Somewhere In His Arms

 

 

By: Katia Nikolayevna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For my mother-- who needs a little romance in her life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter One

 

 

 

She stared at her naked body in the full- length mirror and smiled with satisfaction. Not an ounce of fat. She slid her hands down over the full high breasts, squeezing slightly and lingered over the swollen nipples and gasped. It had been too damn long. She hadn’t had a decent fuck since Julio quit. Since then she’d been on the prowl for a suitable replacement. But most of her servants weren’t up to her standards of tall, dark, and big; she was so horny she was about to explode.

     Vivian held her breath as she slid her hands over the smooth taut belly and down to her damp pussy. She was hot and wet and not a cock in sight. Well, desperate times called for desperate measures. Hurrying over to her dresser, she fumbled for her vibrator and fell on the bed. She flicked it on and slid it over her throbbing nipples. Arching her back in delight, she teased them to rock hard peaks and then down her belly. Moaning, she drew up her knees and slid it down her pussy and let it linger over her throbbing clit.

     She wanted to savor the moment, but she couldn’t wait and plunged it in hard.   Swallowing a scream she fucked herself hard and deep. Pulsing waves of pleasure consumed her lithe body and she fell back on the bed gasping.

     Vivian glanced up at he ceiling and flung the vibrator aside angrily. While it had been a nice ride, her pussy still burned for a man’s cock filling her to the brim. Jumping up from the bed, she took a long hot bath and washed her long blonde hair.

     Wrapping her model’s body in a cozy bathrobe she collapsed into her favorite lounge chair by the pool and sipped her iced Cappuccino. She leaned her head back dreaming of the upcoming shoot in St. Bart’s. Vivian was frolicking in the turquoise waters when a phone ringing in the distance interrupted her.

     “I’m not here,” she called and went back to frolicking.

     But then Betty poked her head through the door. “I’m sorry, Miss Vivian, but she says she’s your daughter.”

     Vivian removed one cucumber slice from her splendid eye. “What did you say?”

     “S-she says she’s your daughter,” Betty repeated fearfully. She wondered if her health plan would cover any broken bones. From the way her employer was looking at her, it was safe to assume she was about to incur many.

     “Do I look old enough to have a daughter?” Vivian screeched in outrage. Daughter! She was only eight years older than that brat! Damn Walter for dropping dead and leaving her to raise that menace by herself! The girl had been nothing but a thorn in her side since she married the old fogey, and Vivian hated her with every ounce of her being. The girl had been needy, clingy, and Walter’s pride and joy. They might have been happy had Lucy gone and stayed with her aunt in Vermont. But nooo, he had to have his little girl live with them and expected her to play mother hen to the little bitch or lose the money. “What does she want? Tell her I’m busy.”

    “She wants to talk to you ma’am. It’s something about a laptop. She said it was hers.”

     “Son of a bitch!” Vivian swore as she sat up. “Hers! Nothing is hers! He left it all to me! Tell her if she wants it she can have it over my dead body.”

     Vivian settled back into her chair. Feeling Betty’s presence, she removed the cucumber. “Well?” she shouted at the cowering woman. “What are you waiting around for? Go dust something!”

     “Yes, ma’am,” Betty replied fearfully and closed the door. She had braved this storm but wasn’t sure what to tell the poor girl.

     Picking up the phone she said in her best maid’s voice, “Miss Vivian is busy and cannot be bothered by such trivial matters at this time.”

                           

***

              Lucinda Havilland hung up the receiver with a sigh and returned to her station. As she entered patient information, she tried not to think of the woman who’d partially raised her. She was only ten when she walked in on her father and Vivian. Up until that moment, her mother had been her father’s only love. They’d been happy until her mother began to notice things, small things at first: late nights at the office; the extended business trips; the lipstick on the collars; and all the stuff you see on daytime talk shows. Lucy hadn’t known much about the birds and bees but when she walked in on her father pounding into the strange young woman, her education was begun in earnest.

      It all happened in quick succession. The divorce, the wedding, her mother’s suicide, and through it all there had been Vivian. Tall, blonde, ruthless, she’d done everything she could to take away what Lucy loved the most in this world.  And she had enjoyed every moment.

     When her father died suddenly of a heart attack a year into the marriage, Vivian was the one who refused to let her aunt take her to her farm in Vermont. Instead she had insisted on raising Lucy only to throw her out when she turned sixteen. And while her father had left most of his money to Vivian, her trust fund had been squandered on Vivian’s lust for designer clothes and lavish dinner parties. Giving up her dream of studying archaeology, she was forced to take out a loan for nursing school.

     Lucy was still paying it off.

     A sudden tap on her shoulder snapped her back to reality. Turning, she glanced up into the smiling green eyes of her fiancé, Dean Rhodes. A third-year resident in emergency medicine, he was the one shining light in a world of darkness.

     “Hey, beautiful,” he said softly. “Why so glum?”

     Lucy tried to smile, but a lump settled in her throat. “I called the house and she refuses to speak to me! He left me those things!”

     Dean took her by the arm and steered her toward an empty exam room.

     “I wish you wouldn’t let her upset you.”

     “I’m not upset. I’m just tired of her!” Lucy reached for a tissue and dabbed at her nose. “Rudy says if she doesn’t fork it over, he’s going to get a warrant.”

     Dean laughed softly and reached for her left hand. What’s this?”

     “That’s your ring, silly.”

     “Yes, I know. And do you know why I gave it to you?” he asked, kissing the small diamond.

     “Because of my impeccable sense of style?” she quipped, and glanced down at her dull blue scrubs.

     He kissed the tip of her adorable nose and pulled her closer. “Because you’re so sweet.” His mouth closed over hers and he pulled her against him. Lucy slid her arms about his neck and sighed as his lips slid against her cheek. His tongue caressed hers gently, and she gasped as his hand slid over her breast. He pulled her harder against him, and she felt him stiffen against her belly. A small tremor of fear passed through her. Dean was her first love. The only man she’d ever kissed.

     And she was also a virgin.

     When they'd met she had explained to him that she wanted to save herself for marriage. He seemed to respect her decision and left it at that. There were lots of hand holding and chaste kisses. But they’d never gone all the way. She wasn’t ready. When he proposed, she thought he would respect her decision to wait until they were married, but as the wedding date approached he seemed to be getting impatient, and increasingly passionate.

     Lucy pulled away. “Dean, I---”

     “I know, I know,” he sighed raggedly and ran a frustrated hand through his wavy brown hair.

     “I’m sorry---” Lucy began but he waved her off.

     “Dammit, Lucy we’re going to be married in three weeks anyway! What difference does it make?”

     She looked at him as if he’d struck her. “It matters to me.”

     Dean felt like kicking himself as she flinched at his words. He didn’t mean to sound so ruthless. But he was a man on a ledge. He hadn’t been with a woman since he met Lucy. Sweet and gentle, she wasn’t like the other girls who whetted his appetite. When she told him she was a virgin, he thought she was joking. She hadn’t even wanted to go out with him. But what started out as a conquest had evolved into something more. So he threw out his little black book and became a one-woman man. But a year without satisfying himself was beginning to take its toll.

     He knew he was wrong to ask her to give it up before the wedding. It meant a lot to Lucy to wait until that special night and lashing out at her because she was strong enough to stand up for her convictions was unforgivable. He’d make it up to her. He went to her.

     “I’m sorry.”

     She wouldn’t look at him.

     Dean raised that little chin he loved so well. “You can’t blame me for wanting to ravish you. I’m mad for you Lucy!” He began to nuzzle her neck.

     Giggling, she hugged him. Once more the Dean she knew and loved, she glanced up at him. Sometimes she wondered why this gorgeous man wanted her. She wasn’t beautiful. If anything, and on a good day, she was pretty. But with straight black hair and brown eyes, she always thought herself way out of his league compared to his light brown hair and emerald eyes. “ I don’t think I should forgive you,” she teased.

     He feigned a look of horror. “But you must! I’m madly in love with you. What can I do to make it up to you?”

      Lucy laughed as he nuzzled her neck again. “Let me think. Oh! That tickles.”

     He smiled down at her. “Look, I’m off at six. If it means so much to you, I’ll go and get the stuff.”

     “Oh no! You don’t have to. Rudy will take care of it.”

     Dean’s pager went off. He took it out. “Damn. Look, I’ll swing by on my way home and ask nicely.”

     Lucy shook her head. She didn’t want him anywhere near her stepmother---not that she didn’t trust him--- but Vivian was Vivian. She opened her mouth to protest but he shook his head and dropped a kiss on her brow.

     “What time are you off?” he asked as he opened the door. “Eleven.”

     “See you then. Love you,” he told her and hurried off.

     “Love you too,” she whispered softly, watching his tall form disappear down the hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two

             

 

             

Dean pulled up at six-thirty and turned the engine off. As he got out of the car, he paused to admire the house that Lucy grew up in. It couldn’t really be called a house considering the massive size. Walter Havilland had made his fortune in television and when he made his first ten million, he built a twenty-one-room mansion, and the Hollywood elite officially declared him one of their own.

     A low whistle of admiration escaped his lips as the butler let him in.

     “Whom shall I say is calling, sir?”

     “Dr. Rhodes. Boy, this is some place.”

     “Yes, sir.”

     The butler showed him to a living room decorated with large overstuffed sofas and chairs in damask and silk. Huge vases filled with fresh flowers sat on every table and along the mantle of a marble fireplace. Expensive artwork hung from the walls, and the floor was covered in elaborately woven Turkish carpets.

     Dean was definitely impressed and a little envious. He was barely making it on his resident’s salary. It would be years toiling away in that emergency room before he and Lucy could afford this kind of life. He began to wonder if he was in the wrong profession. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear her enter the room.

     Vivian stood there watching him. At first, she didn’t recognize the tall young man and was about to fly into a rage when she finally saw it was that doctor Lucy had managed to snag. Not bad. Not bad at all. He was dressed in jeans, and a close fitting t-shirt that displayed his muscular back to perfection with all those rippling muscles. She liked what she saw and wanted to see more.

     Vivian cleared her throat. “Can I help you?” she asked softly.

     He turned and she gasped. He was stunning…simply stunning. He was so handsome she could feel her limbs turning to butter. His face was like a roman statue, perfect nose, and a perfect chin. His mouth was full and sensuous. She wondered how it would feel sucking her tits. Vivian sucked in her breath and tried to get a handle on her rising passion.

     “Hello,” his deep voice curling over her like heat from a fire. “I’m here to pick up a few things for Lucy.”

     “A few... things?” she repeated dumbly. He was so hot. How’d that little crow manage to snare him? It couldn’t be sex. That little prude had her legs sewn together at the knee. She wondered how long she’d kept him waiting. He must be hungry. So hungry. Her eyes closed imagining how he’d feel inside her.

     “Mrs. Havilland are you okay?” he asked, concerned. “You look a little flushed.”

     Vivian’s eyes flew open to find him watching her with that doctor’s stare.

She laughed shakily and made a big show of fanning herself. “It’s the heat. The air conditioning is on the fritz.”

     “Oh,” he smiled, relieved. “Can I get them now?”

     She hadn’t a clue to what he was saying but led him upstairs to Lucy’s room suddenly forgetting how she meant to throw those things away. For the first time in her life she was stunned speechless. Or struck with sudden lust. She couldn’t breathe. All she could do was watch him as he left to get a box and began to gather Lucy’s meager belongings.

     “Where’s the laptop?”

     “I beg your pardon?”

     Dean laughed. “Yes, she wants her father’s laptop.”

     Vivian was snapped out of her lustful wanderings by that one word. Laptop. Walter had purchased a custom- made laptop for his office and wouldn’t let her anywhere near it. It was his baby.

     She never minded that, having had no interest in computers and the like, but when he let Lucy on his lap to use it for her stupid games and she could hear them laughing together like two cackling hens, that was the last straw. When he died, although he left it to Lucy for school, she hid it away and refused to let her have it. She’d be damned if the little bitch got what was rightfully hers.               

              Damn Walter anyway!

              She tossed her gorgeous mane of golden hair over her shoulder and said haughtily,  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

              Dean frowned. Lucy rarely spoke about her stepmother. But from what she had told him the woman was difficult. Never mind that the woman was stunning. He’d seen the glossy covers of lingerie catalogs and swimsuit magazines. The tall, tanned goddess took his breath away. Her slender body was draped in a green silk robe that clung to every curve and from what he could tell she wasn’t wearing anything beneath it. Her firm nipples poked through the delicate fabric and gaped a little in front, revealing cleavage only men dream about. Her eyes blazed blue fire and her wide full mouth pursed in disdain.

              Aside from all that, she was a real bitch.

              Dean stood up and walked towards her. “You know what I’m talking about and I’m not leaving until I get it. Get it?”

              Vivian’s amazing eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening me?”

              Dean smiled tightly but could barely hear for the blood pounding in his brain. Damn her for putting Lucy through this.  He was so angry he wanted to smack her. “It belongs to Lucy. You’ve no right to keep it from her.”

              “I can do anything I want! He left it to me. It’s mine! Now take that shit and get out of my house!”

              “Nice manners. Too bad the face doesn’t match.” He leaned forward. He meant to scare her, but he was so close he could smell her perfume. It was heavy, wild and musky with her arousal. “That’s a nice nose. Did Dr. Rose do that? I recognize his work.”

              Vivian was so angry she couldn’t speak. How dare he come in here and demand anything! Who the hell did he think he was dealing with? She was breathing heavily; her breasts heaving with each breath. She raised her hand and smacked him so hard he stumbled back.

              Thinking she’d won, she moved toward him ready to strike again when he lunged at her and caught her arm and pinned it behind her. He yanked her against him to hold her still.

              Dean soon realized his mistake. He’d meant to calm her down, but every inch of that perfect body was pressed against his. They stood motionless for a moment, their angry breaths fanning the other’s face. He closed his eyes for a moment savoring the feel of soft ripe breasts heaving against his chest. Her robe had opened in the struggle and her hard little nipples were burning a hole through his shirt. His breath was sucked from him. He couldn’t think as his mouth swooped down and devoured her luscious lips.

              Vivian whimpered. He felt so good. His body was hard against hers and his heart pounded against her chest. He wanted her. They always did. He freed her arms and she wrapped them around him tight. She gasped as his crushed her against him. His tongue plunged in and raped her mouth in savage strokes. Oh, yes he was hungry. Waves of molten fire coursed down her body as his skillful tongue fenced with hers. She slid her own tongue into his mouth savoring the taste of him and arched her back as his tongue devoured her slender throat to her breasts. Crying out with need, his hungry mouth ravaged the swollen mounds. His tongue hard and rough, tugged her nipples between his teeth as her hands twined in his hair.

              “Oh, yeah,” she moaned. “Suck me hard.”

              Groaning, Dean slid his hands under her robe and thrust his hand between her slender thighs. His fingers found her sopping wet. He plunged in between the smooth lips and stroked furiously. She arched her hips against his fingers, howling like a cat in heat. She was ready for him. His hands slid further and cupped her taut little ass in his hands. He squeezed the firm flesh and slid a knee between her thighs pulling her up hard against his erection. They gasped into each other’s mouths, and he moved her towards the bed.

              She let the robe slide off revealing the perfectly honed body that sent men begging on their knees and fell back onto the quilt, pulling him down with her. Dean sank his tongue into her hot mouth and growled with pleasure at the feel of those scrumptious breasts in his hands. He massaged the swollen globes and slid his hands over the taut belly and down to her beckoning heat. He cried out at the feel of her hot wet cunt as it pulsed beneath his fingers and found the hard little nub beneath its hood and worked it furiously. She moaned as excruciating pleasure tore through her body and gripped his powerful shoulders, nearly dying when his fingers plunged into the throbbing flesh. 

              Vivian wanted him inside her… now. She pulled him down to her and their mouths ground against each other nipping and tugging with such violence that their teeth drew blood. She ripped off the t-shirt and fumbled with his jeans. Her greedy hands cupped his bulging cock straining through the thick fabric aching to be freed from its confines.

              He groaned and his hands covered hers and she helped him with the zipper and pushed down his jeans and briefs. His dick sprang out at her, long and thick. She whimpered at the sight of it. Dean cried out in anticipation and lowered his hips between her thighs, starving for hot pussy. Her hands slid between his tight ass cheeks and she spread her thighs like a whore, arching her slender hips and shrieking as his scalding cock began to penetrate her tight flesh.

              “Yes!” she screamed as the thick shaft impaled her aching flesh, stretching the slick walls wide. Vivian winced as his fat cock packed her to the brim; it had been a long time and she was tight. And he was so fucking big; just what she’d been craving. She wrapped her long legs around his narrow hips and howled as he began to fuck her hard, his hips pounding brutally against hers. “Yes, yes, yes,” she hissed with each savage stroke.              

              “Ahh,” he breathed as he fucked this incredible woman. Dean couldn’t think. All he could feel was her hot cunt as it sucked on his dick. She was so tight, so delightfully hot and tight. His eyes squeezed shut while he rode her with such violence the headboard slammed into the wall. He was coming and arched his back against the delicious torment roiling in his belly.  “Shit! Oh shit!” he gasped in shock as his impending orgasm threatened to kill him.

              “Your dick is so fucking big,” she moaned while he grunted over her with the exertion of shoving that beautifully thick cock in and out of her narrow cunt. “I’m coming!”

              Vivian dug her nails into his back. Shrieking with each excruciating lunge, her hands slid to his pounding ass forcing him deeper into her eager pussy. Wave after wave of molten pleasure swept through her as his meaty cock ravaged her aching flesh. Panting, covered in sweat, her head snapped back as she came. Her vagina convulsed painfully along with the rest of her body and her screams mingled with his.              

              His eyes winced shut as his body was consumed in a flood of tormenting ecstasy, and he collapsed on her shouting his release.   

              They were both motionless as they lay in the storm’s aftermath. Vivian reveled in his body on hers. She couldn’t remember the last time she came like that. He hadn’t withdrawn and she wiggled her hips, savoring the thick feel of him filling her satisfied pussy.

              For his part, Dean was in a state of shock. That had been the most amazing sex he’d ever had.

              But Lucy... What had he done?

              He was about to withdraw when he felt her moving beneath him. His eyes closed. Not again. He swelled thickly within her and couldn’t stop.

              Dean’s hungry mouth took hers again, his tongue sliding across her cheek and into her ear. Vivian’s lovely head arched back and her mouth parted with her moans. Her nails bit into the soft flesh of his back and lower to grip his ass. She lifted her shapely thighs over his hips and gasped in delight as he sank deeper, stretching her wide. His velvety tongue scrubbed her nipples raw, but suddenly Vivian was whimpering in protest as he pulled out.

                 She nipped at him in anger and punched him on his chest and arms. “I want more!” she demanded and tried to wrap her lithe limbs around him. He caught her fists and held her down with his muscular body. Laughing down at her, he paused to admire this reckless beauty.

              Her hair was a tangled mass of gold against the pale tawny flesh; flushed and damp with his kisses. The glittering jewels of her eyes glowed with hatred. His breath caught with hunger as she wriggled beneath him, and he decided to have a little fun with her before he gave in to his lust. Dean held her down as his lips slid down her throat, groaning at the taste of her. Her skin was redolent of perfume and sex. His eager tongue darted out to suck on her succulent breasts. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her and devoured the firm, sweet flesh. He sucked hard and licked at the swollen nipples with rapacious strokes, taking them into his mouth and drawing them between his teeth. He reveled in her cries as she twisted in his arms. Dean shook his head and taunted her with his tongue. Before he was done with her, she’d be begging him for it.

              He worked his way down the taut belly and let go of her hands. She groaned and slid her fingers into his hair, urging him down toward her aching pussy. “Eat me!” she begged.

              Dean groaned and buried his face between her thighs. Vivian bucked her hips screaming his name. But he wanted to save that for later. He moved up and raped her mouth in savage strokes. He then gasped as she sucked and bit on his tongue and slid her hands to his swollen cock. “Fuck me!” she demanded, arching her hips in desperation.

              He laughed again. “I have something else in mind, sweetheart,” he growled. And to demonstrate, he yanked her further down the bed so her back was lying flat and moved over her. He forced her thighs open with his and seeing his intentions, Vivian lifted her shapely legs over his shoulders. She was now open wide to whatever carnal delights he had in mind. She stared up into his lust-filled eyes and moved her hands up into his hair, over his broad shoulders, and tight ass. “Well?” she demanded. “I’m ready to be fucked! Now do it!”

              Dean smiled down at her. He’d have her screaming her head off before he was through. He was going to enjoy this immensely. “Patience is a virtue,” he taunted and lowered his hips.

              Vivian rolled her eyes in frustration, but before long they were rolling back into her head as he stroked her aching clit with the tip of his cock. She gasped at the tortuous sensations and clawed his back as he took the steely rod and stroked her swollen pussy lips with it. Her eyes slid shut at the sinful bliss devouring her body;her hips rocking inwickedresponse at this delicious torment.

              Dean shuddered with pleasure. She writhed beneath him, eager for it and he was just as eager to give it to her. Hard and fast. His cock throbbed painfully as he taunted her. He kept stroking---up and down and between the delicious pussy lips. “You’re so wet,” he groaned.

              “Oh, fuck!” she gasped in agony. Vivian thought she might go up in flames. She stared down and watched as he manipulated his engorged flesh. Up and down he stroked and still didn’t make any move to fuck her. “Shove it in me!” she moaned and clutched his shoulders in an effort to stay afloat. She was afraid she’d come without him and she wanted him inside her. Now.

              She bit down on her lip till she tasted blood and the throbbing became unbearable. But still he made no move to enter. She opened her eyes to see him looking down at her. His handsome face was taut with lust and his mouth hung open. Vivian wiggled her hips so the next time his cock stroked between the lips, it slid into her a tiny bit. He cried out, unable to control himself any longer, and plunged into her hot and hard.

              She shrieked in ecstatic triumph and locked her thighs around his waist. Vivian whimpered as her sore pussy pulsed and throbbed unbearably beneath his cock’s depraved assault. “Harder!” she shrieked, shoving her ravenous cunt furiously at the stabbing rod. The pleasure was incredible. She didn’t think she could bear it much longer. The heat. Her hands gripped the taut cheeks of his pounding ass, urging him on. “Fuck me, hard!” she screamed, oblivious to anyone who might hear. “Harder! Oh, shit! Like that!”                           

              Grunting with pleasure, he increased his pace. Dean fucked her savagely, shoving himself into her sopping flesh and drawing it out again; his cock making slurping sounds as it drowned in her slick heat. He circled his hips, slammed into her once more and exploded within her as she screamed.             

              Dean relaxed on her and buried his head in her fragrant hair. He raised his head to stare at this beauty and all thoughts of Lucy fled his brain. He laughed softly and lowered his mouth to Vivian’s lovely throat tasting perfume and sweat. He withdrew and slid his lips down her flawless body, savoring every inch of her. He licked her navel and slid down even further. She gasped and arched her hips wanting more. Groaning, he paused over the smooth mound glistening with cum and buried his face in her.

Vivian shrieked and flung her slender thighs wide. Her hands slid to his head and twisted in his hair. Her cries caught in her throat as his scorching tongue swirled over her throbbing clit. His teeth tugged at the hard nub, licking, biting, till she thought she would die from the agony of it.

              He savored the spicy, sweet flesh and plunged his scalding tongue into her. She howled in anguished pleasure, her hands clutching his head against her as she pumped her hips. She could feel her orgasm swelling within her and was about to come when he stopped and moved over her. He smiled wickedly and fell between her thighs. Dean shoved his engorged flesh into her and felt her convulse around his cock as she came. He laughed and began to fuck her ruthlessly, not caring if he hurt her. He came in a blinding flash of heat and sank down onto her damp body.

              He didn’t withdraw but kept his semi-erect cock steeped in her wet heat. Every now and then he’d begin to move within her and fuck her hard. Sometimes he took his time. All he knew is that he could not stop…did not want to stop. Ever.

              “I don’t want to stop,” he groaned, sliding in and out. “You feel so good.”

              Vivian moaned and squeezed her swollen breasts, her fingers flicking the nipples to excited peaks. Her arms slid around his neck and she spread her thighs moving her hips in a sensual circle, taunting him. Dean gritted his teeth at this wicked torment, and his mouth fell on hers twisting and grinding. “Fuck me, fuck me,” she panted into his mouth as he pummeled her starving flesh. “Fuck me so hard.”

              “Yeah!” he growled in savage pleasure and slid his hands beneath her delicious ass. He squeezed hard and lifted her hips, forcing her cunt to absorb the ruthless pounding of his hard cock. “Your pussy’s so hot for me,” he groaned and impaled her again.

              Her teeth sank into his shoulder and his mouth was suddenly fucking hers, his tongue sliding in and out like a piston. Mewling, her nails raked his back and her mouth parted with her yelps of pleasure. His hands worked her aching breasts, squeezing and massaging the swollen mounds. She winced when the tip of his cock slammed against her g-spot. She couldn’t hold back a scream when her body was quickly consumed in a painful swash of ecstasy. Vivian bucked beneath him and fell back limp, but he didn’t stop fucking her.

              Dean’s handsome face was contorted with lust as he lunged in and out. Harder. Faster. Deeper. She shouted his name, swearing in disbelief as her greedy cunt began to throb again, and lifted her thighs over his flexing hips.

              “Don’t… stop!” Vivian gasped, whimpering in anguished pleasure when his pelvic bone slammed against her throbbing clit. His hungry mouth devoured her slender throat and her lovely lips opened beneath his, sobbing into it as shards of unbearable ecstasy pierced her body. He thrust his tongue into her hot little mouth, matching his cock’s brutal rhythm inside her as he pushed himself into her tight heat. Dean cried out in astonished delight when her hands moved down to his pounding ass, stroked between, and slid a finger into him. Arching his back, he pulled his pulsing shaft all the way out, then hammered into her hot and hard. He watched with pure male satisfaction as her lovely head whipped back, her mouth opening wide on a scream.                

              “Fuck!” she shrieked, feeling her pussy convulse again. “I’m coming!”             

              They both came, their screams filling the room. Both lay panting and exhausted. Sated, their laughter mingled. “How long has it been?” she asked against his perfect mouth.

              “Too long,” he groaned and sucked on her silken tongue. He bent his head and swirled his tongue around a taut peak groaning at the taste of her, sweet and salty. “Don’t know why I waited.”

              Vivian’s throaty laughter filled his head and left him a little dizzy. “Why did you wait?”

              Dean stared down at the perfect body curling around him. Sighing, he said with a derisive laugh, “I haven’t the slightest idea.” 

              And he kissed her again, savoring the taste of her tongue as it wrapped around his. Growing hard again, he got on his knees and drew her up with him. He turned her around and began kissing her throat, lifting the heavy silk of golden hair. Panting, he nibbled at her flesh and slid his hands down her perfect body. She moaned as the skillful fingers teased her aching nipples and slid further down over her taut belly. His hot mouth massaged her neck and his teeth nipped at her ears and shoulders, his tongue swirling over her moist flesh and lapping up the salty sweetness. She bit down hard on his hand as he cupped her throat. Growling, he cupped her cunt greedily and began to stroke between the swollen lips. Excruciating waves of rapture washed through her when his fingers slipped into her to lubricate then and began scrubbing her clit furiously.

              Her head fell back against his shoulder. “Oh, yessss,” she hissed and began rocking her hips against his hand. “Oh, that feels soooo good,” she moaned.

              Dean’s fingers slowed as she thrust her hips and he knew she was close. He grinned evilly; he wasn’t about to let her off that easily. She had bewitched him with her body and now she would pay. He kept at it, taking her to the brink only to back off when she neared orgasm. His fingers moved in and out and around the aching core. He kept up this torture with such tormenting slowness she thought she’d die if he didn’t let her come. Her hips arched against the agony, then Vivian cried out as his hand began to thrust in and out. “Make me come!” she panted, snatching his hand and using it to masturbate. She pumped her hips, moaning with her bestial pleasure.

              He laughed at her insatiable lust and nipped at her damp skin, sliding his hands all over her in his possession; massaging her cunt, her thighs, and amazing tits. “You want this?” he taunted, as he teased her anal opening with his throbbing dick. “You want me in your ass don’t you?”

              Vivian thought she would explode if he didn’t do it. “Dammit, do it!” she groaned and then cried out in shock as he pushed her down into the pillows and shoved the swollen rod into her---hard. She winced with pain, only to begin moaning with pleasure as he fucked her ass. Her hands gripped the sheets as he pushed into the tight flesh. In and out, she screamed at the hot shaft stretching her painfully; sobbing with delight as the torture became white-hot flames.

              “Shit, woman you’re so tight,” he grunted between thrusts, sweat pouring down his face.

              “Oh, Dean,” she whimpered clutching the sheets. “Oh, Dean! Oh, fuck!”

              His balls made slapping sounds against her ass. Vivian gritted her teeth and screeched into the pillow as she came, wet and pulsing. Dean winced as his cock convulsed painfully, then screamed in a blinding explosion of lust as he filled her ass. He flopped onto her back and buried his head into her hair, trying to catch his breath. “That was amazing,” he breathed at last, kissing her neck.

              “As amazing as Lucy?”

              He kissed her cheek and then her delicious mouth. “Lucy who?”

              “DEAN!”

              Dean’s spine stiffened at the voice. His head turned slowly and there was Lucy dressed in white jeans and sweater staring at them with a look of pain on her lovely face. He blinked. It couldn’t be. She wasn’t here. But when he opened his eyes again there she was, this time with tears streaming down her pale face.

              “Dean,” she said again, this time barely a whisper. Her nose was bleeding.

              His eyes widened. “Oh my God, Lucy!”

              Lucy had gotten off early and concerned for Dean, raced over so he wouldn’t have to confront Vivian alone. No one had met her at the door and she let herself in. The house had been oddly quiet. It was late, so most of the servants were asleep. Strange sounds were coming from her old room, so she went upstairs and there in her bed where she had slept and dreamed little girl dreams, were Dean and Vivian going at it like two dogs in heat. She’d heard and seen enough.

              She wanted to flee, but the sight of Dean fucking her stepmother was her father all over again. She hadn’t been able to move. Just watch as Vivian wrapped herself around him as he pounded into her. And listen to his moans as Vivian gave him what she had not. That last part had torn her in two.

              Lucy couldn’t move as Dean withdrew from Vivian and rushed toward her. “Lucy, your nose!”

              Even Vivian was sitting up with a sheet draped over her heaving bosom and looking a little worried. Lucy suffered from nosebleeds all her life, mostly when she was upset. And they weren’t just the run of the mill nosebleeds. Sometimes they wouldn’t stop and she could remember the countless times that Vivian had rushed her to the Emergency room. Sometimes she’d needed a transfusion because she lost so much blood.

              She stared at Vivian and then at Dean naked and coming at her with a washcloth. She felt the hot, salty liquid gush out of her nose and down her mouth. She looked down. Blood was all over her new white sweater, down her jeans, and dripping onto her old pink carpet in a final mocking eulogy.

              Dean got to her and Lucy shoved him away and took off crying and bleeding down the hallway and down the stairs. She could barely see and knocked over a glass vase. It crashed to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.

              Lucy tore through the foyer and out the door tugging at her engagement ring. She swallowed blood and more blood and was getting light headed. She fumbled in her pocket for her keys and hurried to open the car door.              

              Dean was fast behind her. Damn. Damn. Damn. He sliced his feet on the broken shards on the floor and raced out to Lucy who was jumping into her battered Gremlin. She started the engine but it wouldn’t start.

              “Lucy! Wait---!”  He got to her at last and tried to open the door.

              She couldn’t talk nor look at him. Finally the engine hacked to a start. Even in the dark he could see she was bleeding badly. “Lucy!”

              He reached through the window, but she opened the door and slammed it again nearly castrating him in the process. “Dammit, Lucy! Stop!”

              Lucy reached into the glove compartment for some cotton balls, which she jammed up her nose, and stomped on the gas. She sped off; tears and blood streaming down her face.

              She tossed the ring out the window and kept driving. When she arrived at her apartment she cleaned herself up and changed. Then without thinking, without feeling, she threw clothes into a suitcase and left.

              With tears streaming down her cheeks, she drove into the night to some unknown destination that would relieve the pain. She didn’t know where she was going or what she was going to do when she got there.

              Lucy only knew that she had to get away.

              She had to get far away from everything and away from this hole in her heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Three

 

 

 

When Dean arrived for work two days later, he wasted no time in trying to find Lucy. He’d tried calling, but she wasn’t answering the phone. So he wanted to give her time to cool off and hoped to catch her at work. But no one seemed to know where she was. The nurses weren’t any help, and he was suspicious that they knew because if looks could kill he’d need a doctor.              

              They wouldn’t look at him, and when they did refused to meet his eyes and huddled together in small groups whispering amongst themselves as if plotting his sudden and painful demise. There was an unspoken rule in hospitals. Never, ever cross a nurse. Cross one, cross them all. So it was no surprise that his queries were met with a silent piss off.  He finally spotted Diane Salcido, a friend and someone Lucy liked to talk to.

              “Hey, Diane have you seen Lucy?”

              She looked him up and down with a look of disgust. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Dr. Feel-good.”

              Dean flushed red and loosened his tie, which was beginning to feel like a noose. “Well?”

              Diane didn’t glance up from her typing. “Well, what?”

              “Diane, please. I’ve been trying to get in touch with Lucy. Do you know where she is?”

              Glaring at him she replied, “No one knows where she is.”

              “What do you mean no one knows where she is?” He demanded in increasing alarm.  “She’s on today isn’t she?”

              Diane finally glanced up from her work. “Hey, Jenny!” she called. “Where’s Lucy?”

              Jenny frowned in confusion, then she answered,  “She quit.”

              “What do you mean she quit? She couldn’t have!”

              Diane turned and snatched a pile of papers from the basket and hurried off.  Dean followed and grabbed her arm, sending them flying all over the place. “Tell me where she is!” he demanded.

              Diane glanced down at his hand on her arm and then around at the small crowd that gathered. “Go to hell, doc. I don’t know where she is and even if I did I wouldn’t tell you. Just leave her alone. You’ve done enough.” 

              With that she left him standing in the pile of papers wondering how he could have sunk so low. “Lucy,” he whispered sadly. “I didn’t mean it.”

 

             When he got off work, he raced over to Lucy’s small apartment. He took out his key that she’d given him and let himself in. He stood for a moment in shock. Everything was gone. It was a furnished apartment but the dishes and books were gone; all her clothes; her seashell collection; the goldfish. All gone. Panicking, he drove over to the only person who might know where she was.

              “Rudy!” he shouted, pounding his fists on the heavy wooden door. “Open this door!”

              Rudy Bartlett was dreaming of several depraved women when he was jolted out of bed by an unholy knocking. Glancing at the clock, he wondered who the hell would want his services at this hour. Grumbling under his breath, he pulled on a robe and made his way downstairs.

              “Hold your horses, I’m coming,” he grumbled and opened the door.

              Dean rushed in shouting Lucy’s name. “Lucy! Are you here?”  He raced upstairs and then down again searching every room. “Where is she Rudy?”

              Rubbing his tired eyes, Rudy was grouchy and confused. He wondered what the hell Dean wanted at three o’clock in the morning. “Hello to you, too,” he grumbled sleepily.  “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

              Dean grabbed Rudy by the shoulders. “Where is she? I have to talk to her!”

              “Who...?” Rudy blinked in befuddlement. “Has something happened?”

              “Don’t give me that!” Dean snapped. “I know she must have called you. Now, where is she?”

              Rudy stepped back and went over to the wet bar and poured himself a drink. When he was sufficiently awake he set the glass down slowly and studied Lucy’s fiancé. The young man was pacing up and down the floor muttering to himself and glancing expectantly at the phone. He hadn’t been too keen on Lucy’s choice of husband, but he seemed nice enough and seemed crazy about the girl he promised to look after. Her father had been his best friend, and before he died he promised Walt he’d take care of her. Vivian had wanted no part of him and had done everything she could to keep him from fulfilling that promise. Now, Dean was here and clearly upset. He was staring to get a little worried himself.

              “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rudy frowned. “I haven’t seen her for weeks. Why? What’s happened?”

              Dean didn’t care to reveal the particulars of his falling out with Lucy. He knew Rudy. The man was one of the most ruthless criminal attorneys in L.A. He could only imagine what he’d do if he found out he’d slept with Vivian. He shrugged nervously. “We had a fight and she took off. No one’s seen her and she quit the hospital.”

              Rudy frowned. “Now, why would she do that? I thought you two were pretty tight.”

              Dean laughed nervously, feeling the shrewd prosecutor’s eyes watching his every move. Don’t know,” he shrugged carelessly. “It was just a disagreement,” he laughed uneasily as the hairs along his neck started to prickle under Rudy’s astute gaze. “You know---“

              “No I don’t,” Rudy replied slowly. “Why don’t you fill me in?”

              Dean flushed, remembering Vivian’s long luscious legs wrapped around him as he fucked her senseless. Sweat broke out on his handsome brow. “It was nothing, Rudy. Really. I’m sure she’s fine.”

              Rudy smiled. “Yeah, you’re probably right. But she hasn’t called me. Must’ve been some fight,” he added, eyeing Dean closely.

              “Yeah,” Dean laughed shakily. “I’d better get going. Sorry I woke you.”

              “Not at all,” Rudy offered generously and walked him to the door. “I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding and everything will be resolved. Would you wait here for a moment? I have something of Lucy’s that I want you to have.”

              Breathing a sigh of relief, Dean watched Rudy disappear down the hall. He caught a glance of himself in the hall mirror and didn’t like what he saw. He looked away and waited.  Rudy seemed gone a long time, then suddenly there was a sound of slippered feet on the carpet, and he turned just in time to see the man coming at him with a polo mallet.

              “YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

              Rudy’s enraged snarl was followed by a hard swing to the shoulder.

              Dean winced as it caught him and he crumpled to the floor. Rudy raised it for another blow that hit his raised arm. “Rudy! What the hell---”

              “You little shit!” Rudy spat at him. “Lucy did call. Called me that night, crying so hard I couldn’t hear a word she was saying. But I managed to get most of it. And you got so much more! Didn’t you?”

              I-I can explain, Rudy. Just put that down.”

              Rudy glanced down at the mallet in his hands and then at the pathetic heap on his floor. “No, I don’t think so. I think I ought to call the police and say you were trespassing. You’d make someone a lovely bitch!”

              Dean managed to get up gripping his shoulder. “I messed up. It just happened and she walked in on us. I’d never hurt her. I love her.”

              “Love her? Is that your idea of love? You fuck her stepmother? Damn you! God damn you!” He raised the mallet again. “You don’t love anyone but yourself.”  He flung the mallet aside and grabbed Dean by the collar dragging him to the door. He opened it and shoved the little bastard out, sending him sprawling onto his designer welcome mat.

              Dean glanced up at the enraged man glaring down at him. “Please---” he gasped.

              Rudy bent low and shook a finger at him for emphasis. “You come within five feet of Lucy and I’ll slap a restraining order on your sorry ass so fast it’ll make your head spin. You don’t talk to her. You don’t phone her. You even try to breathe on her and I’ll make damn sure you’re giving rectal exams to a guy named Butch in San Quentin! Is that clear you little shit?”

              Dean nodded fearfully and Rudy slammed the door so hard a potted plant crashed to the ground. He hung his head and wept. “Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!”

              Rudy sighed heavily, raking trembling fingers through his graying hair. He hurried to the phone, hoping Lucy would pick up. He hadn’t heard from her since that night she called him from her car sobbing hysterically. He dialed her cell but she wasn’t picking up. He checked his voicemail.

              Nothing.

              He kept at it till he heard a click. “Lucy...” he began relieved. “Where are you?”

              Hello?” came an unfamiliar man’s voice thick with sleep.

              “H-Hello?”  Rudy asked again, thinking he had the wrong number. “This is Lucy Havilland’s cell phone?”

              A pause. “Y-Yes, it is.”

              “To whom am I speaking?”

              There was a sudden click as the person hung up. “Hello? Hello?” Rudy repeated frantically.

                He dialed the number again but there was no answer.

 

* * *

              Two days had gone by without a word from Lucy. Rudy was sitting in his office unable to concentrate on his latest case. He had called every person Lucy had ever known and even filed a missing person’s report, but nothing so far. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or to start searching for her. What if something awful had happened to her?               He’d never forgive himself.

              What really worried him was the stranger who had answered her cell.  He tried to trace the number but the records hadn’t come back yet. He was frantic. Just then Janice interrupted his musings on the intercom.

              “Mr. Bartlett, there’s someone to see you.”

              “I’m busy, Janice.”

              “They say it’s important.”

              “So? I’m not seeing anyone today.”

              She says it’s a matter of life or death.”

              Swearing under his breath, he was about to say something unpleasant when he decided maybe this would get his mind off Lucy for a while. The last thing he needed was to have a nervous breakdown. “All right,” he amended with a weary sigh,  “send her in.”

              Rudy sat back and waited. The door opened slowly and a woman peered in almost as if to make sure there was no one else in the room and stepped inside. She was a small woman, garbed in an oversized trench coat, dark sunglasses, and a floppy hat that was much too large for her head. She moved awkwardly toward his desk and jumped when he asked her to sit down.

              “Well, what can I do for you today Miss…?”

              She didn’t speak, only twirled her gloved hands around a handkerchief she carried. Rudy wondered if she were some actress who’d gotten herself into trouble. She kept glancing over her shoulder as if afraid someone was watching her.

              “No need to worry Miss, we’re quite alone.”

              Nodding, the woman squirmed uneasily in her chair. She seemed terrified of something or someone and began weeping uncontrollably. She hiccupped and coughed, then raised the handkerchief to her nose. When she took it away, Rudy saw it was spotted with blood.  His heart leapt into his throat and he jumped out of his chair. He approached her cautiously.

              “Lucy?”

              She was crying so hard that her reply came out as a hoarse croak, but she nodded and Rudy quickly removed the hat and sunglasses. It was Lucy. He was so relieved he reached out to embrace her, but she pushed him away. “Don’t.”

              “Lucy? Where’ve you been? I’ve been so worried!”

              “Have you?” she laughed bitterly, and then coughed as blood ran down her throat.

              Rudy went to the door and called for Janice to get some washcloths. He came back and sat beside her. “Maybe you should lie down.”

              She shook her head and pressed the cloth to her nose. “That’s the last thing I need.”

              He was confused and a little frightened. She was shaking and looked as if she hadn’t slept in days. “What’s happened?”

              Lucy choked back tears. She couldn’t believe how stupid she’d been. How could she have done such a thing? “What makes you think something happened? Everything’s just fine!”

              Rudy reached out and took her hand. “I know you kiddo. Dean came by. He seemed worried.”

              “Worried! I’m sure he was!” She glanced at him, grateful for his presence. He reminded her so of her father. The way he used to be before Vivian. “And what did you say?”

              He smiled a little. ‘I told him I didn’t know where you were.”

              “That’s not all you did,” she said, trying to smile but still seeing Dean entwined with Vivian.

              “I’m sorry Lulu,” he said gently, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I know how painful this must be.”

              Lucy shook her head. No one would ever know how much it hurt. Not even the twice-divorced Rudy. “Oh, Rudy I’ve been so stupid!”

              “It wasn’t your fault. How could you have known? It’s his loss.”

              “I didn’t mean that. I’ve done something stupid Rudy. I don’t know what to do.”

              “Lulu, you’re scaring me. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.”

              Laughing hysterically, Lucy pulled off her gloves. She held out her left hand. “Oh, no? What do you think about this?”

              There, on her ring finger, lay a wedding ring.  “I’m married, Rudy. I-I lost my v-virginity and got married all in the same night! The worst part is that I don’t even know who he was!”

              Then she dissolved into tears and wouldn’t stop no matter what Rudy tried to say. He patted her on the back and held her tightly to him, wondering how he was going to fix this. Walter would be so disappointed in him.

              He knew he was.

 

             

             

             

 

Chapter Four

 

             

             

When Lucy calmed down he managed to get a short version of what happened. After the confrontation with Dean she drove off and kept driving. She didn’t know where she was going but somehow had ended up driving all the way to Las Vegas. That’s where the story got hazy. Feeling sorry for herself she’d gone into a casino, played a few slots, and had a few rums and coke. The next thing she remembered was waking up alone in a strange bed in a strange room completely naked. She didn’t know what had happened only that she was wearing a wedding band and there was blood on the sheets. Frightened that the person would return, she dressed and fled.

              “And that’s the last thing I remember,” she said shakily, clutching the glass of water in her hands to stop them from trembling.

              “Do you think you were raped?” Rudy was anything if not direct.

              Lucy set the glass down and tried to think. Right now her mind was a muddy blur. “I don’t know. I’m really scared, Rudy.”

              “You should be examined as soon as possible.”

              “It’s too late. I took a shower. Several,” she gulped, again dissolving into tears. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

              “It’s all right, Lulu,” he soothed. Deciding not to press the issue, he went over to the intercom. “Janice, hold my calls. I’m taking off for the rest of the day.”

              He helped Lucy up and grabbed his keys. “W-Where are we going?”

              “Home.”

              “Oh, no! I’m not going back there!”

              “Where’s your cell?” he asked suddenly. “I mean...where are your things?”

              “I have my cell right here,” she replied and pulled it out. “Why?”

              “Nothing. Where have you been staying? Dean said you moved out.”

              “Did he? I don’t care what you say, I’m not going back to that dump!”

              “I meant home with me, silly. You’re staying with me till we can figure this thing out.”

              “Are sure that’s wise? I don’t want to see anybody!”

              “You can stay in the guest house. No one will find you there. I’ll make sure of it.”

              Feeling defeated, Lucy said little on the way. She didn’t know what to think or what to feel. She felt crushed both by Dean and a faceless stranger, who in her most vulnerable moment had taken something from her that could never be replaced. What if she had been raped?

              As a nurse, she’d often dealt with women who felt as if they were nothing. It had been her job to listen and comfort, to try and give back some of the dignity that had been torn from them in a senseless act of violence. Who was going to comfort her? Tell her it wasn’t her fault, that she’d done nothing wrong?

              Lucy felt alone. Even with Rudy beside her, she felt as if someone had cast her into space and left her there in the darkness.

              Rudy stopped the car and helped Lucy out. She followed him like a lost puppy as he led her through the Spanish style villa and out to the guesthouse. Past the sparkling pool and waterfalls. Past the neatly manicured garden and trees. She noticed none of these things. Only when he opened the door, did she blink and realize where she was.

              Lucy glanced around at the wicker furniture and potted plants. Everything still looked the same. He led her into the small bedroom and urged her to lie down. She lay down on the fluffy duvet and tried not to think. Rudy placed a dampened cloth on her forehead. “Are you hungry?”

              “No,” she sighed, wishing he’d stop looking at her like she was falling apart. “I’ll be all right, Rudy. Really. I just need to clear my head.”

              He didn’t look entirely convinced. “I’ll be back later. We’ll talk then.”

              Nodding, Lucy was relieved when he left. She loved Rudy, but she just wanted to be alone. If she was going to drown in self-pity, she didn’t want any witnesses. She closed her eyes against the throbbing in her skull and soon fell asleep.

                                                            

              “Y-You have to be careful with me,” she pleaded against his mouth.

              “Why, darling?” he breathed against her throat, sending delightful shivers down her spine. “Why must I be?”

              “No, wait---” her breathless plea suddenly a scream of pain as he plunged deep inside.

              “I’m sorry,” he wept. “I’m so sorry.”

             

              Lucy’s eyes flew open and she sat up. Shaking, she glanced around in the dark and fumbled for the lamp on the bedside table. She tried to gather her wits and convince herself that it had been a dream.                            

              She couldn’t have been so far gone as to give it away to the first guy who came along! Had she? She’d only had one drink! Okay, maybe two. Maybe someone had put something in it, and that’s why she couldn’t remember.

              Trembling, she went into the small bathroom and splashed some water on her face. Lucy glanced in the mirror. She looked as if she had aged twenty years. Twenty-three and she looked like an old woman. Vivian would have a field day if she could see her now. How she must be laughing at her. She got the house, the money, the cars, and now her fiancé. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to get the image of those two in her bed out of her mind. She combed her hair and washed her hands. It was then that she took notice of the ring.              

       Lucy held it up to the light. It was a plain gold wedding band. It looked cheap. Something an all night wedding chapel would have on hand for the cornucopia of inebriated couples just waiting to be bound in senseless matrimony. She tugged at it but it was on tight. She tried a little soap, but the damn thing wouldn’t come off. It gleamed at her mockingly in the soft light. She twisted and turned but it was determined to stay. Maybe she could get someone to cut it off.

              Sighing in frustration, she straightened her clothing and went out to the house. Rudy was still up and as she opened the door he was waiting for her. “I was just coming to get you.”

              He ushered her inside and led her into the kitchen. “Now, how about some food?”

              “Sounds good,” she said, trying to smile but failing miserably and sat down on a stool.

              Lucy watched as he opened the refrigerator and cabinets. “Where’s Tia?”

              “I gave her the night off. I didn’t think you’d want to see anyone.”

              “That was nice of you.”

              He handed her the bread and cheese, and they set out making impossibly large sandwiches. They ate in companionable silence and Lucy glanced around at the enormous gourmet kitchen. Nothing had changed except the new stainless steel appliances and Spanish tile floor. She’d spent many happy summers here learning how to make various Mexican dishes with Tia.

              Lucy chewed her food thoughtfully, feeling Rudy’s concerned gaze. “I don’t want to talk about it right now, if you don’t mind.”

              “Sure, kiddo. But not talking about it isn’t going to make it go away.”

              She sighed. “I know.”

              Rudy knew better than to press her anymore. When her parents split, she had gone to stay with him to get away from the chaos. Sometimes when he tried to get her to talk, she would clam up and disappear into herself. She’d bury herself in a book and wouldn’t talk to anyone but Tia. Lucy would tell him when she was ready. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t go and do a little digging on his own.

              “So, what do you feel like doing?”

              “It’s ten-thirty.”

              “So? We’ve always been night owls. We could stay up and watch scary movies.”

You hate scary movies!” she laughed. “You’ll be up all night.”

              Grinning sheepishly, he shrugged. “I know. But you’re here to protect me.”

              Shaking her head at him, they took their food into the small theatre and for a few hours, Lucy was able to laugh at Rudy as he watched the latest slasher flicks with both hands over his eyes. He made his living prosecuting heinous crimes and sifting through evidence that would make a cop puke, but here he was cringing through every bloody scene. She patted his shoulder consolingly and forgot she had troubles of her own.

                                                      

* * *

             

              “You’re so lovely,” he whispered against her hair. “Let me love you.”

              “M-Me?” she laughed nervously. “I think you’re drunk.”

              “So are you,” he murmured against her throat. “But you’re still lovely.”

              His hands slid down her body in a gentle caress lingering over the small breasts, causing her to gasp. “P-Please, you have to be careful with me.”

              “Why?” he breathed, his lips slowly moving down her throat. “Don’t be afraid of me, love”

              She couldn’t think as his mouth moved over her breasts. Her eyes closed as his warm tongue slowly teased the soft peak. Strange currents of heat ran through her body. She arched her back reveling in his touch. His mouth took hers again, his silky tongue sliding in and out. She pressed her own mouth against his, shyly at first, then with increasing hunger. It felt so wonderful. He wanted her. Dean didn’t. He groaned and slid between her thighs. She gasped, trying to warn him. Please be careful. But it was too late. The hard shaft ripped her open, and his lips on hers silenced her scream, then they were on her face, trying to soothe her. And through it all he kept telling her how sorry he was. He was crying. He didn’t move for a long time. He kissed her tears away then began to move. He took her slowly, lovingly. The pain disappeared and was replaced by throbbing warmth that grew within her. Soon she was moving with him, arching her hips against his as his shaft moved slowly inside. She couldn’t breathe as the hot flesh penetrated again and again. Pulsating waves of pleasure mingled with pain swept through her body. His mouth took hers and she kissed him back hungrily, wanting more. He groaned and thrust harder, deeper. She didn’t mind. The pleasure pain mounted and her soft gasps mingled with his.

              “I love you,” he whispered hoarsely.

 

              Lucy gasped, the orgasm pulsing through her body as she thrust her hips against the sheets. She fell back and lay against the pillows damp with sweat. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest. She tried to calm down and told herself it was only a dream. Her eyes closed but sleep was a long time coming and she lay awake in the darkness still feeling his lips on her cheek and feeling more alone than ever.

              Days passed, then weeks. Lucy spent her days sleeping. Rudy was worried about her and wanted her to see a therapist. But she didn’t need to go to a shrink to know she was depressed. “It’ll pass,” she assured him. “I’m going through a bad patch. I’ll be fine.”

              But she knew he wasn’t entirely convinced. So she tried to convince him by getting up early and making breakfast, cleaning up even though Tia kept the house spotless, and typing up his dissertations. While he approved of this, he was still hinting at her returning to work.

              “It’ll be good for you kiddo,” he told her one evening.

              “I don’t feel like it right now, Rudy. Why can’t you understand that?”

              “I would understand, but you’re the one who wanted to be independent remember? I offered to pay for any college of your choice and you turned me down.”

              Lucy sighed. “I didn’t want to be a burden. I had to learn to be self-reliant.”

              “And you’ve done well. Especially when you took out that loan. They’ll bury you with the interest alone.”

              “Don’t remind me!” she groaned in frustration. ‘What do you want me to do? Leave?”

              Rudy frowned. “No, I was thinking about a job.”

              “Not that again!”

              “It’ll be good for you. You’ve got to get back to the land of the living. It’s the only way you’ll defeat this thing. Don’t let them tear you down like this. Fight back.”

              “And what if I don’t want to fight back?” she glared at him. “I’m perfectly happy being miserable, you know.”

              “Yes, so I’ve noticed. You’re perfect for the job!” He looked like he just swallowed a canary. She didn’t like it.

              Lucy peered at him suspiciously. “What did you do?”

              “I have a friend who’s in dire need of a nurse,” he told her carelessly. “He was a witness in that murder trial in England. You remember, the hit man for hire.”

              “The messy one.”

              “Anyway, he’s here on holiday and he broke his leg while skydiving.”

              “So?” She got up and went into the living room and flounced down on the sofa. Turning on the television, she tried to tune him out. But she stopped when she accidently came upon a tabloid news show.

“And guess who Vivian’s new boy-toy is?”  the host drooled. “He’s a real life Dr. McDreamy and he’s giving her mouth to mouth! They were caught making out on the dance floor of The Viper Room and later retired to a private room upstairs. My sources tell me that he’s all moved into the mansion that her late husband, television mogul Walter Havilland, built. And it gets better. My source also tells me the hot Doc was engaged to his daughter! Isn’t it just scandalous!”

              Lucy sat paralyzed as the host giggled and gleefully brayed on about Vivian and her new toy. Suddenly the television went off, and she looked up to see Rudy angrily flinging the remote against the wall. He sat down beside her and handed her a tissue.

              She couldn’t go on like this, hiding and feeling sorry for herself. That’s just what they wanted. Rudy was right. She had to fight. They couldn’t break her.

              Mustering what courage she had left, she wiped her nose and said bravely, “When do I start?”

              Laughing, Rudy got up and headed to his office to make the call. “Tomorrow!”

              For Lucy, tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

                           

* * *

              He woke Lucy at 5 a.m. and told her to pack for a few days. She was annoyed at his cheerful mood. In fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself. Just because she had agreed to this thing didn’t mean she liked it. She refused to speak to him as they drove up the coast. He rolled the top down of his 1955 Red Corvette, and she breathed in the sweet salty air, allowing it to refresh her weary mind.

              Rudy glanced at her from time to time hoping she would snap out of it. He was doing this for her own good. She’d thank him someday. He only hoped Alec wouldn’t mind the intrusion. He hadn’t told him about Lucy. Goodness knows the man had a temper and had already gone through or rather devoured several nurses already. But he was hoping he would appreciate the gentle creature Lucy was. Besides, the man was in no condition to be picky. He just hoped after all this was over, Lucy would forgive him.

              They drove on past a small seaside town and continued up a long winding road that led to a small cottage perched on a hill. Rudy stopped the car and hopped out. Lucy allowed him to open the door but refused to let him help her. She stood in the mid-morning sun with the wind whipping her black hair about her face, and she suddenly wished she were in bed. For some reason she felt tired.

              Glancing around she saw that the house was old and in dire need of repair. The white paint was cracked and peeling. A rickety set of stairs trailed out from the back and led down to the beach. The shutters were half falling off and the garden was dead on arrival. She could only imagine what the inside looked like. What had Rudy gotten her into?

              “On second thought, I don’t mind going back to the hospital. Let’s go,” she said and headed back to the car.

              Rudy caught her arm  “No, you don’t kiddo,” he said, laughing. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

              “I don’t have one,” she grumbled as he knocked on the door. She thought she heard a man’s deep voice answer.

              They let themselves in and Lucy stood for a moment in shock. The inside was dark and gloomy. The windows had the curtains drawn and sheets were draped over everything. Lucy began to wonder if this wasn’t some joke.

              Rudy set her bag down and called out. “Alec! Where are you?”

              They were answered by a loud CRASH! Followed by something breaking and then a slew of oaths so vile Lucy had to cover her ears. She glanced at Rudy who looked embarrassed and then watched as he took off toward the kitchen. Then she heard the man swearing at Rudy. No one ever swore at Rudy and walked away without a subpoena.

              She leaned closer and heard them arguing.

              “What the bloody hell did you do?”

              “Would you keep your voice down? She’s right in the next room!”

     “That’s your fault! I told you I don’t want to see anybody! Now get out!”

              “I thought you weren’t playing poor-pitiful-me anymore.”

              “Shut your fucking mouth! I don’t need anybody! I can take care of myself!”

              “I can see that. What are you planning to do next? Hang yourself from the rafters?”

              “Dammit, Rudy! I don’t need a bloody nurse! So you can piss off and leave me the hell alone!”

              “I don’t think so. Why don’t you come out and meet her?”

              Rudy’s head poked out and he smiled and nodded at Lucy who was beginning to feel she was better off in the ER. At least they didn’t bite. Well, sometimes they didn’t. She held her breath as he came out pushing a man in a wheelchair. The room was dark so she could barely see him. He was young, not yet thirty, or so she guessed with black hair and maybe blue eyes. From what she could see he was more than handsome. But then so was Dean. She’d had enough of that and didn’t want anymore.

              He was wearing a robe over his pajamas, and his right leg was stretched out encased in a cast to the thigh. He looked none too pleased to see her. He glanced up and mumbled something. For a moment, she thought he told her to go to hell.

              “E-Excuse me?”

              Rudy poked him in the back, and he swore but offered her a brilliant smile. His teeth flashed white as his deep voice answered in an English accent. “I said ’hello’,” he repeated and she felt his eyes slowly moving over her. She crossed her arms over her chest hoping he wouldn’t guess she was scared to death.

              “H-Hello,” she replied, wondering if Rudy had gone insane. Anyone could tell this guy was unhinged. What the hell was he thinking? An awkward silence ensued as they each tried to think of something to say. Finally Rudy cleared his throat.

              “Lucy, I’d like you to meet Alec Barrington. Alec, this is Lucy Havilland. She’ll be your nurse.”

              “I haven’t said yes.”

              “You will.”

              Then to Lucy’s horror Rudy opened the door and began to leave. She left her new patient and chased after him.

              “Rudy! Wait!”

              He got into the car and turned the key. “Well, I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.”

              Rudy!” she gasped in horror. “You can’t leave me here with this psycho! What if he carves me up into little pieces and flushes me out to sea? Do you want that on your conscience?”

              “Hmm, let me think...” he replied, as he actually appeared to ponder the possibility.

              “Rudy!”

              He reached for her hand. “He’s many things, but he’s not a psycho. He needs someone to look after him. And you need a friend. You’ll be just fine Lulu. I wouldn’t trust you to anyone else.”

              He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he stepped on the gas and drove off, leaving her standing in the driveway feeling oddly bereft. She stood for a moment to gather her scattered wits before she headed back inside.                            

              Alec was waiting for her.

              He didn’t speak as she went into the kitchen. She looked at the imposing stacks of dishes in the sink, wet a sponge, and began scrubbing furiously. She felt him behind her.

              “Y-You don’t have to do that…” he began awkwardly.

              She blinked away tears. “Yes, I do.”

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

 

             

             

By late afternoon, Lucy had managed to put some order to the chaos. She cleaned the small kitchen, tidied the living room, dusted and swept till she thought she’d drop all the while under the watchful eye of her new employer.

              He observed her for a few minutes before wheeling off to his study and leaving her alone. Lucy was relieved. She didn’t know how Rudy could abandon her like this. Pausing to wipe her face, she glanced around at the small room. Under the dusty sheets were some very nice pieces of furniture. An old velvet stuffed chair, a small loveseat in addition to a drop leaf table, and a few chairs. A fireplace in one corner looked as if it had seen better days. Braided rugs covered the wooden floor, and red gingham curtains hung in the windows. It looked like it had never left the 50s.

              Lucy glanced at the clock and grimaced. It was lunchtime. So far she’d been able to avoid him but she took a deep breath, went to his study, and knocked timidly.

              “Come in,” he answered. He was facing the window looking into a telescope. “What is it?” he asked, without turning around.

              “I-I was wondering what you’d like for lunch,” she managed through a dry throat.

              “Whatever,” he mumbled, peering out into the open sea. “I think I see a yacht.”

              “Um, are you on a special diet or anything? Rudy didn’t tell me.”

              “That figures,” he grunted and wheeled himself around so he was facing her. “We’ll have to get to know each other won’t we?”

              Lucy now got a good look at him. He was more than handsome. He was so damn good looking she felt disgusted. Just what she needed another Dean. His hair was indeed black and a little long. It waved back from a chiseled face partially obscured by a beard. His eyes were a brilliant shade of light blue that sparkled with amusement. She supposed his nose was as perfect as one could get without a little help. It was straight and perfect: without flaw. His mouth was full and sensual and curved upward slightly with suppressed laughter. Even from this distance she could see a small scar just above his right eye.

              Suddenly annoyed with him she asked sharply, “So, how do you know Rudy?”

              “My father went to Oxford with him,” he answered, arching a finely sculpted brow.  “Anything else you’d like to know?”

              Lucy didn’t care to reply but replied stiffly, “Will sandwiches be all right?”

              Alec frowned. He was going to kill Rudy. This girl wasn’t what he had in mind. She was too pretty. Damned beautiful in fact. Even with a scarf tied around her head and a smudge of dirt on her cheek, she was a sight to behold. His eyes took in every detail. She was petite and slender with long delicate limbs. He wondered how those fragile arms would feel wrapped around him. Her skin was a flawless shade of cream. And her exquisite face was softly oval with large brown eyes fringed with thick lashes, a small dainty nose, and fully kissable lips. His heart beat a little faster at her presence.

              Alec swore silently. He was hoping to get some old hag to tend to him while he sorted out things. He didn’t need distractions. But here she was looking at him like he was some axe murderer and probably planning on having him committed.

              “Are you all right, Mr. Barrington?” she asked, a concerned frown wrinkling her lovely brow. “Can I get you anything?”

              “W-What?” he laughed nervously hoping she hadn’t guessed his lecherous thoughts. “Alec, please. I’m fine and sandwiches will be perfect.”

              Lucy nodded and went to fix lunch. Alec turned to the telescope and tried to concentrate on the endless sea, but all he saw was a doe-eyed temptress. Damn! He didn’t know how he was going to get through the remaining weeks the cast needed to stay on. Why did this have to happen now? She probably thought he was nuts the way she kept looking at him. But then considering the way he behaved earlier didn’t help. Maybe he should tell her what he did for a living. He squashed the thought. There would be time enough for that later. But she was so pretty. Rudy would skin him and hang his bones out to dry if he knew what he was thinking. He would have to be on his best behavior.

              With that settled he turned again to his observations and waited until she came back with a tray of sandwiches and lemonade. “Will there be anything else?”

              He looked up at her in surprise. “You’re not a maid.”

              “But it’s part of the job description isn’t it?”

              “Yeah,” he replied quietly, rubbing the flesh between his eyes. “Yeah, I guess so.”

              Lucy turned and started to leave when his voice stopped her. “Aren’t you going to eat?”             

              “I’m not hungry,” she said and went back to her cleaning.

                           

              Dinner went off without a hitch. He ate the chicken salad she prepared, but she could barely get anything down. Alec tried to get her to talk, but she didn’t feel like it so he retired early. Lucy helped him out of his chair and into bed. His medication consisted of a painkiller and a sedative. She gave him the sedative and wished him goodnight and left, leaving the door cracked should he need her.

              Lucy cleaned up and went to bed. Her room was small but surprisingly cozy. There was a cast iron bed with a colorful quilt and a chest of drawers. Lacy white curtains hung from a window overlooking the beach and a small lamp sat on the bedside table. She flicked it on and took out her overnight bag.  As she unpacked, her thoughts turned to Dean and Vivian. She wasn’t angry anymore, it was too exhausting, but she did feel hurt. She blamed herself for making him wait. If she’d only given in to him maybe he wouldn’t have turned to a woman who didn’t know the meaning of the word “no”.

              Dean hadn’t exactly been the most understanding fiancé about it. More than once he had pressured her to give it up before the wedding. But something had held her back. She wondered at that. Why hadn’t she given it to him but had gladly turned it over to a complete stranger?

              Lucy often thought about the man who had taken her virginity. He had been extremely patient with her, almost tender. Sometimes she could hear his voice. Sometimes she could feel his lips on her cheek, but only in her dreams did she know the full extent of his passion. He came to her with his whole heart and held nothing back. Once he even told her he loved her. Her! She remembered the last time Dean had said those words. That day didn’t he?

              Lies!

              She undressed and put on a cool nightgown and slipped between the sheets. Lucy hoped her dream lover wouldn’t visit her tonight. She needed sleep. Reaching up to turn off the lamp, she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

 

“My wife,” he rasped as he thrust in and out. “I love you so.”

Gasping, her arms tightened around him. It felt so good. She arched her hips against his, wanting more. His tongue toyed with hers, matching the rhythm of his shaft. He took her slowly then increased his pace. She moaned into his mouth. Her nails dug into his flexing back and slid lower. He groaned and lifted her thighs to encircle his hips. Lucy cried out in shock as he penetrated deeper and gave him thrust for thrust, savoring the lustful sensations that raced through her body.

              “That’s it love,” he urged. “Move with me. Move with me.”

              His mouth was bruising as his lips massaged hers. Their tongues slid in and out of each other’s mouths with increasing passion as his thrusts grew impatient.

              “Come, love,” he gasped. “Come with me!”

              “Oh, please,” she moaned, arching her back and his mouth devoured her throat as she was consumed by fire. He cried out shuddering and thrusting frantically into her. Lucy gasped and clung to him as she came. The orgasm left her breathless, vibrating through her entire body, and leaving her limp in his arms. His body pressed her into the mattress, but she reveled in his weight.             

              She felt his lips touching her cheek, her hair, her ear.

              “I love you,” he whispered.

              “I love you, too,” she whispered back and closed her eyes.

 

              Lucy awoke with a start, still feeling the heat of him between her thighs. The sheets were damp, and she turned on her side and began to cry. She wished the dreams would go away. They only reminded her of what she'd lost and what she could never have. She cried herself to sleep and this time he didn’t come.

              She got up feeling drained and sick to her stomach. Tossing on an old robe, she padded down the hall to Alec’s room where he still slept. Lucy went over to him. He lay on his back with an arm flung above his head. She reached and felt his brow. He looked peaceful, almost angelic in sleep. Shaking her head, she went to make breakfast.

              The next few weeks were mostly the same. She’d awaken early to fix breakfast, help him out of bed, eat in silence, then while he went off to his study, she would clean up, and pretty much have the house to herself till lunchtime. Dinner wasn’t much either. Lucy was grateful for the work. Rudy had been right. Out here in the boonies, she wasn’t able to focus on Dean and Vivian.  She was also grateful that Alec didn’t own a television.

              He was an undemanding patient. Lucy had been curious as to why he had gone through so many nurses. His needs were simple. Aside from assisting him in and out of the chair, he was actually pretty self- sufficient. She wondered what he did all day in that study. Look at the sea?  He had a small laptop, which she saw him lug around from time to time and he spoke frequently on the phone. Rudy hadn’t told her what he did for a living, but she hoped it had nothing to do with the medical profession.

              Rudy had her little car delivered to her and she drove into town for groceries and necessary items. She glanced at a tabloid and quickly looked away. The headlines still screamed Vivian and her new boy-toy.  As she drove back, she wondered if he even thought about her.

              Gripping the steering wheel, Lucy decided that Dean was best left to the ashes of her memory. She had bigger problems. Like giving her new patient a bath. She wasn’t looking forward to it. Not that she anything against the chore, it was just that they were all alone in the little cottage, and there weren’t any witnesses should he decide to get ugly.

              Pulling up in front of the house, she paused and tried to think how best to go about it. She got out and went in.

              “You’re back,” he said, almost relieved. “I was beginning to think you’d left me.”

              “Why would you think that?” she replied, as she carried the groceries into the kitchen. “I live here.”

              “I don’t know,” he shrugged, peering up at her shyly. “Maybe you’re tired of the company?”

              “The company’s fine,” she murmured as she pulled out a package. She held it up for him to see. “Look what they had.”

              His eyes widened in horror. “Bloody hell! You’re not giving me a bath!” He turned his chair around and peeled off toward his bedroom.

              Lucy chased after him. “But Alec! These are the latest thing. You just pop them in the microwave and you’re good to go. It’ll only take five minutes.”

              “Well, if they’re so bloody great you take them and knock yourself out. I’m going to bed.”

              Laughing at the whole thing, Lucy followed him in and watched in disbelief as he wheeled himself into the corner. He stared at her defiantly like a naughty boy. “You’re not giving me a bath!” he told her firmly. “I had one last week. Hilda gave me one before she left. I’m good for another.”

              “Don’t be silly! You’ll feel so much better, she said as she approached him.

              “I said no!” he shouted at her and backed away from her. “Get the hell away from me!” 

              Lucy didn’t know what was wrong with him. He seemed agitated, almost frightened. His eyes were wild with fear and his hands were gripping the wheels with such force, his knuckles showed white. “Alec---” she began, “what on earth…?”

              “Stay away from me,” he warned ominously.  “I’ll not tell you again.”

              Not knowing what to make of it, Lucy set the package down and left him alone. As she put the groceries away, she wondered what Rudy had neglected to tell her about Alec. She knew fear when she saw it and he had been terrified. Of what? Her? He hadn’t exhibited any abnormal behavior in the past few weeks she’d been here. Sometimes she heard him talking in his sleep but nothing out of the ordinary. Now, he was acting like a frightened animal when she tried to bathe him! It didn’t make sense.

              Lucy went to her bedroom and saw his door was closed. Feeling suddenly ill, she had to lie down on the bed, and put a cool cloth over her aching eyes. She closed them against the incessant pounding and tried to get some rest.

              She hoped she wasn’t coming down with anything.

                                                                  

* * *

              Someone was in her room! She lay quietly and heard them moving around. Lucy took the cloth from her eyes and sat up. It was dark and Alec was sitting near the window looking out. He turned and moved toward the bed.

              “Are you feeling better?” he asked quietly.

              “I’m not sick,” she told him as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “I had a headache.”

              “A headache that lasted for six hours? It’s seven.”

              “I’m so sorry!” she cried out in dismay. “I forgot about dinner.” She stood up then sat back down as the room suddenly began spinning.

              “Don’t try to get up. I can fix dinner,” he said as he started to leave. “You should rest.”

              “Don’t be silly. I’m just a little lightheaded. I haven’t eaten all day.”

              “Are you sure?”

              Nodding, she stood up on solid legs and went through the darkened cottage to the kitchen where she started to pull out pots and pans. She threw some chicken into a skillet and started to peel some potatoes. “It won’t be long,” she said as he watched her from the living room. “Will chicken and fried potatoes be okay? I think I have some biscuits---”

              “I’m sorry!” he blurted and came into the kitchen. He looked so guilty Lucy wanted to comfort him.  “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

              Lucy didn’t reply but kept on peeling potatoes. “I’m sorry too.”

              “Sorry for what? I’m the one who behaved like an arse. You were only trying to help.”

              “I was, wasn’t I?” she said softly. “But I should have asked.”

              Swearing under his breath, he wheeled himself into the living room and turned on a few lamps. “Rudy told me to be nice to you. He’d kill me if he thought I wasn’t treating you right.”

              Wiping her hands on a towel, she followed him out and watched as he fidgeted restlessly in his chair. “Alec?”

              He raked his hand nervously through his hair. “I just didn’t want you to see.”

              “See what?” she asked gently.

              Alec began to pick at threads on his old robe. “S-Scars,” he managed and then cleared his throat. “I, um, was in Afghanistan and I have a few um…” he couldn’t finish.

              Lucy was relieved. “Is that all?”

              He glanced up, startled. This was hardly the reaction he was expecting. Somehow he thought she’d be repulsed by it, nurse or not. The others had been. “Y--You’re not disgusted?”

              “Of course not! That’s why you didn’t want me to bathe you. Well, I don’t know why. I’ve seen worse.”

              “No, you haven’t,” he said grimly. “It’s pretty bad.”

              “Where?” she said, coming towards him. “Let me see.”

              Alec backed away, wishing he hadn’t told her. “Not before we eat.”

              “For heaven’s sake!” she cried, exasperated. “I’m a nurse! I’ve seen it all.”

              “Later,” he choked, and turned around suddenly. “I’ll eat in my room.”

             

              He left her alone and wondering how bad could a few war scars be. But as Lucy prepared dinner, she began to sense that to him it would have been devastating. It would certainly explain his hostility toward others and why he’d gone through so many nurses. She felt guilty for all the horrible things she’d thought about him.  No wonder he’d shut himself off from family and friends. In a way she supposed Rudy had thought they’d be perfect for the other, each bearing their own scars.

              Sighing, Lucy prepared his tray and carried it to his room. She opened the door and set it down. Alec was staring out the window seemingly lost in his thoughts. He seemed so alone just then, as if he carried the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. She wanted to say something to comfort him but couldn’t think of anything at the moment.

              “Call me if you need anything else,” Lucy managed and left.

              She returned later to find him asleep in his chair. Lucy nudged him awake and pushed him to the bed. Just as he finished lowering himself down onto the mattress, she leaned over to pull the blankets over him and stood up. That’s when she felt it. Her head felt fuzzy and light. Then she felt herself falling into a long black tunnel and knew no more.

              Alec caught her as she fell. His strong arms lowered her gently beside him and for a moment he panicked. He didn’t know what to do. Lucy had fainted in his arms and was now lying unconscious in his bed. He felt her brow and touched her cheek. She felt warm. He reached over for a damp cloth and wiped her face.

              Rudy had told him very little about his new caregiver.                                              

              Only that he mustn’t upset her, and he had done more than that when she had only meant to be helpful. He swore silently. He tried to nudge her awake but it didn’t work.               She was out cold.

              What to do with a beautiful girl in his bed? Her soft pink lips were parted with her breathing, and Alec leaned his head down to listen to her heart. It was quiet and gentle…like her.  He sighed heavily; wishing this ache in his chest would go away. He reached up and brushed aside the sooty locks of hair from her pale face and covered her with his blanket.

              Alec rested his head beside hers and inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet scent of her hair.

              “Goodnight, lovely Lucy,” he whispered softly and closed his eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Six

 

             

 

Lucy’s eyes flew open. The room was dark and she was lying in bed but something wasn’t right. The bed felt different and something warm was wedged up against her back. She wiggled onto her back to find Alec sleeping contentedly beside her. She was half covered with his blanket.

              What the hell?

              Then it came back to her. She had fainted and poor Alec, unable to do anything, had simply fallen asleep with her in his bed. Lucy carefully slid out and slipped out of the room. She shut the door leaving a small crack to hear him and went into the bathroom.

              Splashing some cold water on her face and neck, she tried to make sense out of it. She wasn’t given to fainting spells. But these past few weeks she hadn’t been feeling up to par. Maybe she should see a doctor. Putting her nursing skills to good use, she made a mental list of all her symptoms and came up with a simple diagnosis. Stress. Plain and simple.

              Sighing, she began to undress when she was overcome by a wave of nausea so sudden and severe she barely had time to flip up the lid of the toilet. Lucy sank to her knees as wave after wave hit her. Shuddering, she closed the lid and flushed it. She wet a washcloth and bathed her face refusing to accept the horrible thought that was suddenly hurtling through her weary brain.

              When she felt her legs could support her, she went to her bedroom and lay down. Lucy covered her eyes and wished the whole world would go away. This wasn’t happening. Not now. It couldn’t be.

              Could it?

                                                                 

                        

What are you doing here?” she asked shyly.

“I’m looking for someone.”

“Did you find them?”

His hand reached out and took hers. “I think I have.”

“We’re drunk,” she insisted breathlessly as his mouth moved over hers. “Shouldn’t we talk about this?”

“What’s there to talk about?” he muttered hotly against her throat. ”It’s perfectly proper, love,” he assured her. “We’re married.”

“A-Are you sure,” she gasped as his hand slid up her thigh. ”I-I mean, is it legal?”

His hand suddenly settled between her thighs. She gasped in shock. “Don’t!”

“Shush,” he soothed against her cheek. “I’d never hurt you, sweetness. I love you.”

“Y-You do?” she stammered in confusion as he pressed soft kisses against her eyelids, her nose, her lips. “How can you? You don’t even know me. Oh...!” The last word cut off as her breath caught. His hand had slid to the waistband of her panties and slipped inside.

“Do I need a reason to love you?” he breathed. “You’re everything I’ve always wanted.”

“Oh!” she cried out as his warm hand pushed the lace down and his gentle fingers began to probe the virgin flesh. “Oh! What are you doing?”

              Chuckling against her throat, he touched his tongue to her ear. “If I didn’t know better love, I’d think you’ve never done this before.”

              “I-I haven’t,” she gasped between breaths. “You’re the first. Oh!” His fingers slid down further, parting the damp lips and slipped a finger inside. Her eyes widened as he moved it around gently, then slid it out.

              His lips touched her cheek tenderly. “You are,” he murmured in wonder. “You waited for me?”

              She stared up at him. His face was damp with tears. She reached up and brushed them away and pulled his head down to hers. She didn’t care anymore. Dean was in the past. He didn’t want her. But this man loved her. This stranger. She kissed him lovingly and slid her tongue timidly into his mouth savoring the taste of him. He groaned and kissed her back passionately.

              “My wife,” he groaned against her lips. “I want you so.” His hand slid down over her breasts and down further where he began to massage the tender flesh. She gasped as his fingers slipped inside then settled over her clit. Sensations she had never known consumed her body. She gripped his shoulders as the fingers massaged the hard little pebble. Waves of sinful delight swept over her. Her thighs fell apart as her hips began to move against his gentle fingers.

              “What are you doing?” she moaned, arching her hips hungrily against the hand that was now stroking with increasing fervor. She couldn’t breathe as those fingers tweaked and pulled at the greedy flesh. His mouth swooped down over hers and caught her cries as her lower body exploded. Waves of warm delight coursed through her, leaving her limp.

              She lay sleepy and sated and watched him undress. She didn’t say a word as he tenderly undressed her, kissing every part he exposed. Her arms ached for him. “My husband,” she whispered against his cheek. “I want you.”

              “Darling,” he muttered as he took her in his arms and slid between her thighs.

              She gasped in shock. He was hot and hard against her. He was huge! How could she take him? He’d tear her apart. “You have to be careful with me,” she reminded him.

              He didn’t appear to be listening as his tongue caressed her throat. Arching her back, she moaned as his hot mouth devoured her small breasts. His tongue was hard and searing against the soft nipples that he brought to throbbing life with each wet stroke. She slid her hands into his silky hair as his tongue savored the sweet flesh and slid over her flat belly and down further still.

              She nearly bolted upright as he hovered over her pussy. “W-What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, horrified. “That’s not proper!”

              Deep laughter rumbled from his chest. “You’re right, love. It’s perfectly improper!” He lowered his head. “Don’t wiggle so, love. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”

              She lay back unable to keep still as he kissed the soft flesh. His hand stilled her quivering thighs and soon she relaxed. Her eyes closed as his tongue licked her. Then she cried out in shock as she felt his stiff tongue slide into her. He glanced up at her with a worried frown.

              “Did I hurt you?”

              Unable to speak, she shook her head no.

              He smiled, relieved. “Good. You’re going to love this. Trust me.”

              Trust him? Her hands gripped the sheets as his wet tongue laved and licked till she thought she would go up in flames. He lifted her thighs over his shoulders, spreading her wider, and speared his tongue in deep. “Oh!” she moaned, unable to suppress the cries of pleasure any longer. “Oh, please!”

              “You like this, love?” he asked, as his tongue swirled over her throbbing pebble, making her cry out for more. “Slower or faster?”

              “F-Faster,” she gasped. “Please, make it go!”

              “I will,” he muttered and drew the hard little nub between his teeth. He sucked and nibbled and then when he thought she could take no more, he licked and laved furiously, savoring each sound she made.

              She came sobbing and gasping, thrusting herself hungrily against his face. He kissed the swollen and sated flesh, soothing her. Then he rested his head on her belly. “I love you, wife,” he sighed happily.

              She reached down and touched him. Her fingers stroked his hair. “Thank you,” she whispered tearfully.

              He glanced up. “You’re crying! I did hurt you!”

              “No,” she said, smiling at him as he moved over her. He brushed her hair aside as he rained kisses upon her face. “I’m just happy.”

              He smiled down at her.  “Then, love I would hate to see you when you’re sad.” They dissolved into laughter, then he kissed her again and soon his arms tightened around her and he drew her hand to his swollen shaft. “Love me, wife,” he begged hoarsely. “I need you to love me.”

              “I do,” she sighed and touched shy kisses to his face and throat. Her hands slid down over his tautly muscled back and felt something. A small puckered scar. Like he’d been burned. Her hands slid down further. His entire back was covered with the same small scars. “What’s this?” she frowned.

              He wouldn’t look at her.

              “Someone hurt you?” she asked tearfully, aching at the thought of someone causing him pain. “It’s okay,” she soothed, kissing his face. “You’re safe now.

              He buried his head against her neck and began to weep. “Hold me, wife,” he pleaded. “ I need you to hold me.”

              Her arms tightened around him as he wept.

Her fingers stroked his hair, trying to soothe him as if he were a frightened child.               “You’re safe, now,” she soothed. “And I love you.”

* * *

              “Hello? Mum, it’s me. How’s everything?”

              Lucy was carrying a fresh load of laundry as she passed through the hall and saw Alec’s study door was cracked. He sounded worried as he spoke to someone on the phone.

              “Would you please stop crying?” he pleaded hoarsely. “I found him, mum.”

              Through the opening, she could see him sitting near the window with a pained expression on his handsome face. “He wouldn’t see me.”

              He sighed warily. “Mum, I don’t want to tell you where he is. Put Pat on the phone!”

              Lucy felt uncomfortable but couldn’t move lest the creaky wood give her away. She stood glued to the spot fast becoming a reluctant eavesdropper.

              “Hello? Pat, would you calm her down! Yes, I found the little twat! What do you think he’s been doing? No! You want to know what happened? Beau the Barbarian shoved me down the stairs! Broke me leg in two places! I had to hire a nurse. That’s none of your business! Of course, she’s pretty. Gorgeous! Big, brown eyes. Yes, she’s a nice girl. What do you mean? I can’t do anything until I put myself back together, now can I? Don’t yell at me! Hello? Son of a bitch!” He swore and hurled the phone at the desk in a fit of rage. Alec sat there for a long time, fuming.

              Lucy made her move and quickly took off to her room where she shut herself in and tried not to think about what she just overheard. Rudy said he broke his leg skydiving. She wondered what else Rudy was keeping from her about Alec.

              She tried reading, but her mind kept wandering toward the little illness that was suddenly rearing its ugly head. Lucy lay down and slid her hands over her still flat belly. She was late.

              How many weeks had it been since that night? Five?  Six? There was only one way to tell. The next morning she drove into town and hurried to the local drugstore. Scrambling up the narrow aisles, she quickly scanned the shelves for them. There in tidy rows were pregnancy tests. She picked up one but decided that wouldn’t be enough. She left with the whole shelf and the owner deciding she was a slut.

              Lucy sped home. She had hoped to test herself as soon as possible, but Alec was in one of his moods. So she hid the boxes in her suitcase and tried not to think of what she had to do the next morning.

              Another matter that worried her was that stupid ring. She’d been unable to remove it although she had tried just about every substance known to man. Lucy was in the kitchen washing dishes and hoped the soap would loosen it. “Come off, you stupid ring!” she muttered in frustration.  “Why won’t you budge?”

              “Maybe it’s not meant to come off,” Alec’s voice startled her so much she yelped.

              “What are you doing sneaking up on people?” she demanded irritably as she continued to tug at the ring. “Don’t you know it’s a major cause of heart attacks in this country?”

              “Funny, I always thought it was all the cheese and butter that you drown your food in.” He smiled as she glared at him. Alec’s eyes roved over her appreciatively. She was looking damn fine today dressed in a pale blue peasant top and cargo shorts that displayed her shapely legs to perfection. She’d caught her black hair up in an untidy bun and short wispy strands had broken free and now framed her exquisite face in wanton disarray. His breath caught as he imagined releasing the silken strands and running his fingers through it as he slid his mouth down that delectable throat. “I’m sorry I startled you,” he said hoarsely.

              “It’s fine,” she told him, oblivious to his distress as she went into the living room and began setting the table for dinner.

              “Rudy didn’t tell me you were married,” he ventured once his voice returned to normal.

              “I’m not.”

              “Oh...?”

              “It was a joke,” she explained hastily. “A friend is getting married and wanted to try on rings. I slipped one on and now it won’t come off.” Lucy tried to laugh, but she had never been any good at lying. From the way he was looking at her, she was failing miserably.

              “It’s a nice ring,” he grinned. “Maybe you should keep it on to ward off the riffraff.”

              “Riffraff...?”

              “You know,” he leaned forward as if to tell her a secret. “Psychos who carve up pretty nurses and flush them out to sea.”

              Lucy paled. She didn’t know he had heard that. “Alec, I’m so sorry...” She began.

              He laughed. “Don’t worry so. I had it coming. I wasn’t on my best behavior that day was I?”

              “No, I don’t think so.” Lucy couldn’t help laughing either and peered at him shyly. “So, we’re okay then?”

              Alec smiled at her. Their eyes met and for a moment Lucy forgot about the ring. “Of course, Lucia.”

              “Lucia?” she frowned. “Who’s that?”

              “You, silly girl.”  He wheeled himself over to the window and gazed out. “It’s my nickname for you. It’s so exotic and interesting don’t you think?”

              “I don’t know. I’m such a dull person. It doesn’t fit.” Lucy went over to the window and gazed out over a glassy sea. “Storm’s coming?”

              “Yeah,” he answered glumly. “Better shut all the windows and you’re not dull, by the way.”

              “I’m not? Really?” she asked shyly.

              “Go on with you now!” he told her as he went to get the napkins. “Before I change my mind!”

              Alec shook his head at the slender figure and let out a low whistle as soon as she left the room. “Definitely not dull.”

              The power went out an hour later and they ate by candlelight. The wind howled and beat against the shutters and rain drummed quietly on the roof. Alec told her to the let the dishes soak and to sit with him by the fire he managed to coax out of the old fireplace. “You look tired, Lucia. You should rest.”

              “I’m fine,” Lucy told him, but not feeling very fine. She felt miserable. What if she was pregnant? What then? She didn’t know who the father was. According to Rudy he had dropped off the face of the earth. Let alone what she would do with a baby! She could barely take care of herself.  She thought of confiding to Alec who seemed just the person to understand. But she didn’t want pity and besides, he had his own problems.

              “Are you cold?” he asked, blue eyes gazing at her intently. “I think there’s a quilt in my room. I’ll get it.”

              “Oh, don’t bother---” she began, but he left and zipped back in with a handmade quilt that he handed to her. “Thank you,” she said as she wrapped it around her. It smelled like him. Like soap and just a hint of cologne. Lucy inhaled deeply. The scent was oddly soothing. “So what do we do now?”

              Alec put more wood on the fire and went to his study. He came back bearing his laptop and several movies. “Care for a movie, Lucia?”

              She leaned forward as he laid the DVDs on her lap. This was a side of him she never would have guessed. They were classic horror films from the thirties and fifties. She held one up. “Dracula or The Creature from the Black Lagoon? Where did you get these?”

              “Well, if you don’t like those, I’ve also got Attack of the Fifty- Foot Woman.”

              “Oh no, these are fine. I love these old movies!”

              “You do?” he asked in amazement. “Really?”

              “Sure! Pop one in. I’ll make some popcorn.”

              “But, the microwave---”

              “—isn’t needed,” she finished for him and went into the kitchen. She came back with an old-fashioned metal popcorn maker. Lucy held it over the fire as Alec popped the DVD in.

              “I’ve got a six- hour battery on this baby,” he grinned at her as they sat and ate popcorn and watched as a giant woman wrecked havoc on the hapless town and crushed the man who had wronged her.

              Lucy soon forgot all about her little chore in the morning as she sat beside Alec. Being with him was comforting somehow. She reached into the bowl the same time he did and their fingers touched. Their eyes met again and for a moment, Lucy felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly recovered and withdrew her hand and tried to concentrate on the movie.

              Alec on the other hand, couldn’t recover himself quite as fast and stole glances at Lucy. He didn’t want to give her the impression he was coming after her. Rudy had told him she’d been hurt by some guy she’d dated. As for the ring, he didn’t buy it. He swore silently. He wished Rudy had told him more about her aside from the basics.

              He was worried about the girl who was fast becoming more than just a nurse and companion. More than once he’d woken in the middle of the night to hear her crying softly in her room. The ache returned and he sighed trying to relieve it. He hoped he wasn’t falling for her. It was the last thing he needed. Damn Gavin anyway! He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t hear Lucy asking if he wanted something to drink.

              He nodded and took out the movie. They watched Dracula until they both got sleepy and Lucy wheeled him to his room and helped him into bed. Alec held his breath as she reached over for his pills. He got a glimpse of a lacy bra and a sample of small creamy breasts as her peasant blouse slipped a little. She gave him his sedative and pulled the blankets over him. “It was a nice evening wasn’t it?”

              “H-Huh?” he stammered, trying not to look guilty. “Oh, yes it was nice.”

              Lucy frowned. “Are you all right? You look a little flushed.” She reached and felt his brow.

              Alec wanted to cover her hand with his own. “I’m fine, Lucia. It’s a little humid.”

              “Hmm,” she replied suspiciously.  He really did look flushed. In fact, he seemed to be sweating. “Did you get your flu shot?”

              “Who? Me? Sure, I did. Don’t worry about me. You go to bed.”

              If she hadn’t been so tired she might have argued with him over that, but she needed sleep. “Well, if you’re certain. Goodnight, then.” She blew out the candle and closed the door leaving a small crack.

              Alec sank down into bed wondering if he was losing his mind. His heart was pounding so hard he was afraid it would make its way out of his chest. He was sweating profusely. Horrified at his lack of self- control, he also discovered he was aroused. Cursing at himself and the blasted thing, he yanked the blankets over his head and tried not to think of a certain tiny brunette.

             

              Lucy was up the next morning and hurried into the bathroom. She got out her watch and waited. When it was time, she held it out and there it was. Positive.

              She tried the next morning and the next and they all came out positive.

              She was pregnant.

              Lucy didn’t know what she was going to do. One more month and she’d start showing. She sat on the toilet and wept. It was so awful. Then to her horror, her nose started bleeding. She tilted her head, but the awful stuff ran down her throat.

              Lucy hurried to her bed where she lay down and put pillows under her feet. She hoped Alec hadn’t heard her pity party. She didn’t want anyone to witness her humiliation. Pressing the cloth against her nose, the blood didn’t seem to be stopping. The only thing she could do was calm down and then figure out what to do.

              She closed her eyes.

              But the answer never came.

              Life was such a bitch!

 

              Her nose finally stopped bleeding, and she had dozed off forgetting all about Alec’s breakfast. She woke with a start wincing as her head throbbed painfully in protest and settled back into the pillows, trying to convince herself that curling up into a fetal position just wasn’t the humane thing to do.

              She sighed in resignation and was just about to fall asleep again when the door creaked open.                            

              “Lucy?” Alec’s concerned voice drifted over her.

                She lifted one corner of the washcloth over her eyes.

              “Are you all right? I thought I…” his voice trailed off when he saw the blood.               “My God! What happened?” he exclaimed and wheeled toward her in a panic.

              Lucy sighed again and winced as a little man began drilling into her skull. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

              Alec stared in horror at the small mound of bloodstained cloths on the bedside table. “Did you cut yourself?”

              She let out a half snort, half sob. “No.”

              “T-Then why does it look like someone got slashed by Jack the Ripper?” he demanded, seriously considering calling Rudy.

              Lucy’s head finally stopped pounding long enough for her to sit up. “Is that what it looks like?” She reached up and rubbed her nose gingerly just to make sure Niagara Falls had dried up. “This is nothing compared to the flood of 1998!”

              Alec stared at her in disbelief. “W-What?”

              She swung her legs around and let them dangle over the edge. “Compared to the others, I mean this wasn’t so bad.”

              “O-Others?” he repeated blankly, looking at her like she had suddenly sprouted another head.

              “Hmm, yes,” she told him blithely. “Nosebleeds, don’t you know!” Lucy frowned. “I thought Rudy told you all this.”

              Alec let out a frustrated sigh. “No! No, he didn’t! And I ought to throttle him for that little oversight!” He sounded so angry Lucy was startled.

              She rushed to reassure him. “It’s okay. Really. I have them all the time. It’s not that big a deal.”

              “Not that big a deal?” he repeated with a derisive laugh. “You’re in here bleeding to death and its no big deal?”

              He looked so stricken she wanted to hug him. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone was this worried about her. Oh, there was Rudy and Tia and Dean, of course. Lucy felt her stomach heave a little at the thought of her former fiancé. She remembered the first time she’d bled in front of him. It had been on their first date to dinner and a movie. Unfortunately, one of his exes had chosen that particular night to dine in the exact same restaurant. She’d made a whole to-do, swearing and screaming her head off, throwing a whole glass of red wine at Lucy and ruining a vintage ivory lace dress. Lucy had saved for months to buy it.

              As she stared down at the ruins of the antique lace, Lucy hadn’t noticed the police dragging away the hysterical redhead, nor the stares of her fellow diners, nor had she noticed that sudden first gush. It was only after Dean had calmly pressed several napkins to her nose, did she realize what was happening. He’d been so sweet. But in the back of her mind, Lucy suspected he’d been quietly disgusted.

              “Oh, Alec,” she sighed wearily. “I’ve had nosebleeds since I was a kid. You just learn to live with them---wait!” she called out as he suddenly wheeled himself around and peeled out of the room.

              Lucy chased after him and found him in his room on the phone to Rudy. “I didn’t do anything! What do you mean? I did no such thing!” he protested angrily, raking an agitated hand through his inky mass of hair. “Just what the hell are you implying?”             

              She had never felt so embarrassed in her entire life. Lucy had gotten so used to the repeated bloodlettings, that it simply did not occur to her that someone else might find it abhorrent. For her, it was simply a way of life.

              Alec’s worried gaze flickered over Lucy as he sparred verbally with Rudy. “Aren’t you the least bit concerned?” he demanded, outraged at the man’s cavalier attitude. “What do you mean you’re busy?  No, I will NOT calm down! What the---” he swore viciously and slammed the phone shut. “The little bugger hung up on me!”

              “It’s psychosomatic,” she said quietly.

              “What?”

              Lucy shrugged, ignoring the confusion on his handsome face. “I give myself nosebleeds, Alec,” she said simply and turned away towards the kitchen to prepare his breakfast. “Did you want an omelet or scrambled?” she called.

              “Lord, woman,” he groaned in exasperation as he wheeled after her. “How can you be so bloody calm?”

              She wasn’t listening as she knelt down and rummaged around in the cabinet for a frying pan. As she stood up, Lucy felt her brain doing its silly dance and gripped the counter to steady herself. “Whoa!” she gasped as the room settled into a slow spin.

              “Dammit, woman will you sit down!” Alec growled as he entered the kitchen, nearly banging his cast against the table. “I can fix my own bloody damn eggs!”

              When the kitchen settled back to earth, Lucy managed a wry smile as she began beating the eggs. “I’m sure Gordon Ramsay would love to try those!”  She reached for the salt and pepper. “One egg or two?”

              Alec glared at her, not knowing why he was so angry with her. She’d done nothing wrong, but he was suddenly overcome with an almost overwhelming urge to put her over his knee and whip the holy daylights out of her. It was most unsettling. He wasn’t one to give credence to acts of violence, but Lucy’s casual disregard for her own health was pissing him off. “Don’t mock me woman!” he barked, startling Lucy so much that she dropped the spatula onto the floor. “Sit down!”

              “Alec, what’s gotten into you?” she asked in a tired voice, not feeling up to this today. “A-Are you angry with me?”

              “Now, whatever could have given you that idea?” he muttered, his astounding eyes glowing blue fire as they raked her from head to toe.

              “You are angry with me,” she breathed in wonder. “Why?”

              “Oh, I don’t know,” he scowled at her and Lucy actually gulped back a cold lump of fear.  He gestured toward her angrily. ‘You’ve fainted once already, had a damn nosebleed that would send most people to hospital, and here you are cooking like you’re auditioning for damned Masterchef!”

              Lucy backed away slightly. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered faintly and wondered how fast she could get to the toilet should her treacherous stomach decide to betray her. “It was j-just a nosebleed,” she choked and felt her throat constrict with unshed tears.  “I’m perfectly well and---” she looked up to see Alec glowering at her still and she lost it.

              Large, broiling tears flooded her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

              She didn’t know what had gotten into him, but she didn’t deserve to be attacked. Her head tilted back in an instinctual gesture to stave off the inevitable, but it was too late. Lucy felt the all too familiar sensation as the warm blood gushed out of her nose, over her mouth, and down her chin. She stood there feeling like she was ten again and dripping all over Vivian’s new white Valentino gown.

              For the first time in years, Lucy felt ashamed: ashamed at getting pregnant by some stranger; ashamed at having lost Dean, and ashamed in giving in to Alec’s irrational anger and allowing him to see her like this. She was suddenly angry with herself, but didn’t have time to indulge the feeling as she was dripping onto the cracked tile floor. “You want eggs,” she shouted angrily as she turned and fled towards the bathroom, “you can make them yourself!”

              With that Lucy left a horrified Alec sitting numbly in his chair and swearing as his eggs began to scorch in the pan. He hurried to turn off the flame and take the pan off the burner but only succeeded in burning his hand. Muttering a string of violent oaths, he cursed himself for upsetting Lucy and went to find her.

              He knocked fearfully and tried the knob. It was locked. “L-Lucy?” He could hear her sobbing and coughing as she gagged on the blood. “Are you…?”

              “Go away, Alec!” she shouted through the door. “Leave me alone!”

              “But---”

              “Leave me!” she sobbed and sank to the floor. “Just leave me be,” she wept and wiped her eyes and face with a damp washcloth. “Just go away!” she croaked through a raw throat as he knocked again.

              She didn’t answer as she waited for the bleeding to stop. Lucy needed it to stop. So she could think straight and figure out what to do. She didn’t need Alec and all his shitty drama weighing her down. She had her own problems.

              He must have given up because it was eerily quiet in the little bathroom as she lay there feeling sorry for herself. She finally got up and ran a bath. Lucy took off her bloodstained clothes and sank her weary body into the hot water. She scrubbed her face and sank down into the tub, wondering idly how long she could stay under because it was quite peaceful down there.

              For a long moment, Lucy held her breath and then with lungs bursting, came back up sputtering and spitting water out of her mouth.

              Well, she thought bitterly, it was worth a try.

              Shame flooded her in an instant and her hand slid to her belly. She was being selfish and she knew it. She just didn’t know if she had the right to bring an innocent being into this world and expose them to the fucked up mess that was her life.

              It wasn’t fair.

              But then, as Lucy knew firsthand, life was the bitch that kept on giving. She closed her eyes and willed the unborn baby inside her not to hate her for her weakness.

                For all that Vivian had taken and for all her cruelty over the years, she had been right about one thing: She was weak.

             

             

             

             

 

 

                                                                     

 

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Seven