My Salvation

by Michelle Dare

  “Do you think they have something to do with what happened to my cabin and house?”

  Owen shook his head. “We don’t know. They could, but without any evidence we can’t be sure one way or the other.”

  Cali leaned to rest her head on the back of the chair. “I’m tired of this entire ordeal.”

  He brought his hand up to caress her cheek. “I know you are. Come on, let’s go upstairs and lay down for a bit.”

  She nodded. She felt like she was going through stages with the ordeal. First she was angry, then hurt that someone would want to harm her. She felt regret because of what happened to Mrs. Emerson. Grateful for Owen, Steven, Erik and Adeline. Now she felt numb.

  Maybe it’s for the best, she thought. She hoped tomorrow would be a better day, but had a feeling that until the person doing this to her was caught, she would have only good moments not days.

  Cali climbed in bed as soon as she got upstairs. She sunk into the comfortable mattress and pulled the bedding to her chin. He climbed in behind her and pulled her close. His bare chest was warm against her back.

  Having him close, soothed her. Somehow he always knew what to do to comfort her. Owen brought his face over her shoulder so their cheeks touched. He spoke to her in a soft voice, “Rest, I’m here. Always.”

  She sighed and slowly relaxed. Before long, her mind relaxed allowing her to succumb to sleep.

  When she opened her eyes she noticed the room was dark. A strong arm covered her stomach, holding her close. She could tell by his even breathing that Owen was asleep. Turning in his arms she took in his handsome face.

  His hair was messed from sleep and his face was peaceful. He didn’t wake, but pulled her in closer. She let her fingers explore the features of his face. Smooth skin with stubble on his cheeks and chin, kissable lips.

  She loved him so deeply her chest actually ached. Cali never thought she would find the kind of love she had with Owen. The all-encompassing, can’t get enough, would move heaven and earth kind of love. The kind, that if anyone threatened to destroy it, she would fight with her life to save.

  When her finger moved across his lower lip his mouth opened slightly and he moved to capture her finger within it. She groaned internally at the feeling of his tongue moving along her finger. Desire started to flare in her and she was squirming against him.

  He moved his hand to her backside, slowly caressing her. She could feel how hard he was and shifted so he pressed against her mound. Releasing her finger from his mouth, he quickly moved to take her lips. He kissed her with passion and urgency.

  He didn’t waste any time removing her clothes then took off his own. As soon as he moved over her body, she grabbed his cock and brought him right to her entrance. She lifted her hips to give him better access, unable to wait.

  A moan came from her when he fully sheathed himself. Her body moved to meet his every thrust. This time sex wasn’t about savoring one another. It was a raw pull she couldn’t deny.

  He grabbed her legs and positioned them onto his shoulders. His hand went under her waist to tilt her higher. Each movement, at that angle, was the perfect combination to quickly build her toward orgasm. Her nails dug into his biceps which were braced on either side of her.

  She looked into his eyes and he appeared to be barely hanging on. Cali knew he was waiting for her to come, he always did. She closed her eyes, letting her senses take control. Her body started to tremble with the beginning of climax. “Owen,” she moaned. Her orgasm was so strong it kept rocketing through her. His body moved faster, until he found his own release.

  Still connected, he laid on top of her, but not with his full weight. He rolled to his back taking her along. Cali put her ear to his chest, listening to the sound of his rapidly beating heart and one word came to mind. Bliss.

  ~ 19 ~

  Owen spent the next day at work in a terrible mood. Part of the problem was that Cali wasn’t in the office. The other part was that Avery kept coming in bitching about a new contract the customer was giving her grief over. The contract was good, but everyone wants a deal. They want to see how low of a price they can get.

  He didn’t bargain. If the guy wanted one, Owen would direct him to the wholesale yard down the beach. He built high-end yachts. Either the guy signed the contract or he could go. He had enough business that he didn’t need to haggle with the customer.

  When six o’clock hit, he was out the door. Steven was waiting by the Benz ready to go. “Bad day?”

  “What do you fucking think? Can we just go home and skip the small talk?”

  Steven raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah we can, but you need to drop the attitude first. Whatever your issue is, it isn’t with me.”

  Having known him for long enough, Owen knew they no longer had the typical boss and employee relationship. He sighed. “I’m sorry, man. This day has been awful and all I want is to be at home with Cali.”

  Not one word was said on the way home. His attitude hadn’t calmed so he thought it best to keep his mouth shut. He watched the road as Steven drove, counting the minutes until he could have her in his arms.

  Opening the door from the garage to the house, the smell of chocolate chip cookies hit him like a wall. He breathed in deep and moved toward the kitchen. Cookies will help my mood too, he thought.

  He stopped in his tracks when he reached the kitchen. The site before him made his mouth water and it wasn’t because of the baked goods. Cali was bent over the oven, taking trays of cookies out and putting more in. He had the perfect view of her small, firm ass. She was wearing very small, black shorts that when she bent over, rode up revealing the bottom of her delicious behind.

  He stood, leaning against the wall, watching her. She didn’t turn once, lost in her own world. Cali also had a dark pink tank top with a short white apron covering her front. All the picture in front of him was missing was her in a pair of black stilettos.

  Finally, unable to help himself any longer, he cleared his throat to announce his presence. He didn’t want to be accused of scaring her again. She turned and when she saw him a warm smile spread across her face. “Have you been watching me long?”

  “Long enough. Do you have any idea how unbelievably hot you are in that outfit?”

  She looked herself up and down and said, “You can’t be serious. I’m a mess. I’m covered in cookie dough and I’m wearing crappy clothes. There is nothing sexy about this.”

  “I beg to differ.” He looked around and saw a few dozen batches of cookies cooling on the counter. “Did you do all of those by yourself?”

  “Yes and no. Adeline helped me make them and I’ve been baking them in the oven. Do you want one?”

  “Yes please.”

  She picked one of the cookies up from the cooling rack and held it to his mouth for him to bite and he did. The cookie was still warm and the chocolate chips melted in his mouth. With a mouthful of cookie he said, “Holy shit.”

  “Good?”

  “Hell yes. Even better since the cookie is being fed to me from your hand.” He took the rest into his mouth and turned her wrist to place a light kiss on the inside of it.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “What made you bake?”

  She shrugged. “I was bored today and when I saw Adeline, I asked if she could help me. I’m not a chef by any means, but these came out pretty good.”

  “Better than good.”

  “I’m happy you like them. Erik has been in the security room for the past couple of hours and he keeps popping out to grab a couple. He doesn’t say much, but today I felt like he might finally be warming up to me, if that’s even possible.”

  “Good,” he said and took a seat at the table. “The more Erik knows about you, the better he can protect you. There is only so much I can tell him or have him observe, but if he gets to know you a little better, he will be more in tune with you.”

  Cali nodded. “I have one more batch to put in the ov
en and then I’ll be done.”

  He sat in the chair and watched her move around the kitchen. She was putting the already cool cookies into a container, cleaning off the counter as she went. He spit out the next sentence without even thinking. “Move in with me.”

  She froze. “W-w-what?”

  Too late to go back now, he thought. “Move in with me.”

  He stood and walked over to stand in front of her. “Caliana, I want you here every day when I wake and when I sleep. I want you to call this your home too. I want your things with mine, permanently. I know it seems fast, but I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life as I am when it comes to you. I want you here, in this house, always.”

  She stood, staring at him, only blinking. He reached for her hands. His touch seemed to snap her out of the haze. “Owen, I … I … don’t know what to say.”

  “Say yes.”

  He started to panic, thinking she was going to say no. He didn’t know if he could handle it if once the person after her was caught she went back to her own place. She belonged with him.

  In a voice, so low he could barely hear her, she said, “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  She was smiling now. Owen was so excited that he lifted her into the air. She put her legs around his waist and kissed him.

  “You made me very happy, Caliana Crawford.”

  She combed her fingers through his hair. “Was it the cookies? You just want me to keep making you cookies, don’t you?”

  “The cookies are a bonus. Having you here, that’s what I need. You just made my fucking day, beautiful. Now go get changed. We’re going out for dinner tonight.”

  “What about the rest of the cookies?”

  He put her on the kitchen floor and reached for his cell. He typed off a quick text to Adeline. She responded immediately. “They’ll be fine. Adeline will be here in two minutes.”

  “You really are something else.”

  She went to the sink to wash her hands. He took the hand towel off of the counter, wound it up and snapped her ass with it. “Get dressed, now. Nothing fancy. Move.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said, mocking him. She ran for the stairs.

  “Oh you better run,” he said, chasing after her. Cali squealed as she hit the top of the stairs and took off for the bedroom.

  * * * * * * * *

  He took Cali to an Italian restaurant in town, owned by an older couple who made all of the pasta from scratch. They laughed, touched and were the annoying couple in the booth that everyone rolled their eyes at when they saw them. They didn’t care though. Both were happy in love and wouldn’t have it any other way. With all of the shit they have been through, a little happiness was welcome.

  Erik went along and sat at the bar while they ate. He became her guard while Steven remained Owen’s. Erik had really grown on her and she was slowly chipping away at the stiff, strictly professional exterior he always wore. She hoped they could become friends one day. She knew she wouldn’t always need her own security detail, but still wanted to get to know him.

  She felt like a teenager in the car on the way back to Owen’s. They held hands and snuck kisses, trying not to make Erik uncomfortable, but failing miserably. He was ever the professional and never said one word about any of it. She even thought she saw a small smile on his face at the restaurant, but when she turned her full attention to him it was gone.

  As they were getting ready for bed, Owen said, “We’ll move your things in this weekend. I want you officially moved in as soon as possible.”

  She was still a little nervous about the move. Deep inside she knew she wanted it, but part of her was worried what would happen if their relationship didn’t work out. “Owen, I want to keep my townhouse.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “Why? You won’t need it any longer and we can sell it. Or you can rent the place out. That’s an option too.”

  “I’d rather not. I’m a little nervous. What if we break-up? I would have nowhere to go.”

  Concern was etched on his face. He walked toward her, bringing his hand to cup her cheek. His hand was warm as his thumb brushed her skin. “Caliana that is one thing you don’t have to worry about. I’m not going anywhere. You aren’t getting rid of me so easily. I’m here for however long you want me.”

  She wrung her hands together, her nerves getting the best of her. “What if we get into a fight and you want me to leave?” Her voice lowered to a whisper, “What if you fall out of love with me and don’t want me living with you anymore?”

  His finger went under her chin pushing it up to force her to look into his eyes. “I have loved you since we were teenagers. I could never fall out of love with you. Never. I will always want you.”

  She was fighting to keep from crying. She wanted to believe him and knew deep down she could, but she’d been hurt in the past and the wound resurfaced and reminded her it could happen again. Cali needed to take a leap of faith and put all of herself fully into their relationship.

  “And if we fight,” he said. “There are four more bedrooms in the house. Although, no matter how bad a fight between us may be, I never want to go to bed angry. And I always want you there next to me, even if you’re pissed at me for whatever reason, not in another bed in the house. Understand?”

  She nodded and gave up on the battle with her tears. She let them stream freely down her face. He sat on the bed and pulled her into his lap. “You are mine and I am yours. Remember those words.”

  She did. She had heard him say them before and it rang true now. He had all of her now and she hoped he would never let go.

  The next day Cali went to work with Owen, but this time there was no blowjob when they arrived. Nope, she was keeping her hands to herself. She already felt like a failure for not accomplishing anything on Monday. It was a new day and she was going to bust her butt to get work done. The first order of business was to find an assistant.

  An ad was placed in the paper at the local college and even in a few of the store fronts nearby. She didn’t need a professional assistant, but rather someone who could be in the office with her, to bounce ideas off of, to help keep her organized. She wanted someone down to earth and who was good with kids. After all, this was about the children, she thought.

  She met with her dedicated finance person to talk over numbers and when she was told the budget her jaw fell open. The sky really was the limit. Owen made it clear to that person whatever Cali needs, she was to have and they weren’t to question any of the purchases.

  The kind of freedom she had with the job was unheard of and she wasn’t going to take it for granted. She was going to set budgets and shop around for the best prices. She wasn’t a fool and could be shrewd when need be. No one would take advantage of her.

  She also met with someone in marketing regarding a logo for the charity. She wanted something that would be an overall charity logo for the company. She had a feeling the project would be one of many charities they could do. The person she met with said she would have some designs ready to see the following week.

  Her next step was reaching out to the community and finding children who would want to spend their afternoons learning how to sail and drive a boat. The goal was to keep the children busy so they would stay off of the streets and away from trouble. Cali also reached out to the community pool to see if anyone offered swim lessons. All aspects of safety would be taught to the kids.

  As she was typing an email she heard a knock on the door. Looking up she saw Owen standing in the doorway. He was leaning on the frame with his hands in his pockets. Today he had on khaki pants with a white polo shirt that had the OLM logo embroidered on it.

  The white of the shirt accented his tanned skin, drawing her eyes from the shirt to his arms. It was just another excuse for her to drink him in. She would never tire of looking at him.

  “Are you almost ready to leave? It’s after seven.”

  Her eyes grew big. “I’m so sorry. I mu
st have lost track of time. You should have told me sooner.”

  “No, don’t worry. I have plenty to keep me busy. Before you came back into my life I would spend most nights in the office working. Now that you’re with me, I have an excuse to leave.”

  “If you need to work late, I’m fine with it. I don’t want you to change everything for me.”

  “I welcome the change,” he said.

  “Okay, if you’re sure. Just give me one minute and I’ll shut everything down.”

  “I am and don’t rush.” He walked in and took a seat in one of the suede chairs, propping his feet on the table.

  Cali raised an eyebrow. “Do you mind?” He smiled and dropped his feet to the floor.

  “Your office, your rules,” he said. “However, when you walk through the door to my office, the same rules apply. Remember that.” She had a feeling his rules would involve her naked and in lots of different sexual positions. Just thinking about it sent a shiver through her.

  “Agreed.”

  She sent off her last email of the day and turned the computer off. Grabbing her purse, she stood and went to stand in front of him. “Let’s go home,” she said.

  “Home. I like the way that sounds coming from your lips.” He stood and pulled her into him, kissing her briefly. “Let’s go home.”

  ~ 20 ~

  The work week was almost over. It was Friday and they were walking out to have lunch with Ethan. Owen decided they would go on the yacht. They could have an extended lunch out on the ocean with no one to bother them. Adeline arrived as Steven started the engine.

  She had a large cooler she was wheeling behind her. Ethan moved quickly to lift it and help her climb aboard. Lunch on the yacht was the first meal Owen had eaten with his brother in years. He asked Adeline to prepare something and invited her along. Steven didn’t know she was going to be accompanying them and lit up when he saw her. She gave her husband a quick kiss and sat next to him.