Freeing Him: A Hart Brothers Novel, Book 2 (5 page)

“Seriously, Dad. Would you ride Storm by yourself?” Okay, that was idiotic. Why the fuck did I say that? He scowls at me with burning eyes. I swear sometimes they glow red.

A server approaches, unaware of the tension, and holds out a tray of appetizers. I don’t pay attention to what they are but pick one up and cram it into my mouth. Gabriella, always polite, takes one and delicately eats it. As I watch her, I’m turned on by the way her lids flutter in response to her taste buds. How is this possible amidst all the turmoil of our recent conversation? Only she could do this to me.

“Mmm, this is delicious, Sylvia. Your chef is excellent.”

Mom beams. “Why, thank you, dear.”

Bingo. Nice topic change. Even Dad relaxes. Other guests join us and he moves off to chat with them, thank God. When Mom leaves, Gabby says, “That was fun.” The funny face she makes has me laughing. “Jeez, he has a thing for that horse, huh?”

“Something like that. Or it’s more like he has a thing for everything that I enjoy.”

“They really are weird about your horse.”

“Like I said, no one can ride him.”

Gabby tilts her head and says, “You love that, don’t you.”

“Hell yes.” I wrap an arm around her waist. “We’d better go and mingle.”

We do our duty and carry on brief conversations with people I care nothing about. I wonder how tight my dad has their balls twisted. Fake laughter and forced smiles are all around us, except for my gullible mother. She stands there in her glory, loving every minute.

When my father sidles up to Gabby and me again, I ask where Kestrel is.

“Oh, he couldn’t make it. Something came up.”

“That’s interesting,” I say. My comment doesn’t slide by.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because he’s always glued to your side.”

“Yes, he is. He and I are quite close.”

That’s what he calls it. I would call it a sick relationship. Kestrel hangs on his every word for some tiny token of praise. It makes me ill to see them together.

Dad grins. “No doubt he is off soothing some poor girl he offended.”

I’m not interested in Kestrel’s female conquests. There’ve been too many for me to count. Always this one or that. Dad paying them off to stay away after the breakup. Kestrel can’t be without a woman. Has to have one hanging on him constantly. There’s a reason for it, but we don’t discuss it.

“So, Gabby, how do you like being out in the country?”

“I like the change from the hectic pace of the city. A nice break.”

“Good. Tell me, how are things going with your practice?”

“Dad, I thought you talked about that at lunch.”

He doesn’t care for my interruption. “I just want to get to know the girl who stole my son’s heart. Is that such a terrible thing?”

How the hell am I supposed to answer that without sounding like an ass? “Not at all.” I grimace, though I try not to.

“It’s fine. Busy. Always something.”

“Good. Good.”

He’s not genuine.

“I’m working a lot with drug abusers.”

“Yes. I’m aware.” He’s curt with her. He doesn’t want to discuss this. I nod slightly, indicating this topic is off limits.

“What exactly would you like to know about me?”

“Tell me about your cousin Danny.”

My champagne sloshes when she gasps. The son of a bitch had to go there.

“With all due respect, sir, I’d rather not,” she says, looking him directly in the eye.

He steps back. He wasn’t expecting that response, I’m sure, and it’s not a good one. Fuck. This is going to be a bad night.

“Understandable. It must’ve been quite a bad experience for you.”

He’s persists. What an asshole.

“Quite.”

“So, Dad, how’s business?”

Scowling, he says, “The Vegas expansion is going well.”

“Vegas?”

“Yes. Oh, you didn’t know. But then, how could you? You’re not involved in the business anymore.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Do you gamble, Gabby?” he asks.

“Afraid not.”

“Oh. That’s a shame. It can be a lot of fun.”

“I never had the extra money to gamble, Langston. So I never learned how to play any of the games.”

“Son, you need to bring her to one of the casinos. Teach her. She’d like it.”

I cringe. The thought of Gabriella stepping foot in one of his places almost makes me shudder.

“Sure.”

Someone pulls Dad away. Gabriella turns so only I can see her face. “What was that? He doesn’t care a bit about homing in on his target, does he?”

“You’re starting to see the real Langston now.”

She grabs my hand, leans in, and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank God you turned out different.”

I let out a bitter laugh as I drop my arm over her shoulders and bring her closer. “It would only be my hardheadedness.”

“Hmm. Think we need to mingle?”

“Yeah, but damned if I want to.”

She takes my hand and we move into the crowd. Again we’re swallowed by talk of stupid crap that I barely pay attention to. We move into the house for dinner and we’re served an extravagant seven-course shitfest and later I can’t recall a bite of anything I ate.

Then the dragon pulls his usual perfectly orchestrated bullshit. He has Gabby trapped in a one-sided conversation and he casually asks me to go to the wine cellar to grab a few more bottles of red. Apparently he didn’t bring enough up for the meal. Right. I’m not an idiot. I know this game. It’s the ideal place. I squirm and Gabby gives me a look. She doesn’t know … can’t know why I abhor this moment. I freeze. My thoughts ping. How can I get myself out of this? What excuse can I use to avoid the wine cellar?

Her hand is on my thigh and she squeezes, bringing me back to my dilemma. I take hers and she
feels
my angst.

“Kolson, take me with you. I’ve never seen the wine cellar.”

Ah, sweet rescue.

My voice is croaky when I answer. “Sure. Come, kea.”

The dragon shoots daggers at both of us. His plan backfires and he doesn’t like it one bit.

We move through the house and down the steps. My breath wheezes through my trachea as I attempt to gain control of my anxiety. It’s so fucking dark down here. This is where my terror was birthed. Where it all began. Down in this depth of hell. I freeze again and lean against the wall, halfway down the steps.

“It’s all good, babe. I’m right here with you. It’s dark, but nothing can hurt you. I want you to look at me, Kolson. Can you do that?”

Nodding, I look into her beautiful eyes. She smiles.

“Good. Very good. Listen. You’re almost there. A few more steps and I see a light over there. We’re good, you hear?”

I nod. She holds my hand and I clumsily move down the remaining stairs. When we get to the bottom, she spins me and kisses me like she hasn’t seen me in days. I pull her off her feet and nearly devour her. We’re breathless when we finally end it and then she laughs on my lips.

“Have I ever told you the story about Lenny Cramer?”

“No.”

“He was this guy in college who asked me out, so I went. When he brought me home, he kissed me goodnight, and I felt like I was kissing a Hoover vacuum cleaner. His mouth opened so wide, it encompassed everything from my chin to my nose and he proceeded to suck it all in. I wasn’t sure there would be anything left of my face when he finished. I couldn’t tell if it was a kiss or a lab experiment. I’m so glad you’re not a Cramer-kisser.” Her palm is on my face and I want to melt right into it.

“Kea, I promise never to Cramer-kiss you. Ever. God, I love you.” It’s more of a desperate plea than a declaration of love. She understands.

“You ready to go get that wine?”

“Jesus, it’s so dark down here.” She can’t know why I truly despise this place. This prison. I won’t tell her now. But one day …

“It is. But you know what, there is no real darkness when you’re around, only imaginary. You light up my world, Kolson.”

“You’re beautiful. Let’s do this.”

I lead the way, though it isn’t easy. We walk through my hell and I want to curl up in the tight ball like I did when I was young. But I don’t. We go into the cellar, collect the wine, and return to the dinner table. Though I’m a bit sweaty, only my dad knows why.

Dinner finally ends and we move into yet another room for cigars and drinks. I want to get the hell out of here and go upstairs to be alone with Gabriella.

Time drags on but the hour for escape finally arrives and we’re one of the first to head up.

“Okay, so that was the most awful dinner I’ve ever been to. Sorry. I think I ate sawdust.”

I plop backward on the bed and laugh. “Thank God it’s over. I swear I’ll never torture you like this ever again.”

“I looked around and everyone had fake smiles on their faces. Except your mom. She was oblivious. She needs to meet my mom. Except my mom has vodka for her excuse. I don’t know what your mom’s is.”

“Fear. She’s afraid of him. You didn’t see it tonight, and I doubt you ever will, but she cowers from him. I’m pretty sure he beats her, though I’ve never seen it first hand. But she’s so loyal to him.”

“That’s typical for an abused wife. And your dad. He enjoys baiting people. He’s …”

“A sociopath.”

“No, he’s not. He’s not that at all. He loves being the center of attention. A sociopath is very antisocial. But Langston is very power driven and controlling.”

“Oh, you’re right about that.”

“But there’s something else going on there. He certainly derives a sense of power from humiliating people, which is what defines a sadistic personality disorder, though that isn’t recognized as a valid psychiatric diagnostic category any longer.”

“He seeks power over everything, no matter the cost. And he won’t stop until he has it. And it’s not sexual.”

Gabby looks at me and asks point blank, “You weren’t sexually molested?”

“No.”

“Never?”

“Never. Not once in my life.”

“But I thought …” She seems shocked by my answer.

“I’m sorry, kea, if that’s what I led you to believe. He’s a sick motherfucker, but he never touched me like that.”

“Thank God.”

“I suppose so. But what he did do was …” I can’t prevent the violent shudder that rips through me.

She crawls on top and hugs me. After a moment, she asks, “Wanna get naked?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

I flip her over so she’s beneath me and tug at her velvety earlobe with my teeth. I love that part of her. “Your scent is so luscious.” I inhale. My mouth makes its way slowly down her neck, taking its sweet time to enjoy her silky skin. Her hands unbutton my shirt and slide underneath as her fingers massage the muscles in my back. Only she knows how to relieve my tension. Her hands are suddenly gone from my back and are tugging the waist of my pants, unbuttoning and unzipping.

What started out as slow and easy has turned into hurried and tumultuous, and now she’s on top of me. Shirt flies off, dress follows, pants right after until we’re both naked and panting. She straddles me and eases my stiff cock into her warm, tight pussy. She’s slick for me, but then she always is. My hips rise to meet her and we begin our pelvic dance.

We sway against each other, rocking to and fro, her hands on mine, palms against palms, and I watch her as her head drops back. I free one hand so I can cup her breast and when I do, she reaches for my pierced nipple.

My groan is loud. Very loud.

“Kea, you know how to touch, when to touch, and exactly how firm yet gentle. What have you done to me?”

Her bottom lip catches between her teeth and why this is so sexy, I can’t answer. But it is and I pull her head down so I can bite it too.

“Say my name. Tell me who you belong to.”

“You, Kolson, I belong to you. Only you.”

Then she lifts her hips, and I slide out until my crown is at her entrance. She sits back down, fiercely, and moans so that the muscles in my abs jerk. I raise to my elbows to get a better view and she repeats this action over and over. I’m close. So close and I always have this pressing urge to hold her, but tonight it’s especially strong, so I sit up. My hand winds around in her hair and I say to her, “Come for me, my gorgeous kea. I want you to grip me hard with your pussy.”

Her arm coils around my neck and she moans, “Oh, yes. Ah …”

Her muscles tighten around me in a series of spasms and then I get my own as I release. But this won’t be all for tonight. I’ll take her again and again because she relieves my anxiety like nothing else can.

“You are indescribable.” I taste her lips. My tongue pushes past them and plays with hers as we breathe together. We fall back on the bed, and I roll to the side, still joined with her. “You calm me. Have I told you that before?”

“Maybe. A time or two.”

“I have something for you. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but I know how you are when it comes to things.”