Frey (29 page)

“
Yes, he’s the best there
is. Can you keep a secret?” Frey asked them both. When they nodded,
he continued, “He happens to be my cousin as well.”

Kaya offering her home to Abbi now made more
sense. “How do you like your eggs?”

“
However you and Matt eat
yours. No need in you making two different kinds. I just like ‘em
cooked.” Frey poured everyone a cup of coffee. He handed Matt a cup
of black, Abbi a cup with a splash of milk, and took his own black
as well.

She scrambled half a dozen eggs, hoping that
was enough. When they were almost done, she added a little shredded
cheddar cheese. By the time she had everything ready, Frey had set
out three plates, silverware, napkins, butter, and jelly.

Abbi helped Matt with his food so he didn’t
move around too much. Once they were finished eating, he told Frey,
“I really would like a shower before I lay down.”

“
No problem. We’ll get you
squared away and then I’ll help Abbi with the dishes.”

“
You don’t mind?” Matt was
blushing.

Frey shook his head, smiling. “Son, I’ve
taken more showers with men than I care to think about. I was in
the military. Besides, I can leave my shorts on. Come on; let’s get
your stinking ass clean.”

Abbi didn’t wait on Frey to start clearing
the table. There were no leftovers to put away. The next time she
made breakfast, she’d have to remember to cook more. By the time
Frey returned, she had finished cleaning and was sitting on the
back deck enjoying her coffee. Frey had refreshed his cup and sat
down beside her. “You should have left the dishes.”

“
It’s okay, you were busy
helping Matt. Thank you.”

“
You don’t have to thank
me, Abbi. I love that kid. He’s funny, smart, and brave. He’s
everything I would want in my own son.”

“
You’re getting attached
to him.” Abbi didn’t think that was a good idea. When they had to
move back out, Matt would miss the connection.

“
I am. He needs a good
role model. Not that I’m good, but I really care about him. No
matter what happens with you and me, I’ll always want him in my
life.” Frey wasn’t looking at her when he spoke. His attention was
again focused on the trees.

“
You
are
a good man, and I appreciate
everything you’re doing for Matt. And for me.” Frey would always
want Matt in his life, not her. With everything going on around
her, of course he’d changed his mind about wanting her.

Frey finally looked at her. “I don’t mean to
pry, but I need to know your plans about the divorce. I have to
schedule your security.”

Abbi’s heart sank a little
more. He didn’t want her divorced so they could be together. He
wanted to plan who watched her.
Stop it.
You’re still married, and even if you weren’t you don’t need to
jump right into another relationship.

“
Hey, look at me. What
happened just then?” Frey sat his coffee on the rail and squatted
down in front of her. With him being so tall, she was still shorter
than him in this position. He placed his hands on her knees and
left them there. His touch lit a fire deep inside. God, how she
wanted him to move his hands up her thighs. It was wrong, so wrong
to feel that way, but he brought out a need in her. A need to be
touched, wanted, cherished. Satisfied. Without thought to the
consequences, she placed her free hand over his.

She probably imagined it, but she could have
sworn Frey growled. He was motionless with the exception of his
nostrils flaring. His brown eyes were now almost black, and they
were staring at her lips. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to
feel his mouth against hers, not just on her lips but everywhere.
He made her want to feel. She sat her coffee cup down on the deck.
If she started something with this man, she had a feeling he
wouldn’t be able to stop, whether she wanted him to or not. Dammit,
she was married. But she was getting divorced, so did that make it
okay?

She licked her lips, and there was that
noise again. Only this time, she didn’t just hear it, she felt it.
The deep growl vibrated in her own chest. Frey’s hands tightened
around her legs, not exactly painful, but strong enough to let her
know he wanted more. Before she could blink, Frey pulled her out to
the edge of her chair and parted her legs. He didn’t move his hands
toward her core, but he did situate himself against her body. When
he did move his hands, he placed one on her lower back and one at
her nape under her ponytail. His eyes flashed with something so
primal it almost scared her. Just before he crashed their mouths
together, she could swear she saw sharp teeth. When their mouths
connected, she expected to feel pain. Instead, Frey’s lips were
soft, and his mouth was hot as his tongue sought out hers. What was
up with her and fangs?

Abbi opened for him. Frey
made soft, sweet love to her mouth as his cock hardened against her
core. Frey, resting on his ankles, pulled Abbi out of the chair and
onto his lap as he maneuvered her so she was straddling him. She
wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he held her tightly
against him. Frey rose up on his toes, and the movement brought her
clit in line with his erection. A jolt of electricity hit her
between the legs, a gasp caught in her throat. She wanted more. Had
to have more. Clutching his huge arms for leverage, Abbi moved her
body against his, wanting the friction, needing the release. The
soft kiss turned into a furious frenzy, their mouths no longer
making love. She was rocking against him in sync with the motion of
his tongue. Before she could stop it, her body convulsed and white
sparks flashed behind her eyes. Frey continued the movements of
their lower bodies until her whimpers subsided.
Holy shit
. She’d just had the best
orgasm of her life, and they still had their clothes on.

Frey muttered, “Fuck.” In one swift motion,
he returned her to her chair while he picked up his coffee cup and
leaned against the railing. She didn’t miss the fact that he
untucked his t-shirt, trying to hide his still hard cock. She was
confused. Was he so disgusted with her that he wanted her away from
him? Before she could think about it too hard, Matt opened the back
door. How in the world had he known Matthew was going to interrupt
them? However he knew, she was glad. She would hate for Matt to
have caught her rutting against Frey.

“
Have either of you seen
my pills? I thought I’d take one and chill for a little
while.”

Abbi hopped up from her chair, knocking her
coffee over in the process. “Oh, crap! I’m so sorry,” she braced
herself for a tongue-lashing.

Frey grasped her upper arm, turning her to
look at him. “It’s all right. You go help Matt, and I’ll clean this
up. Nothing a little water won’t fix.” His hand on her was gentle,
not bruising.

Abbi got Matt settled and returned to the
deck. Frey had his hands on the rail, cell phone peeking out from
beneath one. It just dawned on her that he was wearing short
sleeves. “Aren’t you cold?”

He didn’t turn toward her when he answered,
“No, I don’t get cold.” She was cold, and it had more to do with
his body language than the November weather. “We need to talk.” He
stuck his cell phone in his front pocket before holding his hand
out to her. She placed hers in his, allowing him to lead her down
the deck steps onto the walkway towards the lake. After a few
steps, Frey laced their fingers together.

“
Did I do something
wrong?” Abbi asked when the silence was too much to
bear.

“
What? No.” Frey stopped
and put his hands on her upper arms. “You are perfect, so please
stop second-guessing yourself at every turn.” Frey tucked an errant
strand of hair behind her ear. It was a move she was getting used
to. His fingertips lingered behind her ear as his thumb caressed
her cheek. Even though the movement was sweet, it sent a chill over
her body. Abbi shivered, and he immediately pulled her into the
warmth of his embrace. She didn’t allow herself to think how wrong
it was.
No, this feels right. This feels
like home.
She wrapped her arms around his
waist and turned her head so her ear was against his
heart.

Frey stroked her hair, over and over. She
had no idea how long they stood there, silently, just being. He
kissed the top of her head before tipping her chin up so he could
see her face. “Perfect,” he muttered. He turned them so they could
start walking again, this time wrapping a strong arm around her
shoulder. “Tell me your schedule for next week.”

“
I have classes at the
community center Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I need to work on
the dances for the fall festival, but I can do that from home. I
mean, your house, not…”

Frey squeezed her shoulder and softly said,
“This is your home.”

“
Frey…” Abbi stopped, but
he urged her on along the pathway.

“
No, don’t overthink it.
This is your home for as long as you want it. Now, what about
seeing an attorney? When are you going to squeeze that into your
busy schedule?”

“
Kaya gave me a name, but
I haven’t had a chance to contact her. She’s probably you’re
cousin, too. I swear, you know everyone.” Abbi elbowed him
playfully in the side.

“
Is it Victoria
Holt?”

“
See, you
do
know
everyone.”

“
One day soon you will
meet Jonathan and Priscilla, Rafael’s housekeepers. They are more
like family, but they keep the manor running like a fine-tuned
instrument. Priscilla’s the one who taught me how to make lasagna.
Anyway, Victoria is their niece, and one hell of an attorney. Also,
Rafael is all about keeping things in the family.”

“
Jonathan’s a
housekeeper?” Abbi had heard of butlers but not male
housekeepers.

“
He’s so much more than a
butler. He takes care of the garden and the grounds. He is a
chauffeur and a top-notch mechanic. Where Priscilla is a mother to
us all, Jonathan fills the void for those of us who’ve lost our
fathers.”

“
So, you lost your
parents, too?” Abbi knew the pain of losing those closest to you
all too well.

“
It was a long time ago,
but yes. Now, back to Victoria. There are some things I need to
talk to you about before you contact her. Things that are going to
weigh heavily when she takes Quinn to court.”

“
Like what? We don’t have
anything, not really. Just the house, and he can have it. I don’t
want to live there.” When it was all said and done, Abbi wanted a
clean break from Troy with no sad reminders of her past.

“
Let’s sit down.” They had
reached the end of the dock. There was a bench off to the side that
faced the water. Frey put his arm around Abbi’s shoulders and
kissed the top of her head. She loved the intimacy of the gesture.
She relaxed into his side, feeling content for the first time in
years.

“
Abbi, we’ve uncovered
some things about Troy. There’s no way to soften the blow, so I’m
just going to tell you. He and your Aunt Judy were partners of
sorts. Money traded hands between the two of them. Money that
should have been yours and Matt’s. We found communications between
them that started when you were still in high school.”

Abbi leaned away from Frey so she could look
up at him. “I don’t understand. Judy was broke. She was always
coming around asking my mom for money. Dad wouldn’t let Mom give
her any because she would just spend it on drugs. A couple of
months before the accident, they had a huge blow-up. Judy showed up
at the house stoned out of her head. She was threatening Dad,
saying he’d regret being a selfish bastard.”

Frey tightened his grip on her shoulder. “I
don’t know where Judy came up with the money, but five thousand
dollars was deposited into her bank account. A few days later it
was transferred to Troy’s account. That was two days before your
parents’ accident. Abbi, I think Troy killed your parents.”

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

Frey didn’t know any other way to tell her
than to rip the Band-Aid off. “I’m so sorry.”

“
That’s crazy. Why would
Troy do that? Kill my parents for five thousand
dollars?”

“
It was more than that,
Sweetheart. He and Judy split the money in your parents’ account.
The money that was supposed to have been yours and Matt’s, they
split evenly. She got the house, he got you.”

Abbi stood and began pacing along the bank.
She wrapped her arms around herself, mumbling. Frey wanted to pull
her down into his lap and comfort her, but she had to digest what
he’d told her. When she stopped in front of him, her body was
shaking. He never wanted to see the look she had on her face again.
“Can you prove it? Can you prove any of what you just told me?”

“
We can’t prove he was
responsible for the brakes going out on their car; it’s been too
long. But the money changing hands, we absolutely can. He still has
the same bank account he’s had since he was a teenager. It is with
a different bank than your joint account. You need to call Victoria
and set up a meeting as soon as possible. We will hand over the
documents regarding the bank accounts. She will take it from
there.”

“
I was so stupid. I always
thought something was going on between them, but I turned my head.
I told myself they wouldn’t do that to me. God! I knew Judy was
mad, but that’s just twisted. I wish she was alive so I could kill
her!” Abbi’s body continued to shake. Frey stood and drew her into
his arms. He hated seeing her so torn up, and he’d done it to her.
No, that motherfucking husband of hers did it.