Love me Goodbye: Prelude Series - Part Five

by Meg Buchanan

  She pulled out a dark olive sweatshirt bag and ripped the tags off it. He took off his jacket. Then pushed the jacket into the bag on top of Geneviève’s shopping. She shrugged out of the top and handed it to him. He added that to the roll bag and waited for her to get into the new one.

  Pity he didn’t have his cap. He’d left that on the dashboard.

  She looked up at him, so trustingly. He was the white knight again and he didn’t even know why this guy was chasing her.

  He flipped the hood up to cover her hair again.

  “Who is he?” He nodded out at the mall.

  “My husband,” said Geneviève.

  Fuck. Married. Well, he knew that already and chose to ignore it.

  Geneviève half expected Adam to baulk at helping her get away when she admitted they were running from her husband, but he just took her hand and kept walking along the tiled tunnel to the other exit.

  “I’ll go out first and check it’s all clear,” he said.

  She nodded and did a calculation. They’d parked in the underground carpark under the department store, so they just had to get across the outside carpark without being seen. If only Mason would keep searching the mall while they crossed the open area, they’d be right.

  “Ready?” Adam asked.

  She nodded. He pushed the door open, looked out and then nodded back at her and took her hand again.

  “Just a couple of hood rats out shopping on a Sunday morning,” he said encouragingly.

  She nodded and walked with him out of the mall and across the carpark, all the time expecting to hear Mason’s voice yelling at her to stop, and ready to run for her life.

  Would Adam protect her? She had no idea. She glanced at him. He carried the roll bag and did a good job of looking relaxed. He saw the glance. Let her hand go and put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Don’t look so worried, we’ll make it to the car.”

  “I’m pleased you’re so sure of that.” She gave a weak smile. They were almost at the entrance of the underground parking area, almost there, had almost reached the safety of the escalator that would take them down to the car and she couldn’t help it, she glanced behind her. Just as Mason came out of the mall.

  A big mistake. She saw the start of recognition, the pause, and then he shouted and ran towards them, weaving in and out of the cars.

  “Run,” she yelled and took off. Mason didn’t know Adam’s car. All she wanted to do was get in it and hide.

  She could hear Adam jogging beside her as she ran blindly for the entrance then down the wide corridor between the rows of cars. Then she saw him dig in his jeans pocket for the keys.

  “It’s at the end of the third row,” he puffed.

  She took off towards the third row. They were close. Would they get to the car and get out of here before Mason got down the escalator? Other cars were coming down the ramp into that level and others were going the other way and leaving.

  It wouldn’t matter which lot they joined, going up or going down, once they were in the car they’d just blend in, Mason wouldn’t be able to tell which car they were in. He didn’t know Adam and she could hide.

  She heard a tweet and saw lights flash five cars down from them, Adam’s car and he’d unlocked it.

  “Get in the back,” he ordered. “And get under the rug.” He wrenched the driver’s door open as she opened the back door. He sat in the driver’s seat, had his door shut and the car started, and a cap that she’d seen lying on the dashboard, on his head. She shut her door, lay down and pulled the rug over her.

  The car backed up fast and then the tyres squealed as Adam turned and made for the exit.

  She didn’t look up to see if Mason had made it to the down the escalator and seen them. Maybe if she’d resisted the urge to look back they wouldn’t have had to run.

  Adam stopped at the exit and slid the card, then his credit card into the machine. It seemed like an age before the barriers lifted. But finally, they were in the day light and no one had wrenched the door open and dragged her out.

  “You can sit up now,” Adam said.

  “Where is he?” Geneviève sat up and carefully looked out the back window of the car.

  “Still inside.”

  But it wouldn’t take Mason long to realise she wasn’t in the carpark anymore and he’d come after her.

  Chapter Six

  Adam drove straight to the flat. Geneviève could borrow his toiletries for a bit longer. She’d dumped the ones she’d collected onto a shelf on the way out of the shop. He didn’t want to risk being found by her husband again and that explained why she’d acted so furtive last night. She hadn’t robbed a bank, or a shop, or a casino, she’d been running away. He didn’t know why, he just knew he’d help her for as long as she needed help.

  He pulled up in the driveway. There were no other cars parked there.

  Good it would be nice and quiet in the flat. He and Geneviève needed to have a serious talk.

  He parked, got out of the car and opened the door for her. She had ditched the rug and sat hunched in the back seat. She looked up at him still terrified then slid across the seat and out of the car. She wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her head against his shoulder and clung to him.

  He could feel her body shaking. She really was frightened. And she didn’t seem the type to frighten easily.

  “You’re safe now, there’s no way he can find you here.” He held her tighter.

  “What if he saw the car?” She still clung to him. “Can’t people find where you live if they know your car number plate?” The hood had fallen back, and he could smell the clean smell of shampoo and soap. He pulled her tighter against him as if that would make her feel safe.

  “I think only the police can do that. Will he go to the police?”

  Geneviève paused and thought about the question, then shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She paused again. “Maybe.” She seemed a little calmer. She looked up and him. “No, he won’t want the police involved, his wife running away would look bad for him. He won’t want anyone to know.”

  Adam loosened his hold on her and put his arm around her shoulders.

  “If he goes to the police, it will take them a while to find us here. The car is in Dad’s name.” He unlocked the backdoor and led her inside then locked the door behind them again. “Why are you running from him?”

  Geneviève shrugged. “He’s not a nice man.”

  That seemed like a good reason. “What do you want to do now?” he asked. He got another shrug from Geneviève.

  “I don’t know.” She ran her fingers through her hair and her delicate beauty tugged at him again. He felt more drawn to her than he’d ever been to anyone. He’d had girlfriends in the past, but they always seemed a pale imitation of Tessa. Geneviève wasn’t a pale imitation of anyone. She was as gorgeous as when she walked into the bar last night. He still remembered that bowled over feeling and his heart reaching out to her.

  But he was leaving in four days. And she had a husband. He knew the statistics, most wives went back, even if the marriage wasn’t great.

  But she seemed to like him. She was looking at him as intently as he was looking at her. She smiled, and he felt bowled over again. Something crackled between them. The moment drew out. He wanted to make love to her in a way he’d never wanted anything in his life. And from the look in her eyes, the flush on her cheeks, the way her lips were a little apart and her breath shallow, right now she wanted it as much as he did.

  She came over to him, lay her hands on his hips and looked up at him.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “For what?”

  “For not asking any questions, just helping.”

  He studied the face looking up at him, the flush still there, the perfect lips parted. Her breath like a whisper on his cheek. She really was beautiful. Was all this just bad timing? Or the start of something that could turn out to be amazing?

  He wanted to say, I wan
t to make love to you. Instead he said, “We should talk about what’s going on.”

  She nodded, took his hand and led him to his bedroom.

  Geneviève pulled off the hoodie. She didn’t know where to start. She sat on the edge of the bed in Tessa’s jeans and t shirt. Adam sat on the chair beside the computer, the way he had in the morning.

  How could she explain her disastrous marriage? And did she want to waste time talking about the marriage she’d leapt into and then regretted within weeks? Mason had tricked her and then used her. Even away from him the fear she always felt was there. She drew in a deep wobbly breath. Just thinking about her husband had that effect on her.

  “I am sorry I have dragged you into my problems,” she said.

  “Happy to help, Milady.”

  She snorted. “My white knight.” She wanted something to take the memory away. She wanted kindness and tenderness. Adam had been kind to her and helped her. And he was warm and funny. She wanted to make love with this beautiful gentle boy who’d cared for her from the moment they met.

  She stood up, went over to him and put her forearms on his shoulders. Every time he looked at her she wanted him to hold her, kiss her. And when they touched, fire.

  “I think I’ve been pretty knightly so far,” he said.

  She shook her head. “I am not so sure.” She breathed the words into his ear. “I remember what you said after we left the taxi. You said you wanted to make love to me.”

  Adam looked up at her. Actually, ‘make love’ wasn’t what he’d said, He’d said, he wanted to fuck her. His hands remembered how she’d felt when he touched her while she was sitting on the fence. And there were those kisses. They had promised everything. Then she’d stood up and said she wasn’t having sex with him, she just needed somewhere to sleep.

  “Make love to me, Adam,” she said quietly. “I want to make love gently and carefully. Not the way Mason does, just to hurt me. I want something else to remember about sex. Come to bed with me.”

  She really seemed willing to overlook the lapse at the fence. As she whispered what she wanted, he couldn’t imagine anything he wanted to do more. But he shouldn’t take advantage of her when she was vulnerable.

  Then as she touched and stroked and whispered, he could feel any need to do the right thing evaporating fast.

  Geneviève bent and ran her mouth down the side of his neck, small kisses and touches. Then she let her fingers drift downwards. The muscles underneath the fabric, then all the curves and plains. She’d noticed that in the bar. And when he offered to carry her last night, if she’d accepted, she was sure he’d have been able to.

  She could feel the button of his jeans under the shirt. She knew what she wanted but wasn’t sure he wanted it too.

  He put one hand over hers to stop her, and with the other cupped her head and pulled her closer and kissed her. The kiss was gentle, the way she knew it would be, but filled with all the longing and she’d seen in his eyes last night.

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “You said you just wanted somewhere to sleep.”

  She nodded. “I’m sure.” Why couldn’t two people who liked each other, take comfort in each other’s bodies when they both wanted it?

  He drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.” He kept his hand on top of hers.

  “It’s a wonderful idea, I need to feel something good. Don’t say no.”

  He released a breath. “Who’d say no to you?”

  She moved and sat astride him, placing her palms on his shoulders. His hands reached up and framed her face.

  She looked into those eyes the same colour as his hair, as tears filled hers. “I want you to make love to me,” she whispered, “Please.”

  He ran his hand over her hair and down to her shoulder. “I don’t want you to regret it.”

  “I won’t regret it.” She pushed his shirt up and nuzzled his chest. “Make me feel something, Adam.”

  She ran her palms down his chest to his belly, then his erection. At least one part of him knew what it wanted.

  Her lips found his, her hands caressed his skin.

  She felt his hands start at her shoulders, then slide and stop at the hem of her t shirt.

  He studied her again, made some sort of decision then grabbed the hem and lifted it up.

  She raised her arms like a little kid getting ready to have a bath. She had on the bra she’d been wearing last night so her breasts were pushed up and looked bigger than they really were.

  He stared. “Nice,” he said. “I knew they’d be perfect in real life.”

  She reached back, unhooked the bra and dropped it beside the chair. “And now?”

  “Even better.” He traced the diamond shadow her bikini had left with his lips. His hands rested each side of her breasts now, his thumbs feathered the nipples.

  She slid her hips back, unbuttoned his shirt and pushed the sleeves down his arms. Naked from the waist up he looked impressive.

  She ran her hands over the muscles of his shoulders then chest. She dug down between them to unzip him. “I want you inside me,” she said.

  He stopped her hand again. “You want a quick fuck on a chair?”

  “Why not?” She shook off his hand and slid back further and stood up. She wanted something right now to take away the pain Mason inflicted on her. She could feel the need bursting inside her.

  She unbuttoned her jeans, unzipped, then wiggled out of them taking yesterday’s underwear too. She’d done her best in the shower, rinsed them, patted them with the towel and held them up to the heater until they were nearly dry. Adam hadn’t thought of borrowing underwear for her.

  Now she was naked he’d have to fill up this empty space in her.

  “No.” He untied his boots, then toed them off. The socks went next. “If we’re going to do this we’re going to do it properly. We’ll make love.” And he stood up. Magnificent. He seemed to have grown and looked nothing like the safe boy she’d met in the bar.

  “Why?” she asked. “You wanted to bend me over a letterbox last night.”

  “That was the whiskey talking. Now I want to take my time and make love properly.” He moved closer as he talked and rested his hands on her hips.

  She reached for the button on his jeans again. “All hearts and flowers?”

  He brushed her hand away and scooped her up, one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders. “I might have trouble finding the flowers, but I’ll do my best.”

  She giggled, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Maybe his plan was better than hers. She already felt protected.

  He gently lay her on the unmade bed.

  He stood back, looked at her with that flare of heat and desire in his eyes. Watching him she had a moment of hesitation. She’d just run away from her husband. What she felt for Adam could be a reaction to that. She’d heard about the impulse to get revenge on a spouse by sleeping with someone else. She watched him get rid of his jeans.

  No, her old life was over. This was new and special, and she wasn’t going to think any further than that.

  Chapter Seven

  He lay down beside her. He liked that she hadn’t pulled the bedclothes up to cover herself, happy to let him study the way she looked naked in his bed.

  He propped himself on his elbow and ran his hand the length of her body. Everything about this was wrong, but Geneviève seemed to want it desperately.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said. It seemed inadequate to describe the way she looked. His hand stopped at the juncture of her thighs.

  “Fuck me,” she ordered. She pulled him on top of her. Then dragged her fingernails across his back.

  He buried his fingers in her hair, tried to summon some self-control. He’d nearly gone along with her sex on the chair plan. But then he’d decided to make it good for her and make it last. He’d try to make himself go slowly and carefully the way he usually made love. He rolled off her and sat up.

  “What are you
doing?” she asked.

  “Protection.” She seemed to have no sense of self preservation. He opened the drawer of the bedside cabinet and took out a condom, ripped open the packet and smoothed it on. Then turned back to her. She pulled him on top of her and moved again under him with even more urgency. Her demands. The way her fingers clawed at him, the way her legs opened and how she arched into him, made going slow difficult. He gave in and surged into her. The gasp that came from her stopped him.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, no don’t stop, don’t stop.” The insistence in her voice spurred him on. Her hands grabbed his hips, her mouth consumed his. For all he knew she’d change her mind and go back to Mason the way Tessa always did with Luke and this could be the only time they made love.

  He moved again, and she moved with him, wilder and stronger than he’d experienced. Harder, higher, pounding into her, with her matching every stroke.

  Then he collapsed on top of her. A light sheen of sweat on both of them.

  He rolled them both, so they were laying side by side facing each other, still connected, his fingers still buried in her hair, her lips teasing and tormenting his.

  He couldn’t catch his breath or think what to do next. He’d built up a slow leisurely lovemaking in his mind and instead he got a wild ride that finished way before he wanted it to and took some returning from. Not disappointing in any way. It had been amazing. He’d like to do it again, quite soon.

  His heart returned to its normal beat, and as her breathing slowed he relaxed. But when he pulled back he could see she was crying.

  “Hey?” he asked and wiped the tears away with his fingers. He knew this was a mistake. He’d just taken advantage of someone vulnerable. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re crying, it must be something.” He wiped at the next tear to fall. “Did I do something wrong?”