by Ashley Lyn
Shamus is stalking up the driveway like a highland warrior, dressed in his kilt, boots, and has a sword hanging from his belt.
“You, Lass, are mine, and I’m done fucking waiting. Your month is done.” I stand and attempt to run, but I’m thrown over his bare shoulder before I can even attempt it.
“Don’t be a pussy, Savannah,” Ali hollers from the porch, laughing her ass off.
“Shamus, let’s just calm down and talk about this.” His hand comes back and spanks my ass. I squeal in outrage.
“Where did you even get a sword anyway? You going to walk all the way back to your house? Where are you taking me?” Another spanking, but still no words. It’s then that I realize he’s heading to the woods.
“Shamus, put me down! This is crazy! What the fuck is going on?” He says nothing, just keeps trudging through the woods. This is going to suck.
It feels like we’ve been walking forever when he finally sets me down, only to jerk my arms over my head and push me back against a big ass tree. I’m too busy being happy that I’m not hanging upside down to realize that I’m now hanging from a tree by my hands. I look up in shock at the rope and cuffs. I open my mouth to rip him a new one when he shoves a tie in my mouth and knots it behind my head.
“Glare all you want. This is the only way I could think of to get you to stay in one fucking place and shut that pretty mouth of yours.”
He puts his hands on his hips.
“I love you, Savannah.”
My whole body jerks with that statement, and tears gather in my eyes.
“I’m so pissed at you. I lost my first wife to the assholes from the same god damn organization that now has its sights on you, and you tell me nothing. I wouldn’t even have known if I hadn’t called Tristan this morning. I told him to either tell me what was going on, or I was coming down there myself.” He makes a fist and smacks his chest. “I deserve to know if there’s a threat to you. I’m your man, your lover, and your best friend, and you shut me out!
“All that being said, I still love you. Relationships are hard. One thing I learned from my grandfather that has always stuck is; there will be hard days, days when you want to throw in the towel, days when you might not like me all that much, the same way there will be days that I don’t like you all that much, and I might want to spank some fucking sense into you. But there will always be love. I will always love you, no matter what. There will be days that you’re never going to want to end. You’ll feel so much happiness and love, you’ll feel like you might burst. You have to take the good with the bad, and learn to appreciate both sides of a love.”
Tears are streaming down my face, and his. He comes up to me and takes the gag out of my mouth.
“I’m sorry! I don’t even know where to start. I wasn’t running, I swear. I got over my issues about us. I’ve never felt like this. I love you so much it scares me. No one ever stays with me, I’m barely a blip on my friends’ radars. I have Ali now, yes, but she has to be nice to me because she’s my sister-in-law. Boyfriends drop me like I’m a hot potato. I can’t tell you how many times I told a guy I was dating that I loved him, and the next minute, he’d act like he didn’t even know me. What I thought was love with them wasn’t even close to what I feel for you. It consumes me, and I always said it first, putting myself out there, and I never got anything back in return. So, I tried to wait for you to say it first, and the more time passed, you still didn’t say it. I thought maybe you didn’t love me as much as I love you, or maybe you couldn’t because of Jenny. Then I realized how dumb I sounded and let it all go. I had plans to come down for the welcome home party for the kids, but then I did something dumb and got myself into trouble. You just dug yourself out of that mess, and I didn’t want to drag you back into it. I should have given you the option. I should have talked to you about it, but again, I was scared shitless.”
“Do you still love me, Savannah?”
“Yes.”
“Jenny’s dead, I know that. It sucks, and some days it hurts when I look at my kids. It pains me to say yes, I loved Jenny, but what me and you have? It pales in comparison to what I had with Jenny. I’m going to tell you a secret that only my counselor knows. In the beginning, I was a person of interest with the police department, and I remember sitting in that little fucking room, numb and hurting, and for one second, I felt relief that she was gone. That one thought buried me in so much guilt, I couldn’t dig myself out. Life with Jenny was difficult at the best of times, and fucking painful the rest. She had a hard life and could be so needy sometimes. She needed attention, and would always find some way to get it, either in healthy ways or unhealthy. A part of me thinks that she liked the attention from Wilson in the beginning. Once his attention became too much, she had no way out, other than to tell me, and admitting when she fucked up was akin to torture for her. I was working a lot at that time, so we wouldn’t have huge medical bills after the twins were born. There were times with her that I was struggling to remember why I loved her. If I didn’t give her the amount of attention she needed, she would find ways to get my attention, with threats of suicide or leaving me, taking the kids and hiding somewhere, flirting with random men. It was exhausting.”
He comes up to me and brushes my hair out of my face. “You are so beautiful, inside and out, confident and sexy. I love you for you. Jenny will always have a special place in my heart, but you? You consume and overwhelm me. You are everything to me, Savannah.”
He kisses me so gently, that my walls crumble. “Unhook me from the tree, Shamus.”
He smirks. “Nope. I quite like you right where you are, baby.”
I narrow my eyes.
He unclips something at the side of his kilt and it drops to the ground, along with my jaw. He’s totally naked, and I’m too busy looking at his cock to realize that he’s pulled out a little knife and is coming at me, until I feel the blunt edge on my belly. He starts at my waist and slices my shirt open, pops the front clasp on my bra, and jerks my pants and panties down. I look down at him in shock.
I widen my stance as he kisses his way up my body, kissing the top of my mound lightly. He stands up with his hands on my hips. I lean forward as far as the cuffs will allow, needing his mouth on mine.
He gives me such a small taste of his lips before pulling back. I want more, but then he spins me around and pulls my hips back, kicking my feet apart. The image that flashes in my brain of what I look like has me sucking in a breath. I’m naked, tied to a tree, ass out and legs wide. I moan at the naughty image.
His fingers slide through the wetness between my legs and dammit to hell, the moan that lets loose would make a porn star proud.
That is until I squeal in outrage as fire lights up my ass.
“What the fuck!” I say on a gasp. That was no teasing, sensual spank. That fucking hurt.
“We had the conversation about naughty girls, remember, Savannah?”
Smack!
“Fuck.”
Smack!
“Shamus, please!”
“Please what, baby?”
Smack!
“Please, fuck me!”
Smack!
The feel of his hands running along my burning backside takes me off guard, then the shock of his face between my legs has me crying out.
“Oh, God, don’t stop.”
He turns me around again and throws my leg over his shoulder. I look down and see his wicked fucking grin and the bastard winks at me before diving back in. He zeros in on my l clit with hard demanding sucks and nips. This is no gentle coaxing of my orgasm; this is a hard drive to the finish. The wave is cresting so fast, I feel like I’m drowning.
“No!” I yell when he pulls back and kisses my thighs. If I could kick him, I would.
“You going to talk to me from now on, Savannah?”
“Yes, I promise.” He leans forward and flicks my clit with just the tip of his tongue.
“Are you going to keep running?”
“No, I swe
ar. Please, finish me, Shamus.”
His lips latch around my clit and sucks so softly, my leg gives out, so he throws it over his shoulder as well.
“Are you going to shut me out?”
“No, Shamus, please,” I whisper.
He puts my feet back on the forest floor and stands up. Two fingers slide into my passage and his thumb circles my clit.
“Then come for me, baby.”
My head falls back as my orgasm rushes through me, weakening my ability to stand, to think. I’m barely breathing as he picks me up by my ass and thrusts home.
I’m certain I screamed loud enough that the whole town just heard me.
“Shamus!”
“Fuck, baby, I missed this…missed this tight pussy.”
There’s no control or precision to his thrusts. This is a wild fuck, almost animalistic, and I love it.
I gasp when he hits my sweet spot. “Shamus, I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
This orgasm is so fucking powerful, it’s taking all my willpower to even stay conscience.
His head drops back and three quick, deep thrusts later, he’s groaning, finishing in a warm rush.
He buries his face in my neck as he catches his breath. Kissing me gently, he unhooks my hands and carries me over to a blanket, and I laugh. “You had this all planned out? Blanket, cuffs hooked on a damn tree?”
“Yup. I even have clothes for you.”
Laying on the blanket, the cool air brushing my overheated skin feels fantastic. I feel him pick up my hand and kiss my fingers. Opening my eyes to watch him, I gasp when I look at my ring finger and see a fucking sparkling diamond ring.
“I love you, Savannah, every crazy, beautiful inch of you. Marry me, baby?”
“Yes.” Then I gasp. “Shamus, we can never tell people how you proposed. “Well, kids, I tied Mommy to a tree and yelled at her for being a total idiot, then I fucked her against that tree.”
He laughs and pulls me over on top of him. “I’m sure you can come up with something.” I snuggle into his chest and kiss his collarbone.
“Best proposal ever!” I say, making him laugh again.
Watching the kids tackle Savannah, listening to them tell her how much they missed her and love her, makes something settle in my soul.
“Are you staying, Sav?” Chloe asks her, squishing her cheeks together.
“We’re going to go get a dog, and we’re naming him Gary!” Aiden yells.
This is a long running argument between the two. Chloe goes to open her mouth and chew him out again.
“Chloe,” I say in a my “Dad” voice, which has been getting a workout lately.
Savannah laughs at the look on my face. “I have to go home for a little bit first. I have to pack my stuff and get my house on the market to sell.”
“But you’re coming back, right?”
She ruffles Aiden’s hair. “You bet, little man.”
“I have to go potty. I’ll be right back!” He runs outside and I want to groan.
“Aiden, get back in here and go in the bathroom!” Dang kid has been outside for a handful of seconds and he’s already peeing in my once alive bush that is now dead, since Aiden keeps peeing on it.
“Aiden Sean!” He pulls his pants up with an unrepentant grin and holds his hand up for a high-five. I give him a hard look, and he takes his hand down and smooths his hair.
“You snooze you lose, Dad.” He then saunters back into the house.
“Dad, can we go to Pop and Nana’s house?” Chloe yells.
Savannah and I have a lot of things to talk about, and not a lot of time before she has to go, so I tell them yes. They both race next door. Holding my hand out to Savannah, I lead her to the back yard and pull her into my lap.
“I was kind of rough earlier. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m good. It was…amazing.”
“When you get back, I want you to move in here with me.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea with the kids?”
“That ring on your finger means that I’m not letting you go, ever. They love you, and I love you. There’s no reason you shouldn’t move in.”
She nods her head and smiles at me. “I want to wait to get married. Not an overly long time, but not right away, either.”
If I had it my way, she would already be Mrs. McAllister, but I’ll give her this.
“All right. We can talk dates when you get back and get plans going.”
I’m twirling her hair around my finger, and I have to ask. “What’s up with the pink? I like it…just didn’t ever picture you with pink hair.”
She groans, and I know there’s a story to this. “I had a bad idea one drunken evening, and this is so much better than it was. It was pink all over originally, and spotty, since I missed large sections. Tristan’s crush fixed it for me.”
I raise my eyebrow at that. “I don’t see Tristan having a crush on some chick and not following through on it.”
“She’s Carter’s little sister, and about ten years younger than him. Her name is Becca, and she’s the cutest little thing.”
“How long are you going to need to be in Denver?”
“Probably a couple weeks. I started to pack…” She gets a pinched look on her face and her cheeks pink up.
“Packing up already?”
“Maybe?” She grins at me.
My body literally melts into the couch as I sit down. I’m exhausted, and so fucking happy, I almost get up and do one of those little happy dances that Savannah does. After I got Savannah dropped off, we came back and have been playing outside. Their little laughs and giggles are addicting. Looking at the clock, I see it’s after two, and I realize that Savannah still hasn’t texted me back. Her plane should have landed by now, and I start to sweat.
Resting my head on the back of the couch, my eyes are closed and I’m lost in thought. When the front door opens, I crack my eyes open and see my dad standing in the doorway.
“When are you going to get your poop in a group and go get that girl?”
“What are you wearing?” I ask, smiling. He has on a pair of leggings and a Tommy Bahama shirt.
“These LuLaRue leggings your mom buys are like slipping your legs in butter.”
“I proposed to her this morning, but she had to go back to Denver to close up her house, then she’s heading back this way. She wanted to wait to spread the word when she got back. What’s on those leggings, Dad?”
“I think they’re supposed to be unicorns, but on my large, muscular legs, they sort of look like fat rhinos.”
“How were the kids today?”
“They were amazing, until they got tired. Chloe farted by Aiden and he got pissed at her, to which she said, “I’ll fart where I want!”
“Chloe did that? I expected that from Aiden, not Chloe.”
“Yup. She farted right on his head. Your mom picked both of them up under her arms and put them down for naps.” He’s quiet and picking at the dumb leggings he has on. “Your mom finally got ahold of Maxine. She seemed lucid, and Mom told her what was going on. She broke down pretty bad. Mom said Maxine told her that she needed to go so she could call her AA sponsor. So, we’ll see if she can pull herself out of it again, or if this is going to push her over the ledge.”
“Fuck.” I want her in the kids’ lives, but at the same time, she needs to get clean and stay that way before I’ll let her come around the kids.
I feel the couch move. Opening my eyes, I see Aiden crawling up on the couch with me, and Chloe standing on the stairs. When I smile at her, she comes over and crawls up on the couch and basically sprawls herself along my side.
The three of us are snuggled up, warm and drowsy. I’m sure I’m in heaven. I glance at the clock and see that we’ve all been crashed for damn near two hours.
“How do you guys feel about going out to dinner tonight? There’s a place here that I like to eat at called Thelma’s.”
“Do they have ch
icken nuggets, Daddy?” Chloe asks, twirling my hair with her finger.
“Sure do, pumpkin.”
“Can I wear my stuff that Mister Bruce got us?” Aiden asks, eyes twinkling. “I’m starving, Dad. When are we leaving.”
One track mind, my boy. “Soon as you get cleaned up and ready to go.”
I wink at him, and he runs off to get dressed. Chloe climbs off and runs for her room to do the same.
Aiden and Chloe come booking it down the stairs, dressed to the nines—swim goggles, fairy wings, a knights’ breast plate, and rain boots. They both stand there grinning like fools, and happy as larks.
Shaking my head, I grab the car keys and load up to head to Thelma’s.
I decide to forgo heading to the office first. I’m dirty and nasty from the airplane ride, and decide to stop to shower and change before I head in.
This is a monumentally bad decision the second I walk in the front door, where I’m greeted by a two-by-four, striking me on the side of the head.
Lights out.
I’m trying to open my eyes, but it doesn’t seem to be working. They feel like two bloated grapes. Yet I can hear conversation going on around me.
“He said to grab her, not to kill the dumb bitch.”
“She ain’t dead.”
“She’s been out cold for eight hours. If she ain’t dead now, she will be.”
I’m not liking this conversation. I’m hoping that when I wake up from this nightmare, I’ll be passed out in my bed.
I’m up to my eyeballs in Savannah’s family—her mom and Dad, and all her fucking sisters. I get it. I know they want fucking information. I can’t fucking think with all of them crowding my space.
Then, the one person I did not want to look in the eye, the one person I promised I would keep Savannah safe, is in my face. Fucking Shamus.
“Explain to me, Tristan, how in the fuck my woman was fucking kidnapped? Explain!”
Everyone gets quiet. The only thing that can be heard are sniffles and tears, and I feel like a fucking asshole.