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2024-03-26 18:09:56ALINE
As I locked the door to the bathroom, I had a moment towonder if the man whose name I still didn’t know could hear that I’d done it, but then I decided I didn’t care. This was the first time in days I’d felt even remotely safe.I grimaced as I pulled off the clothes I’d been wearing for almost a week and tried not to think about how awful I smelled. Heat flooded my cheeks as I realized that my rescuer had had me right next to his face. I pushed that thought out of my head, and then I heard a man’s voice close enough that my pulse spiked.“This is Eoin McCrae in room one fifteen.”I knew that voice. I closed my eyes in relief. Eoin. That was his name.The next thing he said had my eyes opening and my jaw dropping. I listened harder, fury rising in me as every word painted a vulgar picture of me and why I was here. I turned on the water, hoping to drown out his side of the conversation. I’d alread
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The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law 136
EOINI THREW THE DIRTY ROBE INTO THE CORNER WITH THE REST OF THEused towels and went right into the shower, figuring the water would probably still be warm but not caring if it wasn’t. I closed my eyes as I bent down to get my head under the spray. A lot of people thought it was great to be tall, but once you started going over six two or six three, it became as much of a pain in the ass as being too short.For example, most showers weren’t made for people my height. My parents had needed to put specialty showers in half the bathrooms in our house because of how tall most of us were. Alec and I were the same height and our stepbrother, Rome, was just an inch shorter, but all the men in our family were over six feet. I couldn’t count the number of times Alec, Rome, and I had come home with bruises on our foreheads from low doorways and the occasional ceiling fan.I knew I was thinking about all this stupid shit to i
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ALINEThe sandwiches were good, and as soon as I took the first bite,I was ravenous. I knew I had to pace myself, though. If I ate as many as I thought I wanted, it’d only just come back up again. I finished most of the first one before setting it back on the tray.That was when the guilt hit me.The others weren’t getting to eat sandwiches and stretch out on a soft, clean bed in clean clothes. The best I could hope was that they’d get something to eat in the morning, and no one would hurt them because of me.The food I’d just eaten churned in my stomach, and for a moment, I worried that I might be sick right here and now. I closed my eyes and focused on taking slow, deep breaths until the nausea passed.It wasn’t my fault that they were still being held prisoner. I’d tried to go back for them, but Eoin had literally carried me away. I’d never be able to find the building again on my own. I couldn’t even giv
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EOINOnce I closed the bathroom door again, I leaned back againstit, my mind racing. What the fuck was all that about?First, she yelled at me, which was actually sort of cute, especially when I explained what I’d done, and she got all flustered. Then, she’d blushed all of a sudden, and it’d taken me a minute to figure out why. I’d always been good at reading people, but even a complete idiot would’ve been able to tell she was embarrassed…and turned on.I’d let myself enjoy the moment, and then she’d gasped. At first, I’d remembered that I didn’t look the same without my shirt as I had eight months ago, and I’d assumed that she’d been reacting to my scars. Instead, she’d been staring at the bruise I’d just gotten.I’d seen her hand move. Just a little. Something she probably even hadn’t been aware of. She’d almost reached out like she’d wanted to touch me.And then it’d all gone to hell when she’d said the thi
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ALINEI was cold. So cold. The sort that burned as it froze. My teethchattered, and my body shook.I was naked, and the room was icy. Wind blew through, but there weren’t any windows.It was dark. No sun and no artificial light. I shouldn’t have been able to see anything. The blackness around me should have been my entire world, but all it wasn’t. I could see everything all too clearly.The colors bright and stark.The details of each and every horror.Hammond laid curled on the floor, his fingers and hands broken, blood pooled around his head. He wasn’t moving, wasn’t breathing. His eyes were open, but they didn’t see anything. He’d never see anything anymore.Dana was next to him. She’d been crying and screaming at them the whole time they’d been killing the doctor, but now she was quiet. She was still alive, but the look in her eyes said something was dead inside her. They’d
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ALINEWe sat in silence for a minute or two before Eoin spoke.“Sometimes, it helps to talk about it.”I almost asked how he would know, but then I remembered his scars and realized that it was very likely that he had some experience with nightmares brought about by traumatic events.“I’ll listen if you need me to.” His voice was low and calm. Soothing.I pulled back enough for me to look at him while I said the only thing I could say right now.“I don’t want to talk. I want to forget.” And then I kissed him.Or, rather, I pressed my lips against his in the hopes he’d take over.Instead, he went completely still, his arms stiff around me, his mouth unyielding. He didn’t push me away or rebuke me, but he didn’t do anything else either. He just sat there like hehoped I’d figure out he wasn’t interested without him having to say anything that’d embarrass both of us.Oh.
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EOINI hadn’t expected Aline to kiss me. Not when we’d first met.Not when we’d gotten here. And not when I’d come out of the bathroom in only a towel. Sure, I’d noticed how hot Aline was. Hell, I’d fantasized about her when I was in the shower.But her kissing me? No fucking way.We both came from families who had money, but that didn’t mean we were in the same league. In fact, she was so far out of my league that I never would’ve looked twice at her under other circumstances.No, that was a lie. I would’ve looked twice. More than twice. I just never would’ve talked to her, let alone touched her.No matter how much I wanted to.But then she’d kissed me and – after I’d mostly gotten over the shock – it’d taken all my self-control not to respond. Hell, I’d been sure she felt my erection right under her ass. I’d already been thinking of everything I possibly could to keep from getting a hard-on just f
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ALINEThe first time I came, it was from his mouth alone. Wet andhot friction. Sucking and licking. Moving up and around. In and out. Thorough. Very thorough. His tongue touching places that no one else had ever touched. Not with their tongue. Not their fingers. Nothing.I didn’t tell him that this was the first time I’d ever had an orgasm I hadn’t brought about. The first time I’d ever experienced oral sex. The first time anyone outside of my doctor had seen the most intimate parts of me. I was the sort of person who didn’t change clothes casually, even around my sister.But I wasn’t really thinking about any of that as he began to rub my clitoris with the flat of his tongue. I didn’t want to think about any of it. Think about anything but the way pleasure was coiling tight in my belly once more. Then he slipped a finger inside me, and I gasped, my back arching. I’d used my own fingers a few times, but it wasn’t the same. Not the size, not the angle. Not the way he moved.He moved hi
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EOIN“EOIN!”Fuck, I loved it when she screamed my name. Nothing else sounded so good, and it wasn’t something I would ever get used to. Just like I’d never get used to the way I felt when I was inside her. How good sex was with her. How perfectly we fit together.Her body tightened around mine, and I followed her over the edge. “Aline!”I jerked awake all at once, suddenly remembering that I wasn’t supposed to be sleeping in the first place.Shit.I was supposed to be keeping watch over the woman I’d been sent here to rescue. Not fucking her and then falling asleep next to her in bed.Bed.Next to her.The room was almost too dark for me to see well, but it was enough for me to be able to tell that I was alone. I rolled overand fumbled for the bedside lamp. The sudden burst of light made me wince, and I was forced to squint into the shadows.“Shit.”Blink
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EOINI’D JUST BEEN READY TO CALL ALINE WHEN A TEXT CAME THROUGHthat she was coming back and we needed to talk. I went back and forth between anxiety and relief while I waited for her. We couldn’t keep doing this.Our lives were linked, and we didn’t have the luxury of waiting until we had our shit figured out before deciding to start a family. The baby was on the way, and no matter what she and I disagreed about, I had no doubt that we were on the same page when it came to being the best parents we could be. To do that, we needed to work this out sooner rather than later.Since I didn’t know if Aline had her key, I unlocked the door and then spent the next fifteen minutes or so pacing from one end of the living room to the other and back again.When she came in, I wanted to just blurt out an apology and explanation, but I also didn’t want to come on too strong. How the fuck did people do this? How did they know what to say or how to say it? I didn’t know the ans
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EOINTHE MOMENT THE WORDS CAME OUT OF ALINE’S MOUTH, I COULD SEEthat she wanted to take them back. Not because she regretted accepting my proposal or didn’t want to live with me, but because blurting it out like that had been like dropping a bomb.Now, we were just waiting for it to explode. I could read it on their faces. I read it on her face too. She realized the impact of what she’d done.And then Freedom turned on me, her expression furious.“What the hell did you do?!” She pointed at me, her clear blue eyes flashing. “How dare you take advantage of her when she was upset! Out on her own for the first time and vulner–”“We’re engaged,” Aline cut her off, clearly deciding to get it all out now that things were in motion for a confrontation. “And I’m pregnant.”Freedom’s jaw dropped, and her face went white. Aline’s jaw tightened. “So, back off.”“What?”The word came out as a whisper, confirming for me that Aline had never spoken to Freedom that way before.“Eoin is m
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EOINIF I DIDN’T QUIT SNEAKING LOOKS AT ALINE, SHE WAS GOING TO CATCHme and want to know what the hell I was doing. Then I’d be put in the very awkward position of either lying to her and her figuring it out or telling the truth and pissing her off. Neither scenario ended well for me.She’d agreed to tell my parents about our engagement and the baby, and I was going with her tomorrow to spend Christmas Day with her family. Both of those were things that I wanted, but I kept feeling like some other shoe was going to drop and ruin it. That she’d suddenly recognize the fact that she could do so much better than me and decide that, while she might want the baby, she didn’t want me along with it. Or she’d think about how pissed Freedom was going to be when she saw me and realize I wasn’t worth the headache.Death wasn’t the only thing that could take someone away.So, I kept watching her, paying close attention to every expression, to every shift in body language.I’d been worried at Marti
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EOINTHE SCENT OF PEACHES WOKE ME UP, AND IT TOOK A MOMENT FOR MEto remember why my bed smelled like fruit. Aline. My eyes opened, my need to reassure myself that she really was here greater than me wanting to sleep a little longer. Once I saw her, I couldn’t look away.We were both on our sides, her back to my front. Her body was curled up, making her look even smaller than she was, and a surge of protectiveness went through me. I slid my hand from her hip to her stomach, wondering when I’d be able to feel the changes to her body, when the baby would start to move, how big it was right now.Was it a boy or girl? Would Aline want to know before or have it be a surprise? When would we be able to tell?I had a lot of research to do, I realized. I wanted to do this right, and that meant not leaving everything up to Aline. Some of the questions colliding together in my brain were the kind that she and I could talk about. I could find the answers for all the others myself. S
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EOINI PUT MY PHONE DOWN ON THE COUNTER AND GOT A BEER FROM THEfridge. If I wasn’t driving anywhere tonight, I didn’t need to worry about how much I drank. If I couldn’t be with Aline, taking care of her, getting a little drunk sounded like a good idea. Not so much that I’d be hung over tomorrow, but enough to take the edge off.It was a hell of an edge. Pregnant.I was going to be a father.Maybe. Aline could decide to terminate the pregnancy, but after how her parents had struggled to have kids, I didn’t think that was going to be the route she took. If she did, I’d be there with her, but even as shell-shocked as I was right now, I was hoping she’d have the baby.My baby. Fuck.I needed to sit down, but the few chairs I had were covered with shit from my storage unit. The floor would have to do. I leaned back against my refrigerator and took a long drink.I’d never really thought about being a father. My parents never pressured any of us kids about giving them
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EOINI DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY ALINE WOULD – AGAIN – THINK I DIDN’Twant her. I knew her family was really overprotective of her, but I couldn’t imagine that translating into any type of emotional abuse. She was a certified genius and one of the most selfless people I’d ever met. And she was gorgeous. The fact that she’d been a virgin – barely even kissed if Freedom had been right about that too – confused the shit out of me because she had to have had guys all over her.Just the thought of any other man near her made my arms tighten around her. I still had my hand in her pants, could hear her ragged breathing slow and even out…and I was jealous of men I didn’t even know, men who might not even exist.Men I didn’t want to exist.I wanted to be it for her. The only man who’d ever know what she looked like when she came.Shit.The thought should have terrified me, but it didn’t. Even though I was painfully hard, I was content to stand here, holding her, rubbing her back with my free hand.
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ALINEEOIN’S PLACE WAS GORGEOUS. AND HUGE. NOT AT ALL WHAT I’D BEENexpecting, even after he’d told me that he’d leased a condo rather than an apartment. I’d already known that he’d come from a wealthy family, so it wasn’t the cost of a place like this that surprised me. It was more that this didn’t seem like the sort of place that a single, not-quite-thirty, former military man would live. This was more of a…family home.A beautiful one, but I was starting to feel like seeing all of it, being here with him while such a large question was looming over us, was untethering me from reality. I had experienced this strange disconnect only a few times in my life, most of them recently.“Hey.” His hands were on either side of my face, his skin hot against my cheeks. “It’s okay.”I looked up at him, and then his mouth was on mine, firm pressure without being aggressive, and the contact sent a wave of warmth washing over me, pushing away thoughts of anything else.This man could distract
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EOINMY BROTHER, ROME, HAD OUTDONE HIMSELF WITH THIS CONDO, ANDI’d made a point of telling him that when he’d met me there before I’d gone to pick up Aline this morning. I hadn’t, however, told him about what was going on.I wanted her to meet my family. I knew that by now, but I didn’t want it to happen with a question mark over our heads. So, until we got those test results, only Alec knew that this was a possibility. No matter what happened, though, I wanted her to see my new place because, at some point, I planned for it to be our place.Some of my tension had left when Aline had told me that she was okay and that the IUD debacle hadn’t been my fault, but it’d been such a small bit that as we moved into Playa Vista, my stomach was one giant knot of nerves. Most of it was because we still didn’t know for certain whether or not she was pregnant, but there was still a part of it that had to do with how she felt about my new home. I wanted her to love it.I took her hand as we w
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ALINEI DIDN’T KNOW IF I’D THROWN UP FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO BECAUSE Ihad morning sickness or if it’d been nerves, but either way, it hadn’t been pleasant. I’d been able to force down some crackers, and they’d helped with my upset stomach, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to completely quell my anxiety until I had the results of the blood test. Even if I was pregnant, the waiting was far worse than either answer would be.Eoin seemed to share my sentiments as he arrived nearly twenty minutes early, and apart from the drive, hadn’t been able to sit still. Even in the car, he’d been moving, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel or on his leg, flipping through radio stations, that sort of thing.The latter would have annoyed me normally, but nothing about this situation was normal. And if I were to be entirely honest, I didn’t mind the radio being on because neither of us had said more than a few words, and I preferred the background noise that prevented a total awkward silence betw
