by Sam Crescent
She sat down on the wrecked corner of the sofa, holding her crutches in front of her, and smiled, thinking about the way Sidney had loved this place. It had been their shot at finally having a place in the world.
Saddened, Catherine made her way round the mess, collecting her stuff in a bag, the movements taking forever with her ankle. Once her bag was packed, she left her old life behind and prepared to start a new one, away from London.
Chapter Thirteen
A Month Later
Lance stood in his bedroom in his country house, looking out over the plain of deserted greenery. He’d bought this place months ago, before everything had gone down—a place away from the city and work. Sighing, he moved away from the window and the uselessness of his life. Catherine was back in university, studying, and now was the time to get an update on her status. Since he couldn’t be with her, Lance had made sure someone was nearby to keep an eye on her. A file of pictures and updates sat atop his desk. Running a hand through his unkempt hair, he started up his computer, wondering if there would be some more information to let him know she was doing fine and was happy in life and love.
His business email address was packed with instructions and queries. Not having the head for it, he closed the file and brought up his personal address. Three emails. He clicked on the first one—spam. Cursing, he got rid of it. The second was from his private investigator. He printed off the secure document and stood near the printer while each piece of paper came off—black and white printouts of Catherine with some friends.
He flipped through all the pictures. She’d been able to get rid of the crutches last week, and she looked beautiful and serene in each picture. The ones with friends showed her laughing and happy. When she was alone she always seemed sad.
One picture had been circled with an arrow. Lance gazed at the building and then at Catherine, his heart pounding.
The other email could wait. Catherine needed him.
* * * *
Catherine had spent another morning vomiting up all of her breakfast and maybe some of last night’s supper. She was pleased she’d been able to get a flat outside of campus, so she didn’t have to worry about roommates or having her privacy invaded. Phoning in to the university, she told them once again she wouldn’t be able to make it in time for class.
Three days of vomiting without enough energy to make it out of the door was catching up to her. She would have to phone him soon, she was sure. No way could she continue like this, with her life on hold, trying to find a way around living.
Ben had been right. Her stubbornness had got in the way and now she was sick, alone and expecting Lance’s baby. Ben still checked in on her but made sure not to mention Lance. Along with the sickness and heartache, her pregnancy had brought on tears. She cried at everything. At least she could use her unborn baby as the excuse for them.
A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts and she cursed. There was no way she would open the door with red splotches and matted hair. Catherine knew she looked scary.
The knocking persisted until she had no choice but to get up off her worn sofa and move towards the door.
“Who is it?” she called before opening it.
“Open and find out.”
Her heart stopped for a moment and she leaned against the door, praying she wasn’t hearing things.
Taking a breath to calm her nerves, she opened the door and gazed into the face of the man who’d plagued her thoughts and her dreams ever since leaving him standing outside Cyril’s building, watching her disappear into the night. His eyes darkened as he looked at her, and Catherine covered her body from his prying eyes. The gown was well worn—it had been her sister’s and one of the items that hadn’t been destroyed.
“Lance?” she croaked out self-consciously, moving to pull her hair back. She belatedly screeched and slammed the door, running to the mirror. She groaned. I look like shit.
“Catherine, open up, baby,” he called, and she wanted nothing more than to open the door and run into his arms, but she also wanted to appear gorgeous when she did. Catherine had known that at some point she was going to phone him—having a baby wouldn’t be easy and she wasn’t stupid. Carrying the baby wouldn’t be a problem, but looking after it and herself after the birth would be the hard part.
Running a brush through her hair, she tried to tame the snarled mound. She really should have showered this morning. The mess wasn’t cooperating.
“Catherine, I know about the baby.”
She dropped the brush and charged for the door, facing off with him. The rush of movement made her dizzy, and he caught her before she hit the floor.
“How do you know?” she gasped out.
“Do you really think I’d leave you alone?”
No, she hadn’t thought he would, but she’d never thought he’d come back for her, either. “Is that why you came back? For the baby?”
He put her down on the sofa and knelt in front of her, taking one of her hands in his.
“Do you really think I could give you up?”
Catherine couldn’t believe he was here, talking to her and touching her. She closed her eyes and the tears dropped.
“Please don’t cry. I’ll do anything to make sure you don’t cry again.” He pushed back tendrils of hair.
“I’m sorry for walking away,” she cried out, circling his neck with her arms.
He held her and allowed her to cry, the wetness seeping into his shirt. Lance consoled her and ran his fingers through her hair and down her back.
“You’ll never be alone again,” he promised.
“Why did you come back for me?” she asked, coming up for air and wiping her nose.
“I love you, Catherine, and couldn’t stay away from you anymore. I was dying inside and, when I found out about the baby, it was the kick up the arse I needed to bring me back to you once again.”
She kissed and hugged him, not wanting to let him go.
“All I ask is you let me be part of our baby’s life. I’m sorry about your sister—”
She cut him off with a finger over his lips. “No need to talk about that, Lance. I understand why you did it and I know that, if Sidney really wanted to, she’d have stopped everything you did. She was a survivor and that’s all that matters. I love you, Lance, and I want to be with you.”
Lance smiled and her heart skipped a beat. He hugged her, they talked, and finally he helped her get dressed and packed.
* * * *
University was put on hold. Catherine no longer had the heart for all the drama and the deadlines and stress. She’d already had enough to last her a lifetime. Lance took her to his house in the country after a visit to the hospital to make sure everything was all right with her and the baby.
Lance helped her to have her sister buried in a plot of land near their parents. He stood by her, holding her hand, offering her comfort in her darkest hours.
Today, they stood at her graveside and placed flowers on the uneven mud. They’d visited his sister the other week and now it was time to pay their respects to hers.
“I’m really sorry, honey.” Lance took her hand and both of them stood looking at Sidney’s grave. “She would have been happier now, knowing he’s dead. She’d have been free.” When reporting on the killing of Cyril Woods, the papers had mentioned her sister but they hadn’t mentioned the role Sidney had played as his paid whore, and for that Catherine would forever be thankful.
Lance kissed her knuckles and pulled on her arm, bringing her away from the bad memories.
“I just wish she could be here, you know? To know what’s going on in our lives. I’d have loved to know what she thought of you,” she joked, tapping him on the chest.
“She loved me,” he teased back, putting his arms around her.
They walked hand in hand to the limo waiting for them.
Catherine stared across the parking lot to see a darkened car pulling away. The window curtain twitched and she frowned, wondering if she
knew who it was. Shrugging, she dismissed it as she got into the limo then curled up against Lance when he got in behind her.
* * * *
“Your sister is now free.” The man in the car blew out a puff of smoke.
Sidney looked at the place where another body lay. She had closed her eyes and held in the tears as she’d watched her sister cry and place the flowers on ‘her’ grave.
“I said I’d do anything as long as you protected her from him.” Sidney held the small curtain aside and stared back at the man whom she’d struck a bargain with.
“And I kept my part of the deal.” He blew out another circle of smoke, making Sidney cough.
“Not quite. She was hurt, injured by his men—”
“That was out of my control.”
“And I’m still here, aren’t I? I’m yours, exactly like you asked.” Sidney knew her sister was hurting and that she’d never know what really went down. Lance had been working too hard and too fast and the only way to stop the shit he was bringing down had been to form a pact with Cyril’s boss. The men all thought the tyrant who’d plagued London for so long was gone. Little did they know that they actually had a boss who ran his business throughout the whole of Europe. The operation went much further than London.
At one of his many parties, over a year ago, Cyril had invited his boss to come and sit with him and talk business with Sidney present. The boss—known as Longman—had taken a shine to her and she’d taken a chance and told him about the real Cyril Woods who was running his businesses.
“I’m thankful you’ve decided to work with me, Sidney, but I wanted to make sure you’re completely with me. If at any time you’re thinking of backing out of our arrangement, with one single call I will kill Catherine and the baby she carries. That’s right—your younger sister is pregnant with that man’s baby. You fuck with me and I’ll kill them all. I’m worse than Cyril and, if you thought Cyril was the devil, then I’m fucking Hell, sweetheart, and don’t you forget it.”
Sidney gasped, wondering if she’d fucked up big style. She took one last lingering glance at the remainder of her family and knew she’d never see them again. She blew a kiss, hoping Catherine knew how much she loved and cared for her, before settling the curtain back in place as the car drove off.
Chapter Fourteen
Lance and Catherine sat before the crackling fire. He sipped at some strong whisky while Catherine drank from her bottled water. They remained silent, neither one needing to talk—just enjoying the quiet for a change.
Lance watched her, concerned about what she was thinking and feeling. He didn’t want her troubling herself but didn’t want to interrupt her thoughts.
Laying his hand across the back of the sofa, he played with a strand of her hair while waiting for her to talk.
She smiled over at him and curled up, placing her head on his chest. “What will it be like in a year’s time?” she asked.
Lance placed his arms around her. He’d never get over how right it felt having her with him.
“For us?”
She nodded and he smiled. “Well, depending on the time of the year, you could be swollen with my child and complaining about being fat. The books say pregnant women think they’re fat all the time.” He stopped when she hit him, sitting up to look at him.
“Seriously, no jokes—where do you think we’ll be?”
“For most of next year, you’ll be pregnant and I’ll be your ever devoted slave. Then when you give birth you’ll be here with either our son or daughter…and I’ll still be your slave. Hopefully between now and then you’ll have this ring on your finger.” He pulled out the ring he kept on him at all times.
Since Catherine had moved in with him, he’d spent every waking minute trying to find the right moment to propose, but, busy living life, he’d found there had never been a perfect moment. Lance wanted this proposal to always be part of her fun and happy memories. Every woman should have an engagement that left them overjoyed.
She gasped and her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the ring and he laughed. “I take it you like it?”
“Is that for me?”
“Yes. Catherine Hart, I’ve been wondering if you’d let me make an honest woman out of you and make you my wife?” he suggested formally, bringing the ring closer.
The simply cut diamond was small and beautiful and wouldn’t detract from her own loveliness. Catherine was a beauty already and didn’t need diamonds or jewellery to distract from her looks.
“Yes, yes and more yes!” She took the ring from him and placed it on her finger before turning round, straddling his lap and kissing him all over—his head, eyes, lips and cheeks… She giggled and kissed the life out of him. Finally, he caught her head in his hands to stop her movement and slanted his lips over hers, making her take his kiss and much more. They moaned together as he ran his hands down her body to cup her full ass. Her tummy wasn’t showing anything yet, and he groaned when her pelvis thrust against his hard cock.
“Baby, you’ll need to stop if you don’t want me to make love to you right now,” he warned. Nearly two months without her and his dick was ready to tear through his pants to get to her warm, aching pussy. They had agreed to hold off on having sexual relations in order to get to know one another…and make sure they could live with each other without the added chaos that they had first met under.
“I don’t care. Love me, Lance. Show me how much you want me.” She used her tongue to trace a line along his lips.
She began to unbutton his shirt and he let her take control. He spread his arms wide along the back of the sofa and watched her kiss a path with every button undone. She peeled the shirt open. He didn’t let her take it off but spread it wide. Her cool little fingers played with his chest and touched his nipples. He moaned as she leant down and sucked one of the buds into her mouth. He thought of her nipples and whether they’d changed since becoming pregnant.
He opened her blouse and she sat up in his lap, her chest puffed out, an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to take the garment off. She wore a silky black bra designed for comfort rather than sex appeal, but he could see the nipples poking to get out, the single most erotic sight he’d ever seen.
With his hands on her waist, he pulled her forward to bring her breasts to his face and breathed in her glorious scent—more seductive than any candle he’d smelt before.
He tongued her through the fabric and she bowed her head, her pelvis grinding against his shaft.
“Take it off,” he begged.
She reached behind her, undoing the clasp. She pulled it down her arms and threw it over his head. Her breasts were slightly larger but nothing else had changed. He cupped the mounds, testing their weight and firmness in his hands. She arched, her head flung back as he thumbed her nipples.
Her moan turned into a cry as he embraced each delicate bud with his lips. She was already wet and swollen. Her fingers curled into his hair and tugged on the strands. She yanked his hat off and kissed him.
Catherine crawled off his lap and Lance reached for her but she batted away his hands. “No, let me love you.”
Lance sat back and watched her remove her skirt and then her drenched thong. She threw the fabric at him and he caught it, stuffing the wet material in his pocket.
Catherine laughed and went to her knees before him. “Do you like the way I look?” she asked, opening his belt buckle then button and finally moving to the zipper.
He didn’t wear underwear often and today he hadn’t bothered. Whenever he was near Catherine his cock always sprang to attention and the extra layer of underwear only succeeded in hurting his poor fellow.
His cock thrust out and he gasped when she grasped the large shaft. She looked up at him and he groaned in masculine approval. Her tongue peeked out, licking along her lips, and he wanted more than anything for those lips to encircle his shaft, for her to lick up the droplets of pre-cum already accumulating at the tip. Watching her rapt expression did wonders for his ego. She
curled one hand round his base and slid up to the tip, reaching out her finger to play with his pre-cum, spreading the moisture over his mushroom head. She pulled back his foreskin and replaced her fingers with her mouth. Lance collapsed back as her wet heat surrounded the tip. She didn’t move down or up but stayed still and licked the slit. The moan rumbled down his shaft and into his balls seconds before she cupped his bollocks. He wanted to watch her working him so he forced himself to sit up and watch. He pulled her long hair out of the way, not wanting anything to obstruct his view of her lips wrapped around him.
Catherine looked up at him after he gathered her mass of hair into one fist while he cupped her cheek with his other hand. Lance moved his hips, pushing up into her waiting lips and then back down again, meeting her, fucking her mouth. If she didn’t stop, he was going to blow into her throat and for their first time after waiting he didn’t want that.
Pulling on her hair, he stopped her and guided her up to his body instead.
Lance kissed her and moved her legs to straddle him once again. He reached between her thighs to test her wetness. He never wanted to hurt her. He ran his fingers through her plump slit, her lips already soaking with her arousal. He fingered her clit until she was practically dancing on his fingers, then moved his hand away and brought his cock to slide through and tease her as his fingers had been doing. They both looked down to where they were joined and gasped. It was such a beautiful sight.
“Fuck me, Lance. Please make me yours,” she begged, and pleaded with her eyes.
He could deny her nothing.
Lance pressed his shaft to her entrance and, with a hand guiding his cock and one at her waist, brought her down slowly. His cock disappeared between her lips and he sank into her depths, growling as he was seated to the hilt inside, her little pussy contracting around his hard sex.