Page 64 of Constantine: Britain's Story: Part 2
He leans down to whisper in my ear, “I’m not above bribery.” I laugh, and then he guides me into the house with the girls leading the way.
TWENTY-TWO
Liam
Britain’s house isn’t what I expected. The first time I was here, it was dark, and I headed straight for her bedroom. But walking in with all the lights on, I can see how nice it is. But it’s not our home and I need to have her home.
Jess greets Britain in the oversized chef’s kitchen with a big hug.
“Girl, I could kill you! I nearly had a damn heart attack,” she chides Britain.Same, though.When she fainted, it was like seeing everything I’ve ever wanted slip through my fingers. It was a fucking wake-up call. There’s absolutely no way I’m letting her get away. Screw Matt, screw the business — none of it matters if she’s not with me.
Jess glares at me, finally acknowledging my presence. I thought getting her to agree to relocate to my house was mission impossible, but she folded surprisingly easily. Her text said,Fuck it up, and I’ll help Alex bury you.Message received. I have absolutely no intention of fucking it up. Even though this morning — or was it afternoon? — was pretty fucking close.
That reminds me, I need to email Henry about reassigning Gina to someone else. Then I’m going to do what I thought I never would: I’m going to sell my part of the business. My father’s probably rolling in his grave that I’m even thinking about it, but I can’t be partners with Matt. Sitting in the back of the ambulance with Britain, the decision came easy. I want to be able to go where she and the baby are, and it’s not fair to the business for me to just shirk off for months of the year.
So when the girls go back to Virginia, and Britain does, too, so will I. I know the baby won’t be born by then, but who the fuck is going to look after Britain when she’s there?Me. Simple.Easiest decision I could ever make. Her and our little Bambi mean more to me than everything.
As much as I hated today, I can’t help but feel…happy. So fucking happy. And that probably makes me a sick bastard, but this is my opening, my chance. I have a lot to prove and I intend to do it. I’ll show Britain how much I love her every day for the rest of our lives. I don’t want another day to go by when she doesn’t feel cherished, respected, and most of all, safe. She’s so used to people leaving and betraying her, but that won’t ever be me.Never.
“I think I’m just going to get some water and head to bed,” Britain says quietly to Jess and the girls. They all agree and head to their own respective bedrooms, but first Caroline gives Britain an extra long hug. She tries to hide it, but I notice the tears she wipes away quickly. I wait for Britain to get her water…and then continue to wait. I think she’s actually forgotten I’m here, and I’m proven right when she turns around to see me standing there in the kitchen, alone with her, and she startles.
“Jesus, Liam. I’m not used to you, I guess, being here.”Get used to it, baby.I just let her comment go, though.
“Are you ready to head upstairs?” She just nods her head in response and I turn to let her lead the way. My heart startsbeating faster in anticipation. Not because we’re going to be intimate, but because I’ll finally get to be alone with her. Even if it’s while she’s sleeping, just being with her is all I want. I can almost pretend that we’re back together, and that she’s sleeping in our bed. Fuck, I just wish it was tomorrow already.
Britain opens the double doors to the primary suite, revealing a neutral, modern space. It’s not decorated fully yet, but there’s something about it that doesn’t feel like she belongs here.Because she doesn’t. She belongs at our house in Spearhead.
When I close the doors behind us, my pulse ratchets up and my hands get clammy. Fuck me, I’m nervous.
She sneaks a peek at me over her shoulder, double checking I’m still with her, then points to the bathroom and says, “Feel free to get cleaned up. I’m just gonna go change in the closet real quick.” She doesn’t wait for a reply, just heading into her walk-in closet and shutting the door behind her. In the bathroom, there’s dual sinks. Hers is covered in products, all lined up neatly, while the other sink is barren, only a soap pump. Good, it looks like Matt wasn’t a regular overnight guest then. I slip out of my dress pants and shirt that still smell like scotch, and opt for a quick shower before bed. I’d hate to nauseate Britain with my alcohol stench.
She has towels stacked neatly on a shelf by her tub, so I grab one, then hop in the shower. It’s almost pitiful how fast my cock gets hard, because all I’m thinking about is how close I am to her. I’m thinking about when I’d fuck her in the shower at home, and how I wish she was in here with me now. I’m thinking about crawling into bed with her, her naked body pressed against mine, but I stop. That’s not what tonight is about. It’s about me being here for her. Making sure she’s okay. Making sure she has anything and everything she needs. That’s all.
When I turn off the water, I reach for my towel and see that Britain is standing stock still in front of the shower, staring at me. My dick doesn’t get the memo that it’s not play time and stands at full attention, throbbing for her. Her cheeks blush and she turns around fast, and I hate that that’s how it is now. Hopefully in time we’ll get back to the way we were. When my naked body was her favorite thing, and hers was mine. I mean, it still is for me — clearly — I’m just not that for her.
I do a quick dry off, wrapping the towel around my waist and tucking it in. We brush our teeth in tandem, she washes her face while I put on moisturizer, leaving us finished with the bathroom at the same time. I wait for her to walk back to the bedroom before I hit the light, ditching my towel before following behind her.
“Whoa, whoa, I’m gonna stop you right there,” Britain throws a hand over her eyes so she’s not looking at my naked form. “There are teenage girls in the house; you can’t sleep in here naked.” Right,fuck. I turn around, grabbing a pair of boxer briefs and slide them on. When I come back, she drops her hand and rolls her eyes. “That’s only moderately better, but for tonight, it’s fine.” I notice she’s not sleeping naked either. She has on a baggy t-shirt, but I can’t tell if there’s anything underneath. Definitely not a bra, though, I can see her hard nipples popping against the fabric and my dick swells with excitement. This might be more problematic than I planned.
She doesn’t say goodnight, or anything else for that matter. She just takes a drink of water, turns off the bedside lamp, and sinks into the bed, fluffing the duvet until she’s comfy. Should I say goodnight? Do I just let her sleep? I reach towards her to rub her back, but pull back before I can. I don’t want to scare her, or make her think I’m wanting more, but I do want to help her relax and rest. She needs it. She looks so tired and underweight, I getpissed off thinking about how she needs to be taken better care of.
She would’ve been if I’d never left, so that’s on me, and that’s what pisses me off the most. I lay on my side, staring at her back for longer than I should when I finally decide to say goodnight to her. I lean up and over to kiss the top of her head goodnight, but at the same time she rolls over, her elbow colliding with my face.
“Fuck,” I whisper-shout, holding my nose as my body falls back flat on the mattress.
“Oh, fuck, Liam. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were right there!” She whisper-shouts back at me.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m sorry. I…I was just going to say goodnight.” She sits up, placing one hand on my bare chest as she leans forward, trying to see my face.
“Are you okay? Do you have a bloody nose?” I can see her frantically trying to search me for injury.
“No, no. Lay back down. Go to sleep, okay?” I whisper back to her. She doesn’t say anything back, just laying down on her side, facing me this time. I roll over to face her, too, and wait for her to fall asleep. But thirty minutes later, she’s still laying there with her eyes open, not looking at me.
I ask quietly, “Do you want to talk about anything?”
“Oh, um. Yes…no. I want to talk about everything, but then I remember I’m mad at you, and then I don’t.” She shrugs, then resettles into bed, slightly closer to me this time.
“I’m sorry, Britain.”
