Running With The Tiger

by Bonnie Burrows

  The door opened and voices drifted into the family room from the kitchen. “Hello?” a pleasant, female voice called out.

  “We’re in here,” Egan replied.

  Olivia walked through the doorway moments later, followed closely behind by Egan’s brother Sable. Olivia’s belly was already swelling, the birth of their second child close. Olivia smiled when she saw Cambria, introducing herself with a friendly hug when Cambria stood. Sable followed suit, whispering something into Cambria’s ear that made her smile.

  The adults sat down, chatting comfortably as if they’d been friends their entire life. When Egan mentioned Cambria staying close by, Olivia insisted that Cambria stay with them.

  “You’ll be over here all the time anyway, you might as well already be here.”

  Cambria tried to turn down their generous offer, but Olivia wasn’t prepared to take no for an answer.

  “If you don’t want to share a room with Egan, we have a guest room. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  Cambria was overwhelmed by their generosity. She didn’t feel like she deserved such kindness and she said as much.

  Olivia waved away her concerns. “Don’t be ridiculous. Egan is happier than he’s been in weeks. You’re good for him. He needs a woman who keeps him on his toes and doesn’t take any crap from him.” She winked at Cambria and laughed at the expression on Egan’s face.

  Sable stood, holding his hand out to his wife and helping her from the chair. “Egan, could you show Cambria to her room and give her the grand tour? I’m taking my wife and son out while we still have a few days without a newborn left.” Sable paused, giving Egan a look that was far from subtle. “We’ll be awhile.”

  Cambria blushed. She didn’t need him to spell it out. Olivia elbowed her husband in the ribs before calling out to Morgan and saying their goodbyes.

  Egan led her up the stairs, giving her a tour of the house and carrying her heavy bag to the spacious guest room. “My room is just through there, so if you ever need me-”

  Cambria didn’t let him finish, kissing him passionately and pulling him towards the bed. He fell on top of her, rolling easily to face her while he laid on his side. Egan stroked her face, looking for all the world like he still couldn’t believe she was there.

  “I thought I’d lost you,” he admitted.

  “You almost did.”

  “I’m so sorry.” He meant it. He would give anything to take back what he said, even though he’d never meant to hurt her.

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

  She pulled him in for another kiss. He groaned at the sweet taste of her after so long. When she broke the kiss, he held her close, fighting back the tears.

  “I can’t believe you’re actually here.” His voice caught and he kissed the top of her head and squeezed her even tighter.

  She pulled away, hands on his shoulders and pushing him back down onto the bed. She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and leaning down for another kiss. She didn’t have to tell him what she was after, her passionate kiss said it all.

  Cambria pulled her shirt over her head, letting it fall where it may while she unclasped her bra. Egan was pinned beneath her, breath held, large hands holding her hips while he watched her. Her breasts fell heavily from their trappings and Egan couldn’t stop himself from reaching up and tenderly caressing each one in his hands.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said.

  She slipped out of the rest of her clothes, pulling at his pants until he raised his hips from the bed and helped her remove them. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders.

  “You can’t imagine what torture it is to sleep in that tent night after night and smell you without having you near.” She bent down and trailed tender kisses down his chest. She paused, looking up at him and smiling. “I missed you so much.”

  Cambria worked her sweet mouth down his chiseled abs, the heat of her causing him to shiver. She didn’t relent, forcing a moan of pleasure from him when she wrapped her long fingers around him and squeezed. He wanted to be inside her, but she took her sweet time with him. She teased him until he was almost frantic with need when she finally lowered herself onto him.

  She moved against him quickly, her arousal already nearly out of control. Egan grabbed her breasts, squeezing them while she worked herself into a frenzy. He watched her face and the way her hair fell around it in large, open curls. He gasped when he realized that this was it. The dream that he’d had of her that had finally pushed him to seek her out.

  He watched in amazement as each motion, every expression on her face mirrored his dream so precisely. She writhed above him, taking her pleasure from him with no apologies. Oh, how he loved this woman. He had known from the moment he saw her alone in that cabin that she was “the one”.

  The only thing he’d gotten wrong was her name.

  When she gave herself over to the pleasure, he let himself ride the climax with her. She called out his name as her heat drew the last of his passion out of him. Exhausted, she fell onto his chest and burrowed into his strong embrace.

  Egan fought to catch his breath, loathe to let her go. When she sighed and rolled off Egan to lay beside him on the bed, he cupped her cheek and kissed her softly. Her eyes were growing heavy and she was moments away from sleep. Egan pulled the blankets around them and tucked her in, snuggling against her until they were nose to nose.

  He didn’t want to let this moment end, but he had a question that had been pestering him since his brother had left the house earlier.

  “So, are you going to tell me what my brother said to you?” he asked, curiosity eating him alive.

  Cambria smiled, her eyes bright with emotion even as she fought off sleep. “He said, ‘Welcome to the family.’”

  Epilogue

  Three months later

  Cambria sat on the plush chair, trying to focus on the papers in front of her. She wore a soft, blue dress that was tailor-made for her. The fabric was light and airy, almost like a second skin. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. When Egan had taken her shopping and she’d tried on the first dress, a purple one exactly like the one today, she’d fallen in love with the way the fabric felt against her skin. She’d bought one in every color.

  When a seamstress had come from a back room to measure her, Cambria hadn’t understood. Growing up in poverty, she wasn’t accustomed to anyone making a fuss over her, or the clothes she wore. She couldn’t honestly remember ever getting to choose her clothing, and she didn’t think she’d ever worn a dress.

  Her clothes were delivered at the end of that same week, with each outfit altered slightly to fit her perfectly. Cambria had never had so much fun getting dressed each morning. Along with the dresses, she had a closet full of sturdy designer jeans, shirts and shoes. So many shoes.

  She’d had no idea how much money Egan’s family had. It had been a shock to say the least. Yet Egan was so down to earth, still enjoying the simpler things more than the lavish parties and expensive foods that his peers did.

  He’d taken her house hunting, looking at home after home until they’d settled on this one. It was not a mansion by any means, but there was plenty of room to grow, and the house sat on a large property. They didn’t have any neighbors for as far as the eye could see, which was what had drawn them both to the place. Having ten rooms and a large kitchen had been the icing on the cake.

  Egan let her decorate the entire place herself, turning away more than one interior decorator in favor of turning Cambria loose with a catalog and a limitless budget. Cambria hadn’t disappointed and was quite proud of the results. The house was huge, but somehow felt very homey and very inviting. She was looking forward to raising a large family in it someday.

  Cambria sighed again, tucking her hair behind her ear and going back to her reading exercises the tutor had left for this week. After eight weeks of spending hours a day working, she could finally read simple chapter books. One sh
elf was filled with children’s classics and some of Egan’s childhood favorites. They made the hour long trip into town once every week or two, and Cambria had made it a habit to pick up at least four or five new books.

  From her little office across the hallway, she could see that Egan was still on the phone. Her good news was eating her up inside and she was bursting at the seams to tell him. Running out of patience, Cambria bounded into Egan’s office, marveling as she always did at the spectacular view out the giant bank of floor to ceiling windows. The majestic mountain range in the distance served as the perfect backdrop to the lush green fields surrounding their home.

  Several times a day, the scene took her breath away. As she often did, she wondered what she’d done to deserve such a beautiful life after everything she’d been through. Even after three months, she couldn’t believe that this home was theirs. It almost seemed too good to be true.

  Egan was listening intently to the person on the other line, responding with the occasional “I understand” but otherwise silent. He waved her in when he saw her, pushing his chair away from his desk so she could sit on his lap while he talked. He slid his hand under her dress, arching an eyebrow at her when he noticed that she wasn’t wearing any panties.

  He squeezed her ass, rubbing her smooth skin lovingly and grinning ear to ear as the voice on the other end continued. His hand ventured upwards, and his thumb rubbed across her bare nipples one at a time when he found them resting freely beneath the thing fabric of the dress. Cambria was tempted to take him right then and there, straddling him in his office chair like a naughty secretary, but she was on a mission.

  The naughty secretary was going to have to wait.

  Egan hung up with the man after thanking him profusely for his help and promising a big bonus was on its way for his efforts. Cambria sat still, letting Egan fondle her breasts for a bit longer before she pushed his hands away. He smile was wicked as he looked at his sweet Cambria, pushing a loose tendril of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. She could tell that something heavy was on his mind, but he was searching for the words to tell her.

  She wanted to tell him her news first, but something about the way he was looking at her said that he had to get this off his chest before he would be ready to hear anything else. She was frustrated because she was impatient, but waiting another few minutes wasn’t going to kill her.

  It just felt like it would.

  Cambria waited still, her apprehension growing as he sat there in silence. When she thought she couldn’t take another second of his silence, he finally spoke.

  “Do you remember telling me about how you didn’t remember anything from before seven or eight years old?”

  “Yes. But I am twenty now, so I would guess that is normal not to remember all of your childhood.”

  “Not exactly. Maybe a few things here and there, but you should have remembered something. Unless something traumatic caused your mind to push out old memories to protect you.” He took a deep breath, still searching for the words to tell her what was on his mind. “I don’t know how to tell you this, so I guess I’ll just spit it out. I hired a private investigator to look into your childhood. It’s the same guy as before. Like I said, he’s the best. At first, I wanted to know who these people were who had destroyed you. But I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew why they kept you away from everyone, and why you couldn’t remember anything from your earlier years.”

  He took a deep, shaky breath again, and Cambria’s heart sank. Were her parents dead? She didn’t know what to think if they were, but she was shocked that she felt sadness at the thought. They didn’t deserve her pity, or her love. Yet she couldn’t help but mourn the loss.

  Egan cleared his throat and continued, clearly struggling to find the right thing to say. “Those people you thought were your parents never were. You were in America on vacation with your parents when you were six and you were kidnapped.”

  “That’s impossible. I would remember that.”

  “You do. You just don’t realize it. Some of the things you say, the way you talk, are all remnants of who you were before they took you. The only way to protect yourself was to push those memories away so you could deal with your new reality.”

  “Where are my parents? Why did they just leave me?”

  “They never stopped looking for you. But with you having no contact with anyone outside where you were held, no one was ever able to find you.” He pulled a paper out of a stack on his desk. “Here’s the age progression from the missing person’s website. I think it’s pretty spot-on.”

  Cambria held it in her hand, touching the face of the innocent looking child from nearly fifteen years before. “I looked so happy.” Cambria didn’t know why, but the sweet little smile of the child she’d once been was her undoing. She dissolved into tears, leaning against Egan’s chest and letting the tears flow as he held her close.

  He kissed her head tenderly, holding her tightly until her sobbing quieted and she began to stir.

  She stood up, looking at Egan with an expression that was filled with determination. “I have to see them. I need to tell them that it’s not their fault and that I’m happy now.”

  “Are you? I mean, really, deliriously happy.”

  “Yes, Egan. I am.” She held up the picture again, studying the face of the little girl and trying to remember being her.

  “What else did you learn?” she asked.

  “They were vacationing in Atlanta from Portugal. You have two brothers and one sister. Your parents immigrated about ten years ago, hoping to eventually find you.”

  “They’re here?” Cambria was excited.

  “Well, not here in Montana, but in Atlanta.”

  Cambria couldn’t hold in her enthusiasm. “I want to see them, when can we go?”

  “That’s the thing. I didn’t think things through, and I should have asked you first. But they’re flying in this weekend. I thought you might be more comfortable meeting them here than dragging you across the country and so close to where everything happened to you. I really should have asked you.”

  Cambria threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately. “Oh Egan, that’s just perfect. I can’t wait to show them our home and see them.”

  Egan let out the breath he’d been holding. “That’s good, because I told them we had plenty of room for them here.”

  “You would do that?”

  He grabbed her hands in his, “Cambria, we’re family. They’re my family now too and will always be welcome in our home.”

  Cambria’s eyes filled with tears. She loved this man so, and could never have imagined herself with another. He was her soul mate, though she’d fought the notion for so long.

  “What about you? When you came in earlier, you looked like you were about to burst. What did you come in here to tell me?”

  Cambria weighed her options, wondering if now was the right time to tell him. Could there be such a thing as too much good news in one day? “Well. I don’t know quite how to tell you this, but I’m pregnant.”

  Egan stared at her in shock. “Are you sure?” he asked, but he was already reaching for her, pulling her into his arms and off her feet. He swung her around, laughing merrily and planting a kiss on her lips. He set her down gently on her feet, cupping her cheek in one hand and pulling her in for a long, passionate kiss. “This is the best news I’ve ever gotten.”

  Cambria smiled. “It’s been one hell of a day.”

  “It has. And now we have to get ready for company. They’ll be here in a few days.”

  Egan and Cambria walked out of the office, hand in hand. Egan stopped, looking at the paper she still held in her hand of the little lost girl who had turned into the woman of his dreams.

  “Hey Cambria.”

  “Yes?” her voice was soft and distant. She was already deep into planning her family’s visit.

  “Did you happen to see what the name listed on your missing photo?”

  Camb
ria hadn’t noticed. She stopped, slipping her hand out of his and tracing the name with her finger. She threw her head back and laughed, the sound filling the hallway.

  “No way,” she exclaimed in disbelief.

  It was written on the paper as plain as day. Her name was, and always had been, Elise.

  THE END

  Message From The Author:

  Hi!

  This is Bonnie Burrows and I hope you enjoyed my book! If you want to see all the other books have written then just head over and check out my Amazon Page HERE! :)

  Also, if you have a moment I would really love if you could rate my book on the Amazon.com store..

  YES, I WILL RATE YOU BONNIE!!!

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