Next to Always: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Two (38 page)

Rade soon hit his own release as his movement slowed. He didn’t want to leave her. He was home. Releasing her hands, he pulled her body close to him so she now straddled him. He was still hard and inside her. His movements were slow and gentle. He needed to feel more of her. She had his heart. Taking his hands, he placed them on her cheeks. Looking into her glazed over eyes, he could see the love she had for him displayed as a lonely tear escaped her emerald green eyes that enveloped his heart. In a soft whisper, he spoke the word he thought were lost forever. “I love you, Sweetness.” With that, he lowered his lips to her and kissed her softly and tenderly, with no other agenda but to show her how much he meant those three words.

Rade and Dylan explored each other in a different light until the morning sun peeked through the tiny slit of the electric blinds. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her from the bed and wrapped the sheet around their bodies while walking slowly to the patio doors. Once on the balcony, they looked at the city skyline as the bright orange of the morning sun began to make its appearance. “It’s so beautiful to see the sunrise like this. With you,” Dylan sighed with contentment.

“That it is, Sweetness,” Rade agreed, pulling her body closer to his chest. Kissing the top of her head, he heard her soft declaration, “I love you too, Rade.” Those were the sweetest words he ever heard as he lifted her mouth to his and kissed her with the confession of love they both now shared. She was his, always. Never would they be apart again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Dylan grabbed one of Rade’s button-down shirts while he showered. The morning was glorious. The only thing Dylan regretted was that the warmth of summer would be over. Walking to the kitchen, nothing could ruin this day for her. Humming, she pulled open the double doors to the stainless steel refrigerator. Scanning its contents, she wanted to make a special breakfast for Rade. Pulling out eggs, bacon, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and an onion, she decided that a good old-fashioned omelet with the works would satisfy their appetite.

Dylan was preparing the omelet and ready to pour it in the pan when Rade stepped into the kitchen. He was wearing a dark gray suit with his jacket draped over his arm. As he placed his jacket on the barstool, Dylan watched him with knit brows. She was hoping to at least spend the morning with him before she had to leave for work herself. Just when she was ready to share her thoughts, the landline began to ring.

Rade left the kitchen and walked to the end table where the phone was. Picking up the receiver, he said, “Matheson,” as he waited for the caller to address him. “Yes, I was expecting Mr. Taylor. Thanks, Oscar. Dr. Foster should be arriving as well.”

Dylan knew that Rade wanted to have blood tests run to confirm that Evan was his brother. Maybe that was what the call was about. She just didn’t expect it to be done at the penthouse.

“I better go change if Evan is on his way up,” Dylan announced as she headed to the guest bedroom.

Dylan quickly put on a pair of yoga pants and a black t-shirt she found in her walk-in closet. It was the closest thing she saw to put on. Walking back to the living area, she saw Evan standing next to Rade. When their eyes met, she could see the surprise in Evan’s eyes. As often as they spoke, she never told him about Rade.

“Dylan, what are you doing here?” Evan questioned, confused by her presences.

“I’m…” Dylan struggled to get the words out. She wasn’t sure how to explain her relationship with Rade. Was she his girlfriend, his lover, fuck buddy? Before she could clarify her relationship. Rade said, “Dylan’s my girlfriend.

The shock of Rade’s confession was written all over Evan’s face. His expression went from confusion to hurt. Dylan knew how Evan felt about her. She could be nothing more than friends with him, but still, when she saw his face, she knew then that he thought of them as much more than that.

“Well, I’m here, can we get on with this?” Evan said coldly.

Rade was ready to let Evan know he was waiting for Dr. Foster when there was another a knock at the door. “Just in time. That should be the doctor.” Walking to the door, Rade opened the door to see that he was correct. Greeting Julia, they walked back to where he had left Dylan and Evan standing. Rade introduced Julia to Evan. When the introductions were completed, Julia walked to the kitchen and set her bag on the counter.

“If you would please roll up your sleeve, Mr. Taylor, I can get the blood sample from you,” Julia began. “Please have a seat.” Julia placed a long blue rubber band around Evan’s bicep as she requested that he pump his fist. A healthy vein appeared almost immediately. Carefully Julia placed the needle in the vein and attached a small vial, watching it fill with Evan’s blood. Julia released the tourniquet, pulled out the needle and placed a bandage along with a cotton ball on the punctured area. “Hope that didn’t hurt too badly,” Julia said as she placed the vial of blood in her bag.

“No, it was fine,” Evan answered. “If you’re done, I’d like to get out of here.” Evan didn’t want to spend one more minute in this place.

“I’m done. I should have the results in twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I’ll contact Rade and let him know, unless you prefer that I contact you,” Julia suggested.

“Yeah, sure,” Evan answered as he jotted his number down on Julia’s prescription pad that she handed him.

Julia left with the samples she needed. Soon Rade would know if Evan and he shared the same father. Dylan was standing speechless by the refrigerator. Her morning didn’t go as planned, but she still wanted to spend it with Rade.

Rade saw the sullen look on her face and rounded the granite island, stepping behind her as he watched the eggs begin to bubble in the pan. “Why the long face, Sweetness?” Rade asked with concern.

Dylan leaned her head back into his chest. “I think Evan was surprised by the us being together. Do you really think of me as your girlfriend, or did you just say it to hurt him more?” Dylan muttered.

Wrapping his arms around her, he slowly turned her body so that she was facing him. Lifting her chin, he affirmed his admission. “I meant what I said, Sweetness. You’re mine and I want everyone to know.” Rade lowered his head and placed his lips to hers, giving her a sweet passionate kiss. Turning her back to the stove, he spanked her tight ass and said, “Now how about that breakfast, woman?”

Dylan smiled. “Coming right up, sir.” She loved the way he took command. She needed to ask him about trying again with her being his submissive. It had been over two months since the incident at
The Castle,
and with Alex, aka David Wu, gone, she could breathe easier knowing her abuser was dead. She had a hard time believing that someone as sweet as him could do something so malicious and unthinkable to her, especially since she trusted him as a friend. Forcing those horrible thoughts from her mind, she grabbed two plates from the cupboard and set four half slices of buttered toast on the edge of each plate. Dylan flipped an omelet onto one of the plates. It landed perfectly as the end of the omelet folded over. Dylan poured the remaining egg mixture in the pan and waited while it bubbled to perfection. When she was satisfied that the eggs were done, she did the same as before. The eggs once again landed perfectly on the plate. Sprinkling a little grated cheddar over the top and garnishing it with a parsley leaf, their meal was ready.

Dylan and Rade ate in silence as Rade enjoyed the omelet Dylan had prepared for him. It was absolutely delicious. He could see them together cooking meals in the kitchen. It was something he was looking forward to, especially if it was done with them in the buff. Thinking about this, he had an idea.

“Dylan, since you’re here most of the time anyway, I want you to move in with me,” Rade offered.

Dylan stopped mid-bite and looked up at Rade. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Rade. I just got my own place. Things weren’t the best between us the last time I stayed here,” Dylan replied.

“This will be different, Sweetness. I love you and I want to be near you. If it’s the penthouse, we can look together for something different. A house or another condo. I really don’t care as long as we’re together,” Rade interjected.

“Can I think about it? I wasn’t expecting you to ask me to move in. It's a bit of a surprise,” Dylan replied.

“Sure, take all the time you need. In the meantime, I still want you staying here. It’s safer than your apartment. Peter will make sure you’re safe when I can’t,” Rade confirmed.

“Okay,” Dylan agreed. Even though the threat of Alex ever hurting her was gone, there was still the concern of Michael. And let us not forget about the infamous bitch Chloe. She didn’t think Michael would ever hurt her, even with the possibility of him being alive. But Chloe was another story. It concerned her that they couldn’t find her. It also concerned her that if it was Michael she saw, why didn’t he seek her out before now? Why, after all this time, was he coming to her? Maybe seeing him was a figment of her imagination. He just seemed so real.

*****

After spending most of the morning with Rade, Dylan finally made it to work, but only after Rade stripped out of his suit and took Dylan one last time after breakfast. Then there was the quick shower together, which ended in another explosive orgasm for both of them. By the time they had satisfied each other’s need, it was close to eleven o’clock. On the way out, Rade told Dylan that he would be picking her up from work. He wanted to take her out, thanking her for the wonderful breakfast she prepared for him.

Dylan stepped off the elevator and was met by Jessica and Lucy. It looks as though they were fixated to their computer screens, so Dylan just said a quick “Hi.”

She was stopped abruptly when Jessica gasped, “Dylan, have you seen this?”

Dylan walked around the reception desk to see what they were looking at. They were looking at an article from some gossip magazine regarding the recent kidnapping of Rade.

New York City’s most eligible bachelor, Rade Matheson, was involved in what has been called a love triangle, which ended with one person dead and another missing. Sources have confirmed that Mr. Matheson was seen on several occasions with ex-girlfriend Chloe Dupree, who has mysteriously disappeared. It has been confirmed by authorities that Alex Moreno, aka David Wu, was shot and killed during the rescue of Mr. Matheson, which was headed by Hewitt Security. No comments have been made by Mr. Matheson at this time. Mr. Matheson has also been seen with a Ms. Dylan Adams, whom sources say is now Mr. Matheson’s new pastime. Investigators of the shooting are looking for any information regarding Ms. Dupree’s whereabouts.

It hasn’t been ruled out that Ms Dupree’s sudden disappearance may be connected to Mr. Matheson’s kidnapping. A spokesperson from the NYPD stated that they are looking into every angle. They will leave no lead unturned. Their current concern is finding Ms. Dupree. When asked what they suspect, the spokesperson said that Mr. Matheson is a person of interest in the case, but no charges have been filed.

“What the hell,” Dylan blurted. “How can they say those things?”

Jessica and Lucy just looked at Dylan, unsure of what Dylan was expecting them to say. Dylan left the two girls speechless as she headed back to her office. Closing the door, she settled into her chair and called Rade.

“Rade, have you seen what the tabloids are saying about you? I think they think you had something to do with Chloe’s disappearance,” Dylan spouted. “How could they think that?”

“Yeah, I heard. There were reporters outside my building when I got to work. They are grasping at straws, Dylan,” Rade reassured her. “There’s no reason to worry. It’s just gossip, Sweetness. I think it will be best if we ate here tonight. I can make you something spectacular. I don’t want reporters ruining our evening together.”

“Okay. Rade, if there were anything bad going on, you would tell me?” Dylan questioned.

“Yes, Sweetness. I would never keep anything from you,” Rade confirmed.

Dylan hung up the phone with reassurance from Rade that the stories flying around had been just that, stories. It amazed Dylan how quickly they heard about the shooting. The only statement that was given was to the police department. She couldn’t believe that the police would have leaked that information to the press without knowing all of the facts. Then there was the question as to where Chloe was. Dylan remembered Rade saying that the last thing he remembered was having dinner with Chloe at her place. He said he didn’t remember seeing her after that.

If Dylan had to come up with her own scenario as to what happened, she would bet her savings that Chloe had something to do with the whole thing. She was willing to bet that Chloe didn’t get lucky by not being at the house and it was good timing on her part. Dylan wouldn’t be surprised if Chloe was hanging back in the shadows and watched the whole thing.

Trying to focus on something else, Dylan booted up her computer and began working on the Spectrum buyout. The visit they made to LA turned out to be worth the trip. Dylan had compiled a lot of information from the visit that she was now ready to put in a report. She still felt confident that the purchase of Spectrum was a good move. Opening her bag, she pulled out the notes she had taken during their tour. She got lost in her work, which helped her to forget about the stories being told about Rade.