Protecting What's Mine Read online

  That’s a lot to take in from one text. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. “You have a thing for flowers or something?”

  “What?” He gives me a confused look.

  “Nothing.” I shove the phone into his chest harder than I mean to. “I’m going to take a nap instead.”

  “Violet,” He calls after me as I try to make my escape.

  Chapter Nine

  Sebastian

  “It’s not what you think!” I shout as I pound on the door to the pool house, my phone clutched in my hand. The message from Mom is burned into my retinas. No wonder Violet’s pissed. I’d be pissed if I saw something like that on her phone, too.

  “What did you do this time, Turner?” Her brother’s voice cuts in.

  I turn to face my friend, Miles. We’d become close after I rescued Violet from her stalker. I guess he saw in me someone he could trust with his sister.

  “Don’t you know?” The two are twins, and though they don’t play it up like others do, they have a connection.

  “Only that she’s mad. I saw you shouting and put two and two together. What can I say? I’m good at math.” He spreads his hands out, and I want to deck him, which is more a function of my frustration than any actual animosity toward Miles. Instead of punching out a friend and my love’s twin, I shove my hand through my hair.

  “Got a text from my mom that she’s setting me up with some girl named Rose. Your sister wasn’t happy about that.” I don’t share with Miles that Violet had invited me to eat pizza and make out with her. There are just some things brothers don’t need to know.

  “Why’s your mom trying to set you up? That doesn’t sound right.” Miles crosses his arms.

  “Because some moms have miserable lives and are trying to get grandkids, thinking that’s going to make them happy.”

  My friend takes his anger down a couple notches. “All right. I see you have problems on all fronts.” He taps his forehead and gives me a hats off gesture. “I’ll leave you to your wooing, but just know that your position as best man can be easily replaced. All of you are wearing the same thing, and since my attention will be solely on Eden during the ceremony, who is standing behind me isn’t going to matter much.”

  “Thanks for making me feel important.”

  “No problem. Be good or I’ll hire someone to take you out.” He walks off, hands in his pockets as if he didn’t commit to murdering me at some point in the future if I don’t make his sister happy. But truthfully, if I’m not making her happy, what’s the point of my existence?

  I hop on my bike and speed five miles down to the gas station that has a small grocery store and a café attached. There’s a take and bake pepperoni, pineapple, and extra cheese pizza in a refrigerated case. I grab one of those, some bags of pre-popped popcorn, and a case of beer. With my goods strapped to the back of my bike, I buzz back to the estate.

  The cars from the shower have cleared out. I do a perimeter check, talk with the gate manager to ensure there were no stragglers, and then make my way back to the pool house.

  “I brought the pizza,” I say to the door. “It’s a take and bake and while there’s a pizza oven out here you know that takes hours to heat up. I could die from hunger by the time the pizza is done. As a good deed, you could open the door and let me use your oven. In exchange, I’ll give you half the pizza. It’s got pineapple and extra cheese.”

  “You’re not bribing me with pineapple and extra cheese,” says a soft voice.

  “I mean, I got to bring something to the table. Can’t come empty handed.”

  “I blew up at you.”

  “Vi, I would’ve been mad as hell, seeing shit like that on your phone. My mom is obsessed with babies because Dad is an asshole, but they won’t get divorced like healthy humans because they’re Catholic. She thinks having grandbabies will make her life better but that has nothing to do with you or me.”

  “But that’s why you need to move on from me, Sebastian. I’m not going to be able to give you what other women can. I can’t leave this house. I am scared around new people. This isn’t normal.”

  She sounds sad and defeated. My hand crumbles the edge of the cardboard. “Who gets to decide what is normal? And who wants normal? I run a security firm, and there’s no limit to the crazy shit I’ve seen. You’re you, Violet. That’s why I can’t move on. You’re not replaceable. There’s not another Violet in the world, and if all I’m allowed to do is sit outside the pool house and talk to you through the door and eat unbaked pizza, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

  Said door opens, and Violet’s head pops out. “You’re not really eating raw pizza? You could get sick from that.”

  I put on the most pitiful look possible. “I can’t be left to my own devices, Violet. Save me.” I hold the pizza up as an offering.

  She hesitates and then snatches the box out of my hand. “Come in then.”

  I get to my feet and follow her in. “I brought beer too.”

  “Just beer and pizza? I feel cheap.” She flips on the oven.

  I open my arms. “I bring me. I’m not worth a lot but something?”

  “A few coins, I guess,” she jokes. “Put the beer in the fridge.”

  I stow away the booze and then grab my phone. “Forgot to text my mom back.”

  Violet’s head pops near my hands and she reads as I type.

  Me: As you know, I’m Vi’s so no can do on meeting other women. I’ll take you to the shelter next weekend and you can get a dog.

  “Oh,” she says quietly.

  “Oh?”

  “Can I have a dog, too?”

  “Babe, you can have anything you want.”

  “But I can’t go to the shelter.” Her pretty mouth turns upside down.

  “I’ll FaceTime you from the shelter. You pick out the ones you want a closer look at and then I’ll bring them to you.” An idea pops in my head. “You know, Vi, you could foster pets.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s where you take in animals that get abandoned and domesticate them while the shelter tries to find a home for them. It takes a lot of time and attention and requires people to be home a lot.” I raise my eyebrows. “What do you think?”

  Her face is growing bright with interest. “I think I’m interested. This might be better than pizza and making out.”

  “Okay, no need to start being unreasonable now.”

  Violet laughs, hard, and for the first time in a long time, a weight on my chest lifts.

  Chapter Ten

  Violet

  “What’s your poison?” Sebastian asks as he scrolls through the list of movies on the screen.

  I grab the bowl of popcorn, heading over toward him before he ends up picking something terrible. I watched enough bad movies growing up with Miles to know men can’t be trusted selecting the movie.

  My brother has always been a bit of a history buff and could watch old war movies for hours. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a war movie every now and then, but watching too much of that shit gets depressing fast.

  “Comedy? Action?” I suggest, setting the bowl down on the ottoman in front of the sofa.

  “Not a romance?” I look at the screen, seeing Beauty and the Beast.

  “No thanks.” I plop down on the sofa. “It’s so stupid,” I mumble more to myself.

  “I’ve never met someone with such a dislike for Beauty and the Beast.”

  “Cause it’s a bunch of crap. She didn’t fall in love with the prince. She loved the beast and then he’s just gone.” I throw my hands up in irritation. Sebastian is staring down at me with a giant smile on his face. “All I’m saying is who wants a stuffy pretty boy prince when you can have the beast? The prince can check back when he’s a king. Then maybe we’ll talk.”

  Sebastian throws back his head and laughs. I bite the inside of my cheek watching him. Who knew a laugh could be sexy? What would it feel like if I was pressed up against him when he laughed?

  “You
want to tell me why your cheeks are turning pink? If you say because of the beast I’m going to track him down and make a throw rug out of him.” I snort a laugh.

  Sebastian doesn't think it’s as funny as I do. In fact I think he might actually be jealous, which only makes me laugh harder. This man surprises me at every turn.

  “You’re gonna get it now.” He tosses the remote to the side before he’s coming for me. I get up and try and make a run for it, but he wraps his arm around my waist from behind, lifting me off my feet. With anyone else it would freak me out if they could move me around so easily. With Sebastian it makes me feel feminine and small. It’s sexy as hell too.

  He drops me down onto the sofa, coming over me. His big body presses into mine. My legs spread wider to make room for him. My hands fly up, grabbing his shoulders. I dig my nails into him.

  “Shit. Violet. Did I scare you?”

  “No,” I breathe. Unable to stop myself, I try to lift my hips to rub against him, but I’m pinned under him. His hard cock is pressing right into my sex. I watch as what I’m doing finally dawns on him. My whole body lit up with need the second he came down on top of me. If this was anyone else, I would feel trapped and helpless, but with him all I feel is turned on.

  “Do you want me to help you with that, sweetheart?” He presses his cock more into me, making me whimper with need. “I want the words. Need to hear them. Need to know you’re okay, Vi.”

  “Please.” My eyes lock with his. He lets out a loud growling sound before his mouth is all over mine in a hungry kiss. I kiss him back with everything I have, loving the way his mouth feels against mine.

  “If at any time you want to stop all you have to do is say the word.” His words only make me want him more.

  “Stop talking and start kissing me.” I pull his mouth back down to mine. Our kiss is needy and untrained, both of us wanting more of the other's mouth now. Years of want and need pour out of both of us.

  When his hands go to my thighs and start pushing up higher, I’m suddenly happy for the dress Mom made me wear today. His mouth leaves mine as he kisses me down my neck. The ache between my legs grows with each press of his mouth.

  “Sorry, angel.” Before I can ask what he’s sorry for, he grabs the top of my dress, giving it a tug. It easily gives way for him. He ripped it enough that my breasts came tumbling out. “So damn beautiful everywhere.”

  He sucks my nipple into his mouth. His fingers toy with my other one before he switches, giving them both the same attention. I swear I could come undone just from this.

  As he slips more down my body, he keeps pushing my dress up until I can feel his warm breath on my thighs. My heart pounds so loudly it’s the only thing that I can hear.

  “You know how long I’ve waited to taste you?” I nod my head. He might not want to say it out loud, but even in the midst of that terrible night when he reached for me I’d felt something. There has always been a spark between us. That feeling has never dulled over time. It only continues to grow more persistent.

  One finger slips inside my panties. He moves it back and forth, barely brushing my clit. I grip the sofa, needing something to hang on to.

  I say the three words that I know will get me what I need. “I want you.” His eyes flare as he yanks my panties to the side. His mouth descends onto me. He licks and sucks as though he’s been starved for me. It takes nothing to get me to go off. This has been long overdue.

  Moans pour from me, but he doesn't stop. He keeps devouring me, trying to get his fill. His tongue is relentless, demanding for me to come again. When he sucks my clit into his mouth, giving a hard pull, I explode again.

  “Sebastian!” I cry out his name. The pleasure is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. My eyes fall closed. My body feels truly relaxed for the first time in a long time. How am I ever going to be able to push this man away? He’s addictive. And that’s what scares me the most.

  I push all the crap away, not wanting to get lost in my own head where the darkness waits for me. Tonight I’m going to get lost in Sebastian instead.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sebastian

  “My car is low on oil. The red light keeps flashing. It should really be serviced, but I don’t want to sit at the dealership all day while it’s being repaired. They don’t offer loaner cars when you get an oil change.” Mom dips her spoon into her bowl of stew with an aggrieved expression creating extra lines on her face.

  “I’ll take it in, Mom.” I break off a hunk of bread and spread a good amount of butter across the surface. One thing Mom does well is bake a mean loaf of bread.

  “I wish someone would take it in,” Mom says.

  I drop my bread on my plate and speak up. Maybe she didn’t hear me. “I said—”

  Dad clears his throat and gives his head a small shake. “Nah, son, she’s ignoring you because you wouldn’t have dinner with the flower girl she picked out for you. You’re gardening in some other plot of land, and she’s not happy about that, so you’re getting the silent treatment.” He grins. “Welcome to my world.”

  I turn to Mom. “I’ll take your car in tomorrow and have someone from the office bring over a loaner for you.”

  “As I said, I wish someone would help me.”

  Oh for fuck’s sake. Dad smirks and resumes eating. I’m held to my chair only because the days have been so fine recently. I worried after that one time that Violet wouldn’t allow me to touch her again, that she’d wake up from whatever lust-induced spell she was under and give me a boot in my ass, but that hasn’t happened. We haven’t progressed any further, and that’s fine. I can sense some reluctance from her when she thinks I’m going to take things too far. She’ll tense up and then reposition to give me head. My guess is that she thinks so long as I come, I’m appeased. And it’s not like I don’t enjoy her blow jobs. There’s nothing like having her on her knees, staring up at me through some long-ass fringed eyelashes as my big cock shuttles in and out of her mouth. But I don’t want her to think that I’m some sex fiend that is going to bail because my hard-on isn’t addressed.

  I enjoy spending time with her, and sitting and holding her hand while we watch a movie is just as good as being knuckle deep in her sweet cunt. Okay, maybe not just as good, but a body has to have both. You can’t have the sex without the intimacy, or having an orgasm isn’t anything more exciting than taking a piss after holding it in for ten hours.

  Sex is sex, and what we’ve got between us is more than that, but you can’t tell someone that. I think you have to prove it through words and deeds. I know she’s scared that I’m going to jet because she can’t leave her house, and that’s why she’s holding back. She doesn’t want to fully commit to me because she’s certain I’m not going to stick around.

  “You gonna eat that piece of bread or add two more pounds of butter on it?” says Dad.

  I glance down and see that I now have half the butter stick spread across the last bit of my bread. I reach for another slice, fold it around the butter ball, and shove the whole bit into my mouth. Dad gives me a look that says I’m acting odd while Mom tries to hide how happy she is that I’m devouring her food. The thing with Mom is that while she’s petty and difficult, she also loves me and will eventually come around. I finish my meal and get up. “Delicious as always.” I give her a light kiss on the cheek on my way into the kitchen with my empty dishes.

  “The dishwasher’s clean,” she hollers at my back.

  “Thought you weren’t talking to him,” snipes my old man.

  “I was just making a general comment to no one,” says Mom.

  I stow away the dirties and tidy up what I can so Mom doesn’t have a big mess when she’s done with her meal.

  “You leaving already?” she asks, bringing in her own dishes.

  I take them from her. “Got stuff to do.”

  “You really like that Violet girl, don’t you?”

  “Yup.” I place the dishes into the machine next to mine.

&nbs
p; “And I’m never going to get you to meet with another woman, am I?”

  “Nope.” I close the machine door and grab my mom’s round shoulders. “You’ll love her. One day, we’ll have you over and once you get to meet her, you’ll see.”

  “What about me?” asks my dad from the doorway of the kitchen.

  “Sorry, old man, you’d scare the hell out of her.”

  Mom lets out a cackle while Dad’s face gets poker stiff.

  “I’m a nice guy.”

  “Uh huh. See ya.” I give them both a lazy salute and escape to my car to text Violet.

  Me: Survived another Sunday dinner. Wyd?

  Violet: I’m eating pizza, again. I think I’m getting fat

  Me: You looked good to me this morning but I’ll be over to take a look in about an hour. I gotta go to the office and arrange for a car to be sent to my mom. She needs an oil change and doesn’t want to do it herself. Anything u want me to pick up while I’m out?

  Violet: No

  Me: I’m going to stop and get a blizzard. I’ll get you one and you can put it in the freezer for some other time

  Violet: Okay

  In the office, I send out some emails and review a little paperwork, but just as I’m about to leave, I get a call.

  “Hey, Turner, this a bad time?”

  I check the ID screen. It’s a call from the police department. “Nah, Kent, what’s up?”

  “A notice came across my desk that your boy Adam’s getting out tomorrow.”

  “The fuck?”

  “Yeah, I know. He was supposed to be released in three weeks, but for some reason the doors are opening tomorrow. Thought you would want to know.”