The Promise

by Natalie Clarke

  “No, you’re right,” she replies. “I guess I never really knew him at all. Never knew what he was capable of.”

  Kyle steps back into the room, sliding his phone into his pocket. “My guy can’t get here until late morning tomorrow. I don’t want you staying here on your own knowing that bastard can come in whenever the hell he likes.”

  “I’ll stay with her,” I offer.

  “That’s not necessary, Zach,” Gwen says.

  “No, it’s a good idea,” Kyle says. His eyes find mine. “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Alright. Thanks, man, I owe you one.”

  “Not necessary. I don’t like the idea of her being alone here either. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight knowing that he could come back, and she was here alone, unprotected.”

  “Okay.” He turns to Gwen and bends over her, pulling her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will, thanks.” She smiles. “Um… Could you maybe not say anything to Hayley?”

  “Gwen, I can’t lie to her. I made a promise four years ago not to keep secrets from her ever again, I can’t break that now.”

  She sighs. “Okay, well could you just tell her not to worry and that I’m fine?”

  “Of course.” He smiles.

  “Thank you.”

  Kyle’s eyes flick to mine. “Take care of her.”

  “You know I will.”

  He nods, before saying goodbye and leaving the apartment.

  “Come on,” Gwen holds her hand out for me to take it. “Let’s get your hand looked at.”

  “It’s fine.”

  She cocks an eyebrow. “This is my house, what I say goes. Now come on.”

  I can’t help but smile as I take her hand and she leads me into the kitchen. She turns on the tap and lets the water cascade over my hand, I hiss at the sharp sting as the water hits my torn skin. Once she’s rinsed my hand, she pats it dry with a towel and rubs ointment on my knuckles before wrapping it in a bandage.

  “There. All done.”

  “Thank you,” I say. I reach up and touch my fingers lightly to her bruised cheek, her eyes closing softly as she leans into my touch. The mental image of him hitting her has me seething, it has me wanting to press my lips to her skin, kissing away the pain.

  I’m about to lean in, but I come to my senses just in time. What the hell am I doing?

  I pull my hand back and run it through my hair, blowing out a deep breath. “How about I order some food?”

  “That sounds great. I’m gonna take a quick shower.” She smiles before heading to her room, only to return a few moments later with an armful of clothes and walking into the bathroom.

  I call for some food, I went with Italian, a safe option because I know it’s Gwen’s favourite. I’m sat on the armchair in the corner of the room when a door opens and a tiny figure steps out, rubbing his eyes.

  Lucas sees me and a wide smile stretches across his face. “Zach!” He bounds over to me and I lift him up, perching him on the arm of the chair to face me.

  “Are you alright?”

  “I’m good.”

  I smile. “Listen, when me and Uncle Kyle aren’t here, I want you to look after your mommy for me, okay?”

  He nods. “Okay, Zach.”

  “Good boy.” I ruffle his hair and he giggles.

  “Mommy sad,” he says.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “S’times mommy cries.” He drops his gaze sorrowfully. “Mommy sad make me sad.” His chin begins to tremble.

  “Hey, don’t get upset.” I pull him into my arms so his legs dangle on either side of mine and hug him.

  “Y’here to make mommy happy?”

  I smile down at him. “I’m gonna try, buddy.”

  For a three year old, this kid is way too fucking smart.

  The bathroom door opens and Gwen steps out in a strappy tank top and sweatpants, her damp red hair looking even darker than usual. I try not to make it too obvious that I’ve noticed, but she’s braless, her nipples poking through the thin fabric of her top, the image sending blood rushing to my dick.

  When she spots Lucas in my arms she smiles. “Hey.”

  “You feeling better?”

  She nods. “Much.”

  “Food should be here soon.”

  Lucas’s head snaps up. “Food?”

  I let out a laugh. “Yes, food. Italian. Mommy’s favourite.” My eyes flick up her Gwen and she looks away shyly, a soft blush reddening her cheeks.

  Is she surprised that I remembered that Italian was her favourite?

  ∞∞∞

  Not long after we’ve eaten, Lucas insists we watch Toy Story, and so the three of us sit on the couch, Lucas snuggled in between me and Gwen. I watch as Lucas’s lips move, mouthing the words throughout the whole movie.

  My heart leaps when he jumps from the chair and shouts, “To ifinty and byond!”

  Gwen giggles beside me as she watches her son, her eyes filled with love and adoration.

  Once the movie ends, Gwen puts a very hyper Lucas to bed, but not before he jumps into my lap and wrapping his arms around my middle. “G’night, Zach.”

  “’Night, buddy.” I ruffle his hair and smile as he hops off me and Gwen leads him into his room.

  Gwen’s soft voice filters through the tiny gap in the door to Lucas’s room. I get up from where I’m sitting and lean against the wall, listening as Gwen reads him a bedtime story.

  A vision flashes in my mind; Gwen, my wife, sat beside me cradling our baby in her arms as Lucas sits in my lap. One of my arms around Lucas, the other around Gwen’s shoulders, holding her close to me. Gwen glances up at me leaning in for a kiss, her soft lips touching mine.

  “I love you, Zach,” she says softly.

  I gaze down at my beautiful wife. “I love you too,” I reply before kissing her once more.

  I snap out of my daydream. A pang of hurt and fear grips me.

  That’s the future I want, but it’s one I can never have.

  Chapter 16

  Gwen

  After reading Lucas to sleep, I leave his room, clicking the door softly behind me so as not to wake him. I find Zach sitting on the couch, his legs spread out wide in front of him as he rests an arm across the back of the chair.

  Just having him here makes me feel one hundred percent safe, I won’t admit it out loud, but the thought of staying here alone with Josh out there with a key to my apartment fills me with terror. I’m thankful that Zach is here.

  His eyes find me, and I smile. “He’s asleep, finally.”

  I take a seat next to him, our bodies only a few inches from each other and we sit in a comfortable silence. My eyes are on the TV, but I can’t concentrate, the feel of him next to me has my heart racing and my body tingling with the need to touch him, the need to feel his hands on me.

  I lean forward and reach for the Rolex before handing it to Zach. “You left this here last week.”

  “Oh, thanks.” He takes it, placing it back on his wrist.

  I shake my head, a smile touching my lips.

  “What?” he asks.

  “Nothing, just… how you didn’t seem to miss a one thousand dollar Rolex.”

  “I knew it was safe with you.”

  “Why did you never come and get it?”

  He shrugs.

  “That’s why he hit me, you know?”

  His head snaps towards me. “What?”

  “Josh saw the watch and demanded to know who’s it was. I told him it was yours and he asked if I ever cheated on him with you, so I told him I did.”

  “Why would you tell him that?”

  “Stupid, I know, but I wanted to see if he ever felt anything for me, if he did, I wanted to hurt him the way he hurt me… and then he hit me. I mean, I kind of deserved it, I wound him up.”

  He takes my hands in his, turning his body to face me. “Gwen, whether you angered him or not, he had no r
ight to hit you. Only a coward hits a woman. It was not your fault, you understand?” The intensity in his eyes has my stomach doing flips.

  I nod my head. “I understand.”

  “Good.”

  We hold each other’s gaze, his face just inches from mine. My lips tingle with the need to kiss him, and my tongue darts out to wet my lips, and his eyes flick down briefly to watch.

  Before I can register what is happening, Zach’s lips are on mine. He kisses me like a man starved, desperate for a taste, his tongue pushing past my lips, exploring my mouth. My hands fly up to circle his wrists as his fingers tangle in the thick, damp locks of my hair. His hand slides to my hip as he pulls me onto his lap so I’m straddling him while his other is still buried in my hair. He pulls my head back by my hair, tilting my head to give him better access to my neck as he kisses his way down, his free hand squeezing my ass.

  “Zach,” I pant. “I want you.”

  He pulls back slightly to meet my eyes and shakes his head lightly. “I can’t give you that.”

  “I just need to feel something, please.”

  His lips crash to mine, his tongue diving back into my mouth as he begins to stand, his hands locked on my thighs as I wrap my legs around his waist as he walks us to my bedroom, never taking his lips away from mine.

  He places me down in the center of the bed as he continues kissing me, his hard body between my legs. He brings my hands up above my head and holds them there while his mouth trails from my lips, up to my bruised cheek, kissing the sensitive skin gently, before working his way down my jaw, across my throat, down my neck, nipping at the skin of my shoulder.

  He pulls back so that he’s kneeling between my legs. “I’m not gonna fuck you, Gwen, that’s something I can’t offer you, but I am going to make you feel good, I promise.”

  He grasps the hem of my tank top and pulls it up over my stomach slowly, kissing the skin as he goes, all the while keeping his eyes pinned on me, the intensity in his gaze sending a surge of need through my body and heat pooling in my belly and between my legs. He pulls my top up over my breasts, exposing me, the cool air hitting my nipples and he lets out a deep groan.

  “Do you have any idea how many nights I’ve dreamed of these?” He rubs my nipples with his thumbs, circling them before taking one into his mouth and sucking, hard. I whimper, taking my bottom lip between my teeth and biting down to stifle a moan as he moves to the other.

  We shouldn’t be doing this, but it feels too good to stop. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could.

  He releases my nipple and trails kisses back down across my stomach before reaching the waistband of my sweatpants. He licks a trail across it, and I squirm beneath him, wanting more. He hooks his fingers inside and peels them down my legs, along with my panties, and drops them on the floor.

  He scans my body slowly, the fire in his eyes scolding my skin. His eyes come to a stop at the apex of my thighs. I’m completely soaked, and he can see it. He lets out a strained groan, his gaze transfixed between my legs.

  I’ve never been uncomfortable when it comes to my body, never feeling self-conscious around anyone, but lying here, completely open to him, a strange feeling of nervousness rolls through me.

  Without warning, he dips down and takes one long lick from my entrance all the way to my clit which he flicks with the tip of his tongue. A scream catches in my throat. Zach wraps his arms around my thighs, spreading me wider and holding me open as he continues his assault on me, sucking and licking the swollen bud. My hands fly to his hair, threading my fingers through the thick, silky strands as I lift my hips up to meet his mouth.

  A deep moan leaves him, radiating through my body like an electric current. He releases my thighs from his hold and grips my ankles, placing both of my feet on his shoulders before reaching up to capture my breasts. He rolls my hardened nipples through his fingers, pinching them, before squeezing my breasts, kneading them in his palms while mouth continues to devour me.

  My climax grows closer and closer with every second that passes, I can feel it rising up inside of me at rampant speed. I grip the sheets tightly in one hand while my other is still buried in his hair. He must feel that I’m close because his tongue plunges deep inside me with short and sharp thrusts and I come undone.

  I fight with everything I have to keep quiet, not wanting to wake my son who is asleep in the room next door, but it’s a battle I’m quickly losing. I shudder, and shake, and writhe as my orgasm consumes me, the strongest orgasm I think I’ve ever had. A strangled cry rips through my throat. My climax goes on forever, and Zach never lets up, he continues to lick me through the aftershocks of my release until they finally subside.

  Only when my body begins to still and my breathing evens out does he climb back up between my legs and kisses me deeply. I can taste my release that coats his lips and tongue. My arms wind around his neck, holding him to me, deepening the kiss. He pulls back to rest his forehead against mine before collapsing onto his side, bringing my leg to drape over his. His arm wraps around my waist as he pulls me closer, tucking me into his body, my head resting on his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head.

  I listen to the steady beat of Zach’s heart against my ear as sleep drags me under.

  Chapter 17

  Zach

  I wake up to a soft, warm body pressed up against mine. I blink my eyes open against the light that filters into the room to find Gwen wrapped around me, her head on my chest, her beautiful red wine hair splayed out across her pillow, her arm draped over my middle and her leg locked around my waist.

  Memories from last night flood my mind and my dick jumps at the thought. Gwen, writhing on the bed while I kissed and licked her into oblivion. Fuck, she tasted so sweet, so good I can still taste her on my tongue.

  My cock is as hard as fucking stone which I’m pretty sure has been in that state all night long, and I have a serious case of blue balls. I don’t even think one hundred cold showers and my fist could quell this ache, this throbbing, this need to be inside her, but I can’t let that happen.

  Last night was a way to distract Gwen from the events of yesterday, to take some of that pain away, and of course, to get another taste of that beautiful pussy of hers, one I’ve been dying to get a taste of again.

  It shouldn’t have happened, but I was powerless to stop it. I know at some point something will eventual snap, when I eventually give in to temptation and make her mine, but until then, I need to hold off for as long as possible and hope that some of this need for her will pass, like there’s a chance in hell of that ever happening.

  I need to find a girl at a bar and fuck her senseless to take my mind off of Gwen, to release this pent up sexual frustration and just get laid. But the thought of fucking another woman besides the one who’s wrapped up in my arms in bed with me makes me physically sick.

  There’s only one way to describe the situation I’m in right now...

  Royally fucked.

  Gwen begins to stir beside me, and I watch as her eyes flutter open to glance up at me. Her jade eyes sparkle as her gaze meets mine and I smile.

  “Morning,” I say.

  She smiles softly, her cheeks blushing a little. “Good morning,” she replies shyly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gwen shy before, she’s always been so confident and outgoing that it’s a new look on her. She shifts her gaze from me awkwardly.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She shrugs.

  “Tell me the truth. What’s bothering you? Is it because of last night?”

  She sighs. “I guess I was just expecting you to say it was a mistake, well, I actually didn’t expect to see you here at all.”

  “It shouldn’t have happened, but I don’t regret it.”

  “I don’t understand you. One minute you’re telling me that we can never happen and to forget about that night, and then after last night...” she trails off. “Us… what we do, it doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to.”
>
  “But it would. It would mean something to me and that’s what I’m afraid of,” I say. She gasps, her eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “Gwen, I've been in love before and it wasn’t pretty, I can’t go that again. I won’t. Whatever you’re looking for, I’m not the man for you. I mean, you’ve just broken up with your fiancée, and…”

  She stares at me for a few moments before untangling herself from me, picking up her discarded clothes from last night off the floor and leaving the room without a word.