Stronger With Him

by JA Hensley

  "This is not your fault, Becca. If you’re going to blame someone, blame this stupid prick here for it."

  "Fuck you, man. Just get the fuck off me and I'll leave." Ron starts moving again. Colin has to weigh at least fifty pounds more and he definitely has more muscle strength.

  "Calm down, asshole. I'll let you up when the cops get here."

  As if they heard him, the front door opens and two police officers enter the building. Colin gets up and Ron jumps to his feet. I’m afraid to move, so I’m staying where I am until someone tells me otherwise. One officer is talking to Ron and the other to Colin, who nods and points to me. He and the officer come toward me and I shrink into myself a little. Colin reaches down to help me up, his strong arms wrapping around me and I can't help but lean into his body. I close my eyes and allow him to lead me into his apartment with the officer following us.

  Colin sits us both down on the couch: the officer standing in front of us. He's asking all kinds of questions that Colin answers. I nod every once in a while, but my brain is focused on Colin's arm around my shoulders and the warmth I feel from him. I'm lost in that thought when he pats my shoulder a little.

  "I'm sorry, did you say something?" I look at the officer, since I assume I missed a question.

  "Yes, ma'am, could you please tell me what happened? Are you hurt? Do you need me to call an ambulance?" He seems kind, but his tone is all business.

  I shake my head, taking a mental inventory of my body. My arms hurt where Ron grabbed me, but I don't think I need to go to the hospital.

  "I'm fine, thank you. A little shaken up, and I'll probably have a few bruises, but nothing that needs medical attention."

  "If you're sure, then we'll hold off for now," the officer replies. "Now, could you please tell me what happened?"

  I go through the events as clearly as I can. I'm sure there are details I'm leaving out but it all seemed to happen so fast. The officer is writing things down in a notebook and when I finish answering his questions, he turns to leave.

  "We're going to arrest him for domestic assault since you've had an intimate relationship with him. I encourage you to file a restraining order, Ms. Maio." He hands me a card with a number on the back. "That's the number for the prosecutor's office. They can walk you through the process."

  I nod and thank him for his help. Colin walks him out, shaking his hand and thanking him as well. I hear Ron start yelling from the hall, calling me horrible names. I assume he’s being handcuffed and taken to jail. Thankfully, Colin closes the door quickly, so I don't have to listen to too much of it. He comes back and sits next to me, pulling me against him and rubbing my back gently.

  "So, I guess that's the ex-boyfriend?" Colin says in a light-hearted attempt at humor. It works because I giggle and nod. "Well, he seems like a nice guy," he continues sarcastically.

  I lean back to look at him and he has a fake look of sincerity on his face. I break into a laughing fit that seems to go on forever. When I finally calm down, I have tears running down my cheeks and my throat is raw.

  Colin brushes the tears from my cheeks and tilts my head up to look at him.

  "Seriously, are you okay? I tried to give you space to handle it yourself, but there was no way I could stand by and let that shit happen."

  I nod and look down, but his finger stays on my chin, giving me little choice but to look at him. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't come out when you did. I've never seen him like this and it scares the crap out of me. I fought back as best I knew how, but he's still stronger and bigger than me. Thank you for saving me. I appreciate your help more than you can know."

  He smiles at me while he leans in and kisses my nose. "You are more than welcome. I care about you and I don't want to see anything happen to you. Do you want to talk about this some more or should we get something to eat?"

  I'm grateful not to have to hash it out again. "I'm starving. Are you going to cook for me again?"

  "I think I can do that. How do you feel about pasta? I was going to have some carbs today anyway and I can make a vegetable penne casserole."

  My stomach growls when he says casserole and we both laugh. Colin stands and helps me up. "Why don't you help me chop the veggies? That way we can eat sooner."

  "I'd love to help you," I say smiling at him and following him into the kitchen.

  Chapter 12-Colin

  I guess I figured out what my gut-feeling need to protect Becca was all about. I'll have Bink pull some images from the cameras for the SAC. Thank God I didn't blow my cover. It was so tempting to beat the shit out of him and haul his ass in, but it would have compromised the entire operation.

  Becca looks amazing in my kitchen. She's so strong and beautiful. I'm pretty impressed with how she handled herself out in the hall. This girl doesn't take any shit and I find that sexy has hell. I may have to teach her some more self-defense moves so she can be effective against someone as big as her ex. Of course, that would mean spending more time with her and touching her, which doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. Unfortunately, the thought of that is making my dick hard so I have to change my thoughts quickly. No need to make her think that's all I want after what she went through tonight.

  "How were your classes today? Learn anything new?" Small talk is always helpful when you don't know what else to say.

  "They were fine. It's just the beginning, so it's fairly easy. Next week things will be much tougher. I'm looking forward to it, though. I've always liked school." She smiles with the last sentence, her eyes shining. "How are your classes going?"

  I take this opportunity to open the refrigerator and get the vegetables. I'm pretty good at keeping the truth hidden but not always. "They were good. It should be an interesting semester." No need for her to know everything right away.

  "What are you taking?" she asks innocently. Thankfully, I memorized a couple of classes.

  "I'm in Elementary Catalan with Evans and Russian Culture with Melnyk. They're in the International Studies building across campus from you." I hand her the peppers and onions.

  "I've only been in that building when I took Spanish my freshman year. I got out of there as fast as I could¸" she says laughing. "I was not the best foreign language student."

  I smile and enjoy the sound of her laughter. "I understand. I'm okay with it, but it's a lot of work. Hopefully this semester will go by quickly and I'll learn what I need to know."

  "I hope you do, too, and I'm sorry that I can't help you with any of it," Becca replies as she shakes her head.

  "That's okay. I'd rather spend time with you doing more fun things than homework." I lean over and kiss her on the cheek. I'm not going to assume anything tonight after what she dealt with earlier. I’m just enjoying having her in my space.

  We finish prepping dinner and sit back down in the living room with a glass of wine for her and a beer for me. Seems like we're getting into a pattern.

  "Have you ever taken any sort of self-defense classes, Becca?" I ask as nonchalantly as possible. “You've obviously got some skills."

  "No. We had someone come to a sorority meeting one night and give us a few pointers. I guess that's what I remembered." She looks down at her glass and seems to close herself off.

  "I can teach you a few things, if you'd like. One of the jobs I had in undergrad was personal training and self-defense. That is, if you want to. No pressure." Shut up you idiot.

  "Really, you don't mind? I would love to have a little more training. Not just because of Ron but for when I'm at the library late and stuff. It would be great if you could teach me." She smiles and there’s no way I can resist her now.

  "Sure, let's go to the gym soon and we'll see what we can do. Bring your friends along if you want and I can have a few buddies help out. How does that sound?" Plus, I’ll get to touch her and she’ll be all over me for a few hours. This is going to be great.

  "I'd really appreciate it. I'll see what the girls are up to and we'll set it up. That's really s
weet of you, Colin."

  "I'm happy to help," I say as the timer goes off in the kitchen. "Sounds like dinner's ready. Join me at the table?" Becca nods and I help her up, not letting go of her hand until we're in the dining room. I pull out her chair and kiss her on the top of the head as I go get our meal.

  The casserole is delicious and the company is even better. We have no problem finding things to talk about.

  "Do you have family around?" she asks. Not my favorite topic of conversation, but I'm not going to avoid the question.

  "My brother is in Tampa and my father lives in Minnesota. My mother died when we were kids. What about you?"

  "I'm an only child and my parents are around. They live about a few hours away and travel a lot since they're both retired. I have to call my mother every week or she gets upset," she says laughing.

  "I try to talk to my dad regularly, but it doesn't happen that often."

  "It's not so bad, but Mom gets crazy if she doesn't hear from me. Since I don't have any siblings, my friends have become my family. Christin and Stephanie are my sisters as far as I'm concerned. We fight like family and I'd do anything for them."

  "I don't have that kind of relationship with Jude. He's a couple years older than me and always acts like he had to be the one in charge. We've never really gotten along." I try to keep the conversation about him to a minimum because I don't know if she could really understand how complicated things are.

  "That's too bad. I always thought that if I had a brother we would be great friends. Maybe you and your brother can work that out eventually," she says as she puts her hand over mine. I just stare at it, becoming overwhelmed with the feelings I'm having for this girl. What the fuck?

  "Are you okay?" Becca pulls me from my thoughts.

  "What? Oh, yeah. Sorry. Got lost out in space somewhere. What did you say?"

  "I just said that I need to get going and wondered if you wanted any help with the dishes," she says as she gets up from the table.

  "You don't need to do that. I'll get the dishes. Can you stay for a cup of coffee? I'm really enjoying talking to you." I stand up and pull her to me brushing my lips across hers.

  "I guess one cup of coffee wouldn't hurt. I don't really want to study tonight anyway," she smiles and takes a few dishes into the kitchen. "Do you have any caramel creamer?" she asks with a hopeful look. It's adorable.

  "Sorry, no caramel creamer. I'll be sure to put it on my grocery list, though." I chuckle as I follow her in to start the coffee.

  Chapter 13-Rebecca

  I've had a nice time being with Colin. He kept the conversation light, not asking any more questions about Ron or the events from earlier. He made a pot of decaf coffee and we’re sipping it while we sit on the couch. Unfortunately, without any yummy caramel creamer.

  "I know I said I wasn't going to ask but I need to know about Ron." At least he has the decency to look contrite.

  "What do you want me to say? He's an ass of gargantuan proportions." I look down into my cup and watch the dark liquid swirl around. I don't want to think about him.

  "Well, maybe you can fill in some gaps for me. When did you meet him?"

  That's an easy question to answer. "We met at a New Year's Eve party. I had done a field placement where he works for my Industrial Psychology class. Even though my time was done, they invited me to the company party. He was part of the acquisitions department and I interviewed him for a paper. He asked me out and I went. He was nice, sweet and very romantic. He travelled a lot, but we tried to see each other a couple nights a week." I smile a little at that memory. "After a couple months, I was practically living at his place during the week since he usually was gone on the weekends. He was so attentive. He wanted me with him all the time and I loved it. Before long I was spending every spare moment with him and if I made plans with my friends he would pout and make me feel guilty until I cancelled them." I can't believe I’m telling him all of this. No guy wants to hear the details about your previous relationship. I look up and Colin is smiling at me sympathetically.

  "I have to ask the big question, Becca. What happened that resulted in the crap from earlier? I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I feel like I need to know what I'm getting into, you know?" He takes my hand and strokes my thumb with his.

  I know I need to tell him what happened, but it's so humiliating I just don't know if I can get the words out. I take a deep breath and let it go slowly. I look up into Colin's beautiful brown eyes and know he's not judging me.

  "About a month ago he got angry and started flying off the handle over little things. One night he grabbed my arm and threw dishes at me. That's when I ended it, but he won't leave me alone. Then he came by on Sunday after leaving tons of messages. He accused me of cheating on him. He’d been stalking me and saw me dancing at a club." I decide to leave out the part about me and Adam going into the back.

  "Anyway, he got mad when I told him we were done and he punched me in the face. In an effort to get him out of my apartment, I agreed to have dinner with him on Monday. That was a disaster and he refuses to take no for an answer. I told him again that we were done, but he says I'm his and he won't let me go. You know the rest because I'm sure you heard him before you came out tonight." I shake my head and look down at our joined hands. I like the way they look together.

  "I'm so sorry. He's obviously got some control issues." Colin brings my hand to his lips and kisses it gently. I look up and he smiles. He leans in and places a light kiss on my cheek. My heart rate jumps and I know I want more. I press my lips against his and wrap my hands around his neck. Colin puts his arms around my waist and pulls me against his chest. In no time we're making out like a couple of teenagers, all hands and tongue and teeth. I feel like I want to crawl inside him and let him keep me safe.

  Colin's fingers brush the skin on my back and I jump a little. He pulls back and looks at me.

  "Is this okay? I'm sorry if I crossed a line," he says softly.

  I shake my head and lean in to capture his lips again. He groans and lies back on the couch, bringing me with him so I'm on top of him. He runs his hands up under my shirt, lightly touching my skin and causing goose bumps to pop up. I sigh into his mouth as I start to run my hands through his hair, massaging his scalp a little. I can feel his excitement grow beneath me and I start to think about what he would feel like inside me. I want to feel his skin against mine, so I try pulling on the hem of his shirt. I'm going to have to get up to take it off, but I need to see him. Colin takes my hint and sits us both up. He reaches behind his neck and pulls the offending fabric from his magnificent body. I take a moment to appreciate the rippling muscles of his arms, chest, and abs. I've heard of the mythical eight-pack but from where I'm sitting, it's reality. He’s all muscle, no fat anywhere. His arms are corded and the veins are clearly defined. The more I look, the more I need to touch. I run my fingertips across his abdominals and they twitch.

  "Are you ticklish?" I ask as I caress him, getting the same response each time.

  "A little but it's because your fingers feel so good. I haven't been touched like this in a while and I'm really enjoying it." He smiles at me and then goes back to watching my fingers. I move to his pectoral muscles and circle his nipples. They are little points and I take a chance and lightly pinch one. Colin jumps and laughs, so I do it to the other one. He put his hands on my cheeks and pulls me down for a scorching kiss that leaves me absolutely breathless. I run my hands over his shoulders and down to his huge biceps. I swear they have to be the size of my thighs but much firmer. Colin moves his lips to my neck and then to my earlobe. He bites gently and I can't stop the groan that escapes. I love that. His hands skate down my back again and lift my shirt. I stop exploring him long enough to take my top off. I'm thankful that I wore my black lace bra today, not my usual white cotton one. Colin looks down and growls a little.

  "You like what you see?" I can't believe I'm being so bold. I've never been confident about my body, but som
ehow he makes me feel really sexy.

  "I like it very much. I can't wait to taste it, too," he says as his lips start their journey over my flesh.

  I tilt my head to one side giving Colin more access to my neck. There’s just something about a man kissing right above my collarbone that makes me crazy. When he reaches that spot, I break out in goose bumps. He does it again and again, each time I shiver. Colin moves to my shoulder, slipping my bra strap down my arm. He kisses and nips at my skin, moving back up my neck to my mouth. Our tongues dance together and I grind my hips on his. Colin takes a sharp breath and runs his hands down my back. He undoes the clasp on my bra and the fabric falls from my body. He slowly moves the straps down my arms, watching as my breasts gradually come into view. He’s so focused on my chest that I feel my cheeks heat with a blush. Colin runs his fingers up my stomach until they are on top of my breasts and he’s kneading the flesh. I let my head fall back as I give into the exquisite sensation. He’s gentle, yet firm, in his grip. His hair tickles my chin as he moves his head down and takes a nipple in his mouth. He sucks on it softly, bringing it to a sharp point. Then he flicks the peak with his tongue, and I feel my panties get even wetter. I’m so turned on at this point, I feel like I might combust. Colin moves to the other breast and gives it the same attention. My breathing has sped up and all I can do is hold onto him while he worships my body.

  Next thing I know, Colin is laying me on my back, hovering over me, kissing my breasts. He slowly moves down until he reaches my belly button. He stops and looks up at me with a grin, and sticks his tongue in; swirling it and making my hips buck upward. He chuckles against my skin and starts to move lower. His hands touch my knees and work their way up under the material to my lace panties. His finger skims the edge along my inner thigh and slips under the fabric. I gasp as he parts my folds with his warm finger, finding my clit and rubbing in slow, soft circles. The feeling is incredible. Nobody has ever touched me like this and I don't want it to end. I try to part my legs wider, but Colin is on top of me and I can't move. I reach down to his face, still kissing my stomach, and pull him up to me. I want to kiss him and I won't be denied. Colin accepts my urgent unspoken request, moving up to my mouth while his finger continues its ministrations. As his tongue enters my mouth, his finger dips into my vagina, and I nearly explode from the sensation. He pumps one finger in and out, then adds a second one. He continues kissing me, not allowing me to move or speak. He adds his thumb to my clit and it takes less than thirty seconds for my orgasm to hit. His mouth captures my scream as I come all over his hand. He continues to move his fingers in and out slowly, drawing out the pleasure. When it's over, I slump back down on the couch, trying to catch my breath.