Page 40 of Strip for Me

“Did you get through to Kaiden?” I ask.

“Yes, they should all be home soon. There isn’t any proof, and our lawyer is already there. He told me to tell you not to worry, and I agree,” he tells me softly as he sits next to me. I rest my head on his shoulder, and his hand goes to my knee.

“It’s hard not to. This is my fault,” I say gently.

“No, it’s not. This is Drew’s fault, El,” Todd says, his words soft and yet, somehow have a strong demand in them.He’s right.

“Tell me what he said to you,” Todd says, and I repeat everything but leave out the gun. There’s no need for him to be more worried than he already is. He leans back on the sofa, looking at me as I put my cup of tea down.

“What do you think he did you as afavour?” Todd asks gently, his hand sliding into mine. I look down at our linked fingers and back up into Todd’s eyes.

“I don’t care. I know I should, but I only care about us. Not my past and certainly not him,” I say, and he smiles slightly. Todd leans closer and kisses me. A passionate kiss, that makes me sink into him as he pulls me closer. Our kisses become fevered as my hands slide down his flat chest, and I start undoing his buttons.

“Ellie,” Kaiden’s voice shouts though the house, and Todd pulls away from our kiss slowly, just as the door is opened. I lookover his shoulder to see Kaiden walk in, with Andre and Dominic following. They wordlessly come over and stand behind the sofa. I have to admit, I’m not sure where to look as I feel a little guilty when I see Dominic’s stressed-out face.

“You okay, Ellie?” Dominic asks as he places his hand on my cheek.

“I am now,” I say, and he smiles.

Thirty-Three

KAIDEN

I lean backon the wall of the changing room, wiping some of the oil off my chest when Ellie comes in. She’s mid-conversation with Andre, and she smiles gently at me as I pull my shirt on. I catch her lust-filled look as her eyes float all over my chest. Ellie looks amazing, in a long, blue top, leather jacket and black leggings. Her bump is getting bigger by the day, and she has this glow about her.All of it makes her so stunning.

“Ready for our night out?” I ask her, and she nods. I only did one dance tonight to cover because we had someone sick, but it’s Andre and Dominic’s night. I think back to Ellie, as she watched me do a dance with the sprinklers on the stage, and I used to water dance. She loved it and made it very clear with the way she watched me, her eyes fixated on every part of my body that I moved.

“I’ll see you later. Have fun,” Ellie says, and I watch as Andre pulls her into a deep kiss, his hands sliding around her waist. When he lets her go, her cheeks are red, and she looks at me with a little embarrassment. I need to make sure she understands what I feel when I see her with the others. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

“Come on, little missy,” I say holding out a hand. She comes over, and we walk out together.

“Have fun,” Andre says, and I nod at him. The club is quiet tonight, I notice as I look around. I glance down at Ellie’s big stomach and know we all are going to be busy in a little while.Not exactly a bad thing that it’s quiet.

“So, where are you taking me tonight?” she asks me, as I unlock my car. I open the door for her and grin.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Lucky I trust you then,” she says making me laugh. I shut her door when she gets in, then I go around and get in my seat. It’s about a half an hour drive to the butterfly farm just out of town. An old friend owns it and has sorted it, so we can have the place to ourselves for the night.

“A butterfly farm?” Ellie asks as I pull up outside the massive, dome-shaped building. The gate is a giant butterfly, and there are fairy lights everywhere. I hope she likes it, I’m trying to be romantic, but I’m not sure I’m doing it right. I want to give her the perfect night.

“Yes,” I say, and she gives me a quizzical look but gets out of the car. I get out of my side and lock the car before taking her hand and leading her towards the farm. I watch her as she looks at all the lights, taking them all in, and I knock on the door.

The door opens a few minutes later, and Marcus smiles down at me.

“Come in, you must be Ellie,” he says, looking down at her. Marcus owns the butterfly farm and a few other businesses around town. He is about twenty-five I would guess, with black hair and a fuck-load of muscles that make me look small next to him.

“Yes, nice to meet you . . .,” she says.

“Marcus Fletcher,” he says and holds out a hand, which she shakes.

“Thanks for this, and you can fuck off now,” I say, patting his shoulder, and he laughs.

“You owe me, and drop the keys off at mine tomorrow, man,” he says and chucks the keys at me. I catch them, and he leaves. I lock the door and take Ellie’s hand, leading her through the small shop, which leads to the entrance to the butterfly farm at the back. I hold open the black, plastic flaps, and Ellie walks through, before I follow her. I quickly take my coat off, as it’s boiling in here, and leave it on a nearby wall. They must keep it warm for the butterflies. Ellie does the same and leaves her coat next to mine. The floor is made of dirt, and there is a mixture of plants behind the small wall that makes a path to a pond in the middle of the farm. The pond has a waterfall, and dozens of colourful flowers around the edge. The ceiling is lit up with dozens of fairy lights and the floor has small lights, too.

“It looks magical,” Ellie whispers as two butterflies fly past her, and my eyes draw to her.She looks magical.Ellie walks over to a small table, filled with oranges and grapefruits. There are a few brown butterflies feeding off the fruit.

“Here,” she says, picking up an orange and wiping it on the back of her hand. She does the same to mine and then holds her hand out. It’s only a few moments before a blue-winged butterfly lands on her hand. I do the same, and a brown one lands on my hand, moving slowly as I watch.

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