The Enlightened (Entitled Book 2) Read online

  “You’re hurting me,” I snarl.

  “Hurting?” His lips are so close I can feel his clean breath. “You have no idea what hurting is.” He laughs.

  “Because you’re the only one who gets to hurt the most right?”

  His eyes appraise my face. “Your face haunts me. Whenever I close my eyes, you’re there. I guess that’s karma, huh?”

  “Do you think it’s been different for me?” My pulse vibrates in my head. “I waited for you, alone, scared, and broke for weeks.”

  His other hand cups my face and his thumb lightly taps my red lipstick. “I was busy saturating myself in booze and drugs, killing myself so that I could forget you.” He looks at me, his gaze unfocused as though he’s gone back into the past. “I didn’t stop up until a year ago when my grandfather dumped our family empire on me and I decided to throw myself into work.”

  His honesty coats me like caramel on an apple, and I blurt out the truth. “I wish I had never said what I did that morning. Every day, I’ve had to live with that knowledge that I can’t have those moments back.”

  He drops his hands and straightens. “Me too, but you did, Tess, and we don’t get those moments back.” He takes a step back. “Ever.” It echoes off the walls, or maybe it seems that way in my guilt-ridden soul.

  “Please, Reed. We’ve hurt each other enough. For Luke and Lilly’s sakes I—”

  He moves in closer, caging me in, and softly says, “It’s for their sakes that I don’t take them away from you.”

  I reach behind me for the wall to stabilize me. “What?” It barely comes out as my voice tightens.

  “We’re late. Let’s go.” He backs away.

  My eyes take in his broad shoulders and I can’t move. I stand in the bathroom frozen. Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath trying to calm my wild mind. Suddenly it’s clear to me, as if I have finally awakened to the brutal truth.

  And I start to move. “I don’t need this shit. I’m not going to this will reading. I’m going home.” I’ve finally seen the light. Reed’s never going to forgive me. He knows the truth. My secret is out, I paid my respects, and now I’m done. I enter the pink bedroom and open my closet. All I see are Brance’s bags. I whirl around and go to another closet filled with towels and toys.

  I sense his heavy gaze on me, but I continue on my quest.

  “You can go for all I care, but my children stay with me, Tess.” He sneers my name like it’s a dirty word.

  I slam the closet door to face him. “I have full custody.” I twirl around cursing the fact that I allowed someone else to unpack my stuff.

  He folds his arms over his perfectly pressed black suit. “Do you really want to do this with me?” He sounds so calm like he’s talking to a stranger.

  “You can’t threaten me with that, Reed. I might be a lot of things, but a bad mother I am not. No judge in his right mind would take them away from me.” I blink quickly, and hot tears threaten to spill out. “I don’t want anything from you. You can keep it all, but don’t hurt our children trying to punish me.”

  Playing the Luke and Lilly card is all I have. If he wants to be an ass, he could easily take them from me. Terror fills me. His eyes narrow as if he can read my mind, and I want to rip out my hair. How on earth did we get to this place?

  “For someone who wants nothing from me, you sure have been taking a lot without me even knowing it.”

  My face heats up. Placing my hands on my hips, I turn to him. “Go ahead and act like I’m a horrible person if that makes you feel better about yourself.” I take a step closer. “But you’re not innocent in this nightmare that is us.” I wave my hand between us. “You, Reed, are nothing but an entitled drug addict with an anger problem. No sane person would trust you.” I look at the ceiling to stop any tears from actually falling. “It’s a pattern with you. You get bored with me… us and want to fuck around so you—”

  He pushes off the doorframe and is in my space in seconds. His eyes are like the ocean on white sand. “Don’t you dare. I missed everything!” He grabs my arm and shakes me. “I missed doctor visits, my children being born, their first steps, first words.” He thrusts my arms away as if he doesn’t trust himself to be near me and walks to the window. It looks like it’s raining again or maybe it’s finally snowing. The silence between us is so pronounced that I can hear a drip in the bathroom sink.

  He takes a breath, his voice like gravel. “I missed everything. But what I regret the most is seeing you grow big with my children.” His voice cracks. “I would have loved to have seen that.”

  I can’t bear it. He doesn’t get to do this to me. “I called… I tried…” He turns his head, and for a moment, I don’t breathe. Anguish and regret fill his pretty eyes.

  “I made a mistake.” My voice is a gravelly mess. “Are you going to punish me for the rest of our lives?” I reach for him, but it’s empty air that wraps around me.

  “I guess I could ask you that very same question.”

  We stare at each other, neither of us blinking, our energy surrounding us like smoke. Love, hate, sex, pain, it’s stifling in its power. I move toward him as he catches me with both hands and brings my face to his full lips for a kiss that I can’t even process.

  Greedily I let his tongue fill mine with his warmth and strength. I drink him in. It’s deep and urgent as we attack each other. I grind my nails into his jacket and neck as my body responds. I’m possessed by him even if it’s only for this moment. His hands unbutton my jacket and toss it away, our lips and bodies touching. It’s been so long since his skin has touched mine. I moan as I rub my hands up and down his firm chest feeling his hard abs through his dress shirt as I slide his jacket off. He spins me around and I reach to stop myself from falling face-first into the bed. His hands are warm as he pulls my skirt up. The cool air caresses my lower back and ass as his strong hand grabs one cheek and squeezes hard. Groaning into the bed, I brace myself.

  “Fuck.” His tone is angry and my core clenches in anticipation. I try to turn over to see him, but he grabs my hip. “Don’t move—you don’t move until I tell you.” He caresses my lower back as he unsnaps my bra. I turn my head to watch him loosen his tie, getting wetter as he violently rips it off along with his shirt.

  Then he spanks me. On instinct, my body tries to move away. That was not a playful slap; he full-on spanked me.

  “Jesus.” I try to move, but he holds me as he slaps the other cheek.

  “What the hell?” His strong hand burns and stings and he keeps spanking me. Biting my lip at the heat and throb that my ass feels, tears sting my eyes—not because of the pain so much as he’s trying to humiliate me, hurt me in a way he’s never done. He wants to punish me.

  His fingers bite into my hips. “This, Tess.” He pulls me up on all fours like I’m a rag doll. “This is what I’ve been doing the last four years.” He keeps spanking until he must sense I’m near my breaking point. Stopping, he flips me on my back and we’re face-to-face. My sore butt throbs as if it’s on fire.

  “I know you, Tess. I know you so well that these are the questions that swirl around that beautiful head of yours.” He grabs my chin when I go to look away. “You want to know how many women I’ve fucked? Do I love Lexi?” His breathing is rough as he lets go of my face but still cages me in, and I lift my eyes to his. For a moment we do battle, saying nothing, the war all in our eyes. Our breaths come in deep and fast as they seem to sync together.

  “Did that feel like love to you?” Like smoke and bourbon, his voice caresses me.

  “No,” I whisper. His eyes change almost like he’s proud of me.

  “Why?” he demands.

  “You wanted to humiliate me,” I cry out and roll my head away from his piercing gaze. I push at his chest. He’s rock hard and my butt is numb, so I stop.

  “No. You felt humiliated because every time I’ve been inside this beautiful body, it’s been nothing but love between us. I’ve never detached or closed myself off from you.�
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  “I don’t understand,” I scream. “Now that you hate me you’re detached? And what… need to beat me to get off?” I wipe my eyes frustrated that they’re leaking.

  He cocks his head; his full lips twitch. “Trust me, that wasn’t beating.”

  I’m breathing heavily. “Just let me go, Reed. I’m done.” I try to pull my skirt down. He stops me and I go to slap him, but he has my ankles and he slides me to the edge of the bed causing me to fall back on the soft mattress.

  “Oh, we’re far from done.” His nostrils flare. “Christ, look at you… your face flushed, ass red.” He spreads my legs and leans forward, then his eyes sparkle like gems. “Cunt slick and ready for me.” I try to squirm away, but his hands have me prisoner.

  “You’ve made your point,” I spit out.

  “I don’t think I have. Tell me if this feels the same.” He leans forward and lightly kisses my waxed vagina, his tongue giving my clit a quick lick.

  Shaking my head, I’m at war with him and myself. “Just stop… I’m not into pain.”

  “I don’t need to beat you. We cause enough pain merely looking at each other.” He spreads my legs wider and his tongue slowly starts to lick me. Suddenly tears of frustration drip down my cheeks onto my neck and the sheets. He’s right. I’d rather he spank me than this pain. This pain is the reminder that we once loved each other so much we almost died for it. He has one strong hand on my stomach while the other holds my leg tight as he sucks and licks my throbbing clit then shoves his tongue inside me.

  “No pussy in the world tastes this good.” He lifts his head and my breath catches. Not only is the foul mouth back but his blue eyes are alive with something I don’t want to name.

  “Why are you doing this to us?”

  He doesn’t answer but pulls me closer, so his eyes can remain locked on mine as his tongue and mouth eat me. I give up, surrender. I can hate myself later, but right now I need Reed. My body is caught in his spell. I groan into the pillow as he roughly rubs my clit with his tongue. He adds a finger and pumps it deep inside me. My body arches to ride his face.

  “I hate you,” I choke out as I thrash my head side to side.

  “You can’t hate me. You gave me your soul and I never gave it back.”

  The truth of his words robs me of speech. Roughly he caresses my stomach and full breasts as his large hand pushes me flat.

  “You know it’s true. Now spread your legs wide and come for me.”

  He pulls out his finger and watches my face. I hear my nails scratching the sheets as I watch him rub my clit with his thumb then arch into his hand as he adds two fingers and slides them inside me going deep and forward, finding my G-spot.

  “Tell me. Does this feel like I hate you?” His two fingers are so slick with my arousal he starts to rub and thrust his fingers hard and fast.

  “Oh… my… God.” I grab his wrist as my body goes off like never before. I think I scream his name as I have the most intense orgasm of my life. Reed holds me as I jerk in his arms. Wave after pulsing wave of light-stopping pleasure surges through me.

  “Yeah, that’s it, Kitten. I’ve got you.” His pretty eyes are alive with a light I haven’t seen in years.

  “Why? Why can’t I stop wanting you?” I don’t expect an answer. I’m not even sure I said it out loud. He gently pulls his fingers out of me. I’m still dazed when his hands lift me up. He pushes down his suit slacks and kicks them off. Then he crawls over me, his face unreadable except for his eyes, which tell me everything. He brushes my hair out of my face and starts to lick and kiss away my tears.

  “You’re okay.” He moves to my swollen lips.

  “That was…” My voice cracks with emotion, my hands clench on his wrists.

  “It always hurts with us…” His thumb wipes away tears and he claims my mouth again. I open and let my tongue deepen this kiss. He’s with me, connected, giving me an almost cherished feeling. We kiss as if time has stopped and all the horrors never happened. He breaks away and I almost beg for his lips, but his mouth trails down my neck to latch onto my swollen nipple. He sucks and bites it.

  “Reed.” I arch into his mouth as his thick, swollen cock enters me in one swift thrust and for a moment, my body tenses at the full invasion.

  “Relax, Kitten. Let me in.” He thrusts again and we both groan our pleasure as I wrap my legs around him.

  “I need you, Tess. Don’t you know how much I need you?” he grunts out each precious word as he thrusts in and out of me. My already sensitive body starts to clench and quiver on his cock.

  “Fuck… that’s it… Jesus, I feel that pussy milking the come out of me.” He steals my breath then kisses me as our bodies move together in a rhythm that he taught me.

  “Open those eyes for me, beautiful. I want to see into your soul when you come again.”

  I blink at him. He pulls one of my legs higher and my body’s already starting to jerk. “Oh God… I’m coming,” I whimper, latching my nails into his back as I float.

  “Fuck…” He grunts into my mouth. His body surges even deeper as he empties himself inside me.

  We’re sweaty, our breathing harsh. Reed’s forehead is on mine as he catches his breath. He raises his head and we stare into each other’s eyes. The pain and wonder that I see in his probably mirror mine. I clench my legs tighter around him as if that will stop the change that is about to happen. He reaches for my hands to detach them from him then pulls out of me and rolls over, his arm covering his eyes.

  I turn to my side and my whole body relaxes. If I closed my eyes, I would be asleep.

  “I’m going to take a shower.” Devoid of any emotion, his voice jolts me awake and my eyes drift open. He’s looking at me and I blink and turn on my back. I watch him reach for my breast. His rough thumb rubs my nipple. It hardens and I almost groan out loud. Then as if I’ve burned him, he stops.

  “Close your eyes and rest.” He stands and I hungrily stare at his body. I try to savor every muscle, scar, anything that I can keep with my memory. This might be the one and only time I get this.

  The shower turns on. Shutting my eyes, I sigh and his scent fills me… fresh, clean, added with steam. It lulls me to sleep.

  I squint as I sit up and gaze out the window. It looks wet and cold outside, rain trickling down the glass. I smell smoke and my eyes dart to the corner.

  “What’s wrong?” Reed is sitting in the chair watching me. My cheeks grow hot, and I pull the sheet up to cover me. Almost hypnotized, I watch as he inhales.

  “Brance took the twins frog hunting in this weather,” I say, trying to clear my raspy voice. “I… do you think they are okay?”

  He turns his head and my heart flutters for a moment. “They should be fine. It’s not snowing, only drizzling.” His eyes flick over me as he smokes.

  Silence fills the room. He holds the cigarette in his mouth as he stands and looks down at me, the smoke billowing out of his mouth. “You let me know if you are leaving, but my children stay with me.”

  I sweep my hand, clearing the smoke. “You need to quit. I don’t want that around the twins.”

  “You don’t have a say anymore. Figure out if you are staying or going.”

  “Reed, wait.” I throw off the sheet. He glares at me, his long, sooty black lashes that Luke inherited lower so that I can’t see his eyes but his voice is clear.

  “I’m done, Tess. Figure out what you want. I don’t want to play anymore.” He closes the door and I flop back onto the bed.

  REED

  I take a long drag off my cigarette, walk into a guest bathroom, and flush it down a toilet. My body still high off the sex with Tess, I take a moment and process what just happened. I don’t regret it, although I know Tess will. It was only a matter of time. Both of us are like ticking time bombs ready to explode. Our minds might say we should stay away, but our bodies seem to need each other to function, maybe even to live.

  I turn on the gold faucet and splash some cold water on my face.
As I look up at myself in the mirror, water drips down my neck. My dark hair, still wet from the shower, curls slightly at the ends. Leaning in closer, I notice the lines around my eyes seem less pronounced and shake my head at how my whole body feels energized. I reach for a snowy-white hand towel and wipe my face. Vanilla and lavender cling to it.

  I make my way toward the study, hoping that I can at least catch the end of the reading. Jax and my father are the only ones who remain. I pull out one of the old wooden chairs and look around this room. Much like all the others, it’s filled with antiques that keep getting passed down. I lean back. The air of sadness is thick in the room. The will reading must have taken a lot out of everyone.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” Jax looks at my face.

  Ignoring him, I can’t help but stop from grinning. I reach for a copy of the will and look absently out the window.

  “Anyone seen my kids?”

  My dad stares and clears his voice as Jax snorts and gets up to refill his glass of bourbon.

  “Son, you missed the will reading. So did Tess. She needs to know what was left to Luke and Lilly.”

  “She can read.” I tap the wooden table. Empty crystal tumblers remain in several spots along with numerous plastic water bottles.

  “How did it go? Everything you excepted?”

  Jax shakes his head lifting his glass. “Anyone else want a shot?”

  “Sure.” I accept, not because I want one but because I’m sick of Jax’s knowing looks.

  “Reed?” I turn toward my father. His green eyes are slightly bloodshot. “Your grandfather has made you very rich.”