by Lacey Silks
“Ah shit!” The words slipped out of my mouth before I got a chance to contain them.
“Ah shit, what?” She lifted her head.
At that moment, something inside me snapped and took over. I was no longer out on the street in the middle of nowhere but with a patient who needed all my care and support.
“Ah shit, you’re about to have a baby, Liz. You’re crowning.” I gave her an encouraging squeeze on her hand, grabbed a clean towel, and smiled, saying, “Feel like pushing?”
“Yeesss!” She shut her eyes and began tapping her hand at her side, counting like a pro as her contraction took over. When she took in another breath, she screamed, “Oh my God, Anna. Get it out!”
“Come on, Liz. Remember what you told me? Show me how your kids pop out. You can do it; the head is almost out,” I encouraged. “Remember your breathing, Liz. This is your third one. You’re a pro, right? You’re going to push on the next contraction.”
“I can’t do this. I need John,” she cried.
“Well, John is not here. He’s taking care of J.J. But I’m here for you. You can and you will do this, and I will not leave your side for a moment. Come on, let’s get this baby to its mama. Okay?”
“Okay.” She nodded, tears streaking down her face. And she pushed with all her might. With a towel ready in my hands, thirty seconds later I held a little girl in my arms. I reached out just in time for Dr. Marvey to pass me the suction, and as soon as I cleared the baby’s nose, the sound of a beautiful cry echoed through town.
“Hold on to that baby, Anna. One more push from you, Liz.” Dr. Marvey nodded to my friend. I just stared at the little bundle in my hands.
“She’s beautiful, Liz. You have a million-dollar family now.”
Dr. Marvey clamped the umbilical cord and cut it. Someone opened up the front door and removed the front seat. That’s when I noticed it was Derek. It was difficult to tell through the tears that were streaming down my eyes. I crawled through the front and handed Liz her daughter. I sat by her side until both her husband and the ambulance arrived. Missy came out with the boys as well so that T.J. could meet his new sister.
“Anna-banana?” Liz called out before they wheeled her into the ambulance.
“Yeah?”
“Will you be Anna’s godmother?”
“Anna’s?” My hand flew to my chest.
“Yes, Anna’s.” Liz sobbed.
“It would be an honor,” I said.
A warm arm draped over my shoulder. “You were amazing,” Derek kissed the side of my head.
“You saw everything?”
“Yeah, I did. And I heard you say shit,” he teased.
“I don’t remember that.”
Derek chuckled. “That’s okay. That was the bravest thing I’d ever seen, Annabelle.”
Dr. Marvey came to my side. “I heard you were in town, Ms. Waters. I’ve been waiting until you came into my office.”
“You have?”
“I could use someone with your skills in town.”
“I... I have another exam.”
“It doesn’t matter. From the way I’ve seen you handle this, well, let me tell ya. No interview could give me a better impression, Anna. At least tell me you’ll think about it?”
I felt Derek’s squeeze at the side of my arm. “Yes, I’ll think about it. Thank you.”
“Did I hear you right, Annabelle. Are you considering staying in Ogden?” Derek asked.
“Yeah, I think so. Missy, do you feel like spending the afternoon with me and Kyle, baking?”
“I’d love that,” Missy replied.
That was the moment I realized there wasn’t another town on earth I’d rather live in. Where else could I be happier? The longer I stayed here, the more I wanted to leave San Francisco and the man who held my life in his hands behind. The only question remaining was whether he’d let me. Unfortunately for me, as much as I wished I could stay here, my path to hell had already been set.
CHAPTER 13
Annabelle
By the time evening set in, my entire body felt spent, yet I couldn’t help but feel a kind of pride and satisfaction I hadn’t in a long time. With Missy and Kyle, we managed to bake over one hundred cookies, three pies, and a cake. We packed most of it for the Fields’ house and then I called Mom to tell her my story. She was feeling much better. The skin grafts were healing well, and she would be released in a week. We set up a room for her at Derek’s for now, as the old house was not yet ready.
As I swayed on the hammock in the backyard watching Derek water the garden, I sighed. It’d be so easy to forget about my exam in San Francisco and give in to this life. I wished there was a way I could write it here, but the lecturer had made it clear that this was my last opportunity to write it. Between helping out with the pigs, cleaning, and groceries, I’d been studying every day, and the material was sticking like crazy glue.
During the past five days of abstinence from Derek, he stole a kiss or two through the day, held me in his arms every chance he got, and as much as I wished for us to be closer, I couldn’t help but feel guilty that I’d been double-crossing him the entire time. And so I’d kept my distance. The lies were beginning to eat at me from the inside. He was such a good man, a man I didn’t deserve. I owed him the truth but also didn’t know where to begin. He’d hate me. My dishonesty was unforgivable, and the only thing I could do for now was hide, and as difficult as it was, keep my distance.
Except watching him now, with those boxer shorts hanging low on his hips and the muscles on his back twisting each time he moved, my mouth watered. I fought the urge to touch myself and reserved that only for the night when I was alone in my bed, locked away. I’d close my eyes and slide my hand over my belly, imagining it was his. Remembering the way he moved in and out of me, stretching me wide, made me wanton. My essence seeped out in seconds. I’d pull my slick juices along my crevice before inserting a finger, a finger that was way too thin for what I needed. Once I had enough lubrication, I’d reach higher. That first touch on my clit felt too good. When I pretended it was Derek rubbing me and kissing me there, I was gone. My self-pleasure would last until the beautifully painful convulsions shook my body. I would bite down on the covers to contain my scream. Tears would streak down my cheeks because I knew that despite the one wall separating us, I wasn’t brave enough to make a move; in fact, I’d have to hold back each time he was near.
“Penny for your thoughts, pretty lady.” Derek startled me and my eyes flew open. “Actually, from that look on your face, I think I’d pay a million to know what you’re thinking.”
He stood above me, blocking the sun with his body. The way the rays shined, creating an aura, he looked like Zeus who’d just stepped out of the clouds. Without waiting for my answer, Derek threw the hose he’d been holding to the side and climbed up onto the hammock, sinking us both lower. He straddled my hips with a very visible erection tenting his boxer shorts. I felt my mouth water. How long has he been staring at me? And most important, did I do something to give him the idea that I was, in fact, thinking about him? My hand ached to touch him—any part of him.
“Do you want to play games, Annabelle?” he asked, reaching forward. Derek flicked one button of my dress open, and that’s when I remembered that I wasn’t wearing a bra and the fastening ran all the way to the bottom hem. When I’d laid down in the hammock, I wasn’t expecting Derek to be finished with his work at the garage until later and forgot to change once he got here.
“What games?” I asked, my voice barely making a sound.
“The ones where you’re pretending nothing happened between us. The ones where you keep hiding the way your body’s reacting to me and how much you want me. The sinful thoughts I know you’re having about me right this moment.”
I was really beginning to believe that Derek was a mind reader. “Ahm, I’m not playing.”
“Good. Because I’m tired of playing. I don’t want to relieve myself in the shower any longer, Anna
belle. I want to sleep at night with you in my arms. I need to feel your warm body beside me. I crave the way you feel against my skin. It’s time we laid the cards out on the table. Did you not enjoy yourself earlier this week? Or was it not good enough? Would you prefer I fucked you harder?”
Oh God!
The buttons on my dress were open down to my tummy, revealing the outer curves of my breasts, but I couldn’t even move. I wasn’t able to take my eyes away from his beautiful mouth and the lips that I’d wished were already kissing me. He lowered himself onto me, supporting his weight on his hands. The hammock shifted. I wasn’t sure how Derek was able to keep such good balance, but the comfort of his body on top of me was too good. The heat of his naked torso penetrated the thin fabric that was barely covering my sides and below my waist. His heat warmed me. Moisture began collecting in my panties. It was as if my body was telling me exactly what it wanted and was already preparing itself for him.
“Do you like that word, Annabelle? Fuck? I know you’re an innocent woman. And I don’t mean to disrespect you. But something is telling me that you’re wilder and much tougher than you let on. Something is telling me that the countless orgasms I gave you that night weren’t enough for your needs. Which can only mean that I didn’t do my job.”
Somehow my nipple ended up between his fingers and I didn’t notice him uncovering me until the delightful pinch tore through me. His eyes were wild with lust and hunger.
I felt my throat constrict, but nodded. The sly smile on his face lifted even higher. Derek’s talk turned me on more than I thought it would. He had a way with words I’d never heard before, because hearing them from him wasn’t disrespectful or brutal. It was absolutely hot.
He reached for my hand and brought it to his shorts. Lowering the waistband, his ready cock sprung out.
“I don’t get this hard for any woman, Annabelle. Only for you. This”—he looked down at himself—“is for you.” I followed his gaze and saw that my hand was around him. The hot skin was like silk woven over a metal pole. On instinct I stroked him down and felt him grow even wider in my grip.
“God, you’re fucking good.” His voice lowered as he pulled on my nipple and released it. If I was good, then he was an absolute master. I skimmed my finger over his crown, spreading the wet drop.
“I need to be inside you, Annabelle.” And with a solid grasp at my shoulders, Derek slid off my thighs and sat between my legs while pulling me up until he ended up lying down and I was now straddling him. He fumbled with the last few buttons, robbing me of his touch. Frustrated, I grasped his hands and brought them back to my breasts.
“Don’t let go,” I whispered, as I finished unfastening all the buttons and my dress opened.
He cupped me and began playing with each mound, moulding them, bringing them together then apart. My boobs seemed to get lost in his large hands, but he didn’t mind. In fact, with each squeeze and tug on my nipples, I saw Derek grow bigger underneath me. “You’re so beautiful. I should have done this four days ago.”
Above us, the maple branches swayed, as if encouraging us to mimic their motion. The leaves danced to the light breeze as if they were shimmering.
My dress fluttered to the sides baring me for him. With Derek underneath me, he looked so hot that for a moment I thought I was dreaming. And even if I combined all the fantasies I’d had over the past few days, they couldn’t compare to the euphoria I was feeling right now. It’d been building since the night I fell asleep in his arms, and now, from the moment Derek caught me daydreaming, I knew I was gone. I needed him inside me. I wanted to feel that I was his and only his. I wanted to believe that he was the only man who would ever have me again. Pushing my panties to the side, I lifted to my knees and centering him underneath me, slowly slid down, completely coating him.
“Oh, Annabelle.” The rasp of his voice as I squeezed around him gave me the encouragement I needed. Holding him inside me, I felt my mouth open by a fraction. I stayed like this for a moment, concentrating on how deep I was able to take him and rolled my hips slightly forward and then back, feeling him grow wider against my inner walls. This was the only way it could work. I had full control of our movement, and given that the hammock provided no solid support, working my pelvis over Derek, creating friction along the top of my triangle, proved to be more arousing than I anticipated.
“You feel so wet, pretty lady.” He continued pinching my nipples, drawing them outward and letting go. They’d spring back, but their shape had only lengthened with each release of his fingers. The flicker of arousal in my belly turned into a flame each time he did that.
“Aha,” I replied, noticing I’d barely said anything from the moment Derek stood over the hammock.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, because for the life of me I can’t believe how right this feels. You’re so slick and warm. You feel like you were made for me. Only me.”
Oh, how much I wished I was only his. With the continuous rocking motion, I felt my clit rub deliciously against him. “I feel good, and safe.”
He narrowed his brows for a moment, “Did you not feel safe before?”
Had I said safe? I didn’t mean to. But the truth of the matter was that when Derek made love to me the first time, I didn’t expect him to be so gentle. I didn’t expect to enjoy it, simply because I’d forgotten the way I was supposed to feel with a man. The overwhelming emotion of just being sheltered in his arms and trusting him not to hurt me was more than I could contain. How could I not give myself wholeheartedly to a man like Derek? And I had with my body and soul, just not with my mind because I wasn’t being entirely truthful.
“It’s just that, you.... I trust you. Completely.” Wanting Derek to forget my careless words, I swayed my hips with a greater roll, taking him deeper. He replied with a grunt.
The need inside me began to brew, egging me closer and closer as the friction between us became unbearable. With what I called pure strength, Derek pulled himself up and gently uncoiled my legs, bringing them around him and wrapping me into his body. We were both sitting in the middle of the hammock, which I was thankful had been stretched further out. Face to face, chest to chest, with Derek impaling me to my full depth, his mouth overtook mine. This time, with the possessive way he kissed me, full of need and longing, I felt my belly tighten and pussy grip him in response. Our bodies, slick with sweat, connected, creating a swinging motion with the little resistance the hammock provided. My fingers raked his hair before drawing lower to his shoulders. I held on as the pressure built, feeling my nails digging deeper into his flesh. I was afraid I’d pierced his skin but couldn’t check as my body tensed with the anticipation of an oncoming orgasm.
Derek pumped into me with all his might. His heavy breaths and demanding hands pulled noises from my mouth I’d never heard before. I had to finally let go of his lips. There wasn’t enough air out here. He latched on to my neck. My lips grazed against his salty forehead.
“Oh Jesus, Annabelle,” he breathed into my ear at the same time, allowing me to let go. With two final pushes into me, we held on to each other, finding our mutual release. The blaze that tore through me was nothing like I’d experienced our first time. It was raw and pure, and its strength felt like it could puncture my flesh. I felt like every single muscle in my body ruptured as if it was flipped inside out. And the best part was that we’d remained connected the entire time. His skin against mine, joined spasms and shakes, moans and exhales of relief.
When our breaths finally calmed down, I slowly slid off Derek. Feeling his seed drip down my thigh, I couldn’t believe what had just happened. He brought me down to him, pulling my body to lie on top of his, gently combing his fingers through my hair.
“Annabelle, I don’t want to wait another five days to do this,” he said. “I can’t. I want you every day, and every night. I need you.”
I breathed out. “I need you too, Derek. So much.”
He squeezed me tighter. “Good, that’s really good. I was begi
nning to think I did something wrong.”
“No, you’ve been doing everything right.”
I felt his smile grow against my forehead. “So does that mean I can have you in my arms again tonight?”
“Yeah, I’d love that.”
Derek had a lazy smile on his face. One I could stare at for hours. When he looked at me that way, it did seem that things could be so simple. If only life could be so simple.
CHAPTER 14
Annabelle
Over the next week as Derek busied himself between feeding the pigs and working on the old house, I allowed myself to further ease into life at Ogden, and it was beginning to feel as if I’d never left. Deep inside, nerves tugged at me, warning that my life at this moment seemed too good to be true. I knew that in less than a week, when I had to leave for San Francisco, there was a big possibility that this fairy tale would come to an end, and I didn’t want it to.
We’d spent every night since our adventure on the hammock together, in one bed. I’d never slept better in my life than in Derek’s arms. And most of all, I’d never imagined that I could feel safe in a man’s arms. Derek helped me believe in a possible happy future again. He gave me the faith I’d lost and hope unlike any I could ever comprehend.
Since the buyer experienced another delay with the people they’d hired to build their sty, I helped with the pigs every morning, and after each round of cleaning we went for a dip in Peacock Lake. After a quick swim and a wash, Derek left to work on the house and I went back to study. Every other day I drove with Eric in the afternoon to visit our parents. My father’s recovery has improved and the doctors were confident that there was no significant neurological damage. The only concern remaining was the lack of circulation in his right leg. They’d need to make a decision over the next couple of days whether they’d amputate it.
As I pushed my arms through the water toward the shore, I wondered how long my happiness would last. There’d always been a pattern in my life, and if it held, bliss like I’d been experiencing with Derek would soon come to an end.
