Summer Time Sweets by Alexa Riley

Chapter 9

Orlando

Ismile as she twirls around my office in one of her new dresses. She smiles and laughs while she does it. I make a note to make the dresses a touch longer in the next order. I don’t like the idea of others seeing her like this, but for me I love it.

Right now it’s only us and Marta at the house. I’m going to have to let the other staff back soon, but I haven't worked that out yet. I’m sure they are enjoying their paid leave. But this place takes a staff to maintain it. I’m still enjoying having her all to myself. Keeping my parents at bay has been hard enough. They aren't as easily controlled as paid employees.

Besides, I’m still building a case against her grandfather. I decided killing him wasn't the best option. If I got caught my little one would be taken from me and there would be no one to care for her. Though I’m starting to think she’s the one really caring for me.

I’ve never felt more alive in my life. The darkness has lifted from me. I know guilt should be weighing down on me, but it’s hard when she presses her body against mine, sits in my lap or does that little giggle that always makes the dimple in her left cheek peek out.

“We should go out today. I’m getting cabin fever,” she says when she stops spinning. Her pink dress drops back down, hiding her white silken panties from me. It takes me a moment to realize what she said. I was lost in the sight of her.

“You want to go out?” My gut tightens. She is still a missing person to the rest of the world.

“Why not? Some fresh air sounds nice, and the rain has finally stopped. Maybe we could go out to eat or something.” She strolls over to me and plops down in my lap. “Or are we too far out or something? Marta went to the store the other day and wasn't gone too long.”

She looks up at me. Those chocolate eyes are my weakness. I see so much hope in her eyes that I can’t tell her no. “We’re in a small town right outside the city,” I tell her. Maybe nobody will notice her. They’ll be more focused on me. I know my scars can sometimes draw attention, and people aren't used to me coming to town anymore. “I just normally don’t go out much.”

“Marta did mention you being a homebody. Not that I blame you. I love this place.” She turns a little so she’s straddling my thighs. She reaches her hand to my face and brushes my scars. “Is it the scars? Is that why you don’t leave home much?”

I lean in to her touch. “I don’t like being around a lot of people. It’s not that I care what they think of me,” I admit. “You never ask about them.” I search her face. She actually makes me forget about them most days. In fact, she makes me forget about almost everything. I have to make myself work. It used to consume my every thought. Not so much anymore.

Her eyes water. “Little one.” I pull her closer to me, her tears cutting me deep.

“I hate that I don’t remember what happened to you. It had to be something painful, and I’m your wife.” Her bottom lip wobbles. Fuck. There is the guilt I’ve been waiting for hitting me right in the chest.

“I forget about them, to be honest.” I lean in, brushing my lips against hers. “You make me forget they’re there.”

She gives me a half-smile. “I love that I can do that for you.”

“I love you.” It slips right past my lips. Her lips part in surprise for a moment. Then she is throwing her arms around me.

“I love you too.” She holds me tight, and I rub my hands up and down her back, relishing her words.

“There was a fire in the town my unit was staying in. We went in to help. When I was coming out of the building after the last check to make sure it was all clear the place exploded. The left side of my body took the brunt of the blast,” I tell her. I want her to know to put her at ease. “The burns healed, but the debris from the blast left its mark.” She leans back and kisses the scars on my jaw.

“I don’t like being around large groups. I flash back to going in and out of the building, pulling people out. The building was crowded. People everywhere screaming.” I let out a long breath. “So, when I retired, I came back home. Lots of space. Gave me time to heal.”

“If you’ve been holed up here, how did we meet?” she asks, placing another kiss on me, making my heart ache. She loves me. That thought keeps playing over and over again in my mind like a mantra.

“You came crashing into my life. I knew you were mine from the moment I saw you.” I give her the truth.

“Love at first sight?” She smiles up at me, giving me that dimple I fucking love so damn much. I don’t know how I’ve lived without her.

“For me it was.”

“Well, I bet it was for me too, because when I woke up in our bed last week, I saw you and I loved you, too. You felt right. Mine. So I’m guessing I felt that the first time I ever saw you, too.” I kiss her, praying this is true. That she loves me as much as she thinks she does, because I can’t live without her. I can’t go back to the life I was living before she came crashing into mine. It wouldn't be a life at all.

“Now, are you going to take me out?” She wiggles on my lap, making me growl. My always-hard cock jerks against her.

“I’d take you anywhere you asked.”

“Even to bed?” She gives me a playful smile. She’s been pushing for more. And I can’t give it to her. Not yet anyway. How do you explain to the woman who believes she’s your wife that she’s a virgin? I found that out when I had her laid out on my desk while I ate her pussy and pushed my finger inside of her. Hell, I could barely get my finger into her she was so tight.

“Does my little one need to cum again?” I tease her back. I might not have been in bed when she woke this morning, but I made it back in time to greet her in the shower, where I washed her then ate her to three orgasms and she was begging me to stop. Then she washed me. Her soft hands all over my body stroking me until I got off. I know she’s been itching to take me into her mouth.

The thought is more than I can bear and I know I haven’t earned the privilege of having her on her knees for me. No, right now this is all about her and making sure that when she finds out my lies she will forgive me because I’ve shown her that I’ll do anything to have and keep her. That her life would be wonderful with me.

She jumps from my lap, laughing. I make a grab for her, but she dodges me, my fingers just brushing her dress.

“If we start I know we’ll never get out of here.” She skips out of my office to get ready.

I take a deep breath, knowing I have to do this. I can’t keep her locked away forever. More than that, I don’t want to keep her prisoner like her grandfather did.

I check my emails again to make sure Mic hasn’t sent me anything new. There’s nothing, but I do see one from my mom. I ignore it. I’m not getting into that right now. I’m lucky she hasn't shown up here. I shoot Mic an email asking him how things are progressing. I need her grandfather dealt with. He’s the one person who could take my little one from me, with all his bullshit lies about her having mental issues. Too bad we aren't really married. Than that fuck couldn't do a damn thing.

I need that fucker taken care of before he finds out where she is. I stand, closing out my computer and grabbing my wallet out of my desk. I curse when I see a light go off on one of my monitors for the front gate. I hit the screen and see Doc John pulling up the long path. I need to get that fucking gate fixed but the constant rain keeps destroying that plan. I don’t know why that slipped my mind. No, that’s not true. I know why I forgot. My little one kept me focused on only her. But I need to get it together because having the gate fixed is part of keeping her safe. I don’t like people being able to come and go without entry being granted.

I head towards the front door. I want to greet him first and get him the hell out of here. I’ve been giving him the brush off, but who knows what he actually knows at this point. He can be a persistent bastard. When I swing open the front door he’s parking his car right out front.

“I’m busy,” I tell him. Of course, he ignores me.

“I hear you got that missing girl in there. I’m guessing she’s the same girl you called me about then told me she left the next day.” He gives me a hard look, clearly as pissed as I am. Only about different reasons.

“Fucking hell, you guys are worse than old church ladies on Sunday afternoon,” I grit out.

I may not be as close to my old unit as I used to be, but the rest of them are all solid. Not to mention they are good with my parents, too, having spent time with them before I dropped off the map. Either Mic or my mom could have told John.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“How about you take your ass out of here?” I throw back.

“O.” John puts his hands up. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. I mean, you don’t even like people and now you’ve got one holed up in your house? A missing one, at that.”

“John,” I warn, keeping my voice low when I hear feet on the steps behind me. I give him a hard look that says shut the fuck up. Then I school my face.

“Orlando.” I turn, giving my girl a warm smile. “Who’s here?” She peeps around me at John, and for the first time I actually turn to take John in, wondering if she finds him attractive. Jealousy takes hold of me.

He had always been a ladies’ man. He’d smile and tell them he was a doctor in the army and the women would fall all over him. I used to think it was funny. Not so much anymore.

“Hey there, Lucy. I’m Doc John Fredrick.” I glare at him as he steps towards us with his hand out. Lucy goes to step around me, but I move to stand in front of her, blocking her from Doc.

One of her hands goes to rest on my back. John shakes his head and I see him fighting a smile. “Orlando?” Lucy says, a question in her voice. I take a deep breath and get it together. I don’t want to scare her. She might be thinking he means harm with the way I’m acting. She doesn’t know this is pure jealousy. It’s a feeling I’m not used to.

“Sorry, little one. Still a little on edge with the accident and all,” I tell her, stepping to the side only a little. She slides one of her arms though mine and locks herself around it. She extends her other hand to greet John.

“Lucy.” They shake hands, and John drops her hand quickly, understanding I’m on edge. He’s one of the best at reading me. Right now, I’m thankful for it. Normally it pisses me off.

“Just came by to check on you. Heard you’re not remembering much.” Lucy just shrugs as if she doesn’t care, and to be honest, with how she’s been acting, I don’t think she does.

“I’m sure it will come back,” she says absently, resting her head against my arm and leaning into me.

“That’s a pretty ring you got on there.” John smiles at her.

“John,” I warn.

“I think my husband is a little possessive and wants everyone to know I’m his,” she laughs. She has no fucking idea how true that is, or she likely wouldn't be laughing about it.

“Husband, is it?” John’s eyes lock on me. Now I’m guessing it was Mic that told him, because he didn’t know that little tidbit like my mom had.

“He’s about to take me out to dinner.”

Johns eyebrows rise. “As in, out of this house to mix with the general public?” I think he finds this more shocking than the husband thing.

“Yeah,” I answer. “So you should probably get going.”

John only smiles bigger. “I think I will do that.” He looks over to Lucy. “Glad you talked him into getting out of this place for a while. It’s good for him. I’ll be seeing you later, O.” I hear the warning in his tone. He’s not done with the subject of me having Lucy here under false pretenses.

“Bye,” Lucy calls as John gets back into his car and takes off down the long driveway.

“He a friend of yours? You seemed tense,” she asks, pulling at my arm so I look down at her.

“I’m noticing I don’t care to share your attention,” I admit to her. I wait to see horror on her face, but she only giggles and smiles up at me.

“I’m all yours,” she tells me, standing on her tiptoes with her face upraised. I lean down to meet her and kiss her. I pray that never changes.