Freed by Him Read online

  "Yeah well so were Manuel Pardo and the Ware-Wolf!" I muttered sarcastically.

  At this he actually burst out laughing, a real deep, belly laugh that made a reluctant smile spread across my face.

  He walked out of the bar, and I followed him to his car listening to him chuckling to himself as we went.

  He stopped next to a black BMW M3 and opened the door for me.

  I gave him a small smile and tipped my head to him murmuring, "Gentleman!" He smiled and closed the door.

  He jumped in and started the engine, and some cheesy pop song came blaring through the speakers.

  "Damn girl" he muttered, quickly turning it down. He noticed my confusion at his words and explained, "The girl in the bar," he indicated to the left with his head, "She's my mate’s sister, a good friend too. I owed her a lift. She listens to this crap."

  He played about with the radio system for a minute and One Republic came on. I started to laugh.

  "What?" he quizzed though he was smiling.

  I just shook my head.

  He asked for my address and I gave it to him without thinking, putting my head back on the headrest. I was overcome with exhaustion. I closed my eyes and listened to him as he sang along.

  "You're really good," I mumbled and he laughed softly.

  I must have drifted off because I suddenly jolted awake as I heard him call my name.

  I rubbed my eyes blearily and tried to focus on him.

  His face was close to mine as he leaned over me. I looked into his eyes and felt myself get lost. They were beautiful, a perfect mixture of colours with flecks of brown around the pupil before a striking green that sparkled. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and I blinked rapidly as I heard him chuckling again. I was embarrassed that I’d been caught staring at him.

  "Sorry! Damn I'm half asleep here," I muttered, turning away to unclip my belt.

  I couldn’t believe how relaxed I felt with him. It certainly wasn’t like me to get into a car with someone I hardly knew, and to fall asleep then leaving myself that vulnerable was ridiculous.

  "You normally get in the car with people that you think might be serial killers then fall asleep on them?" he asked, amused.

  "You told me I'd be safe with a cop."

  He smiled softly at me. “You’ll always be safe with me, but don’t let anyone else use that line on you!”

  I raised an eyebrow “It was a line?”

  He flashed me a quick smile as he got out without replying. Walking around to open my door he insisted on taking me to the front door.

  I entered the alarm code and opened it slightly before turning back to face him.

  He was leaning against the wall, looking completely relaxed, whereas I felt like a hormonal teenager.

  He pushed himself off and walked towards me, standing right in front of me, almost touching but not quite.

  "You gonna be OK?" he asked and I nodded, tensing slightly as he leaned in but he surprised me by kissing me gently on the forehead.

  "Text your friend," he reminded me before walking away.

  I didn't know if I was disappointed or relieved that he hadn't tried for a real kiss.

  Nate

  Fuck me! It had taken every ounce of willpower not to ram her up against the wall and kiss the hell out of her. Walking back to the car after kissing her forehead…her fucking head?! Am I real?! Now that had been a new level of torture.

  The small sigh she'd exhaled as I walked away almost had me turning around, but I'd carried on walking, jumped in the car and pulled away on autopilot.

  It was only as I turned away out of sight that I allowed myself to blow out the breath I’d been holding, cursing to myself. It was clear she was attracted to me. I was pretty sure that if I’d started something, I’d have been able to finish it.

  I’d actually enjoyed myself tonight though; chatting and getting to know her had been fun rather than a necessity for getting her into bed.

  I'd thought about her on and off the last few days. She was gorgeous, and she'd impressed the hell out of me, but beautiful women were a dime a dozen.

  I'd never had any trouble attracting women and had plenty to keep me occupied, so I downplayed the significance to myself, pushing her from my mind.

  The second that my eyes had locked with hers in the bar, that game was over. She was mesmerising.

  I noticed the flush creeping up her neck and warming her cheeks as she locked eyes with me, unable to tear her gaze away.

  I couldn't help the grin that spread over my face. She was just as attracted to me as I was to her. I nodded a greeting to her and could see that she was flustered. I couldn't help feeling amused. She'd been so sure of herself, so defiant and strong when I'd first met her. Knowing more about her now, I felt even more sure of myself. She wasn't a woman to be flustered or caught off guard easily, I chuckled to myself; this was going to be easy.

  I'd noticed the guy in the suit walking over to her table. I’d quickly excused myself from Kelly and her friends and started strolling over, ready to be her knight in shining armour since he was quite clearly the worse for wear.

  Listening to the exchange had left me itching to smash my fist into his face but impressed, amused and annoyed by her in equal measure.

  She was clearly quite capable of taking care of herself, but the bitterness and anger in her tone had surprised me.

  She'd flinched when I'd leaned around with her drink. I guessed maybe she thought it was the suit guy coming back, but I wondered if she was really as strong as she'd have me believe, and who had hurt her to warrant the venom in her tone.

  From the minute I'd seen her again I fully intended to have her, she was stunning, breathtakingly beautiful with delicate features and a perfect figure.

  She was sitting down; black jeans that I knew would be hugging her perfect arse I remembered from our last encounter. She had some silver sparkly thing on which gaped open, exposing her back. I could see she wasn't wearing a bra, and the thought alone made my cock ache. I could just make out the outline of her breasts under the top - full, pert and fucking perfect.

  We chatted; friendly banter going back and forth. She was clearly attracted to me, her body language giving her away. She wasn't overly flirty, not particularly flirty at all in fact, but she was easy to talk to, funny and clever.

  I could see she wasn’t convinced about accepting the lift back to hers though there was no chance in hell she was leaving the bar any other way. If fate had decided to drop her into my path again, I planned on taking full advantage of that.

  Driving back to her house, I looked over at her dosing in the passenger seat. Her long blonde hair hung loosely around her face. She looked peaceful.

  I pulled the car over and stopped for a moment, just looking at her, before gently calling her name. I longed to touch her but I didn’t want to startle her.

  I remembered how she’d reacted when I’d reached for her at the refuge, and again when I’d reached around her earlier in the night with a drink, she was clearly uncomfortable with people invading her space without her permission, the last thing I wanted to do was touch her and upset her or freak her out.

  In all honesty I wanted to run my hands all over her and see if her skin was as soft and supple as it looked.

  She stirred easily enough but was clearly finding it hard to remain focused and awake. She stared at me when she woke, transfixed by what I’m not sure.

  I couldn't help smiling at her. She looked anything but the feisty no-nonsense business woman she was meant to be; she looked young and carefree. As she rubbed her scrunched-up eyes, she yawned, trying to hide it, clearly feeling self-conscious.

  I felt like I'd caught a rare glimpse of her that few saw and it was endearing. I walked around and opened her door and she staggered out.

  She went straight to the alarm code and I leaned against the wall watching her. She suddenly looked vulnerable, the complete opposite of the persona she'd been trying to portray all night, playing absentmi
ndedly with her bag and looking nervous.

  I pushed off from the wall and walked towards her, watching her posture stiffen involuntarily as I got close. I didn't understand her reaction, but I didn't want to fuck this up, as much as my body was screaming. I made the split second decision to kiss her forehead and walk away, quite possibly leaving both of us frustrated.

  For reasons I couldn’t fathom she already had me wanting more than just a night with her.

  As I pulled the car away, I dialled Marcus. The phone rang twice before he answered, sounding distracted.

  "Just letting you know I dropped Kel off and she met the girls - not sure what time she'll be home though."

  "Yeah, I know..." he stated, sounding confused. "Why you calling?"

  "I'm just letting you know." It sounded unconvincing even to me, and he laughed.

  "Why you calling me, bro? I know you'd have dropped Kelly off and made sure she was OK. You don't need to confirm that back to me. What's the real reason for your call?"

  I paused for a second, thinking how to phrase this so I didn't sound like the lame dick I suddenly felt.

  He sniggered down the phone at me.

  I cursed myself! Why the hell had I thought it would be a good idea to call him?

  "Just wanted to let you know we're out Saturday," I responded curtly and listened to him laughing as I ended the call. Fucking prick knew me too well.

  I woke the following morning to an answer phone message of playful abuse from Marcus, mocking me for having struck out with the “Ninja Barbie.”

  He'd obviously spoken to his sister. I groaned, knowing there was going to be plenty more of that coming my way.

  There was also a text from an unknown number, which simply stated, "Family is everything. Everyone else can come and go. Forgiveness is the key to happiness."

  I frowned. It wasn’t from a number that I recognised, and there wasn’t anyone who would be sending that crap to me.

  I wondered if it could be regarding the invite to the wedding that I’d received, but it seemed strange. The only person I'd mentioned the invite to had been Marcus.

  The message hadn't been signed, and the number wasn’t programmed into my phone. I knew that Clarissa’s number was the same one I still held for her from the RSVP on the invitation, and I couldn't imagine my brother sending the message.

  He’d never made any previous attempts to reach out or speak to me, and since the death of our parents just over a year ago, there wasn't anyone else I could think of that would.

  It sure as hell wouldn’t be my grandfather and there weren’t any other family members.

  I threw my phone back on the bed and jumped in the shower without giving it another thought.

  Nate

  I rang the bell and waited for the click to let me know the door had been buzzed open. Walking to the front desk, I could see Gloria was on duty.

  "There's my favourite girl. G'mornin’ gorgeous." I winked at her and she laughed heartily.

  "One day I"m gonna shock you, young man. Go sort your grandfather out; he's causing havoc here today!" She shook her head in mock annoyance and waved me off down the hall.

  I could hear him bellowing before I got to his room.

  A young man practically ran out, looking flushed, though I couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or upset.

  I strolled into the room and saw my grandfather sitting in his usual spot.

  "You upsetting the staff again, old man?" He glanced up at me, trying to keep his scowl from turning into a grin.

  "Bloody ridiculous rules and regulations in this place! They want to get into the 21st century!" He yelled the last sentence, glaring past me towards the door.

  I stepped directly into his line of sight and asked him what the problem was.

  The last time he'd been this agitated it had transpired that he'd decided to have a little poker game with drinks and smokes in his room, breaking a number of rules at the sheltered living accommodation relating to alcohol consumption, smoking and gambling. That had been a headache for me to sort out. They'd almost evicted him. It was made worse by my grandfather’s complete indignation and refusal to apologise. I'd tried and failed to reprimand him. My amusement was clear despite my stern look, which seemed to delight him even more.

  He was 77 and, after my parents’ deaths I'd persuaded him to move here for companionship and the option of extra care, should he need it.

  We'd had a bumpy road so far! Considering he'd been such a stickler for rules and regulations throughout his life, he seemed he have decided to become a bit of a rule breaker in his twilight years.

  He started to explain to me how he'd been discovered after lights out with a 'lady friend' in his bed who'd intended to stay the night, and I feigned a coughing fit trying to stifle the laughter that was bubbling up inside me.

  He saw straight through me "You can laugh, boy! You’re young, good looking and free! I bet you have no problems with the ladies," he complained irritably. Adding crossly, "I might be old but I'm still a man!" He looked over at me, annoyance on his features. "Last time you had sex with a woman?" he demanded.

  I spluttered "Gramps! You want me to tell you the last time I was with a woman?" I asked incredulously.

  "I'm not interested in the last time you gave your wrist a work out!" He deadpanned, and I barked out a laugh at him, "Jesus, Gramps! Can't you be like other old men?!" I shook my head at him but he still looked at me, waiting.

  "Bloody hell" I cursed, cringing knowing that he wouldn’t let the conversation go. "I dunno why you feel the need to know, 6 days ago. Satisfied?"

  He fixed me with a stare. "You trying to be funny, boy? I've not been satisfied for nearly two weeks. I'm a grown man who fought for his bloody country, and if I want..."

  I interrupted his rant. "Wait! How'd you get it two weeks ago?" I looked at him puzzled, and a slow grin spread over his face.

  "Betty stays here quite regularly, boy. We were just unlucky last night, in that the silly old witch next door fell over." He pulled a face. "So she says, anyway. Jealousy, I think, because I wasn't interested in her. All her damn squawking got everyone up and about." He muttered and cursed some more, insisting that I sort it out with the manager so that his civil liberties weren't affected.

  I pacified him with promises I had no clue how to keep and steered the conversation to safer topics. I loved this crazy old man, and I'd sit listening for hours to his old war stories and trading tales from my own time in combat, but I'd be damned if I was going to talk about his love life.

  I needed to leave, and I still hadn’t brought up the subject that I’d needed to. I cringed knowing I needed to talk to him about the wedding before I left.

  He must have noticed the change in my demeanour. "Spit it out, then," he said, looking at me curiously.

  I sighed, "Jonathan and Clarissa are getting married. I had the invite last week."

  I stated it as fact, without emotion and was surprised that I actually wasn't as bothered as I'd initially felt.

  He eyed me over his glasses, a look of disgust on his face, and I spoke again before he could, "I never expected or wanted you to take sides, Gramps. It was a long time ago now." I put my hand affectionately on his knee, and he clasped it with his hand.

  "It's not a matter of taking sides, boy. I've let a lot of his crap go by the wayside over the years." He shook his head.

  "He was always a little brat. I don’t know what went wrong with him, but doing that…" He pursed his lips, and I squeezed his leg.

  "I'm over it Gramps, honestly." I was sincere and he smiled warmly at me.

  "I'm glad to hear it. You can do much better, but that's by the by. You don't take another man's woman. To do that to your own brother..." He looked at me, his eyes sad and wide. "No ... reprehensible! He disgusts me; He has no morals; He is not a man; He's a horrid little worm."

  I couldn't argue with him, but I hated that they'd fallen out over something to do with me.

  "I might
go, you should come too" I said softly and he whipped his head around to look at me in astonishment. Whatever he was going to say seemed to falter on his lips, and he just shook his head, turning away.

  He spent the rest of my visit looking preoccupied. By the time I was leaving he'd come back around a little and made a quip about smuggling Betty into his room that night, but his laughter seemed a little forced, and his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

  He grabbed me in a big hug as I left, enthusiastically slapping my back and checking when I'd next visit.

  Lena

  Maddie had turned up laden with a small suitcase and two bottles of wine. She proceeded to dump her stuff unceremoniously all over every spare surface, before pouring us both a large glass and filling me in on her date with Christian. Her eyes shone, she looked radiant as she gushed about their night.

  "Looks like Maddie got some!"

  "Three times!" she announced with delight before erupting into laugher. I couldn't help but join in; her happiness was infectious.

  My beautiful, vivacious friend was always happiest when she was with a man. She frustrated me. For someone who seemed so confident and vibrant she placed a huge amount of emphasis on her relationship status.

  Her last few relationships had been short-lived, and I really hoped that Christian was going to be the one to keep her smiling.

  "Poor BOB's back on the bench," I said solemnly shaking my head, referring to her “battery operated boyfriend,” and she smirked at me.

  "Poor buggar’s had enough of a workout the last few months! He'll be glad of the respite." Laughing, we started getting ready.

  Two hours later there were clothes strewn everywhere, thanks to Maddie’s fashion show but we were ready.

  She'd curled my hair for me and pinned it up high on top of my head with just a few loose tendrils hanging down. My eyes were smoky and I wore my favourite black leather pencil skirt with a grey blouse, which was open back with a high neck line.