Shadows

by Amber Lacie

  Shit, it's from my brother. "So, this sucks. I'm so sorry, Eve. Listen, I've been up most of the night. I cleared my schedule and I bought a morning flight at eleven my time. I should be there tomorrow as long as everything goes as planned. Shit, I guess I mean tonight. It's already two in the morning here. I'm going to be staying at mom’s house. Who’s this guy Eve? I know he's not your boyfriend, you would have told me. We may not see each other, but we talk enough. I hope you know what you are doing. I don’t feel safe with this guy you hardly know taking care of you and making decisions for you. I spoke to mom and she's convinced he's your boyfriend. I don’t know, kid. I just don't know. Text me later. I'll probably be midflight by the time you get this. Get some rest and I'll see you as soon as I can. Love you, butthead."

  I delete his message. How am I supposed to explain Theron? I scroll through my other text messages. Most of them are from mutual friends of Matt's and mine. I respond to Anne's text and let her know I'll inform her with any new info I get. Thankfully Anne let Sharon know I'll be out the office today and next week. I text Kayla and let her know I'm okay, I had a break down after she left the hospital, and Theron is going to get me to my mom's sometime later. I leave out the details of where I am. I know she's going to figure it out, but I try to avoid it. Texting my mom and Robert, I let them know I'm okay and I'll be there later. When later, I'm not exactly sure. Curling back up into the couch, I pull the blanket over me. I wish I could mentally turn on the fireplace. It was so comforting earlier. Falling asleep as I imagine flames dancing in the fireplace, I hope this fog I am in lifts.

  Feeling the couch dip, I sit up. Theron is sitting at the end of the couch. He's clean and dressed, casually wearing a gray sweater and some blue jeans. I attempt a smile and he returns a lopsided one. I'm sure I look like a hot mess. Running my hand over my bun, I notice most of my hair has fallen out of it. Great, just great. I need to freshen up at least.

  "So the bathroom is down the hall I take it?"

  "There is a half bath in the hallway, but each bedroom has its own bath. First door on your left is the spare bedroom. You'll find towels and soap already in there for you. I'm sure you didn't want to smell like a guy, so I borrowed some of my gram's soaps. Don't worry, she doesn't mind. I also laid out one of my t-shirts on the bed in case you want to change your clothes. I thought my pants might be too long for you." Theron smiles at me. I nod my thanks as I stand. It takes me a second to gain my balance, but I'm okay.

  The bedroom is light grey with white trim. There's a queen size bed in the middle with a white duvet on it. It's adorned with way too many pillows. There's a small table beside it and a dresser across from it. Grabbing his t-shirt off the bed, I walk in the bathroom. It has a double vanity with light colored granite countertops. The shower is huge. It could definitely hold at least three people with room to move around. I lock the door behind me and strip down. I fold my clothes as neatly as possible laying them on the sink. It takes me a minute to figure out how to work this shower. I'm not sure I got it right, but there is a steady stream of water coming out of the ceiling. Stepping in, I close the glass door and let the hot water pour over me. I feel like I'm standing under a waterfall. I love this shower.

  Wrapping my hair and body up in towels, I notice the comb and toothbrush on the sink. Has he thought of everything? I quickly get dressed and start combing my long hair. Days like this when my hair is full of knots, I always contemplate cutting it, but I never do. I take a look at myself in the mirror. My eyes are red and puffy, making the paleness of my face stand out even more. I look exhausted.

  There’s an older woman sitting at the island in the kitchen. She has shoulder length silver hair, beautifully tanned skin and looks incredibly fit for her age. She looks up at me as I walk in, giving me the world's kindest smile. I wouldn’t be surprised if she smelled like cookies.

  "It's true. You are so very beautiful. Would you like a coffee my dear?"

  "Yes, please, it’s my favorite addiction." Pulling out a barstool, I make myself comfortable. I hear the front door close and I know it's Theron without looking. I can feel that buzzing sensation under my skin again. Standing behind me, he leans over my shoulder and gently places a kiss on my right cheek.

  "I see you have met my gram. Evelyn Davidson, please meet Isa Bianchi. This is her guest house we are staying in. She's one of my favorite people."

  "My dear sweet, Theron. One of your favorites? Well, that’s just shit. I am your favorite."

  I choke on my coffee as I take a drink. I can’t believe she just said that.

  "Now, see what you made me do. I made your very beautiful girlfriend choke on her coffee. That's coffee abuse, Theron."

  "Please, call me Eve and I couldn't agree more." Even though I feel like I'm dying inside, I can't help but smile at her. Patting my hand, she turns to face Theron who is now making himself a cup of coffee.

  "You bring me home a beautiful girl and she loves coffee? Oh, Theron I hope you plan on keeping her, because I'm not sure I can let her go. You never bring girls you date to meet me." Turning, she heads for the front door. "Well, I must be off. The new gardener is coming by and I need to make sure I have the right sunglasses on."

  "Gram, how old is this new gardener?"

  "Oh, I don't know. I suppose it was on his application. He's old enough to vote and old enough to drink, which makes him old enough to cut the grass in cut off shorts." Looking at me she raises her eyebrows suggestively. I giggle. I think I love her.

  "So, why the sunglasses?" I look at Theron. He rolls his eyes as he takes a drink of his coffee. Now, I have to know.

  "Well, honey, how else am I supposed to hide where I'm looking? I might be seventy one, but I feel thirty. Eye candy is eye candy. It's made to be seen and so I shall see it through my very dark sunglasses. I don’t want him to feel like a piece of meat. I just want to work him like one." Laughing she walks out the door. My mouth is hanging open once again. Yep, I adore that woman.

  Theron softly laughs shaking his head, "You had to ask. I'm sorry. She doesn’t have a sense of boundaries and will tell you every thought that enters her head, no matter how inappropriate."

  "Oh, I don't mind. She seems wonderful." I relax on the barstool taking another sip of my coffee. She definitely has a way of looking at things. "So Bianchi? Your dad's side or your mom's?"

  "My dad's. My mom passed away when I was fourteen from cancer. Her last name was Anderson before she married my dad."

  "Oh, I'm so sorry." Insert foot into mouth. Feeling like an ass, I look straight into my coffee. I can't meet his eyes. "So you're Italian?"

  "Yes, half. My mother was American. I'm not exactly sure what, but I think European decent would best describe it."

  "Theron Bianchi…how long have you lived here? Your gram looks like she's quite comfortable here."

  "Actually it's Theron Rowe. When my grandfather died, my gram went back to her maiden name. She claims she wanted to find her roots. I think it's because she wanted to put distance between her and my father. This house was her summer home, but now it's her main residence."

  My eyebrows shoot up. "As in Rowe Incorporated?" I know that corporation. They buy smaller businesses, take what they want, and liquidate the rest after only a few years of ownership. Theron doesn’t respond to me. He looks hurt by my question and turns to walk away.

  "Theron, wait. Please, don't go…I really don't want to be alone." It's a plea. He knows it and I know it, however, it's a truthful plea. The idea of being alone makes the walls of room close in on me. I set my coffee down and try to scoot off the barstool. Of course, my gracefulness betrays me, and I fall flat on my ass. I'm so embarrassed, I must be at least ten shades of red. Tears sting my eyes, but I don't cry. Instead, I start hysterically laughing. I have no idea why, but it feels good. I must be losing my mind. Opening my eyes, I find Theron standing over me with the most confused look I have ever seen on a person.

  "Beautiful, are you okay? Are you even breathing?" Tho
se questions do not help and I only laugh harder. I don’t care if he thinks I've gone mad. Then I let out a snort. Immediately covering my face with my hands, I take some deep breaths. I cannot believe I did that in front of him.

  "If you are done, I'd like to help you up from the floor now."

  Taking my hands in his, he pulls me up. I attempt to straighten out my shirt and tuck my now crazy locks behind my ear. His hands move to the sides of my shoulders. He's just standing there staring at me. We are inches apart. I can feel his breath. He smells amazing. It's a kind of citrus and woodsy smell, but underneath that is fresh linen. One last tear hits my lip and I use my tongue to wipe it away.

  Looking into Theron's eyes, I can clearly see his intentions. He moves his hands to the side of my face, holding me perfectly still. I take a breath as I feel his soft warm lips on mine. He kisses me slowly across my mouth, corner to corner. Then his lips part and I feel his tongue softly stroke my lips asking for permission. My mouth opens to him, meeting his tongue with mine. I have never been kissed like this. It's passionate and so intense. My hands are running through his hair. He moves one hand to the base of my neck and I moan into his mouth. The other one runs over the fabric of my shirt as he cups my breasts. My nipples are hard, pushing against the fabric of my bra. He breaks the kiss, pressing our foreheads together, both of us gasping for air. Running his thumb over my nipple through my shirt, his eyes meet mine. I want him so incredibly bad.

  "I shouldn't be taking advantage of you like this. You've just lost a friend and I'm seeking you out like prey, but I needed to kiss you." Not letting go, his thumbs stroke my cheek. He just stares into my eyes.

  "You're not taking advantage of me. This is me willingly putting myself into your arms. Please, I hurt so badly. It's killing me inside. I'm feel like I'm dying. I'm so cold and numb. Then you touch me and my skin feels hot. It feels so incredible. Don't stop, please, just don't stop." My voice falters and I wipe my cheeks. I'm crying again. I just want to stop feeling this pain.

  "Beautiful," Theron kisses my tears away as more fall down my cheeks, "I can make you feel so good. Do you want to feel good, babe?" I nod my head in his hands. "Put your arms around my neck, beautiful. I don't want you walking anywhere." I do as he asks and he slides his arms around my back and under my ass. I question his motives. Surely, he's not going to try and pick me up. He doesn't try, he just does it. I wrap my legs around his waist, clinging to him like he’s my life jacket. "If we do this, babe, we can't come back from it. I'll make you feel, beautiful, but I'm going to keep you."

  I nod my head. I don't understand what he's trying to say and I don't care. I don’t want to hurt anymore. He carries me down the hall into his room. It's very modern looking. The walls are deep blue, and all of his furniture is sleek and black. He slowly lowers me to his bed. It's much bigger than the one in the other room. It's soft and inviting, cradling me as I lay back. I don't know his exact intentions, but I know mine.

  He's standing between my legs looking absolutely amazing. My heart is beating so hard, I almost think he can hear it. Sliding my shoes off, he rubs my feet. I moan, no one has ever touched my feet before. He gives me a lopsided smile while running his hand up my legs to the apex of my thighs. Slowly popping the buttons he slides my jeans off, casually dropping them to the floor. He's staring at me like I am a meal to consume, like he wants to devour me. I squirm under his gaze. He runs his fingers under the elastic of my striped cotton panties. They aren't sexy, but he doesn't seem to care.

  “These will have to go, but first your shirt. He pulls at the hem of the t-shirt I'm wearing as I sit up. As he pulls it over my head, I hear him gasp. He runs one hand down my neck and over my breasts pinching my nipple through my white lace bra. "Take it off." I reach behind me and unclasp it, sliding the straps down my arms until it falls to the floor. My nipples are hard, my exposed flesh is prickling. "Fucking beautiful. I'm going to taste you now." He pushes me back on the bed. Taking one of my nipples into his mouth, his tongue swirls my hard bud. He bites down and pain mixes with pleasure. I need more. I start to pull at the hem of his shirt. I need it off. I want to feel his flesh on mine. Letting go of my nipple with a pop he throws his shirt across the room. "Are these next?" Theron asks pointing to his jeans.

  "Yes, I want to feel your skin on mine."

  He stands, kicking off his jeans with a devilish grin. His black boxer briefs are tented from his erection. Sliding his hands around his waist band, his boxers slide off causing his erection to spring free. He stands completely nude, stroking himself and I'm so incredibly turned on. I'm wet and waiting for his touch.

  "Your turn, beautiful." Hooking his fingers in the side of my panties, he pulls them off tossing them to the side. He crawls over me, supporting his weight on his hands and knees. He leans down and our lips mash eagerly together. His tongue explores every part of my mouth and I greedily let him. One hand is propping him up. The other one roams down my body, stopping to explore my nipples. His mouth leaves mine and soon my nipples are being expertly teased. Taking turns between using his fingers and tongue, he moves back and forth between my breasts, giving them equal attention. My breathing is hard and erratic. The only thing I feel is his touch electrifying every inch of my body. My heavy thoughts are lifted. His hand leaves my breast and trails down my stomach to my clit. Swirling his finger around my hard knot of nerves, he slides it through my wet folds. This is amazing, my body is buzzing.

  "So wet, baby. So fucking wet." Thrusting two fingers into me, he curls them up stroking my wall. I moan as I watch him pull his fingers out, coated in my wetness, and suck them into his mouth "Delicious. You taste so fucking good." His words make my body clench. He's so incredibly sexy.

  Slamming his fingers into my pussy, I moan in pleasure, "Oh God!" I'm meeting him thrust for thrust with my hips. I'm so close. I can feel the warmth spreading up my body. His mouth moves to my clit, sucking and massaging it with his tongue. My legs are shaking. I can't take anymore. He softly bites down and I lose it. My back arching as I come. That was incredible and I feel like I'm soaring. I notice he is placing soft kisses on the inside of my thighs as the last of my orgasm ripples through me.

  "You can call me God, beautiful, but I'd rather hear my name come across those sexy lips." Moving slowly up my body he softly places kisses on me as he goes, until he reaches my lips. He runs his hand up my stomach towards my breasts and I immediately suck it in. "Don't do that beautiful. Don't pull back from me. I want to feel every inch of your sexy body. Don't try to hide it from me again."

  He bends down to kiss me, but nips my bottom lip instead. Leaning over to the nightstand by his bed, he reaches for something and I hear the sound of foil ripping. He kneels between my legs. I watch as he slides the condom down his hard cock. He's not 'Oh my God, I'm going to die by dick' big, but he's definitely well endowed. He positions his tip at my entrance. I can't wait anymore and I raise my hips to meet him. He eases into me and stills. Lowering his lips to mine, he kisses me as he starts slowly moving in and out. He is taking his time with me, but I need more. Wrapping my legs around him, I push my heels into his ass. He gets my point and picks up the speed. The last of my pain is completely erased as he moves inside me.

  "Oh, yes." This feels perfect. Sitting back on his knees he pulls my legs over his shoulders. Continuing with his movements, he leans forward just a little. It's so incredibly deep this way.

  "Oh! Theron, harder. Theron!" I'm panting and I can feel my orgasm building. I feel walls clenching his hard cock as it slams in and out of my pussy.

  "Fuck, Eve. You. Feel. So. Fucking. Good." Each word is emphasized by deep thrusts stroking my core.

  "Oh God, Theron!"

  "Say it again, beautiful. Scream my name."

  "Don't stop!" His rhythm is relentless as he pounds into me. My hands are fisting the sheets. "Theron!" His name leaves my lips as my body spasms.

  He grunts and I know he's with me. He releases himself into me yelling my name. "Eve, o
h fuck!" His body collapses on me.

  We are both out of breath. I am covered by Theron. His body is hot, wet, and slick with sweat against mine. Bracing himself with his forearms, one on each side of my head, he looks down at me. He doesn't say anything. He just kisses me softly and rolls to his side tying a knot in the condom and tossing it to the small trash can on the floor. He pulls me up onto the pillow beside him and his arms with his front to my back. I'm exhausted and worn out. Laying there trying to steady my breathing, I welcome the sleep that comes to claim me.

  Chapter 4

  Everything is red. I know I'm looking for someone, but I can't see them. My vision starts to come into focus, and I see it’s my hands that are red. Looking down I see Matt staring up at me. His eyes and chest are motionless. I'm screaming for someone, anyone to help me. People keep walking past and then suddenly we are surrounded by bright lights. I can hear people talking and they take Matt from me. I scream at them to fix him. I desperately want him back. They lay him on bed and close dark grey curtains around him. Someone is holding me back and I drop to my knees. I'm begging for someone to help me. I'm screaming and no one is listening. Sobs wrack my body as I completely lose my mind.

  "Eve, shh. Eve, its okay. It’s over. I have you, babe. Open your eyes for me."

  I wake up to Theron holding me against his chest while rocking me back and forth. I'm crying uncontrollably. Wrapping my hands around him, I bury my face in his neck. He tucks my hair behind my ears and makes soft circles on my back with his hands. He says nothing as he holds me while I cry.

  I have no idea how long we sit like this. My legs, bent underneath me, are starting to go numb. I need to stretch my muscles, but I feel so incredibly weighted down. Taking a deep breath, I lift my head to look up at him. I study his face rubbing my hands across it. His jaw is perfectly squared and his stubble is so soft under my fingers. Stopping at his lips, I rub my thumb across them as he presses a soft kiss on it. I run my hands through his hair as I look into his amazing eyes. One is such a bright green and the other is such a deep golden brown. They mesmerize me. I press my forehead against his. He feels so right, but I feel so guilty.