My body finally gave in, and at some point, I dozed off.
I expected to wake up to the sight of her beautiful face staring down at me. Never in a million years did I expect to wake up to the sound of my father’s voice.
“Gavin.”
My eyes were groggy, and my heart pounded out of my chest. My father stood in the doorway, looking shocked to have walked in on Raven in my bed.
Raven panicked as she covered her body with my blankets, unable to move from the bed because she was completely naked.
She stammered, “I’m...I’m so sorry, Mr. Masterson. I...I’m just leaving.”
I held my arm in front of her. “Is Mother here?”
Apparently just as shocked as we were, my father moved out of sight and spoke from behind the door. “No. Your mother and Weldon are still in Boston. One of my clients had an emergency, and I flew back early. Please see me in my office once you’ve…gotten dressed.” My father shut the door.
I knew he was pissed, but I was so incredibly relieved to know my mother wasn’t in the house.
Thank fuck.
Raven’s voice shook as she began scrambling to find her clothes. “What are we gonna do? Do you think he’ll tell her?”
“I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry.”
“I can’t believe this, Gavin. Your father just found me naked in your bed! This is so bad.”
I placed my hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me. Everything is going to be okay. I’m gonna handle this. Please don’t worry or regret what happened between us. It was the best night of my life.”
“Mine, too,” she said softly.
I was too high on her to really care about my father finding us. As long as my mother didn’t know, I could handle it.
Raven dressed quickly. As tense as this whole situation had become, I couldn’t help but gaze at her naked body. She is mine. I loved the way her breasts bounced as she threw her shirt on over her head.
Raven had the kind of beauty that made a man lose his mind, made him risk everything. That’s apparently what I was doing.***After I drove her home, I returned to the house to find my father working in his office. I was quiet as I took a seat in front of him, and he pretended to not notice me. He was mad. I couldn’t blame him. I just didn’t care enough to let it take away from my euphoria.
He finally looked up and took off his glasses, throwing them to the side. “What the hell were you thinking?”
I rubbed my tired eyes. “I don’t know.”
“What if it had been your mother who’d come home early? What, then?”
“I really didn’t think anyone was going to come home.”
“Clearly!”
“Dad, with all due respect, I’m an adult, and so is she. I—”
“Yes. You are an adult, but in this house, you need to follow certain rules. If your mother finds out you had Raven here, things could be very bad, not only for you, but for Renata. I cannot control what your mother decides to do. And she can be very rash when she’s angry.”
“I know that. I’m sorry for putting others at risk, but Dad, I just can’t help the way I feel.” The words I uttered next surprised me. “I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with her.”
My father’s eyes met mine, and his expression softened. He blew out a long breath. “Son, I understand that as humans we have little control over our feelings. We can only control our actions. But when your mother finds out about this, she’s going to blow.”
“She’s not going to find out. Why does she need to find out?”
“I’m not going to tell her what I walked in on. But make no mistake, your mother will find out if you continue seeing Raven. She has her ways of knowing everything, and she’s going to make your life extremely difficult. I don’t want to see that happen.”
I looked down at my feet. “I know.”
“You’re probably aware that I went ahead and started paying Renata’s medical bills behind your mother’s back?”
I nodded. “I’ve wanted to thank you, but I wasn’t sure if it would make you uncomfortable if I brought it up.”
“Of course it makes me very uncomfortable. The whole thing makes me uncomfortable, because if your mother were to find out, it would be World War III!”
“I know that, Dad. But thank you for taking the risk.”
My father stared out the window for a moment before he said, “When I married your mother, she wasn’t the way she is now. Money completely changed her—created a monster. And now there are other issues exacerbating her behavior. Her drinking has gotten out of hand. She’s refused to acknowledge it. I worry about her and about this family. I’m just trying to hold everything together.”