“Where you going?” she asked, letting her pretty head drop to one side.
“To put some music on.” Climbing off the couch, Reese walked to the other side of the room to the record player that sat on the table there. He pulled a record free at random, sliding it out of its sleeve. Reese sat it on the turntable, touching the needle down. Music floated out. Twangy guitar and a male voice crooning sappy lyrics, but it wasn’t a song he recognized.
It was odd. But it wasn't the oddest thing he noticed. Reese turned to see her leaning back against the sagging couch. One knee drawn up, her arm rested on it. She wore a pair of red and black polka dotted panties with a thin tank top over them. There was a small round bloodstain between her breasts. Her clothing nipped at his memories. They also drew his desire. She really was a pretty little thing. Ellie gave him a come hither smile and crooked her finger at him.
Reese crossed the floor on bare feet, stopping in front of her. “So are you going to kiss me?” Ellie asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Ya want me to, don't ya?”
She chuckled at him, a small blush coloring her cheeks. “You have no idea.”
Reese hesitated. Narrowing his eyes, he looked over his shoulder at the room they were in. An upholstered chair a few feet from him turned in at an angle toward the couch. Red stripes splashed across its surface. An electric lantern lit the kitchen beyond. There was something so familiar about it all. Still, it felt... wrong.
“Well,” Ellie asked. “What are you waiting for, Reese?”
Reese didn't have to be told twice. His fingers had been aching to touch her since the moment he saw those gorgeous green eyes. He touched his hand to her throat. Let it slide over the line of her jaw. Between her cheek and silken hair, his thumb slid over her lips. Reese leaned in laying a brush of his mouth against hers.
Ellie trembled ever so slightly. His eyes fluttered closed. She tasted sweet, like toasted milk. It slid down his throat as the kiss grew between them. Her tongue was a dancing wet line. The taste of her washed him away. So much so, that he had to pull back. His chest heaving, Reese touched his lips. His fingertips came away stained red.
Ellie batted those enormous apple green eyes at him. They reminded him of the tall grass in the fields swaying in the summer wind. Staring at her, he pictured the green apples hanging from the tree out front of the old farmhouse. The look on her face held just a touch of worry. “Don't you want me?” she asked.
“Of course I do, you're all I can think about, Sunshine.”
Ellie leaned forward. Her hands touched his waist. She looked up at him batting those lashes. A breath fell out of her as she pushed up on the t-shirt he wore. The touch of her fingertips made his heart beat fast. Leaning forward Ellie laid her mouth on his stomach, inches from his belly button. The sensation of it drew a sigh from him. Reese grasped the collar of his shirt and pulled it up over his head as she laid a line of open-mouthed kisses over him. Her fingers working at the belt he wore.
Reese touched her hair. Let his fingers glide through it. Ellie looked up at him again. He had to tell her. If this was going to happen, she had to know. “I ain’t him.” Reese shook his head.
“You're my Reese,” Ellie said with a smile that made it hard to breathe.
He pushed in on her, laying another kiss against her mouth. Ellie lay back against the bed. The bed? Weren't they on a couch? Reese didn't over think it. He was too lost in the pleasant rush of her flesh against his. His mouth fed at hers. Ellie traced her hands over his chest, over his throat. Her right hand sliding into his hair, she balled it into her small fist.
Ellie pulled back breaking the kiss, her neck arching. His kisses spilled over her jawline. Reese ran his tongue in a broad stroke over the underside of her chin. More kisses on her throat. His hand glided over her knee, her thigh. Her skin was smooth. Reese pressed himself between her thighs. He wanted to feel her breasts bare against him. Ellie hooked her arms behind his, gripping his shoulder blades.
Reese pulled back to stare down at her, breath falling out of him. “This won't be easy. Ya know that don't ya, sweetheart?”
Ellie smiled. Her tongue rolled over her bottom lip. It shimmered in the light. “Easy isn’t half as much fun?”
That drew a chuckle out of him that died the moment he touched her. Reese pulled at the strap of her shirt slowly. His hand traced over the curve of her breast. His mouth closed over her throat. Again, that amazing taste filled him up. Warm and sweet, rich like caramel candies. Ellie made little noises, her nails biting into the flesh of his back. Her head whipped back and forth. Her moans turned to cries.
“You-you're hurting, Reese, let go! It hurts!” Ellie was practically screaming.
He didn't understand. It felt good. His flesh pressed against hers. Reese rocked back and forth with the rhythm of his hips. His tongue danced over the pulse in her throat. It beat hard and fast. His hands slipped beneath her hips. Reese pulled her in close to him. Something warm and wet touched him. He could feel it heavy on his lips, rushing over her bare flesh.
“Reese, please, stop!” Ellie cried. She beat her fists against his back, his chest.
Reese wanted to stop. He wanted to pull away. He wasn't trying to hurt her. He really wasn't. He kept laying kisses against her, trying to make it better. It was just so damn hard to let go. She tasted so good. But it was more than that. Reese was afraid to let go. This would be his only chance to hold her. She didn't belong to him. Not anymore. Not anymore? She chose Vince. She was Vince's girl.
Reese wanted her so damn bad. Somehow, he found it in him to pull away. It was one of the hardest fought battles he’d ever had. Reese stared down at her. She was angry. Those pretty green eyes were sparkling stones. Ellie had her hand pressed to the side of her throat. Blood ran like a river over her shoulder, over her breasts. Rivulets rained over her porcelain skin.
“I trusted you,” Ellie growled.
The dream changed. Like dreams do. Ellie stood on the other side of the room, tears in her eyes. “I want you to be him. I need you to be him for me.”
“I ain’t him. I can't be that no more. Why won't ya believe me?”
His fingertips burned with the ghostly sensations of her flesh. Staring at her with that look in her eyes was torture. Reese wanted to give her everything she wanted. He would bleed himself dry trying to give it to her. Just to feel that longing, that love she had for him. He kept asking himself how it was possible for her to fall in love with someone she never met. But Reese realized then, he loved her before he ever met her. She was so familiar and he didn't know why.
“Why did you leave me?” Ellie cried.
Reese took in a dragging breath. His eyes fluttered open. He looked around at his surroundings. He didn't recognize them at first. Then slowly it dawned on him. Pale lavender streamed through the windows on the other side of the room. He could hear the dog barking downstairs. The music came from the bathroom across the hall. Reese sniffed and pushed at the pillow with a frown.
His eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped back onto the bed. Reese blew all the air out of his lungs. He saw Vince walk past his open bedroom door. Then a few moments later, Vince walked back. Reese frowned. His eyes swiveled to the alarm clock on the small bedside table. It was just past five AM. He realized then what Vincent was doing, heading out to hunt. Reese rolled his shoulders, his neck trying to loosen the muscles there. When he heard the back door open and Vincent's sure stride heading toward the tree line, Reese rolled out of his bed.
He took a moment to pull on a pair of light colored jeans and a long sleeved red t-shirt with a six-button detail on the collar. He left them open, pushing the sleeves up over his elbows on both sides. Lastly, he slipped his dog tags over his head, making sure to tuck them inside his shirt. Reese took a moment to run a hand through his long brown hair to smooth it out. Strands of it fell into his face.
Most of his dream made sense. He was mentally berating himself for hurting Ellie. For not stopping when she told him to. He was dra
wn to her. He wanted her bad. It wasn't just some jealous grass is always greener scenario. Reese was really falling for her. He hated to admit that. But it was something he couldn't deny. Reese sighed. He was falling for his brother's girl. There are just some sins you don't commit.
Still, he found himself padding barefoot to the room down the hall. Vincent had left the door wide open. Reese stood in the doorway, hands on his hips looking down at her. Ellie looked peaceful. He realized then why her clothes had been so familiar to him. It was what she was wearing the night before when she let him have a taste of her.
Ellie lay on her stomach, one leg drawn up so that the polka dots of her panties were tight across her ass. Her shirt bunched up slightly, revealing a band of flesh. Her yellow hair spilled across the pillows like wet silk. Her arms locked tightly around one of the myriad of pillows she’d collected. Ellie had taken every pillow from Vincent's room and even a few from Reese's.
He looked down the hall to his right, then to his left. When he didn’t see anyone coming, Reese took the chance. He stepped into Ellie's room. Stopping at her bedside, he stared down at her for a moment. Reese brushed her bangs from her forehead. He had an urge to lay his hands on her. Touch her hair.
Reese didn't want to love her. But there was no running from her either. He could try. But he was connected to Vince. He would see her every day whether he wanted to or not. At least this way he could feel her longing for him. At least this way he could pretend he had a chance with her. It was dangerous. Being near her every day would be the end of him and he didn't care. Something was better than nothing. If he was going to spend his every waking moment thinking about her anyway, he’d rather be close.
In his dream, Reese told her this wouldn't be easy. And he was sure it wouldn't be. It was crazy to put himself through this. He took in a breath and ran his hand gentle as he could over her hair. Reese loved the way it shimmered in the light falling from the windows above her head. Ellie stirred. Rolling over, she reached for a gun at her back that wasn't there. Ellie blinked wide eyes at him.
“What's wrong?” she asked. Ellie wasn't fully awake yet. Breathing heavily, her eyes swiveled around the room.
“Nothing's wrong, Sunshine. You're alright.” Reese gave her a smirk, letting his hand drop to his side. “Didn't mean to wake ya.”
She swallowed running her tongue over her teeth. “What time is it?”
“Early,” he said. “Vince left already to go hunting. Go ahead, sweetheart, go back to sleep.”
Ellie blinked heavy eyes at him. Taking a deep breath just to blow it back out again, she said, “You okay?”
His eyebrows rose high, his lips turning down at the corner. “Yeah,” Reese said, giving her the full weight of his smile. He loved that she was worried about him. It felt good to have someone who did. Things were getting easier with Vince, but he was still distant. Admittedly, Vince was distant with everyone. After reading through those notes, Reese supposed he couldn't blame him.
Ellie stared up at him wanting to talk. Just talk like they used to. It wasn’t fair to Reese to keep thinking of him as the other part of Vincent. She just couldn’t help it. Ellie missed him. Missed talking to him, missed laughing with him. Ellie missed her first love. She wouldn’t change it. Whatever she felt for that personality was nothing like her need for Vincent. But looking up at Reese reminded her of what she gave up.
“Go back to sleep, Sunshine,” Reese bayed and turned heading for the door.
She watched him walk away from her feeling like she should say something. He turned the corner vanishing from her sight. Ellie puffed out a breath and looked at the small clock on the table next to her. She figured now was as good a time as any to get a start on the day.
Ellie climbed out of the bed and headed toward the shower across the hall. A quick shower, and then she needed to give her gun a thorough cleaning before Vetler gave her his little test. She rolled her eyes at the notion. But she promised Edward she would let Vetler show her a few things. Ellie stopped halfway between her room and the bathroom watching Reese head down the steps. She frowned. Ellie wasn't sure what bothered her more. The fact that she didn't have the relationship with him she did with Vincent's personality. Or the fact that she wanted it so badly.
Reese poured himself a glass of orange juice. Sipping at the cup, he wrapped himself in her thoughts about him. He didn't care if it made him weak. Reese needed to be wanted the way she did. He let himself get lost in her. Standing in front of the sink, he blinked at the window above it. Letting her emotions smother him walked a razor's edge between wonderful and painful.
He was still standing there when she came into the room behind him almost forty-five minutes later. Ellie had showered and gotten dressed. Even took a few minutes to pull her hair back in a tight French braid. She had her gun cleaning kit in one hand. Ellie smiled when she saw him standing there. “Bird watching?” She used to catch her Reese doing that sometimes.
Reese didn't answer her. She frowned, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Ellie sat her cleaning kit down on the dining table and walked over to him. He just stood there, staring out the window. Ellie swore he hadn't blinked once in the past few minutes since she had come into the room. Ellie reached out to touch him and hesitated.
She didn't know why she wasn't afraid of him. He’d tried to kill her more than once. Ellie just couldn't find that fear. She hadn't hesitated out of fear. She hesitated for the lack of it. Ellie was so comfortable around him, too comfortable, really. Either way, she laid her hand against his forearm. It felt like an eternity before he turned his face toward her, blinking wide blue eyes.
“Reese, are you okay?”
His mouth fell open as he stared into her face. She was starting to worry about him. Ellie touched his cheek, bringing her other hand up to cup his face between them. Reese could barely breathe. He was so lost in the tide of her emotions he couldn't think past her. Vaguely he was aware that she was talking to him. Her touch helped, if only a little. Reese was slipping beneath the waves of her and he was perfectly willing to let himself drown.
He frantically grasped at his emotions trying to break the connection between them. Reese tried every one of them, fear, happiness, anger. Not one of them built a strong enough wall to defend against her. Ellie burned too bright. He blinked those summer-sky blue eyes at her. She was beginning to really worry. Her fear for him let him claw his way up, let him pull his head above the rising tide of her.
“Reese!”
His anger wasn't strong enough. So he reached for the one thing that would be. Reese closed his eyes. When they opened again, they were the shimmering black of his monster. A red starburst ringed where his pupil should be. It pulsed in time with his beating heart. Ellie took in a sharp breath. Vincent's monster she knew would never hurt her. She didn't trust Reese's so implicitly. He stared at her with that alien gaze for a moment.
The rage of his beast was a caustic cloak that he wrapped himself in. It let him shield finally. Reese took in a deep breath, his head dropping to one side. Ellie stared at him, her bottom lip trembling slightly. Her guns were all the way across the room, not that they would do her much good against him. The Heckler was Ellie's security blanket. The weight of it staved off the fear. Reese ran his tongue over his teeth.
Reese pulled away from her and strode purposefully toward the front door. Face a mask of rage. He tore the door open so forcefully that a large splinter broke loose. He stomped angrily onto the porch and down the steps before he took off running. Leaving her there blinking in confusion. Finally, Ellie let the breath she had been holding loose. Wondering what the hell that was about?
Chapter 7
Shane sighed. His breath hung in the air. He looked her over. Five foot tall, maybe a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. Her blond hair was pulled back into a tight French braid. She wore a new pair of Levis and a thermal, long-sleeved shirt. With a black t-shirt that had Calvin and Hobbs standing back to back with their arms crossed over their che
sts as decoration layered over it. Ellie had her brown leather jacket on, though the front was unzipped. He could see the butt of the Glock in her shoulder holster. Shane looked her up and down frowning. There was a good three feet of snow everywhere. She wore an old pair of red Chucks with more holes than swiss cheese.
“Let me see them,” Shane demanded, holding his hand out. Ellie eyed him for a moment with a frown. She didn’t like anyone touching her guns. Ellie reached back and pulled the Heckler first. She made sure to check the safety then handed it to him grip first.
Reese stood on the porch. He felt another hint of pride as he watched her handle her side arms. The personality taught her well. Reese didn’t think Vince ever paid that much attention. Shane took the gun from her with one eyebrow raised. He pulled back the slide to see that a round was indeed chambered. He checked the clip. It was fully loaded. Shane slipped it back in, slapping the bottom. A small smile spread across his face. He handed the gun back to her.
“The other,” he said. Again, Ellie frowned. This time, she exhaled through her nose.
Ellie unsnapped the Glock and handed it to him with her left hand. As he made himself busy checking the Glock, she rechecked the Heckler out of habit. Reese's smile widened. He took a step off the porch and began meandering toward them.
Ellie slid the Heckler home into the inner-pants holster she kept at the small of her back and took back the Glock. Shane watched her pop the clip to be sure it was full and roll the gun up looking in at the firing pin. Satisfied, she slid the clip back in and gave the bottom a hard slap. Pulling back on the slide, she chambered the top bullet in a fluid motion that was pretty to watch. Ellie checked the safety once more before sliding it back in her holster.
“These are the only two guns you know how to use? Shane asked.
“Ree-,” she began and stopped mid-word. Ellie closed her eyes for a second and exhaled, angry at herself for the mistake. “Vincent started me out on the M1911,” she said. “I'm lucky if I can hit the broad side of the world with it, though. It’s just too big for my hand. And I can barely hold the shotgun let alone aim it.”
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