Cheaters Anonymous (30 page)

“I know. I think I’ve always known.”

“Which brings me to the next item: dinner at our house tomorrow afternoon.”

“Is there an occasion?”

“It’s my grandson’s fourth birthday.”

“You have a grandson?”

“I see my sons are as good at keeping secrets as always. But that’s a good thing, Julia. Especially when family matters are concerned. Some secrets are not meant to be told.”

Was she right? And was that Beth’s way of telling me that I should keep my mouth shut about Brad?

CHAPTER 30

It was five in the morning when I heard the front door open. Something clattered downstairs, echoing through the empty house, followed by a few swear words. With the bed still the only real piece of furniture in the house, sounds carried far and loud.

“Shh, Jules is sleeping.” Scar’s speech was slurred. I pulled my covers aside, wrapped a blanket around my body, and stepped toward the railing.

“I’m not the one making all the noise you moron.”

Downstairs, Axel was holding Scar underneath his arms.
Was Scar drunk?
I couldn’t remember the last time he had been. I turned on the light upstairs, saying “I’m up. Is he okay?”

Both brothers looked upward. Scar grinned a bright smile and Axel replied, “He will be after he sleeps it off.”

Apparently in his drunken state and the darkness, Scar still hadn’t seen the new landscaping out front because he hadn’t said a word.

Axel looked around the empty house and then at the stairs as if wondering what to do with his intoxicated brother. “You guys need furniture.”

“It’s being delivered tomorrow.” I pulled on my sweats and walked downstairs.

“What’s being delivered?” Scar asked.

“Sofa, a table, chairs, bookcases. I ordered online yesterday.” I had yet to find out whether Scar would be upset I’d made the decision without him, but after a few words of encouragement from Beth to surprise him, I’d kept clicking away on the computer.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

I helped Axel guide Scar upstairs. He passed out as soon as he hit the sheets.

“Thank you for getting him home.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s Mom’s fault. She asked me to make sure Scar didn’t come home until late. So I guess the landscaping is her doing?”

“Partly. My idea, her execution.”

“Good. It’s about time.”

“What’s your son’s name?” I asked.

“What?”

“Beth told me she has a grandson. You have that fatherly maturity about you, so I’m assuming he’s yours. Tea?” I clicked on the kettle and pulled out two mugs before he answered. Axel looked like a man who had gone through too much in his life. Despite being in his thirties, the oldest Wagner brother had deep lines of worry permanently carved underneath his eyes. He reached behind his back, pulled out a gun, and set it on the kitchen counter.

I froze.

“Make sure this gets back to Scar.”

“Do I want to know why he’s carrying a gun around?”

“No.”

“Can you put that away, at least?”

He reached up and set it on top of the fridge. “My son’s name is Trevor,” Axel smiled. “After his mom’s grandfather.”

“Is she still in your life? No, I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”

“It’s okay, Jules. Chloe died not long after Trevor was born.”

“I’m sorry. It must be tough as a single father.”

“I’m not single anymore.”

I was pretty sure that smile on his face didn’t appear often. But it was genuine and full of care.

“Is Trish all right?”

Axel stretched his arms upward. His shirt rose above his navel revealing his hard abs, and I had to look away because Scar’s brother was just as hot as he was.

“Yes, she’s dealing. She’s been going to the Cheaters Anonymous meetings.”

I hadn’t gone since Brad attacked me. With the trial coming up, I couldn’t find the mental strength to listen to stories that would only remind me of my past. I’d promised the counselor I’d return, though, and share my ordeal once Brad was secure behind bars.

“That girl has gone through hell with Brad. The jerk will get what’s coming to him. For what he’s done to you, to Trish and all the other women he’s laid a hand on.”

Other women?

“You don’t know, do you?”

“No, what...”

“It’s not my story to tell, but if Brad’s freed, make sure you stay as far away from him as you can. He’s a fucking sick bastard.”

I hadn’t heard from Brad since my visit, and I wondered whether he’d forgotten his indecent proposal. With my luck, he was keeping his offer for a darker hour. The bigger question was, how had Scar’s day gone when he went to visit Brad? Whatever he had planned, I prayed it would work.

By the time we finished our tea, the sun was rising, and Axel couldn’t stop yawning.

“You better get going. I hear there’s a party for Trevor this afternoon. What does he like?”

“Dinosaurs.” The smile of pride on his face brought back his youth. I briefly wondered whether Scar would be a good father, but I shook the thought away and let Axel out.

Still wearing his clothes, Scar was sleeping upstairs. I unbuttoned his jeans and dragged them off his hips, which with his erection wasn’t exactly easy. An envelope slipped out of a back pocket onto the floor. I picked it up and read my name on its front.

“What the heck?”

When I flipped it onto the other side and saw the inscription
From Bradley Watson
, I nearly lost it. I dropped the envelope onto the chaise as if it burned me. My fingers itched to tear it open, but I left it there. A sick feeling spread through my body, and I stepped as far away from the chaise as I could, wearily climbing into bed.

I removed Scar’s shirt. He barely stirred as I snuggled into him, his hand immediately finding my breast. I smiled and dozed off, blissfully unaware of all the bloody troubles that would find me tomorrow.

CHAPTER 31

The water curled around my body as I made my twentieth lap. I couldn’t believe Scar had this beautiful pool in his back yard and had never done anything with it. It was also a wonder what you could accomplish in twelve hours when money was no object and when your name was Beth Wagner. Never in my life had I seen landscapers work so fast. The concrete patio had been cleared and the cobblestone walkway leading toward the forest had no more weeds, only bushes of beautiful roses and flowers I couldn’t name brightening the path on each side. Beth definitely had great taste, and I hoped I could keep the garden this beautiful through the summer.

Soft wind ruffled the leaves, and my gaze was drawn to the forest in the back. I wondered whether it was deep and where it led. Was it fenced? Could anyone get in from the back? Cold chills swept over my skin.

“What the hell happened to my pool?” I heard from the balcony above.

“You mean the swamp you called a pool?” I asked, looking up.

“Have I been out for a week?” He pulled his hand through his disheveled hair before shading his eyes from the sun.

“Axel brought you in at five this morning.”

“And you had a team of landscaping fairies do their magic while I was gone?”

“Come down, will you?”

I jumped out of the pool and wrapped myself in the towel just as a stunned Scar stepped outside. His boxers hung below his hips. I devoured his lean body, including that beautiful path between his abs that led to the tip of his inverted V-line. He was still hard underneath his boxers, and I licked my lips. He set the jeans he had draped over his forearm to a patio chair and stepped closer, kissing my mouth. I tasted the toothpaste mint on his lips and wanted more.

“It was my mother, wasn’t it?”

“I asked her to. What do you think?”

This could go either way. Scar could be mad at me for making decisions about his house without consulting him, or he could like that I took the initiative.

“It’s beautiful. Now I know why Axel got me drunk. I bet she called him.”

“Don’t you think it’s about time someone took care of this stunning property the way it deserves to be taken care of?”

“I think it was just waiting for the right person to do so. But you know you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.”

“If this makes you happy, then that’s what I want as well. I’m just a man who never pays attention to these things.”

“Or to the fact that you have no furniture.”

“Exactly. You’re more than welcome to go shopping.”

“Already have. It’s being delivered this afternoon.”

“I knew it’d be handy having you here,” he teased wrapping his arms around me. “So, how many men were here?”

“A lot. They were all sweaty and hot, and I had to make them lemonade and serve them.”

“If you’re trying to make me jealous, it’s working. But I need to shower before I can remind you who you belong to.”

I tugged on his hand leading him to the side of the house where the pool people had installed an outdoor shower. I turned on the knob and pushed Scar underneath the water before it got a chance to warm.

“Belong to?”

Unfortunately, the cold temperature didn’t faze him a bit.

“Abso-fricking-lutely.” He pulled on my hand. The towel slid off my body and I ended up under the water along with Scar. I squeezed soap onto a sponge and scrubbed his back in a circular pattern. “How did your night go?”

Scar turned around, giving me the honor of washing his stone hard chest, abs, and muscles.

I knew this outdoor shower was a good idea!

“Busy. Axel showed up at eleven, and then it all went fuzzy. It’s his fault.”

“He poured the alcohol right into your mouth,” I chuckled.

“No, but I had to celebrate.”

“Celebrate?”

“Want some good news?”

I paused. Scar had this mysterious but deliriously happy look on his face – the kind you’d see on a child’s face before he entered an amusement park. His eyes shone with excitement and his face was lit up as if he’d just become a millionaire – which was impossible, because he already was one. “I made some calls, Jules. There’s a chance Brad won’t get out tomorrow.”

“What?”

He shook his head and pulled his fingers through his hair. “It turns out the judge’s sister, and I think you may know her, leads the Cheaters Anonymous group. I think her name was Miriam?”

“Oh, my God!”

“You know her?”

“Yes, she’s the counselor.”

A look of determination I’d never seen before shone in Scar’s eyes. Not the kind where you want to achieve the best time for a five-mile run; his was lethal, and failure was not an option.

“Well, when I told him your story – I mean our story – and how Brad was connected, the judge said we were lucky to have him in the courtroom. There’s nothing in this world that would sway his decision to keep the bastard in jail. And if he holds to his word and doesn’t change his mind, Brad’s not coming out tomorrow. I took a chance and it worked, Jules.”

Was it even legal to speak to the judge so freely? Should I even care?

Could this really be happening? Was it possible that after tomorrow I would no longer have to fear Brad? And would Scar have done the same if he’d known Brad was his half-brother?

“What about the blackmail material?”

“That’s the thing, Jules. We’re taking a chance, but I hope the team I hired finds it before the hearing. Worst case, we’ll have to deal with some publicity. Father’s team is all ready to release a statement about the videos being fake. They’re searching every possible place Brad could have stashed them and getting warrants for a safe deposit box he has.”

Thank God. I really didn’t want to lose my job. “But no matter what happens, he’ll stay behind bars?”

“Yeah, he will.”

“I love you so much.”

Scar lifted me into his arms and crushed his lips to mine, and all my thoughts flew away along with the fine mist of the water.

How could I think about anything when his delicious mouth possessed mine? I dropped the sponge to the ground and raked my fingers through his hair, feeling the top of my bikini loosen. Gripping his boxers, I slid them off his hips, never breaking our kiss. When I couldn’t reach lower with my hand, I lifted my leg and grasped the fabric with my toes, forcing it to the stone. Thank goodness my bottoms tied at the sides. Scar gave one swift pull on the strings and they too fell off.

The first tingle of pleasure pulsed between my legs and I pressed harder against him, grinding my hips, feeling the friction between my pubic bone and his leg heat my nub. Scar’s hands slid down my body. He grasped my thigh and lifted it up to his waist. Slightly bending his knees he steadied himself, filling me slowly. I pulled my mouth away from his, taking a short inhale as he found my depth. Water filled my mouth.

Naked and outdoors, feeling the warm wind whisk by us, there was no other place I’d rather be. For the first time in a long time, I felt free and safe. This was the beginning of my life with the man who had always held a special place in my heart. I clung to his arms as he drove into me, slowly at first, then faster. One of his hands drew from my hip down to between us, and when he flicked my clit with his fingers, rubbing it in small circles while thrusting into me, I could no longer hold on.

My scream echoed through the forest as the orgasm overtook my body. Shaking in his arms, I heard Scar grunt, plunge in for one last time, and then he stilled, breathing heavily.

“This was the best good morning I’ve had in a long time.” Still holding me steady, Scar withdrew from me, crouched to the ground, and picked up the sponge. I was spent and couldn’t move. What I really needed now was a nap. Scar slowly washed my body before he finished with his hair, and then turned off the shower and wrapped me into a fluffy towel.

“Jules, we didn’t use a condom.”

Crap!
“I can get a morning after pill.” Yet my heart ached at the thought of potentially terminating a possible pregnancy.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

“Really?”

But was I ready for a child? Was Scar?