Before I realize it, I’m sobbing, and I’m in a heap on the floor.
I have until midnight tomorrow night with Brand.
I don’t dare defy William.
He’ll ruin everything I have. He’ll bring my entire world down around me in shreds and tatters, but that’s not what I care about.
All that I care about is…. Brand.
I can’t let him hurt Brand.
I glance at my watch.
Time is ticking.
The shoe has dropped.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Brand
I stare at Jacey.
“What did you say?”
She swallows her bite of sandwich. “I said, what are you doing with this girl?”
I roll my eyes. “Not really your business, now is it? When it gets to a point that I think I need to tell you about it, you’ll be the first to know.”
“In other words,” she scowls. “Never.”
I grin.
She takes another bite. “She’s gorgeous, I’ll give you that. But she doesn’t really seem your type. She’s a bit… tightly wound.”
I shake my head and look out at the lake, remembering how Nora has swam with me out to the buoy. “You think?”
Jacey nods. “She’s from a snobby family, too. So not your type.”
I finish up my sandwich and take my plate to the sink. “Jacey, no offense. But you’ve spent years crying on my shoulder over other men. You haven’t once listened to me talking about a woman. You don’t know my type.”
She stops chewing and stares at me. “Never once?”
I shake my head. “Never once. I was always listening to you.”
“God, I was a bitch,” she mutters. “Should I apologize again?”
I roll my eyes. “Nah. It won’t help now. Just know that I know what I’m doing. And if I want your advice, I’ll ask for it. And thank you for letting me use your cottage to recuperate.”
She scowls good-naturedly. “Is that what you’re calling it? Recuperation? In a cottage alone with a beautiful woman?”
I nod. “It’s my story.”
“And you’re sticking to it. Got it.”
We banter back and forth for a while, and Jacey chats about life in the UK and I tell her all about what her brother’s been up to in Connecticut.
“This is nice,” she finally says, leaning up to hug me. “I feel like things are back to where they should be. Finally. I’m sorry for f**king it all up in the first place.”
“It’s fine,” I tell her as I hug her back. “Seriously.”
Before Jacey can pull away, the door opens and Nora steps in.
Of course. Because Jacey still has her arms wrapped around me. Perfect.
The look on Nora’s face is chilling.
I step away from Jacey immediately, and reach for Nora.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I greet her. “Jacey and I were just catching up.”
Nora nods slowly, not smiling. “I see that.”
Jacey looks from Nora to me. “Uh. I need to go in to the Hill and see Maria. I’ll be back later. My flight takes off in the morning, so I’ll need to get some sleep.”
Neither Nora or I answer, so Jacey slips away.
I stare at Nora.
Fill me up, Brand.
He slides in and out, fast then faster and finally, I throw my head back and arch on top of him, shattered from the orgasm. I shake and shake with it, my muscles contracting around him.
He smiles.
“My turn.”
He begins moving inside of me again, but then pulls out, and flips me over one more time, this time, I’m face-down on the bed as he f**ks me from behind. He pulls me up toward him with his hands and then reaches around and strokes me while he f**ks me.