39. Mixed Bag Of Emotions

39

MIXED BAG OF EMOTIONS

E aston parked his car in Laurel’s driveway.

He’d gotten the call hours ago. When she was laughing on the other line, he couldn’t figure out what was going on. But then she started to cry and he’d never expected that of her.

When she told him about the lawsuit, he couldn’t believe it and she had to repeat it to him, then she burst out laughing once again.

He’d asked if she was okay and she’d insisted she was, but she needed his advice.

Rather than ask her to send it to him, he’d packed up his laptop and a week's worth of clothing. He was coming this weekend anyway, so what was the big deal? It’s not like he hadn’t worked from here before or for months when Abe was away.

If she didn’t want him around in her house for the week or they got on each other’s nerves, he’d go work at Abe’s. He’d stay there too if he had to but didn’t expect that to be the case.

“What are you doing here?” Laurel asked when she saw him getting out of his car. She’d come out on the front porch where he was getting his bag of clothing. Shorts and T-shirts didn’t take up much space. He packed two nice shirts just in case he ended up on a video call but didn’t have anything planned this week that he had to worry about wearing more than what he normally did.

“Not the reaction I thought I’d get,” he said with his bag over his shoulder and his laptop case in his hand.

“Did you come here because of the lawsuit?”

“Yes,” he said. “I thought maybe you’d like me to be here. I can read what it says and we can figure out a plan. But more than that, you might want the company.”

“Did you come to comfort me?” she asked, her voice all sappy.

“You don’t like that word,” he said.

She laughed. “I love it when it comes to something like this.”

He put his stuff down and pulled her into his arms. “Come here. Let it out.”

She started to laugh. Again, not what he expected. “It’s funny.”

“Not really,” he said. “You were crying earlier.”

“I’ve got a mixed bag of emotions,” she said. “I really do. I’m not sure what I feel. I’m laughing because it is so ridiculous. It’s not like any of those bills were in my name. I didn’t want the things she was paying for. She planned this wedding and I was just going along for the ride.”

“And we’ll make sure that we lead with that.”

“We?” she asked, leaning back. “This is something you can do? I just figured that you might refer me to someone.”

“No,” he said. “I’m going to take care of it.”

There was no reason he couldn’t. At least at this stage.

“Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate it. Even you packing up and coming here. Are you staying the whole week?”

“That was the plan,” he said. “Unless I need to go room with Abe.”

“No,” she said. “You can stay with me. I’m glad you’re here. Are you hungry? I just got home about ten minutes ago and haven’t made dinner yet.”

“It’s after six,” he said.

“Yeah,” she said. “Long day.”

“Tell me,” he said.

“Come to the kitchen and let me see what I’ve got. We can talk then.”

“I’m going to put my clothes upstairs if you don’t mind.”

“Sure,” she said.

He walked into the downstairs bedroom that she’d set a desk up in and put his laptop case there. It was nice of her to do this for him.

Then he went to her bedroom on the second floor and unpacked his clothing into a drawer she left empty for him. He held his smile in place when she’d done that weeks ago.

She had a lot of clothes so he wasn’t positive she’d be able to make the room, but she had as a little surprise for him.

“You don’t have to do anything special,” he said. “We can order something if you want.”

“I’ve got ground beef,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it. Might as well make burgers. They won’t take long. I’ve got French fries I can pop in the air fryer.”

“That works,” he said. “I’ll light the grill. I know you are trying to weigh your words.”

“Thanks for that,” she said. “I’m not hiding anything. Just don’t know how to process this.”

He knew that about her. The fact she showed the emotions she had most likely embarrassed her. He wanted her to know that he was glad she called him and let her guard down. Maybe he should start with that.

“First off, don’t thank me for coming. I’m glad you called me right away.”

“It was the first thing I thought to do,” she said. “I did call my father too. He’d want to know. But then I worried he was going to go give Philip a piece of his mind. My Aunt Helen is keeping an eye on him and calming him down.”

“That was hard for you to tell him, wasn’t it?”

“Very,” she said. “But I don’t like secrets either.”

He wouldn’t flush over the fact that he didn’t tell her about Rachelle and she found out by mistake.

That was behind them and no reason to bring it up.

“While you’re cooking, can I see the document?”

She walked over and took an envelope off the counter and handed it to him. “I read it, but it’s a bunch of legal bullshit. I got the gist of it though.”

He sat down at the little kitchen table and glanced through it quickly and tried to hold back his laugh.

“This is all crap,” he said. “Easily thrown out. You never signed a contract, correct?”

“Of course not,” she said. “Nothing. My name was on nothing for this wedding. His parents did everything. It’s as I said before, I had no say in even the menu. I didn’t even taste anything. Philip and his mother did.”

“I wonder if she’s suing her son?” he asked, smirking.

“I doubt it, but I’m going to find out.”

“You’re going to call him?” he asked, lifting his eyebrow.

“I am,” she said. “I’m pretty sure this is happening because he never told his mother the truth about the broken engagement.”

“You mean that he was cheating on you?” he asked. “I’d think that is hard to hide when you broke it off in a public place.”

“Philip is good at spinning things. By the way, I signed a prenup. That was his mother’s idea. She lists that there.”

He flipped through and found it. “That means nothing. She’s grasping at straws even bringing it up. Does she think you broke it off because of that? Because if that is the case, you wouldn’t have signed it.”

“I don’t know what the hell she thinks. I’m going to put these on the grill.”

He finished looking over the papers in front of him. It was all silly and probably meant to scare Laurel more than anything. Or negotiate to get some money back.

Maybe it was for Philip’s family to save face.

More likely it was to make Laurel’s life miserable. It’d been a year since she’d ended things.

Then it hit him.

“Your wedding was supposed to have been a week ago,” he said. “Right?”

“Yep, nine days ago. I’m sure that is what is causing this. And it probably took her time to get the paperwork done. Or get her husband to agree to do this.”

He noticed it was Philip’s father’s firm, but not Philip’s father as the lawyer. That was interesting.

“Do you know the lawyer who is on this?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “I found it funny, but that means nothing. Nothing was done there without Philip’s father knowing.”

“It could mean that it’s not Philip’s father’s doing though.”

“I’m positive it’s not,” she said. “But not my problem. After dinner I’m going to call Philip.”

Easton wasn’t so sure he liked that idea. “Why don’t you hold off,” he said.

“Why?” she asked. “I want to know if he lied about the reason for our engagement ending. If he didn’t tell his mother the truth, I’m going to do it.”

“That’s his problem if he didn’t tell her the truth. Do you care if he’s blindsided?”

He didn’t like the fact that maybe she still had some feeling for the dick that she wanted to forewarn him.

“I don’t care if he is,” she said. “But if I can get this to end with a phone call, why not?”

She had a point.

“Still, why don’t you think on it for a day or so,” he said. “If he knows about this lawsuit, it might work in your favor that they think you aren’t bothered.”

“I guess you’ve got a point.”

She walked over to the air fryer, checked on the fries, and then pushed them back in and grabbed a plate to go to the deck.

He got up and pulled out plates and the rolls, grabbed a beer that she kept here for him, and set the table.

“I could get used to us having dinner together during the week,” he said.

“Me too,” she said. “This might be a nice test having you here for the week. Not saying you have to do it all the time. I know you’ve got your place and all. Space is good too.”

He grinned. “It is. And I do have my place. We can just play it by ear. I’ve got clothes for a week and I can just wash them to stay longer if I need to.”

She grinned and then winked but continued to eat and say nothing else.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting either.

That she’d need or want him so much that she’d ask him to stay?

Didn’t he hate all of that from Rachelle in the past? The pressure she put on him and their relationship. Yet with Laurel, he found he might be looking for more of it.

They finished dinner and he cleaned up while she went to take a shower and came back down in a tank top and shorts. A different pair than she’d had on when he’d shown up.

“I’m hot after being in front of the grill and moving around.”

She didn’t have a bra on, her nipples popping through.

“Are you sure it’s not me making you hot?”

She giggled. “You might be right. I’m glad you’re here. Why don’t you show me how glad you are to be here.”

“I can do that,” he said, getting up from the couch and following her up the stairs. “I think you need to keep that tank top on. It’s crazy sexy.”

Her hair was piled on her head, and the nude-colored tank top matched her skin color and made it appear as if she had nothing on at all.

It was a soft fitted cotton hugging her body. The black cotton shorts she had on almost had her ass cheeks peeking out and he realized she’d put that on to make him burn.

She did a little turn and then wiggled her ass at him.

“Do you like these shorts too? They are sleep shorts. Nothing on under them.”

His hands went to them. There were little curves on the sides going up her legs and his fingers slid under and touched her bare skin.

“If you slept in that you wouldn’t get much sleep either,” he said.

“Which is why I’m showing them to you now,” she said. “Most times I put them on after I take a shower at night and don’t plan on doing anything else.”

“We are going to do something though,” he said. His fingers moved out and then grabbed the bottom of the tiny shorts and pulled them down.

She had one hell of a body on her.

Her skin was smooth, the globes of her ass just perfect. Enough that he had to cup and squeeze them tight.

“I like it when you’re a little rough like that,” she said.

He let go of her skin and saw the pink imprints of his fingers left behind.

“Bend over on the bed,” he said.

She put her hands on the bed and did as he said, her ass swaying back and forth.

He dropped his shorts fast and kicked them away, then pulled his shirt over his head.

He walked up behind her, found her wet heat, slid in fast, then held himself in place. He realized he was going to be done if she moved once and so pulled out.

“What is wrong?” she asked, turning to look over her shoulder.

“I need a second. You’re too much for me.”

She burst out laughing. “I’m not even offended by that. Sit on the bed.”

“What?” he asked.

“Sit. On. The. Bed. Not that hard to figure out.”

He moved to do as she said, his eyes on her pretty lady parts that were neat and trim. Everything about her was always perfect.

“What are you doing?” he asked when she moved between his legs, her breasts right in his face.

“Giving you a minute to get control. Until that happens, you can play with me.”

She was wiggling her eyebrows at him. She was one hell of a woman and he was thrilled she was his.

Easton wasn’t taking the tank top off. Instead, his hand went under the soft material, plumped her breast up, and had her nipple outlined. His mouth went right to it through the cotton.

He sucked, swirled his tongue around, then bit down knowing how much she liked when he did that.

Moving to the other side, he did the same, and pushed back when she had enough.

She spread her legs around his hips, lined herself up, and sank down fast.

“I expect you to just sit there and take it like a man. You’re going to hold off until I’m ready for you to come.”

He gulped. “I can try.”

She laughed. A deep throaty one that almost sent him shooting up into her right then.

“Do more than try,” she said. “I know you’ve got the mental fortitude and strength. I think I find that sexier than this body you’ve got on you.”

She was talking low while she rode him. Up and down, her hands in his hair, her mouth going to his.

They were making out harder than he was sucking on her earlier.

Everything they did felt so powerful when they were together.

She was rising up and then slamming down, their tongues combating each other as he tried to hold on.

If it wasn’t for the fact that her breathing had changed up, he wasn’t sure how much longer she could last.

But he knew she was close and his hands started to grip her hips. He was sure he was leaving marks, but he was urging her to ride him harder and faster.

She didn’t disappoint him until she let out a shout and he could do nothing but hold on while she sat down and her inner muscles were pulsing around his cock, sending him over the edge of any reality he could have ever dreamed of.

“There isn’t a goddamn thing comfortable about you, Laurel.”

“Thank the fuck for that,” she said and burst out laughing.