by Danica Avery
“I love you, Burley Johnson. I love you with all my heart. I think I have for a while now,” Dove confessed.
Burley felt at a loss of words. Was he hearing her right?
She knew now his terrible secret. She had witnessed him getting his ass handed to him by Earl and the boys. He had just been crying in front of her. Still, after all of that, she said she loved him.
“I’m no good for you...”
“Who are you to decide that, huh? I think you’re perfect for me. Look at all the things you taught me. I rode a horse because of you. You think I would have done that for just anyone?”
Burley stared at her. He stared at her for a long moment, still not knowing what he should say. Instinct told him to push her away. That she deserved better than some child murderer. His heart, however, told him to hold onto her. Hold onto her and never let go. Because he was never going to find another girl like Dove Donoghue.
“I love you too, Dove. I love you more than words can express...” he admitted. A smile spread across Dove’s face, and in an instant, she was kissing him. He instinctively kissed her back, only to regret it seconds later. A groan rumbled from in his throat and he winced.
“Oh! Oh, baby, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about your lip...” Dove retreated from the kiss, her hand gently caressing the side of his face.
“S’alright. Was worth it to taste your lips again. I’ve missed you so much, darlin’,” he replied.
“I’ve missed you too,” she said, and regret darkened her features. “I was stupid. I should have let you explain. I knew you’d never purposely hurt someone.”
“I don’t blame you for how you reacted,” Burley said sincerely.
“Still. I’m sorry.” Guilt flashed in Dove’s eyes. He didn’t like knowing she felt that way. Guilt had been eating at him for a long time. He didn’t want it eating at her too.
“You’re forgiven,” he replied. He managed a faint smile as he brought his lips to hers again. She kissed him back carefully this time. A slow, gentle kiss. Her lips were as light as feathers. They danced slowly in unison with his.
He meant it when he said he missed her. He had missed every single thing about her. From her beautiful face, surrounded by her light blonde locks, to the sweet taste of her lips. He missed her gorgeous smile. He missed the playful way she would tease him. He missed teaching her about the horses, and her telling him about the big city. He missed their dinners together. He missed waking up with her in the morning.
In just the short time they had known each other, he had gotten so used to her company. He had felt so utterly alone without her in his life.
What he had also missed was being inside of her. The sex. It clearly wasn’t only about the sex for him. Not even close. But there was no denying, the sex had been incredible. Just kissing her right now, as soft and as careful as the kiss was, it sent a rush straight through him. He felt that all too familiar feeling in his groin.
His slid his hand from her hip, behind her, brushing over her butt cheek. The action brought a surprised gasp from her lips. She broke the kiss.
“Just where is that hand of yours going, Mr. Johnson?” she teased.
Burley laughed slightly. “I dunno. Where do you want it to go, Miss Donoghue?”
“Well I know exactly where I want it to go... but you’re hurt.” Her face softened. She brushed a finger over one of the many bruises that were beginning to surface on his face.
“I think I can manage,” he replied. He closed the gap between them and brought his lips to hers once again.
21
Dove
Dove should have trusted her heart. She knew all along that something wasn’t right about the story. She knew Burley couldn’t possibly be a cold-blooded killer. He was a protector, not a destroyer. She knew, she knew, but she let assumptions fill her head. She thought she was stupid for trusting him before... No, what was stupid was believing he could’ve done something so awful on purpose.
The relief she felt was a physical presence in her chest. Hope and happiness crashed into her, filling the gaping hole that had been left when their separation gutted her. Why did she ever turn her back on him? It was an accident. A horrible accident. She believed his words with every fiber of her being.
She could see how it wrenched at him. He was a man in mourning. A man who might never forgive himself. But she could forgive him. They could forgive each other.
It felt so good to be kissing his lips once again. It felt right. She kissed him for a long moment, savoring how it felt to be reunited with him.
“How about we get you in bed... and you let me take care of you,” she grinned, her lips brushing lightly against his as she softly spoke the words.
“I’d say I couldn’t ask for better medicine,” he replied in a quiet voice of his own.
Dove gave him another soft kiss, then pulled away. He rose from the kitchen chair and the two of them headed off to his bedroom. BD followed after them, tail wagging, but Dove shut him out of the room. She heard the dog huff outside the door, followed by the light jingle of his tags fading down the hallway.
Stopping beside his large bed, Dove helped Burley to carefully remove his clothes. The undressing was interlaced with gentle kisses and touches. By the time he was stripped, she found the smaller Mr. Johnson alert and ready for action.
She was feeling the same desire. It was hard to hold back. But his reddened skin, where he had taken many kicks to the torso, was a solemn reminder of how they needed to take things slow. That was okay too. Because as he leaned in to kiss her, there was something deeper there than lust. She could feel how much this man cared about her. How much he loved her.
“Lay down,” she said, and he grunted at the idea of parting from her, but he did as she said. It hurt her heart to see the way he winced as he moved onto the bed. Yet she had to admit, even roughed up, his body was extremely sexy. His muscles flexed as he moved, and his erection stood eager for her when he settled back. Her clothes came off much quicker than his had. All the while, she looked at him, while he was watching her.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she said, as she climbed onto the bed with him.
“Not as much as I missed you,” he replied. “Come here.”
She moved up his body, her knees and hands on either side of him. He cradled his hand over the back of her head and pulled her into another kiss. It was slow and considerate, but filled with such passion. Dove felt like she could cry from how happy it made her to kiss him like this again. She moaned softly into his lips and lightly rubbed her hand over his chest. Burley deepened the kiss, his tongue lightly caressing hers.
She wasn’t sure how long they kissed. Heat pulsed through her veins, and her center yearned for his attention. His fingers stroked her ear and rubbed over her shoulder. Her hand roamed his chest then slid higher, brushing against the coarse hair of his beard. They were lost in each other. Both of them relishing in what they thought they lost forever.
Nothing had ever felt more perfect.
Dove’s hand eventually trailed down his body. Her fingers slowly wrapped around his shaft and the touch made Burley break the kiss with a sharp intake of breath. His hands lifted to grip at her hips as she stroked up and down his length.
“I promised I’d take care of you,” she whispered. He moaned and closed his eyes, letting her do her thing. She continued to pump her fist around his shaft, slow and steady, as she trailed feathery kisses down his neck and across his chest. She could feel his heavy breathing from the rise and fall of his chest.
“Oh, Dove... You keep up like that, you’re gonna make me lose it,” Burley said in a husky voice. Dove dragged the tip of her tongue over his skin and felt his hands tighten on her hips, before she pushed herself upright.
“Okay, baby,” she grinned, giving him one final stroke. She shifted her position so that she was straddling him properly, then brought the head of his cock to her opening. She was so swollen for him that the mere touch sent a shudder throu
gh her body.
Her pulse pounded between her thighs as she lowered herself onto his hard member. The both of them moaned as he filled her tip to balls, his entire length buried within her. Dove let out a quivering breath, enjoying for just a moment how it felt to have him inside her once again. Then she lifted herself and started to ride him.
She was gentle, as she had been the entire time. Her movements were slow and deliberate. Her rise and fall. Unlike the wild times they had before, now every thrust downward felt like a warm caress. The sensations lingered, building and building, until they were thundering within her.
Burley’s hands moved to her bare breasts. Dove arched her chest and bit onto her lower lip, whimpering out a moan. His hands squeezed her soft flesh. Her nipples slipped under his thumbs and fire shot straight to her core.
It was too much. His thick cock was hitting all the right places. She cried out as an overpowering orgasm slammed through her body. Her pussy clenched around his shaft and he followed her with his own release. He dropped his hands to grab her waist and pushed his head back into his pillow with a deeply satisfied moan.
Dove rocked against his hips, their bodies still connected, as she rode out her orgasm. When she settled, she sat there with her head tipped back, panting for air. Burley’s grip on her waist relaxed and his hands slipped down to rest against her thighs.
She looked down at him and couldn’t help but admire him. She almost couldn’t believe how much she loved him. But she did. She truly did. Their separation, and then seeing him in distress today, opened her eyes to just how deeply she felt for him. She knew she’d do anything for this man.
She moved to slide up. She snuggled in beside him, her thigh draped over his, his arm wrapped around her. Both of them were hot and sweaty and breathing hard. She felt so content.
“Tell me again how much you love me,” she said, her fingertips brushing his shoulder.
“Darlin’, I love you more than anything in this life,” he answered. “You mean more to me than you even know.”
Dove smiled at his words. She turned her face and kissed his chest before she settled her head back down on his shoulder. Her body was surging with good sensations and her heart was aching with happiness. There couldn’t possibly be any better feeling in all the world.
How had she ever doubted this wonderful man? He wasn’t too good to be true. He was true. And he was all hers.
22
Burley
The phone rang loudly, awaking Burley from his slumber. A groan escaped him as he turned in his bed to see what time it was. 1AM. Who on earth would be calling him this late?
Slowly, he pushed himself up in bed. It had been a few days since Earl and his boys had ganged up on him. He was healing steadily, but his body always felt stiff after he stopped moving. He was especially tender in his ribs.
He reached over to his nightstand and picked up the corded, landline phone. “Hello?”
“Burley?! Burley, I think someone is trying to break into my house!” Dove spoke in a panicked, hushed tone of voice. Hearing her scared was an instant jolt to his heart, waking him immediately.
“What? What do you mean?” he asked quickly.
“I keep hearing noise coming from the back door! What if it’s those guys? What if they came back?!”
“I’ll be right over. Just stay in your bedroom. Don’t make a sound. I’m comin’,” he said. When she agreed, he hung up the phone and got out of bed.
He quickly went to his closet and pulled down the box. The one with the gun. It was one thing for Earl and his boys to come after him. Hell, a part of him even thought he deserved that beating for what he had done. Dove, on the other hand, was another thing entirely. They could mess with him all they wanted, but if they laid even a finger on Dove, they were going to regret it.
He quickly loaded more bullets into the gun and put on his coat. He had been sleeping only in a pair of flannel pajama pants. He didn’t have time to get fully dressed. He nearly ran out the door without his shoes, but when his bare feet touched the cold wood of his front porch, he remembered them.
With the gun in his hand, and BD quickly trotting at his side, he rushed over to her house. He didn’t see any signs of a car or truck. If it was Earl, he didn’t park in plain sight.
He made his way around the house, holding the gun the way he had been taught as a police officer. He was ready to fire at anything that moved. As he got closer to the back door, he heard the noise that had woken Dove. It sounded like a clanging of metal. It was a familiar sound he had heard before.
He rounded the corner and saw the culprit. It was a medium-sized brown bear. When BD’s eyes fell on the bear, the dog quickly gave chase. BD caught the bear by surprise and it went up on its hind legs. BD barked and snapped at the bear’s feet. This wasn’t his first tango with a bear. Burley didn’t even feel worried for him.
“Com’on, git!” he shouted at the bear. He waved his arms around. The bear let out a strange holler and it started backing away from them. Burley watched it lower down to all fours, before it broke into a run. BD went chasing after it in the darkness.
Burley shook his head and went over to Dove’s trash cans. It looked like she had thrown out some old food. That was what did it.
He cleaned up the trash the best he could. He placed the cans upright. As he was straightening up, BD came running back over.
“You chase him off, boy?” he asked the dog, giving him a pat on the head. He turned from the dog to knock on the back door. “Dove, it’s alright! You can come out.”
A minute later, Dove was at the door. She unlocked it and pushed it open. She peered outside cautiously. Her eyes fell on the gun in his hand.
“It was just a bear, darlin’. Eatin’ at that old food you threw out,” he reassured her.
“A bear? Oh jeez, I didn’t even know there were bears around here!”
“Yeah, it’s nothin’ to worry about. BD chased ‘em off.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I was really worried for a moment. You wanna come inside?”
Burley gave a nod of his head, and followed her into the house. BD came inside with them. It was the first time the dog had been in the house since Dove arrived. He immediately started sniffing around.
“I didn’t know you had a gun...” Dove said. Burley lifted the gun, turning it over in his hands. He placed it down on the counter.
“Yeah, it’s just in case of emergencies. You never know when you might need one,” he lied. He had bought the gun a few months back. For one reason, and one reason only. She didn’t need to know what that reason was.
“Oh, I thought maybe it was from when you were a cop.”
“Naw. I turned in my gun when I turned in my badge.”
“You quit?” she asked.
“I was gonna be fired either way. I quit before they had the chance.”
Silence fell over them. Dove gave the gun a long stare then her eyes drifted back over to him. “You wanna stay over tonight?”
“Yeah, sure, darlin’, but you ain’t got nothin’ to worry about. Just don’t put any more food out in your trash cans and that bear won’t be back.”
“Okay. I’d just feel safer if you were here with me. I was really scared...”
Burley stepped over to her and pulled her to his chest. “Darlin’, I’d never let nothing happen to you. I promise you that.”
The next day, Burley set back to work as usual. He was at the stable unloading hay from his truck. He stood in the bed, picking up the bales and tossing them to the ground. His muscles strained with each bale, and his sore ribs were on fire by the time he picked up the last one. He was just about to toss it when Dove appeared.
“You shouldn’t be working so hard. You’re still recovering,” she said. She came to a stop beside his truck, staring up at him with worry in her eyes.
“If I don’t do it, who’s goin’ to?” he said, and with a grunt, he tossed down the final bale. Sweat dripped from his forehead and he was breathing h
eavy. He felt the urge to put a hand to his side, but he didn’t want to look weak in front of Dove.
Dove let out a sigh. “I could help.”
A grin crossed Burley’s face at the thought of her attempting to lug around the hay bales. As he started to slowly step off the truck, a sharp pain hit him right in the ribs. A pained grunt escaped his lips. It happened on instinct, not allowing him a chance to mask it.
“See? You’re in pain!” she said. She walked over to the tail gate to help him the rest of the way off the truck. He wanted to refuse her, but he knew she was only concerned. He put a hand on her shoulder and stepped down to the ground.
“It’s mostly my ribs. But I’m alright. It’s nothin’ I can’t handle,” he said.
Dove reached her hand to touch the side of his face. Her fingers were cold but the affectionate gesture warmed his heart. It felt good to see how much she cared about him. He had been on his own for so long, it was nice to have someone looking out for him.
“Burley?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“Would you ever consider moving away from Heart’s Peak?”
Burley looked at her and hesitated to answer. He had considered moving. He knew life would be easier for him, living in a place where no one knew what he had done.
At the same time, Heart’s Peak was his home. He had never lived anywhere else. Moving to a new place would mean he’d be starting completely over. He’d have to learn where everything was. He’d have to find a house, a job. Make new friends. Meet new people. Moving away sounded like a solution but it was also intimidating to someone who had never even so much as left his hometown for more than a day.
“Why do you ask?” he finally broke the silence.