Stricken Trust (Stricken Rock) (20 page)

“Ok. But that doesn’t answer my sleeping question.”

“We’ll get you a bed and I’ll sleep on a chair in your room,” he explains like’s it no big deal. He sure as hell isn’t sleeping on a chair.

“You can’t do that,” I demand in a strong voice. Good that came out better than I thought it might.

“I’ll make sure it’s a comfortable one. And whenever you are ready to tell Johnathan about us. If you want there to be an
us
. Then I will make sure we start to sleep in bed together again. Until then, we can’t. You know that.”

I pout again. I hate this shit! I knew leaving Colorado was a mistake. We should move there. The hell with California.

My phone sings. “Hush my love now don’t you cry everything will be alright, close your eyes and drift in dream, rest in peaceful sleep.”

It’s Johnathan. I pick it up and slide it on.

“Yes this is Emily Bronwyn, fat pregnant lady. How may I help you, Johnathan Striker?” I tease playfully.

“Cute, beautiful woman, I’ve hired you a helper. I need James a little bit for other things around the house. I know he’s handy. So he’s going to be busy. I know. I know. You want him there. You made it very clear this morning. But she can help with the showers to keep your dignity.”

I cut him off. “James can help with my showers, Johnathan; he’s seen me naked, so has Stacy and so have you. So let’s not worry about any dignity I have left. There isn’t much.”

God, why am I always such a bitch to him? I need a serious attitude adjustment. Maybe it’s all the hell he’s put me though. I don’t have a clue. But it’s got to stop. He’s trying to be nice for Christ sake.

I take in a deep breath.

“Sorry, what I mean to say is don’t worry about my dignity. But tell me more about this woman, please.” I try to be polite about it. In truth, I don’t want a fucking woman working for me. I don’t get along with many women. I don’t know why. It’s been that way for me all my life. I guess it was just a miracle Claire and I can stay friends.

“Ok… Well I can’t say I’m excited to hear your bodyguard’s seen you nude. But I guess with you two sharing a bed for the past few months, I should have known. Anyhow. She’s twenty five, name’s Cammy. I met her at my A.A meeting and we happen to go to the same counselor too. She’s got a four year old son named Dylan. She just lost her job last week so I told her this morning after I left, about your bed rest and she offered to help. I promise you will like her. She’s very nice and you two both love books. So I’m sure you’ll find some commonality there.”

She sounds okay. I guess. “So have you slept with her?” I ask. I think that’s a valid question. If she rode the anaconda, I’ll know by the look on her face. Everyone whose rode it has a look when they check out Johnathan. He’s rockin’ in the sac. I can’t deny that. But I can’t deal with a woman who’s supposed to help me while she’s trying to dive between his legs for the best sex of her life. Or what she thinks is the best. I thought the same thing until James.

He barks a laugh. “You know, Short Stack, I’ve not slept with
all
women.”

I snort a laugh right back. “Nope, just a few hundred. You can’t blame me for asking. So when’s she coming?”

“Tomorrow, so what are you doing right now?”

I look to my side as James is engrossed in finding furniture on the computer and I’m butted up next to him.

“Honestly? I’m cuddled up next to James in the bed looking at furniture.”

“Are you serious?” He sounds irritated.

“Yes. Why?”

“Jesus Em, do you two ever break from each other’s hip? Or is he permanently glued there?”

“Glued. James is my best friend and my bodyguard. You’re the one who hired him and he wouldn’t be a very good bodyguard without a body to guard. So we spend a lot of time together,” I reaffirm. I’m not going to feel guilty for spending time with a man that has been paid to protect me. So what if we fell in love. It was meant to happen.

“Yeah well I think he takes his job too literally. I don’t think you can pee without him holding your hand.”

Okay, that one hurt. It may be true. But it was still a low blow.

“I’m sorry you don’t like that I need James. I’m sorry that you don’t like that he’s close with me. But he’s the only one I can count on, Johnathan. It might hurt to hear that, but it’s true,” I say as calmly and carefully as I can. I’m angry, but I don’t need to lash out. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.

“I’m fucking trying Emily. How can you be so ungrateful? Fine, you know what, be a bitch and do whatever,” he barks heatedly and hangs up.

Okay, there goes to show him being an immature five year old all over again. I hate when he’s like this. I do love Johnathan, he’s a good person. But he’s got a hell of a lot of growing up to do.

‘Hush my love now don’t you cry everything will be alright, close your eyes and drift in dream, rest in peaceful sleep.’ My phone rings again and I reluctantly answer it.

“Yes?”

“I’m so sorry baby. I shouldn’t have been a dick. I know you love James, he’s your bodyguard and I should be thankful that he’s been there when I can’t. But it’s hard for me to know you need him more than me. I’m jealous. Please forgive me,” he begs.

“It’s okay Johnathan. I forgive you. And yes I do rely on James. He means a lot to me, Johnathan, and I’m not going to stop needing him. That’s a very hard line for me. Use him for the business or the house. I don’t care. But at the end of the day he’s my bodyguard and he’s going to be sleeping on a chair in my bedroom with me.”

“What? He has a house, Emily.”

“Yes, but we’ve spent a lot of time sleeping in the same bed. So if I can’t have that and neither can he. He’s made the choice to take up residency on a chair in my bedroom for the remainder of my pregnancy.”

“Okay. Fine. But that’s strange, Emily. You know it is. Cammy will be over tomorrow. I won’t be back in town for a few days, I have a few places I need go with the band. Order furniture and let me know what you think of her tomorrow.”

I agree and we hang up on good terms. It feels very grownup of me not to jump down his throat. I feel like I’m turning into a better person already.

James and I cuddle in bed and take a shower together where he washes my body so I don’t have to and I hug him under the hot jets of water. It’s very hard to see such a sexy man naked without jumping his bones but I’m slowly learning to control my urges. Very slowly learning.

We ate dinner in bed naked, ordered a bunch of furniture for the house. I’m excited I found the same brown couches that were in the cabin. We bought two of them at a whopping three grand each. I made sure to stock up the kitchen with a bunch of well branded pans and appliances. I love to cook and once I’m allowed to, I’m going to be feeding this whole family of mine. James agreed to move his log bed over and instead of setting it up in his room he’s going to put in the one downstairs of the house. For me to use. He’s overly giving sometimes. Not that I’m not grateful, I do love that bed.

He went and checked out the house tonight for a moment, along with the rest of the property. He seems to love it as much as I do. We like a lot of the same things, so I’m not surprised. Believe it or not, not only do we have a love for reading, Friends and a few other things— we both are also huge Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson fans. Maybe that’s why I love James and think he’s so sexy. Sure, he resembles Taylor Lautner in the looks department. But his body with its thickness is a lot like The Rock’s.

I’m exhausted, so I snuggle down into the bed with a pair of panties on and my tank. I want to sleep naked but if Cammy is coming tomorrow, I don’t want to scare the poor girl to death.

James tucks me in and kisses my forehead. “Goodnight, my love.”

“Goodnight Papa Bear.” I close my eyes and drift in dream.

I open my eyes and wow it smells so delicious in here. I turn over and James is gone.

“Hello?” I yell.

“I’m cooking breakfast, Emily. Cammy is here keeping me company,” James answers from the kitchen. Shit, he’s with the other woman.

I slide out of bed, pee, throw on a pair of pj pants and head into the kitchen. Sitting at the small island, on a stool, is a pretty blonde woman with tan skin, perfect curvy body, big boobs, light freckles and ice blue eyes. Damn, she’s beautiful. And if I didn’t already feel like an ugly cow before. I surely do now, times a thousand.

“Hi, I’m Cammy.” She gets off the chair coming over to introduce herself.

“Hi. I’m Emily.” I shake her hand and she offers me a warm comforting smile. She’s adorable. Johnathan really hasn’t slept with this woman? I sure as hell would have if I was him.

“Here, please sit down.” She grabs my hand and helps me onto the stool. “You shouldn’t be up walking around.”

Okay? So she’s nice and she’s pleasantly bossy. In a delicate way like my mom is. Weird.

James smiles at me and I smile back. “Smells good, Papa Bear.”

“Well I wanted to feed you breakfast since I kind of didn’t get a chance the past two days,” he explains, dumping eggs onto a plate next to some already made waffles. Where in the world did he get a waffle iron?

She giggles and instantly that brings thoughts of Claire back to me. Oh Claire and that cute giggle of hers. I miss her. “Papa Bear, huh?” She asks.

“Yeah, I’m Mama Bear and he’s Papa. Weird pet names but when you’ve lived with someone for quite a while I guess you’re bound to pick up some kind of pet names. I guess it’s better than asshole or dickwad.” I chuckle.

“Yeah, I’ve been called a few names myself in the past,” she sighs.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ve kind of had a rough life. Johnathan and I met in A.A a few months ago. He’s a real nice guy. I gave him the name of my counselor and he uses him too. That’s how we met if you’re wondering. I’ve got a son named Dylan who’s the light of my life. But his father was very abusive and a drug addict. I’ve never been one but I go to A.A meetings to support those who are trying to recover. So don’t think I’m some druggy that you have to watch out for. I’m not at all. My mom was a drunk, my father was a needle junkie and I’m just been lucky not to fall down that slippery slope. I volunteer my time to help those who are recovering and Johnathan and I have come to be good friends. My son was sick last week and I had to call into work because the sitter wouldn’t take him with the flu. I don’t have any family to help. So my employer fired me. I guess when Johnathan found out he thought this might be a good job for me. I promise to pull my weight and help anyway I can. I just need the money to keep my home and take care of my son,” she explains and my heart goes out to this poor woman and I instantly like her. She’s sweet and honest and thank the lord she’s not a drug addict. I was worried. She’s a true humanitarian. I could really learn a thing or two from her.

“Why don’t you move in here?” I offer. I can’t believe I just said that but I feel this need to help her. I don’t need Johnathan’s permission. This is my home too, after all.

I look to James to see if he think’s what I offered was the right thing to do and he nods. Yep, he agrees.

“You don’t even know me.” She looks amazed.

“No, but Johnathan does. And trust me, he is real protective of me and he wouldn’t have you working here if he didn’t trust you. James isn’t going to be moving into this house. So why don’t you take it instead?”

“He’s not?”

“No, I’m going to sleep in a chair in Emily’s room until the babies are born. I can’t be that far from her. Just in case she needs me,” he tells her and slides a plate in front of me full of food already slathered in syrup and he slides her over one too. We all dig in and eat in silence. I peer over at her and I can tell the motor in her head is running full speed.

I can’t believe I really like Cammy. She’s really sweet and cute and I just want to pinch her doll like face. Plus, it might be nice having a little boy around to play big brother to the twins. What a great idea. I can’t believe I went from no female friends to one in the matter of minutes. I will be sure to praise Johnathan for this later. When you know, you just know. And I know Cammy is a good person. I can feel it in my bones and Mr. Military Special Ops Guy seems to agree or he wouldn’t have been so nice to her. If he was worried he wouldn’t have hesitated to pull a gun on her. I know that for a fact.

Taking a sip of her water, Cammy says, “So what do you need me to do today?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. We ordered some furniture to be delivered later this week but I have no idea. You’re welcome to take the day off with full pay. James will take care of me. Why don’t you pack up your apartment or wherever it is you live? I’ll have James order a moving company to bring your stuff over this week.”

A look of shock flashes across her lovely face. “You sure you shouldn’t speak to Johnathan first?”

Okay, she’s right. “James, could you please pull the phone out of your pocket and dial Johnathan for me?”

He listens and hands me the phone, as it’s ringing.

“Yes James? Is Emily okay?”

“It’s me. I wanted to tell you that I really like Cammy and she and Dylan are moving into the other house. James won’t be needing it.”