Bait

by Mia Carson

  “You’re not saying that because of Abby, are you?”

  “No. Even if she’s Steve’s little girl, I’ll feel the same way about you…and her. Steve doesn’t deserve Abby.”

  “Do you think you can learn to love her?”

  “No. I know I will love her. She’s the daughter of the woman I hope to marry…if she’ll still have me.”

  Ella stepped to me and melted into my arms. “I still want you, and I still want to marry you. I just need some time to adjust. Everything is moving too fast right now.”

  I nodded. “I understand. Believe me, I understand. I just found out I might be a father,” I said and smiled, indicating I was teasing her. When she smiled back I gently laid her head to my shoulder. “We’ll take this one day at a time. And when the time is right, if we still feel the same way…” I shrugged. “We’ll see what happens.”

  She nodded. “I think that’s smart.”

  “Are we okay?”

  She nodded again. “I think so. You’re sure you’re not upset that—”

  “I’m praying I’m Abby’s father.”

  “Why?”

  “Because…I don’t know. I just am.”

  “Having a child is a big responsibility.”

  “I know, but I’m ready for it, and I’m sure you’ll help me.”

  She was quiet a moment. “If she is yours, I’m going to be a little jealous.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you get to start being a parent just when she’s starting to become fun. It’s not fair you missed all the poopy diapers, spit-ups, and sleepless nights.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I was still thinking about how to answer when she looked up at me and smiled. I realized she was teasing me and let out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “You had me going there.”

  “Do you really hope Abby’s yours?”

  “Yes, I really do.”

  She nodded. “So do I.”

  I held her for a long time. “I should go,” I murmured. I wanted to stay. Until the revelation, I assumed I would stay, but I wanted to give her some space if she needed it.

  “I’d like you to stay.”

  “You’re sure?”

  She nodded, her head still against my shoulder. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

  “I can take it.”

  “That doesn’t make it right.”

  “Telling me I’ve upset you isn’t wrong either.”

  “You didn’t upset me. Not really. Like I said, I feel like my life is out of control.” I held her for a long moment, enjoying the feel of her in my arms.

  “Did Mom and Dad come talk to you?” I asked, anxious to know if she had accepted their apology.

  “Yes.”

  “And?” I prompted.

  “And they apologized and asked me and Abby to dinner as soon as we can.”

  I smiled. “Imagine their surprise when they find out they’ve invited their granddaughter to dinner.”

  “If she’s their granddaughter,” she said softly.

  “If,” I agreed.

  “Take me to bed?”

  I tipped her face up and kissed her softly. “With pleasure.”

  We walked slowly to her bedroom, turning out lights as we went.

  She reached for the light switch in her bedroom, but I stilled her hand before she could turn the light on. I pulled her to me and kissed her, slowly, gently, trying to show her with my touch how much I cared for her. She’d been through so much, but I was here for her now and would help her carry her burdens.

  She slowly withdrew from the kiss. I turned her, pulling her back into me as I kissed her neck, my hands on her stomach holding her to me. This was no time for rough and tumble fucking. Tonight would be slow and easy love-making. She stood still, allowing me to nuzzle her neck as I untucked her shirt. I reached underneath and slowly slid my hands up her body, working her shirt up as I did. She did nothing to assist, save raise her arms so I could remove it from her body. I tossed it away and unclipped her bra, slowly sliding it from her, one shoulder at a time, chasing the straps with my lips.

  She allowed the brasserie to fall away and turned to face me, a small smile playing on her lips. She kissed me and stepped back, holding my gaze as she slowly unbuttoned my shirt and slid it over my shoulders. It fell to the floor, already forgotten. Shirt removed, she unbuckled my pants and slid them down. When they puddled at my ankles she moved to the bed and knee-walked backwards, curling her pointer finger to call me to her.

  As I removed my shoes and stepped out of my trousers, she slid her own pants off. I crawled into the bed after her, and she lay down and beckoned me with her arms. I moved over her, settling as she pulled me down, hooking my ass with her heels as she drew me in. I entered her with a kiss and began moving in a slow, comfortable, rhythm, our lips never far from each other.

  After a time, her breathing began to speed up in a sign of her rising pleasure. I hooked one of her legs with my arm and forced it over my shoulder before I began to drive into her harder and faster. Her mouth opened in a silent cry of pleasure, her face twisting with bliss. Watching her made my own orgasm leap closer. She was the sexiest woman on the planet, and I was the lucky bastard that had her.

  She stiffened, her head tipping back as her nails dug into the flesh on my arms as she moaned softly. I thrust in deep and held myself there, waiting for her to come out from under her climax, using the break to tamp down on my own rising orgasm.

  She relaxed and smiled up at me. I allowed her leg to slip from my shoulder as I lowered my lips to hers. We kissed, slowly, lovingly as she drank deep from the caress of my lips. Once she had her fill, I slowly lifted my head, holding her gaze in the dim light of the bedroom. She reached up and caressed my face, holding her palm still when I turned my lips to kiss it.

  “I love you,” I murmured.

  She nodded slowly. “And I love you.”

  “Are we okay?” I asked. I’d already asked the question and she’d answered, but I had to be sure. I’d do whatever I needed to make it right so we’d have a chance.

  “Yes,” she answered with the most beautiful smile.

  “You’re not upset with me?”

  “No,” she said softly as she touched my face again.

  “We’ll get through this. We’ll get through it together.”

  “I know.”

  Her lips parted slightly as she raised her head, reaching for my lips. I met her and once again caressed her lips with my own. As we kissed, she twisted her hips and we rolled so she was on top. She slowly pumped her hips, rising to sit on me, her face a mask of pleasure as she rocked.

  She was a goddess without equal, the woman I loved, and if I were lucky, the mother of my child. We moved together for many long moments, her eyes intense as she watched my face. The soft sway of her breasts as she moved, the smoothness of her skin, the passion on her face, the exquisite pleasure a woman can give a man, was becoming more than I could fight.

  “You’re going to make me come,” I whispered as I teased the points of her breasts.

  “I’m going to come too,” she murmured in reply. “Come with me.”

  She began to rock her hips harder, faster, driving my need higher. I focused, watching her face as it began to crinkle with her rising rapture. I grabbed her thighs, gripping them tight as my climax began to surround me. I watched her, drinking in her beauty, her body exciting me, the euphoria on her face pushing me over the edge.

  My last vision was of her head tipping back, her mouth opening as her face twisted in sweet agony. Her soft moan of release joined mine as my back arched, my own head pushing hard into the bed as I spilled into her.

  I sighed out of my climax as she sagged, slowly tipping forward to lay on my chest, her lips hungry for mine. I’d come harder, but never had an orgasm so gratified me. I took her lips and devoured her, wanting, needing nothing more than this magnificent creature in my arms, and the little one that came with her.

  She s
ighed as she placed her head on my shoulder. “I love you,” she whispered.

  No matter how many times she said it, I never tired of hearing it. “I love you too,” I murmured in reply.

  She lay on my chest, not moving, saying nothing, my cock still inside of her, for a very long time. When I finally softened enough to fall from her, she sighed, offered me another sumptuous caress of her lips, and slid to the bed at my side and snuggled in. I wrapped her in my arms and sighed in contentment. Why had I ever let her go? I should have fought for her; I should have come home at my first chance and demanded she tell me she didn’t want me anymore. I’d been such a fool, and it had cost me. It had cost me five years with the woman I loved, and perhaps, four years with my daughter.

  As sleep began to take me I made myself a promise. Never again. Never again would I give up on her so easily. From this moment forward, I would always fight for her, and Abby, regardless of who her father was.

  The bang of something hitting the side of the trailer jerked me from sleep. My start woke Ella. “What?” she murmured.

  “You cocksucker! You fucking whore! I told you what would happen if you didn’t keep him away from my daughter!” Someone was shouting outside.

  “Stay here,” I said as I rolled to my feet and quickly slipped on my pants.

  “I’m going to fuck you up, you fucking whore! You’ll see! I’m going to take her away from you! She’s my fucking daughter and I warned you! You know you wanted me to fuck you! You’re nothing but a lying cunt! I didn’t fucking rape you, and you know it!”

  It had to be Steve, judging by the ‘my daughter’ and ‘rape’ comments, and he was drunker than Cooter Brown. I snatched the door open and stepped out. Ella’s trailer was in the corner of town. There were only a few houses around, none close, and the retirement home nearby. When I stepped out, a man who had been standing in the street jumped into a Dodge pickup and roared away.

  Ella was behind me wearing a bathrobe. “I told you to wait inside,” I muttered as I watched the truck disappear.

  “Was it Steve?” she asked, ignoring me.

  She knew it was Steve, just as I did, but without a positive identification there was nothing the cops could do. “I couldn’t tell in the dark, but probably, based on what the asshole was shouting and the fact he was driving a Dodge.” When she didn’t say anything, I turned to at looked at her.

  “You don’t think he’d do anything to hurt Abby, do you?” she asked.

  I nudged her back inside and shut the door. “Not if he knows what’s good for him. Is she still asleep?”

  Ella nodded. “Yeah. She sleeps like the dead. A heard of elephants could run through her room and she’d sleep right through it.”

  I nodded. “Good for her.” I took her arm. “He’s gone now. Let’s go back to bed.”

  We returned to the bedroom and I glanced at the clock. It was just after two. We undressed and crawled back into bed. Ella snugged in, but I could feel the tension in her body.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Worried. What if he—”

  I kissed her on the head. “He won’t. He’s drunk, that’s all, but if he does try anything, I’m here, and I’ll take him apart.”

  “What about when you’re not here?”

  “I’ll stay with you until we get this settled.”

  “What will your parents say?”

  “Do you need some help?”

  She snickered. “I hope you’re right.”

  I kissed her again. “I am. If it gets too bad, you can stay at our house. If he comes on the property, we’ll fill his ass full of birdshot. We’ll see how he likes that.”

  “You keep saving me.”

  “It’s my duty, my privilege, to protect you and Abby.”

  She nodded and rose up for a kiss. I kissed her lips, and she settled back into her place. “I’m so glad you stayed. If you weren’t here and he’d done that, I’d be a nervous wreck.”

  I gave her a caress. “Go back to sleep. Everything’s okay.”

  She nodded, and over the next fifteen minutes, I felt the tension slowly drain out of her. Soon her breathing became deep and regular.

  Sleep was slower in coming for me. I lay in the darkness, staring at nothing. Tomorrow I’d call and report the disturbance to the authorities. That was all I could do legally. But this was Texas, and sometimes things like this got handled in an unofficial manner. Until now, Steve was just an asshole, but this time he’d crossed the line.

  Ella

  I yawned mightily. After Steve had shown up and made an ass of himself, I hadn’t slept well. I kept jerking awake with a start. I’d lay there and listen for a moment, but after hearing nothing out of the ordinary, I’d settle back into sleep. Thank God Levi was there. Being wrapped in his arms made me feel safe; otherwise I’d have been up pacing all night, afraid to go back to sleep.

  This morning he'd walked Abby and me the short distance to my car. He didn’t rush us along, but there was a tension in his posture and his eyes were alert. As we walked to my car, we saw the smashed Wild Turkey bottle lying next to my trailer, probably thrown by Steve, and I assumed the bottle breaking had woken us up last night.

  “Good morning, Ella,” Marcy said as she appeared to pick up her morning tickets.

  I finished my yawn and smiled at her. “Morning, Marcy.”

  “Big day for you yesterday, huh? I’m glad to see the McCormicks and you putting your differences behind you. They’re good people.”

  My smile widened. News of what had happened in Dolly’s was spreading through town. “The best,” I agreed as I handed her the tickets from yesterday.

  “I guess that’s good if you and Levi are going to get back together.”

  “Yeah. It will make things easier, that’s for sure.”

  “Did Levi convince them?”

  “You might say that.” I could tell Marcy was salivating over a tidbit of news, and I decided to be generous this morning. I also didn’t mind putting the screws to Steve and Cat. “Catherine Meyer admitted she drugged me, and when Will and Judy found out…” I shrugged.

  “Cat Meyer admitted that?” Marcy asked, her eyes opening wide.

  “Oh, you hadn’t heard?” I asked, pitching my cadence and tone as if it were common knowledge. “Yeah. She confessed it all to Levi. Steve is in a panic that he’s going to go to jail for rape. Who knows, maybe even Cat too, as an accessory.” I smiled at Marcy. God, it felt good to slide that knife into Steve.

  “Really?” Marcy breathed.

  “Yeah. Once Will and Judy found out the truth, they came to me and apologized. Like you said, they’re good people.”

  “Wow! That’s good news for you, huh? Are you going to the police?”

  I shrugged. “Levi is handling it. You know he was an MP in the Air Force, right? This is kind of his thing.”

  “MP?”

  “Military Police.”

  “Oh! Well, I’m glad the truth is starting to come out. I never believed those nasty rumors about you anyway. You seem like such a nice young lady.”

  It was all I could do not to burst into laughter. “Thanks, Marcy. I appreciate that.”

  Marcy looked down, and I wasn’t sure, but I might have detected just a hint of shame in her face as she turned to go. I was still smiling as I picked up my pull list from the shop and started down it to see what parts I had in stock and what I was going to have to order.

  The rest of day was uneventful. I finished my stint at Allgood’s and went to Dolly’s. I wasn’t treated any differently than I had been yesterday, and nobody said anything out of the ordinary. My customers, though, were just a little friendlier than they had been, a little quicker with a smile, a little more willing to converse with me. It was probably all in my imagination, but I’d still take it.

  At 7:45, Levi arrived with Abby in tow. After an enthusiastic greeting from Abby and a quick kiss in greeting by Levi, he and Abby sat down at the lunch counter.

  “Here for tha
t piece of pie?” Dolly asked.

  “I am. Pecan, if you please, and a cup of coffee. The beautiful young lady beside me would like one of your chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk with a lid on it, please.”

  “Coming right up,” Dolly said as she moved off to get their order.

  I smiled as I eavesdropped. Abby could eat her weight in cookies. I could get used to having Levi and Abby meeting me every evening. I didn’t get to see Mom in the evenings anymore, but it was nice to be able to go home after my shift and not add another half-hour to my day by driving out to our farm to fetch Abby.

  I knew it was only temporary. When spring arrived and his family was trying to get their crops in the ground, his days would get really long. Unlike harvesting, planting was only constricted by ground conditions, so fifteen or sixteen-hour days weren’t uncommon. Still, I’d take him and Abby meeting me at work for as long as I could.

  As Levi and Abby enjoyed their order, I made one more set of rounds before I clocked out. By the time I was ready to go, Abby was swiveling back and forth in her stool as she talked with Dolly. As I approached, it sounded like she was trying to con Dolly and Levi into giving her another cookie to take home with her for Theodore.

  “Ready?” I asked as I approached.

  “Yep,” Abby chirped as she jumped down. “Can I ride in Levi’s truck?”

  “I’ve been replaced,” I said dramatically.

  “It’s okay, Mommy. I can still ride with you in the morning.”

  Dolly, Levi, and I all snickered. “That’s true. Sure, you can ride with Levi.”

  “See you at home,” Levi said, wrapping his arm around my back and giving me a smooch.

  As they went out the front, I left through the back. They were waiting on me when I arrived home, and I made a mental note to get Levi a key.

  I helped Abby with her bath and we tucked her into bed. She still wanted Levi to read her a story, but she wanted me to stay too. He finished her story, Goodnight Moon, just like always, and we straightened her covers and kissed her goodnight.