by Ivy Jordan
I chuckled, shaking my head gently. “Good. Things are starting to work themselves out,” I acknowledged.
The last week, lots of things were becoming clearer to Maddie, and it scared me to death. I didn’t want to lose her, but I knew once she found out the truth, she’d leave, probably hating me for the rest of her life.
“I really wish it would quit raining,” she whined, staring out at the wild ocean. I was glad it was raining, glad that she couldn’t walk to the gym and become more acquainted with her old life. The doctor’s suggestion had triggered something in Maddie, something I knew was from her old life. She loved being in the gym, telling me the smell, the noise, it all made her feel like she belonged. That was the life I wanted her to forget, the one that would only bring her more pain. Her life here, with me, that was the one I wanted to work on, the only one that mattered. I loved her, and soon, she’d love me. I needed more time.
“It should be nice tomorrow,” I smiled, secretly hoping that it would storm for the next three months.
Her hips drew me in as she stretched up to reach the cinnamon from the cabinet’s top shelf. That ass; fuck, it was tight and hard, and I wanted desperately to press my cock up against its warmth. She turned and her cheeks reddened, as if she knew what I was thinking. I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt roll through my veins, and worked to stop the blood flow to my cock before it was too late.
“I’ll just work out here,” she said contently.
Her smile paralyzed me, frozen in its presence. Damn, I loved that smile. I’d loved it from the moment I first saw it.
“I’ll only be at the office for a few hours,” I promised, quickly finishing off the coffee left in my mug.
There was awkwardness between us for a moment, one that screamed sexual tension. My cock twitched against my jeans as I watched her slouch against the counter, the small of her back resting above the drawer. I could just grip that tiny waist, lift her to the counter and settle into her warmth. My mouth watered as I imagined her taste, her flavor, her scent. I want her bad.
“I’ll be fine,” she said, her voice cracking a bit as she spoke.
Was she feeling it too? Did she want me to rush across the kitchen and take her, finally make her mine?
My eyes lingered on her breasts, small and perky. They were pressed up against her tank top, no bra underneath. My lips tingled at the thought of pressing around her tight nipples, sucking, pulling, and teasing with my mouth and tongue. Oh yes, Maddie Stewart was a beautiful woman, sexy, vibrant, and I had to do whatever it took to keep her from harm, even if that meant risking losing her for good.
She turned nervously, rinsing a cup under the faucet. I didn’t want to make her nervous, so I tucked in my lust and mumbled a quick goodbye. It was becoming harder and harder to steer clear of her sexy little body.
I left the house in a slight daze, still lacking the adequate amount of blood to my brain. I jumped into the driver’s seat of the Escalade and started my way to the office. It was close enough to walk, but with the storm, I decided to drive instead. The rain might’ve done me some good, cooled me down from the heat boiling in my crotch.
“Good morning,” Beth greeted me as I entered the office. She was tall, lean, and extremely smart. She was the kind of woman that men dreamt about but feared to approach. “You’ve had a phone ringing in your safe all morning,” she informed as she smiled, obviously waiting for an explanation.
“Shit, I forgot about that,” I gasped, quickly rushing to my office.
Beth was my assistant, a person I told everything to, but I couldn’t explain this, so I didn’t even try.
I opened the safe, pulled out the phone that belonged to Maddie, and closed my door. The phone was damaged to the point I didn’t think it could be salvaged. I’d worked all week, spending every second of my spare time on reading how to repair it, ordering parts, and finally getting it put back together. I’d inserted the battery the night before, placed it in the safe and left. I wasn’t sure if it would ever work again, but right now, I was delighted to see it was.
The phone was blinking, so I opened it, noticing she had several missed calls from Rob Fallon. I opened up her messages and found their conversations. I found where he’d left her several texts over the last couple weeks, and the missed calls were countless. He was desperate to find her, to get her back. I wasn’t going to let that happen.
He never was going to harm her again. She had told me all about this abusive asshole. I was worried she would go back to him if she couldn’t remember everything he had done to her.
I still couldn’t believe she was wearing the engagement ring she got from him when she arrived in Miami. I thought she had finally ended it.
My heart ached as I scrolled through the texts between Rob and Maddie. She told him she loved him, how happy she was that she found him, and then the tone changed. She told him to leave her alone, that she couldn’t live with his abuse any longer, and that she was starting a new life, somewhere far away. He obviously didn’t get the message clearly, or he was just that pushy, but his pleas for her to talk, to come back, and to give him a second chance were relentless.
So she had ended it.
This was enough proof to show her he was abusive if she ever thought about going back to him.
I knew he’d given her that ringtone, and I couldn’t fathom why she hadn’t taken it off when she arrived in Miami. Does she still love him?
The phone rang again, startling me. It was him. Fuck!
Beth walked towards my office, and I knew she was ready for an explanation. I didn’t have one. I slid my finger to the ignore button and quieted the phone as she entered my office. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“It’s a friend’s project. She asked me to fix the phone her husband broke when she found it, hoping I could find out what he was using it for,” I lied.
She seemed satisfied. I’d taken on jobs for friends before, ones that she wasn’t a part of, but never ones that I’d kept so secret.
“You’ve been acting a little strange lately. You sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, I’m great. I’ve just had a lot going on at home, projects I needed to finish,” I rambled.
I knew she wasn’t buying it. She knew me better than that. We worked together every day, sometimes at night, and spending that much time with someone, you learn their behaviors. Mine was off, and she knew it. Soon enough, she’d find out why.
“I’ve gotta head downtown to the courthouse; you play here while I’m gone?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said quickly, finding it a little offensive she felt the need to babysit me.
Beth gave me a look, one that said she knew something was going on, something more than just a friend’s project, and projects around my house.
She finally left, leaving me to deal with the phone that wouldn’t stop ringing. I had it on silent, but it buzzed across my desk as I looked up any dirt I could find on Rob.
Everything I found was flattering, nothing that suggested he was the monster I knew him to be. He was tall with dark features, and a smile that looked like a soap opera star’s. His Facebook page was filled with charity fundraiser events, over a thousand friends, and pictures of him and Maddie. They looked happy. She looked happy.
The phone continued to buzz, bouncing across my antique desk like it was trying to escape. I reached for it as it neared the edge, accidentally sliding to answer. “Maddie, are you there?” a voice spoke through the small receiver.
“Are you okay? Please answer me,” it continued to plead.
I pulled the phone to my ear and took a deep breath. “You need to leave her alone,” I said firmly.
“Who is this? What have you done with Maddie?” the voice demanded.
“Maddie is fine. She doesn’t want to see you again so lose this number,” I ordered.
“She can tell me that herself,” he argued.
“She already has. I know what you did to her,” I snarled.
/> “No, you got it all wrong. We were fighting; she turned to leave and fell. I never laid a hand on her,” the man explained.
Likely story. I’d heard plenty of abusers tell the same tale. They were always innocent, and most of the time, they knew their women would return to them, tails tucked between their legs and ready to believe they didn’t mean it, or it would never happen again. Not Maddie. She made her way to Miami, to me, and that’s where she was going to stay.
“Where is she, and who is this?” the man still demanded to know. “We love each other; she would never just leave like this. I’ll find her, and I’ll find you,” the man threatened.
“She never wants to see you again, so move on and quit calling or I’ll have a harassment charge slapped on your ass so fast your head will spin,” I growled, ending the conversation.
There’s no way he’ll ever find her, or me. He’ll give up eventually, even though he threatened not to. I knew his type.
Chapter Six
Maddie
Sweat began to bead on my forehead as my legs twisted in the sheets. I struggled to wake myself from what I hoped was only a nightmare, not a memory. The room I stood in felt familiar, white curtains blowing in the wind from the open window, a tall lamp next to a four-post bed with antique carvings on the headboard, and the music box I had from my suitcase of various items on the nightstand. It was my room. I was certain of it.
Muffled noises blasted into my ears, like someone yelling, angry. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, and when they came into view, I couldn’t make out their face. Who was this, and why were they so angry with me?
Tears fell down my face as I kicked into the sheets I’d tangled around my feet. I couldn’t wake up, and something in my gut told me things were going to get worse if I didn’t, like I knew what would come next, and I didn’t want to know.
Slap, a hand across my face. I dropped to my knees, my hands covering my heated cheek. The man, I was still unable to make out his face, was now on me, his hand around my neck, pulling me back to my feet.
His words were slurred in an angry fury, and his face so blurry it was unrecognizable. Who is this man? Why is he hurting me?
My heart ached as I cried out into the room, trying to pull myself from this dream, this nightmare, this memory. No, this couldn’t be real, there was no way that Isaac would allow this to happen to me.
The hand on my throat was strong, cutting off my air with what felt like no remorse. Suddenly it released, and as I coughed to catch my breath, bam, a fist slammed into my face, pushing me into the wall.
I slid down the wall, staring at the music box on my nightstand. Yes, this was my room; this was a memory.
My body jolted out of the dream as I let out a loud scream. I thought it was only in my dream, but as I snapped back to reality, to alertness, my voice echoed against the walls of Isaac’s guestroom.
The door flung open, startling me. Isaac stood in the doorway, the glow of the hallway light surrounding him like he was an angel. “Are you okay?” he asked, rushing to my side. He sat on the bed, his arms around me, and let me sob against his chest. “You had a bad dream. That’s all,” he assured me. I wasn’t so sure.
“It was so real. I was in my room. I know that was my room, the music box was there.” I rattled off the details of the dream. “What did my room look like in Portland?” I asked, hoping he could reassure me that it was my room, that I did have a memory.
“I don’t know,” he said softly. Why didn’t he know? We were engaged, known each other since grade school, so how did he not know what my bedroom looked like? “You said you redecorated it, and I hadn’t been there since,” he added. “What got you so upset, and why were you screaming?” he questioned.
I took a deep breath and told him about the scary man, the one who was attacking me. “It was so real. I remember feeling such heartbreak that I could barely breathe,” I explained. “Was I attacked?” I queried.
Isaac pulled me close, rubbing my hair with the flat of his hand. “I think your memory is just making things difficult for you. You’ve been so frustrated, and it must be translating to your dreams,” he explained.
Maybe he was right. But, it felt so real.
He started to loosen his embrace, but I quickly tightened mine, refusing to let him go. I felt safe in his arms. It felt natural, familiar somehow. “You want me to stay with you until you fall back asleep?” he offered.
“Yes,” I whispered, and slid from his arms back into the warmth of the blankets.
Isaac slid in next to me, pulling me into his chest. He was warm, strong, and smelled of lavender and musk. The aroma was stirring a strange emotion from deep within my soul. It was familiar. That scent, it was the scent of the man I loved. “I remember your scent,” I whispered, staring up into his deep green eyes. Our lips were so close, they nearly touched as I spoke.
The look in his eyes comforted me, made me yearn for this closeness to never end. I stretched up, letting my lips press against his. He hesitated at first, I could sense his resistance, but I knew he wanted me as badly as I wanted him.
His breath was soft and shallow as his eyes closed and his lips gave into mine. They were soft, sensual, and tasted like vanilla from his nightly bowl of ice cream. Sweet flavors tempted my tongue, causing it to reach out, sliding slowly across his lips until they parted.
Our kiss exploded with a sweet taste, sending excitement between my legs and through my breasts. Isaac’s hands shook a bit as they released our embrace and trailed down my back. They steadied quickly as they pulled me into his warm body. The muscles in his arms flexed against me as his cock—hard, eager, and ready to play—positioned itself against my clit.
The silky pajama shorts I wore were thin, allowing the friction of his cock to massage my clit. My juices dampened my panties, my pussy swelled and began to tingle, and at that moment, I knew I was ready to accept him as my fiancé, my lover.
Our hips rocked together as he settled between my legs. I let out a soft moan as his hands gripped my ass cheeks and pulled me into him harder. His lips pulled from mine. I stretched towards them, still hungry. “Are you sure?” he whispered.
“I am,” I replied, pulling him back into our kiss.
His mouth traveled from mine, searching my neck’s tender flesh. My back arched as his tongue rolled down my shoulder and to my breasts. Small flicks against my nipple through the silk made me cry out, and as his mouth consumed my small breast, sucking it through the silk, my hands gripped at his shorts strands of blond hair on his head.
I was nervous, worried that I wouldn’t remember how to make love, but Isaac took over, leaving me with little to do. His mouth searched to my belly, and then stopped at the hem of my shorts. His eyes gazed into mine with a hunger that drove me wild. I was in no shape to protest what was about to happen; I was ready. So ready.
His fingers slid beneath my shorts, pulling them away from my body as he threw the blankets away. My legs tightened together, nervous that he was seeing me even though I imagined he had many times before.
Isaac smirked, a mischievous grin that made my pussy twitch with delight and anticipation. He kissed my outer thighs, first the left and then the right. A slow growl escaped his lips as his hands parted my legs at the knees. I let them fall open, my pussy still covered with the silky panties he’d left on me. His mouth sucked at the flesh of my inner thigh, slowly moving closer to my hidden flesh. “Oh baby,” he whispered, his hot breath against my dampened panties.
The warmth of his tongue traced the hem of my panties, slowly working into the center where he teased my clit with delicate flicks through the silk. “Can I take these off?” he gasped.
“Yes,” I moaned, lifting my ass from the mattress so he could pull the material away from my body.
Instantly, I felt the cool air of the room blasting against my delicate flesh. I arched my back, pushing my body towards his mouth, anxious to feel the warmth of his tongue on my flesh.
He
teased me with slow traces around my clit, slowly sliding into my slit, separating my plump pussy lips so he could taste my sweet nectar. A rumble rolled through his lips as he got the first taste. I lifted towards him, his tongue sliding into my aching cunt.
My eyes tightened as I allowed my body to be overcome with pleasure, enjoying every single tantalizing sensation bestowed upon me. “That feels so good,” I gasped as his mouth sucked around my flesh and his tongue flicked against my clit.
Lightning shot through my veins, and then violent thunder roared from my body as my orgasm reached its point of no return. Isaac didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate, even though my body convulsed and my legs began to tighten around his head.
He sucked my flesh into his mouth as if trying to get every last drop of my sweetness onto his tongue.
Isaac’s eyes were filled with satisfaction as they peered up at me through my open legs. My breathing was wildly sporadic, and I struggled to speak; only moans escaped, no words. “I’ll be right back,” he said sweetly, leaving me on the mattress alone, cold, still wanting more.
I listened to the noises of his footsteps down the hall and the chaotic slamming of dresser drawers. Finally, he returned, his smile wide, and the bulge in his pants powerfully large. Wow!
He bit the small square package, tearing off the wrapper and pulled out a condom. Do we use condoms?
I watched as he peeled off his shirt, exposing rolling muscles and incredible abs. He held the condom in his teeth as he slid out of his sleep pants, unleashing his large cock. My body began to tremble again at the anticipation of feeling him inside of me. Could I handle him? I must be able to; we’re engaged, so surely we’ve fucked before.
“Do we need that?” I asked softly as he slid the condom onto the tip of his cock. He grinned, again with a mischievousness that drove me wild. “You haven’t been taking birth control pills, have you?” he asked with a smirk.
I shook my head. No, I hadn’t seen any in my bag, so no. “Okay,” I gasped, still wondering why I wasn’t on the pill, and if I was, why I didn’t bring them with me.
