Page 72 of Compelled Obedience

If only for a little while this could be a beautiful mini-vacation, a fantasy fulfilled. He’d asked for nothing in return, but I sensed a change in whatever we were doing together. Grant’s protective nature was laced with an entirely different level, one of darkness mixed with anger. He’d already made several phone calls, most of which he refused to allow me to hear.

I studied him intently as he scooped up a spoonful of chocolate, watching a single drop of the frosty goodness slide past his luscious lips. Without thinking, I reached across the table, rolling the tip of my finger through the drip. Then I brought it to my lips.

He took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. Seconds later and after a husky growl, he shook his head and I could tell what he was thinking.

That he’d like to paint my body with his favorite flavor, allowing his tongue to taste every inch. I shuddered from the sinful thought, trying to keep my desire in check.

At least until later.

“Is chocolate your favorite?” I asked coyly as I lifted my spoon, twirling it before scooping up a heaping amount.

He took a deep breath then wrapped his fingers around my wrist, pulling my hand closer to his face. When he shoved the entire amount into his mouth, I realized I was holding my breath. The gesture was by far one of the sexiest I’d experienced in a long time. The shivers dancing through me awakened my core, driving me to the point of continuous need.

“Strawberry is now.” He dragged his tongue across his lips and a wave of heat crested across my jaw.

“You’re so bad,” I said quietly, trying to keep my voice from Casey as much as possible, grateful the sweet boy was accepting of the change. Maybe because Grant had told him we were going on an adventure. Whatever the case, I was silently thrilled all was going well.

“Yes, I am.” We studied each other, enjoying the quiet moment. There was no one else around, just the three of us basking in the moment. “How long has the little man been with you?”

“Almost three years. Three amazing years.”

“Twee!” Casey held up the right number of fingers and I felt a little pride sinking in.

“Twee of the best years in the whole wide world!” I exclaimed and ran my fingers through my little brother’s hair. “And you need a haircut, little man.”

He laughed, the sound more adult than normal.

“He’s so special,” Grant said, a smile crossing his face. I could swear the man had pride as well.

“He is,” I admitted. “Love. The truth was the word had officially arrived in my vocabulary the moment I’d learned that Casey existed.” When he appeared confused, I allowed another part of my guard to fall. “I left home at eighteen. I felt I had no choice, heading to LA with a few hundred dollars and a dream.”

“What was in LA?”

“Distance,” I said, half laughing. “And a community college that had a good reputation with music. Fortunately, after living in California for a year, I was able to apply for instate tuition that helped with me being able to afford the University of Southern California. That along with student loans I’ll be paying off until I’m seventy-five.”

Grant chuckled, but the man was taking in every scrap of information.

“Anyway, I’d cut all ties with my mother and stepfather. Then I found out from a call out of the blue from my mother that I had a little brother. That was much later. God. I can’t tell you how many times I’d tried to get her to leave the bastard she married, thinking he was her destiny. A knight in shining armor.” I wasn’t prepared to tell him that I’d gone through hell in my attempt to get away. He didn’t need to know the horror story of the night that changed the way I looked at everything.

Or that he’d been the only reason I was able to feel alive for a second time. Maybe one day I could confide in him. Not now. Now when I felt like I was sitting on the very edge of my sanity.

“You kept the same phone number.”

“Yeah, I did. At least the bastard she was married to didn’t bother me. I was no threat to him. By then, Casey was almost two years old. I’d risked returning to Nevada to see him, hoping that things had changed. I’d just graduated from college, working two menial jobs throughout. I had a wonderful lead on a teaching position, and I thought things were looking up. Given I was sharing a house with two other girls, the expenses weren’t terrible. I’d been able to shower him with gifts, the five days I’d spent with him leaving a tremendous ache in my heart.”

“Were things any better?” he asked, his tone soft and comforting. I’d told him bits and pieces up to this point, including how abusive my stepfather had been.

I’d lied. I hadn’t told him everything. Even if Drago was dead, I feared what Grant would do if I told him the absolute truth.

“Actually, I’d been lured into believing that my mother was doing so much better. Her health had improved, color back in her face, and she seemed genuinely happy with having given birth to Casey. It took almost six months after that to realize that everything had been a well-crafted façade. My mother called in tears, almost completely incoherent. I dropped everything, taking a leave of absence to take care of her, nursing her back to health. The only saving grace was that Drago was on a business trip the majority of the time I was there.”

“When he returned?”

“He went nuts. Casey hadn’t been tested up to that point but was already throwing tantrums. One night Drago hit my mother and tried to hurt Casey. I intervened. Then I called the police. They didn’t give a shit. I had no legal recourse to intervene. When I left, I made a promise that I would find a way to protect my kid brother. I tried, but the story and my fears fell on deaf ears.”

“You knew your stepfather was working for the LA Cartel. Didn’t you?”

I felt tears threaten to give me away. “Yes. I knew he worked for some really bad people but by then I recognized the tattoo.”

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