by Pavan Kaur
“Well, you’re the one that spends all day in there, so you get the kitchen you want. This is our house, so I want you to be happy in it.”
“I am happy with it, but the kitchen just seems tight that’s all.”
I take a sip of my drink, and the flavors that hit my tongue are incredible. "Oh wow, this isn't the hot chocolate we have downstairs." I take another sip; this is good, so good, that I can already see Jackson moaning at me for not letting him know about it.
Hope shrugs. “Fresh chocolate,” she says as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. She puts one of the magazines in front of me. “I really like this with the lights over the top.”
“That’s nice, not a nice as this drink, but good enough for me to say let’s do it.” I lean on the bed frame next to Hope, putting the blanket over us both. She lays her head on my shoulder as we both watch the fire burning as we drink.
***
“Morning, ready for another day at the office?” I ask as I walk over to Hope. She’s putting her lotion on. “Most of the day is meetings about We Are Loved. You can stay in the office if you want.”
"No, I'd like to join. They're fun, and I like the charity. Anyway, I wanted to talk to my doctor today about something."
“Do I get to know why?”
“My wrists and some other bones are starting to really hurt, just wanted to check it out.”
“You should have told me,” I say, taking her hand in mine. I massage her wrists a little. “Can we try sleeping on—”
“Please can we not—”
“When you’re ready,” I say giving her hand a kiss. I turn to head downstairs, but she stops me. “What’s wrong?”
"Nothing, just…" Her hand moves to my tie so eye contact is broken and just like that I know what she's thinking. The last two times she's gone shy on me is when we've had sex, and as much as I think it's cute when she gets shy, I can't wait until she's more confident in asking me. She takes off my tie. "I've missed you touching me, missed you taking all the memories away."
“I’ve missed touching you too.” I place my hands on her waist just under the hem of her tank top.
She grabs my shirt and scrunches it up as I kiss her; the sweet aroma of her perfume and the cinnamon from breakfast lingers on her lips. Kissing her lips is something addictive. It’s turning in to an aching desire which I’m craving every day.
I press my body against hers making Hope take a step back and hit the wall. I move my mouth to her neck, sucking and biting her tender skin. She moans every time my lips touch her. It does things to me, gets my body all worked up.
In no time the clothes that are keeping us apart are scattered on the floor. I do enjoy touching her bare skin.
"You’re so beautiful," I tell her, kissing her again. I’ve never had such a powerful sexual relationship before. My heart races, my breath almost refuses to come out, she has a touch that can take my body and make it do whatever she wants.
Pulling away from her for a moment, I close my eyes as her hand wraps around my cock and she begins stroking me. For someone that’s scared to do things, she knows how to do them to me.
Our lips touch just slightly as she begins to move faster, leaning forward. I kiss her again, as my body burns with need.
Bringing my hand down, I tease her clit; God she’s wet. Slowly, I slide my finger into her and Hope’s hands come to my chest.
She begins to moan, parting her thighs, allowing me to sink my finger deeper. She whimpers as I draw my finger and drag it over her clit. She moans out my name. Her eyes lock on me as I begin to rub faster, her body leaning into the wall.
"Don’t hold back, beautiful," I tell her knowing that she is about to orgasm. As my words leave my lips her stomach flexes, her fingers dig into my chest and her body trembles.
"Leo," my name leaves her lips in a whisper.
She wraps her legs around me, my hard cock rubbing against her. "The bed?" I ask.
"No."
I want to make love to her on the bed. I want to show her how amazing it can be, anything out of bed feels like a fuck. And Hope is not just a fuck for me, she's my world.
Pushing her against the wall, I slide myself inside her. God, it feels like heaven when I'm inside Hope. It's like she's made for me, I fit perfectly. I grip her hips tighter, and she gasps in pleasure as I thrust inside her. Her hands are on my shoulders pulling me closer to her.
Just watching her enjoying herself like this makes my body ache with need for her.
The sound of her moans matches the rhythm of my thrusts. I do enjoy the sound of her pleasure escaping her lips. Her body begins to shake in my arms. I bury myself deeper into her as she starts to come down from her orgasm, her body relaxing. I start thrusting faster for my own release.
Heat and pressure begins to burn inside me, and I groan out Hope's name as I explode. Bolts of pleasure run through my cock. My hips rolling forward to get deeper inside, as my cum shoots into her.
I drop my head between her neck and shoulder as we both catch our breath; I plant small kisses across her jawline to her lips.
"You’re so perfect," I tell her just before taking her mouth and kissing her hard as I still have a rush of excitement running through me. "Shall we get cleaned up?"
She nods, and I walk over to the bathroom. "Just so you know, the next time we do this it will be in my bed, where I plan on making love to you over and over again."
She doesn't say anything back to me, and that's fine. I just want her to know that's the plan. I'm going to worship her body the way it's meant to be. I'm going to show her just how beautiful she is and show her just how amazing sex can be. Walking out of the bathroom, I watch her for a moment as I make my way over to her, just taking in everything about her.
I lean forward, and in the quietness of a whisper, when her lips finally touch me, I feel a bit of my soul melting into hers.
Chapter 31
Hope
This whole morning I haven't been able to think about anything else but Leo telling me that the next time we have sex, it will be in his bed. I'm not stupid; I knew that he would ask me sooner or later. At the moment, the thought of laying on a bed still makes me panic, just thinking about it now is making me panic. Maybe if I try it, ask Leo if I can sleep in my room on my own, maybe it will take me hours of staring at the bed, or days, but if I don't try I don't know. My body shivers just at the thought of it.
“Hope, the doctor’s here.” I look up at Leo walking over to the door.
“Doctor Adams, thank you for coming here first,” I hear Leo. Sitting up, I smile at her as she makes her way over to me.
“I had the morning free, ready for the meeting today.” She sits on the couch next to me. “So Hope, Leo said that you’re in pain.”
"Yeah, my wrists are really hurting, and things just don't feel right."
She takes my hand with the softest touch, even though I’ve been seeing her a while now I still can’t look at her fully.
"What I will do is take some blood, run some tests to see if the medication is working for you and just double check your blood levels." Opening her bag, she takes out a few things, and I look over at Leo walking over to the door.
Taking my jacket off, I put my arm out for her as Jackson walks into the office.
“Your arms are starting to look so much better, but you have to stop peeling.”
"That's what I keep telling her," Leo tells her, and I see him smiling as he makes his way back to his desk. He and Jackson start talking to each other as the doctor takes my blood.
“You look a lot healthier now, are you eating?”
“A little.”
She moves closer to me. “Hope, are you happy?”
“Yes, as much as I can be.” I don’t think I’ll ever be fully happy, but this is the closest I’ll be.
“Right, I’ll get a rush on this. I have your cell number, Leo gave it to me. I will call you later.” Packing her bag, she walks over to Leo and Jackson as I sit
back into the couch.
I watch the three of them talking, not really listening to them. I hear a few things here and there. Mostly about the meeting and the building that Doctor Adams works in. Picking up the file of We Are Loved, I start flicking through it. There is a lot to read, and I haven't been able to finish it all yet.
I do like this idea, helping girls that need it; girls that are too scared to go to the police and the fact that Jackson will be the lawyer, I know they will be in good hands. What Leo is doing, putting so much money into this is amazing. The amount that We Are Loved alone needs is a lot, and on top of all that, he is about to knock down a building and have it all rebuilt for the project.
“Morning beautiful,” Jackson sits down next to me. “Did you miss me at breakfast?”
“Did you miss us at breakfast?”
“Well, I’m coming over tonight. I’ve heard you make this amazing hot chocolate.”
I give him a smile. One thing I do know about Jackson, whenever he does want to stay with one girl, they'll need to be able to cook, but I also get the feeling that Leo and Jackson never want anything more. They have both been through hell. I can see why they wouldn't trust anyone, not with their past.
Leo said that he never told anyone about his past. I’m the first girl he’s spoken to about it. I have no idea what it is about Leo and me, but we have this connection that’s on a level that I don’t know or understand.
The way that I was always treated, I always thought that’s the way all men would be, but not Leo.
The way he treats me, touches me, the electric shock that runs through me, the air around me, everything just makes me feel free.
"I'll make you some. I'll get some marshmallows too," I tell Jackson and his eyes light up. Leo is deep in conversation with Doctor Adams, so I whisper, "Can I ask you something, Jackson?"
“Always.”
“Do you have a plan to find Uncle Jack?”
He glances over at Leo, then back to me. "I don't want to lie to you, and if you asked Leo, he wouldn't lie to you either. No, we don't have a plan."
I nod my head. They have no plan. Maybe using me is the way to go, it'll be over faster, and I can finally put all this behind me; we can all put this behind us.
“I know what you’re thinking Hope and trust me at this moment, Leo will not go for this. I think he just needs to try it his way first.”
I don’t reply. I think about it for a moment. How long will Leo play this game? He doesn’t have much time at all, three days. Three days to find the man he’s been hunting before he vanishes again.
***
My day seems to go a lot slower when I'm at the office with Leo. As much as I like to spend time with him, I don't get time to do anything at home; clean, cook, the things that I enjoy doing. The moment we sat in the car, Leo said that Jackson was going to bring food over for us. I told him that I would cook something, but he didn't listen to me, and I know when to argue, and the answer to that is never.
Sitting on the floor in the laundry room, I watch my clothes. I've worked out that if I wash my clothes twice, my skin feels better when I wear them.
"Hope." I open the door when Leo shouts my name. "You've been quiet since we got here and I'm not sure what I've done wrong?" When we got home, his dad called, and he's been in the office ever since.
“Nothing, you had a phone call.”
“Hope.”
"Nothing's wrong, I just have to wash my clothes again. I just haven't made any food in a few days, and I don't like it," I tell him as I continue to fold my clothes.
“Then make something.” His voice comes out a little louder than it normally does.
I keep my head down, taking another item from the basket. “Sorry,” I say. Grabbing the folded pile, I make my way out towards the kitchen.
“Hope.”
“I said I’m sorry,” I say again a little quieter as Jackson stands in the kitchen.
“Hey leave her, what’s wrong with you?” Jackson stops him as I get to the sitting room to get my other clothes.
"Just got something today." I hear Leo, and his voice is in the same tone. He's not happy about something, which makes me think that Uncle Jack is playing his games with him.
I already knew that Uncle Jack was going to do this, but I thought Leo would have been stronger and not let him get under his skin as much. I keep my head down as they both come into the sitting room.
“Hope—”
He stops as my phone rings in the kitchen. I walk out already knowing that it’s Doctor Adams.
I answer the call. "Hello?"
"Hope, this is Doctor Adams. I have the results to your tests and I'm not sure how to tell you this." There is silence for a moment, and I'm worried about what the problem could be. "What I'm about to tell you I know that you might not want Leo to know. I am your doctor, and I'll respect your wishes."
“I understand.”
“You’re test results show that you’re pregnant.”
The air gets stuck in my throat and fear runs through my body. “How?” is the only question that I can get out.
"It seems that the medication that you are on has affected your hormone levels. To put it simply, the medication is very strong, and it stopped your implant from working."
“Can we… I mean—”
“Hope, we don’t have to tell Leo anything, have a few days to let the news settle and I’ll call you in about four or five days.”
Before she can say goodbye, I end the call and grab my clothes. I rush straight to my room before Leo and Jackson can say anything to me. What’s happening? How is this happening?
Walking over to the window, I sit down as my legs begin to shake from the fear running through me.
"I don't know who I should be more angry at, you or me," Uncle Jack shouts at me. He's angry, and I don't know what I've done wrong. He grabs my face. "How fucking stupid, you should have told me!" he shouts.
I don’t know what he’s talking about, what have I done?
"You're pregnant, and I can't take you to the hospital, so there's only one way to fix this, isn't there?"
He throws me across the floor, and I close my eyes as he starts walking over to me, already knowing what's about to happen. The pain that I'm going to go through and no matter how much I'm trying to keep from crying, tears fall quickly as I see his leg swinging back and before kicking me hard in the stomach.
I cry out loud as I curl up into a ball trying to stop him, this isn’t happening.
Where there is light, there is hope, where there is light there is hope.
“Hope.” I jump at the sound of Leo’s voice. “What did the doctor say?”
“Nothing, just wants me to try some more medication,” I tell him, quickly wiping the tears away. “I’m just going to have a shower.”
“Hope, what’s wrong? I’m sorry about downstairs.”
“I’m sorry that I upset you, but I would like to have a shower.”
“I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Closing the bathroom door behind me, I turn on the shower, and I sink to my knees and start crying. From fear, because I'm scared because I don't want to feel that pain again, because this is not how it was meant to happen.
***
Standing in front of my bed, I think about this baby, a baby that was so far from planned that I don’t know how I’m feeling just yet or if Leo will want it. But would Leo take me to the hospital? Or would he do what Uncle Jack did? No, Leo wouldn’t do that to me. But a baby can change everything in so many different ways.
If Uncle Jack finds out about this… my body shivers thinking about it. I can't let him get me, he has to die, and Leo is being stubborn. Just let me out in public, and the moment Uncle Jack is in front of me, Leo can shoot him. I'll tell everyone that is was self-defense. But Leo won't go for it. I've written a few things down and I know Jackson will back me up. I want this to end, this needs to end.
Closing my eyes for a moment, the flashbacks running
through my head are taking over. No matter how much I push them away, they are more powerful. All the hateful words, all the kicks, the punches, slaps, painful stomach, the two weeks of crying in pain with what was happening to me. They’re all there. I can feel Uncle Jack right next to me. I can feel him touching me. I run to the bathroom and throw up.
Sitting on the floor, I take deep breaths to calm myself. I need to think about what I’m about to tell Jackson. Friday, this will all end and Jackson and Leo will both have to agree, as we both know that they won’t find him unless I’m there.
Once I’m calm again, I walk into the living room. “Jackson, can I talk to you for a moment?” I go straight to the yard and wait for him.
“Everything okay?”
“We both know that Uncle Jack isn’t going to just come out in the open and we both know that you and Leo can’t find him—”
“No.”
“Yes, we know that he’ll have men and we have you two and a split second to shoot him.” My voice starts to become shaky and tears of fear flow again. I put my hand up in front of Jackson to make him stay where he is. “This has to end Jackson. I can’t...I can’t keep watching over my shoulder.”
“Okay, Hope look at me.” I lift my face. This is the first time I’ve looked into his eyes like this. They are hazel in color and have peace behind them, not the darkness that Leo’s hold. “We will end this before the week is over.”
"Friday, just listen to me. You know my friend at the park?" Jackson nods. I know that Leo got him to look into her. "I want you to give her this letter, you can read them all, and if she says yes to that, you give her letter two." I hand that over to him as he finishes reading the first one. "If it's a yes again, you give her letter three, and if it's a yes again, then Friday Leo and you can finally kill him."
“You want your friend to tell Jack that you’re going to visit her on Friday and he’ll show up?”
