Page 6 of Haven Bound
They also run a non-profit organization called Safe Harbor, headed up primarily by my mother, which provides temporary safe housing, access to support groups, and any other necessities that rescued victims and families may need as they adjust to their new lives. Most of our employees only work for Elysian Suites; however, each location also has a full staff of employees that are members of our organization as well. With backgrounds in military or law enforcement, many of our members were sick of always having to abide by the law to see justice served. Especially when, more often than not, the law allows the most sinister people to get away with their crimes.
As an Anders, I’m expected to be able to work for both companies. My degree allows me to run point on many projects for the hotel, but I also had to go through extensive combat training before officially joining The Phoenix Legion. Much of my workload for the hotel chain can be handled remotely, allowing me to travel for Legion assignments as needed.
I should have known that my mom was up to something when I walked through the doors of my childhood home and she immediately sent me on an errand to some bakery. She’d mentioned planning a party with the local Phoenix members and had insisted that I go and place an order for her. It all sounded ridiculous at the time, but now I see that she had an ulterior motive. My mom had always been supportive of my relationship with Chelsea, even when we tried so hard to hide it.
Back then, I knew that I was eventually going to be leaving. Starting a romantic relationship with Chelsea hadn’t been fair to either of us, but I couldn’t stay away from her. I’d spent a year pining after my sister’s best friend, but I didn’t think that she looked at me the same way that I looked at her.
Until that night.
Chelsea had just turned eighteen and was spending the week at our house, as she often did, and I’d invited Ethan to do the same. At the time, I only had a few months remaining before I was expected to leave and start taking on target contracts. I didn’t have a right to get involved in any kind of relationship with someone. Especially not with the girl I’d been wanting for the past year. The one person I knew that I’d never be able to do "casual" with.
But of course that didn’t stop me from looking at her the way that I did. It didn’t fucking stop me from wishing the bright smiles that would paint her face, the smiles that stole the breath from my lungs, were for me.
After spending an entire day at the beach and riding bikes around town, the four of us had decided that the hot tub would be the perfect way to end the day. I’d seen Chelsea in a swimsuit before, but there wassomething about the way that her body looked as she had stepped into the hot water, steam billowing up around us, that ignited a fire within my blood.
Heat had pooled low in my groin, and my cock stiffened beneath the fabric of my board shorts from the mere sight of her. I remember being utterly and completely mesmerized by her curves and the way my mouth watered at seeing her soft belly, thick hips, thighs, and freckles that decorated her porcelain skin.
That was the night that I finally gathered enough courage to kiss her for the first time. I knew in that moment, my life would never be the same.
5
Chelsea
It’s amazing what acomfort routine can do for the soul. I swear there’s nothing more refreshing and soul-cleansing than a burning hot shower. The kind where the water temporarily turns your skin bright red. Not that I need to do any soul-cleansing at the moment. But it definitely helps put my mind at ease after unexpectedly ending my work day talking to the man who stole my heart and shattered it seven years ago.
The butterflies have finally settled by the time I’m dressed in a pair of super soft lounge pants and a coordinating cami. Planning to stay in for the night and decompress, I throw my hair up into a messy knot and make my way to the kitchen, only to find Hailey lounging on the sectional couch. She must’ve come home while I was in the shower.
We’ve been roommates for a few months now. After confiding in her several times about the scary turn my relationship with Jason had taken, Hailey insisted that I move in with her. As the Event Coordinator for Elysian Suites, she makes enough to live comfortably on her own but had insisted that her home felt empty with only her living there.
Up until moving in with Hailey, I’d been living with Jason in a small apartment that barely allotted either of us our own space. During those last few months of our relationship, I was constantly on edge, wonderingwhat kind of mood he’d be in when he got home. Hailey’s offer to move in with her had been perfect timing and at least gave me a modicum of comfort.
“So, I saw your brother today.” The words are out of my mouth before I can overthink them, and I find myself watching Hailey for a reaction.
She drops her phone into her lap and turns towards me, eyeing me over the back of the couch. “Fuck. I knew he was coming home, but I didn’t think you’d see him before I had a chance to warn you. Did you talk to him?” Her voice is almost cautious, like she’s afraid of what my reaction is going to be.
She knew he was coming home.
Does that mean he’s not visiting, but that he’s here to stay?
Memories of how heartbroken I was when Austin left seven years ago flood my mind, and it’s a fight to keep those emotions at bay. That kind of heartbreak stays with you long after the pieces have been mended. In my case, the broken pieces have dulled over time, but they were never truly put back together. I would have spent weeks curled up in bed, wishing the rest of the world would disappear if it hadn’t been for Hailey and Ethan.
They both played such a huge part in helping me put myself back together, especially once Ethan stepped in and showed me the perfect way to get my anger and frustration out. I never saw myself as the type of person who would enjoy pulling a trigger or throwing sharp-bladed objects. The first time that Ethan took me to an indoor range was the first time I finally felt the anger and heartbreak subside. I felt powerful with a weapon in my hand, and the endorphins that coursed through mybody quickly became an outlet for all of the emotions battling inside of me. It was a way to channel my anger, fear, and worry into strength.
Ethan came with me the first handful of times to make sure that I was being as safe as possible, but it didn’t take long for me to learn the proper way to stand or how to brace for the gun’s kickback. Hailey would join us occasionally, and over the years, the three of us have made it a point to go to various indoor and outdoor shooting ranges anytime one of us begins to feel out of control.
After grabbing a drink from the fridge, I plop down onto the couch beside her and pull my legs up to sit cross-legged. Fidgeting with the water bottle in my hand and picking at the label, I say, “Yeah, he um… He came into the bakery today to place an order for your mom. She called while I was at my appointment, and I guess he decided to come in instead. He claims he didn’t know that it wasmybakery.” I heave a sigh and look up to meet her eyes.
She’s holding her phone now, the screen lit up to signal that a message likely just came through. She glances at it to read the incoming text before she blows out a breath and says, “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a heads up. I only just found out this morning, but things were crazy at work, and I didn’t have a chance to talk to you before your appointment. I had no idea that you would run into him.” She looks genuinely sorry, and given my history with her brother, I doubt she would keep his return from me.
“I mean, it’s fine. It was a little awkward but nothing I couldn’t handle.” Needing a change of subject, I reach over for the TV remote to bring up a streaming app. “Wanna watch a movie or something?” I ask, flipping through the endless options.
“Actually, I thought we could go out tonight,” she says. When my eyes flip back to hers, it’s then that I realize she’s dressed in dark jeans and a deep red top with a sweetheart neckline. Her chestnut brown hair is styled in loose waves and hanging over her shoulders, hitting right below her collarbone.
“Oh…” I glance down at my lounge attire and then back at her. “Did we have plans that I forgot about?” It wouldn’t be the first time that I've let the plans we made skip my mind after a therapy session. I always seem to leave my appointments with my mind a mess. It’s a wonder that I manage to get anything done afterward.
“No, but Ethan posted on his socials about it being Throwback Night at Club Obsidian tonight. The playlist they have posted sounds like it’s gonna be really good.”
I ignore her and continue flipping through the endless movie and TV show options, looking for something I’ve already seen so that I can let it play in the background. All I want to do is curl up on the couch and read the new smutty romance book that my favorite author released, but I have a hard time sitting in complete silence. Hailey clearly has other plans for us if her tossing one of the throw pillows from the couch at me and knocking the controller out of my hand is any indication. Laughing, I look over at her and say, “Today’s session was hard, Hails. I’d rather just stay home.”
