Felisha Goulding's Stolen Innocence Series

by Felisha Goulding

  “Meggie,” he said, his voice was strained. “Play with your clit,” he said softly. Meg lowered her hand, between her thighs and found the aching bundle of nerves that now danced in excitement. She circled the tightened nerve endings with two fingers and knew it wouldn’t take long for her to go off. Her mouth enclosed around his erection again, and after applying the right amount of pressure to her clit, she moved her fingers faster and faster giving herself over to the quick build up of pleasure and sucked him harder until she felt the familiar warmth settle over her once again and she moaned her orgasm around his shaft, working her mouth over the head of his erection while giving in to her own release.

  She removed her fingers from her clit and fisted around his erection with one hand, the other dug into his outer thigh. Her mouth closed around him tighter, and she sucked at him harder, eager to make him moan, to make him come. She was rewarded with a low grunt, he pulled out right away and hot spurts of semen shot out over her breasts. He watched intently and she realized without a doubt, he was marking her as his.

  Bending down on the floor in front of her, he tilted her chin up and forward capturing her lips in an exotic kiss, his tongue caressed her lower lip before pushing its way through. When their lips pulled away, he stood to his full height and held his hand out for her to join him. He walked them both into the bathroom. He sat Meg on the edge of the tub and turned on the shower. Once inside the shower, he took the white facecloth, covered it in body wash and moved carefully over every inch of her body. Taking his sweet time, he washed the evidence of his desire away from her breasts. He caressed every crevice of her body before he washed her hair, and then turned to wash himself. Meg was too far gone to take care of him. She simply stood with her back against the wall to enjoy the view, taking in every part of his well- toned body and his devastating good looks. I have got to be the luckiest woman alive.

  * * * *

  They wrapped themselves around one another on the sofa, both of them gloriously naked and a warm blanket thrown over them. “Meggie, what’s wrong? You’re quiet. Should I be worried?”

  “No, there’s nothing wrong, but I do want to talk you about something. I have to admit, I’m a little nervous in how you’ll feel about what I have to say.” After finally being together so intimately for the first time since Meg left New York to come home, she realized how much she missed being snuggled up to Drake with her back against his chest, a nice bulge settled firmly between her thighs. God, she wanted him again already. They caressed one another absentmindedly and simply enjoyed the feel of their skin touching. Drake held her breasts in his hands from behind with both arms wrapped around her, he held her tighter to him for a moment before loosening his hold.

  “There’s no need for you to be nervous around me, Meggie. Tell me, what is it?” he said in a low voice. The way he was looking at her made her heart skip a beat. She felt treasured by him.

  “I’m not sure if you will understand, or if you will agree, but I need to see John Lake. I need to know for myself that he will never tell anyone what happened to me. I also want to thank him for helping save me.” She turned over to face him, staring back into his eyes and hopeful that he would understand that she had to do this, for her, for them. “Drake,” she murmured softy, “You know how I feel about you, how much I love you,” she reassured him. “I would never betray your trust, you know that, right?”

  Drake hugged her closer to him, his chin rested on my head for a moment, before he said anything. Meg remained silent, knowing she was asking a lot of him but also knowing she would never forgive herself if she didn’t thank John for everything he had done. She trusted him to keep her secret, but for a reason she couldn’t quite explain, she needed to see him one last time. “Meggie, I do trust you. I don’t trust him, but I trust you to do the right thing.”

  “Would you like to come with me?” she offered with her face snuggled into his neck, she was hopeful that he would say no.

  “No, I think it would be best you did this alone. Don’t get me wrong, I would rather you didn’t go at all, but I think I understand why you need to do this. I also feel it’s important that you close that chapter in your life in order to move forward with me, with us.”

  “Drake,” she whispered, “I am ready to move forward with you, I don’t want anyone but you. I am not going there to test the waters and make a decision between who I want. That’s not what this is about. I love you, you are everything to me.”

  “Jesus, Meggie, I know. I know you love me. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.” He stared down into her eyes before he continued. “I don’t feel threatened by him in that way. I’m just jealous as hell when it comes to you, especially when it comes to him. He loves you. I’m not stupid, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. But I trust you, and if you need to do this, I won’t hold you back, no matter how much it kills me. Would you like me to drop you off there?”

  “No, I’ll take my mom’s car. I’ll only be gone an hour tops, I promise, and Drake, thank you, I know this is hard on you and I get that.”

  * * * *

  An hour later, Meg pulled into the driveway of John’s chalet. The view was stunning. The chalet stood on a small cliff overlooking the lake. She stopped the car and looked toward the house. He was standing there, a little over to the left, with an axe held in his hand. He stopped what he was doing and looked in her direction, but he didn’t move. Meg hesitated for a moment thinking maybe she should have called first.

  He continued to stare in her direction until he realized who she was. In one quick movement, he raised the axe above his right shoulder and it came down in a loud thump splitting the wood that stood up straight into three even splints. Meg sensed his discomfort right away and walked over to where he stood. He didn’t take his eyes off her, he nodded and then pointed to the front door of the house where he confidently led the way up the stairs.

  “What brings you here?” His tone was curt. He didn’t sound annoyed, but he didn’t sound pleased either.

  “I was hoping we could talk.”

  “What is there to talk about?” He walked in first and removed the lumber jacket he was wearing and hung it on the coat rack just inside the porch.

  Meg shivered from the cold and waited for him to invite her inside.

  “Come on in,” he politely held the door open, and she walked past him.

  Once inside, he took her coat and hung it next to his. They removed their boots, and he placed his hand at the small of her back and led Meg into the family room. His touch still did something to her. Meg was nervous, her body tense and betraying her. Despite the fact that she knew she was totally and utterly in love with Drake, John still moved something inside her. Now that she was getting over her past, she realized she felt more comfortable around him. They were alone in the same room after everything that had happened, and suddenly, he found it difficult to think.

  “Maybe I should leave,” she said as she turned back toward the door.

  “The hell you will, you came here to talk. Say what you have to say, Meggie.” He ushered her back into the family room. The burning wood crackled loudly in the fireplace, giving off a wonderful woodsy aroma and warming the room nicely. It was cozy here. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively, she wasn’t at all cold, but she was nervous.

  “I’m not sure why I’m here. For some reason, I felt it important that I come by and see you, but now I feel kind of stupid for showing up unannounced like this,” she said, staring up at him. She felt confused all of a sudden and wasn’t quite sure why she really wanted to do this to begin with. Old feelings quickly resurfaced, making her aware of the effect he still had on her.

  “You don’t need a reason to come by here. You’re welcome in this house any time. I’m sorry if I seem pissed,” he continued. “but I am. I’m pissed you didn’t tell me. I’m pissed that I left you that night.” He shoved his fingers through his hair and continued. “Hell, I knew, all this time, I fucking knew it was him. Bu
t I had no idea what happened to you. I thought you called him. I’m so stupid. I should have known better. I should have figured it all out, and I should have asked you back then if you slept with that prick. Then you would have known who it was.” John sat down on the couch, his forehead resting in both palms as if his head hurt. He really was blaming himself. No doubt he was pissed, but it was clear to Meg that he was having a difficult time forgiving himself. It was up to her now to be strong and to set him straight.

  She took a step forward and stood directly in front of him. Both hands reached out and caressed the sides of his face with her thumbs. “John, look at me,” she ordered. He looked up, their gaze connected and a familiar feeling ran through her. “What happened eight years ago was not your fault,” Meg assured him in a whisper.

  “But I…”

  “No, John. Listen to me, it was not your fault. You did something that night that any other teenage boy would have taken advantage of. You walked away, thinking it was best for me. You did that for me. You were trying to save me from myself, for someone special that might have appreciated me for the long run. There is no shame in what you did, and there should be more men in this world like you. You were never at fault here, John. I don’t want you to regret that decision, and this is not your burden to bear.”

  Meg zoned out for a moment and looked over to where the window displayed a nice view of the lake. She continued to caress his face with her fingertips and around his jaw line. Her gaze fell on his handsome face once more. “I admit that over the years when I thought about you and that night and what happened to me, I felt a definite connection between the two. I was angry, bitter at the world, and confused and then seeing you in NY opened up old wounds. It made me feel vulnerable, everything resurfaced, and it all came rushing back at once. But that’s a normal reaction to the horror I went though.” She looked back to his face to see that he was staring at her intently. His eyes were caring and there was no denying the feelings that still remained there. “I don’t blame you for what happened to me, John Lake.”

  She cleared her throat and dropped to her knees in front of him. She covered his hands with hers before continuing. “I came here this evening to thank you for what you did for me this past week. You helped save my life, and I will never forget that. I’m sorry that you got caught up in the middle of all of this. I also wanted your reassurance that you will keep this secret to yourself forever and promise to tell no one. Can you do that for me, John?”

  “Your secret is safe with me. You don’t ever have to worry about that, Meggie. I will carry it to my grave, and you have my word on that.” John moved his hand from beneath her hold and covered her hands with his. He caressed her knuckles lightly with his thumb and didn’t take his eyes off of her.

  “You know, if you guys didn’t make it when you did, I’m not sure I would have survived him a second time. It would have been disastrous for me,” she admitted with a nervous smile.

  “I’m just happy you’re okay. If anything happened to you again, I never would have forgiven myself.”

  “I’m sorry about the fat lip and black eye.” She noticed the bruises that covered his neck as well, but she kept quiet about that. “You know, despite what he did to you and that he initially blamed you, if you knew him, you would know he’s a good man. He never would have done this under normal circumstances.”

  Absentmindedly, her hand reached out to caress John’s bottom lip, swiping her thumb over the dark, bloody sore. Her eyes fixated on his perfectly sculptured mouth for a quick moment before she looked back into his eyes again. What am I doing? “I really should go now, John.” Meg stood and rushed toward the door. She pulled on her coat and boots and realized that despite her feelings for Drake, she still felt something for John. It threw her off guard and she had to get out of there quick.

  She was just about to turn the doorknob when his body pressed against hers, pinning her to the door. He held her there before leaning down to whisper in her ear. “There’s no denying it, is there, Meggie? You feel it too, don’t you?”

  “John,” she whispered, “Please don’t. Don’t do this. I can’t. Please just let it go.” Tears pricked her eyes, threatening to fall. She turned the knob again, when she felt his strong hold on her waist and he turned her slowly toward him.

  “One kiss, Meggie, just one.” And before she could answer, he lowered his head and covered her mouth with his. He kissed her tenderly; it wasn’t an urgent hungry act. It was much deeper than that. Meg broke away quickly, turned and walked out toward the car. He took one last look and he was standing at the door. She backed out and never looked back.

  * * * *

  On her drive home, Meg thought about John Lake. The image of him standing in his doorway and watching her intently while she backed out would be forever embedded in her mind. She realized on her drive home that she had no regrets. As much as a part of her would always care about him, she was without a doubt in love with Drake Noble. He was her future, her absolute everything. With Drake, she was free. There were no bad memories. There was pure happiness and a hunger she couldn’t imagine having with any other man, not even John undid her in the way that Drake did.

  * * * *

  After an hour of talking over hot tea with her parents, she said good night and headed downstairs. The lamp in the small bedroom was glowing dimly casting a shadow over Drake’s handsome face. After removing her clothes, she climbed in to bed next to him and snuggled closely against his back. He rolled over so that they were facing one another, and she draped her leg around his thick thighs, enjoying the incredible warmth and feel of his body. They talked at great length; she told him about her conversation with John, but of course, left out the parts that he didn’t need to know. John would always be special to her, but her heart truly belonged to the man lying next to her.

  Chapter 17

  Once in New York after a late evening flight, Drake and Meg decided to stay home alone and ring in the New Year together. Meg reluctantly called Sarah earlier that morning and asked that she join them. Thankfully, Sarah assured her that she had plans with her two men. Drake prepared a menu with Helena’s help. She picked up the items the day before and left them in the refrigerator. Together, Drake and Meg worked on preparing dinner, both throwing knowing looks at one another adding to the heat that was quickly fusing them together. Meg prepared spinach salad with strawberry and mango while Drake busied himself with a three cheese cannelloni and grilled veal chops. They purposely rubbed against one another as they maneuvered around the large kitchen. It was a slow tease indeed and fueled the growing inferno between them. He planned dessert in advance and refused to share what it was. For whatever reason, he seemed overly excited about dessert so Meg decided to leave well enough alone and enjoy the surprise. He always loved to surprise her, he loved taking care of her, and he looked forward to her thankful responses.

  Finally, Meg decided it was time to open the wine from Michael Jordan’s restaurant. She recalled her conversation with the nice waiter shortly after she returned from her first trip to New York. She called to thank him for the thoughtful gift he had given her, and to his regret, he admitted the wine was purchased by Drake and not him. Meg smiled to herself. She never did tell Drake she knew he purchased the wine. She was happy that she waited for this particular evening to open it and share it with him. It would go perfectly with dinner, even Drake agreed and he was far more an expert on wine than Meg ever was. Music played lightly in the background. They both enjoyed a variety of different types of music but this evening called for something a little more sensual. This music was intended to set the perfect tone and ambiance for a romantic evening alone. The sound was soft and inviting and created a magical world around them.

  Once dinner was prepared, they both ran eagerly upstairs and changed into something elegant. Drake dressed in a formal black tuxedo and Meg sported a silver sequined floor-length ball gown that hugged her curves in all the right places. It was cut low at the front showing t
he right amount of cleavage and her back completely exposed. The material opened all the way down to the V at the tip of her tailbone. It was sexy and Drake loved it when Meg exposed her back. He arranged to order both garments and have them delivered to his home before they returned from their trip in Door County. Helena made sure both items were hanging in the walk-in closet for them to see when they arrived late last night. They were both dressed formally and looked like they were about to go out on the town. But they didn’t care, they were far too excited for what the evening had in store for them and staying at home was exactly where they wanted to be.

  After dinner, Drake insisted they leave the dishes for Helena to take care of the following morning. Although Meg wasn’t entirely used to the lifestyle Drake lived, she had no issues with leaving the dishes. She wanted to cherish every moment with him this evening. In fact, she was eager to get him out of that suit. He was devilishly handsome, and Meg couldn’t take her eyes away from him. “What’s that look for, Meggie?” He said with his eyes fixed on her. God, she wanted him.