Freed (Bound Duet Book 2)

by Stephie Walls

  I wanted to consummate our marriage by making love to my wife, but after that, all bets were off. During the first round, I talked naturally to her in a way I never thought I would. The more I pushed my verbal envelope, the more intense she became. She allowed me to adore her, show her intimately how much I cherished her, loved her but after we recovered, she took control. Annie took me to a place I wasn’t sure I wanted to go, a place where she was free, the freest I’d ever seen her. The amount of trust she placed in me was thrilling, allowing me to go in a direction I’d never dreamed of exploring with another human, especially one with her past. I had to remember things that triggered memories for her and coax her through them, replacing her past with her future—safely. My sole mission in life was to trade things that haunted her with others that pleased her. As her husband, her happiness was my goal.

  Lying next to me on her side, she trailed her hand down my ribs and traced little patterns on my skin around my pelvic bone. Her face pressed against my chest, and I felt her smile as she watched my dick perk up while she played with my flesh. Her long delicate fingers ebbed their way around my body as she explored uninhibitedly. I loved the way everything seemed so new, every encounter, a fresh start with Annie. She enjoyed the time we spent together as much as the actual act. I’d never been with a woman who brought me down gradually after orgasm, but my wife relaxed me with her touch, the way she dragged her fingers around teasing and outlining my muscles. It wasn’t sexual so much as it was intimate. She conversed without words and lulled me into an almost tantric state. Her desire was so much greater than reaching a physical peak, it became spiritual when we were together.

  She shifted on the bed, moving into the crook of my shoulder so she could look at me. Her eyes were a honey-brown, almost the color of whiskey but a bit more gold—they were intriguing. I could get drunk in the color; they’re so deep, but when she’s turned on, they take on a fiery-gold hue. I’d lose myself in her soul staring into those gilded windows.

  She chose me, married me, to spend eternity with me—I kept waiting to wake up from that dream. I’d had doubts about her commitment early on, not because she’d shown me anything other than loyalty, but because I knew her devotion to Gray. They’d had an unreal connection I’d never seen two people share—the way they communicated was uncanny—almost as though they spoke their own language, silently. You could see it in the way they looked at each other. It could simply have been a glance or a long stare, but either way, neither had to say a word to know what the other was thinking. I saw it when they were together and assumed it would be a tie that never broke. But I never saw her look at him that way again, not once we started to date. My devotion to her never wavered, but I’d thought since that night at Wild Wings, there would always be a piece of her heart she’d surrendered to Gray, that I would never hold.

  I knew if she ever told me she loved me, if I ever got to hear those three words from her mouth, she was all in, and I’d never let her go. The day they came, I set my plans in motion to make her mine legally. There was no way in hell I was letting her get away—Gray may have been dumb enough to do it, but I wasn’t.

  I had been irate when she told me Gray had called her from the church on his wedding day, but then I realized just how grateful I was for the bastard. His selfish streak was a mile wide and never ceased to amaze me—that day was no different. But what he didn’t know was what he’d done for me. It eliminated any doubt that might have lingered in my mind she was settling for me.

  She chose me over Gray, and I couldn’t get a ring fast enough. There was never a doubt in my mind I wanted to marry her, but I needed to know she wanted me. It wasn’t something I could come out and ask her; it had to evolve on its own—for both of us. A piece of her past may forever remain with Gray, but he no longer held any of her heart—their connection was strong, but ours was unbreakable and different than theirs had been. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, my wife knew I would protect her at all costs and be loyal to a fault—she was secure with me; she was my best friend. All the things Gray never bothered trying to be for her, or himself.

  Somewhere in my thoughts, her eyes had closed, and I’d lost her to sleep. She was beautiful, completely relaxed—her chest rose and fell in time with my own. With a soft smile on my face, I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to consume me.

  “Brett.”

  The alarm in Annie’s voice startled me to consciousness.

  “Brett, look.”

  My body rose straight up at the sound of her cries, and I quickly realized they were out of excitement and not fear. Using the back of my hand to wipe the sleep from my eyes, I found my wife standing at the window, bouncing on her toes, and pointing toward the ocean. Her beautiful face was alight with wonder, and her smile was intoxicating. Squinting my eyes trying to focus on what had her so enthusiastic, I saw a school of dolphins not far off the shore playing in the waves.

  “I’ve never seen dolphins in person.” Her exuberance was intoxicating.

  “I’m sure the resort offers tours where you can swim with them. Do you want to go?” My hands continued to fumble with my eyes attempting to wipe away the weariness. They cleared some as she came bounding toward me and hopped on the bed.

  Her hair cascaded around her when she threw her naked body across mine. Enclosed in a cocoon of dark locks, her face was radiant as she smiled down at me. I’d crawl through fire to see that look on her face daily. It was the reason I got out of bed every morning for the last year.

  “That would be amazing. Get up. Let’s go see when we can go.” Hopping off the bed, she tugged on my arm, trying to pull me up.

  I laughed at her. She was tiny compared to my sizable frame. I had at least a hundred pounds on her, but her effort was valiant. My tug won the war as she landed in my arms. “What’s the rush? We have all day…or better yet, all week.”

  She cuddled into my embrace. Her body was cool against mine, but she reveled in my heat. Our lips met in an innocent manner, sensual, but not sexual—intimate in an unheated way. I allowed my hands to run through her thick hair, relishing in the ability to lie here with her uninterrupted having escaped the world for ten days.

  ~

  We’d spent a glorious week together. Parts of it were spent lazing by the pool or in a lounge chair on the shore; others, swimming with the dolphins, which Annie had loved—so much we did it twice. We had snorkeled, ridden horses on the beach, eaten at some amazing restaurants, danced, and simply enjoyed each other’s company. I couldn’t count the ways we’d embarked on our sexual exploration. Annie had a fairly type-A personality, always serious—structured to the very core. It went back to her need for an element of control to keep the depression at bay and stay away from drugs.

  Seeing her so carefree this week, completely relaxed, just made me love her even more. It dawned on me how critical this time was for both of us, and how important time to unwind will be for us going forward—to get away from the grind. Annie needs this more than I do, but as a couple, I believed it was critical to our success. If I were independently wealthy, I could spend my days relishing the sight of her in a swimsuit, reading books, dancing, and enjoying what life offered. I’d never seen her put away the amounts of food she had here. She was never a big eater, but I’d bet she put on five pounds since we’d arrived. I could feel just the slightest softness added to her curves lying next to her, and I loved it.

  We enjoyed our last morning at the resort over breakfast before we had to head back to the airport in a couple of hours. Now back in our room, lying naked together, the tension ebbed back into her body and her tone of voice. She tucked herself into the nook of my shoulder and side. My fingers tangled in her hair as I twirled the ends of it, both of us daydreaming. Our breaths rose and fell in tandem when she tilted her head up.

  “Do you think our friends will be mad?” she asked. Her voice filled with apprehension, and the thought lines in her forehead were pronounced. Annie hated to disappoint people, and I’d been waiting o
n this to rear its ugly head. I knew it would come and hoped like hell she didn’t regret our decision in the end.

  “Annie, I stand firm in the idea that sometimes it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Our friends and family won’t stop loving us because we got married without them.” Smoothing her hair with my hand, I tried to reassure her, to soothe her worry away—but that was easier said than done.

  “It may be that way for guys, but I’m afraid Jenny, Lynn, and Scarlett aren’t going to see it that way. Some part of me always thought my wedding would mend things with my parents, too, but I didn’t give them that opportunity. I feel like I chose the selfish route not including them.”

  “Do you wish you had done something differently? You know we don’t have to tell anyone we tied the knot. You could go talk to your parents. We could just announce a wedding date and do something back in the states if that’s what you want. No one has to know we got married before the actual ceremony.” I would do whatever Annie wanted to do to appease her, but not being able to showcase her as my wife when we arrived home tonight would be devastating.

  Personally, I didn’t care how my friends, or my family for that matter, felt about me racing off to marry this woman. My guess was my friends would pat me on the back for sealing the deal so no one else could swoop in and steal her away. My mom would cry, but she loved Annie so it would be short-lived. And my dad would most definitely thank me for not making him sit through a ceremony in a penguin suit. I realized females were different about this kind of thing, but Annie didn’t want a wedding. She hadn’t been dreaming about that moment since she was little; she just wasn’t that girl. Her need to please others was the sole force driving this insecurity, that and her desire to mend fences with her parents.

  “Oh, no, I didn’t mean to imply that I regret what we did. This is exactly how I wanted it. I don’t want a do-over. I guess I’m just nervous about how to break the news, you know?”

  I rolled my wife underneath me so I could stare into her eyes. I settled her between my legs to make sure I kept my weight off her and propped myself up on my forearm. My other hand cupped her jaw, my thumb stroked her cheekbone. “Do you want to get everyone together for dinner this week, and we can tell them then? I’ll break the news, so you don’t have to be the bad guy. I’ll tell everyone I whisked you away under the guise of an overdue vacation and surprised you with a wedding.”

  “I don’t want to have to wait; so unless we can get everyone together tonight, that won’t work. I know I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth, Brett. I’m just nervous.”

  “Do you want to call our parents and friends before we leave to see if they want to have dinner tonight?” It wasn’t what I wanted to do when I got home, but if it would put her mind at ease, I could handle it.

  “No. I want to enjoy our last day together before we have to go back to work. I’ll just call my parents tonight. I can tell my friends later. I won’t see any of them during the week anyhow.”

  With my forehead leaned against hers, I forced her to make eye contact. “Sweetheart, this shouldn’t be stressful. Everyone will be thrilled for you, for us.”

  She didn’t respond verbally, but physically, she relaxed and traced my spine with her delicate fingertips. The way her touch ignited my desire turned my skin to gooseflesh instantly. The electricity she sent through me with such an innocent touch was mind-blowing. I shivered as the impulses ran down the length of my body and caused Annie to giggle.

  “Ticklish?” she asked.

  I adjusted my body slightly, so she understood that wasn’t the sensation I was feeling. “Does that feel like it tickled?” I questioned, pressing my erection into her thigh as my heavy eyelids drooped with lust.

  Her eyes were ablaze with a playfulness I only saw from her in the bedroom. Wrapping her hands around my neck, she pulled me to her lips, planting a firm kiss, but not open-mouthed. She offered a series of them that became increasingly more intimate with each peck. I pulled back, taking in her beauty, and again wondered how I’d ever gotten lucky enough for this woman to consent to be my wife. She was beyond anything I’d ever imagined for myself, and at times, it was overwhelming to think she’d picked me.

  Burrowing my face in her neck, I began to slowly make love to my wife, savoring the time we shared before departing from this slice of heaven on earth. I took my time lavishing her body with kisses and adoration. Neither of us was in a hurry. Our bodies seemed to find a rhythm that rolled on endlessly. Our hands stroked the other’s in an unhurried fashion, as though they were learning every line, nook, and detail for the first time—memorizing it. When I couldn’t take it any longer, needing to find my release in her, I murmured in her ear, “Come with me, sweetheart.”

  There was no verbal acknowledgment, just a tilt of her pelvis toward mine as my thrusts grew deeper, more powerful. She fisted my hair in one hand and clawed into my back with the other. Her nails nearly broke the skin when she arched toward me and cried out her release as I met her. We laid there in silence until we couldn’t wait to get up any longer—we had a plane to catch.

  ~

  When the plane touched down in Greenville, Annie and I turned our phones back on for the first time in over a week. We had promised each other we wouldn’t allow any outside distractions to mar our trip, and being out of the country made that easy to explain before we left. Both phones came to life chirping, chiming, dinging, pinging, and every noise imaginable with text messages, voicemails, emails, and any other possible notification. Annie glanced through the things she’d missed, and she swiftly sent out one group message telling her parents and our friends we were home. Afterward, she promptly silenced her phone and put it back in her bag. I followed suit sending my parents a short message letting them know we arrived safely, but I didn’t bother with my friends. Men didn’t give a shit. I heard Annie’s phone vibrating in her bag, but she never checked it as we went through baggage claim and to the car.

  Once on the road, she looked at me. “Do you think it’s safe to check the messages at this point?” Her face was tainted with worry.

  “Sweetheart, your friends will not be mad at you. Plus, they don’t even know anything yet. Are you trying to avoid the confrontation? Is that why you aren’t checking your phone?”

  She nodded her reply.

  “Who are you most afraid of telling?”

  “My mom and dad,” she stated plainly. “Things between us have been so strained for years. This may be the final nail in the coffin. The sad thing is you’re exactly what they always wanted for me.”

  I’d met her parents when we’d run into them one night, but it was only briefly, and neither had shown much interest. We’d all wanted to go in separate directions to escape the tension.

  “Okay. Then let’s just go ahead and get that one taken care of. Everything after will be a breeze. Call your parents and see if they’re home.”

  “What? Now? You want me to just dial their number and ask if I can bring my husband by for a quick visit?” A mixture of fear and panic filled her voice, and her eyes were wild.

  “Yes. Now.”

  She did as I asked and to my relief, they answered, although I wasn’t sure Annie felt the same way. Her face dropped when I asked her to see if they minded us stopping by. I took the exit off the interstate toward their house, and the closer we got to our destination the more her face scrunched up in apprehension. She was visibly anxious and obviously terrified of what she was about to walk into.

  As we walked to their front door, Annie clung to my hand as if I was her only lifeline. With a tight squeeze of reassurance, I rang the doorbell. Her parents met us with wide grins on their faces, which Annie returned in a meek exchange. It took everything in me not to laugh at her unease—it was palpable.

  Her dad tried to welcome her with a hug, but she was uncomfortable. This wouldn’t fix itself overnight, but it appeared they were making an effort. “How was the trip?”

  Annie hesitated, so I to
ok the lead. “It was incredible. Crystal blue water, tons of day trips, and lots of sunshine.”

  Her parents were okay. Her dad, Jim, was a little intense, but once you got passed the outer exterior, it was easy to see, beyond a shadow of a doubt, how much he loved Annie. His struggle was in pleasing her mom. I don’t think Jim cared who Annie hung out with or dated, as long as she wasn’t in jail and was living a happy life. Her mom wasn’t quite as forgiving, but I hoped for Annie’s sake we could at least get together at holidays. Suzy meant well, I thought—she was just old school and set in her ways.

  Suzy and Jim both looked at us expectantly, waiting for one of us to admit what we had done while we were away. I hadn’t told Annie, but when we decided to elope, I had gone see them. Part of my four-hour luggage excursion included asking Jim for permission to marry his daughter—alone. But Annie hadn’t known that. There was no way I would have this hanging over our marriage. Her relationship with her parents may not be close-knit now, but at one time it was, and I knew Annie missed elements of that. She wanted their acceptance but not at the expense of her own beliefs. I refused to compound the distance that lingered between them by sweeping Annie away without their knowledge. I needed to know they were okay with Annie’s decision. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t change our plans, but I was prepared to fly them, along with my parents, to the resort for the ceremony to keep the peace. I was amazed when Jim said he thought it was a mature financial decision, and he knew Annie never wanted a big wedding. Suzy was disappointed because she had dreamed of planning an extravagant affair, but after the three of us talked, she agreed, this was Annie’s style and resigned herself to it.

  I didn’t know either of them well. That night had been the one and only occasion I’d spent any time talking to either of them. I’d thought maybe Annie had exaggerated about the types of people they were, but she’d nailed them on the head. Her mom spent twenty minutes asking me about my education, career, and financial stability, but her dad had only asked me if my intentions were honorable. It had been a joke, but one I hadn’t gotten, initially. Jim stared at me, waiting for me to crack a smile when he’d asked. His demeanor was stoic, never letting on his humor, but he couldn’t disguise it in his eyes. The two of us had a hearty laugh and settled in to talk before they had finally given me their blessing.