Chapter 16
It’s beenweeks and still no news from John. Or Isaac. Whichever name he plans to go by now that his secret has been revealed.
We don’t leave the house. We don’t even sit on the porch anymore.
Brianna is isolating herself from me, and I don’t know why. It’s not healthy, and a part of me is worried about her mental wellbeing.
She only comes out of the bedroom to eat and goes downstairs to shower or soak in the tub. Depression must be kicking in, but John has demanded that we stay inside the house.
Our groceries have been delivered by one of John’s friends. After talking with him for a few minutes, I discovered that he’s the one that watches over this house and had the basement room added a couple of years ago.
I’ve tried arguing with John that natural vitamin D from the sun and making a quick trip to the grocery store so she can interact with the locals will help perk Brianna back up, but John immediately shut my idea down.
I had to bite my tongue because I’m the one here with her, watching as her mood continues to drop day by day.
He’s not here. He’s not watching her mood swings and loss of appetite.
I am. And I should be the one making her happy. I don’t need permission. I’m perfectly capable of keeping her safe.
A growl rips from my throat as I turn off the treadmill and head upstairs.
Thank God, I found the gym downstairs. I’ve practically lived down there, needing to work the sexual tension out of my system.
I’ve been rock hard since the night of the bonfire. She was sultry, dangerous, and I needed to know more.
Being here, alone with her, has only made the desire burn hotter. When she asked me to kiss her, I just knew I’d combust.
“Damn it.” I murmur as all the blood in my body flows straight to my dick.
I’m a grown ass man. I’m not a horny twenty something year old looking for a tight hole to put my dick in.
But she makes me feel young again.
She makes me feel alive.
Willing my dick down, I lift my fist and knock on her bedroom door.
She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t get up. There’s no movement inside the room.
I knock again and whisper, “Bri?”
Still no movement.
Is she still asleep?
I knock and speak louder. “Brianna?”
Nothing. Not a peep or rustling of the sheets.
I crack open the door but don’t look inside. “Would you like some breakfast?”
Or lunch, since it’s almost one in the afternoon.
“I’m not hungry.” Her voice cracks, causing my heart to tighten with sadness.
We can’t keep living like this. I scoff to myself.
This isn’t living. This is just existing. I’ve been here before. Multiple times. It’s not healthy, and it never ends well.
I poke my head through the crack in the door. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” Her voice comes out deflated, soft, and void of any happiness.
She scoots toward the middle of the bed, leaving enough room on the edge for me to sit next to her.
Her eyes are puffy and red, like she’s been crying, but her cheeks are bone dry. Is that how she fell asleep last night? Crying because her life has been flipped upside down for weeks?
I should have done something sooner. I should have forced her to come outside with me. Hell, maybe even working out would have been better than leaving her alone in a foreign bedroom.
“Would you like to come sit on the couch with me?”
If I can get her out of bed, it will be a miracle.
“Not really. I’m comfortable here.”
I kind of miss the snarky spitfire that she once was. I miss her sarcastic remarks and the way her eyes darken as she stares at me, like I’m the juiciest steak she’s ever laid eyes on.
I need to do something. Anything.
I stand abruptly, causing her to let out a tiny yelp.
“Get dressed.” It’s more of a demand than a request.
“No. There’s no point.”
“Of course there is. I’m tired of seeing you like this, and I’m tired of wasting my summer.”
“Sorry I’m a waste of your summer.” She grumbles and rolls over so she doesn’t have to look at me.
“That is not what I meant, and you know it.” I fling the covers off of her, gasping when my gaze lands on her long, exposed legs.
She’s not wearing pants, or shorts, for that matter. Her ass is barely covered by the sexiest pair of tiny lacy shorts I’ve ever seen.
She rolls over, not bothering to cover herself back up.
“Well, what did you mean?”
“We’re taking a risk and leaving this house. We need to get out, breathe fresh air, and have fun.”
She sits up and smiles, excitement etched on her face.
“Do we have time for a quick shower?”
“We? Shower?” My brain short circuits as I process what she just asked.
My heart skips a beat at the thought of showering with her.
She playfully smacks my bare chest before scrunching up her face. “I wasn’t meaning for us to shower together. I feel gross, and you smell like you’ve been in the gym for hours.”
I know it’s the right decision to not shower with her, but I can’t help the pang of disappointment that spreads through me.
Tiny scraps of her old spunky self peek through. Her touch leaves my heart racing, but I manage to say, “I have been. I needed to burn off all the cooped up tension.”
I make it seem like the tension is from being stuck inside the house, but it’s more sexual than boredom.
Her gaze moves down my face to my chest, my abs, the waistband to my sweatpants.
I swallow as her blue eyes cloud and darken.
She likes what she sees.
A goofy ass grin forms on my face. I love that she loves looking at me. Decades of hard work have paid off.
Her gaze snaps back to mine as I chuckle.
“Are you rethinking the separate showers stance?” I tease.
I see the conflict in her eyes; it mimics mine. If we get in the shower together, we won’t be leaving the house today, and I know how much she needs it.
I pat the edge of the mattress twice before standing. “As much as I’d love that, we have a date with society. You can have the downstairs shower and I’ll take the one up here.”
I don’t wait to see her reaction because if she looks disappointed, I’ll take her right here, right now.
Digging into my duffle bag, I pull out a clean pair of clothes and quickly head into the bathroom.
Taking matters into my own hand, literally, I rub one out before turning the water to cool. Stepping under the cold stream, I let it cool me down, dousing the desire burning through my veins.
When I am dressed and have my emotions in check. I throw my clothes in the laundry room and grab my phone.
No missed calls or text messages from Hudson or John.
Footsteps on the stairs cause me to turn around.
My heart leaps out of my chest as I take in her outfit.
Her white tank top is barely more than a bathing suit top, stopping a few inches under her breasts. Her jean skirt barely keeps anything to the imagination.
My gaze lowers down her long legs to see a tiny gold anklet wrapped around her leg. She’s wearing her favorite pair of sparkly sandals.
“Wow. You look-” Stunning, gorgeous, breathtaking, sexy as hell. The words get lost on the tip of my tongue as my mouth dries up.
My dick is harder than steel, and I just took care of things a few minutes ago.
Her gaze moves over my attire, a frown forming when she sees I’m wearing my normal black fitted t-shirt, black cargo pants, and black combat boots.
Did she expect anything different?
“You look…” She pauses before saying, “the same as usual.”
I’d take it as an insult, but I see the way her pupils dilate, letting me know she’s turned on by my normal look.
I clear my throat. “Ready?”
She grabs her sunglasses off the small foyer table. “Yeah.”
We get into the car and I roll the windows down before heading down the long gravel road toward St. Augustine.
Brianna takes over the role of DJ, flipping through the radio stations until she lands on an upbeat pop song that’s all the rage these days.
Her hair whips around her face, so she closes her eyes and sings to the song. She looks happier than I’ve ever seen her.
When she catches me staring, she blushes and points at the road. “Pay attention. We could crash.”
I shake my head as my gaze moves back to the road ahead. I’m driving less than ten miles an hour on this gravel road. We won’t crash.
She changes the station to another song and dances in her seat.
I’d do anything to keep her like this. Laughing. Happy. Carefree.
It’s a thirty-minute drive, but Brianna’s dancing and singing make the trip fly by.
I pull into the crowded parking lot to a local bar.
“Do they have food here? I can’t drink on an empty stomach. Well, I can, but things might get a little out of hand.”
“Yep. It’s a bar and a restaurant.”
We are greeted by a young waitress whose outfit is very similar to Brianna’s. The waitress’s gaze lingers on my body longer than appropriate, but I only have eyes for Brianna.
The waitress turns around to grab two menus before resuming her stare at my body. Brianna crosses her arms and clears her throat loudly.
I chuckle because her jealousy is the hottest thing I think I’ve ever seen.
After being seated at one of the outside patio tables, we order a couple of margaritas, crab cakes, conch fritters, and seafood tacos.
Brianna’s face blushes as she orders a side of coleslaw.
When the waitress leaves, she says, “It’s to help cut all the grease.”
I hold both hands up. “No judging from me. I’m glad you have a decent appetite. All it took was getting you out of the house.”
Her smile falls. “Sorry, it’s been a rough couple of weeks.”
I stop her. “There’s no reason to apologize. I should have seen the signs. I’ve been through it, too. I never should have waited.”
Brianna interrupts. “But my dad-”
“Won’t know any difference. You being happy is more important than following his stupid rules. I can protect you. I will protect you.”
She gulps and nods her head, but doesn’t speak as our drinks and appetizers are brought out.
The waitress gives us a friendly smile and apologizes for the tacos taking a little while longer before heading to another table.
The bartender turns on some music, and several customers cheer, including Brianna. It’s like the music Brianna was singing and dancing to in the car.
She grins and dances with herself before grabbing a conch fritter and placing it on the small round plate in front of her.
We eat, drink, and laugh like we are living in a parallel universe.
Today, we have no worries, no cares in the world, or no demons we are running and hiding from, and that’s just the way I want it to be.
Brianna drinks the rest of her margarita and orders us another round before standing and pulling me up with her.
I don’t know if it’s the heat, the new carefree attitude, the alcohol, or a combination of all the above, but I dance with her.
Other customers around us stand and dance as well, making Brianna grin.
She spins around and presses her back into my chest. We move as one to the beat of the music.
My hands trail up her bare stomach, stopping when I get to the elastic band of her shirt. I slip one finger under the elastic before making my way back down her stomach, resting my hands on her hips.
Her back arches, pushing her ass into my growing erection as a soft moan comes from her lips.
She circles her hips, grinding her ass against me. My hips thrust my cock harder against her ass as my grip on her hips tightens.
Leaning down, I whisper in her ear, “You’re tempting me, Princess. Unless you’re ready to let everyone watch me fuck you on this picnic table, you might want to stop grinding your ass against my cock.”
I press my lips to her neck before gently biting down. My tongue swipes across her skin and she lets out a loud moan.
She turns around in my arms before stepping away. “I guess we should finish eating.”
She doesn’t return to her side of the table. She sits on my side of the bench, scooting close enough that our bodies are touching.
The waitress brings our tacos over before heading to the bar to grab our margaritas. She places Brianna’s glass across the table where her other glass was and places mine directly in front of me.
I down the rest of my drink and hand her the empty glass. Our hands touch briefly and I can feel Brianna stiffen beside me.
When the waitress heads back to the bar, Brianna cups my chin with her hand and kisses me for all to see.
She deepens the kiss, like she’s marking her territory, and I let her. I want to show her off. I want to let everyone know that Scarlett Island’s princess is mine.
She breaks off the kiss and grabs her margarita.
“I rarely give up control so easily, but to be honest, that was sexy as fuck.”
Brianna nibbles on her bottom lip.
“Eat.” I demand. “Before I clear the table and feast on you.”
Her eyes widen at my brazen remark, but little does she know I’ll do it and accept any and all consequences.