by Ava Kyle
As I increase the rhythm, I hold on for dear life. My pussy squeezes tight, dragging up and down as I ride him. The intensity reaches a gale force. If I don’t come now, I’m going to literally die from pleasure.
“Baby, come for me,” he croons.
Little cries escape my lips. His thumb presses against my clit in tiny, relentless circles. And in seconds, I’m sucked into a writhing, screaming orgasm that literally curls my toes.
When I fall forward, he flips me onto my back. He’s still buried deep as he thrusts hard and deep. I clutch his ass and buck against him. A second orgasm rips through my body.
I’m shatter into nothingness and then slowly come back together right as he finds his own release.
We lay together, panting. Our lips press against each other’s shoulders. His hands are braced on either side of my head. He finally relaxes, pulling me into his arms before spooning against me. He slips his arm over my body and intertwines our fingers.
“You asked if this was it for us,” he murmurs against my skin. “It’s not. I’m not letting you go. We’ll figure it out.”
I have total confidence in his admission. I don’t think he has the strength left to lie, not after what he just did with me.
A smile briefly touches my lips until I come to a horrible realization. We were so caught up in our passion that we forgot to use protection. He’s assured me that he’s clean, and so I am. I just hope my birth control doesn’t fail me because the last thing I need right now is a baby. If we were married, I wouldn’t care, but we’re so far from that point. I’m not ready to be a single mother, and until we figure out our future, I don’t want to do anything that might put mine in jeopardy.
9
Logan
Ella wants reassurance that everything will be good between us in the future, but I feel like I’m single for the first time in years. Even though I haven’t been with anyone since Penny, I don’t know if I’m ready to jump into another relationship without a real break. But… I also wonder if this is just leftover fear talking, because I can’t picture my life without her.
She’s laying in my arms, finally sleeping peacefully. I could tell from the dark circles last night that she hadn’t slept much. She has so much to worry about, and part of that worry is me. I wish it wasn’t, but I don’t want to say anything about our relationship until I’m one hundred percent sure I want it to be forever.
I guess it doesn’t have to be black and white, but if feels like it should be. There’s no point in having a relationship without the sense that it might last forever. We’re way beyond dating at this point. We haven’t been on a single date, but we know more about each other than most couples on their tenth date.
But, maybe I should change that. Maybe I should take her on a date. We can’t hide in this house forever. And if we’re out in the open, we’re more likely to draw him out if he’s watching us.
I slip out of bed and pad into the hall. The house is quiet but for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room.
In the front living room, I push back the curtain. A patrol car sits at the edge of the driveway. I wave at the officer in the front seat. He waves back. I’m amazed that Jeff is going through the trouble of keeping someone on guard outside the house at all times. The department isn’t that large, so this has to be costing a fortune in overtime… unless they’re working for free.
Guilt overtakes me. The guy’s probably tired of sitting outside with absolutely nothing to do.
I head into the kitchen and grab a couple of bottles of soda and make up a plate of cookies. If I ever have to eat another cookie, it will be too soon. Ella definitely went overboard with the baking. I couldn’t stop her until we—mercifully—ran out of flour. I don’t normally worry about my weight, but my pants are a tad tighter, so I’ve been doing an extra mile or two on the treadmill.
Outside, an occasional cloud passes over the sun. It’s warmer than I’d expected, but not the sweltering hot misery of summer yet.
I walk up to the patrol car. The officer rolls down the window. I recognize Clint from a barbeque Jeff had last summer.
“How’s it going?” I ask. “You bored off your ass yet?”
“Boring is better than having to gun down a psychopath.”
“Good point. We have about ten dozen cookies inside. If you want more, let me know.” I pass the tray to him alone with the sodas.
“Thanks,” he says. “How’s she doing?”
“Good. She’s freaked out for sure, but I haven’t heard anything about Brock coming near Blues Town.”
“Nope. As far as we know, he’s keeping his head down in Memphis, but you never know with the domestic cases. They can turn on a dime.”
“That’s what Jeff said.”
“Stay vigilant,” Clint says. “A slip in awareness is all it takes sometimes.”
“I was thinking of taking her to town for a bit, maybe catch a movie.”
“Not sure if that’s a good idea.” He bites into a chocolate chip cookie. As he keeps talking, crumbs land on his shirt. “Damn, that’s good. Keep her home to make more cookies.”
I know he’s joking, so I let it go.
“It’s not fair that she’s trapped inside. We could be overreacting.”
“Jeff told me Brock threatened her in court.” He grabs another cookie and shovels it into his mouth.
“He said something to her. We were in the back, so we couldn’t exactly make it out, but yeah, it was probably a threat. However, he could be all talk and no action. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a bad idea.”
“It’s a bad idea. Stay home. Bake cookies. Screw like rabbits.” When I raise a brow, he laughs. “I’m not peeking through your windows. But, shit, what the hell else are you going to do? You can only watch so much TV before your brain turns to mush.”
“Truth.” I slap him on the shoulder, which dislodges the crumbs. “If you need anything, ring. I’ll let you know if we head out.”
“Send more cookies in an hour or so.” He grins as he pops another piece into his mouth.
“Will do.”
As I head back to the house, I realize he’s right. The trial’s in three days. We only have to lay low until then. I’m sure I can find ways to keep her entertained.
I smirk. Maybe I should look up some kinky sex stuff online. I’m pretty damn good in bed, but maybe she wants handcuffs and shit. I wonder if Jeff has a pair laying around.
I’m still laughing when I step inside. She’s standing at the top of the stairs with legs for days. She’s wearing one of my shirts with nothing else on, and I mean nothing. My cock swells. Playing house for the next three days might not be so bad after all.
“I’m so sick of sitting on my ass in this house,” she says.
“You don’t have to sit on your ass.” I climb the stairs. “I have something else you can sit on instead.”
The frown on her face slowly morphs into a grin.
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah.” I grab her by the waist and tug her closer. “In fact, you can sit on it right now if you want.”
“After this morning, I’m going to need a few hours off.”
“Was I too rough?” My brows knit together. I hope I didn’t hurt her. She seemed ready and willing to ride my cock all morning.
“No, but I’m not a machine. I can’t have constant sex without some… issues.”
I’m not sure I want to hear about these issues.
“Can we at least go to the movies or something?” she asks.
“I can rent something online.”
“But you can’t rent buttered popcorn.” She puts her hands on her hips and raises a brow.
“I’m worried about going out in public. Here, we’re well protected. It’s only for a few more days.”
“I hate this. I shouldn’t be forced to stay home while he’s out doing God knows what.”
“I know, babe.” I sweep her hair behind her shoulders and cradle her cheeks in my palms. “It
’s not fair. It sucks. But it’s the safest way to play this. When it’s over, I swear I’ll take you out to get popcorn every night of the week for a month if you want it.”
“A month?” There’s so much hope in her eyes that I don’t realize what I’ve implied until it’s too late. But it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. Whatever flights of fancy I had before about being a free man are gone. I know who I want to be with because she’s standing right in front of me. After the trial, we’ll be able to move forward, hopefully together.
The trial’s tomorrow and so far, we haven’t had a single sighting of Brock. I’m starting to wonder if we’re being overly paranoid. Maybe he’s learned his lesson. Or maybe he knows she’s being well protected. Either way, when Ella begs me to let her out of the house, I finally relent.
“I don’t like this at all.” Jeff’s standing at the door, blocking our path.
Ella’s by my side, her hand in mine.
“I can’t stay locked up anymore,” she says. “If he was going to do something, he would have done it already.”
“That’s not always true,” Jeff says. “He could snap at the last minute and come after you. Sometimes the most dangerous time is right before a trial, especially if the perp’s out on bail. I still can’t believe the judge let him out. He’s got the slimiest lawyer in Memphis, and that’s saying something since all lawyers are snakes.”
“Please.” She turns her pleading puppy dog eyes on me. “I’ll stay right by your side. We’ll be in a crowded theater. There’s no way he can do anything with so many people around.”
“That doesn’t stop mass shooters,” Jeff says.
“He’s not a mass shooter, he’s an arsonist,” she snaps. “Shit, he’s not even an arsonist. He was violent with me, but he’d never hurt innocent people.”
Jeff gives her a look that says he thinks she’s totally lost her mind. He shakes his head and walks toward the front door.
“Good luck,” he says. “I’m on duty until midnight. If shit goes down, call me. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Ella squeezes my hand.
“If anything seems wrong, we’re coming home immediately,” I say.
“Of course. But I think we’re being overly paranoid.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Maybe this is the dumbest move ever, but I can’t hold her captive. She could leave anytime she wants, but I’d feel better if I was with her. That’s really the only reason I’m agreeing to this.
We let Clint know that we’re heading out. He offers to follow us in the patrol car, but I ask him to wait outside the house to keep an eye on it. He reluctantly agrees.
The trip to town will take about twenty minutes. Sunlight trickles through dark woods on either side of the road. As I drive, I scan for any possible threats. Once we’re in town, we’ll probably be okay. Until then, my belly clenches tight.
“I can’t get a signal to see what’s playing.” She holds her phone aloft.
“There’s dead zone between here and town. We only have one screen in the theater, and the Sunday night movie always starts at eight p.m. We’ll just watch whatever it is.”
“Even if it’s a romantic comedy?” she teases, knowing that sitting through one is like nails on a chalkboard for me.
“Even if it’s a romantic comedy,” I say with an exaggerated sigh.
The theater has a line wrapped around the side leading from the box office. I pull into the parking lot. As far as I can tell, we weren’t followed into town. I relax slightly. I’m still fully alert but not as stressed about the whole situation.
“Can we get popcorn and drinks?” She gets out of the car and skips to my side.
“Of course.”
When I pull her into my arms to kiss her, it strikes me—this is our first real date. I’m going to make sure it’s the best one she’s ever had.
By the time we get to the box office, I’m worried that they might be out of tickets.
“What percentage full is it?” I ask.
“About fifty-five percent. If you want good seats, you should skip concessions.” The ticket attendant passes the tickets under a sheet of glass. “Door’s to your right.”
“I’ll go get a seat,” Ella says.
“Wait.” I grab her upper arm. “I don’t want to split up.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“But I want popcorn.” She eyes the concession stands with longing.
“I’ll walk you to your seat then get popcorn when the line’s shorter.” That will allow me to check the theatre first. Not that Brock’s somehow magically hiding in it, but who the heck knows at this point since no one knows where he’s been hiding.
We find seats toward the left side. They’re further back than I would like, but it works.
“Stay right here,” I say. “I’ll be right back.”
“Large. With real Coke.” She grins and heat floods my heart. I can’t wait to see what she’s like when there isn’t a cloud of doom hanging over her head. I just want her to be happy.
The concession line takes forever. I don’t know if they’re back there popping each individual kernel or harvesting the damn corn, or what. I almost leave the line, but it would crush Ella, so I stay.
I delicately balance a tub of popcorn and two sodas in my hands. When I get back to the theater, the lights have dimmed, making it harder to see. I head toward where I left her.
She’s gone.
I almost whip around looking for her. Popcorn tumbles from the bucket to land on several people.
“Hey, watch it!”
“There was a woman here. Short with blonde hair and green eyes. Did you see where she went?” I whisper, urgency in my tone.
“Shh,” someone hisses.
I spin in a circle, looking for her. Popcorn crunches under my shoes. I can feel it but can’t hear it over the din of previews. My breath quickens and muscles tense. I’m shifting from frantic to outright terror.
As I race up and down the stairs, I scan faces, looking for her—and him. What if he’s here?
“Logan,” someone whispers.
“Ella?”
“I’m down here.” I see waving arms and almost faint from relief. I run down the steps and find her sitting in the center of the theater. After climbing over several people, and dousing them with more popcorn, I settle into the seat next to her. “Why did you move? I thought—”
“I wanted a better seat,” she whispers.
“I almost had a heart attack.”
“Then you need to work out more,” she teases.
After letting out a long sigh of relief, I hand what’s left of the popcorn to her. My pulse returns to normal by the time the superhero movie begins.
I try to focus on the movie, but I can’t. Thinking that she’d gone missing really drove home the fact that I’m falling for this woman. She’s captured my heart in a way no one else ever could. I loved Penny, but it was never this deep. This is something else. Something special.
A flash of guilt comes and goes. I loved Penny as much as I could at the time, but being with Ella has changed me. She mended a broken heart, and now it’s stronger and capable of an even deeper level of love. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted and more.
Tomorrow, after the trial, I’m going to tell her that I love her. I could do it now, but I can’t shake the feeling that it wouldn’t be right. We can’t truly relax and enjoy our love until Brock’s permanently behind bars. I only have to wait one more day then we’re free.
Halfway through the movie, I slide my arm around her shoulders. I draw her closer. She turns and kisses me. It’s soft and sweet, the way a first date kiss should be. I deepen the kiss, making out with her like we’re teenagers again.
When I finally pull back, she grins and leans to whisper in my ear.
“Are you going to take me home and make love to me?”
“Hell, yeah,” I murmur back.
“I’ll hold you to it.”
“Promises, promises.” I rest my hand on her thigh, slowly stroking, loving the way she wriggles in her seat.
When the movie ends, we head toward the car. I open the door for her and wait until she gets inside before jogging around to the other side.
It’s been the perfect night. I don’t know why I was so worried. I mean, I had a perfectly valid reason, but we’re fine. Tomorrow, we’ll go to court and this will all be over.
“Ready to head home?” I ask.
“I like it when you say that.”
“What?”
“Home.”
My heart swells. She doesn’t have to come out and say it for me to know what she’s trying to tell me. She cares about me too. Maybe she even loves me. I hope so.
We’re halfway back to the house when I notice headlights in the rearview mirror. I grab the mirror to adjust it.
“What’s wrong?” She turns to look behind us. “Are we being followed?”
“I don’t know.” My jaw clenches. “I’m going to try pulling over. We’ll see if he stops.”
“Is that safe? What if it’s him?”
“If it’s him, I brought protection.” I pat the pistol in the holster at my waist.
“I don’t think we should stop. Should I text your brother?”
“There’s no service until we’re about a mile from my house.”
The headlights get close enough that I can make out a truck’s grill. It’s huge.
I press the gas pedal. The speedometer inches up past sixty, past seventy, past eighty. I don’t know how much faster the car can go. I’ve never tested it. I’ve never had the need to.
“We’re about five miles from the house,” I say. “Send the text now. When we hit a cell tower, it will go through.”
“We could be dead by then.”
While she types furiously on her phone, my gaze darts between the speedometer and the truck bearing down on us. We’ll never make it to the house in time. He’s going to ram us off the road. And if that happens, we’re as good as dead.
10
