Fallin' for You: The Echo of Love series

by Anna T. Pope

  “You are disgusting and I am most definitely not telling you about his dick, for fuck’s sake!”

  “Whose dick?” she heard a familiar voice ask from behind them and froze. Turning around she saw Will and Meg with matching smirks on their faces which made Aria’s whole body flush bright red.

  “Will, Meg, good evening.” Nura chirped without an ounce of shame on her smiling face.

  “Hello, girls. How are you this evening?” Meg asked and she and Nura started to chat a mile a minute. Aria was still looking down in embarrassment, not daring to look up when she felt Will’s presence.

  “Hi, baby. I missed you.”

  “Hello, Will.” she whispered and glanced up when Will started caressing her necklace.

  “I want you to meet someone.” he said, stepping away from Aria and turning her around.

  “This is Richard, our cousin. He is visiting for a few weeks and I wanted him to meet my girlfriend.” Will said proudly and Aria smiled, ecstatic at being called his girlfriend, before looking up to greet the men in question.

  Her hand froze in mid-air where she had reached to shake the man’s hand when her eyes fell on the person, she thought she would never have to see again.

  ~

  “I have a new one Ricky; you are definitely going to like her.” Aria heard David telling someone at the other side of the room and paled since she was strapped to the bed and unable to move or defend herself.

  She felt the bed dip slightly and looked up to see a very handsome man hovering over her.

  “You are right, David; I am going to have fun with this one.” he said while pinching one of Aria’s nipples hard, making the girl cry out in pain, the reaction she regretted almost instantly since her obvious discomfort made the men laugh in glee.

  David left the room soon after that, leaving Aria completely alone with the stranger. Her eyes followed him as the man got up and walked to his bag and then her anxiety skyrocketed and she started desperately pulling on her biddings once the man took out a sharp-looking blade from it. He returned to the bed quickly, straddled Aria’s thighs and laughed out loud as he watched her struggling to free herself.

  “Ready for some fun, love?”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Aria, although you look kind of familiar. Have we met before?” Richard said, bringing her back to reality, as the man’s eyes raked over her body and sent shivers down Aria’s back.

  She started hyperventilating, her head spinning and her vision rapidly turning black as she took a step back with wide eyes.

  No, no, no!! She started to scream inside her head and fainted.

  ~

  “Please stop! Please, I am begging you!” Aria screamed feeling like her body was in flames from the excruciating pain on her chest. The man just laughed and continued to run his blade down Aria’s inflamed skin, leaving bloody gashes behind it.

  “Shut up, you stupid slut!” Ricky growled, as he slapped her across the face and made her vision blur.

  “I can do whatever I want to you and there is no one here to stop me. I paid a lot of money so you can be my toy for the evening.” he whispered in Aria’s ear and then bit it harshly, almost tearing the earlobe off.

  Tears were running down Aria’s face as her whole body shook from the need to get free.

  What did she do to deserve this? The question kept repeating inside her head as she screamed once again.

  ~

  Aria woke up to the sound of a quiet chatter feeling confused and disoriented. She turned her head slightly to the side and saw Will and Meg in the corner of the office talking, unaware that she was awake.

  “Are you alright?” she suddenly heard someone ask from her right and turned around, but as soon as she saw the owner of the voice her face paled and it all came crashing back.

  She had fainted. Aria had fainted because she had seen him, Will’s cousin; the same man who used to torture her.

  The man suddenly stepped closer and tried to put his hand on Aria's shoulder.

  “Don’t touch me! Please! Get away from me! Get the fuck away!” Aria immediately started screaming at the top of her lungs as she jumped from the couch, almost falling in the process and making everyone look at her in confusion.

  “Baby! Aria!” Will shouted, stepping closer and trying to get a hold of her while she continued to thrash around, trying to get away from his grabbing hands.

  “Baby, please calm down. I got you. I got you, baby.”, Aria heard him whisper in her ear as Will wrapped his hands around her and hugged her tightly. Aria’s shoulders slumped, as all the fight left her and she climbed into Will’s lap and started to cry.

  “Just don’t let that man hurt me. Please don’t let him do it again.” she begged him quietly.

  “What are you talking about, baby? What man?”

  “Richard, y… your c... cousin. He is one of David’s friends.” Aria managed to stutter in Will’s ear and as soon as the words left her mouth felt him freeze beneath her.

  “What’s going on?” Richard asked looking down totally bewildered.

  “Why is your girlfriend acting like a lunatic?”

  The room went eerily quiet for a second as Will looked at Aria like he had seen a ghost before he slowly sat her down on the couch and stood up.

  “Are you absolutely sure, baby?” Will asked her, his face a stone mask and Aria gritted her teeth while looking at the ground and nodded.

  “Aria, what is going on?” she heard Meg ask, looking confused and worried.

  “Aria says that Richard hurt her a few years ago.” Will said quietly, but everyone managed to hear him.

  “What!? That’s bullshit! Today is the first time I even met the girl! What are you talking about?” the man shouted enraged as his whole face contorted in an outraged expression.

  The fear that Aria felt from the moment she saw him again was quickly replaced by a fit of burning anger. The memories of those awful years flashed through her mind, fueling it even more.

  Those men had raped her, beat her, sliced her and insulted her time and time again. She was forced to be their slave, their little sex toy to do with it as they pleased, and Richard was the worst of them all, so Aria snapped.

  “Shut up! You sadistic son of a bitch! You say you haven't met me before today!? Okay, then let me refresh your memory!” she screamed and took her shirt off. Her scars were then on full display for everyone to see, but Aria couldn’t care anymore as she pointed at the two long slashes across her chest. She saw the man pale slightly as recognition flashed in his eyes.

  “Remember me now, ‘Ricky’? Remember how you used to pay your buddy David to do this to me; to slice me open and rape me afterward; because I do. I remember every single second of our little meetings. I remember screaming and begging for you to stop!” she was close to him now, her fists banging across the man’s chest, while Richard stood petrified.

  “I remember you laughing at me and telling me that I was just a stupid little slut and that you could do anything you wanted with me!” Aria screamed at the top of her lungs, shaking in anger.

  “Come on tough guy! Admit it! Let your cousins know what a despicable excuse for a human being you are!”

  As soon as the words left Aria’s mouth, Richard growled and hit her across the face, making the girl fall to the ground.

  “Who do you think you are, to talk to me this way, you disgusting little whore? You should have put a tighter leash on your bitch Will, because she barks too much.” he said with a sneer.

  The next thing Aria knew, she was in Meg’s arms being pulled away, and the man was on the ground with Will straddling his thighs while his fists kept connecting with Richard’s jaw over and over again.

  “You sick son of a bitch! I am going to kill you! No one touches my baby and lives to tell the story!” Will screamed and continued to punch Richard and kick him until the man was completely covered in blood and unconscious. Aria feared that Will was going to kill him so she tore out of Meg’s hands and threw h
erself on Will’s back.

  “Will, stop! Please!” Aria begged him but her pleas fell on deaf ears as Will just kept going and acting as a man possessed.

  “William!” Aria finally screamed and that finally got Will’s attention. He stopped and looked down at his cousin; the man’s face barely recognizable after the beating it endured before he stood up and shook his head, trying to calm down as his hands shook badly. Aria approached him slowly and hugged him, her hand rubbing across Will’s back while she whispered soothing words in the man’s ear.

  “It’s okay, love, you are okay.”

  She felt Will’s frame slowly start to relax after a few minutes. The man put his hands on her cheeks and raised Aria’s head. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long time until Will bent his head and kissed her softly, making Aria shudder from the contact.

  “You are safe now, baby. I will not let anyone touch you ever again, I promise.”

  That was all it took for the adrenaline to leave her and the sadness to replace it. Aria started to sob, her legs giving out on her, but Will was there to catch her before she fell.

  Aria hugged him as tightly as she could and cried for everything that she went through; for every cut and bruise, every insult and every dream that she had had and that they had destroyed.

  But most of all she cried for this beautiful man who knew every single bad thing about Aria’s past and still considered her his.

  The Messenger

  After crying for a long time, Aria finally fell asleep with her fists still clutching onto his shirt tightly. Will took her back to his place, after being assured by Meg that his brother would deal with what was left of their cousin.

  Once they arrived at his house, Will took her to bed, with Aria still sound asleep. He wasn’t even slightly surprised after the evening that the girl had had, knowing that anyone would for sure feel exhausted.

  The anger that had consumed him previously was no longer present, in its place now an immense feeling of guilt.

  How will he be able to look into Aria’s eyes after everything they found out tonight? Will’s own flesh and blood was a part of the reason why Aria felt so bad about herself; why she still woke up in the night covered in sweat and tears.

  Remembering the look of horror on his baby’s face when she had seen Richard, when she had begged them to help her and cried, broke Will’s heart all over again.

  Will was also afraid. He was terrified of what would happen when Aria finally woke up and realized that her boyfriend was related to the man who had tortured her.

  Will she leave? Will was sure that she would, and he wouldn’t blame her if she did.

  He took a seat on the bed beside Aria and pushed her hair behind her ear while softly caressing the still tear-stained cheeks.

  Will loved her as he had never loved anyone, not even his ex, and Aria didn’t even know.

  “Please don’t leave me, baby. I need you.” he whispered softly; his words of love being met with a deafening silence.

  ~

  Will was taking a shower, desperately trying not to think for just a moment about what was going to happen next when two small hands snaked around his waist startling him. Aria started kissing his shoulder blades lovingly which made him shudder.

  He turned around after a few moments and was met with the most gorgeous sight of his baby completely naked, standing under the spray, her skin wet and inviting.

  “Please Will, I need to feel something other than…” she whispered and Will nodded, his hands already flying toward her. He picked Aria up and slammed her into the tiled wall, smashing their lips together.

  Aria let out a deep moan, as Will’s hand gripped her ass, the girl’s back arching while the man’s other hand traveled down her stomach slowly.

  “Will, please!” she breathed, as Will bit on the soft spot on her neck that always made her melt. His hand slipped lower, between Aria’s legs and he started pushing his fingers inside. Aria trembled in his hands and Will could see her already falling apart.

  He was merciless in his ministrations, his fingers hitting their target over and over again until Aria became a feverish mess in his hands.

  He removed the fingers slowly and positioned himself at her entrance. As he pushed in Aria pushed out, taking him in full in one swift movement.

  “Oh, baby.” Will moaned and put one of his hands on Aria’s hip to hold her in place, while the other began stroking the girl’s clit in time with his trusts.

  It wasn’t long before Aria started making soft moans, her hands holding onto Will’s hair while Will watched her mesmerized by her beauty and couldn’t hold the words in, any longer.

  “Please don’t leave me, baby. Please, I need you. Please.” he begged her, as his eyes filled with unshed tears. Aria looked up, her fingers caressing Will’s lips and quickly shook her head.

  “I won’t, I promise. I am yours, just yours, Will.” she breathed out before her lips covered Will’s in a heated kiss. He felt his climax approaching, his trusts getting sloppier as he pushed in and out and held Aria tightly.

  “Come on, baby!” he growled, “Come for me!”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt Aria tighten around him, the girl’s head thrown against the tiles and her mouth open in a silent scream making the most erotic sight that Will had ever seen.

  His hand was soon coated in warm fluid, as Aria’s muscles spasmed around him, squeezing the life out of him. He bit down on Aria’s neck, muffling his scream in the soft flesh as he followed her over the edge.

  ~

  They were lying in bed facing one another, tangled in each other’s arms, exchanging soft whispers.

  “Have you ever been in love?” Aria asked him suddenly as her eyes swept over Will’s face as if searching for something. Will’s eyes widened a fraction, feeling a bit taken aback by the question since it was completely unexpected but still answered truthfully.

  “Once. Why do you ask?”

  “I just realized that you know everything about me and my past, but I know hardly anything about yours.” Aria whispered, looking down at Will’s chest where her fingers drew slow circles into his skin. Will gulped, prickling feeling of anxiety at the thought of his past racing up his spine.

  “You know the most important things and the rest is unimportant. Yes, I was in love once but it didn’t end well, so I don’t like to talk about it. Does that bother you?” Will asked her, feeling like a jerk for evading the question since Aria was right. Will knew even the vilest things about her past while Will’s remained a mystery, but Aria just shook her head and sighed.

  “No. If you don’t want to talk about it, then that’s okay.” she whispered and snuggled into Will’s neck.

  “I know, more than anyone, how hard it is to talk about the things that hurt you, so I would never pressure you to do it just to satisfy my curiosity.”

  Will looked down at her and smiled.

  “Can I ask you one more thing, though?” she mumbled after a while and Will nodded.

  “Is that the reason why you don’t want to get married?”

  Will looked up to the ceiling as the familiar pang from thinking about his past resurfaced. He really didn’t want to talk about any of it anymore, but he knew that Aria deserved at least some kind of answer, so he simply nodded. Aria looked at him for a few seconds; her chin propped up on Will’s chest before she smiled softly and lay back on the man’s chest.

  Will sighed slowly, relaxing a bit and feeling grateful to have someone like Aria in his life. Anyone else would have asked and pried in Aria’s place, but she didn’t. It was like she could sense that Will wasn’t ready to talk about it and she respected that and that only made Will love her more.

  “Aria I…” he was about to finally tell her that when there was a knock on the door interrupting him. Will frowned at the intrusion and got up to answer, feeling eternally frustrated; just when he had finally picked up the courage to tell Aria how he felt about her he was interrupt
ed.

  Will opened the door, not even bothering to check who it was, his mind too preoccupied at the moment, when his eyes fell on a stranger. It was a middle-aged man, rather short and balding looking as if he was lost.

  “How can I help you?” Will asked him and watched as he kept fidgeting and looking around without making eye contact which set Will’s nerves on fire.

  “I am looking for Mr. Jones.” he said quietly and Will frowned.

  “Well, you found him. What do you need? I am sorry but I don’t think we’ve met before.” he said and the man suddenly smiled, a weird expression flashing over his face and Will’s anxiety grew at the sight; something was definitely wrong but he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly.

  “Oh, we’ve never met before, Mr. Jones, and after today you will regret ever meeting me.”

  Will froze at those words, fear gripping him once he noticed what was in the man’s hand; a gun.

  “Who are you? What do you want from me?” he asked, his thoughts immediately flying toward the girl currently lying in his bed, completely oblivious to what was going on just a few steps away, and he started to shake.

  “I don’t want anything from you, Mr. Jones.” the man smirked and pointed the gun at Will’s chest. Will thought about slamming the door and running but the thought of Aria in the next room stopped him in his tracks.

  “I am just the messenger. Mr. Norman sends his regards.”

  The man said and then Will heard a loud bang before an excruciating pain started to spread through his chest and he fell to the floor.

  Aria’s screams suddenly penetrated his ears through a fog, and he just prayed for her to be safe, and then there was nothing.

  The Aftermath

  “Here you go, love.” Nura said, one of her hands offering Aria a cup of tea while the other rubbed gentle circles across her back. Aria took it and took a sip not really tasting anything while she continued to stare without actually seeing through the window in the hospital waiting room.