Emma Chase (19 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Braden wakes me up with one hand between my legs, the other at my breast rolling a nipple between his thu
mb and finger, all while nibbling my earlobe.

Mmmm—I love waking up thi
s way, and I am realizing that I am a lucky gal because Braden loves to wake me up this way.

It is still dark in the room with a hint of light coming through the window.  I figure it must be dawn.

“Morning, beautiful,” he whispers into my ear.

I look over my shoulder at him, latching my leg back and over his to give him easier access. My back and neck arch when he takes the opportunity to gain more access to that special spot that makes my body tingle and legs tremble.

He leans his head down and takes my mouth.  I gasp.

I am already getting close when his hands abandon their posts and he
tosses me on my back.  He enters me as I’m wrapping my legs around his waist.

I am starting to get close again when he pulls out, flips me over, raises my hip up to him, and rams into me hard.

My breath leaves me at the shock of him entering me from behind.  Oh, but do I love it.  He slams into me harder and faster, again and again, until my orgasm builds.

I start to touch myself for what
is only a matter of seconds before I come hard.  It washes throughout my body.  I press my face into the mattress to muffle my moans.

I am spent, but he isn’t done yet.  He
lays down onto my back and growls, “I love when you touch yourself, but I want to be the reason why you come, baby.” He wraps his arm around my middle and lifts me with my back against his hard, sweat-covered chest.

He continues to thrust inside me, his hands on my breasts rolling my nipples.  There are so many sensations running through me.  I don’t know if I can take any more of it. 

Holy shit.

He pulls out, lifts me, and in one quick motion, has me on my back again.
Lifting up on his haunches, Braden spreads my legs wide and gapes down at me.

I am coming down from my post-orgasm high and embarrassment creep
s in.  My cheeks are hot.  I perch up on my elbows to look at him.

His eyes roam my body and end at my eyes.  “Beautiful,” he whispers.
He kisses the inside of my thigh, and then his mouth is on me.

My head hits the pillow, my fingers curling into his hair.  I don’t think I can come again.  I don’t think there is any possible way that I can have anything left in me.

I am wrong.  Another one is building.  Braden works magic with that mouth of his.

A loud moan escapes me.  Braden growls between my legs. 
Oh. My. God!

He lifts and is back inside of me, ramming his cock faster, harder, and oh my God, I am going to lose it.

“Come with me,” he groans. 

That’s all it takes.  My entire body tenses and trembles all the way through the most amazing orgasm I’ve ever had. 

“Honey!” I gasp.

“Fuck,” Braden grunts.  He thrusts into me deep, pulls back, and stills, filling me completely. He throws his head back and
moans one last time.

He is beautiful when he comes.

Braden drops his head and puts his mouth on mine, kissing me sweetly, breathing hard, and gently gliding in and out.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  I have it all right here,” I whisper into his ear.

He stills and lifts his head, looking down into my eyes.  He studies me for a moment and smiles.

I smile back.

He slides out of me and lays next to me, pulling the blankets over our bodies.  He tugs me into his arms.  I wrap my arm around his middle and put my cheek to his chest.

His hand
roams up my back and his voice sounds like he is smiling when he says, “I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here in my arms.” He kisses on the top of my head.

I lift my head back, resting it on the pillow to get a better look at him.  He looks down at me.

“This is nice,” I smile.

“It is,” he agrees and dips his head, kissing along my jawline.  That is another thing I love that he does along with calling me baby and beautiful.

Braden falls back on his pillow and I follow him, putting my head back to his chest letting out a sigh of contentment. 

We lie like this silently for a while until sleep takes me over.

******

“What the hell?”

“I need to see my kid.”

“What you
need
to do is leave my house and never come back.”

I am slowly coming through the fog of sleep,
blinking my eyes and peer at the bedroom door. 

It
opens and Braden is standing in the doorway.  He is wearing nothing but his pajama bottoms. He has a blank look on his face, which sends an alarming jolt coursing through my body.  I perch up on an elbow.

“Baby,” he says quietly.  “Your father is in the living room.”

“What?”

I throw back the covers, bolt out of bed, round Braden, and stomp my way
down the hall.

I don’t make it very far when he hooks me around the waist, bringing my back to his front.  “Clothes,” he whispers.

Shit. 

I walk around the room, retrieving my tank top and underwear.  I was so blinded with rage that I didn’t think to put on pants. 

I stomp my way through the hall and into the living room.

“Un-fucking-believable!” I screech.

He is here for more money.  He went off and blew the six grand Braden had given him on drugs, drinks, and whores.  That has to be the only explanation. 

He isn’t getting shit.

Joseph Chase no longer has a place in my life.  I made that decision the day I woke up in a hospital bed a few months ago.

I round the hall into the living room and see my father standing near the dinner table looking weak and defeated.  His hair is disheveled like he just rolled out of bed, and according to t
he dark circles under his eyes, that is a big possibility.  He also needs a good shave.

He look
s like he’s aged ten or fifteen years since I saw him last. His clothes are wrinkled and his shirt is half tucked in and half out. 

When I approach him, he smiles. “Emma bear,” he greets.

“Don’t!” I snap.

“Come give your old man a hug.”

“Don’t you come near me,” I snap again, louder this time.

He stumbles back on his feet and sways a little.

Great.  He is drunk.  No surprise there.

“Leave!” I shout, and his eyes do a sweep of my body in my tank and panties
before he looks over my shoulder. 

I follow his gaze
to see Braden there, resting against the doorframe to the hall with his arms crossed over his chest. 

“I just wanna talk to her,” he says to Braden.

Braden watches us without answering.

“You’re leaving, “I announce.  Reaching around Joe, I
pull the door and slap my hands to my hips. I nod to the door.  “Now.”

“Emma,” Joe says.

“Leave,” I say back.

Joe stumbles toward me and stops.   “I just wanted to see how my kid was hangin’ in there.  Ca
n’t a dad pay a visit to his daughter anymore?” he slurs.

“No, he may not,” I answer.

“What’s crawled up your ass?” he slurs.

My
eyes go wide.  Braden’s eyes are on me and then he materializes next to me.

“Leave,” I demand.

“You uppity little bitch,” Joe snarls.

“Go,” I whisper.

“Look, I just need a little money and I’ll be outta your hair.”

“Jesus, Joe!” I yell.

Braden’s arms are around my shoulders.  “Fuck!” he quips.

I see red.

“Get.  Out,” I say through clenched teeth.

Joe drops his head, rubbing the back of his neck, and says, “You’re not gonna leave your old man out to dry, are ya?”

Now I really see red.

“I don’t owe you shit.”

“You owe me everything, you spoiled little bitch.  I raised you. I fed you. I put a roof over your head!”

I slam the door, cross my arms over my chest, and stomp my foot like a child.  I lean in slightly and jab my finger at him. “You hardly raised me. I was lucky if you remembered to feed me and we lived in squander.  You were out drinking and snorting and gambling all of the money away.  You brought hookers home and had wild parties with me in the house.  Not exactly an ideal childhood.”

Braden puts an arm around me and squeezes.

Joe sweeps my body with his eyes and
barks, “You ungrateful little slut.”

Braden’s body jerk
s, and next thing I know, his hand is around Joe's neck.

I
put my hand on Braden's arm, "Let him go." His eyes slide to mine.  "Braden, let him go," I repeat.

His eyes glare at me and now turn on Joe.  He releases him.

Joe
clutches his throat coughing, desperately sucking in air.

I t
ake one long stride towards him. "I think you get the fact that we don't want you around, Joe. Now, will you leave? Or does Braden have to physically remove you from his house?"

He watch
es me for a few moments longer, straightens his torso, and with another blow, he says, "Your mother would be ashamed of the way you ended up."

It's as if the man has no grip on reality.

My mind goes blank, and before I can understand what I am doing, I draw back and throw an open-handed smack right across his face with every ounce of strength I have. His head jerks to the side, his hand to his cheek, face filled with shock.

Braden wraps his arms around me, pinning my wrists to my body, my body pressing to his front.
“Get the fuck out of my house.”

I don’t say anything else.  My mind is scrambling in every direction.  I hate this man.  I hate him as much as I hate Jose Delgado.  Maybe even more right in this moment.

After the shock wears off of Joe’s face, he narrows his eyes at me. “You shoulda died instead of your mother,” he seethes, “She was the love of my
life
!  It shoulda been you!”

My body jerks as if his word
s kicked me.

“Out!” Braden orders.  Joe opens his mouth to speak again, but Braden is done with him.  “I’m not saying it again.”  He releases me and stalks to Joe.

Joe looks at him and declares, “I’m leaving, I’m leaving.”

Braden
yanks the door damn near off its hinges. Joe’s eyes meet mine before he walks out the door.

Braden slams the door, locks it, and comes to me. 
My eyes find the floor very interesting.  I can’t bring myself to look up at him. 

All he says to me is, “Baby.”

I lean in towards him, curling my fingers and placing them and my forehead to his chest. Braden cups his hand to the back of my head, the other running up and down my back soothingly. 

“P
lease look at me,” he whispers.

I keep my forehead pressed to his chest as I nod my head. 

I look up to him to note the concern on his face.  He squeezes my waist, kisses my forehead, and releases me, muttering, “Breakfast.”

I follow him to the kitchen, climbing onto a stool and watching him as he fills the coffee pot with water.

I get lost in my mind again.  It’s horrible.  This unpleasant, horrible, ugly feeling grows inside of me.

I was getting better.  I was building a new life.  I have friends and family and Braden.  God, he is this wonderful man and he is all mine.  He is my hero.  That knight in shining armor you hear stories about but aren’t quite sure if you’ll ever meet him.  The stuff that Disney movies are made of. 

Joe weaseled his way back and I’m deduced to this again.  Shit.

A strangled sob I don’t even recognize as my own escapes me and I cover my mouth with my hand.

Braden rounds the bar of the kitchen and comes to me. “I was impressed with that slap, baby.”

It is all coming to me at once.  Every emotion I’ve had buried deep inside.  My walls are cracking right in this very moment.  Everything I’ve stored away to worry over at a later date starts to bubble up inside.

I look up at Braden’s face and my lip starts to tremble. His hands come to my hips and he pulls my body to his.

“What’s happening to me?” I whisper.

“Baby,” he whispers back.

“I was ra
ped, Braden,” I state.  His body goes tight and he stands straight. “I was raped,” I repeat, “and all that fucker cared about was getting more money out of me.” 

One of his arms stays around my waist but the other comes up to cup my cheek, pulling my head back to look up at him.  His thumb circles the apple of my cheek.  “Em, I’ll make sure he never gets near you again.”

I look into his eyes, where I see certainty.  He is relaying to me with his eyes that he is going to take care of all things related to Joe.

His head
bends down so that we were at eye level. “You got me, baby?  I’m not going to let him anywhere near you again.”

I breathe out, closing my eyes and going over all the reasons why I love this man so very much.

His arm gives me a squeeze. “I’ll pay him off.  Right him a big enough check to keep him away.  I’ll pay him off with the condition that he never comes near us again.”

“You can’t do that—“I start but I get another squeeze.

“Em, it’s done.”

I narrow my eyes at him when I state, “No you will not!”

“It’s done.” He nods with certainty.

“Braden!”

“I want him out of your life.  I don’t mind writing a check to make that happen.”

“Braden!”

“It’s done.”

I am getting really pissed when there is a knock at the door.  Braden watches me and I get one more squeeze before he rounds me to go to the door.  He turns to me.

“Em, I love that you are comfortable enough to wear next to nothing in my apartment, but I’m gonna have to ask you to put some pants on.  Can’t have everyone seeing how sexy my girlfriend is.”

I look down at my pink tank and white panties.  O
h my God!  It finally dawns on me that I barely had any clothes on when that whole incident between me and my father went down.

I nod and head back to the bedroom.

I take a shower, throw my hair back in a messy bun, and lightly apply makeup.  There are a couple of muffled male voices coming from the living room.

After I am done getting dressed in jeans and thin long-sleeved emerald green scoop-neck tee, I head in the direction of the voices. 

Jake is sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in hand, talking to Braden, who is sitting on the arm chair next to him.  Both sets of eyes move to me when I enter the room.

“Jake,” I smile.

He stands and pulls me in for a hug.  “Good morning, Emma.  Just the girl I wanted to talk to.”

I walk to the couch and plop down next to him.
“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, I have favor to ask of you.  You see, there’s this girl I know that needs a job.  She’s a single mom with a shitty boyfriend who strips.  I don’t like the idea of her being a stripper.  She’s not the type.  On top of that, she needs to get out from under that loser she’s shacked up with.  Her little boy…” Jake sighs.  “He’s an amazing little man.  He doesn’t stand a chance with that loser boyfriend of hers hanging around.”

“Jake?  Honey, are you sweet on this girl?” I ask.

“I just need to pull out a favor for a friend, Em.”

“Mmmm hmmm…”

“Baby, give Jake a break.  If getting his girl a new job gets him a piece, help him out.”

Braden and I laugh together while Jake scowls at his brother.

“Fuck off, bro,” Jake grumbles.  He looks back to me. “Please, Em.  I know you need the help, and Claire’s a sweet girl.”

“Claire’s her name, huh?  I do like the name Claire.”  I
lay my head on the back of the couch and look up to the ceiling, pretending to be deep in thought just to make him stew.

“Well,” I go on, “I did fire that idiot Murphy and could use the extra help.”
I roll my head to the side to look at Jake. “Tell Claire to come in and fill out an application.  I’ll give her an interview and answer on the spot.”

Before my brain can register what is happening, Jake has his hands under my armpits and is lifting me into his lap. 
Damn, the Holt brothers are strong.

“Thanks, sis.  You do this for me, I owe you big.”

“Yeah you do,” I mutter. I kiss him on his head and roll off Jake’s lap. “Well, boys, I’m going to have to pass on coffee. I just realized that I have to go shopping and get ready for tonight.  Braden and I have a nice, quiet dinner date planned for my birthday.”

I don’t really have to go shopping, but it’s been a while since Jake’s had a day off and I know that Braden misses him, so I figured I would give them this time together.

“Nice and quiet, huh?” Jake asks.