Save Me

by Shara Azod

  “You brought some man you’re whoring for into my home?” her mother cried indignantly. That was really funny given the way her mother had lived her life prior to her marriage. “We haven’t heard hide nor hair of you in over twenty years and you come here flaunting your wicked lifestyle—”

  “Alicia is not a whore.” Claus spoke calmly, not bothering to get to his feet. Though he spoke to Patty, his eyes remained locked on Perry. “I belong to her. Not the other way around.”

  That thoroughly confused Patty. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

  “Girl, you got a lot of nerve coming in here, disrespecting your mama like that,” Perry spoke, puffing up his birdlike chest as if he was going to do something.

  Weird, she used to be so afraid of this man. He wasn’t as tall as she remembered. Certainly not as strong as she imagined he was. He looked like a thin, weak little man. And he was, she realized. This was not some big, bad wolf. He was a sad, pathetic excuse for a man.

  Alicia pulled herself up to her full height. She wasn’t afraid. There was nothing to be afraid of.

  “That’s rich coming from you,” she replied calmly. “One would think sneaking into her daughter’s bed at night was far more disrespectful than bringing the man I’m spending my life with to meet my mother.”

  Patty gasped, shaking her head viciously. “That never happened. Why do you always spout such lies? And in front of company? Have you no shame?”

  So now Claus was company? Her mother was never going to admit what happened. In her eyes, Perry could do no wrong. But then, he had taken her out of the gutter and given her this parody of a home. While Alicia could never excuse it, she understood. Thank God she had never inherited this pathetic gene. It would kill her if someone had tried to hurt Deja the way Perry hurt her. The way her mother allowed him to hurt her.

  “I forgive you.” Alicia smiled sadly. “I forgive your blindness, your willful ignorance. But I won’t forget it. I will never forget it. Thank God my daughter never knew what a sad, delusional woman her grandmother is.”

  “You have a child?” Patty ignored everything but that. “You have to show me her picture! Why didn’t you bring her?” Alicia could only stare at the woman. A bright, feverish light played in Patty’s otherwise dull eyes. She was completely gone, Alicia realized. There’d be no reaching her; she had lost what little thread she might’ve ever had on life. “Perry, did you hear that? We’re grandparents.”

  “Get your whoring ass out of here!” Perry yelled, sweat beading on his forehead. “Your mama ain’t well. She don’t need this craziness.”

  Oh, God, he thought her daughter was his! That was fucking priceless.

  Of course, Claus was right there, crowding into Perry’s space.

  “I don’t think I heard you correctly.” That quiet voice was enough to make most men piss themselves. Perry was no exception. He gaped at the massive German man, his mouth puckering like a fish.

  “She—I—We— Look, I don’t know where you’re from—”

  “Alicia, take your mother outside. I think we should take her for a drive,” Claus said quietly.

  “Claus, we can just leave.” This was pointless. Besides, she’d done what she wanted to do. She had faced her monsters and found they were just weak people who exploited those even weaker than they were.

  The look he gave her melted her heart, making her fall in love all over again. “Your mother is…she needs help. This man will never give it to her. I could never allow him to live after hurting you. You understand this, yes?”

  She did. That was just who Claus was.

  Taking her mother, she led the frail woman outside.

  Epilogue

  Atlanta was a relief after the trip to South Carolina. They managed to find her mother a full-time care facility where she would get the best care. More care than the woman had ever shown Alicia. In the end, Alicia was relieved and more than a little satisfied with the way things had ended. All her monsters were dead and gone; Claus had killed them. Alicia was totally and completely free.

  “Take off the nightgown and come to me,” Claus growled from the bed.

  God, he was sexy. All those hard muscles, the controlled violence in his every movement. And yet he would never hurt her. He would use all his strength to protect her, to cherish her, but never hurt her.

  Smiling, she pulled the silky nightie over her head, letting it drop to the ground as she sauntered to where he reclined, naked, hard and ready, just for her. She loved the way his eyes raked over her body. It didn’t matter to him that gravity had begun to take its toll, or that there was a little bit extra around her waist. All he saw was beauty, and he loved that. Loved that she could make him ravenous, that she could make him so crazy he pinned her down and fucked her until she screamed.

  As soon as she reached his side, he grabbed her, rolling her on to her back. “You tease me,” he accused before devouring her lips in a soul-searing kiss.

  Yeah, she had just a little. It was fun to see him react.

  But there was no teasing now. Not with the way his mouth moved all over her body, worshipping her skin. There was no part of her he didn’t lavish with attention, working his way down between her thighs.

  “I’ve dreamed of this,” he moaned, running his finger down the seam of her pussy lips. “I’ve been so hungry for you.” Hot breath wafted over her sex, making her shiver with anticipation. “I need to taste you.”

  He was killing her. She needed him in the worst way, needed to feel his possession.

  “Please, Claus,” she begged. “Stop teasing me.”

  “Oh, so now I am the one teasing?” he smiled at her from between her spread thighs.

  That just made her hotter, wetter. “I need,” she breathed. “Please?”

  That was all it took. He dove in, feasting on her flesh as if it were some deliciously decadent treat. His tongue was wicked, delving deep inside her before curling around her clit. Her hips bucked, but he just grabbed them, holding her to his face. He was relentless, sucking, licking, fucking her with his tongue until she was delirious, riding his face with wild abandon. She couldn’t even scream by the time he rose to his knees, holding her open before he drove deep and hard inside her.

  For a moment, they both did nothing more than groan, reveling in the exquisite euphoria of filling and being filled. When he was inside her, she felt complete. It was so much more than just being full of him; it was like he became a part of her. And she loved it. Couldn’t get enough.

  “I love you, schatzi,” Claus breathed, then started to move. “I love you with all that I am, all that I have.” She wanted to answer him, she really did. There was just no way for her to make a coherent sound with the way he was making her feel. All she could do was feel. But apparently, she didn’t need to answer. “I know you love me too. And for this, I will treasure you always.”

  There was no further need for words. Instead she let her body do the talking for her. Opening herself for him was so easy. He handled her body masterfully, stroking that secret place inside just right. There was no way to contain it; her body exploded around him.

  Much later, as they lay spent in the dark, holding one another, Alicia smiled at the completeness she felt surrounding her. Rolling on top of him, she put her hands around his face and gave him a deep, passionate kiss.

  “I love you, Claus,” she told him, looking deep into his eyes. “I never loved a man until you, and I will never love anyone else.”

  “I feel the same,” he told her gravely. “No other woman exists for me. You saved me from a cold, barren life.”

  “I guessed we saved each other then.” She laughed. “And I am so glad we did.”

  * * *

  [KK1]Repeated.

 

 

 
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