Page 9

CHAPTER 9

Rusty and Soda left as Brooklyn sent Liam off to bed. Ethan had taken Mojo outside to do his business and she relished the moment alone. Having so many others in her space was weird and disconcerting. Especially when one of those someones was Ethan. Having him around made it hard to think. Who was she kidding? This whole mess made her head spin. Ethan had been the one constant over the last few days, which didn’t help her any. She kept having to remind herself that he was the enemy no matter how ‘friend-shaped’ he looked.

"Do you think Liam noticed anything over the last couple of weeks?” Ethan asked.

“I think he would’ve told me if he’d noticed anything.” She stood at the counter, arms crossed over her chest.

“Maybe, but maybe he didn’t realize when he saw it what he was seeing. Does that make sense?”

She shrugged. The reality was she’d been wondering the same thing, but hadn’t wanted to question Liam because it would bring the whole incident up again. She bit her lip as anxiety rose in her chest.

“He knew you were talking to his friends tonight. He’s got to know there’s something more going on,” Ethan added.

Brooklyn glanced down at the floor. She didn’t want to admit it, but she knew Ethan was right. It was time they spoke to her nephew again. “Maybe in the morning…” she swallowed the rest of the words. Ethan stared at her, but he didn’t have to speak for her to know she was being silly. They needed to talk to him now. The sooner the better. The more information they had the closer they could get to finding out the truth about all this.

“Fine.” She sighed and went over to Liam’s room. She knocked on the door. “Liam are you still awake?” she called softly.

“Yup,” came the quick response. Her heart lurched in his chest. His response had been so quick that she knew he’d been lying there wide awake, worrying.

“Can you come out and talk to us for a second?”

“Sure,” came the muffled voice again. Brooklyn went back to the counter and took a seat on a stool. Ethan offered her a smile as he leaned against the island.

“What’s up?” Liam asked as he settled on the stool beside Brooklyn.

She studied his face. He was trying to act like everything was cool, but the worry in his eyes was clear. She reached out and squeezed his shoulder and then cleared her throat to try and get rid of the lump that had suddenly manifested. “I spoke with Keoni and Nakoa tonight.”

“I know.” Liam glanced at Ethan and then looked back at Brooklyn. “How come?”

“Because today at the police station, they arrested the boys who were responsible for taking those other kids for a joyride.”

Liam frowned. “I don’t understand, Aunt Brooklyn. That’s good, right?”

“The boys they arrested weren’t the ones that tried to grab you.” Her heart broke as the ramifications of that statement sunk in for Liam. His eyes grew wide and his lips tightened into a frown. She squeezed his shoulder again. “Ethan is keeping us safe, and we have the cameras. And look, Mojo is beside you. You’re okay.”

Liam glanced down at the dog. “I guess… but who would want to kidnap me? It’s not like we have money or anything.”

“We don’t know, buddy, but we’re going to find out.” Ethan moved to lean on the counter across from Liam. “Can you think of anything that was out of the ordinary in the last few weeks? Anything at all?”

“Is that what you asked my friends?” Liam asked.

Ethan nodded.

Brooklyn sighed. “I didn’t want to scare you, but I can see now it was silly of me not to talk to you first.”

Liam nodded. “I understand, but I don’t remember anything strange.”

“Nothing at all?” Ethan nudged.

Liam concentrated for a long moment, then shook his head. “I didn’t see anything or anyone unusual. Other than Ren being sick, it’s been the same as always.”

Brooklyn rubbed her face and tried to gather her thoughts. “Nothing out of the ordinary? Nothing at all… no matter how small?”

Liam cocked his head. “Um…no…well I mean I thought I lost my backpack on Monday so that was unusual I guess. I normally keep it right beside me when we’re at the cafe but when Dad came to get me, I couldn’t find it. I almost had a heart attack cuz it had all my science fair stuff in it, but I found it. It was on the bench seat over by Keoni and Nakoa under everyone’s jackets. I have no idea how it got there though.”

Brooklyn’s shoulders slumped. On the one hand, she was glad that nothing scary stuck out to Liam, but on the other, they had no leads and nowhere to go with this.

“Okay then, bud, time for bed. If anything comes to mind let me know.” Brooklyn gave him a smile as he slipped off the stool.

“Come on, Mojo,” Liam said and the dog followed him back to his room.

Brooklyn put her head down on the counter for a moment and wrapped her arms over it. This was all too much. She needed to call her brother and get him to fly home. He should be here to deal with…what? A sudden thought occurred to her. “Maybe we’re overthinking things,” she said as she sat back up.

“In what way?” Ethan asked.

“Well, we didn’t see the van today. Maybe whoever was driving has gone. Maybe they decided not to bother with Liam again.”

Ethan stared at her with a sad little smile on his face. “Do you really think that’s likely?”

She stood up. “Why not? We can’t find a single reason for someone to grab Liam, certainly nothing to do with the Yakuza. Maybe the whole thing was some sort of mistaken identity or just a mistake.”

“It’s possible, I guess, but I don’t think you want to take any chances just yet.”

Brooklyn stood in front of him, arms folded across her chest. He looked so sexy standing there in his jeans and t-shirt. All she wanted to do was fall into his arms and spend the rest of the night being lost in him. She remembered exactly how that felt, and no matter how she tried to restrain herself, she craved it again.

“I think we’re overreacting. I’m overreacting,” she corrected. “I’m sure nothing will happen in the next couple of days, and we can put all this behind us.”

“That would be the best-case scenario, and I certainly hope it’s true, but I think you’re grasping at straws, Brooklyn. I know this is hard, but we will find some answers.”

“When? When will we find them?” she demanded. “I can’t take much more of this. I feel…terrified, royally pissed off, and… helpless, all at once.”

“I get it. You just have to hang in there.”

Brooklyn ground her teeth. “I don’t want to hang in there. I need to be out from underneath the weight of this. It’s crushing me. I need a distraction. I need…” She met his gaze and desire flared in her. Her nipples got hard and her lady parts tingled. “Screw it,” she mumbled and took a step toward Ethan, planting a kiss on his lips, one that said she meant business. She needed a break from the pressure, and Ethan standing there, sexy as sin, was going to be that break. Whether he liked it or not. But he’d like it. The past didn’t matter. She knew he would ignore her after this and that was okay because she would know it was coming. The fact that she hadn’t expected it last time had caused all the pain. She’d be prepared this time.

Ethan cupped her shoulders and tried to ease away from her. “Brooklyn, is this a good idea?”

“It’s the only one I’ve got.” She wasn’t taking no for an answer. She closed the small distance between their bodies.

He backed away again, but the light in his eyes warmed, encouraging her. She moved again, as did he, until his backside was against the kitchen counter, and there was nowhere else for him to retreat.

“Brooklyn—”

“Shut up and kiss me,” she demanded.

“Slow down,” he cautioned. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want you to fuck me, Ethan.”

His nostrils flared. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Hurt bloomed in her ribcage. “You don’t want me?”

He grabbed one of her hands and pressed it to the front of his pants. “Can’t even possibly believe I don’t want you. But I’m not sure it’s smart.”

“I’m done being smart about anything. I was done before… when we… Make me forget the last forty-eight hours, Ethan. Help me relieve this tension and fear.”

She reversed her hand in his, then gripped his wrist and guided his fingers between her legs. “Please.”

God, the heat of his palm on her center was a fiery jolt. She lifted her chin until her mouth was bathed by his breath. The soft puff of his breath lifted the hair around her face and his eyes slid shut as he lowered his mouth to hers.

The first touch was featherlight and sensual, but his lips turned insistent over hers and she opened, welcoming the intrusion of his tongue. She released his wrist and lifted her hands to cup his face. In turn, he skated his fingertips around her waist, stopping at the top of her butt.

She snuggled closer to him, rubbing her pelvis on his unmistakable erection. They both gasped and Ethan’s hands dipped lower, skimming the crease of her ass before continuing south to cup her buttocks and lift her as if she weighed nothing. With her thighs wrapped around his waist, the friction on her clit ramped up to a thousand-watt- bulb level. She moaned and hitched her hips, seeking the heat of him at her center.

Ethan broke the kiss and trailed his mouth along her chin and down her throat. “I want you, Brooklyn. But I want you to be sure.” He pulled his head away, banging his crown on the cupboard door behind him. “Are you sure?”

“I love that you are giving me an out, but I don’t need it. I want this…I want you. I always have…since last—” She cut off her words as he whirled her around and settled her ass on the counter.

Sliding his hand up her sides, his thumbs nudging the sides of her breasts, he traced her collarbones as he began a slow descent down her front. He paused when his fingertips coasted over her nipples, and he squeezed the sensitized flesh, then tweaked her nipples twice before continuing south. He mouthed one peak as he slipped his hands under her skirt and moved north.

Her muscles twitched and trembled as his soft touch tickled her flesh. Gooseflesh rose on her entire body as the cool air caressed her exposed belly at the same time as his warm hands adjusted the cups of her bra out of his way and his hot mouth claimed first one nipple, then the other.

A sound from Liam’s bedroom froze the needy moan in her throat, and she stiffened.

“What was that?”

Ethan mumbled against her breast, “That was Mojo. Sounds like he is settling in for the evening.” He licked one nipple, then traveled to the other to pay it equal attention.

“We shouldn’t?—”

He lifted his head and cocked it to one side. “Changing your mind?”

“Hell no. I want this. I want us. But I can’t fuck you in my kitchen with Liam right there.”

His chuckle was sexy as hell as he slipped his fingers under her skirt again, seeking the heat that must be blazing from her pussy. “Want to continue this in the bedroom?”

She pushed him backward then jumped off the counter. After skimming her palm over the stiff ridge in his jeans, she grabbed his hand and led him to her room.

With the door safely closed and locked, a flurry of hands and arms and legs ensued as they hurriedly ripped each other’s clothes off. Even in the almost-nonexistent light in her bedroom, she recognized his dick. God, it was every bit as long and thick as she remembered, and she knew without a doubt her vagina was soaked and weeping for him.

Once they were completely naked, Ethan swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed, where he set her down and then swiftly dropped on top of her.

They fit together like Legos, tight and right.

He slipped his hand between their bodies and sought out the softest spot on her. He shifted a bit to his side, giving him free rein to tuck a finger into her sheath.

She rocked her hips, trying to draw him deeper. He accommodated by pressing in more, then adding a second digit. Her hips took up a rhythm of their own, lifting and falling as he increased his speed. The heel of his hand rubbed her clit, his mouth was ravenous on her tit, greedy, sucking and pulling. Pressure rapidly built inside, coiling tight, ready to soar.

“Need your dick in me, Ethan. I don’t want to come on your hand.”

He lifted his head from her breast and pinned her with a stare. “Bare or covered? I’m clean. It’s been a year since my last time and six months since my last clean test.”

A year? What the hell? Why was he lying? His fingers twitched inside her, pressing her g-spot and sparks flared in her head, scattering her thoughts. “Bare. I’m clean too.” They’d already been through this once.

He jerked his fingers from her body, then licked her juices from them, eyes closed as if in rapture. He captured her mouth, and she tasted herself on his tongue as he notched his tip at her entrance and then eased inside. She rocked her hips to take him deeper, the sensation of being full to the point of bursting overtaking every other sensation. Hot, wet wildness all but choked her as she stretched to accommodate his girth and length.

He gasped into her mouth and a shudder rumbled through him as he stilled inside her, waiting for her to adjust. Once she gripped his head and drew his mouth back to her breast, he began to move, using his entire body to slide into her, then back out. His pubic bone rubbed her clit with each thrust. His chest rubbed her breasts in a quickening rhythm. He palmed one breast and moved his face to her neck, murmuring encouraging noises. With each thrust, he pinched a nipple, bit the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and sank deep inside her.

“Jesus, honey, you are so tight.” He sucked her earlobe, then dove deeper inside. He gripped her thigh and pulled her leg over his shoulder, opening her wider, hitting deeper.

The tension in her spooled tighter, like a spring ready to release. With her leg over him, her clit was on fire with each sweep of his hips. He used his shoulder to hold her in place, and slipped a hand behind her leg, seeking her clit. When he found it, he pinched it hard, and she shattered.

A blissful rainbow, brighter than anything she’d seen over Mahana Beach, flared behind her tightly closed lid as her body erupted in orgasm and she moaned his name.

The speed of his hips increased until he thrust hard and held still, his cock buried so hard within her that she spasmed a second time.

“Jesus, I think you killed me,” he chuckled into her ear as he rocked through an aftershock. His chest heaved in time with hers.

She ignored everything except the physical; the floating, nerve-tingling afterglow, the fullness in her vagina as he remained hard. She remembered from before how he stayed hard and took her back up in a spiral to a second orgasm last time. She’d never experienced anything like that before.

She peppered kisses on his shoulder and up his neck until he lifted his head and captured her lips in a deep, lingering, hungry kiss. His cock swelled inside her.

“Again?” he asked breathlessly.

“Hell yeah!”

And she gave herself over to light and sensation until she forgot everything, even her name, once again.

Brooklyn opened her eyes and swore silently. Ethan wasn’t in bed, but she was sure he must be out in the kitchen. She rose abruptly and headed to her bathroom, her heart pounding in her chest. What the hell had she just done? She’d slept with Ethan again, despite swearing to herself she wouldn’t. It was like throwing herself headlong into heartbreak, knowing full well how it would end. And damn it, it had been even better than the first time.

That only made it worse.

She thought she could do this…fuck him and forget him. What they’d just done hit harder than she thought.

She leaned over the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her flushed cheeks and slightly swollen lips were evidence of the amazing night she’d just had, but her eyes told a different story. They were haunted, darkened by the weight of her past and the mess she’d created for herself. Nate’s betrayal had left a raw wound, and Ethan’s earlier dismissal had only added to the ugly scars. It was fair to say she’d asked for it, but how much more could she take? How could she ever trust her judgment again? More importantly, could she trust Ethan to do what was best for her and Liam—or would he always put himself first?

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as a fresh wave of guilt washed over her, making her chest feel like it was being squeezed in a vise. She hadn’t told Jackson the truth. If she had, he’d be here now, making the tough decisions and taking this burden off her shoulders. Maybe that was what she needed—someone else to take control. But no, she hadn’t done that, had she? She’d let Ethan back in, begged him to touch her, hold her. God, she didn’t know if she was angrier with him or herself.

Ethan was her kryptonite, the chink in her armor she couldn’t seem to guard against. Every smile, every fleeting touch from him ignited a fire inside her, a heat she couldn’t extinguish no matter how hard she tried. It was infuriating and foolish. How could she be so stupid?

And now… now, she’d slept with him again. What if he walked out like nothing had happened? Worse, what if he told her he couldn’t do this, that someone else would have to protect her and Liam? The thought sent a chill racing down her spine, but she shoved it aside. Regret wouldn’t solve anything.

Splashing cold water on her face, she let the icy sting ground her. She straightened, squaring her shoulders and breathing deeply. Enough was enough. It was time to face the music. She needed answers, and she wouldn’t let Ethan dodge her this time. He owed her honesty, and she wasn’t backing down until she got it.