Perfectly Scripted Read online

  Handing us a menu, she said. “I’ll be back to take your breakfast order, just write down your requested wakeup call at the top.”

  After a few minutes Noelle returned with a serving tray.

  “Thank you, and please make sure that we are uninterrupted for the duration of the flight.”

  She nodded, taking the menu card from him. “As you wish, Mr. Connolly. Have a good evening.”

  The private doors closed, and once again, we were alone. I assumed this was what Ronan had wanted ever since we’d left his place in Los Angeles—the two of us alone together. He handed me a drink, offering a quick toast.

  Pulling me to my feet, he swept the hair back from my cheek. “Holliday, I wanted to say thank you for coming to Los Angeles with me today. I know that can’t have been easy for you.”

  As his voice shifted from gratitude to worry, his gaze on me became somber. I searched his face, and my eyes met his.

  “I honestly didn’t even think a thing about being there. I was more focused on you and your situation with Emma,” I replied. “Surprisingly, Derek only crossed my thoughts a few times. I’m working diligently on putting all of that behind me.”

  “You’re very strong, and I’ll be here every step of the way if you need me.”

  “Thank you.” I dipped my head, shifting my gaze. “I have to tell you something about my conversation with Emma.”

  He took a step back and sighed deeply before tossing back his drink. Then he paced in a small pattern, running his hands through his luscious, dark curls.

  He exhaled. “What did she say to you?”

  “Basically, she mentioned that I was much different from women you are previously used to having in your company, and she went on to point out those differences— rudely.” I further explained the specifics of my conversation with his ex-wife.

  Ronan let out a deep groan and finished his cocktail. “She never tires of being a bitch,” he chuckled. “She’s right about one thing— you are nothing like her, and thank fuck for that. Also, at no time have I ever been involved with Taryn or Lana.”

  “The bitch part I can agree with, but in a sense, it almost felt as if she was kind of jealous of our relationship.”

  He hooked a finger in my belt loop, pulling me towards him. Cupping my face in his hands, he crushed his lips against mine. The brutal force of his kiss bruised my lips. I tasted blood on my tongue. Then he tucked his fingers beneath my shirt.

  “Holliday, I want you and only you. I hope you know how much I love you. I hope you feel it every time I kiss you.”

  The heat of his voice matched the fire in his intense gaze. I was both turned on and nervous with anticipation. I’d seen this look so many times as his lips curled into a seductive, sly smile.

  Pulling his mouth to mine for a wet, needy kiss, I devoured him with slow, luscious licks that sent a ripple over my entire body. He carried me off to the bed directly behind us, hurriedly stripping our clothes from our bodies.

  Ronan wrapped his leg around my hip and pulled me underneath him. His body covered mine, and everything about his devious, lustful expression told me that I was in for the ride of my life. He gripped my hips as he rocked into me with several sharp thrusts. There was no time for foreplay—this was all about him needing me, taking what he wanted from me, and claiming me.

  “You are mine, Holliday. There is no one else,” he growled as he thrust deeper into me.

  My blood pounded through me, causing my skin to ignite like it was on fire. My breathing was coming quick and shallow. His mouth wrapped around my breast, teasing my sensitive nipple with his tongue. Like a master magician, he was seducing me under his sexual hypnotic spell.

  “Say that you are mine, Holliday. I need to hear you say it.” His words came out in sharp desperation. This dark and possessive side to him was a complete turn-on.

  He increased his rhythm, knowing I was on the brink of a shuddering wave of pleasure. My pulse was in my throat as I tried to speak, but the words didn’t come. His delicious, fast strokes caused my hips to buck wildly, and I greedily tightened around his thick cock. I drew him in farther, pulling my knees up, because at this moment, this was the only way I could communicate. I wanted to scream that I was his and only his, but the sensations were so incredible that I’d lost the ability to form words. The only things I could manage were low moans and soft whimpers.

  I let out a breathless cry followed by his name, “Ronan,” thankful my voice had returned—at the perfect moment, no less. Then another low moan left my trembling lips.

  I said, “Yes, I am yours.”

  My gentle and reassuring words unleashed his orgasm. A satisfactory smile slid across his beautiful lips. He pulled out, nestled beside me, and wrapped his arms firmly around me. Tilting my chin upwards, he drew my mouth in for a slow, deep kiss. I curled my body into his and drifted off to dreamland.

  Ronan

  Careful not to disrupt Holliday’s sleep, I gently eased out from underneath the covers. While pulling my jeans over my hips, I blew out a deep breath. The bar beckoned me, so I splashed a fair amount of whiskey over some ice in a glass and reclined in the chair opposite the bed. Then I took a few moments to admire the stunning creature lying in the bed and sip my drink. Holliday looked so peaceful.

  The dim lights from the cabin danced off her sun-kissed skin. Her dark hair was fanned out on the pillow, her bare back exposed, tempting me to kiss every beautiful inch. But she needed her rest, especially after the day we had, and I had other matters to attend to before we landed. My salacious thoughts were filed away for later.

  My phone buzzed, alerting me that I’d fucking forgotten to turn it off. But, then again this was a private jet. They were more lax with the rules. I scrolled through the fifty or so text messages I had—some from Dean, a few from Darcy, and one very important message from my Leah, “I love you, Daddy.”

  I sent her a message filled with hugs and kisses, saying that I would see her and Jade very soon. Then I sent a separate message to Emma’s other cell number, telling her that we needed to have a chat and make arrangements for the girls to come to New York. Another text popped up. This one had a picture of Leah and Jade making silly faces with a message that said, “Goodnight, Daddy.”

  Chuckling, I recalled my conversation with girls from earlier that evening.

  “Come on, Daddy. Walk faster,” Leah demanded as we made our way down the long corridor towards the girls’ playroom.

  “Leah, darling, Daddy is walking as fast as he can.”

  Leah giggled. “Ohhhh, Daddy.”

  Jade scurried past us, stopping at the corner only for a few moments, giggling and clapping her hands. “Daddy, I’m so happy to see you,” she announced sweetly.

  “Me too, Daddy, and Holliday!” Leah exclaimed, as her soft little hand gripped my index finger tighter.

  The excitement in Leah’s voice and she said Holliday’s name made my heart skip a beat.

  When we arrived outside Leah’s bedroom, Jade told me to close my eyes and instructed that I not peek until we were in the playroom.

  After expertly guiding me around the corner, the girls told me to open my eyes. When I did, I saw the white tea table I’d had custom made in the center of the room. A fancy chandelier hung above, illuminating the tastefully decorated space. The table, carefully arranged with four place settings and a centerpiece featuring an antique tea kettle with pink hydrangeas, had two white, slotted chairs and a wooden bench.

  After the girls showed me their latest artistic creations and told me about their New Year’s Eve sleepover party, I felt it was the appropriate time to have a chat.

  “Girls, Daddy wants to talk to you about something,” I said. “Can we do that now, please?”

  Grinning from ear to ear, they looked at me, saying in unison, “Yes, Daddy.”

  Per our normal ritual for father-daughter chats, I stood at the edge of the bed and fell backwards. Laughing, the girls jumped up, both curling into me at my sides.<
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  Gazing at the ceiling, I asked, “Girls, what do you think of Holliday?”

  Jade was the first to respond. “I like her very much, Daddy, and she wears pretty clothes.”

  Silence hung in the room for a few beats. When I cocked my head towards Leah on my left, she was tapping her finger to her lip. Her brow was crinkled, and she screwed her eyes shut.

  “Leah, what are you thinking so hard about over there?”

  Shooting herself upright, she replied, “Well, Daddy, I think Holliday is perfectly lovely. She has the prettiest hair and…and she makes the best hot chocolate. But, Daddy, you promise not to tell Mommy I said that?”

  “Don’t tell Mommy what exactly?”

  “That I said Holliday makes the best hot chocolate. Mommy always says that her hot chocolate is the best in the whole world.”

  In a low whisper, Jade chimed in. “Yes, Daddy. Mommy’s hot chocolate is yummy, but Holliday’s is much better.”

  On the inside, I was laughing my ass off. They certainly didn’t want to crush their mother’s feelings on the matter of hot cocoa. Absolutely adorable.

  “You have nothing to worry about, girls. Your secret is safe with me.” After motioning that my lips were zipped, I tossed the key.

  Tracing her little finger over the buttons on my shirt, Leah asked, “Daddy, is Holliday your girlfriend?”

  “Yes, I’d say that she is my girlfriend. When you come to stay with me in New York, Holliday will be living in the house with us. Would that be okay with both of you?”

  Smiling, they both nodded. Jade leaned up and kissed me on the cheek.

  “Why thank you so much for the lovely kiss.” I squeezed them both tighter. “My sweet girls.”

  We lay there for a few more moments, talking and laughing, and I wished it could go on forever.

  Holliday stirred when we hit a patch of turbulence. The cabin phone’s red light came on. The captain explained that we were experiencing some weather somewhere over the Rockies. He didn’t seem that concerned but said it might be a bit choppy for a while. I decided not to wake Holliday yet, since the captain hadn’t instructed us to put our seat belts on.

  I scanned the messages from Dean, paying particularly close attention to the ones related to Saunders.

  I powered up my iPad and began reading through some of the material I had researched on rape trauma. Triggers: Many victims will have a particular “trigger” that remind them of the attack and victimization. These can include smells, sights, noises, birthdays, holidays, or the anniversary of the rape.

  Since I hadn’t been part of Holliday’s initial recovery process, I carefully read everything on the stages of recovery. I spent most of my time making notes about the third stage, “return of distress responses.” Before realizing it, an hour had gone by.

  After brushing my teeth and slipping out of my clothes, I climbed under the covers. Then I realized I would be climbing into bed with Holliday every night at our new place and waking up to her beautiful face each morning. When my head hit the pillow, I thought about lazy Sunday mornings in bed, me reading the paper and her watching some romantic movie on Netflix. We’d shower together before noon, and I’d order takeout or cook lunch. To burn off the calories from our meal, we’d spend the rest of the afternoon in bed—fucking, laughing, having sex, talking, making love. And at the end of the day, we’d fall asleep in each other’s arms and it would be perfect.

  “You like honey on your oatmeal?” I asked.

  “Yes. Do you think that’s odd?”

  “No. I like honey on my toast,” I confessed, pouring a dab on the bread.

  Holliday arched one of her gorgeous eyebrows, and a slow smile crossed her lips. “Interesting. Well, it seems I have more to learn about you, Ronan Connolly.” She pushed her chair back from the table, giving me a wink. Taking a bite of my honey-drizzled toast, I watched her sexy body sashay from the patio to the living room. Her perfect tits bounced underneath the lightweight fabric when she hopped up to reach something on the top shelf of the bookcase. Every move she made had me aching to fuck her. God, she was one gorgeous woman.

  “What are you up to in there?”

  “Well, after we unpacked, while you were snoozin’, I was snoopin,’, and I came across a deck of cards.” She paused for a beat. “Aha! Here they are!” Giddy as a kid with a new toy, she hopped back out the patio, grinning from ear to ear. “When I was in college we played this getting-to-know-you drinking game. Basically, it’s Twenty-One and the winner gets to ask the loser or losers three questions.”

  “Why don’t we play strip poker instead? The loser can lose clothes in addition to an interrogation,” I offered smugly.

  “Very funny,” she smirked.

  After she’d explained the game to me, we began playing. Holliday won three rounds in a row. She asked me what my worst haircut was. I admitted that, when I was younger, I’d grown my hair longer and had a ponytail. That earned me a long laugh, and she begged for pictures. I indulged the rest of her questions and we laughed a lot. After I’d confessed I rather enjoyed the movie Love Actually, she dealt the next hand. I ended up getting a six, a three, and a nine. Holliday drew a ten, a two, a four, and a king.

  “Three questions. Okay...” I thought carefully about what more I wanted to know about this stunning beauty. “Question one: Favorite book you read growing up? Two: If you could have any superpower, what would it be? And, finally, since we’re on vacation, I want to know what the best vacation you ever took was.”

  Without skipping a beat, she answered me. “Favorite book growing up was Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume. If I could have any super power, it would be mind reading—duh. And the best vacation I ever took was with Charlotte and my parents to Big Bear, just before my father died. Char and I were on winter break from school, and my parents rented an enormous house overlooking the lake. We went snow tubing, shopping in the village, and my parents looked happy. I thought we all were.”

  Smiling, I gripped her hand. She looked as if she might cry while thinking about that memory, but surprisingly, she kept talking. This was the first time Holliday had opened up to me about her father. I was grateful, but it made me realize how much his death affected her. How had Holliday managed so much strength with everything she had been through?

  “My favorite part of that weekend away”—her voice broke, and she turned her gaze towards the sea and sighed—“was dancing with my dad. We went to this local restaurant, and they had live music. The band started to play the song “Dancing in the Moonlight,” and my dad ushered my sister and me to the dancefloor. We swayed from side to side, and Char danced circles around us, showing off her ballet moves. Mom stood near the stage, laughing and snapping pictures.”

  She looked down at her hand, still clasped in mine. I stayed quiet, rubbing small circles against her skin with my thumb.

  Her eyes returned to mine, and she said softly, “To this day, every time I hear that song, it reminds me of my father.”

  The cabin phone rang, pulling me from my dream-filled sleep. Somehow, I managed to jump out of bed at lightning-quick speed and answer on the second ring.

  “Good morning, Mr. Connolly. This is your six-a.m. wake up call as you requested.”

  “Yes. Good morning, Noelle.”

  “The captain said its clear skies this morning over Manhattan…” Blah…words…more words.

  Noelle was still talking, but somewhere between the weather report and a review of the breakfast menu, she’d lost me. Every cell in my body vibrated. Blood surged in my veins at the stunning sight of a naked Holliday. Seducing me with a sinful stare, the little vixen parted her legs, giving me a tempting view.

  “Mr. Connolly, I can bring the coffee and tea back along with the pastries now if you’d like.”

  Food? Who needs food? Fuck the food…I’ll eat Holliday for breakfast.

  “Change of plans, Noelle. We’ll take our breakfast to-go. Thank you.”

  She spread he
r legs wider, purposely teasing me. And I don’t even remember hanging up the phone, because my mouth was pressed to hers in an instant as I slowly seduced her with my tongue. I’d managed to pin her beneath me—perfect. Lowering my mouth to her ear, I whispered dirty, lust-filled words. I told her how beautiful she was, how much I needed her, and all the ways I was going to take her before arriving at the airport. Her hips bowed up towards mine, craving friction. Then I teased her with my cock before plunging my mouth to devour her sweet cunt. I planned to savor the last few moments of bliss before we got back to the real world.

  The captain’s announcement of our upcoming arrival sent Holliday and me scrambling for our clothes. We dressed just in time for the landing.

  “Well, here we go. Are you ready?” I asked.

  “Ready for anything, as long as I’m with you.”

  As I descended the stairs of the plane, the icy wind cut through me, sending a chill up my spine. Holliday walked to the limo, her teeth chattering all the way. After Dean and I had loaded the luggage, I settled in the backseat, lacing my fingers with hers.

  “I have a surprise for you,” I murmured against her lips.

  “What is it?”

  “Dean.” I cocked my head so I was staring into her lovely blue-green eyes. “Take us home—to The Addison, please.”

  A slow smile spread across her beautiful lips. “Home,” she breathed.

  “Home,” I repeated, brushing a tender kiss on the back of her hand.

  Holliday

  Our first few weeks of living together were an adjustment. One major change in our plans was that Jade and Leah would be coming to stay with us during the summer instead of right away. The guidance counselor at Jade’s current school had made several points about the disruption, citing that pulling her out midsemester could upset the balance in her education. I wasn’t so convinced, but I was not an expert on the matter or a parent, so it wasn’t my place to voice an opinion. The good news was that Ronan and Emma were able to enroll both girls at The Hawthorne Academy in the city for the fall semester.