by Mary Abshire
She pressed her hands to his and her body began to tense. Her breaths became heavy. He sensed her release approaching, and he struggled to hold his back. Moisture coated his forehead. When she reached her climax, her walls gripped his swollen erection. She whimpered softly and it was like a calling he couldn’t resist. He impaled her as her inner depths squeezed him. Relief arrived and erotic bliss started to swim within him.
She licked her lips as her movements slowed. He moved his hands down to her belly. She hadn’t filled out much yet, but he could feel a difference. He couldn’t wait to feel the baby kick sometime.
Emily crawled next to him. “That was good.” She lay on her side, facing him.
Andrew chuckled as he rolled onto his side. “Glad I could help.”
Her eyes looked tranquil and weary. He scooted her hair way from her face. In his mind, she was the angel and always would be. She was his lover, his wife, the mother of his child, the most caring and stunning woman ever and so much more. Best of all, she belonged to him. She’d claimed him. And she hadn’t run away. For once in his life, he’d done something right.
“You should sleep.” He leaned toward her and kissed her lips.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He settled on his back. Like so many other times, she cuddled up to him with her cheek on his chest and her arm draped across. He held her close. Even if he couldn’t find a gift to buy, he knew of one that would make her happy. The gift of love.
Chapter Eight
The afternoon sun shone into the dining room and added a touch of warmth. Emily sat at the table with her laptop nearby, her phone, a purple Sharpie marker, tape, a roll of wrapping paper, scissors, a variety of pictures, and the box for the photo album she’d purchased while they’d been at the Square. Earlier, she’d spent a good hour at the drugstore two blocks away, printing pictures she’d taken on her phone and acquiring supplies to wrap the gift. Once she had everything she needed, she returned to the suite to put the book together. Of course, selecting photos had been equally time consuming. She couldn’t put all of them in the small album.
She leaned back in the chair and flipped through the pages. Pictures of her and Andrew showed a few of their happy moments together. They had so many, and she could think of plenty not on film. But the ones she’d captured would suffice. She’d made comments on several pages, hoping to spark a laugh or smile. The snapshots she’d added from the ultrasounds were the ones with the clearest images of the baby. She’d left half the book empty so she could add photos in the coming months, including a few with Matt. It was a family album after all.
Satisfied with the outcome of the gift, she placed in the box. She put the lid on before she unrolled the blue paper with snowman. Once she’d trimmed off the amount she needed, she began wrapping.
Her stomach growled as she finished taping the last end. She’d had a bowl of cereal early in the morning and fruit a couple of hours ago for lunch. She put off eating a meal so she could enjoy dinner with her two favorite men. But given the loud eruption from her belly, she suspected she should eat some kind of snack to hold her over. After she wrapped a ribbon around the gift, she stuck a bow on top and declared her work complete.
She took the gift into the bedroom and set it on the nightstand. She couldn’t wait to see the expression on his face when he’d see it.
Emily returned to the dining room to clean up her mess. She checked her cell to see if Andrew had sent any new messages in the short time she’d stepped away. He hadn’t. He’d sent a few earlier saying how bad traffic had been and how the Square was crowded. He seemed in a better mood compared to last night’s bedtime. For some reason, he’d worked himself up about getting her a present. He should have known her well enough by now to realize she didn’t any gifts.
Emily tossed the scraps of paper in the trash and left the supplies on the table in case Andrew might need them later. She returned the unused pictures to the Ziploc bag for safekeeping. With nothing more to do, she could relax until the men came back.
The laptop sitting on the table reminded her she needed to do research on the demon in Texas. Before coming to Rockville, she’d been checking every couple of days to see if she could find something about Jacob or Ahmed. She’d delayed further research on him to enjoy the holiday with Andrew. Since she had nothing to do now, there was no reason to stop her from looking online for the evil man.
She propped up the monitor as she sat in the chair. Similar to the other times she searched for the demon, she visited Facebook first. When nothing appeared, she entered the names of his parents. A recent post showed the demon’s brother was planning to visit for the holiday. As usual, the parents failed to mention anything about Jacob. Emily scanned the brother’s Facebook page, too. Again, she found zilch about Jacob. It was as if the family had cut off ties with him.
Emily browsed other social media sites before looking on Google. Her stomach growled again. She’d forgotten to grab a snack. Frustrated with the lack of information on the demon, she took a break to find some food. She snatched a bowl of yogurt from the fridge, a spoon, and the small container with crackers. Items in hand, she returned to the laptop.
Emily ate the strawberry yogurt while she checked for both names on the main search engine. Like always, the information on the screen did not pertain to the person she was looking for. The demon didn’t want to be found. Why? Because he was evil. And what did evil people do? Cause chaos, hurt others, and destroy lives.
She set the empty cup with her spoon on the table. The demon owned a property, so he wasn’t completely a ghost. She pulled up the map to his address and zoomed in on the image. The small ranch home sat on maybe a quarter acre of land in a shabby neighborhood. The garage in the back didn’t connect to the home. A tall wooden privacy fence surrounded the property. Next door, a two-story house had boards over the windows. Graffiti covered the walls. Emily slid her finger on the pad to move the image back to the detached garage. The windows at the top had a dark tint to them.
A touch of nausea stirred within her. The fact the demon had changed his given name to a Muslim one and he stayed under the radar troubled her. Moreover, each demon Andrew had gone after had been worse than the previous one. Terrorists and extremists were everywhere in today’s world. What if this demon was such a person? What if he had plans to cause major destruction or walk into a mall or theatre and start shooting people? The thoughts made her sick.
She flinched from the chime of her phone. Andrew’s name appeared on the screen. She tapped it as she lifted the cell.
“Hey honey,” she said.
“We’re getting ready to leave,” Andrew said. In the background she heard Christmas music and people talking.
“Oh, great. See, that didn’t take as long as you thought it would.”
“I think you’ll like what I got you.”
“We talked about this, remember?”
“I know. I have a confession to make.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“I told Matt about the concert. I couldn’t help it. I had to share my excitement after you told me you found tickets.”
Soon after the two men had left in the morning, she’d hopped online to check for Trans-Siberian dates on Christmas Eve. Lo and behold, they were playing in DC. She had to go to a different site to buy overpriced tickets, but the cost seemed like nothing compared to the memory the three of them would share. What she hadn’t told Andrew was the band’s performance would be longer than normal and include patriotic tunes since they’d chosen to play in the DC.
“Ah, that’s okay,” she said. “Is he excited too?”
“Very much. He’s heard of the band.”
“Excellent. We should have a great time. Dinner. A concert. And then late-night Mass. We’ll have so much fun.”
After she’d purchased the tickets, she’d found a Catholic church with late-night mass in DC. She’d informed Andrew, but she hadn’t told him it was a well-kno
wn historic church. From the pictures she’d seen on the Internet, the structure looked to be at least one hundred years old. Presidents had been known to attend services at it, too.
“We are heading to the car now,” Andrew said. “I’d say it might take us at least twenty minutes to get there because of the traffic.”
“It is Christmas Eve.”
“I think we should hit the road early to get to DC to find a parking spot.”
“I can look for a place to eat there. I’m sure there has to be plenty.” She closed out of the map screen on the laptop and opened a new browser.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s make it a night in the city.”
“I’ll have a few choices by the time you arrive.” She typed in the Google search box for restaurants to dine at on Christmas Eve.
“See you soon.”
“Love you.”
She set the cell on the table as the screen loaded with a variety of dining places. Excitement had replaced the slight nausea she’d felt earlier. The plans for Christmas Eve were shaping up well. She couldn’t wait to spend time with her new family and to see the look on Andrew’s face after he opened his gift.
Chapter Nine
Andrew’s ears rung as he stepped outside into the cold. “That was an awesome show.” His voice sounded strange. The sounds around him were dulled as if he were in a tunnel.
Emily walked next to him. With her head tilted down and hands holding the bottom of her jacket together, she hurried to zip it up. Her legs had to be cold in the red gown, but she looked so sexy in it. The evening dress had no sleeves and came down in a ‘V’ to emphasize her breasts. It fit a little snug, but she had a cute ass for it. When he’d seen it at the Square earlier in the day, he had to get it for her.
“I had heard about the band, but I had never thought they would be that good,” Matt said on the other side of Emily. Similar to Andrew, he’d dressed in dark slacks and a dress shirt with a tie. He slid his leather coat over his arms.
Men and women exited the arena in large masses and headed to the parking garage and side lot nearby. Taxis lined up the side of the street. Lights lit up the city. Although the temperature was cold, the night was calm and peaceful. Dinner had been wonderful. The concert had been fabulous. Christmas Eve had shaped up to be the best one ever in Andrew’s book.
“I’m glad you two enjoyed it,” Emily said with her jacket now sealed. “The idea came to me last night when we walked by the theatre and you two were talking about an AC/DC song. I bought the tickets first thing this morning when I saw Trans-Siberian was playing here. Merry Christmas!”
“Oh, you outdid yourself, Emily,” Matt said. “That was one outstanding gift.”
“I’m always telling Andrew, it’s about doing things together and having fun. The monetary presents aren’t necessary,” she said.
Andrew agreed with her. He hadn’t spent much on her for Christmas, but what he had bought he thought she would like. The dress, for example, made her look and feel sexy for their big night out. Dinner had been his treat since she paid for the concert tickets. The other gift he had yet to give hadn’t cost more than a hundred dollars in total. He’d spent extra to have the present engraved and a photo inserted. He couldn’t wait to see her response to his present, but he had a feeling it would make her cry.
They crossed an alley to reach one of the entrances to the garage. Several people waited for the elevators, but there were only two. His gaze landed on his wife.
She hiked up her dress. “I’m taking the stairs.”
Matt led the way up. Emily followed him. Her two-inch black heels clacked on each concrete step. He didn’t mind the view of her rear as he ascended the stairs behind her.
“Well, that was easier than waiting for the elevators,” she said as they reached the fourth floor.
Andrew dug the key from the pocket in his jacket. “We should have enough time to make it to the church.”
“Do you know how to get there?” she asked.
“I studied a map before the show started. It’s not too far from here, not even half a mile. But we need to try to beat everyone else leaving,” he said.
If the weather hadn’t been so cold he would’ve talked Emily into walking, but he couldn’t ask since the thin garment she wore didn’t offer her much protection from the frigid air.
He pressed the button to disable the alarm on the Jeep as they neared it. Emily strode toward the passenger side. Her red gown flowed gracefully around the lower part of her legs.
Matt followed her as he withdrew his cell from his jacket. “I’ll pull up a map on my phone in case we need to avoid any traffic jams. St. Patrick’s Church, right?”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” Emily said.
Andrew hopped into the driver’s seat while Emily and Matt filled in the passenger side. Emily shivered after she strapped her seatbelt.
“Crank up the heat, please.” She rubbed her hands together.
The time on the dash showed fifteen minutes after eleven. He could make it to the church for the 11:45 service, but finding a parking spot might be a problem if traffic delayed him too much. After switching the heat on high, he backed out of the parking spot.
Matt leaned between the front seats. “If you exit out of here on Seventh, make a right and then turn on G Street.”
Andrew hurried to reach the exit, but a line of cars had already formed. Fortunately, policemen were directing traffic. Andrew stayed with the flow, crawling at a snail’s pace toward the stoplight.
“This should be G Street,” Matt said.
Andrew flipped on his turn signal. “I still can’t believe how great that show was. The lights and the music together … it was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“From what I hear, they tour every year during December,” she said as she held her palms up to one of the vents blowing warm air.
“I’ve always wanted to see one of their shows, but I’ve always been busy,” Matt said.
Andrew turned down the street. Again, traffic came to a halt.
“The second street ahead should be Ninth. Turn left and then quick right to stay on G Street. The next street is Tenth and you’ll make a left to reach the church,” Matt said before he returned to the backseat.
“Isn’t there a library with a parking lot on the side near the church?” Emily asked.
“I didn’t look. Do you want me—”
“No,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. We should see it when we get closer. We may want to park on the lot so we don’t have fight for a spot elsewhere.”
Andrew nodded and glanced in his rear view mirror. Headlights from cars lit up the street. It seemed as if there were more behind than ahead of them. Nobody was going to get anywhere quickly.
“I want to go up tonight and take the bread and wine,” Emily said softly. “Well, juice.”
“The Eucharist?” Andrew asked.
“Yeah.”
Pride filled him and he smiled. “Okay, we can go up together.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
He recalled when they’d visited a church in Rockport, Maryland, in October. She’d told him she’d stopped going to church at fourteen and had strayed from believing in God. He sensed her faith had started to return even before then. He was glad because she’d need it to help her deal with his loss in the future. And it would probably help her get into heaven.
Traffic continued to crawl. It took ten minutes to reach the stoplight on Ninth. Andrew curved left and then right as Matt had instructed.
“That’s the library,” Emily said, pointing to the window on her right. “The lot should be a little further up.”
Couples and families were crossing the street up ahead. They seemed to have come from the right. He suspected they’d parked near the library. Andrew stayed in the lane, hoping the lot wouldn’t be full. They’d already wasted close to twenty minutes in the car. If he had to circle around the block to find a spot, they might
show up late for the service.
The two cars in front of him switched on their turn signals. Andrew did the same.
“Wow, I bet that’s it.” Emily pointed to the left. “I wish it was daylight so we could see it better.”
From where they were at, all they could see was the back and top of the church, thanks to the lighting on the building. Andrew couldn’t marvel at it too much since he had to monitor the progress of the vehicles in front of him.
After waiting another five minutes, they reached a man in wearing a bright vest directing traffic onto the lot.
“I bet a ton of people come here every year,” Matt said.
“There has to be spots if they’re telling you where to go,” Emily said.
Andrew pulled in the lot and braked fast. He glanced in his mirror to see the vehicle behind him had done the same. Frustration began to blossom within Andrew. He gripped the wheel tighter. Finally, the cars in front of him crawled forward.
Another man wearing a vest jogged by. Andrew watched the man in his side mirror. The attendant stopped at the entrance.
“I wonder if the lot is getting full,” Matt said.
“We’re about to find out,” Andrew said.
Andrew steered the Jeep to the back, following the other cars. A few parking spots were empty. A sense of relief passed through him as he turned into one.
“I had no idea it would be this crowded,” Emily said as he cut the engine.
“It’s okay. We made it. After this, we get to go back to the hotel and relax.” He leaned toward her and she met his lips with hers.
“And exchange gifts,” she said before she kissed him a gain.
He smooched her a third. Three was always a good number for quick kisses.
They left the Jeep and headed in the same direction as everyone else. Emily slid her hand into his as she walked at his side. Matt strode next to her with his jacket unzipped still, but he had his hands in his pockets.
