Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
JULIETTE
M y scalp stings as I towel-dry my hair. I can’t stand the smell of peppermints once more. Part of me feels like my lifelong hatred of them was a warning for Arnie—a warning I missed. I can’t believe how blind I’ve been. Arnie was one thing, Eva another. I thought she was someone I could truly trust. I’ve shared so much with her and she was plotting my death.
And what the hell is happening to my life? How much can one person really handle? Because I’m pretty sure I’m way past that limit. I just need things to calm down a bit, to relax. But I have a bad feeling. The aftermath of this is going to be anything but peaceful. With a fresh betrayal wound on my heart, I don’t know how much more I can take.
I used to think I had a guardian angel, that someone was watching over me. Now, I’m not so sure—or maybe he abandoned me. I don’t know. And I don’t know how to be strong enough to handle all this. I feel more lost than ever.
Moving through the motions, I shed my robe and pull on some cotton panties, followed by a pair of shorts and a big T-shirt. My mind is a million miles away when I hear someone knocking at the door.
“Come in.”
Hope rises in my heart. Maybe Dean is back already. It’s stupid, considering I know it takes longer than an hour to clean up a mess like that. I just feel like I’ve hardly seen him today. I’ve gotten so used to being around Dean constantly that I miss him whenever we spend time apart.
Gemma pokes her head in. The aspiring hope bursts like an overinflated bubble. Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister-in-law. She’s one of my closest friends—or she was when I still lived in Vegas—but I just really want to see Dean right now.
“Hey,” she says, stepping into the room.
Her honey-brown hair falls down her back in waves. She’s glowing. I swear my room looks even brighter with her in it.
“Pregnancy looks good on you,” I quip.
She places a hand on her barely there bump. “Thanks.”
I smile at her, though I feel anything but happy right now. A heavy silence engulfs us. Seeing my sister-in-law makes me miss home even more. I thought watching them through cameras was bad, but seeing them in person, knowing they’re going to leave me behind—hurts more than I could’ve imagined.
The threat of tears burns my eyes, but I push them down. This is not a time to cry, to show a weak spot.
“I’ve really missed you,” Gemma finally says.
I release a small sob, all those repressed tears welling up inside me. Gemma crosses the room and wraps me in a hug. I squeeze her back. She reminds me of home.
“I’ve really missed you too,” I whisper.
Gemma rubs soothing circles across my back, holding me for a few minutes. She releases me and sits on my bed.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve had better months,” I shrug. I sound so damn pitiful, but I’m too drained to care.
“I’m sure. But it’s over now. At least you can sleep easy knowing that.”
“Yeah.” I won’t be losing sleep over his death or Eva’s. That’s for damn sure.
“I’m told I have a nephew,” she says.
“Yeah. He’s asleep right now, but you can meet him tomorrow.”
“I feel like I missed a lot.”
“Well, the summary is I was pregnant when I left with Dean. He didn’t know. I raised our son alone for a while, and then one day Dean just kind of found out. Accidentally.”
“Accidentally?”
“We ran into each other at an airport.”
“Okay. And now?”
“We’re together. Engaged, to be exact.”
My stomach flutters every time I say that, every time I look down at my hand.
“Definitely missed a lot.” I laugh before launching into an explanation that answers all the same questions everyone else has had. Honestly, I should make a PowerPoint presentation on the subject at this point. That would be easier. But the face Juliette makes with every detail I tell her makes it more fun.
“I can’t believe you stabbed her in the eye.” Her face turns a weird shade of green. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“So don’t,” I laugh. “How have you been? Are you excited for the baby?”
The smile that takes over her face is huge. “Yeah. I’m twelve weeks along now.”
“Right before the second trimester, nice. That’s always around the time my morning sickness stopped.”
“I haven’t had too much of that.”
“Lucky,” I reply. I’m almost jealous. My morning sickness was horrible with PJ. Love the kid, but he hated everything I ate for so long.
“How about my Declan? How is he?”
Gemma sighs. “He’s okay. Excited for the baby.”
“But?”
“Your brother is really angry lately. I think it was guilt at first for what happened with Warren. Since he was proven innocent, it’s been hard for Declan to accept what he did. But now that he knows Warren is alive, he’s angrier than I’ve ever seen him.”
“Give him some time. He’ll come around.”
“Yeah, probably.” She casts her eyes down.
“Gem, what aren’t you telling me?”
“He wants you to move back home.”
“Why? He kicked Dean out of the family? He can’t expect me to go home without Dean.”
“He’s going to let Dean back in. If he can stay sober, Declan will give him Balor’s place.”
“And Balor?”
“He’s been cutting back on work for a long time now, even more so since they adopted the girls. He is more than ready to step down and only be around for emergencies.”
“I’m not sure Declan could really handle having Dean around. He was pretty angry the other day.”
“Don’t worry,” she replies. “I took care of all of that already.”
“I’m not sure I want to ask what that means.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“Ewwww,” I fake a shiver. “Gross.”
“Grow up,” Gemma rolls her eyes. “We’re both adults.”
“Changes nothing.”
“Whatever. What do you think about moving home?”
I could tell her everything I feel—how badly I’ve missed Vegas, how badly I’ve missed the estate, how I’ve missed living with my family, which is something I never thought I would miss. But somehow I do. I open my mouth to say it, but at the last second, I change my mind.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t you miss home?”
Something keeps me from telling her just how much I’ve missed it all. Maybe it’s the worry gnawing at me that Dean won’t want to go home. If I’m honest, he’s never been one to forgive easily. He may never forgive Declan for this. I don’t know. But if he knows I’m telling others I want to go home, he’d move in a heartbeat, and I don’t want that. So much has been out of Dean’s control lately. Where we live should be his decision. I can give him that, at least.
“So are you and Declan going to find out what the baby is?” I ask, changing the subject.
And just like I knew she would—Gemma takes the bait.
“We’re not sure yet.”
“Are you leaning towards boy or girl?”
“I think we’re having a girl,” she replies. “I’d be happy with either gender, though.”
“Do you have any names picked out?”
She shakes her head. “Not yet. Things have been chaotic.”
“I’m sorry. I never meant for all this to happen. I know it’s taking away from your lives.”
“Hey,” she grabs my hand. “We will always drop everything to be here for you. I wish you had known that six years ago. Your brother would do anything for you, including keeping your secret.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
“I know. He knows that too. He’s going to work through it.”
It sounds like she’s trying to convince herself just as much as me. I know she’s worried about her husband. I’m worried for him as his sister. He doesn’t like change, and he definitely doesn’t like being lied to. But I have hope that he will figure it out.
“He will,” I assure her. “Everything is going to be fine.”
I yawn, exhaustion seeping into my bones.
“I should let you get some rest.”
“Are you staying in Adare?”
“Your mother gave me a room in the suite to stay in while Declan is out.”
“Good. I’ll see you in the morning then?”
“Sounds good. Get some rest, Juliette.”
I climb into bed as she leaves my bedroom, flipping my overhead light off before slipping out the door. The lamp by my bed leaves the room in a faint glow. My legs tangle in the soft sheet as I lean over and shut the lamp out. Pulling the covers up to my chin, I burrow into the mattress. I wish Dean was here. I realize he is out protecting me from any fallout, but it doesn’t dilute how lonely I feel in this moment. All I want is for him to hold me right now, to make me feel safe. Though I wouldn’t say no to some good intimacy either. If only my fiancée were home.
Every thrust shakes my insides, like the beginnings of an avalanche. With every sharp snap of Dean’s hips, I feel more and more like I’m falling apart. A slow heat unfurls. Starting from the soles of my feet, making its way to every single limb.
“God,” I moan out into the darkness.
My hands bury themselves in sand, feeling every warm grain beneath my fingertips. All I can focus on is the way Dean’s girthy cock is forcing it’s way in and out of my tight hole. I moan again, not sure who else is on the beach with us, but too far gone to care that they’re getting a show. Dean wraps his arms around me, turning us both on our sides.
I can feel Dean’s breath on my ear. His teeth bite at my neck as he shoves his way in, stretching in me in exquisitely. The walls of my pussy burn at the rough intrusion, but I can’t deny how much I love the stab of pain.
“You’re being such a good little fuck toy for me,” he rumbles.
His voice is a thunderous sound I feel all the way to my clit. I let out a deep groan, pushing my ass back into Dean, taking his firm dick deeper.
Dean’s hand grip my hips. Giving him the leverage he needs to pump me up and down on his cock. He’s holding me so tight.
The heat is growing, making my skin feel a size too small as my body begs for relief.
“Please let me come,” I mumble.
I’m not even sure if Dean hears me or not, but he must. He reaches around, fingers finding my clit, pinching it between two fingers, he whispers in my ear.
“Come on my cock.”
Everything comes crashing down. Like a damn breaking apart, the orgasm drowns me. I cry out, sobbing and begging while my body tenses as the pleasure rides its way through me. Dean is above me, still propelling into me, each thrust delivered like a punishment.
“Baby,” he whispers.
I open my eyes to see the man himself, only then to realize it was all a dream. We’re not on the beach at all.