TRUTH

by Sherri Hayes

  I slid my hands up his chest, his neck, and into his hair, feeling the silky texture beneath my fingers. He pressed his lips against mine, dipping his tongue inside my mouth. I held tighter, trying to get closer. It seemed I could never get close enough to him anymore.

  He grasped the back of my neck, pulling us apart. I frowned. I didn’t want to stop.

  Stephan laughed.

  “Don’t look so disappointed, Brianna. We both need to eat.” Then he pulled me back against him, harder than before, and placed a solid kiss on my mouth. “And I promise you, there will be more time for this later,” he said, rubbing his thumb against my bottom lip.

  Reluctantly, I nodded, and we both sat up. He reached for the pizza and placed a piece on each of our plates before handing me mine.

  There were several parts of the movie I’d forgotten. Although some scenes did remind me of my father, I found myself getting lost in the story. There were times I laughed and even a few where I cried. At one point, Stephan leaned down to whisper in my ear, “There’s no crying in baseball,” mimicking what Tom Hanks’s character had said earlier in the movie. It made me laugh. By the end, I remembered why I’d always liked it so much. It wasn’t really about baseball. It was about friendship.

  He put the movie away when it was over, and we both took our plates into the kitchen. Stephan shoved the pizza box into the refrigerator and then walked over to circle his arms around my waist.

  “Time to get ready for bed.”

  I nodded.

  He stepped back, and I immediately felt the loss of his heat against me. Without a word, he took my hand, and we walked into his bedroom.

  Stephan

  After the stressful afternoon Brianna had, I wanted to make the evening as relaxing as possible. We needed to talk about what had happened with her father, but that could wait. She was already stressed out. Making her relive it so soon after wasn’t something I wanted to do. While waiting on the pizza to arrive and Brianna to pick out a movie, I’d sent Jamie an e-mail letting her know I’d be in late the following day. I’d also asked her to send a security company over first thing in the morning to install a camera outside my door. What happened earlier would never happen again. I wanted a video panel installed that would be motion-activated from the outside and display anyone standing outside our door. The peephole was obviously not enough.

  When checking my phone, I’d noticed a missed call from my lawyer. I listened to the message, but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t already figured out on my own. Jonathan Reeves had lost his tail. Reeves deserved some credit. He must have realized he was being followed, and once he’d gotten free, he’d worked quickly. I’d need to call Oscar eventually, but tonight was about Brianna and making sure she was okay. Instead, I’d sent him a quick text letting him know I received his message.

  There were still a lot of unanswered questions, like how Reeves had gotten into our home. There were no signs of forced entry, so I had to assume she’d let him in on her own. It was obvious, however, that she’d not welcomed his arrival. So how had he gotten through the door without breaking it down?

  Once we were inside my bedroom, I brought her to stand at the end of my bed and began to remove her clothing. I didn’t stop until she was completely naked. She was beautiful and sexy and absolutely perfect. I cupped the back of her head, twisting her hair around my hand, and pulled her against me.

  Feeling her body pressed to mine, seeing the trust in her eyes, was a high I couldn’t explain. Her trust meant more to me than any gift I’d ever been given, and I hoped I’d never lose it. She deserved everything in life, and I wanted to be the one to give it to her.

  Her nipples hardened as she swayed against me, and my body responded. I had no idea if I’d ever be able to resist her. Sex wasn’t what I was setting out to do tonight. I wanted to give her pleasure, yes, but I wasn’t worried about me. She was what was important. She was always what was important. Her needs had to come first, and tonight, she needed to forget about everything.

  I ran my free hand down her back and cupped her ass. She twitched, and I smiled. Releasing her, I took a step back.

  “Lie down on the bed, Brianna.”

  It took her a few seconds, but she complied.

  “Slide closer to the edge,” I instructed, showing her where I wanted her.

  When she was finally in place, she lay on the edge of the bed with her legs spread, her knees bent, and her hands and feet flat. She was completely open to me.

  I knelt between her legs and placed my hands on her inner thighs. She was watching me.

  “What number, Brianna?”

  “One, Sir.”

  “Good girl.” I smiled.

  She was already moist and ready for me. I couldn’t wait to dive in and taste her delicious pussy again, but I wanted to address something first. Pubic hair on my partners wasn’t something I particularly cared for. It got in the way and was plain inconvenient.

  “I want you to talk to Lily about getting this waxed,” I said, touching the fuzzy hair between her legs.

  She stiffened, and her legs jerked as if she were thinking about closing them.

  “Number?”

  She didn’t answer.

  I waited.

  “F-five.”

  “Tell me why.”

  “It . . . it hurts. And . . .”

  “And?”

  “I don’t . . . I don’t want anyone else to touch me. I don’t . . . not like that.” She shook her head, looking as if she were about to cry.

  I rubbed her thighs, trying to comfort her. Had Ian made waxing sexual, too? Was there anything that man hadn’t perverted for her?

  “Brianna, I want you to talk to Lily about it, because it’s something she has done as well. I was thinking she could go with you. She would stay with you the entire time and make sure nothing would happen to you other than getting the hair removed.”

  “No one would—”

  “No. I promise you that.”

  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

  “Okay.”

  I smiled and placed a soft kiss directly on top of her clit.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, allowing my breath to wash over her sensitive skin.

  She shivered, and I knew I once again had her attention on more pleasant things.

  “I want you to close your eyes and keep them closed. If you start to get anxious or something doesn’t feel right, I want you to tell me. Use your numbers.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes.

  I continued to rub her inner thighs for several minutes, willing her to completely relax. Finally, I heard a sigh escape her lips, and I knew she was ready.

  Starting from the outside, I began to probe her lips with my tongue. Even there she was moist, and I wondered what had caused her arousal. I would have to experiment to see what turned her on and what didn’t. I knew she’d enjoyed our kiss earlier, but I wouldn’t have thought it would have produced this type of response.

  With every lick, every sweep of my tongue, more moisture pooled at her opening, until I could no longer resist going straight to the source. The first taste was even sweeter than I’d remembered from the night before. I had no idea why. Then again, it could also be that the memory had nothing on the present. My erection was straining in my pants, begging to get free. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, only to get another lungful of her scent. Needless to say, that did nothing to help my situation.

  Replacing my tongue at her entrance with my fingers, I moved up to give her clit some attention. I could already feel her legs beginning to tremble. She’d been such a good girl, remaining still for me while I partook of her, that I wasn’t going to draw this out any longer. I wanted her to come. I wanted to feel her inner muscles pulsing on my fingers.

  I wrapped my lips around her clit and began licking and sucking in alternate motions as two of my fingers moved inside her. Soon her legs were no longer trembling. They were shaking. I could feel the vibrations g
etting faster, more intense. I adjusted my fingers to rub against the front of her vaginal wall with every pass, and I increased the pressure on her clit.

  She no longer had her hands flat against the mattress. The blanket was now bunched between her fists as she held on tight, trying to ground herself. When her muscles began to spasm, I released my mouth from her clit long enough to tell her to come before returning my attention to my mission of making her world explode.

  Brianna didn’t disappoint. Twenty seconds after I’d given her permission to come, I felt her muscles clamp down hard onto my fingers, and what almost sounded like a wounded cry left her lips. Her back arched up off the bed, thrusting her pussy into my face. I wrapped an arm around her leg, placing a hand over her stomach and holding her in place as she rode out her orgasm.

  As she came back down to earth, I removed my fingers from her pussy. My entire hand was soaked.

  I stood, waiting between her spread legs for her to open her eyes. When she did, they were glassy and dilated. I smiled and extended my hand, helping her to sit up.

  Once her feet were on the floor, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her, plunging my tongue into her mouth, letting her taste herself. Then I pulled back slightly and, with my still wet hand, brushed some of her moisture over her lips before resuming our kiss. It wasn’t quite as good as getting it directly from the source, but it still tasted amazing.

  When I ended the kiss, I looked down into her eyes. More than anything, I wanted to tell her how much I loved her, but I was afraid it was too soon. The one time I’d let it slip, she’d completely missed my declaration. The next time I told her I loved her, I wanted there to be no doubt that she understood what I’d said and what it meant.

  “Ready for our shower?”

  “Yes, Sir.” The darkness that had been clouding her expression since I came home was gone, at least temporarily.

  I helped her to stand, and we walked into my bathroom. Although I’d helped her with her problem, I now had one of my own to deal with. Hopefully a shower would calm my body down. If not, it would be a very long and restless night.

  Chapter 5

  Brianna

  Before I opened my eyes, I was aware of him beside me. He had his arm draped over my stomach. It was warm and heavy, so I knew he was asleep.

  I turned my head to look at him. He was lying on his stomach, his face toward me, one hand tucked under his pillow. This was only the second time I’d seen him asleep. The first was shortly after I’d come to live with him. I’d snuck into his bedroom—without permission—to give him a blowjob. It hadn’t ended how I’d thought it would. Then again, back then I’d known next to nothing about him. I’d thought it would be what he wanted. Instead of being pleased, he’d ordered me out of his room and proceeded to give me a lecture on how to thank him.

  That morning seemed like a lifetime ago. A lot had changed since then. Stephan was no longer a stranger to me. He had helped me not be afraid all the time. He’d also opened up an entirely new world to me over the last two days. Before him, my sexual experiences had been of the nightmare variety. Sex wasn’t something I enjoyed. It was something I hated. Sex had never been enjoyable for me, and I hadn’t expected it to be with Stephan either. At best, I’d hoped it wouldn’t hurt like it had before and I’d be able to endure it for him. What I’d discovered, however, was that I liked it. A lot.

  As I watched him sleep, I remembered our conversation less than a month ago when he’d told me that in some ways he was like Ian. I still wasn’t sure what he’d meant by that because he was nothing like the man who used to own me. Stephan was kind. He never forced me to do anything or hurt me just to hear me scream out in pain.

  Were there some things he’d had me do that were uncomfortable? Yes, lots of times. Talking about all the things that had happened to me wasn’t comfortable. Neither was sleeping on the floor. But after all that I’d been through, they were minor things. He always explained why he was doing something, letting me know there was a purpose behind the discomfort.

  With every day that passed, I became more determined to please him, to be what he needed me to be. Sex had ended up being an extremely pleasurable surprise. He’d given that to me. In return, I was determined to give him what he needed.

  Movement drew my attention back to his face. He opened his eyes and smiled.

  “Morning, Brianna,” he said in a groggy voice.

  “Morning, Sir.”

  He rolled onto his side and pulled me up against him. We were both naked, and I could feel his penis hard against my stomach.

  He kissed me. It was soft and slow, with no tongue, but I could tell he was restraining himself. I held on to his arms, allowing him to take whatever it was he wanted.

  “Hmm. I think I like waking up like this. I may never let you go back in your own bed.”

  “Okay.” He would get no argument from me, if that was what he wanted.

  He sighed and rolled onto his back, turning his head to look at the clock. I followed his gaze. It was already seven thirty. We’d overslept.

  Stephan must have felt me tense, because he turned his attention back to me and ran his fingers down my cheek, along my jaw.

  “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  “You’re going to be late for work.”

  “It’s all right. I let Jamie know yesterday that I wouldn’t be in until this afternoon.” He leaned in, kissed my forehead, and then sighed. “We do need to get up, though. Someone is coming over to install a video camera outside our door.” He paused. “Then you and I need to talk about what happened yesterday.”

  I felt an unpleasant pull in my chest and a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The last thing I wanted to do was tell Stephan how I’d messed up the day before by opening the door to my father, but I knew I had to. Stephan had told me time and time again that communication was the number one thing he required of me. I’d learned the hard way just how serious he felt about the subject.

  He lay there, waiting. My distress must have been clear on my face.

  “Don’t be anxious, Brianna. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. Right now, we need to get dressed and get breakfast before the security company arrives.”

  Before I could respond, he threw off the sheet, revealing what I’d felt pressed against me earlier. He sat up, then stood and walked over to his dresser. Removing a pair of boxers and jeans, he pulled them up over his long legs and then turned to look at me still in the bed.

  “Go to your room and get dressed, Brianna. Meet me in the kitchen when you’re done.”

  I scurried to get out of the bed and went to my room. As soon as I walked through the door, all the feelings from the day before hit me again, and I ran back out to the main room. Stephan was just walking out of his bedroom, and I headed straight toward him. He caught me as I flung my arms around his neck.

  “Hey, what is it?”

  I pressed my face into his neck, plastering my body as close to him as I could get it. “I can’t . . .”

  There was a long pause where neither one of us spoke. He just held me, rubbing his hands up and down my back.

  “Would it help if I go in with you?”

  I nodded.

  Stephan reached up, untangled my arms from around his neck, and then took both of my hands in his. He looked serious but not angry.

  “I’ll go into your bedroom with you, but I’m going to remain by the door. You’ll be able to see me, but you’ll have to go to your closet and retrieve your things by yourself.”

  What sounded like a whimper left my throat.

  “You can do this, Brianna. I’ll be right here with you, but you can do this.” He rested his palm on the side of my face and stared at me intently.

  I closed my eyes and gave myself a pep talk. I could do this. He was right. I could do this.

  Opening my eyes, I met his gaze again and nodded.

  “Okay.” I knew I didn’t sound very confident, but it was the best I could do.

&
nbsp; Stephan

  I stood just inside Brianna’s bedroom door while she rushed around the room getting her things. She didn’t linger, and I doubted she gave what she grabbed more than a cursory glance before picking it up. Once she had everything she needed in her arms, she came to where I stood. She made no movement to put any of the clothing onto her body.

  I waited, but she still didn’t move. “Were you planning on running around naked all day?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then I suggest you put on those things you have in your hands.”

  Brianna’s forehead creased in concentration but she didn’t speak. I checked my watch. Seven forty-five. The person from the security firm was due in fifteen minutes.

  “Would you rather I leave?”

  She looked up at me, her eyes wide, and shook her head again. I understood she didn’t want to be in this room anymore, but I was right here, and I was not going to let her run away just because it was easier. No one was going to hurt her. It was all in her mind. I wasn’t going to allow Jonathan Reeves the power to make Brianna afraid in her own home.

  “Dress.” It wasn’t a request, and by her immediate response, she knew it.

  I stood with my arms crossed over my chest while she finished. After she put on her bra and panties, she moved faster. I wasn’t sure if she hurried because she’d gotten over her fear or if it was due to her fear. It was another thing we’d have to address after the camera was installed.

  As soon as she was finished, I cupped her face, leaned forward, and gave her a kiss. “Good girl. Don’t let your fear have so much control over you. You should feel safe inside these walls. Don’t allow him and what happened yesterday to change that.”