Tied To You (8 page)

She was snoring softly throughout the car ride, and she didn’t rouse when I pulled into the parking garage of my apartment building. I knew she’d be annoyed I’d brought her to my home instead of that pit of an apartment where she lived, but I wanted her close to me tonight. If I had my way, she’d never be leaving my apartment again.

I shook my head, revising that in my own head. She wouldn’t be moving out or going back to her hovel. I didn’t plan to keep her chained to my bed and hidden away. Though the bed idea had merit…

I turned to her after shutting off the car and pocketing the key. “We’re home.”

She mumbled something that sounded incredibly rude and snuggled deeper into the seat. Apparently, she was more ogre than princess when being wakened in the middle of a nap—if I could wake her.

Deciding not to bother, I got out of the car and went around to her side. She didn’t wake when I lifted her into my arms, where she snuggled perfectly against me. The firm baby bump pressing partially against my stomach made me tingle with pleasure as I carried her to the lift. I entertained the idea of carrying her everywhere, because she felt so good in my arms, but I knew she’d protest.

At least I could enjoy it for now, and I savored every second I held her from the car to my bedroom. I laid her on the bed to strip off her shoes and stockings. She snored through the entire process. I debated about further undressing her, because I doubted the bra and dress were comfortable, but I didn’t want to risk waking her. She needed her rest, and I didn’t want to have to argue with her about staying overnight.

Instead, I tucked her under the blanket, deciding she looked perfect against the snowy white bedding, and changed into comfortable clothes before leaving the bedroom. I walked down the hall to my study and sat down, planning to do some work. My brain insisted on turning to the woman in my bedroom instead.

She was right where she belonged. I’d been crazy for her since that first smile, but it had taken me a while to realize it. The past four weeks, since we’d reconnected, had forced me to accept the truth that I was in love with her. I would have put my ring on her finger and given her my name weeks ago, and not because we were having a baby.

Or not only because of the baby. I wanted him—or her—to carry my name instead of Chastain’s, of course, but I wanted his mother to belong to me in every way possible. I just had to convince her of that. I’d tried slow and patient, and now I was going to sweep her off her feet and make her realize she would fit perfectly in my life.

Well, almost. I was under no illusion that my mother would happily embrace her. She already disliked what she thought she knew about Gabriella, so when she learned she was Chastain’s stepdaughter, it would make her absolutely loathe the woman I loved.

My mother had passed on many of her traits to me, both good and bad. One of those was a fierce need for justice. In lieu of justice, she would settle for revenge. I’d had the same mindset when I’d targeted Gabriella, but I hadn’t been able to carry through with my ruthless plan to rape her. The thought of making her like Annika had appalled me, and I had belatedly tried to do the right thing, albeit in a completely screwed up way that somehow ended with me taking her virginity and giving her a baby.

My mother wouldn’t be reined in by her own moral compass. She could be a good person, and she had been a loving mother, if a bit distant, but she was blind to her own faults. We all are, but my mother more so than most. She would see it as a black and white issue—and not purely a racial one. The Chastains had harmed the Watts, so that demanded retribution.

I’d have to keep a careful eye on her to make sure she didn’t injure Gabriella’s tender feelings. I didn’t think she’d actually physically hurt her, but I knew Mother would escalate it to a family feud right out of the Hatfield and McCoys’ playbook if I didn’t keep her in check. I would do my best to shield her, but I couldn’t completely protect her from Mother’s hurtful comments.

I would just have to make certain both women knew Gabriella and our baby were my top priorities. I didn’t want to hurt my mother, but I wouldn’t stand for her hurting my lover either.

***

When I woke in a strange bed, I had a vivid flashback of similar circumstances, where I hadn’t been able to move my hands. For a moment, my arms wouldn’t lift, and I was certain I was in that position again. As sleep faded, I comprehended my arms were simply under the covers, when I usually slept with them folded over the top.

My heart stopped racing, and I looked around. I had to be in Mykael’s room. The bedding smelled like him, and the opened closet door revealed a row of suits that looked somewhat familiar. I wondered how I’d come to be here, and why he hadn’t taken me to my home instead.

Deciding to find out, but only after a shower, I helped myself to his bathroom after shedding my clothes. A warm shower cleared away the last of the sleep-induced cobwebs, and I felt refreshed. I must have slept like the dead, and I guess most of the evening and all night. Wow. His mattress was amazing or something, because after the incident at the party, I should have been tossing and turning.

Deciding I didn’t want to put on the wrinkled salmon-pink dress again, I went to his closet and borrowed a blue oxford shirt instead. The buttons strained just a bit over my breasts and gently rounded tummy, but as I eyed myself in the full-length mirror, my damp hair curling just slightly in waves over my shoulder, I decided I looked damned adorable.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he took one look at me and swept me back to bed. My bare mound dampened at the thought, even as my stomach rumbled at the smell of bacon that hit me when I opened his bedroom door and padded down the hardwood floor on bare feet. Maybe I’d insist on breakfast first, or at least a couple of slices on the way back to the bedroom.

I’d been to his apartment before, if not his bedroom, so I knew how to find the kitchen. As I drew nearer, I heard at least two voices conversing, and my stomach rolled with dread—or morning nausea—when I braced myself to face Nila. The feminine voice sounded too warm to be his mother’s, but I wanted to be prepared.

As I entered the kitchen, they stopped talking. My gaze settled on the dark-skinned woman sitting near him at the table, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. She was a younger, prettier version of her mother and bore a strong resemblance to Mykael, though her features were finely drawn and delicate where his were bold and sculpted.

I relaxed slightly as she gave me a shy smile. I don’t know what I’d expected, but she looked perfectly normal. There were no scars or visible signs of the trauma that had haunted her the past six years, at least until I met her gaze. Then I saw the haunted sadness in her dark gaze and knew where she carried her pain. It was inside her, soul-deep, but it leaked out through the expressive dark orbs so like Mykael’s.

I felt awkward as I sat at the table across from Mykael and his sister. Annika made the first move, holding out her hand, which I took quickly so she wouldn’t think I was reluctant or trying to avoid her. “Hello, I’m Annika. You must be Gabriella.”

I nodded as I shook her hand before letting go to accept a glass of orange juice Mykael offered me. I stomach growled for food, and my mouth watered for coffee, but I knew he would make life difficult if I tried to get a cup. I settled for the orange juice grudgingly as he got up from the table and brought me a plate.

“It’s nice to meet you, Annika. Mykael talks about you a lot.” And he did on our dates. She was obviously a big part of his life, and I guessed that was part of why I was feeling so nervous about finally meeting her. That, and considering how big of a disaster it had been with his mother yesterday, I couldn’t bring myself to be overly optimistic about the outcome here.

“He’s told me a lot about you too. I know you make him happy, and that’s the most important thing.” Her gaze left me to seek out her brother’s, and she tipped her head slightly with her lips pursed. “There’s one thing you never did tell me though, Mykael.”

He took a sip of his coffee before answering. “What’s that?”

“You never enlightened me how you came to be involved with Wayne Chastain’s stepdaughter.”

He and I both froze, and I looked at him in panic. I hadn’t expected her to know or guess. I cleared my throat. “How did you know?”

“After…it happened…and I assume you know what I mean?” At my nod, she continued, “I wanted to learn as much about the bastard as I could, I wanted to make him suffer, along with his friends. There were a few pictures of you online, including the recent one for your mother’s obituary.”

So the rape had happened sometime around my mother’s passing, though I still wasn’t certain if it was before or after. In a way, it made me hate Wayne even more. If he had been stressed or upset by my mother’s impending death, how dare he take it out on this poor girl across from me?

If he had been angry at losing his wife, he’d still had no right to do such a thing, and he had cheated on my mother if she was still alive. Knowing him though, I doubted my mother’s rapid decline and sudden death had influenced his decision to hurt Annika. He was selfish enough to take whatever he wanted without thinking twice about the consequences. She probably hadn’t been the first or last girl he and his friends had used so despicably.

He was an all-around asshole, but that wasn’t a shocking revelation. “I’m sorry.” What else could I say? I was truly sorry for what Wayne had done to her, but I was powerless to change anything. So far, she didn’t appear to hate me, but I was on edge and cautious in case she changed her mind or showed a different response.

She nodded, but didn’t reply to my apology. “Well?” prompted Annika when neither of us answered her question. Her expression softened slightly when she looked at me. “I hope my brother didn’t do something asinine as a way to get back at Wayne by hurting you.”

My eyes widened at her perceptiveness, but I found myself shaking my head. She didn’t need to know the sordid details, and none of it mattered now. “No, not at all. We met on a plane, and it was a surprise to find out later that we were linked in such an unpleasant fashion.”

I darted a glance at Mykael, who looked surprised for just a second before his expression went to neutral. He clearly hadn’t expected me to cover for him, and I hoped he understood it meant something more than just a reluctance to tell his sister the whole tale. Maybe he understood it meant I didn’t care what had happened in the past, because a second later he reached for my hand and held it in his, squeezing gently.

Annika looked relieved. “I’m glad to hear that. I want you to know, Gabriella, that I don’t hold your stepfather’s actions against you. That would be like someone disliking me because Mother can be…quite intense.”

I managed to smile, but I certainly understood what she meant. She was much kinder than I would have been when verbalizing the fear that people wouldn’t like her because her mother was a bitch. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be anything like Nila.

Breakfast passed quickly amid the casual chatter, and soon enough, Annika excused herself to complete homework. Apparently, she was taking an online program to complete her Master’s degree. I hated the thought that she was staying cooped up in the apartment all the time, but I couldn’t say I wouldn’t have done the same if I’d been through the kind of trauma she had experienced. If I hadn’t been so adept at avoiding my stepfather’s creepy friends, I might have ended up sharing a similar fate anyway.

The apartment was quiet when she had left, and when Mykael suggested we watch a movie, I nodded. I’d have to return home soon, because I had laundry to do for tomorrow, and I couldn’t stay in his apartment forever, but it was Sunday and I intended to relax a little bit with him.

He put on a ridiculous romantic comedy, and I curled up against him. It felt right being with him like this, and I snuggled closer. The movie was somewhat boring, but I didn’t move. I was too engrossed by the beat of his heart against my ear and the firm pressure of his arms around me, while one of his hands cupped my tummy and rubbed in a small circle on a continuous basis. By the time the dreadful film ended, we were mostly lying on the couch, which was an overstuffed thing that had plenty of room for us to cuddle side-by-side.

He reached for the remote and pulled up the menu, asking, “What would you like to watch now?”

“Not another rom-com,” I said in a mock-complaining voice before turning serious. “I actually need to get home. I have things to do before work tomorrow.

His arms tightened around me. “Don’t leave. I like having you here, Gabriella. It feels right. What do you think about moving in with me?”

My head whirled at the possibility. I hadn’t expected something like that so soon, but he was correct. This felt right. Being here on the couch with him, just hanging out on a lazy Sunday as we cuddled together, felt perfect. I’d never been so content doing something so simple before. It was probably way too soon, and I think I surprised us both when I said, “Okay.”

He stiffened for a moment, and I looked up at him through the veil of my lashes, wondering if he was going to withdraw the offer or be reluctant about it. I didn’t think he would have made it just for show, but if he seemed to have changed his mind, I would certainly back off.

Instead, a huge grin spread across his face, and he lifted me higher, plastering me atop him so he could kiss me with passion and enthusiasm. His hands cupped my cheeks, holding me against him, and I grabbed handfuls of his T-shirt to anchor myself.

“I didn’t think you’d say yes,” he whispered.

“Did you want me to say no?”

Mykael shook his head. “No, I certainly didn’t. I’m thrilled you’ve agreed to move in with me. I just expected it to take longer, and I thought you’d probably resist the idea at first.”

“I probably should if I had any common sense. It’s certainly too soon, but I can’t argue with you that this feels right. It feels like the decision I should make, if you know what I mean?”

He nodded, not a hint of uncertainty in his dark eyes. “I know exactly what you mean. That’s why I made the offer to start with, even expecting you to reject me. I thought you’d be gentle about it and tell me you needed more time, but I fully expected a no in some form. That’s why I’m so thrilled you said yes.”

How could I feel any doubt in the face of his honesty? Instead, I snuggled up with him as our kisses gradually turned more passionate, our touches meant to stimulate and tease. It was several hours later before I made it to my apartment to pack up my things with his assistance, and I never did get a load of laundry done.