“It was self-defense.” She put her hands on his face, her skin soft and warm against his. “Look at me, Frank.” He peered into her green eyes and saw love and compassion. “You’re not a monster. I don’t know what you are exactly, but we’ll figure it out together.”
Together—the most beautiful word in the English language. Frank had been alone for so long. No family, no serious relationship, and he kept his friends at a distance as well. He hadn’t trusted what was inside him and didn’t think he could live with harming someone he cared for.
“You’re sure?” He had to ask again because he couldn’t quite believe he was hearing her properly.
She took his hand and led him down the short hallway until she found their new bedroom. There wasn’t much in it, just a mattress on a frame. Thankfully, some kind soul had put sheets and a comforter on it.
Martha stopped by the bed, released his hand and pulled her top over her head, leaving her upper body clad only in a thin cotton bra. The material cupped her full breasts. He made a sound in the back of his throat and reached for her. His large hands covered the mounds easily. She gave a sigh of pleasure.
He circled her taut nipples with his thumbs. She was so beautiful. The fact that she would willingly put herself in his hands after what she’d seen humbled him. “I’ll take care of you,” he told her.
The smile she gave him made his cock jerk. It was filled with such sensual promise. “I’ll take care of you too.” She slid her hands under his shirt. “I think you should take this off now.”
He ripped the garment over his head and tossed it aside. She laughed, such a beautiful sound, and placed her hands on his chest. Her hands were warm and loving as she stroked him, caressing the muscles on his torso.
“All that hard work looks good on you.” The huskiness in her voice made him stand taller.
He reached behind her, unhooked her bra and slid it down her arms. She had to take her hands away long enough for him to remove it. Martha moved closer and pressed her breasts against his chest.
Frank groaned and captured her mouth, kissing her like she was everything to him, because she was. She was his past, his present and, hopefully, his future. As always, Martha welcomed him, twining her tongue with his, encouraging him to take whatever he needed.
He maneuvered them down onto the bed without releasing his hold on her lips. Her hands were everywhere. Stroking his shoulders, caressing his chest and tracing the muscles in his arms.
His cock was full and heavy and more than ready to be buried deep in her wet heat. He pulled his lips from hers and kissed a ragged path down her neck and across her delicate collarbone.
Martha dug her fingers into his hair and guided his mouth to her breast. He nuzzled the mound before lapping at the pert nipple. She made a sound of pleasure that made his balls draw up tight.
He nibbled and suckled the small bud before moving to her other breast to give it the attention it deserved.
“Frank.” His name was little more than a breathy sigh as she reached for the opening of his jeans. He reared back before her fingers touched him and he totally lost it.
The pants she wore had an elastic waist and were easy to slide down her thighs. He took her panties with them. In seconds she was totally naked. “You are so fucking hot.” Not exactly the smoothest of compliments but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. His brain wasn’t functioning at a high level at the moment.
Martha smiled and opened her arms to him. He promised himself he’d think of something more romantic to say to her later. Right now, he had to fuck her.
“Lose the jeans, Frank.” He loved her husky command and was quick to comply. Naked, he sprawled next to her and smoothed his hand over her stomach and down between her parted thighs.
“You’re so wet.” It was a marvel to him that she wanted him as much as she did. He parted her slick folds and slid one finger into her channel. When she moaned and arched into his touch, he added a second finger.
“Feels so good.” She licked her lips and undulated her hips to deepen the penetration.
There wasn’t a more beautiful woman on the planet than Martha with the light covering her body, making her skin glisten. The sunflower tattoo on her arm was a beacon of promise, hope and new beginnings. It was late afternoon but the days were long. Frank could spend hours touching her, looking at her.
He found her clit with his thumb and rubbed the small nub of nerves. Martha gasped and moved with his hand. She groaned, clutched his hair and tugged his mouth down to hers.
He kissed her like he needed her more than air, because he did. Martha was essential to his very soul. Deep inside him, where the fires constantly raged, they banked and settled, as if the fire didn’t want to hurt her either.
Hope blossomed inside him. He could do this. He could control whatever was inside him and have Martha.
He continued to move his fingers in and out of her core. It grew slicker with each pass until he couldn’t wait any longer.
Frank removed his hand, rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him. Martha broke the kiss and stared down at him, her hair falling like a curtain around her shoulders.
“Ride me,” he told her. “Take me inside you.” He wanted her to be in control, to leave no doubt in either of their minds that this was her choice.
The smile she gave him sent his heart racing and his dick throbbing. If he was a phoenix then she was a mythical siren, luring him to his doom. No, not doom. She was beckoning him home.
She settled on his thighs and placed her hands on his chest. Her face was a study in concentration as she stroked his pecs and his abs. His cock jerked upward, as if trying to get her attention. And lo and behold, it worked. She wrapped one hand around him and stroked.
He sucked air into his starving lungs. His heart raced and sweat broke out on his brow. “Martha.”
She smiled and rubbed her thumb over the tip of his cock, spreading the liquid she found there. Then she leaned down and circled the head with her tongue.
Frank roared and bucked his hips. Martha almost toppled over but he grabbed her by the waist and kept her in place.
“You like that?” Her sultry voice was as potent as the most intimate caress.
Did he like it? Was she out of her mind? Like was too mild a word for what he was feeling. Out of control. Hot. Desperate. Yeah, those were much better words.
She parted her lips and he stopped breathing. Then she closed her hot mouth over him and he thought he’d surely died and gone to heaven. She sucked his dick and used her tongue and teeth on him as well, driving his desire to heights he’d never imagined.
She knew what he was and she still wanted him.
Emotion swamped him and he began to shake. Martha released his cock with a pop and looked at him. Maybe she saw the desperation in his face. Whatever it was she glimpsed there, she came up on her knees, gripped his dick and pressed the head against her slick opening.
It took everything in him not to simply plunge into her pussy. She was running the show.
Martha sat down slowly, taking every hot inch of him inside her. They were both panting by the time she was seated on his pelvis.
“Ride me.” His voice was ragged and deep, almost unrecognizable. He put his hands on her hips and urged her up. Martha set a quick pace, raising and lowering herself on his cock.
He reached between her thighs, found her clit and teased it with his thumb. Her inner muscles clenched his shaft. His balls were so tight they hurt. He shoved his hips upward with every downward stroke she made, fucking her as hard as he could.
“Touch yourself,” he begged. “Touch your breasts for me.” He had one hand between her thighs and the other on her hip, and her beautiful breasts were swaying with each thrust. He wanted to stroke her pert nipples, to feel the plump mounds in his hands.
Martha reached up and cupped them and rubbed her thumbs over the tips like he’d done earlier. It was such an erotic picture he lost it.
; He yelled as he came, his release rocketing into her. She cried out his name and her pussy contracted around him, the muscles squeezing and contracting around him, milking him dry. He thrust and bucked. There was no technique, no skill, just a blinding need to claim her.
Finally, she slumped forward. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his heart. He was never letting her go.
• • •
Another tremor shook Martha’s body and Frank’s arms tightened around her until she could barely breathe. His cock was still inside her, throbbing and pulsing. Her channel rippled around him and they both moaned.
She was surprised they were both still alive after that explosion. Sex between them had always been tender and hot at the same time, but this took it to a whole other level, and it wasn’t just because they were both older and more experienced now. No, this was because neither of them had held back any part of themselves.
She wondered if he knew she was as vulnerable to him as he was to her.
He stroked her back and her butt and she almost purred. She loved his big, strong hands on her body. She raised her head and gasped when it pushed him deeper into her. He was still semi-erect even though he’d just come.
Frank gently hooked a lock of her hair behind her ear. He looked more relaxed than he had since they’d found one another again. It made him appear younger, not quite as intimidating as he usually did.
“So where do we go from here?” She hadn’t meant to ask that question, not now when their bodies were still joined and her lips still tingled from his kisses.
“We get married.” His blunt pronouncement made her raise one eyebrow. Frank sighed and squeezed her butt. “You know I’m not much for words.”
“Try.” Her dry tone made him smile. Martha’s heart lightened. She loved making him smile.
“Martha Benson, will you marry me?” He cupped her face between his palms. “You’ll never find another man who will love you as much as I do. I’ll work hard to make you happy. I promise.”
“See, I knew you could find the words if you tried,” she teased him to keep from crying. His words touched her deeply because she knew he truly meant them. They weren’t just words to Frank, but a vow.
“Martha.” There was a distinct edge in his tone now.
She smiled and rubbed her nose against his. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Frank rolled her under him and began to thrust. It was slow and easy at first, but rapidly became frantic. He fucked her hard and fast and she loved it. They both came quicker than she imagined either of them could. It wasn’t quite as explosive as the last orgasm but it sent shivers of pleasure rushing through her entire body.
Martha lay sprawled on the bed with Frank draped over her. She really couldn’t move this time. The shadows had deepened in the room by the time he stirred and dragged himself off her. But he didn’t go far and tugged her into his arms. She snuggled there, content in a way she hadn’t been in years.
“We’ll rebuild as soon as the insurance company settles. You’ll have to decide what you want to go in the house, what style you want.”
Frank was already busy making plans. She traced circles on his slick chest. “I’ll have some money coming from insurance too.”
He stiffened. “I’ll build you a house.” He stroked her hair. “You’ll make it a home.”
How could she be angry with him when he said such beautiful things? For a man who claimed to not be good with words he was doing a damn fine job. She didn’t bother arguing with him. She’d spend her money as she saw fit and he’d learn to live with it.
“I know what that silence means.”
She smiled. They knew each other so well.
“I mean it, Martha. I’m building you a house.”
“And I heard you.”
He grumbled under his breath but didn’t say anything. She patted his chest. “I always knew you were smart, Frank.”
He chuckled. “Not always but I’m learning.” He sat up and raked his fingers through his unruly hair. “We do need to discuss some things.”
A muscle pulsed beneath his eye and she saw the set of his jaw. “What is it?” She sat upright and tugged the comforter around her.
“I shouldn’t have taken you without protection.” He ran his index finger over her collarbone. “I don’t know what I am and whether or not I’ll pass it on to our children.”
Martha sucked in a breath. She hadn’t thought about that. “We’ll start using protection for now.”
“And if you’re already pregnant?” His eyes were dark with worry.
“Then we celebrate. A baby is a blessing, Frank, no matter what happens.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” Martha snuggled against his chest. “We’ll take things one step at a time, but I would love to have a child with you.” She felt him tense and patted his arm. “We’ve got some time before we have to make any decisions.” And whatever they decided, she’d be fine with. She understood his concerns and couldn’t say that she didn’t have the same ones.
“Whatever happens, we’ll get through this together,” she promised him. “I have to call my parents and tell them.” Frank stiffened and she decided it was time to put an end to his self-exile. “You need to call your folks too.”
“I don’t know if that’s wise. They’re better off without me.” He looked out the window. Tension filled the room but she wasn’t backing down.
“I can’t imagine it would be worse than not hearing from you for all these years.” She felt him withdrawing emotionally from her and she wasn’t having it. “They love you, Frank.”
“Maybe they did, once,” he conceded.
She heard it then, the yearning and the fear that he was too late to mend things with his parents, that they’d stopped loving him.
Martha’s heart ached for him. “All you can do is try.” She caught his stubborn chin and turned it until he was looking at her. “I never stopped loving you,” she reminded him.
He made a sound of such pain and then buried his face in the curve of her neck. She held on to him with all her strength. He was such a big, strong man, courageous and caring. He was also as stubborn as a mule and inclined to think he was always right. Not this time.
“Call them.” Frank needed his parents as much as they needed him. It didn’t matter who his birth parents were. Harold and Jenna Ellis had raised him from infancy. He was their son.
“Maybe.” His voice was muffled against her throat. She didn’t say anything else. She knew he needed some time to come to grips with the idea.
He raised his head and the heat was back in his gaze. “I think we should try out the bathroom next. The tub isn’t real big but I think we can fit.”
She laughed when he plucked her off the bed and carried her out of the bedroom.
Epilogue
Three months later, Martha decided it was time.
Frank’s house hadn’t completely burned to the ground. There’d been quite a bit of damage but mostly to the living room area and the outside of the house in front of the windows where the arsonist had started the fires. She wasn’t sure if Frank had inadvertently controlled the flames enough so they hadn’t burned as fast as they should have or if the fire department had doused the flames in record time. Either way, they hadn’t had to start completely from scratch.
The structure had been repaired and new drywall and hardwood floors installed. The kitchen was brand spanking new and everything she’d ever wanted. The cupboards were white and the walls a cheerful apple green. The main bathroom hadn’t had any structural damage and had only needed a good scouring to remove the smoke and soot and a fresh coat of paint.
She’d put aside her art in order to supervise the repairs while Frank worked. For now the spare bedroom would serve as a workspace for her. It was only temporary because he’d promised to build her a retreat in the backyard, a studio of her own. She couldn’t wait to ge
t back to work. Her gallery showing had been a complete success and buyers were looking for more of her paintings.
She stood outside and studied the structure. Pride swelled up inside her. The house had new white siding and bright blue shutters with a door that matched. Inside, everything was clean and new. Most of the old furniture had to be tossed but they’d salvaged a few of his things. They’d bought every new piece together and she’d even managed to pay for a few things while Frank wasn’t looking.
He was still stubborn but she loved him anyway.
“Ready?” He stood beside her, keys in hand. Today they were officially moving in.
“Ready.”
They walked up the front steps and she ignored the burnt ground and scorched plants. The yard was the next thing on their to-do list now that the house was done. Frank unlocked the door and opened it.
Then he scooped her off her feet and carried her over the threshold.
“Isn’t that a little premature? We’re not married yet.” Martha held up her hand and admired the beautiful diamond engagement ring on her left hand.
“I’m not waiting much longer,” he warned. He let her feet drop but held on to her until she had her footing.
If he’d had it his way they’d have gone to the courthouse and made things official. “I want a real wedding. It doesn’t have to be big, but I want to buy a nice dress and have a party with friends.”
“Three months.”
She smiled up at him. “I can manage that.” She’d already started planning things. She just hadn’t told him about any of her ideas yet. He’d had enough to worry about with work and house repairs.
She took a deep breath and took the plunge. “It’s time to call your parents.”
He started to shake his head but she stopped him. “I swore my parents to secrecy but it’s only a matter of time until your folks find out we’re getting married. They need to hear that from you.” She held out his phone. “I programmed their number in.”
Frank plucked the phone from her, held it at arm’s length and glared at the device like it was about to explode. “I’m not sure I can do this.”
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