Chapter 17
Channing
After Win departed for his emergency business trip, Winnie was a wreck. It didn’t matter if I spent all day stuck to her side like glue; she was still overwhelmingly afraid. I thought that having Rocco shadow her might give her some comfort. It didn’t. She was even more tense around the large man, as if she was worried that he might report her concerning behavior back to Win. She didn’t want to be a burden, but it was impossible not to worry about her. She wasn’t sleeping very well. She didn’t have much of an appetite. Her focus was all over the place, and she was having a hard time with her classes. She was struggling to keep her emotions in check even though there hadn’t been another monster sighting and the sounds from the walls completely disappeared. I felt like I was watching the way my sister slowly faded away all over again.
If Winnie wasn’t in the middle of a school year, I would’ve taken her to the city and camped out at Salome’s until she stopped jumping out of her skin at every single sound. I couldn’t care less what Colette had to say. I settled for a rushed backup plan to keep Winnie’s attention diverted to help with her anxiety. I called Beverly, the opera singer from the gala, and told her I wanted to take her up on her offer for singing lessons. My niece needed to get out of the house. Beverly immediately agreed and gave me her schedule. I sent Winnie off with Rocco when the time came, and Beverly was available. While she was away at her lesson, I spent the morning poking around the manor. Win promised to track down the original building plans, but he had his hands full with whatever was going on overseas. I’d barely spoken to him since he left. When we managed to connect, we only had time for a quick update about Winnie.
I was determined to locate any secret doors or hidden passageways. I went through Win’s suite and came up empty-handed. Nothing was out of place or noticeably covered. The walls appeared to be solid, even hidden behind the furniture. Winnie’s room showed no signs of alterations. I went as far as to climb around in the closets looking for attic access, but I came up with nothing more than frustration and a hacking cough from the dust.
I attempted to pick through the empty wing of the manor where my sister had lived. I was surprised to find every door in that area of the house sealed shut. I rattled all the doorknobs and even tried to kick in the door of Winnie’s old nursery. It didn’t take long for one of Colette’s staff to appear out of nowhere and inform me I was not allowed in that section of the house. When I asked why everything was locked, there was no response. I found the situation suspicious. However, I did my best not to push my luck when Win wasn’t around. A full-blown confrontation between me and his mother with no referee was more than likely going to end with one of us doing something drastic. Regardless of who was at fault if things blew up between me and her, there was zero question who would be facing any consequences.
Since Winnie was gone for the day and I couldn’t move freely around the Halliday estate, I decided to visit the mausoleum where my sister’s ashes were laid to rest. I always thought Willow would have hated to be confined in such a small, dull space. I’d wanted to take her somewhere beautiful and vibrant to give her a beautiful send off. My older sister would definitely prefer to spend her ever-after carried across the world by the whim of the wind. Unfortunately, my mom was so hysterical, and in such denial after Willow’s death, she refused to accept that her eldest daughter was dead. It took locking Willow away in this dreadful place for my mom to snap out of her fugue state and comprehend that Willow was gone. She kept my sister in a static, lifeless location so she could visit her anytime she wanted. Little did either of us know that she was going to have an irreparable break from reality and wouldn’t be able to visit Willow at all. I often toyed around with the idea of setting my sister free and leaving her urn empty. No one in my family would ever know the difference. The only thing that stopped me was paying for an empty spot in the mausoleum. I couldn’t throw my money away on something just to make a point. But now that Win was in the picture, I might liberate her ashes.
I always brought flowers when I visited my sister. It annoyed me to no end that she was trapped in a wall with strangers. Archie was buried somewhere on the Halliday property with his father and generations of Hallidays that came before them. Of course, Colette wouldn’t let the spouses spend an eternity together. Different burial sites meant that Winnie rarely got to visit her mother, even though Colette forced her to spend time at her father’s grave once a week. It was grossly unfair.
I spoke out loud to the picture of Willow on the marble slab. I told her how Winnie was doing and shared my concerns about her daughter. I unloaded all my pent-up feelings regarding Win and our fake marriage. I told her how desperately I missed hearing her advice. I vented about the ongoing war with her mother-in-law, and I told her that I still hated the Cove with every fiber of my being. I rambled on about meeting Alistair and how there was finally a member of the Halliday brood, aside from her daughter, who wasn’t completely awful.
When I ran out of words, I cried. It happened every visit. I lost the hold over my grief. Whenever I looked at that smiling picture of a vibrant young woman who was gone too soon, I fell apart. Willow had loved me unconditionally. She never made me feel like I was too much or not enough. Since our mom was often difficult to deal with, and our father was a certified scumbag, Willow more or less raised me. I felt alone even though my parents were still around. Without Willow, I had no one to depend on. I had to face all of life’s ups and downs by myself. I carried everything alone. My best qualities were directly attributed to her, and she always forgave my worst. She would have been the most amazing mom to Winnie because she’d had tons of practice with me.
Once I was out of tears, I wiped off my face with my sleeve and pulled myself together, just like I always did. I told Willow I would be back soon and promised to bring Winnie on my next trip.
I hopped on my restored bicycle and rode into the tiny downtown of the Cove. Since it was off-season, the main street was mostly empty. I didn’t have to fight any sunburned, flip-flop-wearing crowds when I stopped to grab a smoothie. I sat outside and marveled at the empty streets and muted atmosphere. It was nothing like people watching in the city. I’d left this idyllic, coastal town the moment I was able. With my extensive dating history, I would never survive in a town where everyone knew everyone else. As soon as I dumped or got dumped, the entire population of Halliday Cove would know all the gory details. I would never have come back if Win hadn’t blackmailed me.
By the time I finished my drink, Winnie texted that she was ready to be picked up from Beverly’s place.
I rode to the house that was still on the seaside but not up a cliff. It was a modern mansion. Colette would turn her nose up at it, even if it cost several million dollars and she saw Beverly as an appropriate match for Win. The young woman met me at the gates and walked with me to the impressive entryway. The landscaping was lovely but not in the same league as the Queen of Hearts’ gardens that sprawled around the Halliday estate. I planned to grab Winnie and head back to the manor, but Beverly’s family insisted we both stay for dinner. Her parents and younger brother were incredibly welcoming. Beverly’s mother was a stunning Hispanic woman, and her father was a distinguished African American. It was no wonder Beverly was so beautiful. She got her distinct looks from both sides of the family. Winnie and Beverly’s brother actually attended the same school but were in different grades. They were familiar with one another in passing. My niece seemed more relaxed surrounded by Beverly’s family than she had been all week.
I felt like I could finally breathe once Winnie started smiling and laughing again. It was an immense relief that she finally ate a full meal and didn’t pick at the food on her plate. We stayed through dessert. When it was time to head home, Rocco insisted on driving us back to the estate. Because the big man was only following orders to keep Winnie safe, I decided it wasn’t worth a fight.
After saying an obligatory good night to her grandmother, Winnie took a quick shower and almost immediately zonked out. It was the first night she slept in her bed. I stayed with her until I was positive she wasn’t going to wake up as soon as I left. She’d been having nightmares. It was likely that she would jolt awake later, which meant I only had a couple of hours to myself.
I took a shower, making sure I locked all the doors, and kept an eye on the bathroom entry while I washed my hair and scrubbed my body. I’d been on high alert for disturbances ever since my hairbrush vanished. Fortunately, nothing weird happened, and the walls remained silent.
When I fell into Win’s bed, I was hit by a sudden bout of drowsiness. I contemplated getting up and grabbing a glass of wine, since I didn’t plan to sleep for at least a couple of hours. I was combing through my wet hair with my fingers when my phone rang. I was surprised to see Win’s name on the display. It was later than the middle of the night in London.
I answered the call and asked, “Are you still working this late?” I wasn’t supposed to care about his wellbeing, but I couldn’t help but have some sympathy for him. He was diligent for someone who openly hated his career.
“I’m getting ready to come home. I finally straightened out the issues with the project. I should be back sometime tomorrow afternoon. How’s Winnie?” His voice was raspy with exhaustion. It did something to my heart when he let himself show me his human weaknesses.
“She’s doing better. We spent some time away from the manor today. She’s sleeping in her own room tonight. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she makes it through the night. The poor thing is as haggard as I was when I went through my first divorce. She really wants you to come home. She feels safe with you.”
He sighed heavily. “At least someone misses me.”
I snuggled down into the luxurious bedding and rubbed my fingers along the top of my thigh under the hem of my silk robe. My skin was warm and soft from the shower. The touch made my skin tingle, but it wasn’t nearly as exciting as having Win’s hands on me.
“Oh, I think it’s safe to say I miss parts of you, Chester.” We didn’t have much time to explore our enemies-with-benefits deal before all hell broke loose and he was called away.
I tilted my head back and let my fingers drift farther up my leg. I shivered when Win’s deep voice rumbled in my ear, “What parts in particular do you miss, Harvey?”
My robe parted and I let my eyes drift closed as fingers reached the suddenly aching point between my legs. I let my thigh fall to the side and let out a shaky breath.
“It’s your hands at the moment.” I pictured the hungry expression stamped on his features whenever he got his hands on me. “And your face.” It was unfair that he was blessed with a damn near perfect one.
“I would’ve done a video call if you let me know that you wanted to see my face so badly.” His voice dropped lower, and I felt the vibration throughout my entire body.
“I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m about to do if you were watching me.” Not because I was shy. I didn’t know that I could concentrate on giving myself satisfaction without wanting to return the favor. One of the few times I ever felt equal to Win Halliday was when we had sex. I finally had something I could provide to him that no one else could. And he finally had something I wanted to accept when he offered. We were equally greedy when giving and taking carnal pleasure.
I stroked my fingers over my soft center and felt my entire body heat. My chest lifted with a rapid breath and my nipples tightened. I needed another hand to touch all the places Win usually did when we were in bed together. Since I only had one free hand, fondling myself to completion would have to suffice. It felt better when he did it, but horny beggars couldn’t be choosers.
I slid my fingers through my slippery folds and skimmed them across the surface of my clit. I gasped into the phone and dug my heels into the mattress. Win swore into my ear and growled my name like a warning.
“I feel like you owe me a play-by-play, Channing.”
I wanted to laugh, but my breath felt like it was caught in my lungs as I stroked my fingers inside my wet opening. My body felt feverish and tense. My legs quivered and my nipples tightened, aching for stimulation.
“I’ve got my fingers inside of my pussy and I’m touching myself. I’m not doing nearly as good of a job as you did in the hotel bathroom.”
He hummed a satisfied sound. “That’s because you know what it feels like to touch you. Since it was something I’d only dreamed about, I had to give it my all so I could be certain you’d let me do it again.”
I gasped as I moved my fingers deeper and rubbed my thumb against my clit. “You dreamed about touching me?” I must be hallucinating. Someone in his tax bracket had to have far more interesting things to fantasize about than my vagina.
I moaned softly when my body fluttered excitedly against my practiced manipulation. Win sighed. The sound sent shivers along my arms and legs.
“I have more dreams about you than I have money, Channing.” He made another wistful sound. “I don’t think two years will be long enough to bring them all to life. I’m willing to try, though.”
I didn’t know he could talk like that. The man didn’t seem to have a romantic bone in his body. I guess when he put his mind to something, he would always be the best at it. There was no other option for a Halliday.
I kept my eyes shut and whispered, “My fingers can’t reach as deep as your cock. That’s the part of you I’m missing the most right now.” The silken flesh surrounding my fingers got wetter. My body throbbed along with my racing heartbeat. I put more pressure against my clit and bit down on my bottom lip. My head thrashed against the fluffy pillows as Win’s voice enticed me over the edge of the orgasm.
“It’s crude to say that my cock misses you, but it does. I’ve been too busy to do anything but work and sleep. You should brace yourself for my return. I have a week’s worth of pent-up frustration and desire you’re directly responsible for.” Each word was strained and tense. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been so distracted during a crisis before. You’re taking up a lot of real estate in my head, Harvey. You should know just how pricey that property is.”
“I’m going to come.” I gasped the words as I interrupted him, not sure if it was my fingers or his words that broke open the floodgates. Whatever it was, my toes curled against the sheets and my entire body quaked with satisfaction in the aftermath. I panted my approval in Win’s ear. He cursed quietly and told me he would hurry home.
Winnie was still asleep when I went to the bathroom to clean up. Once I was back in bed, I closed my eyes and fell asleep in a second. I was sleepy before the phone call, and the bone-rattling orgasm made it impossible to stay alert.
I regretted sleeping so deeply the following day. I didn’t wake up until Win returned home, well past the time Winnie left for school. I rubbed my eyes and squinted at the handsome owner of the bed where I was currently sprawled. I was going to welcome Win home with a sexy suggestion, but his expression was horrible.
“What’s wrong?” The question faded when I caught sight of the red and blond strands of hair scattered across my pillow. I gasped and lifted a hand to my head. I screamed when I felt huge chunks of hair missing on one side of my head. My gaze locked with Win’s. He looked furious and lowkey afraid.
“What is going on in this house when I’m not here?” He sounded like he was on the brink of erupting like a long dormant volcano.
I wasn’t going to cry that my hair had been chopped off while I slept. I’d experienced far worse things. However, I was once again beyond freaked out that someone was clearly in the room with me while I was in my most vulnerable state. I didn’t like feeling preyed on while unable to fight back.
“I wish I knew.” The words fell flat as Win reached out to gently smooth my butchered hair.
Someone was waging war on us, and they were winning. For the first time since we met, I was glad Win refused to lose at anything. His need to be victorious might be the only thing that would save our niece’s sanity and my peace of mind.