Chapter 56
56
E than woke up slowly, turning to glance at the clock.
Six-thirty.
Hmm.
Turning slightly, he glanced at the girl sleeping beside him. Her mouth was open slightly, small puffs of air escaped from her mouth. He’d put her hair into two braids last night and she looked adorable.
He should let her sleep.
But he had an urge to have her taste on his lips.
To drink her down. Hear her cries of pleasure. Could he do it without waking her? At least in the beginning?
Slowly, he inched her over onto her back. She was wearing a pair of thick pajamas even though he had the heat turned up to seventy-eight. Of course that meant that while she slept with three blankets on top of her, he had a sheet and was wearing nothing at all.
They’d flown into Billings a few days ago and he’d mostly been keeping her inside and out of the cold.
Not that it was cold for Montana.
But for a California girl who was sensitive to the cold, it was positively arctic.
Today, though, they were going to Ink’s new place for his housewarming. And to meet their new foster child.
He knew that Cate was nervous about meeting everyone.
They would all love her, though. And he would stick close to her.
He drifted his hand down to her hip, his eyebrows raising as he realized that she must have kicked her pajama pants off in the night. How had he slept through that?
Then again, she had been restless during the night.
He moved his hand lower and found them down around her knees. Well, that couldn’t be very comfortable.
Making sure he didn’t disturb the blankets on top of her, he carefully tugged the pajama pants off her feet.
Shifting himself, he pushed her legs apart.
He lay down, keeping the blankets on top of them both. Yeah, he was probably going to roast to death, but he didn’t care about his comfort.
Sliding her panties to one side of her pussy, he took a long lick of her lips. She let out a small murmur, shifting around on the bed. But then he started flicking her clit. She grew wet and warm.
Fuck, he loved the taste of her.
Slipping his tongue down, he pushed it inside her.
“Ohhh.”
Cate wasn’t quite awake yet, but she was becoming more aware. So he didn’t have much time.
Ethan drove his tongue in and out of her passage as he used his thumb to flick her clit. She was trembling, and then she stiffened. He knew she had to be close. Licking up her arousal, he moved his tongue back to her clit while sliding two fingers into her passage.
Whimpers escaped her. As her cries grew louder, her hips rose, and she came.
God, yes.
He eased the movements of his tongue and fingers, bringing her down slowly from her high. Then he drew her panties off before sliding up her body. His dick was stiff and throbbing, but he paused at her entrance, peering down into her face.
She stared up at him blurrily, a smile on her face. “What are you waiting for?”
“Just checking that you’re fully awake and ready for me, baby.”
“I thought the ‘ready for you’ part would be obvious.” Her voice was husky with sleep and sexy as fuck.
“Hmm. Yeah, it was.” He slid inside her, inch by inch, torturing them both.
“Please,” she begged. “More. Faster. Harder.”
“Shh, you’ll get what you’re given.”
“So mean.”
Leaning down, he nipped at her lip, then pressed his tongue into her mouth. They both moaned as he started drawing out of her, then pushing his way back in.
He fucked her with slow, deep thrusts, kissing her like he wanted to devour her. Somehow, it between thrusts, he managed to get her pajama top off.
“If I could keep you like this always, I would.”
“Please,” she begged. “Fuck me.”
So he did.
His movements became faster, harder and more erratic as he drove deep into her. He could feel his heart pounding as the need to come grew. Reaching between them, he played with her clit. Dropping his mouth to her breasts, he sucked her nipple until he felt the first ripple of her release.
And then he could finally let himself go.
Cate couldn’t remember the last time she was this nervous.
She stared out of the windshield at the large house they pulled up in front of.
It was a wooden house with two stories. There was a wrap-around porch on three sides of the house. A four-car garage was attached and there was a large circular driveway. It was on the outskirts of the city and while they had neighbors, they were spaced well apart.
“Well, this is a bit different from the warehouse they used to live in,” Ethan commented.
“A warehouse?”
“Hmm, a renovated warehouse. I think Ink was worried that it wouldn’t be considered an ideal place to have children, so they decided to buy a house.”
“Because they’re fostering a seven-year-old,” Cate said. “Her name is Zipporah. And she had to leave her last fostering situation because she threatened the foster father with a knife. Which doesn’t sound good.”
Ethan’s face tightened. “Yeah, she hasn’t told anyone what happened. So they only have his side of the story.”
Cate didn’t like the sound of that.
“But we won’t mention that part, all right?” He turned to her.
“Right. That isn’t on the list of approved topics.” She nodded. “They also have two sons. Twins. Royal and Baron. I can ask about how they are getting on at college. It is also best if I don’t ask about Ink’s work. Or Brody’s boyfriend.”
“Sweetheart, I know you’re uncomfortable, but everything will be all right.” He reached over and placed his hand over hers.
She clasped hold. She wanted to beg him not to leave her. But this was a social situation. Lines were blurred and sometimes situations came up you had no control over. She understood that part. So it wouldn’t be fair to make him stay with her. These were his friends.
Cate knew she had to learn how to interact with them.
They were spending the next month here in Montana to see if she liked living here. So far, she loved it. It was quieter. It wasn’t frantic like Los Angeles. And she was even in discussions with her boss about being able to work remotely. It might mean having to go back to Los Angeles regularly, but when she’d talked about resigning they’d scrambled to make things work.
However, there was a big problem.
Well, two, according to Ethan. One was the weather. He didn’t like the idea of her living in the cold.
But the only real problem for her was her brother. She’d never lived away from Rhodes and while she didn’t expect to live in the same house with him forever . . . she never thought she’d have to move halfway across the country.
However, Rhodes told her not to worry about that. He’d sort it all out.
Whatever that meant.
There had been so much change and upheaval lately that she didn’t know that she could cope with anything more. Samantha was in jail. Oliver was in a high security psychiatric hospital. And poor Kevin was dead.
She didn’t think she’d ever feel sympathy toward Kevin, but while he could be a jerk, she didn’t think he’d deserved to die.
Rhodes wasn’t ready to get a new agent.
“Say the code phrase and I’ll get you out of there.”
They’d come up with a code phrase if she was uncomfortable and wanted to leave without saying so. All she had to say was that she had a meeting to prepare for the next day.
“Will they get upset if I don’t meet their gaze?” She sometimes struggled with that. Although not usually with Ethan. But a bunch of strangers . . . yeah.
“No one will get upset with you,” he said with a firm look on his face.
Cate nodded and forced a smile. Ethan got out of the car and walked around to open her door. After undoing her seatbelt, he helped her out.
“Are you sure this isn’t too many people for Zipporah to meet?” she asked, looking around at the cars, trucks, and motorcycles in the driveway.
“I asked that too,” Ethan told her. “But apparently, she’s met a lot of us already and handled it well. Plus, not everyone is coming or can make it.”
She knew that. She’d made a list with information about each person coming and put it into a binder, along with photos. It might also be color-coded.
Duke and Sunny.
Spike and Millie.
Jason and Jewel.
Hack and Greer.
Savage and Livvy with their youngest, Wyatt. She wasn’t sure where the two older boys were, but perhaps that could be a conversation starter.
Razor and Tabby.
Reyes and Emme.
Brody and Autumn. But not their boyfriend who she wasn’t supposed to talk about.
Matthieu, Butch, and Seth.
There. That was everyone. She hoped.
It was still a lot.
And some of their names were quite terrifying.
Although at least she already knew Ink and Duke from high school.
He continued to hold her hand as they moved to the front door. After pressing the doorbell, they only had to wait a few seconds for it to open. But to her surprise, it wasn’t Ink standing there. Or his girlfriend, Betsy.
It was a little girl with midnight hair put up into two ponytails and green eyes. She stared up at them suspiciously.
“Who’re you?”
“I’m Ethan Stone and this is my girlfriend, Cate Ripley.”
The girl looked them both over. “Why does she look scared?”
Did she look scared?
Ethan turned to look at her worriedly. If she was scared, she thought that she’d hid it well.
“I look scared?” she asked.
“Uh-huh. Is it because of this guy? Is he threatening you?” The girl turned to glare at Ethan.
Oh no. She couldn’t have her thinking that about Ethan.
“No, of course not. Ethan takes good care of me. He’d never force me to do something against my will.”
The girl, who had to be Zipporah, punched her fist into her hand. “Because if he is making you, I’ll punch him.”
Cate’s eyes widened. How could she think she could take on Ethan?
She was a brave little girl.
“I’m just nervous about meeting all these new people,” Cate told her honestly.
“Oh, I can help you. I know everyone. Don’t trust ‘em yet, though.”
“Fair enough. Trust is hard,” Cate said.
Zipporah nodded. “My name is Zippy. Just Zippy. Don’t call me Zipporah or I’ll have to punch you.” She smacked her fist into her hand again.
Goodness.
“Hey, you’re here!” A young man who looked to be in his late teens appeared next to Zippy. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt advertising a band she’d never heard of and a pair of scuffed shoes. His hair was up on end and he had an easy smile. “And you’ve met Zippy. Isn’t she adorable?”
Zippy grinned at the boy before turning that stare on Ethan. “Remember, the name is Zippy.”
“Got it,” Ethan said.
“Brother, the Stone is here, and he brought his girl,” the boy yelled.
Another young man appeared, identical in looks to the first but dressed completely different in a button-up shirt and jeans with polished shoes.
He smiled at Cate. “Hello, you must be Cate. I’m Royal. This is Baron.” He gestured to the first boy. “This is Zippy. Don’t call her Zipporah.”
“We’ve had that conversation,” Ethan said.
“Isn’t she great?” Royal said.
They were obviously besotted with the small girl.
“She starts school on Monday,” Baron said. “We’re going to drop her off.”
“And nobody better mess with her,” Royal said.
“Or else,” Baron added.
The three of them punched their fists into the palms of their hands.
Wow. That was a very coordinated move.
“I can see the three of you are going to give Ink gray hair,” Ethan said with a grin. “I’m here for that.”
“Whoa, the Stone is smiling,” Baron whispered. “That’s weird.”
“How is that weird?” Cate asked. “He smiles a lot.”
Both boys stared at her. Then Royal gave her a strange look. “Maybe he just smiles because he’s around you.”
That was a very nice thing to say.
“Come on in,” Royal said. “We’ll give you the grand tour.”
“Ink, the Stone is here,” Baron yelled out. “And he’s got a pretty girl. Oh, and he smiled.”
These twins were . . . charming.
“Manny Boulder!” someone yelled as they walked into a huge living room with a stone fireplace and large windows that showed the gorgeous view beyond. Trees as far as she could see.
A small woman with dark-blonde hair raced toward Ethan. She stopped in front of him, smiling. “Hey!”
Manny Boulder?
Ethan grinned at her, reaching down to hug her briefly. A dark-haired, attractive man stepped up behind her, tugging her back against him.
“Hey Greer,” Ethan said.
Greer and Hack. Hack was a doctor. Greer was Savage’s sister.
“I’m so glad you’re back. Hi, you must be Cate. Welcome.” Greer didn’t reach out to touch her, just waved instead. But her smile seemed genuine.
Maybe.
The next forty minutes involved whirlwind introductions. Even though she’d researched each person, she still found it overwhelming.
Everyone seemed lovely and no one touched her. But it was still a lot. And after a house tour from the boys, she needed a bit of a break.
“I’m just going to go to the bathroom,” she told Ethan.
“I’ll take you.”
She shook her head. “You stay and talk to your friends. I know where I’m going.”
He eyed her for a long moment. “You need to go home.”
“We haven’t even been here an hour.”
“Cate,” he said warningly. “Tell me the truth.”
“I’ll be all right. I just want a short breather.” And her head was thumping.
“I’ll take you outside.”
“Ethan. I’m all right. Just a few minutes.”
He didn’t look happy, but he nodded.
She headed into the powder room and put some cool water on the inside of her wrists. It still didn’t help. And she didn’t want to stay in here. Maybe some air would help.
Walking from the powder room, she headed toward the door off the kitchen. Stepping out onto the porch, she frowned as she saw someone disappear into the trees.
Someone small with dark hair. Carrying a Nerf gun.
What was Zippy up to?
Should a seven-year-old go off on her own . . . with a Nerf gun?
She decided to follow her. Rushing to the trees, she walked into the forest. But Cate wasn’t used to navigating a forest and soon she was lost.
Oh God.
She was going to be in trouble when Ethan went looking for her.
“Zippy? Zippy, are you here?”
“What you doing following me?”
With a gasp, she jumped and turned, her hand on her heart. There stood the little girl, her gun aimed at Cate.
“I was worried you might get lost.”
Zippy tipped her head to one side. “Yeah? Do you know where you’re going?”
With a sigh, Cate shook her head. “No, sadly, I have no idea. Ethan is not going to be happy when he discovers I’m gone. I was only going outside for a few minutes to get some air. Now, I’m lost. Do you know the way home?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t. Royal and Baron took me exploring the first day I arrived.”
They had?
“Are you supposed to be out here alone, though?”
Zippy narrowed her gaze at her. “You gonna tell?”
“I don’t believe so. If you take me back to the house.”
Zippy eyed her, then grinned. “I like you.”
“You do?”
“Uh-huh.” Zippy nodded.
“Why?”
“Because you’re different. You don’t talk to me like I’m a kid. Same with the twins.”
“They seem like good boys.”
“They’re hell on wheels. That’s what Ink says.”
“Within your hearing?”
“Heck no,” she said. “But I’m good at sneaking around.”
“I can tell.”
“I don’t want to ruin this. I got a good thing going on here and Betsy will worry if she knows I was out here. The twins said we aren’t to let Betsy worry. We take care of her.”
“I thought she would take care of you three.”
“That’s what we let her think.”
“You do? I don’t really understand. Don’t adults protect children?”
“I’m not saying that Betsy doesn’t look after me. So far, she makes really good food. And she tucks me in at night. And reads stories. But some adults also need us kids to look out for them too.”
“Oh.”
“Did your mom tuck you in at night?”
“My mom died when I was young. But yes, she did.”
“What about after she died?”
“I had to go live with my aunt and uncle.”
“Were they nice?” Zippy asked.
“No. They weren’t.”
Zippy nodded. “After my mom died, I had to go live with this foster family. The dad was a jerk. I threatened to stab him. It got me in trouble, though. Did your aunt and uncle hit you?” Zippy asked.
“No. They used to yell at me. Call me names. But my cousin . . .” Cate reached up to touch the faint scar on her lip.
“He gave you that?” Zippy asked.
“Yes. He wanted me to . . . to do something I didn’t want to do. And he pushed me over. I ripped my lip open on a rough piece of ground. My aunt and uncle were worried I’d tell people what happened, so I had to promise not to tell anyone and they told me James, my cousin, wouldn’t go near me again.”
“That true?”
“No. They couldn’t keep him away. But my brother, Rhodes, kept me as safe as he could. Although I never told him what happened either.”
Why was she talking about this with a child? That wasn’t acceptable.
“Sounds like your cousin needs punishing.”
“Yes, same as your foster father. Shall we go back now?”
“Sure!” Zippy said cheerfully. “Follow me.”
Turning, she followed her.
Neither of them saw the man stepping out of the trees to watch them.
But he kept an eye on them until they made it safely back to the house. Stone was standing on the porch with Ink, looking for them.
Cate rushed into his arms. She was probably being scolded. Much like the small child.
Who wasn’t really like a child at all.
He admired her strength. And Cate’s too. It seemed like they’d both suffered through things that they shouldn’t have. They both had demons in their past.
Demons that he was going to have to take care of.
The Fox was going hunting.
Cate heard the doorbell ring. Standing, she walked over to the door. Ethan’s apartment had the bare minimum of furniture and very little personality. They’d been here ten days, now. She’d survived meeting his friends, even though they hadn’t stayed long after she’d gotten lost in the woods at Ink’s house.
She’d gotten her butt spanked long and hard for that. Ethan had been really upset with her for wandering off. And she guessed she understood. Cate wasn’t the outdoorsy type.
“Cate, don’t answer that door,” Ethan said firmly, walking toward her. He’d just taken a shower after dinner and his hair was wet.
“I was going to check first,” she told him. “Do you not want me answering your door?”
“This is your door too. It’s about safety, baby.” Reaching for her, he drew her close to kiss the top of her head. “Wait here.”
Who was he expecting to be on the other side?
Ethan opened the door and a squeal escaped her. She’d never made a sound like that in her life. But then . . . her brother had never surprised her like this.
She ran to him, jumping into his arms. He twirled her around before putting her down and cupping her face. “Hey, honey.”
“What are you doing here? I thought you were heading to New Zealand?”
“It got pushed back a bit, so I decided to come here first. Are you all right?”
She talked to him almost every day. But yeah, she’d missed him a lot. She hugged him tight. “I’m better now. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Why don’t you come in?” Ethan said. “I’ll grab your bags.”
She led Rhodes inside and they sat on the couch, talking.
“I’ve got something to tell you,” he said, looking over at Ethan who had just walked into the room and sat down next to her. “There’s another reason I’m here.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’ve got a meeting set up with a real estate agent.”
“Why would you need to do that?” she asked, puzzled. That seemed an odd thing to do unless he was looking at buying property.
“Because I’m going to buy a house here.”
“For . . . for me?” she asked. “I mean, to be near me?”
“Yes.”
“But I hadn’t even decided to move here.” She glanced at Ethan, who ran his hand up and down her back soothingly.
“I think we both know you need to be with Ethan,” Rhodes replied. “And while he could move to the city, we know he hates it.”
She had to smile at that. Ethan really didn’t like the city.
“And you never liked living there. You did it for me,” Rhodes said.
“Yes, but don’t you need to be there?” she asked. How would it work for him?
“Nope. I don’t. I’ll spend some time there still. I might sell the house and buy an apartment. But I can be here most of the time. Oh, and Polly has agreed to become my assistant. And she wants to move here as well.”
“Polly? Really? I’m glad you employed her.” She’d been questioned by the police and they’d been satisfied that she hadn’t had anything to do with Samantha’s plans.
“So? What do you think about me moving here?” Rhodes asked.
Happiness filled her. She leaned into him, hugging him tight. “I’m so relieved. Thank you.”
“You never have to thank me for wanting to be near you. I love you.”
The doorbell rang, and Ethan got up again.
“I love you too,” she told him.
Leaning back, Rhodes smiled down at her. “Being with Ethan has been good for you, hasn’t it? You never would have told me you loved me before. Or hugged me like this.”
“I’m sorry.” She bit her lip.
“No. There’s no need to be sorry. I’m glad you’re so happy with him.”
“I really am. I love him so much. I never thought I’d have this. Me. Weirdo Cate.”
“Cate,” Rhodes growled.
But before he could scold her, Ink walked into the room with Ethan.
“Ink. Hey.” Rhodes got up to shake his hand.
Ink looked shocked to see him. “Rhodes? What are you doing here?”
“I’m visiting. What’s wrong? You look like you’re in shock.”
Ink ran his hand over his face. “Actually, it’s good you’re here. And maybe I am shock.”
They all sat back down.
“Ethan, you know how you asked Brody to look into Cate and Rhodes’ aunt and uncle, as well as their cousin, James?”
“You did what?” Rhodes asked, rising onto his feet to glare down at Ethan. “Cate? Did you know about this?”
“No. Ethan, why would you do that?”
“Because those assholes deserve to be punished for what they did to you as a child,” Ethan replied with a scowl. “They don’t get to live like nothing has happened. So I had Brody researching them to see if there’s anything dirty on them. Something I could use to make their lives miserable. But he was having trouble finding anything.”
“Those assholes have everyone fooled in that town they live in,” Rhodes said. “They go to church regularly. Give to charities. Volunteer. People think they are angels. Even James.”
“Well, he finally found something,” Ink said. “Your aunt and uncle were stealing money from the church and its parishioners.”
Cate slumped against the sofa. “Really?”
“Yeah. They were arrested this morning. At church. Apparently, the whole town is talking about it.”
“Brody sent the information he found to the cops?” Ethan asked with a frown. “Without telling me first?”
“Brody said it wasn’t him. He only discovered this information yesterday. However, he did tell someone.”
“Fuck,” Ethan said. “He told him ?”
“Who?” Rhodes asked.
“Uh, his boyfriend,” Ink said.
“Fred?” Cate asked.
“Fred,” Ink said grimly.
“Are you saying Fred did this?” Ethan asked. He jumped to his feet and started pacing. “But that’s not his style. He’s usually more, um, direct in his approach.”
What did that mean? Confused, she looked over at Rhodes, who just shrugged.
“Well, it does have some poetic justice,” Ink said. “They’ve lost their standing with the church and the town. And they’re looking at a lot of jail time. They’ll be miserable for years.”
“I’m happy with that,” Rhodes said darkly. “I can’t believe I didn’t think to hire someone to look into them. I should have done that years ago.”
“In fairness, it wasn’t easy,” Ink said. “Brody is good at what he does, but I think he had some extra help. He won’t tell me, though.”
Ink didn’t look happy about that.
“There’s still the cousin, though,” Ethan said. “James.”
After telling Zippy about the scar on her lip, she’d decided to tell Ethan what happened. To say he’d been furious was an understatement.
“No, there’s not.” Ink shook his head. “Apparently, he was the mastermind. He tried to skip town, but a few hours later turned himself in. Said some crazy man was hiding in his car and threatened to disembowel him.”
Holy. Moly.
Rhodes took her hand in his. “They’ve all been arrested.”
Only Rhodes could know what this truly meant to her. To know that they were no longer living happy and free.
It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“Yep,” Ink replied, taking a seat in an armchair.
“I’m both pissed and happy at the same time,” Ethan said. “I wanted to be the one to take them down. But ultimately, all that matters is that they’re fucking miserable.”
“You didn’t tell me that you asked Brody to do that,” Cate said to him.
“Or me,” Rhodes said.
Ethan walked over and crouched in front of Cate. “Are you mad at me, baby? I just couldn’t live knowing they weren’t going to pay. And I didn’t want to make you an accomplice in case we had to . . . embellish things.”
“I understand. I don’t like you keeping things from me, though.”
“I know. I just wanted you to be safe. I would have told you eventually.”
“I guess I understand. I just can’t believe they’ve finally been dealt with. If feels surreal.”
“I have to go.” Ink stood. “But I’ll keep you guys updated if anything changes.”
Rhodes got up. “I’ll walk out to the car with you.”
They stepped out the front door and Ethan stood and pulled her up. Then he sat with her on his lap.
“Baby, are you sure you’re not mad at me? I just want you to be happy and safe. And I couldn’t sleep knowing they were getting away with what they did to you.”
“I’m not mad. I think I might be relieved. I know you were just looking out for me. Like you always do.”
“I’m glad you think that. Because I have something else to confess.”
Cate sucked in a breath. “What is it?”
“I got Rhodes to tell me the name of the guy who kissed you. Fucking asshole.”
“Rhodes told you!” She narrowed her gaze at him. “What did you do?”
Ethan grinned. It almost looked evil. “Since Brody was busy with your aunt and uncle, I paid an investigator to look into your ex. Turns out, that the bastard is living his worst life. Divorced three times. Living in a run-down shack. Most of his money goes on alimony. No friends because apparently he’s borrowed money from them all and never paid it back.”
“That sounds awful.”
“And just what he deserves.”
“I can’t believe you did all of this. Are you going to get revenge on anyone who wrongs me?”
“Baby, I’m going to dedicate my life to making sure that no one ever harms you again. That’s my number one job, along with making sure that you’re the happiest woman in the world.”
“Job well done, then.”