The Promise

by Natalie Clarke

  I spot her as she reaches her apartment door and I come to a stop, the thud of my heavy steps echoing down the narrow corridor. She glances over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine. She turns slowly to face me, waiting for my next move. I see a shimmer in her eyes reflecting against the lights. She’s crying.

  Something snaps inside me and I stalk towards her with quick, wide steps.

  I close the distance between us and crash my lips to hers as I haul her up into my arms, her legs locking around my waist and I back her against the wall. I waste no time in dipping my tongue into her mouth, her sweet taste hitting my taste buds. She moans into my mouth as her tongue meets mine.

  I pull back, gasping for breath. “You love me?”

  She nods softly. “I’ve loved you since that night a year ago.”

  “Why did you never say anything?”

  “Because I thought you didn’t want me. You told me to forget it, that we were a mistake. You broke my heart that night.”

  “Fuck,” I whisper, resting my forehead against hers. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You were never my rebound guy, Zach. If anyone was a rebound, it was Josh, and he never came anywhere near close to you, no one ever has. You were never my second choice, it was always you.” Her voice cracks.

  My mouth collides with hers and it’s a tangle of tongues, a collision of lips, a war of limbs as we stumble our way into her apartment and into her room.

  I'm done fighting. I'm done denying the feelings I have for this woman.

  I strip her and lie her flat on her back, spreading her legs wide to make room for me. I peel my soaked shirt over my head and toss it to the floor before reaching down to unbuckle my belt. I unbutton my jeans and take out my cock, pushing them down my thighs along with my boxers, kicking them free so I’m standing over her naked, stroking my hard length as she waits for me in the bed.

  “I can’t wait any longer. Need to be inside you.”

  She nods, biting her bottom lip. A whimper slips free as she watches me pump my cock in my fist.

  I stop. “Shit. I don’t have a condom.”

  “It’s okay,” she breathes out. “I’m on the pill. I trust you.”

  “You’re the only woman I’ve been with in over four years,” I confess.

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. I didn’t know it back then, but fuck do I know it now... You're the only woman I want.” I grip her knees and pull her towards me, lining myself up with her entrance which is already glistening with her arousal.

  I lean my body over her, gliding the tip of my cock through her wetness. I place my hands flat on the mattress either side of her head as I thrust forward, filling her completely to the hilt, her tight, wet heat wrapping around me like a blanket.

  She cries out and I eat up her moans, claiming her mouth as I begin to fuck her. I want to be gentle with her, to make love to her, but right now, I need to take her hard and rough.

  She runs her fingers through my hair, but I grip her wrists and hold them above her head with one of my hands, pinning them to the mattress, my weight resting on my elbow as I use my free hand to palm her ass. Her legs tighten around my waist as she begins to move her hips, meeting my every thrust, sending me even deeper inside her, her beautiful tits bouncing with every snap of my hips.

  I pull back a little, my face inches above hers, our eyes locked on each other’s. I watch her face as pleasure ripples through her body, and her eyes begin to flutter closed.

  “Eyes on me, baby,” I pant, my voice low and thick as I continue to pump in and out of her tight body. Her eyes never leave mine as she watches me move inside her. She glances down to where our bodies are connected, and she clenches around my dick. A groan erupts from deep in my chest. “Jesus, fuck, Red. Do that again,” I pant.

  She clenches around me again and I growl against her lips as I begin to fuck her harder. Her body begins to shake, her inner walls squeezing me so tight that I know she’s teetering on the edge of oblivion.

  “You gonna come for me, baby?” I ask. She nods, letting out a whimper. “I wanna feel you come for me.”

  Her head tips back and she falls over the edge. I see the moment she lets go, when she loses control and allows her orgasm to consume her, it only lasts a split second, like a little flash of lightning across the night sky during a thunderstorm, but I saw it, and I want to see it again. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

  She shivers and spasms beneath me as a strangled cry escapes her lips. She squeezes my cock so fucking tight that I follow her over the edge after one more hard thrust. My head falls forward as I bury my face in the crook of her neck, letting out a grunt from deep in my chest, my cock twitching and pulsing as I come deep inside her.

  We stay like that for I don’t know how long, but forever would never be long enough.

  I pull out gently and roll onto my side, bringing her with me, sliding my arm underneath her, pulling her into my chest.

  Why did I ever think that the two of us together was wrong when it feels so right?

  Being here, with her in my arms, is the best fucking feeling on Earth, and it’s exactly where I want to be.

  I shift off the bed and head for the bathroom, wetting a damp washcloth before returning to Gwen where she lies sated in the center of the bed, her eyes half closed. I press a kiss to her forehead before I begin to clean her up, running the damp cloth between her legs. She moans softly as I graze over the sore, sensitive skin there.

  “Zach,” she breathes out while lazily seeking out for my hand. She grasps it and pulls me to her.

  I toss the cloth onto the floor and crawl back into bed beside her, pulling the thin bedsheet over our naked bodies. She rolls over and tucks herself into my body.

  “If I’d known you were in the bar that night, I would have left with you. No question,” she says, resting her head on my shoulder, her hand placed on my chest. “Josh was just... there. I was hurt and...”

  “I should never have just walked away, I should have fought for you. I should have marched through that bar, tossed you over my shoulder and carried you out with me… but I didn’t, and that’s my biggest regret.”

  She looks up at me, her eyes finding mine even in the darkened room. “We haven’t had great timing have we? But we’re here now, you’re here now...” She presses a kiss to my jaw. “I’ll promise not to break your heart, if you promise not to break mine.”

  “I promise.” My hold tightens around her as I gently press my lips to her forehead. “I promise,” I repeat in a whisper against her skin.

  I lie awake, revelling in the feel of her in my arms, not wanting to waste a second of this feeling by going to sleep. I lie and watch as her breathing evens out and she drifts off to sleep. I watch the steady rise and fall of her body, wondering what she’s dreaming about, hoping it’s about me.

  I lie awake for I don’t know how long before sleep finally comes for me too.

  “Zach.” I’m woken by the sound of Gwen’s voice. The room is a little brighter, the early morning sunlight filtering in as the sun begins to rise. I glance down to see that she’s still deep in sleep. Her eyes dart around behind her eyelids, her eyebrows pinching together. “Zach,” she says again.

  My heart swells.

  She’s dreaming about me.

  I smile to myself, brushing my knuckles over her cheek as she rests her head on my chest. She begins to stir, blinking a few times before her eyes meet mine, and she gives me a weary smile.

  “Good dream?” I ask.

  She nods. “You’re here.” The way she says it sounds like a question, but it feels as though she’s saying it to try to convince herself that she’s not dreaming, that I am actually here.

  “I’m here,” I assure her.

  “Please don’t leave me, Zach.”

  My eyes burn with tears because I see it, the fear, and the doubt in her eyes, as if she thinks I’m going to walk out on her again. It’s understandable, what with how I’ve dealt
with stuff in the past. Never again.I kiss her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I roll over on top of her, her legs opening to make room for me as I dip down and press a gentle kiss to her lips.

  I reach down between our bodies and run my fingers over her pussy, to my surprise, I find her wet already.

  I smirk. “I guess it was a good dream.” She chuckles. “One you interrupted, you gonna make it up to me?”

  “You’re damn right I am,” I say as I slide inside her, and everything else seizes to exist. Nothing else matters.

  I make love to her, slowly, savouring every minute, not wanting to miss a second of this ecstasy.

  Chapter 32

  Gwen

  I blink awake, squinting against the brightness in my room. My mind returns to last night, to the party, to Zach. I reach over to find the other side of my bed empty and cold. I sit up, clutching the sheet to my naked body as I search the room. All of his clothes are gone.

  I listen for any sign of movement, but I hear nothing.

  Tears burn behind my eyes.

  He’s gone.

  I knew it. I knew it was too good to be true. God, I’m so fucking stupid.

  I lie back down, forcing the tears welling in my eyes not to slip free. I roll over onto my side, my hands under my cheek as I squeeze my eyes shut tight to stop the tears from falling.

  My bedroom door opens, and I gasp, my eyes darting to the door to find Zach slipping into the room. His eyes meet mine and he smiles.

  “Morning. I didn’t wake you did I?”

  A cry catches in my throat in relief. He didn’t leave, he’s still here.

  When I don’t answer his brows knit in worry. He nears the bed and his eyes soften when he sees I’ve been crying. “Gwen? Baby, why are you crying?” He sits beside me on the bed, pulling me to sit up and pulls me into his arms.

  “I... I thought you’d left.” I cast my gaze down, ashamed of how quickly I doubted him.

  He cups my cheek in his hand as he swipes away my tears with his thumb. “Like I told you last night, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here with you, for as long as you want me.” He leans in, pressing his lips to my forehead and I smile.

  “I’ll always want you.”

  He rests his forehead against mine and breathes out a sigh. “I’m glad to hear that. Now, get your ass in that shower, Red. I’m cooking breakfast.” He shifts off the bed and heads back out the room.

  After I take a shower and brush my teeth, I pull on a pair of grey jeans and a blouse before blow-drying my hair, all the while, I can’t stop myself from smiling.

  There’s a lightness in my chest, a sort of weightlessness.

  Happiness.

  I head out into the living room, looking through into the connecting kitchen where Zach faces away from me, the smell of bacon filling the room as it sizzles in the pan. I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around his middle, my front up against his back, burying my face between his shoulder blades, breathing him in. He’s showered, and he smells like my body wash, I kind of like it.

  “A hot, young stud in my kitchen cooking me breakfast... aren’t you just every girl’s wet dream?”

  He laughs softly, placing a hand over both of mine before spinning around in my arms to face me. “As long as I’m yours that’s all that matters.”

  I reach up on my tip toes and press my lips to his, melting into his body as he reaches around my back to clutch me tighter. He deepens the kiss, his tongue dancing with mine. I reach one of my hands down over his ass and he groans, pulling back slightly. “Red, you’re playing a very dangerous game. I’m about five seconds away from saying breakfast can go fuck itself and marching you right back into that bedroom.”

  “Mmm, sounds like a plan to me.” I smile mischievously against his lips.

  He chuckles under his breath, shaking his head softly. “What am I gonna do with you?”

  “Everything. I want everything.”

  “I think we can wave goodbye to the friend stuff idea, right?”

  “Definitely. If I’m being honest, I never wanted to be just friends,” I confess.

  “Me neither, but I convinced myself it was enough. It wasn’t.”

  I wind my arms around his neck and press my forehead against his, our noses brushing ever so slightly, and his arms lock around my waist.

  “I’m glad you finally came to your senses, took you long enough.”

  After we’ve had breakfast, he carries me back to my room and we make love for the rest of the day, only leaving my bedroom for food and drink. If I’m being honest, there's no other way I’d rather spend the day. We’ve got a year of catching up to do, why shouldn’t we try and do it all in one day? While we’ve got the house to ourselves that is. It feels so surreal that he’s here, and he’s finally mine.

  ∞∞∞

  “My dad's alive,” I say.

  He glances down at me, where I’m curled into his body as we sit on my couch, his eyebrows raised. “What? Are you serious?”

  “Yep. Turns out he’s the guy I’ve been planning the wedding for all along.”

  “I though he died? Where’s he been all these years?”

  “He’s been in prison, I won’t go into detail, but he killed someone.”

  “Jesus.”

  “It was an accident, but the way I see it, he’s done his time and paid for his mistake. It came as a shock, to have him back after all this time, but getting to know him again has been amazing. Having him back in my life is something I never thought would happen, but I love it.”

  “If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

  “I am.” I smile. “What about you? Your family?”

  “Not much to tell. Parents died when I was eight and I was sent to live with my uncle, my dad’s older brother.”

  He grew up without his parents too, just like me. I don’t want to pry and ask him how his parents died so I decide not to ask.

  “I’m so sorry, Zach. What was your uncle like?” I ask.

  “He wasn't the most loving uncle, let’s put it that way. We were never close, we never really talked. I think I was more acquainted with his fists than my uncle himself.”

  “He used to hit you?”

  “Sometimes. I used to act out, get into fights at school and it made him look bad, so he punished me for it.”

  “Oh my God.” I cover my hand over my mouth to force the tears away but it’s no use. I picture Zach as a little boy being punched, kicked… abused.

  “Hey, don’t cry. Once I was older and big enough, I fought back, and he never hit me again.”

  “I just... I can’t stand the thought of someone hurting you.”

  “And I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting you.” He cups my cheeks and presses a kiss to my lips, swiping away the tears with his thumb. “Come on, tell me about you, tell me about your grandma,” he says, changing the subject.

  “She was amazing. Everything I could have ever wanted or needed. She was always so wise and supportive, always encouraging me to go out and explore the world, I never wanted for anything. She was the only real stability in my life, besides Hayley, of course. I was five when she took me in, this place was hers, and when she died, I couldn’t bear leaving. I wish she could have met Lucas, she would have adored him.” I smile.

  Zach pulls me tighter and presses a kiss to my temple.

  “Zach, when we were at the bar a couple of weeks ago, Ciaran mentioned something, a woman. The way he spoke sounded like he didn’t like her very much. Who was she?”

  His body stiffens slightly, his eyes hardening. “I used to be married.”

  What?

  “It was a long time ago. She made me fall in love with her, lied, cheated, used me, and screwed me over, the whole works.”

  “Oh my God, Zach. Is that why you kept pulling away from me? Because of her, because of what she did?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And why you left for Boston?”

  He nods. “I was feelin
g things for you, and I didn’t know how to deal with them. So I ran.”

  I press a gentle kiss to his lips. “Zach, I know it’s gonna take some time for you to fully trust me, especially after what she did to you. But I want you to know, that’s it’s real for me, how I feel about you. It’s really real and it scares the crap out of me.”

  “It scares me too.”

  ∞∞∞