24. Cara
Chapter twenty-four
Cara
It was nearly midnight, and I was still wide awake. I could hear Riley snoring softly in his room, so I was completely alone with my thoughts.
Now that Ellis knew the truth about Riley, I felt like I was sitting on a ticking time bomb, like it was only a matter of time until my life exploded. Arlene’s son had done some research, and no Karen Thompson worked for CPS. No one there had ever heard of me or Riley, so it was clearer than ever that this Karen Thompson, if that was even her real name, had been sent by Carlisle to intimidate me. I had no idea what else he had in store for me, but I doubted he would just sit idle once he found out I’d broken our agreement. I had to be prepared for everything. While Riley was in school, I’d packed a bag for both of us and hid it in the closet next to the door. I’d gathered all our documents and also withdrawn a nice chunk of cash from my account.
Part of me was itching to get away immediately, to just grab Riley and run and not look back until we were as far away from the Bentons as possible, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that to him just yet.
Right now, Riley’s life was happy. He knew nothing of his father’s identity or the threat looming over our heads. Tearing him away from everything he knew and loved would devastate him, so I kept that as the very last option.
As I was trying to envision our life in a different town, a different state, hell, maybe even a different country, a knock on the door startled me.
My heart thumped in my chest rapidly. A visitor at that time of the night could only mean bad things. I held my breath and remained still, hoping the unwanted visitor would think I wasn’t at home and would go away.
Another knock, then a voice. “Cara, it’s me, Ellis. Can we talk?” He spoke softly. He didn’t demand I open the door. He asked.
Could I risk it? God, when had the man of my dreams become someone I was afraid to open the door for?
Still uncertain, I put on my bathrobe and opened the door with shaky hands. Ellis didn’t look angry, as I’d expected after our last conversation. He looked nervous.
“Thank you for letting me in,” he said as he walked in.
I stood in the middle of the living room, arms wrapped around my body defensively, on high alert. “So? What do you have to say?”
Ellis took a deep breath, and a sad smile washed over his face. “I confronted my father.”
“What?”
“I expected he would at least deny my allegations, but he admitted it. All of it.”
“God damn it, Ellis,” I said bitterly. “You made things so much worse for me. He’s going to blame all this on me. Why couldn’t you just trust me?”
Ellis took a step toward me. “I’m sorry. I… to be honest, I knew you were telling the truth, but I didn’t want to believe it. He’s my father, Cara. For a long time, he was all the family I had, and despite all his shortcomings, I love him. Or loved him.”
“You endangered both Riley and me because you were incapable of seeing who your father really was.”
Ellis hung his head low. He looked so hurt that I almost regretted my sharp tone. “Cara,” he said quietly. “You lost your father too. You know how hard it is to lose someone you love.”
I huffed. “My father was a wonderful man who died way too early from a heart attack. Your father is a tyrant who tore our family apart. He’s also not dead.”
“He is to me,” Ellis said. “After everything that’s happened, I cut all ties and burned all bridges. I know it’s not the same, but I too lost a parent. He wasn’t a good man—I admit that—but he was my father.”
I understood what he was trying to say. Yes, in a way, Ellis had lost his father too—or at least the man he thought his father was, the man he wanted his father to be. It must have been very painful for Ellis.
“Burned all bridges?” I asked, my tone a lot milder than before.
“I needed to find a way to make sure he wouldn’t harm you or Riley,” Ellis said. “Thankfully, my little sister turned out to be a lot more resourceful than I’d given her credit for. We came up with a plan.”
“A plan? To keep your father away from us?”
Ellis pointed at the PocketQuest 4 lying on the couch table, the gaming console he’d gifted Riley.
“I didn’t understand all the details—that’s Harper’s area of expertise—but that new console runs some kind of data-collecting spyware every time it goes online. It’s illegal, and there would be a huge outcry if customers found out about it.”
I eyed the unassuming little plastic box and felt a spark of hope. “If customers found out about it, huh?”
Ellis grinned. “Harper managed to unearth a lot of files: emails between developers, databases, even a prototype of the software, but I’m not even sure it’s needed. The software is on every last one of these things. Anyone can find it if they know where to look.”
“I like the direction of where this is going.”
“I told my father we would leak the files to the press if he ever bothered Riley or you again.”
“Wow. You… you blackmailed him?”
“Fight fire with fire, right? He will probably hustle to get this software off the newly produced consoles, but we have everything documented. He can’t risk this getting out. The damage to the company would be severe, so his hands are tied.”
I was shocked. Ellis had gone toe to toe with his father. And won . I was not only relieved that Riley and I were safe from Carlisle Benton—I was so very proud of Ellis for standing up against his father after years of trying to please him.
Ellis took a deep breath. “It’s over, Cara. We outplayed him. We can start a new life now. Together, if that is what you wa—”
I propelled myself toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Of course this is what I want!”
I pushed my finger through his hair and pulled his head down for a kiss.
When I broke away, Ellis smiled. “If this is my reward, all of it was worth it.”
Joy and relief flooded my body, and I leaned against his chest to steady myself. “You’re going to need a new job, though.”
“Eventually, yes. I doubt that will be a problem, though. I’m a Cambridge-educated lawyer, after all.” He rested his head on mine and gently caressed my back. “Not right away, though. I have enough money in my trust fund to never work a day in my life, so I think I will take a few months off. I want to spend all my time with you and Riley. Get to know you again, and him for the first time.”
I looked up at him. “You still have that money? Even after breaking ties with your father?”
“Oh yes, it’s not his money. The trust fund was set up by my maternal grandfather. He has no way of getting it. It’s ours.”
“Ours,” I repeated, still trying to process what was happening. Minutes ago, I’d been planning my escape to another country, now I was in the arms of my lover, talking about trust funds.
Ellis smiled. “You’re rich now.”
Pulling him in closer, I breathed in his familiar scent. “I don’t care about that—you know that. I don’t want to be rich. I just want you.”
“You have me, Cara. You always had me.”
The mix of happiness, relief, and pride made me bold. I looked up at him with a grin. “Then why don’t you follow my lead over there, to the bed?”
I nodded toward the pulled-out couch. “It might be below your usual standards, but it’s better than that creaky sofa in the cabin.”
“I would make love to you on the cold, hard floor, Cara Shephard,” he said, his eyes quickly darkening with desire. “In fact, strike that. I don’t even need the floor. I would make love to you on the hot molten-lava core of the earth if that’s what it took.”
I snorted out a laugh. “If we’re having sex on lava, I want to be on top.”
“Be my guest.”
I took his words as an invitation to push him down on the bed and did not waste any time getting on top of him and straddling his hips.
He sat up for a hot, passionate kiss, before lying back down, his hands gently stroking my thighs.
I shoved my hands under his sweater, feeling his abs tense under my touch.
“You’ll need to be quiet,” I whispered while my hands wandered over the hard planes of his chest. “We must not wake up Riley.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Then take off your sweater.”
He grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “You first.”
He didn’t need to ask me twice. I was longing for his touch, and as soon as his strong hands were on my breasts, a moan escaped me.
He quickly silenced me with a kiss. “Quiet. Remember?”
His lips left my mouth and wandered down my neck. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his hot kisses against my sensitive skin.
His kisses alone were enough to make heat pool between my legs. Impatiently, I pulled off his sweater myself.
After taking a moment to admire the sight of his muscled body, I kissed his chest and his stomach all the way down until I reached the hem of his pants. I made quick work of those, too, then he was all mine to enjoy.
I took my time exploring his body with my hands and lips, familiarizing myself with him again before I took off the rest of my own clothes.
As soon as my panties touched the floor, Ellis’s hands were on my hips, and with one quick, fluid motion, he threw me on the bed and got on top of me.
I let out a giggle. “Someone’s getting impatient.”
My laugh turned into a moan when I felt his hardness pressing against my center. “You better have brought condoms this time.”
To my relief, he bent down, reaching for his discarded pants, and pulled out a little plastic package. “Bought them right after our stay at the cabin,” he said with a smile. “I’ve always been an optimist.”
He tore it open, and a moment later, he was on top of me again, nudging my legs apart.
Our eyes locked. “Ready?” he asked.
I nodded silently, wrapping my arms around his shoulder to steady myself.
When he entered me, I needed a moment to adjust to him. Thirteen years had passed since I was with someone in this way, but our bodies reconnected almost in an instant, and we quickly found our rhythm. My pleasure built with each of his thrusts, and my hips started rising of their own volition.
I closed my eyes and lost myself in the waves of desire that washed over me again and again. Under my hands, I felt his muscles tense, and I heard his breathing getting labored.
“Cara,” he groaned, his breath hot against my skin. “God, Cara, I love you so much.”
Then his words turned into grunts, and just as he reached his peak, my own pleasure exploded like a firework, making my whole body tense around his.
It took me a while to come down from my high. My body was still tingling when he slowly withdrew and rolled off me.
Cool air hit my overheated skin, and with a little whine of frustration, I reached for him. He quickly threw an arm over my body and pulled me close, peppering gentle kisses on my face.
“Happy?” he asked.
I smiled. “Happy.”