by Penelope Sky
“Have you ever introduced a woman to your parents before?”
“No,” I blurted, finding the question comical. “Never.”
“You’ve never had a girlfriend?” she asked, her eyebrow raised.
I shook my head. “The girlfriend thing has never interested me. I’ve never needed a romantic relationship with someone, not when I’m satisfied by other things, like sex, work, and family.”
“Then it’s no surprise that your mother and sister were so surprised to see me, since they’ve never seen you with a woman in any capacity.”
“I guess.”
“You told them I’m living here?”
I nodded.
“Did you tell them about my son?”
I nodded again. “They find the situation strange. They probably think there’s something romantic going on between us. But I’m not going to correct my mother and tell her we’re just fucking. I might be able to have that kind of conversation with my father, but not my mother.”
“Understandable.”
“I’m sure they’ll get used to as time goes on and they realize nothing is gonna happen.”
She held my gaze without reacting, but there was a hint of sorrow in her eyes. I wasn’t sure why my words would matter to her. There didn’t seem to be anything between us, at least nothing romantic. “What?”
“That makes me sad.”
My heart started to race, the sweat forming on my palms. I stared at her beautiful face and felt the trepidation in my chest. I didn’t blink as I stared at her, and she didn’t blink as she stared back. Did our closeness develop into something more right under my nose without my realizing it? Did she want me, despite everything I’d done to her? My heart started to beat faster, and instead of rejecting her honesty, I wanted to push her against the counter and kiss her…even though I didn’t understand why. “Why?” My voice came out as a whisper because that was as loud as I could make myself speak.
Her hand moved over her hair, and she tucked the brown strands that had come loose behind her ear. “I don’t want you to be alone, Carter. I understand a man’s need to remain free as long as possible, but always being alone…sounds depressing. I know commitment sounds horrifying to a man like you, a man who can have anything that he wants. But I promise you, it’ll be the best thing you’ll ever do. So don’t say it’s never gonna happen. Keep the door open.”
When I heard her explanation, I realized she’d misinterpreted what I said. She wasn’t referring to herself specifically, but to women in general. My heart rate didn’t slow down even though her intent was clear. She spoke of me being with someone else so easily, like the possibility of us didn’t even cross her mind. That should be a good thing, exactly what I wanted. But I found myself disappointed by her dismissal. It made absolutely no sense. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” Her radiant smile returned. “When you meet Luca, I think it’ll really change your mind.”
“I don’t know anything about kids, sweetheart.”
“You don’t need to. They’ll teach you everything you need to know.” She moved closer to me, slowly inching her way into my body. She stopped in front of me, her palms moving to my chest. She rubbed me lightly, her luscious lips just inches from mine. “Can I ask you for something?”
When she was this close to me, smelling like roses and looking beautiful as ever, I was immobile. All I wanted to do was stare at her, devour her with my eyes. Every time she rushed me, she gave me a thrill no other woman could match. “Anything.” I’d already risked my life for her, risked my family for her. But now I was offering myself to her again.
Her hands slid up my chest until her arms hooked around my neck. She moved closer to me, embracing me like a lover. With her nose almost touching mine, she whispered against my lips, “Can we make love tonight? You know…the way I like?”
This beautiful woman was asking me to please her, to cover her body with mine and sink her into the mattress. After years of rape and torture, her body came to life for me. She wanted sex the way I gave it to her, wanted me to please her in a way no other man did. I wanted rough sex, to chain her up and make her cry, but when she asked me for this, I wouldn’t deny her. I loved pleasing her as much as I loved hurting her. “Yes.”
Her hands explored my physique, starting with my shoulders and making their way down my chest and stomach. Her hands wrapped around me, and she gripped my ass, pulling on it so I could move inside her faster. Sexy moans and pants came from her slightly parted lips, sounding like a woman being thoroughly pleased. Her ankles dug into my ass, and she rocked with me, ready to come for the second time.
My hand reached into her hair, and I yanked on the band keeping the strands secured in a ponytail. As I tugged, it snapped free, letting her beautiful locks move across the pillow. I fisted it next, gripping it as tightly as the band. My cock was met with her abundant arousal, the slickness between her legs that I’d come to worship. Most of my sexual escapades were muffled by a condom, but with Mia, it was just the two of us. Skin on skin, man and woman. The only reason I’d lasted this long was because she’d asked me to please her in such a seductive way. This strong woman wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted, and I wanted to deliver so she would ask me time and time again.
“Carter…” Her nails ran up my back until they dug into my shoulders. She sliced the skin accidentally, gripping me so tightly she wasn’t aware of what she was doing.
That was fine by me.
Her lips brushed against mine as she spoke into my mouth. “I’m gonna come again.”
I could feel the way her pussy tightened around me, the beginning of her pleasure. “I know.” I could feel her body as intimately as she could feel mine. I’d been sleeping with her long enough to understand every movement she made. From her change in breathing to the way she dug her nails into my body, I knew every move. My cock slid through her soaked arousal, and I could feel the tightness increase, feel her approach the cliff she was about to fly over.
Her hand moved into the back of my hair, and she fisted the strands as she kissed me. With quivering lips and sexy breaths, she made love to my mouth the way I made love to her body. She kissed me like she needed me, like the affection would push her over the edge and give her a climax she wouldn’t forget.
As I felt that moment approach, my cock hardened noticeably, ready to join her when that moment arrived. I was buried so deep inside that pussy, and I couldn’t wait to give her everything I had, to make her pussy full with my seed. I loved coming inside her, felt even more pleasure every time I did it. Our sex was vanilla, plain and simple, but she enjoyed me so much that it became the best I’d ever had.
She suddenly gripped me tightly as she hit her threshold. More moisture pooled around my length as her spirit sailed into the heavens. She fisted my hair and moaned against my mouth, coming all over my dick. Her kisses stopped as she moaned harder, her ankles digging deep into my ass. “Oh my god…”
I’d never got so much pleasure making love to a woman. It didn’t matter how slow and easy it was, it always felt good. I already saved Mia and planned to bring her son back to her, so I didn’t owe her anything. But nonetheless, I wanted to please her—because I enjoyed it. I came when she was almost finished, my big cock pressing deep inside her as I exploded. My entire body felt numb as I released, the pleasure so overwhelming my body couldn’t absorb it all. Once I filled her, the goodness was so great I forgot to breathe. Releasing inside her was the sexiest feeling I’d ever encountered. I was on fire, burning all the way down to the bone. I loved filling her with my come, erasing Egor from existence. I claimed this woman, keeping her in my bed because she was mine to enjoy. “Fuck…” My climaxes were better with Mia, probably because I got off on how much she enjoyed me. I loved being deep inside her as she spread her legs like that, begging me without saying a single word.
My cock kept throbbing until I was completely finished. Once the waves of erotic pleasure died away, my cock slowly
softened inside her. Surrounded by her cream and my come, my cock could stay there forever, but I pulled out slowly.
She kept her legs around my waist and hugged me tightly, like she wasn’t done with me. She gave me a kiss so hot it made me stay. Our lips moved together aggressively, our breaths filling each other’s lungs. It was like I hadn’t pleased her at all, just made her want me more. Her ankles eventually released from my ass, and she ended our kiss.
I turned over and lay on my back, my wet dick slowly softening more. Exhausted and satisfied, I lay in the dark with her beside me. My chest was slick with sweat, and my ass was sore because I’d been thrusting into her for so long.
She was warm too, but that didn’t stop her from cuddling into my side. The sheets were pushed to the bottom of the bed, but neither one of us wanted them. We lay together, a tangled mass of two sweaty bodies.
Her hand rubbed my chest gently, her hair touching my neck and shoulder.
I stared down at her curvy figure, loving her slender waistline and wide hips. She didn’t have any stretch marks, so I wouldn’t have even known she’d had a baby. But even if she had, it wouldn’t have changed how much I wanted her.
The scars on her front were limited. Egor seemed to keep them on her back, using it as a billboard for his cruelty. Every time he looked at her rear, he was reminded of the power he had over her. When I looked at her scars, I didn’t think about him. I thought of her strength inside. He might have beaten her to the ground, but she was the one who got up again.
“Can I tell you something?” she whispered, her hand freezing against my chest.
“Yes.”
“I’ve never had sex like that all my life. I’ve been with a few guys, some were better than others, but with you…it’s so good.”
Like she didn’t compliment me enough, she did it again, this time with enthusiasm.
“Are you like that with all women? Or is it just me?”
I didn’t know how to answer her question because I didn’t like to compare her to the rest of my lovers. “I don’t know. It’s different every time.”
“Do you enjoy me as much as I enjoy you?”
I stared at the ceiling, smelling a mixture of sex and her perfume. “That answer is obvious, sweetheart. I love being buried between your legs every chance I get. You can lie there and do nothing, and it’s still damn good. Your pussy is like a drug to me.”
“I’ve never had a man describe it that way before…”
“Then you haven’t been with the right man.” I didn’t like to think about the men she bedded before me. I didn’t like to think about the man who knocked her up and left her behind. I didn’t like to think about anyone enjoying her but me.
“No, I haven’t.” She kissed my shoulder, her soft lips pressing hard against my skin. “But now I have.”
I was dead asleep when Mia started kicking me.
“Stop!” She threw her arms hard against me, punching me right in the stomach.
My eyes flashed open, and I prepared for danger, my mind immediately awake and prepared for battle. I spotted Mia beside me, her eyes shut. There was no one else in the room. Two seconds later, I realized she was having a nightmare. “Sweetheart.” I grabbed her wrists so she would stop punching me. Tears streamed down her face, and she whimpered in pain, the nightmare torturing her. “Wake up.” I shook her hard, trying to get her to snap out of it.
She finally stopped fighting me, her eyes snapping open and her breathing deep and irregular. She yanked her wrists away from my grasp and immediately sat up, her eyes looking around the bedroom for her assailant. She gripped her chest and felt her own heartbeat against her palm. “Oh my god…” Bathed in sweat with messy hair, it seemed like she just finished a real battle.
“Sweetheart, it’s me. It’s just the two of us.” I kept my hands to myself, giving her a second to realize her surroundings. There were tears in her eyes, and they weren’t the kind of tears I liked to see. “It’s just a dream.”
“A dream…”
“Yes.” My hand moved into her hair, and I pushed the strands back, revealing her tear-stained cheeks. “I’m here. Nothing is going to happen to you while I’m here. You’re safe.” I didn’t need to ask what her nightmare was about. There was only one person who ever tortured her. She was free from him, but her trauma would be there for a long time.
“Okay…” She wiped her tears with her fingertips and sniffled. She stayed still for a long time, slowly making sense of what just happened. She breathed deep and hard until her breathing returned to normal.
My hand rested on hers, reminding her I was there if she wanted to talk about it.
It didn’t seem like she did. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t apologize.” I gently tugged on her arm and brought her back toward me.
She moved into my chest and hugged me, cuddling into my body for protection. “The nightmares started after you rescued me. I know he’s gone, but…I guess I haven’t moved on yet.”
“It’ll take a long time before that happens.”
She rested against me, and the longer I held her, the calmer she seemed to be.
I didn’t want to be like Egor. I didn’t want to torture this woman and give her nightmares. Mia was a beautiful woman who deserved more than that. “I know I said I would save you if you did something for me in return. But, Mia, you don’t have to stay. You’re free to leave whenever you want.” I wanted to keep her as long as I wanted, to tie her up and whip her on the nights I was in the mood for something darker. But I’d grown to care about this woman, and I wanted her to have what she deserved—freedom. I didn’t want to be like Egor. I wanted to be better than him.
“I already knew that, Carter.” She sat back so she could look into my face. “But to be honest, I feel safe here. I want to stay here. When I was your prisoner at your other place, the idea of staying with you forever sounded tempting. The only reason I continued to fight was because of Luca. But now that he’s coming here…there’s nothing else for me out there. Luca’s father left me because he was selfish—”
“Pathetic,” I said. “The word you’re looking for is pathetic.” If I ever knocked up a woman, I would never turn my back on her. Even if it was a one-night stand that I didn’t even like, it wouldn’t make a difference.
Her eyes softened. “And then Egor ripped me away from my son and destroyed me…you’re the first good man I’ve ever met. All I want is a quiet life for Luca and me. I just want to work and make sure he goes to a good school and becomes a man I’ll be proud of. There’s nothing better out there, Carter. I want to stay here. I want to be with a man who can protect us. If it were just me, it would be a different story, but since I have a son…I need a man to keep him safe.” She took a deep breath, her eyes watering. “Because obviously, I can’t. I failed him. I left him in an orphanage without an explanation…”
“Don’t do that,” I whispered. “You’re rewriting history. That’s not what happened, Mia.”
“But that’s how he’ll see it.”
I shook my head. “No, he won’t. He loves you.”
“I don’t know…I hope so.”
I squeezed her hand. “I know so. There’s nothing my mother could ever do to make me stop loving her. I’m a grown man who doesn’t need her anymore, but my respect for her will never change. You and Luca are welcome to live here as long as you want. If you’re looking for protection, I fit the bill.”
“You’re so sweet, Carter. I feel like I’m getting the most out of the situation. I get to have my life back, I get to sleep with a beautiful man who’s kind, and I get to focus on raising my son. I can’t picture myself ever dating again, so having good sex with a friend is a dream come true for me. Until you meet someone you fall in love with, of course. If that day ever comes, you don’t have to worry about us. We’ll get out of your hair.”
I couldn’t picture that day ever coming. I couldn’t picture myself falling in love with a woman I met
at a bar. I’d never had a deep connection with anyone—except Mia. She spoke of a purely physical relationship and a friendship, like that was all she wanted. Unlike other women who wanted more from me, Mia never did. There was a twinge of disappointment, but it didn’t make any sense because I wouldn’t want it to be any different between us. After what I did to her in the beginning of our relationship, it shouldn’t be surprising. Why would she want me? I chained her up to a wall and treated her like a slave for weeks. I was going to beat her and rape her until she talked me out of it. Maybe I was good to her now, but it hadn’t always been that way.
“Did I say something?” she whispered, her eyes shifting back and forth as she looked into mine.
I hadn’t realized how far I’d drifted away with my thoughts. “No.”
“Okay.” She smiled before she moved into my chest again. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
“No need to be sorry.” I kissed her forehead. “You never have to be sorry.”
Eleven
Mia
I counted down the days until Luca would be in my arms.
I almost couldn’t believe it.
He was eight years old now. Three birthdays had come and gone. I missed all of them. I missed his first day of school too. I didn’t take a picture of him before he walked out the door with his backpack. I didn’t get to hear about his friends and his schoolwork.
That had been taken away from me.
I still wanted to kill Egor for what he did to my son and me. But I had to let the vengeance go and find peace without murdering him. He deserved to die, but it was unrealistic to think I could pull it off. Carter was the only one who could, but I refused to ask him to do that for me. He’d already done enough.
My life in Carter’s home was simple and peaceful. I took regular trips to the store and the market to prepare our meals, and I cleaned the enormous house and made sure there wasn’t a spot of dust anywhere.