18. Blue
18
BLUE
A fter a noisy, family style dinner in the kitchen, Isabelle gets ready to take the kids up to bed and tells us she s going to have a long bath and will see us in the morning. I see the meaningful look she gives Jericho. They re very much in love. It s actually nice to see.
I ll be up in a minute to help, Jericho says to her.
Your kids are great, I tell Jericho once they re gone.
Thank you. Never a dull moment. He chuckles, his eyes on the stairs where they all just disappeared.
I thought you d send them away while we work through this, Zeke says.
Jericho shakes his head. They re safest with me. He glances at me then back to his brother. And I need to be here for you. I told you I won t leave you to handle this alone. I meant it. But first… He stands up. I need to kiss my kids goodnight and take care of my wife. You ll both stay here tonight?
Zeke nods, surprising me.
Good. Goodnight then, he says to both of us. See you in the morning.
I watch the two of them. Their relationship is fraught, to be sure, but I think Jericho is trying to be a good brother. I think he truly wants to be there for Zeke.
Is that what a normal family is like? I ask, our earlier conversation coming back to me full blast once we re alone.
Not sure about normal but that s Isabelle. She s been good for my brother.
I nod. So, what did you find out? I ask, broaching the subject I need to discuss.
Zeke recaps their meeting with Augustus for me, tells me about Ines and Antoine Girard, painting a different picture than I d constructed of the man I remembered from my few moments with him several years ago. A man who would employ the Hoxton brothers to carry out his bidding.
Do you think he still loves her? I ask.
Zeke shrugs a shoulder. Not sure about love, but he must have his reasons for being there. I think he s playing a dangerous game, though, staying under Augustus s roof.
What does he have to lose? Augustus destroyed his life. He physically maimed him. And it sounds like Augustus married Ines only to punish her. Whether or not Antoine Girard still has feelings for her, he s probably been festering all these years. I mean, the man has money. It s not like Augustus could take that away, even though he took everything else. With money comes power. I can see his sole purpose becoming revenge and after twenty-five years of single-minded focus, anyone would have tunnel vision.
Well, whatever they have going on between them is not my concern. My concern is your safety.
So, the Councilor knows you killed Hoxton and he s covering it up.
Zeke nods. He knew Hoxton worked for Girard. Which again, makes no sense that he d stay at the Councilor s guest house.
Keep your enemies close?
Maybe. But there s more. I get the feeling Augustus isn t through punishing either his wife or his one-time best friend for their betrayal.
Did he say anything about me?
There s a pause before he answers. Just mentioned the beautiful woman on my arm.
Right. I roll my eyes.
I m serious. He holds out his hand. Come.
You haven t told me everything yet.
We ll get to it. I need to think. I haven t been home in a long time. I want to walk.
With a sigh, I nod and take his hand. He leads me toward the back door. Where are we going?
There s a place I want to show you.
We step outside into the night that is cooling off but is still comfortable. Holding my hand, Zeke leads me away from the pool and onto the path Isabelle told me leads to the small family cemetery which I guess I didn t realize people still had but rich people are weird.
It s starting to rain, I say, feeling the first of the rain they forecasted.
That s the best time to go, he says, grinning. This is a rare glimpse of Zeke.
Jericho was away a lot growing up, first with school, then traveling so Zo? and I would have hours and hours at home on our own. When our father was away, it was glorious. Summers spent in the pool and running around the woods. Mom was different when he was gone, too. She was relaxed and happy. This is one of the good places.
We walk in silence, my hand in his, and, about ten minutes later, he steps off the path and into tall grass. A few minutes after that, when I m wondering if we re lost, Zeke points.
See it?
I look up and not too much farther, I see a huge weeping willow standing nearly on its own, its branches bowing almost to the ground.
Wow.
He smiles as I stare up at the beautiful towering tree. We walk underneath it where the ground is covered in soft, pillowy moss. I slip off my shoes. It s beautiful and so peaceful. All I can hear are crickets.
And completely private, Zeke says as I turn in a circle looking up into the endless branches.
I shift my gaze to Zeke. He walks me backward until my back touches the trunk of the tree. His eyes have gone dark, and my body responds, knowing what he wants. He wraps an arm around my waist and weaves his other hand into my hair to kiss me. I open to him, my arms coming around his shoulders. He guides us down to kneel in the lush grass. He draws back to take a breath, slipping my top off before undoing my jeans, sliding one hand into my panties before kissing me again, his fingers wrapping around my sex.
Do you bring all your girlfriends here? I ask casually, not even thinking about what I m saying.
He draws back. I don t have girlfriends.
That is sobering.
He kisses me again, his fingers moving. You re the first person I ve ever brought here.
I moan against his mouth kissing him back even as I know I should stop, but unable to. When this ends, it s going to hurt. I know that. But I can have this now, can t I? I draw back long enough to pull his shirt over his head, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the house.
No one can see us, he says reassuringly.
He kisses me again, his cock hard between us. His eyes are full dark when he stops to take my jeans and panties off. I undo his jeans, reach inside to fist his cock.
With a grin he lays me back kneeling between my legs. He looks down at me then bends his head to lick me, gripping my hips, tilting my pelvis up.
I open my legs and moan, my fingers in his hair. I ll take this. I ll take what he can give and forget all of that other stuff for just a little while.
My breath catches as he sucks my clit, hooking two fingers inside me, finding just that perfect spot that has me arching my back and clawing the soft ground as I come, moaning.
I watch him when it s over. He sits back on his heels and wipes his glistening lips with the back of his hand.
Come here, he tells me, gesturing with his hand. I kneel in front of him.
With a fist in my hair, he draws my face to his and kisses me hard, making me taste myself on him before he pushes my head down. I brace myself on my hands, my ass high in the air as he pushes into my mouth again, thrusting my head forward and back over himself, fucking my face hard and this time, when he stills deep in my throat, I taste the salt of him and hear his moan of pleasure as he empties down my throat.
When he draws me off, come I couldn t swallow spills from my mouth onto the ground. I look at it, then up at him.
Don t waste that, he says, guiding my head down.
I lick it up.
That s a very good girl, Blue, he whispers and draws me up to kiss me again before taking me in his arms and laying me down, laying down beside me.
As if the rain were waiting for just this moment, it begins to pour, the sound of it seeming to isolate us in our little space here, under this tree, this protected space. This is why he brought me here. I inhale deeply the smell of fresh rain in this small, green oasis and look at him. He closes his eyes and I can t drag mine away and all I can think is how beautiful he is.
I can take this. I can have this, have him even if it s just for a little while. It s a bad idea. The worst. But I tuck myself closer to him, shivering.
Sensing it, he turns to me and there s a long moment where our eyes remain locked and it s hard to quash the hope that bubbles in my chest, but I do. I have to. I break eye contact and I let him hold me knowing it s just for a little while.