Read Beautifully Revealed Online
Authors: Bethany Bazile
Beautifully Revealed (5 page)
My cell phone chimes as I walk into my office from the adjoining suite. I grab it off my desk and answer, “Maddox.”
“Mr. Maddox
, I thought you would like to know she’s back from her lunch.”
“Thank
you, Brody. Stick around and make sure this Porter guy doesn’t show up again. We haven’t learned a lot about him yet, but I don’t like what we’ve uncovered so far.”
“I’ll make sure she’s safe
, and she won’t figure out I’m following her.”
“Make sure she doesn’t because if she does she’ll make your job
a lot harder for you. Keep me updated on anything out of the ordinary.”
“Will do
, Mr. Maddox, and I think you might be interested to know she spent about an hour at the office of Dr. Cayden Knight.”
Of course she did
. I immediately try to rationalize this as a doctor-patient situation, but the fact that she kept it a secret leads me to think there’s more going on.
“Thanks
, Brody.” I hang up the phone, wondering if I was better off not knowing that last part. I didn’t hire Brody to spy on Ella. I have a really bad feeling about Damon so I hired Brody to keep an eye on her. She would never agree if she knew, so the only way I can keep her safe is to have Brody secretly follow her.
I glance at
my phone, press a button, and seconds later the voice in the phone gives me the address to Cayden Knight's office. Is it a good idea to confront him?
Probably not
. Do I give a fuck?
No
. The constant tug of war I play with Ella is wearing on me and I’m reacting in ways I never imagined I would.
The ride to his office takes less than ten minutes. His receptionist is a bit shell
-shocked when she sees me enter the office, but she recovers quickly and announces my arrival to her boss. Cayden is sitting behind his desk trying his best to look unfazed by my appearance, but his shifting eyes give away his unease. I sit across from him and intertwine my fingers. “What do you want from Ella?”
He lets out a dry laugh, leans back in his chair
, and crosses his arms. “I’m just her doctor,” he says, shrugging his shoulders.
“If I believed that I wouldn’t be here.” I lean forward resting my elbows on my knees. “You think I don’t see the lust that burns in your eyes for her, you look at her with the same hunger I do.”
“Isabella is an amazingly beautiful and strong woman, what man wouldn’t want her?” he says. “I’m not sure if I’m drawn to her for her beauty or the need to help her, but I’m a professional and she’s my patient. She needs help and I hope you won’t let your ego stop her from getting the help she needs.”
“You think I don’t know she needs help? I have no problem with her getting
help. I just don’t like the idea of her getting that help from you. I don’t think it’s very
professional
for you to lust after a patient.”
He gets up and leans over with his palms on the desk, “Whether you like it or not, I’m who she
chooses to help her. I’m the one she turns to, so unless you’re willing to hinder the progress she’s made, you need to back off and let me help her.”
The triumphant glint in his
eyes and his cocky attitude proves that I was right in my assumptions. He wants Ella and he may think that he can get her. I rise up and lean over his desk, undermining his attempt to intimidate me.
“I’m not here to play
‘
Who’s going to win Ella?’
with you, because I’ve already won. She’s mine and will always be mine. I’m here to warn you, not to use her trust in you to wedge your way into her life as more than her therapist. I don’t like you, and I don’t trust you, but if you’re what she needs I accept that. Just don’t try to fuck with our relationship or you won’t like the consequences.”
“Do you even hear yourself? You talk about her like she’s your possession. I don’t think your relationship is healthy for her.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Dr. Knight. Leave our relationship out of your sessions. You may think our relationship is screwed up, but that’s what we are, two people who are making something out of the shit life we used to lead.”
He shakes his head and sits back down in his chair.
He stares at me with disdain before saying, “Are we done?”
“For now.
” I walk out his office ten times more pissed off than when I got here. I knew he would try to pull that unhealthy relationship shit with Ella. I just hope he heeds my warning because if Ella starts to pull away from me due to his influence on her, I will put a stop to their sessions, and find Ella an impartial therapist.
As s
oon as I get to the car, I slam the door shut behind me, and rest my head on the steering wheel. This thing between Ella and I just doesn’t seem to get any better. She’s leaving this weekend to go to Vegas with Lucas, and if that didn’t twist my stomach enough, now I have this Dr. Knight ready to undermine our relationship.
My phone rings and I pick it up without looking at the screen, “Maddox.”
Silence greets me so I click it off. It immediately rings again this time I look at the screen and notice the number is blocked. “Maddox,” I answer, but again I’m greeted with silence.
“Look I don’t have the fucking time for this
, so if you have nothing to say, stop calling.” Just as I’m getting ready to hang up I hear it, the whisper soft voice on the line shocks me.
“Lee…it’s me…your mother-I
mean, it’s Anna.”
Silence.
She’s waiting for me to respond, but I can’t, I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know what she wants from me.
“Are you still there?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say, finally finding my voice.
“I said I would leave you alone
, but I just…would like to try to fix things. I miss you. I was thinking about when you were a little boy and we used to-”
“I don’t want to go down memory lane with you. I don’t even know if I can give you what you want.
Maybe someday, but I can’t promise you anything.”
She sighs
. “I understand. Don’t hesitate to call me. Anytime.” The line clicks off and I stare into the distance, hating that I want to work things out with her, but I’m too much of a coward to put my heart on the line.
Ask me to conquer the world and I’ll place it in the palm of your hand, but ask me to put my heart on the line and I practically cower in a corner.
Isabella
Liam has been off all week, I keep trying to get him to open up, but the closer I get to this trip with Lucas the more closed off he becomes. Tonight I ordered in from an Italian restaurant and have been waiting on him to come home for three hours. He never avoids me, but this week he’s stayed late at work almost every night. I leave in the morning for Vegas, and I really wanted to have tonight to calm his fears. I hear the door open and I hold my breath in anticipation of seeing his face.
H
e walks in and glances at me from across the room. He looks strained and tired, like something is eating away at him, but he won’t let me in. He loosens his tie as he walks over to the fridge, grabs a bottle of juice and drinks it right out of the container. He turns and just stares at me as he leans against the counter. Quietly observing my every move, waiting for something, but I’m not sure what it is.
“Hey,” I say
walking up to him cautiously. He flinches when I place my hand on his chest and now I know something is wrong. “What’s going on, Liam?” He shrugs his shoulders and takes another swig of juice from the bottle.
He runs a hand through his hair and looks off to his right. “I
hate this,” he finally admits before turning and looking at me with those intense green eyes. “I hate the way this relationship makes me feel.” His eyes lock with mine, and I’m a little taken aback by his words. He seems to be heading towards ending this and that scares me.
“
What are you trying to say, Liam?”
“I’m saying that
I hate how weak you make me feel. I’m really trying to make this work with you, but I don’t think you want the same thing.”
“Of course that’s what I want
,” I step up to him and touch his cheek, but he turns his face and my hand slips away.
“
Then why are you meeting with Cayden behind my back? I’m sick of you lying and trying to manipulate every situation to get what you want out of it. I’m not Lucas and I’m not going to put up with this shit for much longer.”
My
eyes shut and I take a deep breath, trying to stop the swarming in my head. I’m not sure when I’ll learn that I can’t get anything past him. I felt as though I was protecting him more than keeping things from him, but he’s right, I wanted Cayden’s help and the easiest way to get it was to go behind Liam’s back. Communication has always been an issue for me, it’s the main reason I never had friends. The option to talk to Liam about my visits to Cayden was outweighed by my selfish need to keep him in a different compartment, separate from my past.
“I’ve been talking to him about Damon.
I thought it would be better not to upset you by telling you. Cayden is my doctor and nothing else.”
He lets out
a terse laugh then turns a serious eye on me. “You didn’t think lying to me would upset me? If you need him to be your doctor that’s fine, but you need to learn to let me in and tell me what’s going on in your life or this will never work.”
He
stalks off towards the bedroom and I decide it’s probably better to give him some time to cool off. I warm the food up and eat alone then watch television until I can’t stand the separation any longer. I have to fix this before I leave in the morning, but I know I can’t repair lost trust in one night.
I creep into the dark room and lie down next to him in the bed wonder
ing what my next move should be. I cuddle up under his arm and lay my head against his chest.
I
sigh in relief when he doesn’t push me away. “I fuck everything up. It’s what I’ve always done and I don’t know how to stop.”
His hand caresses my back and he says, “All I want is to be involved in your life. If Cayden c
an help you in some way I can I accept that, but I can’t handle you sneaking around behind my back.”
I don’t respond
, but I know I need to work through my issues quickly or I’ll lose Liam, and that’s a risk I’m not willing to take.
********
I wake to noises of Liam moving around in the dressing room. A quick glance at the clock reveals I have less than three hours before my flight to Vegas. I enter the dressing area to find him pulling on his pants with his shirt hanging open. I watch him with avid interest as he buckles his belt. He glances up and smiles weakly at me.
“Good morning,” he says, beginning to button up his shirt.
“Where are you going?” I ask, slowly pulling my shirt over my head. He looks at his watch and shakes his head.
“
We can’t. I have a meeting in half an hour. My flight to New York leaves at five and I have a lot to do today.”
“Are you really going to let me leave for the weekend all hot and bothered?” I stroll towards him and his eyes follow the line of my body, stopping to pay extra attention to
the sway of my breasts. He wants me as much as much I want him, but he may still be mad at me.
I stop him from buttoning up the last button
of his shirt, and begin to undo the entire thing. He smirks at me and drops his head back when I cup his hard length through his slacks. I make quick work of his belt buckle and pull his pants down. He steps out of them then picks me up and carries me over to a nearby bench. He sits down and pulls me over him so I’m straddling his waist. His hard cock nudges my wet center. “You need it don’t you?” he asks.
“You know I do,” I whisper against his lips. He guides me onto his shaft, raining gentle kisses along my jaw while he invades me hard and deep. I clutch his head and kiss him deeply. My tongue licking his lips and drinking in his flavor as my hips rock to meet his upward thrusts.
The fierce look in his eyes excites me and I begin to
move up and down on him so hard I can feel the force of my movements against my pelvic bone. His breathing increases to harsh puffs of air and lust overflows from his eyes. He lets me take over our movements, and I revel in the power he grants me.
His hands lock on the back of my neck and he holds me trapped in his burning gaze.
I grind my body against him in a nearly hypnotic state. The tingling in my core begins slowly and builds rapidly. The friction against my clit every time I come down on his groin is incredible. He shivers and I can feel him thickening inside me.
He’s straining to hold on for me. He groans loudly as I begin to clench down
on him, tremors of ecstasy overtake my body. I bury my head in his neck and scream out my release as I ride out each wave of pleasure. He pumps into me from beneath, chasing his release. His muscles are tightly corded underneath my hands and I can taste the salty flavor of his sweat as I lick the pulsating vein on his neck. He finally abandons himself to the pleasure and erupts deep within me.
He pulls me into a passionate kiss that sucks the air out my lungs. He bites my lip and battles with my tongue in an aggressive show of dominance.
When he bites down on my neck, gently sucking, I know the bruise he’s leaving is his way of marking me. He might have accepted me going to Vegas, but it still bothers him that I’ll be alone with Lucas. If he only knew how full my heart is with the love I feel for him, he wouldn’t be so concerned about Lucas.
He gives me one last apprehensive look before pulling me off of him and quietly going to the bathroom to clean up. I sit there until he comes back and gets dressed with a grim look on his face.
There’s nothing short of canceling my trip that will ease his fears. I approach him as he grabs his briefcase, wrap my arms around his waist then kiss his lips. My hands tangle in his hair and the tension in his body coils up tighter.
“I’ll be back in two days,” I whisper
against his lips. “I love you.”
He nods his head
then turns to leave the room.
“Liam,
” I say as he turns to look at me. “I love you.”
He sighs
loudly and runs a hand across his face. “What the fuck do you want from me?” He unexpectedly snaps at me. “You’re leaving to spend the weekend with your ex-boyfriend, and you want me to put my heart out on the line for you. I can’t give you that right now, Ella.” He walks out the door and leaves me standing there hurt that he doesn’t trust me enough to not do something that will hurt him.