by Bella Juarez
“Hello, hottie,” Gavin said.
Amy twitched and pulled her jeans around her hips.
“You scared me. Do you always sneak up on people?” Amy snapped.
“Most of the time. I don’t want people to know I’m coming. I catch bad guys for a living, remember?” Gavin said with a smile.
Amy pulled on a sweater and let her chocolate tresses down from the clip she had used for her shower. She started to put her hair up again when Gavin stopped her.
“Leave it down,” Gavin requested.
“It’s a mess and I don’t have time to straighten it.”
“Leave it down. It’s perfect the way it is, just brush it. Better yet, let me,” Gavin said, sitting at the edge of the bed.
“Gavin…”
“Get a brush,” Gavin ordered.
Amy sighed and turned to her dressing table where she retrieved her brush. She handed the brush to Gavin, who motioned for her to sit on his lap with her back facing him. He reached up and brushed her long, soft hair. It fell down past her shoulders. He finished and told her to stand up and turn around. He stood and took her hand.
“You look perfect. Are you ready?” Gavin asked.
“I need to get my shoes on.”
“Okay, hurry up,” he said, giving her sexy butt a pat.
They drove to a local seafood restaurant that Amy liked. It was hell getting that out of her. Amy kept telling Gavin to go where he wanted. They almost got in to a fight.
“Amy! What is your favorite restaurant? Surely you have one. Honey, I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t want you to pick,” Gavin said impatiently.
“Pelican’s Warf.” Amy sighed.
“Okay, that’s where we’ll go.”
“But if you don’t like seafood, I understand. We can go somewhere else,” Amy quickly added.
“Honey, I ate your pussy earlier and we ate seafood on our second date! I’ll eat seafood,” Gavin quipped.
Despite the fact that Amy should have been embarrassed, she started giggling and then laughing. Gavin smiled at her. That was his Amy! He loved that little giggle. They pulled into the parking lot and he could sense a change in her. He asked the waitress to seat them in a far dark corner of the restaurant. He wanted her to have some sense of privacy. They were seated, ordered drinks, and Gavin flipped through the menu.
“What’s good here? I’ve never been here,” Gavin said.
Amy was looking at the menu but not reading it. She looked off into the distance. He reached across the table and took her hand. She looked at him, uncertain, almost afraid.
“Amy, what’s good here? I’ve never been here.”
Gavin could tell Amy was really getting stressed about their little talk.
“Um, the fresh catch of the day is usually good. The scampi, it depends,” Amy said, looking back down at the menu.
The waitress returned and Amy ordered the fresh catch of the day. Gavin followed suit and ordered the same.
“So? Talk to me,” Gavin said.
Amy looked out the window. “I’ve had a really rough few years. When I met Tim, I was finishing up my master’s degree at Syracuse University. Cheryl, one of my friends, had just married and I came home for the wedding. I met Tim there. He was a friend of the family.”
Amy looked down at her hands. Gavin said nothing, choosing to remain as neutral as he could.
“I came home to do my PhD, and I went to Austin. He was always coming up to Austin to visit. He would take me out and it got to be a routine.”
Amy looked away and Gavin could tell this was really getting difficult for her.
“I knew Tim drank before I married him and he could be a little critical. I guess I just overlooked it. I should’ve gotten a clue when he spent our wedding night passed out drunk,” Amy said quietly.
Gavin was making every effort he could to remain impassive and unemotional. He wanted Amy to trust him. He was positive he wouldn’t like the outcome of this story. In fact, he was certain he would be downright pissed at its conclusion.
“He never touched me before we were married. He never really liked me in bed, and I guess my body wasn’t all he expected. And he pretty much told me that on a regular basis. Then other things started happening. He took control of everything. He took control of all our money, even what we ate. He wouldn’t let me watch what I wanted on TV, he sold my car and drove me to work every day. He wouldn’t let me see Irene and David.” Amy paused a moment. He could hear her breath catch, and he watched as she wiped away some tears.
Gavin looked away and took a deep breath. Yup, he was pissed, and it hadn’t taken very long. He took her hand once more and remained expressionless.
“I guess it was the berating, insults, and criticism that hurt the most. He finally convinced me that I was useless. I wanted to leave him. I knew he was seeing other women,” Amy said, looking down again.
Amy looked at Gavin with unshed tears in her eyes. He squeezed her hand gently, encouraging her to continue.
“Almost two years ago, I tried to kill myself. Irene found me and managed to have me taken to a hospital in Corpus Christi. I was sent to another hospital for a while. I don’t know how she and David kept it covered up. Irene’s pretty smart. She figured out how to keep everyone away from me, including Tim. When the doctors told her what was going on, she and David found me a lawyer in Corpus and I filed for a divorce. Tim dragged it out for eighteen months.”
Gavin watched helplessly as Amy wiped away more tears. His hard military life had turned him into a predator, inhuman at times and without conscience. Being a cop or being a criminal was an either/or proposition for him. She had opened something in him he hadn’t felt in some time. Around her he felt human. Her pain made him livid. The motherfucker better thank God I’m a cop and not a criminal.
Amy continued and smiled weakly through her tears. “The night you didn’t come to the house marked a week after my divorce was final. My two friends were giving me a breakup party. We were expecting a different kind of cop.”
Gavin smiled at the recollection and stroked Amy’s hand with his thumb.
“Amy, I want you to understand something. You’re safe with me. I may get angry, but I will get over it. I will never hurt you intentionally. You’re your own girl and you should do what you want. You’re smart and you’re a good person. So I know you’ll always do the right thing.”
Gavin didn’t want to know the answer to the big question. It was probably safer for the little weasel. But he couldn’t help himself.
“Amy, there’s something else I want to know. Did he ever hit you?”
Amy hesitated at the question. Gavin instantly knew the answer. He was beside himself. He realized he was gritting his teeth because he was so fucking angry. He wanted to remain as neutral as he could on the outside. Inside, he seethed. He wanted answers and if he lost his temper now, he was no better than the asshole she had dumped. Amy’s silence was Gavin’s answer. He pushed her for verbal confirmation.
“Umm…” Amy faltered as she wiped more tears away.
“Amy? Did he ever hit you?” Gavin repeated in an even tone.
“A couple of times, but I figured out how to stay out of his way.”
Gavin closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Amy, don’t you ever tolerate that from anyone ever again, do you understand? No one,” Gavin emphasized.
“David told me the same thing. In fact he told me to call him if anything like that ever happened again.”
“You need to do that. You get away from that person and call David.”
Their food arrived and Gavin ate like a dying man. He was starving. Amy had been right and it was a hell of a good meal. He noticed she picked at her food, taking small bites and then pushing the plate away after a while. Amy had hardly eaten. Gavin picked up her fork and cut a small piece of fish and held it out to her. Amy smiled and shook her head.
“I’m full.”
“Take a small bite, you hardly ate
. You’ll need it, honey,” Gavin said with a sly grin.
The waitress returned and Amy asked for a to-go box. The food was packed, the bill was paid, and they went to her house.
“Thank you, Gavin,” Amy said.
Gavin could tell Amy was still unsure what to do and how he would react if she reached for him. Instead, he reached for her and pulled her close. He wanted to take away all that she had been through. Gavin ached for Amy. He rubbed her back as he held her.
“What time do you go in to work?” Gavin asked as he kissed her forehead.
“Tomorrow? Not until noon. It’s my late day. I close tomorrow. Why what time do you go in?” Amy asked.
“I usually get in around seven,” Gavin said, holding her.
Gavin didn’t want to let Amy go. He created a little space and bent to kiss her. It was impossible to stop after that, and his hands started roaming over her back and lower to her butt. Before he knew it, he was pushing her into the bedroom again. He could feel her become just as responsive as she tugged at his shirt.
Gavin sat on the edge of the bed and, as if she were a child, started undressing Amy. He got down to that sexy underwear and smiled at her. He kissed her belly, remembering how much she seemed to like it. He was rewarded with her quiver and a sultry moan.
Gavin unhooked Amy’s bra and discarded it. He pulled her down onto his lap, making her straddle him. All that was left was the thong. He reached around and palmed that sexy ass. He gripped her ass and ground her into him. Amy winced. His eyes flew open. He had hurt her.
“Did I hurt you?” Gavin asked.
“It’s okay,” Amy whispered.
“No. It’s not. What’s wrong, honey?” Gavin asked, stroking her thighs that were wrapped around him.
“I’m a little sore. I’ll be okay,” Amy replied with a kiss.
Gavin kissed Amy deeply and tenderly pulled her close. “Do you want me to kiss it and make it feel better?”
Gavin was rewarded with her heart-melting giggle.
“Not now.” Amy tugged at his shirt.
Gavin helped her remove his clothes. He rolled her over onto the bed and kissed her belly again, his hands roaming up to her breasts. She was moving her hips against him, giving him an invitation he couldn’t deny. He broke from his kissing and took off her thong. He paused as he looked down at her sprawled out on the bed, waiting for him. She looked away. He could tell she was getting self-conscious again. He bent and lay beside her.
“Hello, hottie,” Gavin breathed against Amy’s lips.
Amy craned her neck and latched on to Gavin’s mouth. He was completely taken. He loved the way she responded to his teasing and petting. He worked his way down to her belly again, kissing and licking, his hands at her breasts rubbing and rolling her nipples. She reached down and he could feel her hands on his shoulders, her nails digging into him, encouraging him.
“Gavin, please,” Amy sighed in her sensual, sultry voice.
Gavin worked his way back up Amy’s torso, kissing each one of her ribs. He met her mouth and she latched on to him, taking his breath away. No woman had ever kissed him that way. He guided his cock into her as slowly as he could, pushing inside her wet cunt. He stayed inside, not moving, allowing her body time to adjust to his intrusion. As he suckled her breast again, he could feel her soft hands running up and down the corded muscle of his back. He knew he had to take it easy because she was hurting. He slowly started his rhythm, stroking her from the inside out.
Amy understood his rhythm and their bodies synchronized. Gavin nipped her throat, finally reaching her lips, kissing her intensely as they continued their erotic dance. He wanted to push harder and faster, but controlled his tempo to accommodate her. He could feel her wanting to increase their pace, her hands pulling at him.
Gavin smoothly took Amy’s hands and held them above her head, his mouth never losing contact with hers. He regained control of their rhythm. He managed to maintain that control as he felt her core clench him. He smiled against her lips. She was starting down the path to her climax. He slightly increased his pace, pushing her to completion, still holding her hands above her head. He felt her struggle. He pushed up slightly and looked at Amy.
Amy’s eyes were closed and she released a moan that came from the very depth of her soul. He felt her succulent pussy begin to spasm around him, encouraging him to his own release. He pushed harder, no longer able to resist the pleasure her body offered. He released her and rose up further, riding his own wave of completion.
“Amy!” Gavin called as he made his final thrusts.
Gavin looked down at Amy as he slowly lowered himself down. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she gave him a lazy, slack-eyed smile. He smiled back.
“Baby! How am I supposed to concentrate tomorrow?” Gavin asked against Amy’s cheek as he clutched her close.
Gavin slid off Amy and pulled her to him. She sighed deeply.
“I get the feeling tomorrow will be a long day,” Amy said as she buried her head into his shoulder.
They drifted off to sleep holding each other. Normally, Gavin would not have been able to sleep. He would have let the woman fall asleep and then slipped quietly out the door and home. Amy was different. When he was around her, he was home. He fell into a deep, contented sleep, clutching her to him.
* * * *
Amy slowly awoke, Gavin still wrapped around her. At some time during the night she had turned onto her side and he had snuggled up behind her. She felt his hand move up and down her side.
“Good morning, sexy,” Gavin said sleepily.
Amy glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was 5:15 a.m. She snuggled closer and Gavin wrapped his powerful arms around her. He kissed her bare shoulder
“As much as I hate to, I’ve got to get home and get ready for work,” Gavin said.
“I know.” Amy turned and faced him.
Amy felt the familiar butterflies. He was so ruggedly handsome.
Gavin languidly kissed her. Amy pulled him closer and he stopped her. Her stomach tightened. She knew it was too good to be true. Yesterday had been a dream and it was now coming to an end. He had finally awakened from his lustful spell and he was dumping her.
“Baby, you keep doing that and I will be late to work and I’ll have to explain that to my boss, your uncle,” Gavin said.
“It’s okay, Gavin. I understand,” Amy said, pulling the sheets around her.
Gavin was unfazed by Amy’s comment. He reached up and brushed her hair from her face.
“If nothing happens today that requires my attention, I’ll be home around seven. Do you want to meet me at my house or do you want me to come here? I’ll make you dinner,” Gavin offered.
Amy looked away and said nothing. She felt very guilty. Gavin cupped her face in his hands and directed her to look at him.
“Amy, honey, as much of a hottie as I think you are, you really frustrate me when you don’t answer me. What do you want me to do?” Gavin asked.
“What do you want to do?” Amy asked quietly.
“Truthfully. I want you to move in with me. It would make life a whole lot easier because after yesterday, I’m not sleeping alone anymore. But David wouldn’t take you—shacking up with me—very well. I just don’t think he’d understand,” Gavin said with a smile.
“Hmm, I better be careful then,” Amy quipped.
“You’re stuck with me.” Gavin lightly kissed her and got out of bed.
Amy stretched and cuddled against the pillow Gavin had been using.
“What do you want me to do?” Gavin asked.
“You know where the key is. I should be home around nine thirty tonight.”
“Yeah, about that key, I’m keeping it until you ask for it back. Amy, you’ve got a shithead of an ex running around, and even though Victoria is a small town, there are still some really bad people around here. No key left outside where someone can find it, okay?” Gavin gently scolded.
Amy nodded as she put her robe on
. Gavin dressed and they walked to the back door. He kissed her good-bye and left. The house abruptly felt very empty. She walked to the kitchen and made herself some coffee. It was still pretty early for her, but she couldn’t go back to bed.
Afraid to close her eyes, she didn’t want to wake up and realize it was all a dream. Amy would awaken, finding she was the same hollow shell she had been since marrying Tim, and discover Gavin wasn’t real. She lay down on the couch, switching on the TV for background noise, and thought about Gavin.
Amy hadn’t realized she had dozed off but she awoke once more to the sound of an alarm. She was dazed momentarily and realized it was her house phone ringing. She hurried to the kitchen and looked at the clock as she picked up the phone. It was 8:15 a.m.
“Hello?” Amy asked.
There was no response. Amy felt a chill run through her body. There was only one person who played games like this with her and he always told her he would be back. She had changed her phone number and cell phone. Down deep inside she knew nothing she could ever do would stop him. Tim was watching her and knew Gavin had spent the night.
“Hello?” Amy repeated as fear gripped her.
Chapter 12
Olive Garden
Victoria, Texas
December 17, 2007/2212 Zulu
Amy and Gavin spent the weeks leading up to Christmas in a blur. When they weren’t working, they were inseparable. He had practically moved into her house. They first tried it the other way, but it was too much of a hassle for her. They even decorated the house and put up a tree.
The only thing left was the shopping. Amy had left that until two weeks before Christmas. Gavin was busy keeping up with the surveillance detail he was working. He had been doing some traveling between San Antonio and Virginia as well. Amy was out shopping when he called her to arrange a dinner date.
The restaurant was full of holiday shoppers and the wait was long. Amy was running late. So Gavin waited for her at the bar. Jimmy and his wife were there and they were all engaged in conversation when Amy finally showed up.
“You’re late! Did you get everything?” Gavin asked, pulling her close to him and kissing her.