Taken by You (11 page)

“Thank you for loving me so much,” she whispered to him, stroking his face with her hand.

“You’re easy to love. Don’t ever doubt that, my beauty,” he said, kissing her hair.

Kate drifted off to sleep while Neil held her. After about an hour, family members started arriving for the potluck. Kate
awoke when the door bell sounded. She got up to go to the bathroom and freshen up while Neil put on his shoes and suit jacket.

“I wish I had thought
to bring a change of clothes for after the funeral. Good thing that I’m used to wearing a suit all of the time,” he said.

“Did you want to go back to the hotel and change?”

“No, it’ll be fine.”

Kate came out of the bathroom. “How are you feeling now?” Neil asked.

“I feel better. It’s just such a waste that he let his life fall apart, but I can understand after dealing with my own grief. The difference is that I dealt with it. I didn’t let it ruin my life and now I can move on with you.”

“You were smart enough to get counseling. Your dad probably wasn’t the type to talk to a professional about his feelings, so he had no way to cope.” Neil said rubbing his hands up Kate’s arms. He pulled her body
close to his and whispered in her ear, “I wish we were alone right now. I want you so desperately.”

“I want you too
, baby, but there’s a house full of people upstairs,” she whispered back.

Neil released her enough to look into her eyes. “No matter where we are, I always want you. You have no idea w
hat you do to me,” he said, leaning in for a kiss. Kate rubbed her hands down his broad shoulders and continued toward his chest. She continued over his washboard abs and found his belt buckle. Neil stopped kissing her and raised his eyebrows.

“
Shh…” she said, lowering to her knees. She unzipped his pants and released his hardened shaft. She wrapped her hand around him and slipped the tip into her mouth. Neil let out a groan. She pulled him into her mouth and then began slowly sliding him in and out of her mouth. Neil’s eyes were transfixed, watching her. She looked up at him through her lashes. The sultry look on his face made her want to rip his clothes off, push him onto the bed and straddle him. She knew that wasn’t going to happen since her family was upstairs, so she quickened her pace. Neil ran his fingers through her hair and then wrapped his hands around her head. Within minutes, he was coming in her mouth. “I feel better now. I just needed to do that,” Kate said cheekily.

“Anytime…baby…anytime. I’m always glad to oblige,” Neil panted out.

***

The family gathering was very pleasant with stories abounding about her father. Now
since she had decided to forgive his frailties, she couldn’t get enough of the stories about him. What had been a source of considerable pain earlier in the day, now consoled her even though she never felt like a recipient of his love. Knowing that he had the capacity to love his family so much made her have more compassion for his pain and loss. This had become a healing time and she was grateful for it. All these years she thought that her mom still had feelings for her dad and had been broken-hearted over their break-up. She didn’t realize how it had shattered her father’s heart as well. She and her brother had been casualties of the whole sordid mess.

Neil seemed to be able to read her mind as she grew quiet. “You’re ready to go home, aren’t you? I could get us tickets to fly out tomorrow instead of Sunday. I’m booked on the same flight with you and your brother on Sunday. We can see if Eric wants to leave tomorrow also.”

“That’s a really good idea,” Kate said. “I need to see my mom on Sunday and learn more about what happened between her and dad. I feel like I don’t have the entire story. I need to deal with this as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” he said
, taking out his cell phone. “I’ll call them.”

“I’ll ask Eric if he wants you to change his reservation too.”

Kate got up and walked over to Eric. When she told him about Neil’s suggestion, he agreed to leave early with them.

Chapter 14

Neil and Kate walked in the door of their condo. The minute he shut the door behind them, he scooped her up in his arms. She knew that he couldn’t wait any longer to take her to bed. He had been hinting about what he wanted to do to her for most of the flight home.

He crushed his mouth to hers, pulling on her lower lip with his teeth and then invading her mouth with his tongue. She met him
hungrily, knowing exactly what was coming next. She ached to have his hands and mouth roaming her body like he had so many times before. Nothing was better than making love to this sexy man.

He carried her up the stairs
, kissing her relentlessly along the way. Her excitement was bubbling up and she could feel the effects of his passion surging between her legs. She wanted him so badly, especially after all he had done the past couple of days to demonstrate his love for her. He reached his destination and threw her on the bed. She squealed with delight as he began removing her shoes and socks. He then undid her jeans and shimmied them down her legs, revealing her black lace thong. At the sight of them he growled. He unbuttoned her blouse and, as he moved the fabric to reveal her breasts, his nimble fingers grazed her nipples, causing a delicious sensation in her sex. She had worn a bra that hooked in the front on purpose, knowing that when they arrived home he would make love to her. His deft hands undid the clasp and her breasts were free.

He groaned as his eyes devoured her naked body. She continued to keep her eyes on his
, anticipating what was about to happen. Neil slipped out of his shoes while he unbuttoned his shirt. Each button drew her closer to seeing his magnificent, muscular form. He slipped his shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the carpeted floor. He rapidly unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. They were pulled down, along with his briefs, joining his shirt on the floor. At last, she was gazing at her naked man in all his glory. Taking in his ripped body only added to her anticipation, making her wetter between her thighs.

“You are so sexy, baby. I love looking at your body,” she
said with a naughty grin on her face.

“Not as much as
I love looking at your body, my beauty,” he replied, climbing on top of her. He began kissing her again, his velvety smooth tongue stroking hers with great force. He propped himself up on one elbow, partially covering her body with his. With his free hand, he began tantalizing her body. His hand started at her neck and moved its way down to her nipple. He swirled around it until it became a hard, rosy bud. Then he journeyed down her ribs to her hips, making his way to her sweet spot. He slipped a finger inside of her and she groaned. She was ready for him to invade her body. He pulled his finger out and slid it up to her clit. She let out a soft moan when he began circling her clit with his wet finger. She involuntarily began moving underneath him as the pleasure began mounting. “Keep still, baby,” he commanded. She tried to do as she was told, but it was difficult with all of her nerve endings firing.

He continued playing with her clit as his kisses moved down to her chin, then her chest, and finally her breast
s. His tongue swirled around her nipple in the same pattern as his hand did on her clit. She arched her back, feeling all of the tension rising at the apex of her thighs. His fingers continued. “Baby, I need you to come for me. I want to hear you screaming my name loudly as I pleasure your beautiful body. Show me how much you want me.”

With his command, she came. He moved his finger from her clit and slid two fingers inside her. He could feel the puls
ing of her orgasm as he drove his fingers deeper into her. When she settled down slightly from what he had done to her, he moved between her legs and slid his hard shaft into her drenched slit. The feeling of him inside her was exquisite. She loved having his body on top of her, taking control of her. He began kissing her again and then found his way to his release, growling her name.

Kate
was home, and it was bliss. This was what she needed after the turmoil she had experienced in the last few days. She was elated to be home and in the arms of the man who made her feel more than she ever thought possible. Every time they made love she realized that she wanted just that much more from him. She gazed into his eyes and reached up to kiss him as he looked back at her. Their kiss was pure ecstasy, and she knew then, that she would be with this man forever. He was the one for her. He had proven that by showing up when she least expected it and standing by her side through all of the drama. He had proven his love for her over and over since they had met. She didn’t know when the emotional roller coaster in her life would come to a screeching halt, but she knew that Neil was on the ride with her and he would never let her go.

Neil moved over to her side and propped himself up on his elbow. He put his hand on her stomach and looked at her intently. “On Wednesday night when I realized that you were angry with me I got really scared
, baby. I was afraid that you wouldn’t be able to forgive me, that things were over between us. I would have done anything to make things right between us. You mean everything to me. I don’t ever want us to be apart again.”

“I don’t want to be apart from you either. Your dad gave you really good advice in telling you to come
for me. I was actually considering moving out and living with Charlie and Mitch. I thought that perhaps things had been moving too fast between us. But when you showed up on my cousin’s doorstep I realized that the last thing I wanted was to be away from you. It has been years since I have been happy,” she said placing her hand on his face. “You make me feel more content than I ever thought possible. I love you Neil.”

Neil pulled her into his arms. He held her for a long time without saying a word. Words weren’t needed because the
ir genuine connection felt so right.

***

Kate woke up Sunday morning feeling like rattlesnakes were attacking each other in her stomach her anxiety about talking to her mother was so high. She and her brother wanted answers about what had really happened in their parents’ marriage. Specifically, how could their break-up have destroyed their dad and the relationship they should have had with him? What had John meant about their mother’s betrayal?

Eric
had crashed at a friend’s house and they were going to meet in front of her mom’s condo and go in together. Kate was dreading this conversation. She had never been very good at standing up to her mother, but she wanted answers and wasn’t going to relent until she got them. For most of her life she had submitted to her mother’s ways at the expense of her own happiness. Walking on eggshells had been a way of life until she moved in with Charlie. David had been the only person in her life that she was willing to defy her mother over. But, due to cruel fate, her mother had gotten her way in that situation too. She was determined to be stronger.

I
t was just after eight when Kate slid out of bed, quietly left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. What better way to thank Neil and show her love, than to make breakfast in bed for her man? After she had brewed coffee, she took out all of the ingredients and began making pancakes and eggs. They would have banana pancakes and scrambled eggs with turkey and cheddar cheese. As she really wanted to surprise him, she hoped that she could make it all and deliver it before Neil woke up. He needed spoiling, and she wanted to spoil him. Actually, she could see clearly now, that she wanted to…marry him.

She put their covered plates and drinks on trays, along with napkins and silve
r wear, and carried his tray up first. When she slowly opened the bedroom door, he was still sleeping. She set his tray on the dresser and quietly hurried to get her tray of food, arriving just as he was beginning to stir. The smell of coffee had jolted his senses and he was starting to sit up as she entered the room.

“Good morning
, baby,” she said with a loving smile.

“Good morning to you
, too. What have we here?”

“Breakfast
… in bed.”

“I definitely like the in
bed part,” he said, removing the covers and getting up to greet her in his all naked glory. He kissed her and then picked up his tray. They both carefully got back into bed. Neil picked up his coffee and lifted it to make a toast. “Here’s to many more Sundays with breakfast in bed.” Kate kissed him on the cheek and they clinked their mugs together. “This is perfect timing. I’m starving.”

“Me
, too. I thought this would be a nice way to start the day. I wish I was spending the entire day with you, but I have to get answers from my mother.”

“I know
, baby. Do you want me to come with you? I would be good moral support.”

“You would be great moral support, but I need to do this on my own. It’s time for me to stand up to her. She’s no longer in charge of my life. I’ve needed to do this for a long time. I’m just not sure how she will react when I ask for answers. She tends to withdraw when things aren’t going the way she wants them too. Plus, I’ll have my brother
there for backup.”

“Well, I’ll be here waiting for you when you come home.”

***

Kate met her brother in front of their mom’s condo. She was nervous, but her brother seemed to be at ease.

“Are you okay? You look like you might be sick,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“I hate confrontations and somehow I just feel that there is more to the story than what we know,” she said with a sigh
, “but I know that this is necessary. At least I don’t have to live here. Are you moving out soon?”

“Yeah, I’ve been saving up. I was hoping to have a couple more months, but my buddy Tony said I can move in with him. He has a two bedroom and lives by himself right now. His roommate moved out a few months ago.”

“That’s a relief. Let me know if you need help packing or anything.”

Her brother nodded. “I think that I am going to pack a bag and leave today. I’ll come back when mom is at work and get my stuff during the week.”

“Sounds like you have a good plan. Ready to go in?”

“Yes…after you,” he said
, motioning for her to go ahead.

Eric unlocked the door and they walked in. Their mom was surprised to see them. She got up to greet them with a hug. “I wasn’t expecting you to be home this soon. Did you catch an earlier flight?” she
asked.

“Yes
, we did,” Kate said giving her mom a half-hug. “We need to talk to you about dad.”

“Sure, let’s sit down and talk. How did everything go?” she asked.

“The funeral was fine. It was what we found out afterward that is bothering us,” Eric said, his voice more stern than usual.

Their mom raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

“We know that dad was so broken-hearted by your failed marriage that he couldn’t be in our lives. What exactly happened between you two? You always said I needed to be older for us to have this conversation when I asked you as a kid. Well, now we are both old enough,” Kate exclaimed.

Her mom sat there gazing at them
. Her face was void of emotion. “What happened between your father and me is my business. I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, folding her arms over her chest.

“The only reason you wouldn’t want to talk about it is because it was your fault, wasn’t it? You are the reason our family fell apart,” Eric said, practically shouting at her.

“Your dad and I had marital problems and that’s all I want to say about it. It was a long time ago and I have moved on with my life.”

“Seriously
?” Kate said in the calmest voice she could muster. “You have moved on with your life? Why won’t you just be honest with us? We deserve to know the truth about our own lives, Mom. You owe us the truth.”

“Al
l right,” her mom snapped. “You want the truth? Your dad cheated on me and blew up our lives. I hired a detective to take pictures and told your father that I would use the pictures to destroy everything that he held dear. I did what I had to do to keep you with me. I was the better parent. Your father would not have raised you right. I’m not going to apologize for protecting you from an adulterer.”

Kate and Eric sat there dumb founded. “That wasn’t your call to make,
Mom. We deserved to have a dad in our lives even if he cheated on you,” Kate hissed. “You robbed us of a relationship with him. All these years of telling us to accept things as they are and to love him for who he is must have been a big joke to you. You were the whole reason that we were suffering.

“
I can’t believe that you would do this to us to have revenge on him,” Kate added, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Well, it’s easy for you to judge. You’re not a mother. I did what I thought was best for my children. Maybe someday
, when you are a parent you will understand.”

She was too good at justifying her own misguided actions to have any remorse.

Kate stood up. “Thanks for finally answering our questions, if what you’ve said is even the truth. I don’t have anything else to say. I can’t comprehend why you would purposely keep our father from us and I don’t think that I ever will.”

Eric stood up as well. “Mom, I’m moving out today. I’m moving in with Tony. I’ll come get
the bulk of my things during the week.”