Trust Me (Townsend Legacy), page 31
I shake off my previous thoughts and fully enter the apartment. “Did someone say cookies?”
Eve nods excitedly. “We bought ingredients to make chocolate chip. Stasi told me her secret recipe. And she gave me notecards with all of the instructions.”
My phone starts ringing again, and I look at Kyle.
“Hey, Eve, why don’t you put our game away and set out the ingredients for the cookies while I talk to your aunt?” Kyle suggests.
Eve happily agrees while Kyle takes me by the arm and guides us down the hall.
“What’s wrong?” he asks before the door is even fully closed. He searches my eyes, the pinched skin between his eyebrows signaling his concern.
“Dean.”
That one word causes a scowl to make its way across my husband’s handsome face.
“I should’ve taken care of his stupid ass already.”
Without another word, Kyle takes my phone from my hand and answers. “What the hell do you want?” he demands.
There’s a pause and I can’t hear Dean’s response.
“Yeah, I thought you would like that.” He chuckles, and it sounds as if it’s mocking whatever Dean has just said.
“Let me listen,” I whisper.
Kyle turns away from me. I hate the rejected feeling that grips me. Does he think I’m no longer useful to him? Is that it? He got what he wanted out of me and now he no longer wants me included?
“You won’t be speaking with my wife now or ever again,” I hear Kyle say. “By now you should’ve figured out that your plan was dumb as shit from the beginning. Did you really believe you of all people would be the downfall of my fucking family? Do you know who we are?”
“What’s he saying?” I whisper, desperate to hear more.
Kyle finally obliges and presses the button to put Dean on speaker.
“Fuck you!” he shouts, sounding even more disturbed than usual.
“You dumb fuck,” Kyle berates.
“Yeah?” Dean counters. “You think you’re so fucking smart and in control. It wasn’t like that when you were sixteen.” He lets out a cackle. “You actually thought I was your fucking friend. You let me into your house and everything. Just like that bitch. Then you fucking married her. You probably believe she really loves you.”
I flinch from Dean’s words.
A stormy expression clouds Kyle’s face. I can almost see the steam coming off of him.
“Listen here, you stupid son of a bitch.” His voice is so deep and full of malice that I wrap my arms around my body, shielding myself from the impact of his words.
“You’re dumber and less equipped than your pathetic ass father. You had almost a decade to do better and your whole fucking end goal fell down around your face. You’re a bigger loser than he was, and for calling my wife a bitch, your fate is going to be uglier than his ever was. I’ll see you soon, motherfucker.”
With that Kyle hangs up the phone and tosses it onto the bed. “Don’t answer his calls ever again.”
I have no intention of speaking to Dean Walsh again, but I don’t like the way he thinks he can order me around.
“What if I do?” I say with my hands on my hips.
He gives me a hard glare. “Then I will be forced to put your stubborn ass over my knee.”
I hate the way the shiver automatically rolls through my body. The smirk that lights up Kyle’s face tells me he notices it, too.
My body always betrays me when it comes to him.
“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” His voice deepens and he trails a finger beneath my lower lip. He has some sort of weird fascination with my lips.
“Maybe,” I say on a whisper.
“Aunt Riley and Kyle, I’m ready!” Eve says from outside of our door.
Kyle pecks me on the mouth. “Save that thought for later. Coming,” he calls to Riley.
“Wait.” I stop him by grabbing his arm.
For a few beats I just stand there, my heart hammering in my chest. The words I want to say are on the tip of my tongue. But so is my fear. What I have to say will likely change everything between us. However, I can’t keep it in any longer.
“I love you,” I blurt out in a rush. “I-I know that’s not what you wanted from this marriage. Or its intention. But …” I clear my throat. “I love you.” The words feel right coming out of my mouth even if his reaction terrifies me.
“Come on!” Eve shouts through the door. She starts knocking. “What are you guys doing in there?”
My grip slips from Kyle’s arm as he moves to the door to answer it. “We’re coming. Show me where you’ve put the ingredients,” he tells her. He gives me one last look over his shoulder before my niece leads him to the kitchen.
My heart feels as if someone just stomped on it.
CHAPTER 38
Kyle
“This motherfucker,” I gripe as I see Brendan Chastain’s name on my phone.
Like I don’t have enough to think about with Dean’s dumb ass still missing three weeks after the press conference. More important, Riley told me her true feelings. For the first time ever, words stuck in my throat when she told me those three words.
Not today, though. It’s a Saturday morning and Eve spent the night over my parents’ house because she and Stasi made plans for early this morning.
Today, I’m going to I’m in love with her, too.
“What?” I answer, regretting that I gave him my cell number months ago.
“Kyle, we should meet for coffee while I’m in town.” He actually sounds like he thinks we’re friends.
“No,” I say while I lean against the doorframe and watch my wife sleeping in our bed.
When she rolls over, one of her legs sticks out from underneath the blanket. My dick instantly grows hard.
“How about sometime next week? I can extend my stay,” Brendan continues.
“What the hell about no don’t you understand?” I growl under my breath to keep from waking Riley.
“Kyle, man. I know you’re probably pissed that I exposed the real Riley to you.”
My entire body stiffens.
“But you should be thanking me. You would never have found out about her if it weren’t for me. I mean, hell, if she slept with me to get my money, I know that’s what she did for you. Good for you for using her to take down Walsh’s family. I never would’ve thought—”
“What the fuck did you just say?” My tone is cold enough to freeze hell.
Brendan hesitates. “You married her to get what you wanted, right? Fuck, I should’ve thought of something like that. All she did for me was—”
I hang up on the dumb fuck because I’m blinded by rage.
“Hey,” Riley’s groggy voice reaches me.
When I can finally focus enough through my anger haze, it’s to see a small smile playing at her lips.
“Was that Eve? Did she have fun with Stasi last night?”
I tighten the hold of the phone in my hand. It’s ringing again. Chastain.
“Yeah, they’re having a great time,” I tell her. Then I press the button to answer the phone.
I make sure the phone is on and then turn the volume all of the way down as I stroll to the bed.
Riley gasps when I strip her of the blanket and sheets. She’s wearing only a thin T-shirt and the cotton panties she likes to sleep in. I place my phone on the nightstand next to her side of the bed.
I know I’m an asshole for what I’m about to do but Chastain needs to get the message.
“What are you doing?” Riley moans, somewhat sleepily, as I begin pulling her panties down her long legs.
“Do you know one of my favorite things about you?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “What?” There’s a hitch in her voice as I spread her legs.
“What you taste like first thing in the morning.” I lean in and inhale the scent of her pussy. “It’s like your pussy has been marinating just for me overnight.”
She lets out a laugh. My dick pushes against the zipper of my jeans, straining to get free. I don’t listen to it. Instead, I lower myself between her legs.
I love you.
I recall the words she told me days ago. The most perfect gift she could’ve ever given me. Her heart.
“Let me show you,” I mumble against her lips before I circle her clit with my tongue.
Riley rolls her hips and lets out a low moan.
I slowly run my tongue against her lips and then around and around her swollen button.
“Fuck, Kyle,” she says, her lower back bowing off of the bed.
I don’t let up as I inch my shoulders underneath her knees, keeping her legs spread for my mouth. She tastes so fucking good that I start to lose my shit. I become greedy, seeking more of her taste on my tongue. Even Riley’s first orgasm doesn’t stop me. If anything, the opposite happens. I continue lapping her up, seeking out another orgasm.
Riley’s hands pull at my hair. The tiny prickles of pain make me harder, and I push her thighs farther apart. It’s not until the second orgasm rockets through her body that the possessive haze hovering around me starts to recede slightly.
I move up Riley’s body to see her eyelids half closed and a crooked smile on her beautiful mouth. I kiss the hell out of her, letting her taste herself on me. I pull away from her and kiss the tip of her nose.
My fucking wife.
The only three words that ring through my head as I stare down at her.
“We’re going to be late,” she murmurs, reminding me that we have a prior engagement this morning. Another one of her Girls on the Move volunteer events.
I nod and move away from her, grabbing my phone from the nightstand. “You should go shower. We’ll finish where we left off later.”
I don’t look back as I stride toward the living room. I turn the volume up on my phone, noticing that the bastard hasn’t hung up. I knew he wouldn’t. That pisses me off even more.
“Did you hear that?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“K-Kyle? Is that …”
“That's exactly what you think it is. The one and only time you’ve ever heard my wife make those sounds. Or ever will.”
“I-I—”
“Shut the fuck up. You’ve lied on my wife, thinking you could use her past to fucking bond with me? You’re a selfish, spoiled, lacking talent son of a bitch who only gets by on the name of his parents. Riley saw you for the chump you are a mile away. Live with it. The only reason I’m letting you continue to breathe is because you didn’t have something to do with Dean’s blackmail. He used you, too.
“You’re not angry at Riley for stealing from you. You’re pissed and embarrassed that she did it without ever letting you touch her. I know my wife never fucked you. This is your final warning. If you ever mention my wife’s name out of your pathetic mouth again, let alone imply that you had anything physical with her, I’ll demolish you. Trust me when I say I will take pleasure in ending you. Don’t ever fucking call me again.”
I end the call and tighten my hands into fists with the desire to punch Brendan fucking Chastain in his face. But undoubtedly that’ll be the last time I hear anything from him.
I turn around to head back to the bedroom, but the sight of Riley stops me. She’s standing there, frozen, dressed in one of my white, button-down shirts. Usually, the sight of her in my clothes makes me rock hard.
But it’s the tears in her eyes that steal my breath.
“D-Did you … have him on the phone?” Her voice is clogged with unshed tears.
“Riley …”
I take a step in her direction, but she holds up her hands.
“Don’t come near me.”
That’s when the first rip in my heart starts.
“Why would you do something like that?”
I shake my head. “It’s no big deal,” I say, but it sounds like bullshit even as it comes out of my mouth.
She scoffs. The laugh she lets free is brittle. “Not a big deal. Just like I’m not a big deal to you either, right?”
“What? Of course you are. You’re my fucking wife,” I say, my voice growing louder.
“Right. For as long as you need to secure your role as the COO. To get whatever you need.” She juts her hand at the phone in my hand. “And to make Brendan look like a … what did you call him? Right. A chump.”
The first tear falls from her eye.
“Don’t come near me!” she screams when I attempt to approach.
I hate the look on her face. As if I’m the last person in this world that she wants anywhere near her.
“You used me. Just like …” She trails off with a shake of her head. “That’s all I ever was to you.”
“What are you saying? You’re my damn wife.”
“You keep saying that like it means any damn thing!” she yells.
“It means everything. I wouldn’t give anyone else my last fucking name.”
“Right,” she scoffs. “No, you needed someone to use as your pawn. I’m just the best person for the job.” She shrugs. “It’s my own fault anyway. I did start off trying to deceive you. I was such a fucking fool to believe maybe we were building something real.”
“This is real,” I insist.
“Is it? Or is it just for whatever you can get? Until you get promoted to COO. Now that Dean and his family’s scheming are out of the way, that’s all that’s left between us, right? Your fucking promotion.”
“Chastain was fucking lying on you!” I yell.
“So what? I don’t give a damn what he says about me.”
“I do,” I growl. “He needs to keep your name out of his mouth.”
“Why? Because you don’t want it to ruin your reputation, right?”
I shake my head in disbelief. She’s got everything all wrong. I don’t give a damn about anyone else. This is about her … my wife. Mine.
“I mean, then what good am I to you?” She scoffs again and folds her arms.
“Stop fucking saying that!”
“Why?” she screams. “It’s the truth. Hell, you must think I’m a damn fool. I’ve gone and fallen in love with you when you’ve never even shown me the inside of your house.”
“My house? What does that have to do with anything?”
“It means that time and time again, I’ve given you my truth, but you’ve never given me yours!” Riley shouts.
By now, tears are streaming down her face. Each one rips another hole in my heart.
“Get off of me,” she growls and squirms when I encircle her in my arms.
“Riley,” I say, still trying to hold onto her.
“No!” she yells, now pounding my chest and arms with her fists. “Let go of me. I don’t want you to touch me. You used my heart like every other fucking man I trusted. Get off of me.”
“Riley, I lo—”
“Don’t!” she screams while landing a loud smack across my face.
I don’t feel the pain from her hit because the pain in my heart consumes my entire body. Seeing her standing in front of me with tears in her eyes, knowing it’s all my fault, is an all-encompassing pain that no physical wound could ever match.
I let her go, even though everything in me screams for me not to.
She takes a step away from me, her chest heaving up and down. “You got what you wanted. In two weeks, you’ll be crowned Townsend’s permanent COO.” Her bottom lip quivers. “And we’ll annul this marriage. Our relationship is done.”
She spins on her heels and storms into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
There’s no way I’m letting it end there. I can barely breathe as I pound on the door.
“Riley, open this fucking door!” I demand. I try the doorknob over and over again, knowing it’s useless. She’s locked me out. Out of the door and out of her heart. But I don’t give up because that would break me.
“Open the goddamn door, Riley!” My knuckles bruise as I pound on the door but I don’t give a shit. I know if I keep it up, I’m going to break the door down, but that doesn’t matter. My wife is on the other side. And she’s hurting. Because of me.
“Riley!”
She doesn’t answer.
“What’s wrong?”
A small voice jolts me out of my panic. I turn to see Eve and Stasi standing at the front door, staring at me with wide-eyed expressions.
“Is Aunt Riley okay? Is she hurt?” Eve runs to the door.
“N-No—” I stop to clear my throat because my voice is hoarse from yelling. “She’s fine. I just had to yell over the shower so she could hear me.”
Eve’s shoulders slump in relief. My sister continues to look at me suspiciously.
“Mom’s downstairs. Eve forgot her favorite T-shirt she wanted to wear today.”
“We’re going to the mall and then to a picnic,” Eve declares.
I nod and don’t say anything as they head to her room.
I stand there like a fucking fool because I can hear the shower going. Riley won’t even acknowledge me standing here.
“Bye, Aunt Riley,” Eve yells.
“See you later, Ladybug,” Riley calls through the door. On the surface it sounds cheery, but I can hear the tears still in her voice.
My sister’s final look of suspicion haunts me as they both exit.
I’ve just destroyed my marriage.
CHAPTER 39
Riley
“You look like crap,” Charlotte tells me when she enters my office.
I hang up from the phone call with Aaron Townsend and his assistant. I finished giving him one of my end-of-job reports regarding the Waterson merger.
“Thanks,” I murmur, turning toward my computer screen. It’s been five days since my blow up with Kyle. Every day is a struggle to breathe, let alone get through it.
“These should help you feel better.”
When I finally turn to her it’s to see yet another vase of flowers in her arms. Another bouquet. This one is huge and composed of pink roses and purple hyacinths.
“You know,” Charlotte says as she heaves the oversized bouquet onto my desk, “that’s the third bouquet that’s come this week.”
