Fall Gently (Red Light: Silver Girls series)

by Debra Kayn

  "Dawson, you acted on the love for your sister. Not out of some sick need for revenge the way Vince had his whole life. Don't you see that?" She softened her voice. "You might've been too late to save Jacqueline, but you saved me. Vince would've caught up to me soon after I left. Every day I lived in fear of him walking through the door until it was you who found me. It's because of you that I'm standing here in front of you, loving you until it hurts inside because I'm afraid of losing you."

  "I killed him," he said, his voice raspy. "I'd do it again if I ever thought you were in danger."

  "I know, and that's one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you," she whispered.

  "You've got to know that I can kill. It's inside of me, sweetheart. It drums inside me as plain as the beat in my heart. That's what you don't get. I don't regret killing him. I'm glad he's dead."

  "I know you are, honey. So, am I." She reached up and stroked his jaw. "That's another reason why I love you. I've never had someone to protect me, love me, save me. I've only been responsible for myself and the choices I made have never been the right ones."

  "Bullshit," he muttered. "You ran from your stepdad. That was smart. You ran from Vince, and that saved your life. You trusted me, came to Seattle, and stood in front of me and fought for us when I was afraid of hurting you with the truth."

  "You were still protecting me," she said, holding on to him tighter. "Please, don't throw me away and give up on what we have together."

  He hooked her neck and brought her forward. Once again, she was sheltered in his arms, snug and secure.

  "I need you," he whispered. "Fucking help me, because I can't walk away."

  She tilted her head. "I'm not letting you go anywhere."

  "I want you on the bed."

  "I can do that," she whispered, kissing his lips.

  He led her into the bedroom. She removed her clothes watching him remove his in silence. The ups and downs for both of them left her balancing precociously, and all she wanted was him to steady her.

  To love her unconditionally.

  To have him inside her. Every day. For the rest of their lives.

  The sight of him hard, ready, and beautiful gave her an enjoyable thrill that pushed away the whirlwind of emotions of the last twenty-four hours. She held out a hand, and Dawson took her to the bed and laid her down.

  He rolled a condom on, settling between her legs, and braced his weight on his arms.

  Skin against skin. Nothing between them.

  One broad male.

  One smaller female.

  Hard.

  Soft.

  Opposites in life. Perfect together.

  He brushed against the front of her. She moved under him, widening her legs and made room for his hips to settle down on her. From head to toe, her body conformed to his until they were locked together, melting into each other.

  The trail of his lips painted her with a low, sweet caress, moving along her neck and lower as he ignited her body. She held on to his strong arms when he sucked her to a near frenzy. His hand wandered over her stomach, over her mound, and found the wet heat of her pussy. Soft moans escaped her, and the most delightful form of contentment filled her.

  He stroked, teased and promised, but held her back from finding release. She arched up against his fingers, silently begging him for more. Her legs clamped around his hand, rocking against him, trying to reach for the pleasure she knew would come.

  Finally, he shifted into position between her legs and thrust into her. Pleasure shot through her, confining her as he plunged, withdrew, and set the rhythm. Helpless to do anything but hold on and let the feelings overwhelm her.

  With a cry, she unraveled, and a few seconds later, Dawson followed her with a deep groan of his own satisfaction. Her body trembled underneath him as the aftershocks of her climax hit her. She clung tightly to Dawson, realizing the decision they'd made to stay together bonded them tighter than she could ever imagine.

  What he'd done hadn't soaked in yet, but when he finally accepted his part, he'd realize he saved her life.

  Dawson rolled off her, taking her with him. She snuggled closer, pressing her cheek against his chest over his heart. His hand cradled the back of her neck, keeping her near.

  "Thank you," he whispered against her hair.

  She smiled against his skin. "I should thank you. That was...incredible."

  "Not talking about the sex, sweetheart." He inhaled deeply. "Thank you for being strong enough to see what I couldn't see and for talking to me until I'd listen."

  She moved her head and gazed at him. "Deep down, you knew what you wanted. I only helped you see everything clearer."

  "You know what this means?" He smoothed back her bangs on her forehead.

  She smiled. "That we're committed and love each other, no matter what?"

  "That, too." His gaze softened. "You hold my freedom in your hands, Roni. You, Scott, and I are the only ones who know what I've done. Vince's murder is an open case."

  "I won't say anything," she said, sitting up.

  He shook his head. "I'm not worried about that. You need to know that what I've done will always hang over my head. If they find out, I will be going back to prison."

  "They'll never find out."

  He skimmed the back of his hand against her chin. "I'll do everything in my power to keep it that way."

  She snuggled down on the bed with him. Her whole life she'd lived one day at a time. Being committed to Dawson was no different. Except, she would be grateful for every day she had with him.

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Roni paused outside the door of the garage on Fifth Avenue and Sycamore Street. Dawson turned, lifted Roni's hand clutched in his, and kissed her fingers. On her own, she suggested going to "Carver's Customs" before he planned to open for business on Monday. She wanted to see the garage and meet the men who would be working there.

  "What's going through your head, sweetheart?" he asked.

  Her lips pursed as she sucked harder on the Lifesaver in her mouth. She'd eaten three of them during the four block walk.

  "I'm okay." She bit down on the mint and gave him a smile.

  A pathetic smile, but he'd take it. The last four days had shown both of them how much strength Roni had gained. Not only in her willingness to step out of her comfort zone and trust him after he'd told her the truth about his past, but in the way she confidently pushed herself forward with little help from him.

  "Once I introduce you to the others, I'll take you into the office and show you around." He stepped toward the door, squeezed her hand, and led her inside the open bay.

  Scott turned around from hanging the tools on the side wall. "Yo, what's up?"

  "I brought Roni in to show her the place and where she'll be working." He looked over at the air tools and found Luchek and Jerald. "Hey, you two, come over for a second."

  He put his arm around Roni's shoulders and tucked her against his side. Her hand went to the back of his jeans, and she held on to his belt. She held her slight tremors from the others, and he held her a little closer because he could feel her shaking.

  "Roni, this is Scott." Dawson pointed at the man who'd helped him get in the house to kill Vince.

  "Hey, Roni," said Scott, nodding his chin.

  She leaned her head against Dawson. "Hi."

  Dawson swung his arm to the right side of him. "Luchek is the one with the beard. You'll probably meet Karen, his wife, soon. She works across the street at the deli. They've got two kids."

  "A boy and a girl. Four and six." Luchek dipped his chin. "Karen will like having another female around. She gets an hour off for lunch and will probably hang around here. I already told her you'd be here, so she has another woman to talk to."

  "I'd like that, too." Roni smiled and then caught her lip between her teeth.

  Dawson turned her slightly. "This is Jerald."

  Jerald weighed at least three-hundred pounds and stood close to six and a half feet ta
ll. Dawson lowered his arm and put his hand on Roni's lower back to support her.

  "It's nice to meet you, Jerald," said Roni softly.

  "Right back at you, Roni." Jerald grinned at Roni and looked over at Dawson. "Mickey's bringing his Vette in on Monday. We've got our first job."

  "Nice." Dawson held out his hand and shook with Jerald. "Good job pulling him in. Let's treat him good and keep him coming back. He's got a garage full of cars waiting to be customized."

  Scott thumped Luchek on the back. "We need to get our asses back to straightening up the place. We still have one more load of tools to bring over from storage."

  "Yeah, I need to show Roni around." Dawson moved her out of the way. "I'll come in tomorrow for a few hours and make sure everything is set."

  The men nodded at Roni. She smiled, glanced at Dawson, and ducked her head. Dawson led her to the side of the room and through the office door. Once inside the room, he flipped on the light.

  "The blinds can go up and down, so you can watch through the window if you want while you're working. That way you'll know exactly where all of us are while you're here." Dawson pulled out the chair at the desk. "Sit."

  She sat and scooted the chair closer to the desk. "You've already got a computer?"

  "It was Jacqueline's. I don't know how to use it, so I hope you do. If not, Jerald said he could teach you." Dawson put his ass on the edge of the desk and braced his elbow on his knee. "The blue book is what we've all had experience using. While things are slow here, you can enter all the appointments in there. Billing goes in the green book. You should pick it up in no time. It's pretty straight forward. Since we're customizing, we don't have to deal with insurances."

  "Okay." Roni blew out her breath and laughed. "Blue is for appointments. Green for billing. Got it. I know how to use Excel, or I did when I went to high school. It shouldn't be too hard to refresh myself with the program."

  "You'll have a lot of hours where you'll be doing nothing." Dawson leaned over and kissed her upturned lips. "You can play around with it, and when you're comfortable, you can put the information in there."

  Roni rolled back her chair and wandered around the small room. She looked in the empty filing cabinets. Turned on the flat screen television hanging on the wall and a basketball game came on. She shut the TV off and glanced over her shoulder at Dawson. "Really?"

  He shrugged. "Can't miss March Madness."

  She laughed. He swiveled on the desk and watched her ass sway over to the window and mess with the blinds.

  Roni stood peeking through the slats. He tilted his head, knowing anxiety almost drove her to change her mind about coming in to meet the guys. He was proud of her, and the introductions went smoothly.

  Not that he thought they wouldn't. He'd warned the men to treat Roni with respect and make sure they never touched her.

  He stood from the desk and approached Roni from behind, slipping his arms around her waist. "Everything good?"

  She nodded. "I've never seen your friends before."

  He kissed her neck. "They're good guys, sweetheart. You'll get to know them better through the garage and if things work out the way I hope; they'll be too busy to show their face in the office."

  She let the blind snap back in place and turned in his arms. "This is really happening."

  "Yeah." He grinned and kissed her smiling lips. "After this weekend, we're both in business."

  "A legal business." She slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him down.

  Her cheek twitched, and her eyes squinted in amusement. Then she laughed through the kiss she laid on him. He'd never kissed someone while absorbing their laughter, and the extra vibration went clear to his toes.

  She came away gasping and sagged against him. "You've changed my life."

  "Both of our lives and for the better," he said, validating everything. "Let's get out of here and grab dinner before we go home."

  He led her to the door and stopped. He'd almost forgotten. "One more thing. Go look in the top drawer of the desk."

  She raised her brows and cocked her head, backing away from him and reaching out for the desk. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. She put stock in other people's opinion of her and if they judged her. Today was rough, and she'd have many days ahead where male customers would come in to pay their bill and pick up their vehicle.

  He knew he could help her overcome any stress the new job would bring into her life.

  Roni slid open the drawer and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Have I ever told you that you're perfect?"

  "A time or two." He shrugged.

  "Thank you."

  "You're welcome." He chuckled, knowing the drawer full of wintergreen Lifesavers meant more to her than a habit. Her kisses were addicting.

  Epilogue

  One year later ~

  Roni pushed Dawson back until he sat on the bed. She undid his zipper and waited until he lifted his ass off the mattress and pulled his jeans down to his thighs. His cock hard and bare pulsed beautifully in front of her.

  Dawson lifted his body with his arms and laid back fully on the bed. She crawled on top of him, straddling his legs and kissed his flat stomach. Her hands tremored in impatience.

  With one more look into his heated eyes, she went down and wrapped her lips around the head of his cock.

  He sank his hand into her hair, not guiding, not pushing, but to stay connected to her. Dawson's habit of touching her when he passed her in the hallway, at the garage, in the kitchen, and even in the aisles of the store came naturally to her and not once had she taken his affection for granted. She counted herself lucky every morning waking up beside him and went to sleep on his chest every night.

  She sprawled her hands on his jean-covered thighs. His whole body relaxed with each stroke of her tongue, yet his leg muscles flexed letting her know she was doing everything right.

  Taking her time, she sucked the length of him. Deep and slow, licking and kissing, she paid attention to the movement of his hips on when to speed up and how much he enjoyed the sensitive area beneath the rim of his cock teased and caressed.

  It took her a long time to work up to trying oral sex with him. But when she'd gone to the doctor to get a refill on another year's worth of birth control pills, Dawson had surprised her by going to the doctor, too. With a clean bill of health for both of them and Dawson's desire to stop wearing a condom, she became curious.

  Too curious.

  Giving Dawson a blowjob was like nothing she'd experienced. He always let her control how long, how deep, and when she wanted to put him in her mouth. There was no learning curve. She tried different ways of tasting him, kissing him, sucking him, and loving him.

  And, discovered that she enjoyed giving him head without a condom and the taste of latex in her mouth.

  The power in his legs caused her to tremble with pleasure. Always the dominant one when it came to sex, he fought losing control. She moaned around him, enjoying the way his hips thrust, needing to go deeper.

  Maybe because she was the one dictating the act, she enjoyed watching Dawson come as much as he did her when the roles were reversed.

  "Roni..." He groaned.

  She swallowed, increasing the pressure, aroused as much as Dawson. She stretched her neck, taking more of him until his hardness hit the back of her throat.

  Before she could attempt to stroke the length of him again, she was pulled away from his cock and dragged up his body. She came down on him with one plunge.

  His cock slid in her wetness. She planted her hands on his chest. This was what she craved. Him in her. Connected, and loving one another.

  Slowly, barely moving at first, she withdrew and plunged back on him. The roughness of the hair on his upper thighs further stimulated her with each downward motion. Her breasts swayed, and the culmination of sensations drove her wild. She moaned and hurried. Her lower stomach pulsated, and she reached for the pleasure he was giving her. Then his fingers dug into
her hip, and his other hand went between her legs.

  "Right there, sweetheart..." he said.

  Her short fingernails scratched the skin on his chest. Each plunge on his cock brought his ass off the bed, thrusting into her deeper. She couldn't concentrate with his hand adding extra stimulation. Her body moved desperately against him, searching, seeking, grabbing. He was in her, outside her, touching her body. Her lower stomach tightened. Warmth flooded her.

  Her muscles clenched, and her pussy spasmed around him in one wonderful explosion. Lost in her orgasm, she arched her back and rode the gratifying waves.

  Dawson thrust up one more time, and his body shuddered underneath her, and his pleasure filled her.

  She collapsed on top of him and snuggled her face in the crook of his neck. Dawson sucked in a breath, and she lifted her head.

  She pushed up into a sitting position and watched his gaze go to her breasts.

  "Uh, sweetheart?" he said glancing up at her eyes and back down to her chest.

  She looked down, following his gaze, and noticed spots of blood smeared on her right breast. With no pain anywhere on her body, she looked down on Dawson's chest and gasped, scrambling off him.

  "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry." She hurried out of the room naked, crossed the hall, and entered the bathroom. Grabbing a washcloth, she ran it under the cold water and squeezed the excess water out of the rag. "Don't move, Dawson," she ordered crossing the hallway to return to his side.

  Her second wind arrived at the sight of the thin inch-long scratches on his body. She hurried back into the room and sat on the side of the bed and pressed the washcloth to his chest.

  A chest that rumbled with captured laughter.

  She shook her head. "It's not funny."

  "Yeah, it is." He chuckled and placed his hand on top of hers, pulling the cold rag away from him. "It's barely a scratch."

  "It's three scratches." She lifted her hand, curled her fingers, and studied her fingernails.