by Nicole Fox
She tried to wiggle up so that he could slip in. But he moved, too, and kept kissing her. She wrapped one leg around him. Finally, she reached down and took hold of him. She positioned him at her opening and slid down, letting him slide in smoothly.
He made a soft moaning and held still once he was fully inside her. He continued to kiss her as he moved in and out slowly. More slowly than he ever had, like he was enjoying every second of it. With each inch that moved in or out, she felt her pleasure increase. She was dizzy with it. Vanessa tried to keep herself from coming too fast, but the way he’d teased her and built up her desire for him, the way he moved so slow so that his cock rubbed on every nerve inside her, sent her over the edge.
“I’m coming,” she whispered and moaned into his ear.
He didn’t speed up like he normally did. Instead, he kept his slow-and-steady pace. She found that the orgasm came slow and deep. Different than when he thrust into her hard and fast. This whole thing felt different tonight.
Then she realized what it was. This was him making love to her. Not fucking her, not having sex or getting laid. He was actually making love, in a true and precious way that no one had ever made love to her.
Tears filled her eyes, and she kissed him harder. “Thank you,” she said.
He chuckled. “I can get you another if you like.”
She laughed, too. “Yes, please.”
He varied his thrust slightly. Instead of the rhythmic in and out, he pulled back and entered her shallowly, then pulled out again. He came back for a few shallow thrusts, then added one harder and fully deep. Then more shallow. The fluctuation of shallow and deep made her insides tighten, trying to grip him every time he came in, trying to hold him in farther. But every time, he pulled back, making her want him more. Then, when he entered her deeply, her mind spun with pleasure. It was a slow, delicious torture.
They made love for a long time. Vanessa started to think it would never end, that they would just go on like this, him filling her and making her dizzy with desire, him making her feel more amazing than she ever had in her life.
But after some time, he sped up a little. “I’m gonna come,” he told her.
And as he thrust a little harder and faster, she raised her hips to meet his, to take him in completely, and she came again as he moaned loudly and emptied himself inside her.
“That was the best sex I’ve ever had in my entire life,” she said.
He made an amused sound and rolled onto the bed beside her. “I just couldn’t get enough of you.”
“Don’t ever.” She nuzzled her nose against his. Between her legs, Vanessa was hot and felt him dripping out of her. The warm sensation was a pleasant reminder of their encounter. “I want us to do that for the rest of our lives.”
Hunter reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Really? You really want me around that long?”
“I do. I’ve never felt so safe or so loved by anyone in my life.”
“Me either. I think you’re actually the first person who ever really loved me.”
That couldn’t be true, could it? Her heart melted at the look in his eyes. So sincere, so vulnerable. “I’m sorry you didn’t have love before. I don’t know how anyone could not love you.”
“I don’t know how anyone could hurt you. You’re so soft and sweet, so beautiful and kind. Jeremy is crazy.”
Her smile faded a little at the reminder of their reality. “He is, and we can’t forget that. We can’t let our guard down for even a moment or get complacent. That’s when he’ll strike. He did it to me for years. The classic abuse cycle. They beat you, then they’re sorry, then—”
“They promise to never do it again, then there’s peace for a time until you mess up—”
“You burn dinner or state your opinion—”
“Or get another bad grade or leave your bike in the driveway,” he said.
“And then it starts all over again.”
He nodded. “We both know it well.”
“What if we made a new cycle?”
“Okay…”
She gave him a crooked smile. “We can start with amazing sex, then tell each other how much we love each other, then have a great day tomorrow enjoying each other, then at night, we can start it all over again.”
“That’s a much better cycle.” He pulled her close and kissed her.
“I know this is a tricky situation. Most couples deal with exes, but not like this. Not with them trying to kill and steal a child. It might not be the best way to start a relationship, but once we get through this, we’ll be able to get through anything. We’ll be strong and unbreakable.”
“I think you’re already unbreakable. Look at all you’ve been through. All Jeremy did to you, and you’re still you. Still a perfect mom, still loving and caring. You’re unstoppable.”
She chuckled. “I don’t know about all that. You’re forgetting that I let him beat me for years. That I let Opal see that and hear all the fights.”
“But then you got out. My mom never did. We stayed in that horrible place forever. And then, she started joining him. I guess she figured it was easier to do what he did than to try to stop it.”
“That’s so messed up. But see, you’re unbreakable, too. Now you’re this big, strong hero, come to save me and my daughter, to rescue us from the evil forces of the world. You’re our knight in shining armor, riding in just in time to save the damsels in distress.”
He touched his finger to her nose. “Well, let’s just hope that this damsel has faced all the distress she’ll have. I want to keep you, not to keep rescuing you over and over. We need a good fortress to keep the enemy out.”
She sighed and lay on her back. “And the drawbridge isn’t working right now, either. Can’t believe the servants haven’t fixed it yet. We’ll have to post extra guards tonight.”
“With extra swords.”
She giggled and reached down to grab his soft dick. “This is the only sword I need.”
“And there’s only one custom-fit sheath.”
She let her smile fade and moved her hand back to his chest to tangle in the curly hairs there. “I know we can do this. We can make this work.”
“Even if I end up killing Jeremy?”
“Yes.”
“What if I can’t stop being a hit man after this?”
“Then, you’ll either keep trying to find a good job or go back to school.”
“What if I don’t want to stop being a hit man after this?”
She circled one of the curls of his hair with her fingertip. “Then, I’ll get used to it. I’ll start praying again and pray every night that you’ll be safe and not get caught and that God would forgive you.”
“You really think He would?”
“Sure,” she said. “He’s supposed to be all good, isn’t He? And who was that guy in the Bible who killed all those Christians?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Paul. That’s it. He forgave Paul. Even made him an apostle or something.”
“I have no idea what that means,” he said.
“It means that God not only forgave him, but used him to do stuff for Him. You never read the Bible or anything?”
“The TV was the only altar my father worshipped. Well, that and the almighty keg.”
“Not sure which is worse. Not having any church or being forced to go every week for your whole life.”
“Anything is better than sitting around waiting for your dad to get drunk enough to hit you. Or do something worse.”
“Worse?”
He nodded. “He didn’t only use his hands. Sometimes it was beer bottles, sometimes the remote control, sometimes his cigarette. Whatever he had on hand. And when he had nothing, the stairs worked pretty well.”
“Jeremy pushed me down the stairs a few times. That’s scary. Just falling like that out of nowhere. He did it when I was pregnant. When I refused to have an abortion.”
“So, he started abusing Opal be
fore she was even born.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I never looked at it that way. But he tried to kill her before she was born. Funny that now he’s the one fighting to get her. I was the one who fought for her from the start. When everyone told me I should get rid of her.”
“That’s because you already loved her,” he said. “Because you’re a good and decent person who had parents good enough to show you love. And who knows, maybe it was all that church stuff, too.”
“Maybe.” She was quiet for a long time, thinking. She considered her own answer, then asked, “Do you believe in God?”
“Never had a reason to, I guess. There was nothing good in my life. Nothing to be thankful for. And if there is a God, He never helped me. I guess there could be. I just don’t know what I did to make Him hate me when I was just a kid.”
“I don’t think it works that way. I think you were just unlucky.”
“You think if I went to church and prayed, God would have made my parents stop hitting me?”
She thought of all the nights spent on her knees in tears. “No. He didn’t make Jeremy stop hitting me.”
“Then what’s the point?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Hope, I guess. We both did get through it, didn’t we? We’re alive and we’re here, and we found each other. Maybe this is our reward. Maybe He did get us out of there and brought us together.”
“Well, whatever or whoever it was, I’m grateful.” He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. “If it was God, then I’ll thank Him every day for you. And if not, then I’ll thank my lucky stars and hope that I never mess this up.”
“You won’t.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Being the first person to see me and still love me,” he said, tracing the outline of the contours of her face.
“Thank you for letting me. And for loving me back.”
“Easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Vanessa
Vanessa checked Opal’s seatbelt to make sure it was tight. Mari was already in the passenger seat. She turned to face Hunter. “I wish you were coming with us.”
“Me too. We have to get things ready, though.”
“I know, I just hate the idea of being away from you all day.”
“You think you hate it?” He shook his head. “You have your gun on you?”
She nodded and patted her purse, where her handgun was currently stored. “Stay close to your phone?”
“Obviously. We’ll check in often.”
“Okay.” She let out a deep sigh. “Guess I’ll see you tonight then.”
He gave her a long, hard kiss and let her go. She climbed into the car and started it, then put down the window. “Hey,” she said. “Don’t get yourself killed or anything.” She said it in a light tone, but she meant every word.
“You either.” He leaned down to kiss her. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
He stood up and they drove off.
“When did that happen?” Mari asked, a smirk on her face.
Vanessa playfully slapped her. “Shut up.”
“What happened?” Opal asked from the backseat.
“Nothing honey,” Vanessa said.
“Oh, your mommy just fell in love is all.”
Opal grinned. “With Hunter.”
“Do you like him?” Mari asked.
Opal nodded enthusiastically. “I want him to be my new daddy.”
Vanessa beamed. So long as they both made it out of this alive, he just might be.
They turned into Mari’s parents’ farm house some time later. The plan was to spend the day, have some nice quality time together before the big meeting the next day. “Who knows what might go wrong,” Mari had said. “Take the day and enjoy it.”
So, now they were here. Vanessa and Opal would get to meet Mari’s parents, who Opal would stay with that night and the next day. Vanessa didn’t want Opal anywhere near the area when things could be happening. And so many things could happen in the next days. It was better to have her here, safe.
“What should we do first, Mommy?” Opal said excitedly as they got out of the car. “I can show you the swing or we can go for a walk or play a game.”
“Let’s go inside and meet the Snyder first, okay?” Vanessa said and reached out her hand for Opal to take it.
“Okay.”
They went inside and were introduced to Mari’s mom and step-dad. They hugged them both and seemed like the most welcoming and gentle people Vanessa had ever met. No wonder Mari was the way she was. She was just like them.
After a small mid-morning snack of muffins and tea, Vanessa and Opal wandered outside. Opal ran over to the swing and Vanessa stood behind her, pushing her on the swing hung from the giant tree.
“It’s so pretty here,” Vanessa said.
“Yeah. I like it. Maybe we could all get a house like this someday.”
“I hope so.” She could picture it. Opal playing out back, Hunter working on his car or fixing something, her baking pies for their dessert. It seemed like a perfect little family portrait.
“You really do like Hunter?” Vanessa asked.
She nodded.
“You can tell me the truth if you don’t.”
“But I do!”
“Okay.” Vanessa laughed at her enthusiasm. “Do you ever miss our old house?”
“Yeah. But I don’t want to go back there.”
“Me either. Why don’t you want to ?”
“I don’t want to live with Daddy again. It was too scary.”
“I know and that’s why we left. So Daddy couldn’t hurt you anymore.”
“I know. But Mommy?”
After a pause, she asked, “Yeah?”
“Why did we wait so long? Why didn’t we leave so you wouldn’t get hurt anymore?”
“Well, because I wanted you to be with your daddy and have a family. I tried not to let you see that he hurt me.”
“I did though. I saw him hold you down, and I saw him hit you.”
Vanessa swallowed hard. How much exactly had her daughter seen and how would this affect her for the rest of her life?
“Well, it’s all over now and we’ll never go back to him. Hunter will keep us safe and never hurt us.”
“That’s why I want him to be my new daddy.”
“I’m glad. I know he really likes you, too.”
“Can we go for a walk now? I want to show you the birdhouse!”
Opal hopped off the swing when it had slowed enough. Vanessa took her hand and let Opal lead her through a path in the field. They walked through high grass and flowers, under the shade of many old, tall trees. They stopped at a bird house, painted red, but weathered from the years. Inside, they could see a nest of tiny baby birds.
“They’re so cute!” Opal reached toward it, like she was going to pick one up.
“No!” Vanessa said and took her hand. “If you touch them, the mommy will think something is wrong with them and stop taking care of them.”
Opal gave her a confused look. “Why would she do that?”
“It’s just the way birds are. They’re not like people. We take care of each other forever.”
They watched through the hole for a time, then walked back toward the house. Vanessa tried to memorize the feel of Opal’s small hand in hers. She didn’t know when she would see her again or feel that little hand. Or if she ever would. She quickly swiped tears from her eyes and pulled out her phone to text Hunter.
It was time for them to leave much too soon. Vanessa couldn’t break down as she said goodbye to Opal, because Opal didn’t know the danger ahead. She had been told they all had to do something really important together to make sure they would all be safe, and that her and Hunter would come get her after a fun day at the farm house.
As soon as her and Mari got into the car, however, Vanessa couldn’t hold back her tears. Mari rubbed her leg and tried to comfort he
r.
“No matter what happens, it’ll all be over after tomorrow. Just get through one day, and it’ll be better.”
Vanessa nodded and turned out of the driveway. “How in the world did I ever convince you to be my friend?” She chuckled.