Reflected in the Rain (The Storm Inside)

by Alexis Anne

  It was stupid, I knew it was stupid. But I couldn’t bring myself to ignore her.

  We both had insanely abusive fathers, but mine usually kept his focus on me. Ashley’s didn’t, and that small difference had led to a chain of events that changed her life forever. Tom was right when he said she was far more damaged than me, but he was wrong about one thing. I was fairly sure if I had killed my father I wouldn’t have gotten back up again. He and Eve both seemed to think I had an unwavering ability to pick myself back up after being handed piles of shit.

  I thought they were wrong.

  Ashley was stronger than me. She was still up and walking around. She was still fighting, even if it didn’t seem healthy to everyone else. I was one of only a handful of people who knew Ashley’s full story, not even Tom and Greg knew all the details. As far as they were concerned she was like me, shitty childhood, shitty parents.

  I hadn’t even told Eve. And I wasn’t going to. There was the simple fact that she didn’t need to know, but there was also a code I didn’t want to break. Ashley had allowed me to know all the details and I didn’t want to betray that confidence. People like us didn’t trust many people with details like that.

  You can’t unsee those images, even when it is just your imagination putting the details together. And I didn’t want to put Eve through that.

  Besides, Ashley wasn’t going to be around long enough for any of it to matter.

  I didn’t want to disturb Eve, so I slipped out of bed for some water and to blow out the candles we’d left burning. When I came back I stopped in the doorway and stared at my wife.

  Moonlight and candlelight were the only things lighting Eve’s soft skin. She was perfection. She was art.

  The room was cast in a blue glow, but Eve’s skin looked more like the glow of the candles, soft and incandescent. The shadows weren’t pure black. Instead they were shades of grey that gradually morphed into something a shade lighter than black.

  I wanted to touch her and see for myself if she was as soft and warm as she appeared, but I didn’t want to waste the opportunity in front of me—the chance to see a rare piece of art with my own eyes.

  It was like Eve could sense I was restless. She rolled over and looked right at me. “Why are you awake?”

  “Thinking.”

  “What are you thinking?” she asked. Her dark hair was down, delicately resting against that skin I couldn’t stop staring at. Her eyes and her smile were soft flashes in the shadows. Every feeling and emotion tied to desire and need inside me was on fire.

  “That you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  That’s when I heard it. That hitch in her breathing. She only made it when I caught her off-guard. Right at that moment I was so grateful for the silence. No music or rain or anything. Just Eve and me. So I heard it when she sucked it that excited little breath of air and held it.

  She swallowed. “I’m looking at something amazing, too.”

  By reflex I looked down at myself. I was naked except for a pair of boxers that were doing a terrible job of hiding the way I felt about Eve.

  The only sound in the room was the softness of her breathing, which drew my eyes to her chest. Her naked breasts were slowly rising and falling with each excited breath. The shadows moved up and down, making her skin look so very soft…

  She shook her head while she looked into my eyes. I swear she was reading my mind and finding out all my secrets because a moment later she sighed. “C’mon Romeo. We didn’t get movie sex, so we better fool around now and get your mind off your troubles.”

  “Oh yeah?” I asked.

  “Yep. After a good orgasm you should sleep.”

  “Well, if it is what the doctor orders…” Eve was absolutely my doctor—I swear she even understood the stuff I kept from her. She had some sort of super-empathy that let her understand things she couldn’t possibly have any concept of—at least when it came to me.

  “I do. I prescribe one orgasm and a good night of sleep. Now be a good patient and fuck me.”

  “Yes, doctor.” I smiled but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I needed this memory. Wasting something this perfect would be sacrilege. Besides, I’d learned a little patience went a long way.

  “Don’t make me wait,” she pleaded.

  “I’m not making you wait, darlin’. I’m making this count.”

  She sucked in another soft breath which made every inch of my skin tingle. She closed her eyes and slowly leaned her head back. That was when I saw the slight tremble of her arms and I couldn’t resist her for another moment.

  I hooked my thumbs inside the waistband of my boxers and pushed them to the floor before climbing onto the bed and moving toward Eve. “Finally,” she sighed.

  “No,” I replied. “Just right.”

  She shook her head and smiled slowly as she looked up into my eyes. “You are such a tease, Jake Spencer.”

  “And you, Eve Spencer, are my muse.”

  It was my turn to suck in a breath. I was completely overwhelmed the moment my skin made contact with hers. Soft. So much softer than I’d hoped. It didn’t matter how many times I’d touched Eve’s skin, each experience was new and unexpected.

  I wanted to be close to her. I wanted her in my arms where I could hold her against me, but I didn’t want to take my eyes off of her either. “Turn over for me?”

  She grinned and bit the corner of her lip. “I like what you’re thinking…”

  On her knees, I pulled her body against mine, her back to my front, and eased down until she was sitting in my lap. We were completely connected from head to toe. My erection was sitting against her warm skin, throbbing and begging to be inside her, but I wasn’t ready. I was so turned on I wouldn’t last long. Besides, it gave me more time to enjoy touching her.

  Above our bed was a large picture window and with the candlelight there was just enough reflection to see all the lines and curves of her body. Her belly was soft as I ran my hands across it and up to caress the outsides of her breasts. The sensation was almost too much to handle and I let out an unplanned groan.

  “Like what you feel?” she murmured and gasped as my fingers closed around her nipples.

  “I want more.”

  She arched and laid her head back on my shoulder, giving me complete access to her body. I continued to tease her nipples, rolling and pulling as she moaned and writhed. “Bend over,” I whispered in her ear when I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to be inside her.

  She moved forward onto her hands and knees. Her back was arched so that the shadows stretched across her skin, calling for me to touch her again. I ran my hands up and down her spine before wrapping them around her hips and slowly pushing my way inside her hot, slick sex.

  Eve was panting and moaning my name by the time I completely buried myself inside her. The muscles of her core spasming and contracting around my hard cock and sending wave after wave of overwhelming pleasure through my body.

  I buried myself inside her and pulled her ass hard against me as I sank down to my feet and stretched myself out across her back. Eve sighed with satisfaction and rested on her elbows. “I love this position. So close…”

  Very close. She was in my arms, pressed completely against me with my cock inside her. It was incredibly intimate.

  With one hand wrapped around her waist to hold her as close to me as possible, I slid the other under her breast and began to work it once again. Eve sucked in another excited breath before moaning loudly and shuddering. “More. I want more, Jake.”

  When she begged like that, all my thoughts and plans went out the window. I followed her commands like a desperate soldier. What she asked for, I gave. If she wanted more, I would give it to her, even if took every ounce of strength inside me. I pumped into her harder and kissed her back, buried my nose in her hair, and ran my teeth along her skin. She cried out, I gave her more, until her hands clenched the sheets in fists, her muscles went rigid, and she yelled out as a powerful orgasm
tore through her.

  I managed to hold out for a few seconds before it was all too much for me. Her voice, the heat of her skin, and the wetness of being inside her satisfied body were more than I could handle at that angle.

  When we were both relaxed and satisfied I still couldn’t let her go. I didn’t want to move ever again. The night, the glow, and the woman in my arms… it would never get any better than this.

  Chapter 23

  ~Eve~

  “Move!” Jake pleaded.

  “No.” I was not moving. I could starve to death right where I was and die a happy death. No one would blame me. I married the perfect guy, went on a dream honeymoon, and found the absolute most perfect spot on the beach. What else was there?

  “Don’t make me come after you.”

  “You wouldn’t dare…” I lowered my sunglasses and gave him my most deadly look. But Jake just shook his head at me.

  “I’ve been more than kind to you on this trip, darlin’. Too kind.”

  “Why can’t I skip lunch? We’ll eat an early dinner.”

  “You think I’m going to fall for that? You’ll be passed out before two and I’ll have to carry you back. It isn’t exactly the kind of story I want to tell years from now—the day Eve nearly died from starvation because she was too comfortable to move.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him and that was the end of things. He dove for me, scooping me up in his arms, walking straight into the chilly ocean.

  “You are insane!” I yelled as I lost my breath. The water wasn’t chilly—it was fucking cold.

  He kissed my cheek, “Maybe, but you are up and out of your chair. A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do.”

  My skin was already going numb. “Can we dry off and go get lunch, then?”

  He smiled, his eyebrows bouncing and his dimple showing. “Absolutely. I’m starving.”

  Jake had fallen in love with this little dive restaurant in a shack (if you could even call it that) on the beach. It served his favorite whiskey and had every kind of seafood imaginable. I was happy because it had food and a view of the beach.

  We settled in at the bar, Jake in his trunks and a t-shirt, me with a skimpy sundress over my bikini, and both of us with flip-flops dangling from our toes as we rested our feet against the footrest on the bar.

  “Whiskey?” the bartender asked in his thick French accent.

  Jake smiled and nodded, he was damn sexy when he smiled with that dimple. I held up two fingers and murmured, “Deux, sil vous plait.”

  The man chuckled and grabbed the rectangular bottle of Johnny Walker, pouring the strong amber liquid over ice cubes and squeezing a wedge of lime into mine before sliding the glasses toward each of us. “Enjoy.” It sounded like two words the way he said it.

  The whiskey burned my nostrils as I took a very small sip. Drinking it straight like that was like drinking fire, but it also went straight to my head without a sickeningly sweet aftertaste. I shuddered as I set the glass down. “Damn that’s strong…”

  “Yep,” Jake agreed and ran his hand up my thigh. “I’ve loved being able to relax and do whatever the hell we feel like, whenever the hell we feel like it.”

  I had to agree that vacation looked good on Jake. He was like a different person. He never stopped smiling and his eyes… oh god, they were pure sex. When he looked at me with those mischievous green things I was done for, every single time. They were hypnotizing and hot, but I had a feeling it also had something to do with the fact he was looking at me like he wanted to do dark, dirty things with every inch of me. It took my breath away every time and I went weak in the knees. Not to mention the deep throbbing between my legs that made me feel like I was about to pass out.

  It was our last day and we’d vowed to spend every minute of it on the beach, so after I put food into my body we made our way back to our spot.

  The sand was so different from anything I’d ever seen before. It was soft and full of colors from the island’s volcano. It made the beach look like it was a deep shade of rich brown, but when I looked closer I realized it was a mix of white, red, black, brown, grey, and probably more. It was beautiful. The beach sloped sharply down to the water, so Jake scooped out makeshift chairs that we laid our towels over.

  “Grapes?” Jake asked, holding out the bag.

  “I feel like that is starting to become a loaded question around you. Are you going to steal them away and make me kiss you?”

  He grinned. “I like to keep things mysterious.”

  “Hmmm….” I acted like I was seriously thinking while I popped a couple of grapes in my mouth and chewed. “Mysterious, like how and when you plan on accomplishing your final challenge?”

  His grin widened. “Oh, I have that all planned out. And it will remain a mystery until then.”

  Three hours later, Jake hit me with a mud ball.

  It oozed down my back and plopped onto the sand. “You did not just hit me. Did you?”

  When I turned around, Jake was grinning. He had a fistful of mud in one hand and the other held out as a shield. The beach was so sloped his left knee was bent while his right was standing straight. “I sure did.”

  I shook my head, partially because I was shocked, and partially because I wanted desperately to peg him back, but I knew if I didn’t plan it right he’d dodge out of the way before I could hit him.

  My feet were firmly planted in the wet sand, so I slowly bent down (never taking my eyes off him, the sneaky bastard) and grabbed two fistfuls of mud. I could either fling them at him right away and hope I was faster than him, or I could take the slow approach—confuse him and keep him guessing.

  I went with the slow approach, slowly sauntering over until I was looking up at him. “What happened to romance and sex on the beach?”

  He was breathing hard as he looked down at me, probably because I’d said “sex” at the same time I’d pushed my breasts up toward his face. “Romance can be fun, too, can’t it?”

  I nodded slowly, “I suppose. Is a mud fight, fun?”

  His lips twitched at the corners. “It can be.”

  I took both handfuls of mud and slapped them against his chest, smearing the wet brown sand over his skin. “You’re right, this is fun.”

  He shook his head and dropped his handfuls of mud on the ground, grabbed my face with his filthy hands, and kissed me hard. “You better run, Eve. I’m coming for you!”

  I squealed and took off down the beach. Jake was right behind me, I could hear the pounding of his feet on the hard sand. Mud flew by my head as he unloaded, but it all missed me. I was out of breath and laughing so hard I was seeing stars when he caught me, picked me up by circling his arms around my waist from behind, and carried me into the trees.

  “What are you doing?” I yelled between gasps.

  “Fulfilling my list!” he huffed back, dropping me on the ground beside a blanket and towels.

  “What is this?”

  His lips were at my ear as he pressed his hips into my backside. “You said you didn’t want any sand in unwanted places.” That morning I’d woken him up by whispering a final challenge in his ear: sex on the beach that wasn’t awkward and didn’t hurt. I thought it was impossible but…

  I shivered as his breath danced across my skin and I realized exactly what we were about to do. “The real world is seriously going to suck after this,” I sighed.

  I felt his erection dig into my backside as he groaned, “Did you have to remind me?”

  I spun in his arms, throwing my hands around his neck. “Let’s have one last crazy adventure, Jake. We’ll worry about the future when we get there.”

  Jake grinned and kissed me. “Just how crazy are we talking?”

  I rolled my eyes and pulled him down toward the blanket. “You are insatiable, Jake Spencer.”

  He rolled on top of me and looked right into my eyes. “You know you love it.”

  I did. I loved knowing Jake always wanted more. I just needed to keep up with him.
r />   Chapter 24

  -Jake-

  “Welcome home Mrs. Spencer. You ready for this?”

  She smirked at me, “You like asking me that question.”

  I shrugged, “I like knowing we’re both ready to jump. I’d hate to drag you into something you weren’t ready for. You and me together, remember?”

  “Yep, let’s do this cowboy. Back to reality.” She was staring at me with the oddest look in her eyes.

  “What?”

  She shook her head slowly and shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing. We should go inside.”

  I didn’t try to figure out what the hell she was hinting at, I just scooped her up in my arms and opened the front door.

  “I don’t think it ever gets old,” she laughed, running her hands through my hair.

  “Walking through doorways?”

  “No,” she replied. “Getting tossed around by you. How strong are you, exactly?”

  I laughed, but every time she said something like that I got all excited. “I can’t help that you are so much smaller than me…” whatever else I was about to say died in my mouth because everything inside the house was different.

  Were we in the right house?

  “Surprise!” Eve shrugged, looking up at me sheepishly.

  I set her down before I dropped her. “What is all this?” Boxes were neatly lined up in the living room, the furniture was gone, and the walls had a fresh coat of paint on them.

  “It’s my other wedding present to you. I thought our new life should start with a home that was both of us.”

  I felt a little stupid. I knew Eve was talking, but somehow the words weren’t quite making sense to me. I walked further into the room so I could see all of it. The cream walls were now a rich shade of gray and the dining room was deep blue.

  “I just had them paint these two rooms for now. I noticed your old apartment and your office were both gray and blue… I thought you might like it at home, too.”