attention on Willow. He took a step toward her, towering over her like a monster.

I spun, ready to put myself between Willow and my father, buthe held up a hand, stopping me in my tracks.

“A medical examination can be forged,”he sneered. Willow coweredunder his menacing eyes, her knees practically knocking together.“I want to hear it from your mouth, girl. Tell me the truth, and if I later find out you’re lying, I’ll whip you so damn hard, it’ll feel like you were being tickled when you were whipped at Peartree House.”

My gaze darted to her, a lump of dread forming in my gut. My planwas about to fail. Fear flashed in her eyes, but she didn’t look away from my father.

“I’m pregnant,”she whispered.“James took me to have a blood test,and it confirmed I was about three weeks pregnant.”

Despite her voice being shaky, she spoke with conviction consideringthe weight of the threat my father held over her. A wave of relief washed through me at realizing Jackson must have briefed her on what to say if she was asked.

Fuck me. I was proud of my mouse. No doubt she was petrified ofthe consequences if she was caught lying.

My father stared at her, his eyes darting between hers before helooked at me.“Wellthen, I guess congratulations are in order, son.”

“You can’t be fucking serious!”Elijah screeched like a child having atantrum.“This is bullshit!”

He spun on his heel, storming toward the front door and smashing hisfist into a picture frame on his way out. If I somehow didn’t figure a way out of this mess, and it all came back to bite me on the ass, it would be worth itjustto have seen the look on the prick’s face.

“Thank you,”I replied to my father, pulling Willow to my side.“Now,if you don’t mind, I’d like to take Willow up to my room to get some rest. It’s been a long day for her.”

“Of course,”he replied, stepping aside to let us pass.

I guided her to the stairs and up to my room, my father’spenetrating gaze on us the entire time.

The door to my bedroom closed with a resounding thud. I pressed myback against it and closed my eyes, taking a minute to calm the chaos in my head.

Sniffles filled the room, and I opened my eyes to find Willow sitting onthe bed with her arms wrapped around her torso, staring at the floor.“He’s going to find out I lied to him,”she whispered, seemingly to herself, her eyes wide and filled with panic.“He’s going to find out, and he’s going to whip me.”

She suddenly bolted off the bed and disappeared into the ensuite, asecond later, the sound of vomiting reached my ears.

My cold heart split down the middle, and guilt cascaded through me, seeping into the marrow of my bones like thick, black tarthatI would never be able to remove.

For the first time since choosing Willow, I began to regret my decisionfor ever involving her in this damn mess. I should havejustdone what my father wanted and married a woman from Legion. I shouldn’t have been so fucking selfish, intent on spiting him.

I cursed under my breath before following her into the ensuite, closingand locking the door behind me. She was still hunched over the toilet, her body heaving, but nothing left in her stomach to come up.

Ignoring the stench, I crouched down next to her and rubbed herback.“He won’t hurt you, Mouse. I won’t let him.”

“Why?”she choked out.“Why did you tell everyone I was pregnant,James?”

The devastation in her voice was obvious, andthatpang of guiltstreaked through me again.“I didn’t know what else to do. We’re running out of time,”I replied softly.

She sat up straight and looked at me with watery eyes, her cheeksflushed, and her lips glossy from her saliva.“I…I don’t understand. Running out of time for what?”

I grabbed some tissue and dabbed her mouth. Certain she’dfinished being sick, I got to my feet and helped her up before taking a glass from the side and filling it with water. She took it from me, gratitude shining in her eyes as she swallowedthe water down. When she was finished, I reached out and swiped a stray tear from her cheek with my thumb.

“A few months ago, my father gave me an ultimatum,”I started toexplain, deciding it was only right to be honest with her. She deserved to know the truth. The whole truth.“He gave me three months to get married, and put a baby in my wife.”

“And if you didn’t?”she asked after a moment’s pause.

“I’d lose everything.”

Confusion flashed in her eyes.“Your money?”

I shook my head.“No. Something I’ve spent my whole life workingtowards. My legacy.”

A heavy tension descended between us as I stared down at her,wondering what questions were circling her head. Questions I had no doubt she was desperate to ask but wouldn’t because she’d be trained to keep them to herself.

I was about to open my mouth and tell Willow all about Legion, but asI took in her delicate features, and those mesmerizing eyesthatdrew me in from the moment I saw her, ice slithered through my veins.

Eighteen years old, and already, she’d been through so much shit inher life, and all I’d done was add to it. The right thing to do would be to ask Cleo to create a whole new identity for her, put her on a plane with a bag full of money, and let her live the rest of her life in peace.

Away from me.

Away from my father.

Away from every single person who wanted to hurt her.

Butevenas the thought settled in my stomach like a solid rock, Iknew there was no chance I’d ever let her go. Willow was mine to keep until the day I took my last breath, andeventhenshe wouldn’t be free of me. I’d haunt her soul until her final moment on this earth when she would join me in the afterlife.

An angel living in hell with her devil.

A warmth I usually only felt when I was around Kiera and Billieworked its way through me, replacing the ice in my veins. I knew what the feeling was, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words for fearthatI wouldn’t hear them back.

After all, how could she love a monster?

“I give you my word, Mouse. No matter what happens, my fatherwon’t lay a finger on you,”I said, a rare hint of emotion in my voice.“I don’t have all the answers right now, but I’ll figure something out. This isn’t your mess to clean up.”

Tears filled her eyes again, only this time they were mixed with asteely resolvethatI’d never seen on her before.“I’m your wife,”she whispered, placing a hand against my chest.“We’re in this together.”

My heart began to race, thudding hard against my ribs at herdeclaration. Despite the shitty way I’d treated her from the minute she arrived at my home, she was standing by my side.

Inthatmoment, there was so much I wanted to say to her, but thewordsjustwouldn’t come. Instead, I decided to show herjustwhat she meant to me. Lacing my hands in her hair, I pulled her toward me, lowering my mouth to meet hers.

Her soft lips pressed against mine, and as my tongue swept insideher mouth and began twirling with hers, I poured every ounce of emotion zapping through me into our kiss.

I’d never claimed her like this before. Slow. Passionate.All-consuming. My hands tightened in her hair, somehow bringing herevencloser to me. Needy moans escaped her throat as I told her everything I was feeling without words.

And she kissed me back with as much ardor.

To my disappointment, she broke the kiss. Her hand slowly traileddown my torso as she looked up at me, her eyes burning bright.“We still have time,”she said, her voice barely audible.“We can keep trying.”

Blood rushed to my cock when her hand skated over the front of mypants. I hadn’t been inside her since she’d started her period. It had been less than a week, but it felt like a lifetime since I’d felt her perfect cunt wrapped around me.

My mouth crashed down on hers again as I hoisted her into my arms.Eagerly, she wrapped her legs around my waist, and I carried her over to the side.

Our tongues danced furiously, our teeth clashing. Within seconds, mycock was rock hard, throbbing with desperation to be inside her. I shoved her skirt up to her waist, and with one quick tug, I tore her panties clean from her body.

Pulling my mouth from hers, I gaped down at her exposed pussy, thestring of her tampon dangling from her entrance. Yanking the string, the tampon came out with only a small amount of blood on it, telling me she was nearing the end of her period.

I fumbled with the zipper of my pants, freeing my aching cock,the head glistening with pre-cum. Willow glanced down at my length, her tongue swiping her bottom lip as if she were eyeing up a feast in front of her. But I didn’t want her mouth around me, I wanted to bury myself deepinside her where I belonged. Grabbing her hips, and pulling her forward so her ass was on the edge of the side, I slammed into her, the two of us letting out a groan in unison.

“Fuck!”I hissed against her neck, her soaking hole stretching toaccommodate me.“Always ready for me, aren’t you, Mouse?”

She threw her head back in response, her nails digging into myshoulders. I kissed my way along her jaw, and back down to her throat as I began pounding in and out of her, her cunt clamping down around me.

“Yes,”she whimpered, her eyes squeezed shut.“Thatfeels so good.”

I smiled smugly. Ordinarily, I didn’t like her making a sound when Ifucked her, but hearing her tell me how good I felt inside her made my cock pulse.

I’d never seen her like this before. Shamelessly wanton, a womantaking what she wanted from her man. It beat her being the quiet, timid little mouse I thought I wanted her to be.

“You love my thick cock inside you, don’t you? My needy, little slut,”Ihissed, scraping my teeth against her skin.

“Yes, James,”she moaned, her legs tightening around my waist.

She was already so close to coming, butthen, so was I. Tingles shotdown my back, and my balls tightened to the point they began to ache. Releasing one of her hips, I reached between us and found her clit, pressing my finger to it before rubbing it in small, tight circles.

“I…I’m coming,”Willow cried, her voice almost sounding pained withher need to find her release, and her fingers digging harder into my shoulders.

With another flick of her clit, and a brutal thrust, her body tensed, herpussy squeezing my shaft as she bit her lip to stop from screaming when her climax hit her. I followed her over the edge, spilling my load, and painting her inner walls.

I stayed buried inside her while we both regained our breaths. When Ipulled out of her, our combined juices, slightly tinged with red, seeped out of her. I swiped my fingers along her slit, scooping up our come before shoving it back inside her cunt.

Her eyes were glued to where my fingers disappeared inside her, andwhen she met my gaze again, a coy smile tugged at her lip.“Don’t want to waste a drop, do we?”

An amused grin spread over my lips at hearing her repeat wordsthatI’d once said to her.

The early morning light crept through the bedroom curtains,pulling me from my slumber. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before my gaze dropped to Willow cuddled into my side.

She was still fast asleep, no doubt exhausted from me fucking heruntil the early hours. I reached over to the bedside table, noting I had a bunch of messages from Jackson and Cleo, but ignoring them when I saw the time. It was only 5 am.

Perfect.

I was pretty sure my father had believed the blood test confirmingWillow was pregnant, along with her being so convincing, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. I needed to get her the fuck out of the house in case he woke up anddemanded she pissed on a stick in front of him to prove her pregnancy.

Once she was back at my house, it would be easy enough to keephim away from Willow, but she was a sitting duck under his roof.

“Mouse. Wake up.”

I gently shook her, and a second later, she stretched against me, hertits pressing against my side, and making my cock twitch. But now was not the time to fuck her again.

“What’s going on?”she said with a yawn, blinking up at me withconfusion in her eyes.

“We need to go. I want to get you out of here before my father wakesup.”

As if my words struck fear in her heart, she was suddenly on full alert,wiggling out of my grip.

Less than ten minutes later, the two of us were dressed and tiptoeingthrough the silent hallways of my father’s house. As we passed the ballroom, I peered inside. The mess made by guests had already been cleared away, any indicationsthata wake was held in therejusthours before were non-existent.

Breathing a sigh of relief, we made it to the front door without seeinga soul. The staff would be up and about preparing for their day ahead, but thankfully, they were busy elsewhere. My car was in the same place I’d left it when we arrived yesterday, and I quickly pulled the keys out of my pocket to unlock it.

“Mr. Carter?”a soft voice called from behind me.

Willow’s head snapped up to me, her eyes wide with fear. I peeredover my shoulder, finding Isabella, my mom’s main carer standing by the door, squirming awkwardly.

“Wait in the car,”I ordered Willow before taking several strides towhere Isabella stood.“What do you need?”

Isabella withered under my menacing glare, her hands fidgeting.“I…I’m sorry to bother you, but…but I was…I need-”

“Spit it out, Isabella,”I snapped, losing my patience. The longer shetook to say whatever it was she was trying to say, the more chance there was of my father catching us sneaking out.

Isabella swallowed before looking around, almost as if she waschecking the coast was clear.“Before your mom…died, she wanted me to give you this.”

She held out her hand for me to shake. My brows furrowed inconfusion, but I took her hand. As she shook it, she discreetly palmed me somethingthatfelt like a bit of paper.

“Don’t open it here,”she whispered before stepping back.“I’m sorryfor your loss, Mr. Carter. I’ll miss your mom,”she added, this time a little louder like she was letting anyone who was watching knowthatshe was simply passing on her condolences.

She spun and rushed back inside. Pocketing whatever she had givenme, I headed to the car, ignoring the burning curiosity streaking through me to see what the paper was.

Neither Willow nor I spoke for the entire journey, the two of us lost inour own thoughts. When we arrived home, Edith was waiting for us as usual with the door open. I instructed her to prepare breakfast for Willow before I headed to my office, and only once I was alone did I pull the piece of paper out.

It had been folded over and over, making it into a small square. Iopened it up and stared down at the words written on the paper. I recognized the shaky handwriting immediately. It was the words my mom had written on the night I’d found her and Willow in the hallway, only now, more letters had been added.

She hadn’t been trying to write, ‘Hello Son,’ at all. She’d been tryingto write a name.

Helen Somersby.

And underneath that was another name.

Milligan.