Lori took a step forward, knife pointed at me when a loud crack filled the room. Without warning, the knife fell as she slumped to the floor. Behind her appeared an old man with a log of wood, my mysterious woodcutter. What was even more surprising, was that he had a face so very similar to my own.
* * *
I sat shivering on the couch as various people roamed the house. Luckily, the police arrived just moments after my woodcutter knocked Lori out. He had sat me down in the sitting room and met the police at the door.
We sat in the room, watching each other silently as the police assessed the situation. My mother was the first to arrive. She raced through the yard, and I wondered why the police didn’t tazed her, but then this likely wasn’t there first time dealing with a panicked parent.
“Emma,” she yelled from the kitchen door.
I stood and readied for her. She crushed herself to me, weeping loudly. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed hard.
“I’m fine, Mom,” I whispered. “I’m fine.”
She pulled back to look into my face. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and I reached up to wipe them off.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet Mr. Miller. He saved me.”
I watched as she turned to meet the man she hadn’t even known was there. Shock registered as she stared at him and he at her. The similarities had to be more than coincidental.
“You’re her daughter,” he said quietly and then frowned. “You’re my daughter.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and threw her arms around the man that sealed her fate.
She turned from him and sat next to me on the couch. She held my hand as tightly as she could. We sat this way for some time before our fingers started to go numb, and a familiar voice came from the front yard.
I jumped up and stared out the window. Out on the street, Gavin was being blocked by the police. I unlatched my hand from hers.
“Talk,” I said to them both and ran for the front door.
“That’s my boyfriend,” I shouted as I ran.
The policemen at the barrier moved to let him through, and we raced to one another. When he was near I launched myself into his arms, sobbing.
He sank with me his knees, kissing and hugging me.
“You can’t ever do that to me again.” His hands shook as the tangled in my hair. “I don’t want to ever hear those words again if that’s how you’ll use them.”
A cross between a laugh and a sob broke from me. I held his face in my hands and kissed him over and over.
“I love you,” said. I leaned back to stare at him. “When I thought she was coming for you, all I could think was that I should have told you.”
He crushed me to his chest again, my hair matting to my face.
We stayed locked in one another’s embrace until my knees ached from the position.
I pulled away and smiled at him.
“Come inside and meet the man who saved me.” I scratched my ear. “My grandfather.”
* * *
“I still think I should have been called,” Grace huffed over the phone at me the following morning.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Grace. The next time one of Gavin’s exes gets homicidal on me, I’ll be sure to call you first.”
Gavin frowned at me from the bed. “Oh no you won’t.”
I groaned and tossed myself next to him.
“I’ve got to go, Grace. We’re having lunch with my grandfather today.”
“Okay,” she said over the line. “But if you ask me, it’s all a little creepy coincidental.”
“Oh, for the last time, Gran’s spirit wasn’t guiding the whole thing. If she had been, she wouldn’t have put me in any danger to start with.” I rolled to stare at Gavin. Since that night, he hadn’t left my side but for a few minutes. Not that I was complaining, but when school started back up, this might be a problem.
“Fine, fine. Have fun with Gramps.”
I hung up the phone, placed it on the pillow above my head and stretched.
“Don’t tease me, Em.” Gavin wiggled his eyebrows at me and I giggled.
He traced a finger down my side, drawing lazy patterns on me.
“So you ready for this?” He looked over at me with such worry I felt my irritation flare again.
Ever since that night he’d treated me like a delicate little flower, and it was driving me insane. Even our love making had become gentler and sweet. It wasn’t that it wasn’t pleasant, but I guess that was the problem. Sex wasn’t supposed to be pleasant. It was supposed to be hot and loud and leave you sore for a few days.
“I don’t think I’m the one who really needs to be ready,” I said and rolled onto my stomach. “Mom can’t seem to get past all this. All these years Gran believed her sweetheart had run off with the money, but in truth, he’d been forced to leave and had no idea about his unborn child.”
I sighed and looked at him.
“It’s just so amazing,” he said. “If he hadn’t come…” Gavin choked on his own words.
“Hey,” I said. “I’m really okay.”
His hand slid down my face.
“I know.” His finger rested on my lips, and his eyes darkened with desire. Before I’d even had time to explore that look, it was gone and replaced by this expression of melancholy desire.
I huffed in frustration and stood up.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-two
“It dangerous.” Gavin followed me through the dorm listing all the reasons not to go to James’s. “What if he hurts you?”
“I’d crush him, and we both know it.” I turned in the hallway.
Quick as a flash, he grabbed my arms and pushed them against the wall.
“Get out of it,” he ordered.
I bucked a few times, twisting to get free. By the third time I’d bucked, it was no longer about getting free.
“Em,” he groaned as I rubbed against him.
I leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “Something you’d like to say?”
His eyes shot to mine as he released his hold on my arms and glared at me.
“That’s not cute, Em.”
“No.” I pushed past him. “That’s not supposed to be cute.” I stopped and glared at him. “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t go if you take me to the bedroom and have raw, hard sex with me.”
Gavin groaned and let his head rest against the wall.
“I can’t,” he whispered and looked away.
I grabbed my purse and opened the front door.
“I’m no some damned piece of glass, Gavin. I want you, but right now, I just don’t know what to do with you.”
“Don’t pick him,” he whispered. “Pick me.”
I hardened myself to his plea and swept out the door.
* * *
I sat outside the address James given me. My stomach rolled. This wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t even really care about the internship. It had become more about proving something to myself.
I jumped when James appeared at my door.
“Saw you down here, and I just thought I’d come get you.” He smiled at me, and my stomach soured further. Still, I had come hoping for the best. I climbed out of the car and locked the door.
James slipped a hand on my back. It slid down over my ass.
“Seriously?” I stopped, and his hand froze.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re damn right excuse me,” I said and reached behind me. His arm twisted with ease as I slammed him into my car.
“Emma.” I turned to see Gavin charging our way.
With ease, I pulled James back to face Gavin. “You see him? That’s my boyfriend, and he’d like nothing more than to fuck you up, but you see, I don’t want to spend my night bailing him out.” I ignored the very angry man charging my way. “So I’m gonna let you go, and you’re going to run on upstairs. Got it?”
James nodded.
The minute my hands were off him, he raced for the stairs.
“Just what the hell did you think you were doing?” Gavin stalked over to me, his fists clenched in rage.
“I was handling it,” I shouted back.
He glowered silently at me, rage radiating off of him.
“Get in the car,” I said and stomped my way into the front seat.
“What?” he nearly shouted.
“Just get in.” I glared at him until he climbed in on his side.
“Where are we going?” he said, his rage only barely kept in check.
“You’ll see.”
I started the car and drove in silence.
* * *
After driving for a good twenty minutes, I pulled up near a pond. Most of my anger had subsided, but now I was just wound up.
“What are we doing here?” He stared up at the night sky.
Without hesitation, I pulled off my shirt.
“This,” I said, handing it to him. I hopped out tossed everything but my bra and panties onto the car.
I dived into the freezing waters. I quickly surfaced.
“Whoa!” I shouted.
Gavin laughed as I raced out of the water and into the back of the car. With ease, I pushed the back seats down and created a place to lie down. I spread a soft blanket and rested on my back.
Slowly, he climbed into the back.
“Was this all a trick?” He wrapped his arms around me, and I snuggled into his warmth.
“No.” I grinned. “Well maybe.”
His hands gripped me hard as he rolled on top of me.
“You can’t do what you did tonight to teach me a lesson,” he said. His face was etched with concern.
“Are you ready to love me like we both want?” I ran a tentative hand down his chest and felt him shiver.
“I can’t,” he pleaded. “If I let go, how am I going to keep you safe?”
My heart broke at his heartfelt words.
“How about we both let go and keep each other safe?”
I climbed on him, frantic to have his hands on me.
“Em,” he groaned. His hands roamed over my body, never staying in one place for too long.
“Shirt,” I said and tore at the material around his body.
As the shirt fell to the side, I lowered his face to mine and took him in a hungry kiss. Frantic and frenzied, we shed the rest of our clothes. I moaned when he pressed himself against me. I rubbed and licked every bit of flesh I could get my hands on.
I reached between us and slipped him against my wet folds, moving wildly against him.
“Em,” he groaned again.
“Let go,” I whispered in his ear. He slipped deep inside of me.
For a moment I thought he had changed his mind but groaned when he pulled back and slammed into me. At a near brutal speed, he nudged my cervix, my climax hitting much faster than normal.
“Gavin,” I moaned. “Oh, I’m so close.”
“Shit,” he groaned. “Me too.”
“I love you,” I whispered in his ear, as we came in each other arms. “I’ll always pick you, Gavin.” I held his head between my hands and kissed him hard.
“Me too.”
Author Bio
By day, Madison Stevens is a mom, wife, house cleaner, short-order cook and underpaid custodian. When night comes, she gets to hang up those jobs, enjoy the silence and become a sex goddess, or when she has a headache, cook and read. Her husband is also an accomplished author, and the two have great conversations about both writing and reading.
She can be contacted at [email protected]
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