Hewitt: Jagged Edge Series #1 (24 page)

"There's something else you need to know Lilly," I said, as I reached for the box and pull out the memory card that used to be in my camera all those years ago.

Handing her laptop to her, I waited as she booted it up. I gave her the card containing my childhood memories. As she pushed the card into the side of her computer the pictures began loading one by one. I watched as she clicked through each one. There was so much love in the first few pictures, but as she continued to click forward, the darkness began to appear. It was only when she got to the last few pictures that she had seen the truth. That day in the tree house, during the fight, my camera must have landed on the shutter button when it fell out of my hand and hit the floor. It was still set on the auto mode, so it took picture after picture of what happened. The only thing that it was unable to record was the last word Adam said before he let go of my hand.

Lilly's eyes were fixed on the last pictures when Adam fell to his death. His eyes weren't the only thing that said it all. It was also in the smile that the camera captured as he fell. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I wanted to comfort her. Her body was quivering as the tears spilled from her. I knew the truth would be hard on her. Turning her body to mine, I took her in my arms and held her close.

"For so long, I blamed myself for his death. I should have never pushed him. I should have known better, I was older," I confessed.

"There's no way you could have known that he was going to let go. I could see it in his eyes, Peter, he wanted to end his life," she said between sobs.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed while I was sitting with Lilly cuddled like a child in my arms. Even though the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders, a heavy load had been added to hers. The family she thought she could save ended up being her worst defeat. The last thing I wanted was to hurt her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Lilly

Sometime after midnight, Peter carried me to bed. I knew that the stuff he was going to tell me about by brother was going to be hard to handle. I was prepared to break things off with him, thinking that he killed my brother. What I didn't know was that he really didn't. Even though he blamed himself for pushing Adam, it was Adam who ultimately caused his own death by letting go.

Rolling over to my side, I looked over to Peter who seemed more at peace with himself than he had ever been. I could only imagine what he went through as a kid, dealing with his mother’s death and being placed with strangers. It also made me realize how lucky I was that my life turned out the way that it did. Pushing up to my feet, I felt the need to reach out to my parents. Quietly exiting the bedroom so I wouldn’t wake Peter, I went to the kitchen to call my mom.

After two rings, I heard my mom's happy voice. "Hey, sweetheart, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just miss you guys," I said, twisting a loose piece of hair between my fingers.

"We miss you too, Lilly. Your father and I are talking about coming to New York next week. We haven't seen you since the opening of Séduire. We thought it was time," she said excitedly.

"Really? That would be wonderful," I responded, raising my arm and pulling it back in a '
yes
' motion.

Ending the call with my mom, I heard Peter walk up behind me. The warmth of his body enveloped mine as he placed a small tender kiss along my neckline to my shoulder, sending goose bumps down my body. Turning to face him, I saw a smirk on his face that I had grown to love. Placing my hands on his shoulders, I rose to my toes and kissed him on the lips. God, how I loved his lips. Without warning, Peter had me up off my feet, hauling me back to the bedroom. Somehow, something about this moment seemed so right. After everything that we had been through, he was the only person I wanted to be with. Even when we were apart, all I wanted was him.

Peter gently placed me on the bed while carefully kneeling between my legs with his massive torso leaning over me. With his hands on either side of my head, he bent lower and kissed me on the lips. His tongue gently swept across my mouth, causing my lips to part. I was engulfed by his warmth. Reaching down his rippled abs, I slid my hand down the perfect '
V
' and under his red boxers. Moving them over his hips and over his tight ass, I gripped his cheeks, pulling him even closer to me. My legs spread wider as I allowed him better access to my sex. I could feel the grinding movement of his hips as his hand glided down my chest, between my breasts, to the area just above my belly button. In one swift movement, Peter pulled my t-shirt up over my head and placed his hungry mouth over my taut nipple. Surges of pleasure radiated from the tip of my nipple to my core as Peter continued to lap and suck the hard peak. A soft moan escaped my lips, releasing the desire I had for this man.

Moving his hand lower down my body, he placed his palm on my mound, while inserting his finger inside my channel. My back began to arch and my hips began to rock, needing to feel more of him as he pushed deeper inside. I sighed in frustration needing more. "Peter, please, I need you inside me."

My body was just about to give way when Peter flipped me over pulling up on my hips. In one precise movement, Peter entered me, filling me with his hard cock. My walls began to stretch as I tried to accommodate his large rod. As he adjusted my hips so that he could get better penetration, I felt the onset of my release as the tip of his dick glided over my g-spot. "God, you feel so good, Lilly," I heard him say as I continued to hold tight to my impending explosion. "I'm going to fuck you until you scream my name," he said, pushing deeper inside me.

When I was on the verge of letting go, once again, Peter pulled from inside me. "On your back, Lilly," he demanded.

When I rolled over to my back, he opened my legs so that he could resume his place inside me. My heart was pounding and my breath was becoming short. Just a few more thrusts and I’d be his. Keeping me wanting, Peter slowed his rhythm and pulled completely out before thrusting back inside me. My body was hot and sweaty, in need of release. Opening my eyes, I saw Peter's eyes upon me. His hands lifted mine above my head, holding them in place. Adjusting his hold, he moved my hands together and gripped them with one of his own. Brushing his free hand across my cheek, Peter lowered his head and kissed me passionately on the lips. I could feel the beating of his heart. He broke the kiss, looking at me with compassion as he swiped his thumb slowly across my bottom lip. There was something in his eyes that I had never seen before, something pure and comforting. His eyes closed for only a moment when he uttered affectionately, "I love you, Lilly." It was only after I saw the only tear he had ever shed fall from his eye that I felt the same way.

~****~

After three bouts of lovemaking, Peter finally left my condo. As much as he didn't want to, he had things to take care of. He said there would be no more secrets between us, so when I asked what he needed to take care of, he told me that he and his team was going after Pierre. Even though I was glad that he told me, I was also afraid that something could go wrong. Pierre was no dummy. And seeing firsthand what he was capable of made me worry even more. To ease my anxiety, Peter said that he would check in with me so I would know that he was okay.

Needing to get things done myself, I decided to head out to the gallery to take care of a few things. When I grabbed my keys, Cop was back outside my door. I felt bad over the way I treated him the other day. I never would have called the police on him, or any of Peter's men.

Turning to him, I said, "Cop, about what I said before, about calling the police, I didn't mean it. I was just so angry with Peter."

"I know, Lilly. We've all had our share of anger sometime or another," he replied, referring to Peter.

"I'm heading to the gallery, just so you know," I said, smiling at him.

“I'll follow you down," Cop said as we entered the elevator.

Just as we hit the main floor, I forgot that I left a file on a new artist in my car. "I'll meet you out front; I just need to grab something from my car."

"I can come with you," Cop volunteered.

"Don't be silly. It will only take a sec," I reassured him.

"Okay," he nodded reluctantly.

"See you out front," I confirmed before the elevator door closed.

Pushing the lower level, I waited for the elevator to stop at the level where my car was. Even though I loved where I lived, I wished my parking spot was a little closer to the elevator. Walking to where my car was parked, I began to get this eerie feeling that I wasn’t the only one in the parking garage. Increasing my pace, my walk turned into a slow jog as I headed in the direction of my car. As I placed my hand on the handle of my car door, thinking that I was safe, I heard his voice behind me. "Hello, Lilly. We never got to finish what we started at the gallery."

My skin began to crawl with the sound of his voice so close to my ear. When I tried to pull the door open, his hand pressed against the window, causing the door to slam shut. Taking a swing at him, I tried to throw him off balance so I could at least get away long enough to climb one floor up to where Cop would be waiting for me. My judgment must have been off, because he got one in first, causing my light to turn to dark.

~****~

My head was throbbing as my eyes slowly opened. I wasn't sure where I was, but from what I could see it was a bedroom with very expensive furnishings. I tried to sit up, but my hands were bound to the headboard with handcuffs. Looking to the end of the bed, I could see that the clothes I was wearing were no longer on me. The only thing covering my body was a sheer nightgown. My head was a little foggy, but I remembered hearing Pierre's voice behind me and then the feeling of his fist across my cheek. I wished I had listened to Cop and let him follow me to my car. What the hell was I thinking?

Laying my head back on the pillow, I knew an escape attempt was useless. The cuffs were too tight around my wrists. I couldn't wiggle out of them if I tried. The only thing I could do was wait until someone showed up.

Hearing what sounded like the unlocking of the door, I raised my head from the pillow to see if I could tell who was coming. When the door opened, it was Pierre standing in the doorway. Holding a tray, he walked towards the bed. "You're awake. Good. I brought you something to eat. I knew you would be hungry since you have been out for a while."

"What do you want from me Pierre?" I asked, pulling on my restraints.

"For us to be together. I knew from the first moment I saw you in Paris, that I should have never let you go," he said regretfully as he placed the tray on the nightstand. "Now, if you behave, I'll uncuff you so you can sit up."

Nodding my head, I watched as he pulled a small key from his pocket. Unlatching the cuff, he assisted me to sit up by putting his hands under my arms and lifting me high up in the bed. Removing the dome from the plate, he began to prepare my meal. Scooping up a small portion onto a fork, he looked to me and said, "Open, Lilly."

I had no other choice but to open my mouth as he gently placed the food between my lips. Unsure of what he was feeding me, I took in the flavor. It was surprisingly good. With each bite, my stomach began to fill. I was about half way through my meal when I told him, "No more."

"Very well," he said. "Even though you didn't eat very much, I will let it go this time." He turned and placed the dome back over the remaining food on the plate. "I'm going to get this out of here, then I will be back to draw you a bath."

I tried to hit him with my free hand, but that only made him angry. Pulling me down on the bed, his body was now over mine. I tried to wiggle free, but he was able to take hold of my arm and resecure my hand in the handcuff. Looking down on me, he lowered his mouth to mine. I shook my head back and forth, not wanting any part of him touching me. He clasped his hand on my chin, holding my head in place, causing me to stop my movement. Lowering his head inches from mine, he whispered calmly, "It would behoove you to stop fighting me, Lilly. I'm not letting you go this time."

His lips lowered to mine and he kissed me with such force that I could taste a hint of blood as my teeth dug into my lip. With a triumphant smirk, he pushed from me and gathered the tray, leaving the room. I wanted so badly to wipe the grime from my lips, but I couldn’t. Instead, I used the skin of my upper arm and transferred it from my lips to another part of by body.