by Lolita Lane
His hand closed around her throat, sealing off her airway. She clawed at his hand, but he only squeezed more tightly. Her eyes bulged, and veins throbbed visibly in her reddening face.
“Eric,” she croaked, barely able to speak. “Stop!”
Mercifully, he released her, and she slouched to the floor like a soggy overcoat. A blur came toward her face, and it struck her with such force heard blood splatter on the wall behind her. Blinding pain tore through her face. He grabbed her shirt and pulled her to her feet, shaking her as blood oozed from her nose and soaked into the fabric.
“You heartless bitch! You cruel, evil fucking bitch!” he spat in her face. “I’ll kill you! I’ll never let him have you!’
His fist popped her in the eye so hard she heard she sickening sound of splitting flesh. It began to swell immediately, and moments later she could no longer see through it.
“Eric, please,” she begged, sobbing. “You’re hurting me!”
“I don’t give a fuck!” he snarled. “You hurt me ten times worse. A thousand!”
His fist struck her again, this time across the cheek. She heard a crack that send a jolt of searing, fiery pain through her face. Her head was pounding furiously, and everything was a blur.
He let go of her, and she slumped once more to the floor. His foot connected with her ribs with a loud crack, and she groaned, clutching her torso and writhing weakly. He kicked her arms, and then her legs. He kicked her in the face. Then he began to stomp on her head.
Her pain grew into such a force that she was certain she were dying. Just as quickly, it began to subside. Her hearing dulled so that the endless chain of swear words he was hurling at her sounded like it was coming from the end of a very long tunnel.
Then, there was nothing but blessed darkness.
Chapter Eighteen
Voices. There were hushed voices somewhere nearby. They whispered. Did she hear her name?
“Sarah?”
The voice was so familiar. It had called her name so many times before. She fought to find it through the never-ending darkness.
“Sarah?”
A hand squeezed hers. It was warm. Tender. She felt a surge of electricity running up her arm and settling soothingly around her head.
“Sarah, can you hear me?”
She was home. She was safe in her bed, surrounded by love. Everything was peaceful. There was no pain… no fear. Only a voice and a touch.
The hand squeezed hers more firmly, and lips touched the skin inside her palm. Something brushed against the back of her hand. A nose?
“Sarah, please wake up.”
She fought with all her might to find the voice in the darkness. She ran toward it, stumbling, reaching her hands toward it. Suddenly it was bright. So bright. Her eyes squinted, shielding her eyes from the overwhelming light.
“She’s waking up! Nurse!”
Pain. It overwhelmed her. Her head throbbed, her ribs ached. There wasn’t an inch of her that wasn’t pulsing with fire or dull discomfort.
“Owwwww,” she groaned miserably.
“It’s alright, I’m here!”
She heard a beep, and a woman said, “I’ve given her another dose. That should help.”
The pain quickly began to ease, and Sarah struggled to force her eyes open. She took a deep breath and pushed them open. A blur moved in front of her face, and her hand was still surrounded with warmth. The blur began to come into focus, slowly at first, and then become crisper and clearer.
“Luke!” she smiled, but it made her cheeks ache.
“I’m here,” he said gently. “I’m right here.”
“What happened?” she asked. “Where am I?”
“You know, it wasn’t long ago that you and I were in reversed situations,” he reminded her.
She thought for a moment and said, “I’m in the hospital?”
He nodded and said, “Afraid so. Eric worked you over pretty badly.”
She winced, remembering the attack. It burned sharp and jagged in her mind, the fear flooding back.
“Don’t worry, he can’t hurt you now,” Luke said, sensing her fear. “They arrested him last night. He was driving drunk and crashed into a tree not far from your apartment.”
“How did…”
“He left the door wide open when he left,” Luke interrupted her. “A neighbor passed by your door and saw you lying in the floor and called 9-1-1.”
“How did you know…”
“I’m a firefighter, honey,” he reminded her. “I heard the call come in and recognized your address. I came straight to the hospital.”
“You won’t get fired, will you?” Sarah asked, clearly concerned.
“No, I won’t get fired,” he chuckled. “Even if I would, I’d still be here.”
“But you love your job,” she argued.
“Not as much as…” he stopped himself. Then he said, “You’re the only friend I have. Where else would I be?”
He smiled at her and pushed her hair away from her face where it was peeking from the bandage that covered her head and face. It was then that she noticed it, and she lifted her fingers to touch it.
“It is bad?” she asked, wincing at the slight pressure her fingers made.
“Nah,” he lied. She could see in his eyes that it was far worse than he let on. “You’ll be out of here in no time.”
“I’m going to be uglier,” she murmured.
“You’re not ugly, Sarah,” he said firmly. “Don’t you ever say that again. Nothing in this world could ever make you ugly.”
She fought back tears. She’d cried too much in the past few weeks, and she refused to do it now. Her lip quivered, but she blinked away the tears in her eyes.
“Listen,” he said, his voice suddenly very serious. “I want to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?”
He pulled a chair up to her bedside and sat down, never letting go of her hand.
“I’ve heard they’re letting Eric out on bail soon,” he said. “They’ll give you a restraining order, of course. But it may not keep him away.”
“No…”
“That’s why I want you to come stay with me for a while,” he said. “I have a spare bedroom. I don’t want you alone. And for goodness sake, turn off Find My Friends and keep it off.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she argued. “I know you’re…”
“Don’t argue with me on this one,” he pleaded. “I’m worried about you. I don’t want you risking anything. He doesn’t know where I live, and you’ll be safer there. Besides, I have two dogs you can keep in the house with you when I’m not around. They’ll protect you with their lives, just like I will.”
“It’s very sweet, but, really,” she said, “I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”
“You are never an inconvenience to me!” he said. “You never have been, and you never will be. So you get that through your head right now.”
“Ok,” she said softly.
“So you’ll come stay with me?” he asked.
“If you really don’t mind,” she said.
“I insist,” he told her. “Whenever they let you out of here, I’ll take you to your apartment to get whatever you need and I’ll take you back to my place.”
There was a knock at the door, and it creaked open. Donna’s face peeked through. She smiled at the sight of Sarah, hiding her concern masterfully.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
“Of course,” Sarah answered.
The door opened wider, and she pulled a huge bouquet of balloons from the hallway. They got stuck in the door, and Donna yanked them firmly.
“Everyone at worked pitched in for these,” Donna said. “We’re all worried about you. How are you feeling?”
“Ok, I guess,” Sarah answered.
Donna glanced at Luke’s hand grasping Sarah’s and she smiled faintly, but she said nothing in front of Luke.
“Hope you’re coming back to wo
rk soon,” Donna said. “Fuller actually said he missed having you around today.”
“What?” Sarah gasped. “You’re kidding!”
“Nope,” she said. “First time any of us has ever heard him say anything like that. You should have seen everyone’s faces! It was so funny. Everyone just stood gawking at him until he screamed at us to get back to work. He was waving his arms in the air like a maniac!”
Donna started laughing, and despite considerable pain, Sarah did, too. Just picturing it was too much.
“I have to get back to work before Fuller throws a hissy fit,” she said. “It was hard enough to get him to let me deliver these.”
Donna’s eyes shifted toward the balloons and back. Then she tied them to the handle of the small closet in the corner.
“There, that should keep them in place,” Donna said. “Ok, kiddo, I’m heading out. Let us know if you need anything, ok?”
“I will,” Sarah promised.
Donna pointed at Luke accusingly and said, “You look after her.”
“I will, don’t worry,” he promised.
Donna smiled at both of them and backed from the room, waggling her fingers goodbye as she went.
“You should rest,” Luke said, squeezing her hand. “I’ll be right here when you wake.”
As exhausted as she was, it wasn’t hard to fall asleep, especially with the warmth of his hand wrapped around hers.
Luke hardly left the hospital until the day of her release. He only had one shift, two days after she entered the hospital, and he didn’t have another one until the next day. He’d made sure the hospital staff was aware of the restraining order and knew what Eric looked like so they wouldn’t let him into her room.
So he took Sarah by her apartment, where she packed a suitcase and an overnight bag, and they drove to his house.
He’d already prepared his spare bedroom for her. Fresh flowers stood warm and sunny in a case on the dresser near the window. The bed was freshly made with clean linens. He’d even bought her a giant teddy bear and left it waiting with open arms on the bed, bearing a sign that said Welcome Home.
“You did this for me?” she asked, her hand touching her heart lightly.
“Of course,” he said. “What’d you expect, a jail cell and a dirty mattress?”
“Silly,” she said, playfully smacking his arm.
“I hope you like it,” he said.
“Very much,” she told him.
“The closet is small,” he told her, “but you didn’t bring much, anyway. I left a few hangers in there for you. The dresser is empty except for the bottom left drawer. I couldn’t find room for that junk. I hope you don’t mind.”
“This is plenty, really,” she said.
“I haven’t been to the store, so there isn’t much in the fridge,” he admitted. “But I have some delivery menus in the drawer by the sink, and I’ll bring food home on the way home from work tomorrow.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You need to meet Max and Molly,” he said. “There’s my dogs. They’re big puppies, really. You’ll love them. They protect this home fiercely if they don’t know you, though. Come on.”
She put her bags into the closet for the time being. Then Luke led her through the kitchen to the back door and into the yard. It was large and fenced, surrounded by a thick forest of trees. The dogs wagged their tails and barked, jumping all over him gleefully.
He bent down and accepted their sloppy dog kisses all over his face, and he hugged and stroked them lovingly.
“This is Max,” he said, putting his hand on the head of the taller black lab. Then he touched the little one and said, “This is Molly. She may look small, but she’s tougher than Max. Isn’t that right, buddy?”
Max yapped a response and sniffed Sarah’s hand cautiously. Molly hung back beside Luke, watching from beneath his arm. Max finally licked her hand and nuzzled his head under it, begging to be petted.
“Good boy!” Sarah said, stroking his head and scratching his neck.
Molly, seeing that Sarah hadn’t attempted to harm Max, came up to her and sniffed carefully. She dipped her head nervously, bowing her torso to the ground and wagging her tail slightly.
“Come on, girl,” Sarah said softly, extending her hand toward Molly. “I won’t hurt you. Come on.”
Molly edged her way toward Sarah, retreating a couple of times and then inching closer. Finally, she lapped Sarah’s fingers lightly and allowed Sarah to stroke her head.
“Wow, she warmed up to you quickly,” Luke said, clearly impressed. “It usually takes her weeks to let someone new pet her.”
Sarah sank to her knees and she was suddenly buried in doggy kisses just as Luke had been. She giggled as their wet tongues tickled her face, which still ached a little. She had a lot of healing to do.
“They love you already,” Luke said, smiling warmly. Then he added quietly, “And so do I.”
Sarah paused, unsure she’d heard him correctly.
“Sarah?” he asked.
She shook her head to clear it and said, “Huh?”
“I said I love you.”
It had been so long since she’d heard those words from his lips. So many years of wishing, hoping, praying. So many nights she’d dream of him… his touch, his lips, those words. She could hardly believe it was real.
As if they understood, the dogs began to slink away, and Luke crawled toward her, taking her into his arms.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.
“You can’t hurt me,” she told him truthfully. “Nothing can ever hurt me again.”
His lips closed over hers, pressing urgently against them. His hands grasped her shirt and lifted it over her head, tossing it aside. She pulled at his, tugging it away from his body and slinging it. He popped the snap on the back of her bra and she let it drop to the ground.
Once again his arms wrapped around her. His skin, scorching hot, melted against hers. Her heart fluttered rapidly, her breath erratic. His kisses fell across her face, kissing every inch gently.
His lips trailed down her neck, his hands cupped her breasts, bringing them to his mouth where he devoured them hungrily. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back breathlessly.
He reached for the button of her jeans, but she placed her hands over his. Her face reddened with shame, and she couldn’t look at him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath.
“I… I can’t stand the way I look naked,” she admitted, flushing crimson.
“Don’t you do that,” he warned her. “You are beautiful. Every part of you. You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
She could see sincerity in his eyes. It was written all over his face in bold red ink. She softened.
He turned his hands over in hers and took them, bringing them to his lips and kissing each palm carefully. Then he allowed them to drop to her sides. He reached for the button, and she resisted the urge to stop him. He unsnapped them, and slowly lowered the zipper.
He pushed her carefully back into the grass, and his head fell to kiss her the slight roundness of her belly. He pulled at them, and she lifted her hips, allowing him to pull the rest of her clothes away, slipping off her boots and her socks. His eyes traveled the length of her body, and she could see it delighted him. They were full of hunger.
His hand slid between her legs and fondled her in a way she hadn’t been touched in twenty years. His fingers rubbed against her, sending shivers of excitement racing through her.
She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him on top of her. His lips found hers, and he slipped his tongue between them and probed with fiery hotness. Her eyes closed, she found his zipper and slid it open, popping the button on his jeans and fighting to lower them.
He assisted her, pulling them down to his knees. She reached inside his boxer shorts and found his pulsing shaft, taking it into her hand and stroking it. His kiss was enflamed, and he nearl
y smothered her with it. He couldn’t get enough. Her kiss was like air to him, and he needed more and more.
His hand continued to massage her, rubbing her swollen clitoris, which had peeked from its hood, begging to be tasted. He wiggled his way down, kissing her stomach along the way, licking her inner thighs before spreading her lips apart and dipping his tongue between them.
The moment his tongue pressed against her, she gasped. His finger pushed inside her, his tongue working in slow, teasing circles around her throbbing clit. She began to moan as he licked her, pushing two fingers inside and rubbing them upward against her G-spot.
“Oh, yes,” she whispered. “Just like that. Oh, god, yes.”
His tongue moved faster, darting up and down across her clit. His fingers worked more quickly, too. She began to pant, her breath escaping in shuddering gasps. She moaned as desire mounted inside her, first a tiny spark, then a glowing ember, and finally erupting into a wildfire that scorched across her body, causing her to arch her back and cry out his name.
“Luke! Oh, god, Luke!” she cried, lifting her hips against his darting tongue.
Finally, she relaxed. He kissed his way up her curves, drinking her in. his hands slid across her bare flesh, worshipping every inch of her. His lips took in her nipple, and he sucked it tenderly. Her fingers tangled through his hair, pulling him closer.
She could feel his hardness pressing against her. It pulsed and throbbed, aching to get inside. She swiveled her hips, and he slipped easily between her lips. She grasped his muscular buttocks and pulled him against her, and he began to thrust against her.
He sank easily inside her slippery wetness, and she moaned softly as he entered her. His hand grabbed a thick chunk of her hair, and he pulled her head upward and into his waiting kiss.
As he pushed himself in and out of her, his skin hot against hers, his lips desperate and passionate, she remembered their first time. Things hadn’t changed. The fire between them still burned as brightly and intensely as ever before. He still made her feel like nothing else ever could.
“Oh, god,” he groaned in her ear, tugging firmly at her hair as he rode her harder and faster. “I’m getting there, baby.”
