Fake (A Pretty Pill, #2)

by Criss Copp

  He smiles and starts moving against me with his morning glory. He almost always ends up getting lucky with that move.

  “Yeah, I think we deserve to splurge.” he grins and lunges his face forward to devour my neck with his mouth.

  “Should I go on the internet and book a place?” I ask.

  “I think you should concentrate on what’s on offer right now.” He says.

  I giggle.

  “Are you laughing at me Mulligan?”

  “Yes.”

  He rolls over onto his back, pulling me over with him and then he grabs the sides of my panties. “These should come off.” He says looking up at me.

  I grin at him and attempt to pull my panties off.

  He tries to pull down his boxers.

  It’s an awkward moment, because we’re clashing with blankets and each other.

  We’re laughing by the time we’re finished, and now he’s naked and I only have a singlet t-shirt on. It’s a cool morning. So we’re attempting to stay underneath the blankets.

  “Come here.” He demands, but I’ve got other ideas.

  I climb over him again and just as he attempts to pull me forward to bring my body in line with his own, I shuffle down the bed and retreat underneath the covers.

  “What are you doing?” He asks. I can hear through his voice that he’s grinning.

  “I’m just checking on the structural integrity of this tent.” I tell him.

  “I can assure you everything’s sturdy.”

  “I’d like to take your word for it, but I really need to be sure. I’ve heard that it sags a bit sometimes.” I say.

  He chuckles.

  I’m completely in the dark, but I have a perfect picture of what lays before me. I’ve been introduced before a number of times.

  “It feels okay.” I say, running my hand up and down his shaft.

  “It feels fantastic.” he groans.

  “I’ll just start with the foundations then.” I say before I lean in and suck one of his balls inside my mouth.

  “Shit.”

  “Mmmm.”

  I go for the other ball and give it a good fondle with my mouth too, all the while stroking his cock. He’s enjoying that. His hips give a little spasm each time I suck on him.

  I release him from my mouth.

  “Yeah, they’re good.” I say nonchalantly.

  I move to his cock and lick the head once, twice, and then pop it into my mouth.

  “Oh.” He moans, his hips once again jerking up slightly.

  I go down a short distance, sucking on him and rubbing him firmly with my hand.

  “Shit.” He says.

  I do this for a while, listening to him moan and feeling his hips moving forward slightly in a smooth rhythm, before he reaches down and begins to pull me up.

  “I love you doing that, but lately I just need you.” He pleads.

  I smile at him and position myself over him; he watches his cock connect with me as I slowly settle on top of him and push down onto him. He’s watching every inch of himself being buried in me, and I’m watching his features display wonderment.

  Silas.

  I know it sounds corny to say I only need her at the moment, but it’s true. I need to feel the connection and watching her make love to me is all consuming. I feel it in every part of my body.

  I watch her move on top of me and I struggle not to come.

  I look at our connection and watch her slowly moving over me and then lift to show me pulling and pushing up inside her and it builds a pulsing pleasure inside my groin and sets firecrackers off under my skin.

  I watch and participate.

  I feel, and then I feel.

  I can’t imagine anything happening to her, because I’m alive through her.

  I know I should tell her I’m struggling, but I also know that if he… as in he, is caught, I’ll be better.

  If he doesn’t get caught and he takes her and kills her, which is what I think he intends, I’ll die. So, I’m already planning and I already know what I’ll do. It will be sudden and there’ll be no coming back from it. I sincerely hope to never have to implement my plan. I never want to be anywhere else but with her.

  I watch her come apart and I feel myself begin to slide off the ledge and fall into my orgasm.

  I hear her crying out and I hear and feel myself joining her.

  Isi.

  “Okay let’s go.” I enthuse.

  He pulls me to him and kisses my nose.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too Silas.” I smile up at him.

  He tells me all the time that he loves me. I absolutely love it, because although he has some insecurities, I can tell he means it.

  We turn to walk out the front door.

  And there it is.

  On the mat.

  A box.

  A hat box.

  I’m breathing hard, he’s breathing harder.

  I bend down, and I don’t know what possesses me to do it, but if it’s a dead animal, I want to be the one to see it, not him. I want to protect him.

  “Isi, please don’t.”

  But it’s too late.

  The box is open and what seems like hundreds of butterflies fly out. They’re beautiful, but the moment is completely creepy.

  It makes me jump back at first. Silas jumps as well.

  “What the fuck?” Silas cries out.

  I look up at him. He’s looking pained beyond belief. So I look at what he’s looking at.

  This is how you make me feel.

  It’s printed on the inside of the boxes lid in bold handwriting. I don’t need a forensic investigation to know this is Ethan’s handwriting.

  I make him feel butterflies.

  I shudder. Such a romantic thing from the right person, but it feels like a total violation from the wrong person.

  I’m trembling, and Silas pulls me inside and slams the door sharply on the offending present. A couple of butterflies have made their way inside our home, but I’m too shaken to chase after them. Silas punches the back of the door, and then reopens it to storm outside and face the box again.

  I’m just in shock, watching him unravel. He kicks the box away from the door, but it’s not enough. He runs to it and kicks it so hard it smashes into the side of my car parked out front. Then he turns around, storms back inside and absolutely slams the door behind him.

  He’s aggressively pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialing, while he growls and mutters incessantly to himself. I’m scared, but I move to him regardless of his temper.

  He talks to the police, they’re on their way.

  He talks to Ben, he’s on his way.

  I’ve been standing next to him while he talks on the phone, clinging to his side with both my arms tightly wrapped around him. His left arm has been securely holding me to him.

  I just love him so much. I just can’t understand why I just can’t be with him and disregard the rest of the world. I just don’t understand Ethan’s infatuation with me.

  “Pack your bags Isi.” He says with a shaking gravelly voice.

  I nod.

  I turn to go and he pulls me back to him, holding me tightly to him once again.

  And then his temper’s gone, replaced with pain.

  “I can’t lose you.” He croaks.

  “I don’t want to go anywhere.” I whisper.

  “If he touches you I’ll kill him.” He promises.

  “I’d try to kill him first.” I promise.

  He groans and leans in to kiss me.

  “We need to find a better place to hide for now.” He says gently, and I can tell it’s taking everything in him not to erupt and instead calm down. There’s something else in his eyes too… fear.

  “I know.”

  “I’m struggling with this Isi.” He says and then he begins to cry.

  “Fuck.” I whisper, and I pull him toward me. “I’m so sorry Silas. Please, stay with me now… we’ll move away if it help
s. I’ll fucking take Dad’s money and we can build a castle and live inside the walls.” I bargain.

  He’s crumpling now, because he’s finally broken. I feel my chest constrict and my heart is hurting.

  “Silas look at me.” I ask him. He looks and his beautiful green eyes seem to be holding onto a world of sadness. I hold his face and bring his forehead down to rest on mine.

  “If I lose you now, my entire life would stop and I’d cease to exist.” I say. “You’re my everything Silas. You’re my reason to get up in the morning. You’re the reason I’m happy again, you’re the air I breathe and the sunshine in my sky.” I croak, feeling the ball in my throat getting bigger and bigger.

  “I love you so much Isi, I just want to know how I’m supposed to protect you. I just have no idea and it’s killing me. What if he gets to you and I can’t get there in time to stop him hurting you?” He argues.

  This is so hard, because we’re fighting the unknown. Its guerilla warfare and terrorism combined.

  “Show me how to fight my way out. Let me learn how to fight with you guys so I can handle myself again. I used to be good you know.” I smile at him. “We had to do training just like the infantry do.”

  “I can do that, you can fight Hank.” He sniffles and clings to the idea. “You’ll probably kick his ass though.” he tries to smile.

  I think I’m breaking through. I’m giving him hope.

  “We just have to work on me being fit, then I can kick Ethan’s ass and you can swoop in and finish him off for me.” I smile at him.

  “I can definitely do that.” He smiles.

  “Good, I love you Silas.” I say pushing his head back from mine and wiping my hand over his forehead.

  “I love you too.”

  “How profound that the love of my life is an Australian fighter who desperately needs me as much as I need him?” I whisper.

  He looks directly into my eyes, grabs the back of my head and forces my face forward to give me a searing and passionate kiss.

  Silas.

  Made for me.

  She’s made for me and it’s obvious to me now that everything I’ve ever done and been through was preparing me for this woman, for her and only her.

  And it gives me hope that I can get through.

  I remember what Dr. Jensen said to me:

  “There’s always hope Silas. Never forget that.”

  I have hope, and I’m trusting hope won’t fail me.

  ***

  Stalking, false imprisonment and identity fraud, and yet he’s still on the loose and getting away with everything.

  We’re the ones that have to make changes, we’re the ones that need to flee and place even more people at risk. I don’t like making Jade and Ben targets, especially my nephew, little Ben. But here we are, leaving our apartment and moving in with my sister and my best friend, till we can better decide what to do.

  ***

  “Good morning.” Isi says softly.

  “Good morning.” I reply just as softly. She’s staring at me and grinning.

  I suddenly realize its Christmas morning and my heart rate just shoots through the roof.

  Ben and I managed a precarious balancing act this week. We’ve been discretely preparing my gift for Isi. And since she’s been training with us and around nearly every second of every day, it’s proved difficult.

  Especially since I claimed victory in Albuquerque, New Mexico on decision, on points.

  It’s been five days and my face still carries the telltale signs of an epic fight. She’s been nursing me and making sure I’m okay all the time. I kind of love it, but I need her to understand that this is what I do; I get hurt for a living and dish out some pain of my own. However, it meant she was always hovering around me.

  But this fight was cathartic as well. It was a necessary fight for me, because I needed to get my angst out. The guy was heavily tipped to win, since his experience far outweighed my own, and the main idea was to manage to get through the three rounds without getting knocked out. These fights Hansen has secured, although not underground, were not originally intended; so I can be sure that any officials that do come to watch me are flying under the radar and merely ‘checking out the talent’. The fact that I’m up for consideration weighs heavily on what they see, for last minute deliberation. It was only yesterday that Hansen rang to tell me I do actually have a contract.

  Hansen did a stellar job getting as much as he did, it’s a low figure. I’ll have to pick up some money on the side… do some other MMA fights and stuff. But that was the plan this last year as well. We’re just starting a year later than originally planned.

  The gym has said I could pick up some personal training work, so maybe I can do that too.

  Regardless, right now I have the angelic face of Isi before me, with her warm body pressed up against mine and a Christmas day to get through.

  I smile at her and she traces the edge of the bruising on my cheek.

  “How long till you think we should get up and make our way out there?” she asks.

  “After I have my way with you.” I grin.

  “You get to have your way with me nearly every morning; lately, that would in fact be every morning.” She smiles.

  “And night.” I add.

  “And night.” She agrees. “I’m starting to think you’ve just made me into a sex slave and masquerade around town as actually being my boyfriend.”

  “There’s nothing fake about this.” I say grabbing her hand and placing it over my rapidly beating heart.

  She smiles. It’s the best smile and it makes me shiver, because I know it’s all for me. As long as I want this for its mine. And I want it forever.

  “I want to wake up next to you forever.” I whisper, moving into her and hooking her leg over my hip.

  “Why are you so grown up, and why do you always know what to say?” she asks.

  I pull my head back and look at her.

  “Jade would say the opposite. She’d tell me to grow up.”

  “She’s not the one that’s in love with you.”

  “You’re in love with me?” I ask with a huge grin plastered across my face.

  “Of course, I don’t give myself to just anyone you know.” She jokes.

  But it’s a sobering thought. I’ve had two partners, she’s the second and she’s the last one I’m ever going to have. There’s no more, she’s the one for me, my forever. I could never give my heart away again, because I’m just not cut out for it. Equally I couldn’t be a serial dater and hitch up a series of one night stands. Getting close to people means too much to me, and being intimate with someone is getting seriously close.

  I know that Isi lost her virginity at 16. I also know that although she was never loosely promiscuous, she was looking for love for years before her accident. I don’t want to know about the number of guys she’s slept with. It would kill me. But she’s only sleeping with me now and I want it to stay that way forever.

  “You haven’t answered my question.” she says.

  “Grown up?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t know? I’ve never been the same as anyone else; maybe I’m a bit like Jade? She grew up fast. I suppose it was weird being a teenager growing up without my parents. I had to learn how to accept things that were different. I had to fight for everything I had, including myself. I don’t know. I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about things. Maybe that made me a bit more grown up? Why, how old do you think I am mentally?” I ask.

  “It’s difficult to put an age on you. Firstly,” She begins, snuggling into me tighter and placing her head on my chest, “You’re very insightful to the way people should be treated.”

  “I’ve always been like that. I’ve always stuck up for the underdog. I used to get into brawls and put bullies in their place all the time.”

  “Well that’s pretty mature, it shows you have empathy. And then there’s your desire to be the bread winner, to ‘look after’ your fam
ily rather than sponge off of them. That’s not very teenager of you.” she chuckles.

  I smile.

  “But then there’s the emotional side. You can be very dependant. However, you’re also very strong. It just seems you require approval from me and constant signals that we’re okay so that you’re okay.” She says pulling herself into me harder.

  “I’m not sure how to respond to that. It’s true. I gauge off of you. You own me Isi, it’s not a platitude, because you really do own me.” I explain.

  “I know, because you own me too.” she whispers. “And lastly, there’s your thinking and how you structure your responses. You’re very much on my wave-length, and we can talk really easily about all sorts of things. You use big words and give thoughtful insight to most of the things you talk about. You and I have incredible conversations that are intellectual, some that are funny and some that are downright sexy.” she growls. “The fact that I can have a conversation with you that involves more than pussy, beer and football is pretty awesome.”

  “I like the sound of that pussy part.” I growl and move my hand to her warmth, feeling her through her panties.

  “You’re going to distract me.”

  “No way.” I goad, beginning to rub her mound. “So how old am I?”

  She giggles and breathes huskily. “My age?”

  “40?” I ask incredulously.

  She squirms to get free, but I’m not having it so I make my move to pin her down and head under the covers.

  She calms down when she feels my mouth on her clit, having gained access into her panties in record time.

  “Silas.” She quietly laments to the ceiling.

  ***

  I love the watch, I really do. I unceremoniously take my old one off and give it to Jade to put away, and then I’m fiddling with this new one that has all these cool settings and alarms.

  “I love it; I’ll keep it on forever.” I say.

  “Except when you go to bed at night, or fight.” Jade says.

  “No, I’ll wear it there too.” I roll my eyes.

  I lean back towards the tree and pull out a present.

  “Isi, open this one.” I ask her, handing over the big rectangular shaped gift.