A Right to Remain

by Beth Rinyu

  “I want you so badly,” I whispered in his ear.

  He looked up at me and whispered, “Not yet.”

  I groaned as his tongue slowly and meticulously slid down my stomach, gliding down my body. Replacing his tongue with his lips, he began to place gentle kisses upon my inner thigh, which was only intensifying my want for him. My breathing became heavier as his mouth moved to the spot that was yearning immensely for him, hitting all of the right spots with his tongue. Letting out a loud gasp, I grabbed onto his shoulder as he continued to work his magic on my body. This was so surreal to me. Aaron was the only other man I had been with in this way. To me, this was more intimate than any other form of sex, and to be experiencing it with Quinn was not only gratifying, it was also healing. My body jerked and my hands moved through his hair. He knew exactly what he was doing, stopping each time just before getting me to my breaking point, making my need to have him inside of me greater.

  “Quinn, please?” I begged through heavy breaths. “Now,” I pleaded once again as he looked up at me.

  “Don’t kill me.” A cute boyish grin spread his face.

  “What?”

  “I have to run upstairs to get something. I forgot—”

  I shook my head. “It’s okay.” My breathing was still labored. “I’m on the pill. So, please…now.”

  He nodded and his smile grew wider. Wasting no time, he quickly removed his jeans and boxers, lying back down and pulling me on top of him. My hands rested on his chest, letting out a loud gasp upon finally feeling him inside of me. He placed his hand on my hips as my body moved up and down. I felt like a different girl than the one he had slept with just last week. I was confident, in control, and enjoying every single second of it. Three things I never imagined would happen again when it came to sex, but Quinn had made something that seemed so unobtainable a reality for me. He sat up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as our bodies moved in perfect unison. Burying his face in my shoulder, he let out a light groan while my fingers ran up and down his back.

  I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against his as each of our movements became more intense.

  “Lacey.” His voice was low and raspy. “Open your eyes and look at me.”

  It was as if his face was a natural aphrodisiac. The minute I stared into his deep blue eyes, I lost it, never breaking our gaze as I let out a gentle cry. He began to move quicker and harder, and it was only a matter of seconds before he was pulling me closer, expressing his own satisfaction. My legs were still wrapped around him, and our bodies were still connected as we hugged each other tightly coming down from the high we had put each other in.

  “You okay?” he finally asked.

  I smiled with a light laugh. “Do you really need to ask that? I think you of all people should know I’m better than okay right now. That was just—” I shook my head, trying to find the right words to describe how he had made me feel both physically and emotionally. The only ones I could think of were, “Thank you, Quinn.”

  That adorable grin I was finding myself falling in love with flashed across his face. “No need to thank me, Lacey.”

  My thumb moved up his razor stubbles. “Yeah, there is a need. You make me feel alive when I’m with you, and that’s something I never dreamed would be possible again.”

  “Well, you just made me feel pretty alive too.” We both busted out with laughter before lying back down. I rested my head on his chest and stared at the dancing flames, trying my hardest to keep my emotions at bay. I was so happy to be moving on, yet sad to think of who I was leaving behind. Then there was Quinn, my best friend. In fact, outside of the girls in my support group, he was my only friend. Was I only setting myself up for more pain by being with him in this way? There was no doubt I cared about him, and with each passing day those feelings were intensifying. As much as I wanted to embrace those feelings, part of me knew it was wrong. He didn’t belong to me, he belonged to someone else, and even though he claimed otherwise, I knew better. He had a history with her. Years of memories, the same way I had memories with Aaron. Quinn was adamant his marriage was over, but until he was officially divorced there was always a chance he could change his mind, and I would never be the one to stand in the way of allowing that from happening.

  Chapter 23

  Quinn

  I was awoken by Gus’ low, deep growls. Quietly slipping out of Lacey’s bed, I crept into the living room to see what was bothering him. He began to whine in the same manner he had when I had gotten home last night. I bent down and petted him on the head, trying to get him to quiet down. “What’s the matter, pal?” I asked right before another growl escaped him, and he began to pace about by the front door.

  I stood up and threw my clothes and shoes on, which were lying on the living room floor, making sure I grabbed Gus’ leash from the coat hook. The last thing I felt like doing was chasing after him again tonight. The minute I opened the door, he pulled on the leash, leading me over to Lacey’s bedroom window. Using the flashlight on my phone, I looked around to see if there were any signs of an animal he was hot on the trail of as he feverishly sniffed around. Nothing out of the ordinary stuck out until I inched closer to the window and shone the light to find a set of footprints in the snow. The newly fallen precipitation was just about covering them now, but they were definitely from a larger-sized shoe. I held onto Gus’ leash, and I followed the prints halfway down the driveway until they disappeared.

  “Shit,” I whispered to myself, walking down the driveway a little farther and looking around as best as I could with the dismal light from my phone. I needed to get Gus back inside and get a better flashlight so I could check out the area a little better. I was immediately brought back to last night when Gus was behaving the same way. Was there someone out there that caused him to act that way?

  “Come on, Gus,” I said, giving him a tug on the leash, taking a few steps before stopping once again while he lifted his leg to take a leak. I got him back inside and was about to throw my coat on when Lacey came out of the bedroom rubbing her eyes.

  “Is everything okay?” She yawned.

  “Oh…umm…yeah, Gus had to go to the bathroom.” Shit. I wanted to get back out there and check things out, but there was no way in hell I was going to scare Lacey by telling her that.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry he woke you up,” she apologized.

  “No…it’s okay.” She looked at me strangely as I tried to come up with an excuse to get back outside.

  “Are you coming back to bed…or are you gonna head upstairs?” I could hear a slight hint of disappointment. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I had used her for sex. Plus, now that she was awake, there wasn’t much investigating I could do without her catching on.

  “Oh, yeah. I’m going back to sleep.” I walked over to the front door, making sure it was locked before following her back into the bedroom.

  I got under the covers and was wide awake, hoping I was being paranoid, even though I knew deep down inside I wasn’t. Someone was definitely out there tonight, and as much as I hated to admit it, it wasn’t the first time. Lacey had said her TV was turned off when she woke up last night, and I suddenly remembered that dazed expression on her face when I told her she must’ve done it herself. She was scared over something, and she didn’t want to admit it to me. Could someone have been inside her place last night? Did I remember to lock the door after Gus had darted out? I had way too many questions and worries on my mind to even think about falling asleep.

  “Are you okay?” Lacey asked, sensing my restlessness.

  “Yup, I’m fine.” I pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

  She snuggled into me, resting her head on my chest while gently caressing by arm with her fingertips. I hugged her tightly, knowing as long as I was there she would always be safe. I would do whatever it took to make sure she never had to relive that nightmare again.

  ***

  “Hey, sleepyhead,” Lacey whispered, sitting on
the side of the bed, holding a cup of coffee under my nose. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying to get my surroundings straight. Once I did, I realized I was in Lacey’s bed.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “A little after nine.”

  “Wow. I can’t remember the last time I slept so late. Was school closed today?”

  She nodded and smiled. “But the bakery up the road was open. So, Gus and I took a walk up there and got you some blueberry muffins right out of the oven.”

  “Lacey, you shouldn’t have walked all the way up there,” I scolded.

  “Why not? It’s not like it’s that far.”

  My paranoia was setting in big time after last night, but I couldn’t let her know. I knew if she found out it would set her back big time. “I don’t know…it’s cold, and—”

  “Oh no, it’s really nice out, and I remembered my gloves,” she said proudly. She moved closer and pressed her forehead against mine. “So, would you like to come into the kitchen and eat or would you like me to bring you a muffin?”

  “Can I have you first?” I asked as her cold nose pressed against mine.

  A slow grin stretched across her face as she moved in closer to kiss me. “Absolutely!” She giggled.

  It was well after eleven by the time we finally got out of bed. I was happy when Lacey told me she had made plans to meet up with a friend to make holiday baskets. As much as I wanted to keep her in my sight to make sure she was okay, I also needed to find out who was outside last night.

  “So, what time do you think you’ll be back?” I asked.

  She shrugged her shoulders as she threw back one last sip of her coffee. “Don’t know. I told her I’d meet her at noon.” She looked up at the clock and smirked. “Looks like I may be a little late.”

  “Do you need me to drive you?”

  She creased her eyebrows in confusion.

  “You know, just in case some of the roads are still bad.”

  “The roads are fine. Besides, I grew up in Massachusetts. Remember? I’m used to driving in more snow than this.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah…I’m good.”

  She placed her coffee cup in the sink and walked over to where I was standing. “I have to jump in the shower. See you later?”

  “Yeah,” I responded as she stood on her tippy-toes and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. I didn’t want her to be alone tonight or any night for that matter until I figured out exactly what was going on.

  I walked outside and cleared the snow off Lacey’s Jeep before taking a walk around the property. The only sets of footprints out there now were Lacey’s and Gus’. The falling snow overnight had completely covered the ones I had spotted last night. I was pissed at myself for not going back out there last night to check things out even more, but I couldn’t let Lacey know. Not yet anyway. Not until I knew for sure what was going on. She was doing so well, and the last thing I wanted was to send her back to being the scared girl I had first met a few months ago. I wouldn’t allow that to happen to her, and I would make damn sure that whoever was doing this to her, didn’t either.

  I walked upstairs and pulled up the article about Lacey and her husband once again, writing down the name of the detective who was investigating it. When I did an Internet search on her husband, the majority of the hits that came up were about the murder. I scrolled down, looking for something else, trying to figure out if he may have had some enemies that Lacey hadn’t known about. As I looked out my window and saw Lacey getting in her Jeep, I was feeling a little guilty for going behind her back and doing this, but I knew it was for her own good. The few articles that had come up about his business painted him out to be an all-around great person, exactly how Lacey had described him. I combed my hand through my hair and expelled a frustrated breath. Maybe what happened back then had nothing to do with what happened last night. Maybe I was grasping at straws, but the blatant coincidence was all too real to ignore, and I didn’t have any intention of doing that until I knew Lacey was one hundred percent safe.

  Chapter 24

  Lacey

  “Lacey, you’re a godsend!” Camille exclaimed as I walked into the church hall.

  “Well, I had a snow day today, so I’m all yours.”

  “Thank you so much. You were the only one who replied to my SOS text this morning.”

  I took a seat and looked at the items scattered on the table. Toiletries, baby items, gloves, scarves, hats were just a very few of the things I spotted. “So, fill me in on what we’re doing.”

  “Well, all of these items were brought by the church with donations for the needy. I figured we would get a few things and I’d be able to do the baskets myself. Never in a million years did I expect this amount of items. So, I’m kinda…overwhelmed.” She threw her hands up in the air and looked around.

  “Well, you got me for as long as you need me. I’ve got nothing on my agenda for today.”

  “That’s the spirit.” She smiled and took a seat across from me as we both got right to work.

  “I don’t know about you, but I could use a break,” Camille said after a couple of hours of work. “I’m going to run up the street and grab us some coffee.”

  “Oh, that sounds great!” I reached into my purse for my wallet.

  “Don’t even think about that! I would’ve been in big trouble if you didn’t help me out today. The least I can do is buy you a cup of coffee.”

  “Thanks, Camille.”

  “I’ll be right back.” She threw her coat on and walked out the door, while I continued working on the last of the baskets we had left.

  I grabbed my phone from my purse when I heard it beep with a message.

  Quinn: Gus is with me in case you come home and are looking for him.

  Me: Friend stealer! LOL

  “Look at the beautiful smile!” Camille beamed as she walked through the door with two cups of coffee in hand.

  “Yeah, I’ve actually been doing a lot of that lately,” I said as I put my phone in my purse.

  “Well, do tell!” she said, handing me a cup. “I want to hear about what’s been going on with you since we last talked.”

  “Well, I—” I stared down at the table. “Remember my friend I was telling you about?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled as she took a sip of her coffee.

  “Well…I slept with him.”

  Her eyes widened. “And?”

  I bit my bottom lip and smiled just thinking about him. “It was wonderful. He was so...caring and gentle. I was scared, and he put me at ease right away.” My eyes filled with tears. “I never thought I’d be able to do that again.”

  She reached over the table and took my hand. “Lacey, this is a huge step. You know that, right?”

  I nodded, wiping away the tear rolling down my face.

  “Why are you crying, honey? This is a good thing.”

  “I know. My emotions are all over the place with this. I’m happy, but I feel like in a weird way, I’m betraying my husband.”

  “No, sweetie, you aren’t. You’re a young girl. No one, including your husband, would expect you to stop living. It’s healthy to move on and it sounds like maybe this guy is the one to do that with.”

  Quinn was the perfect guy to do that with. He was, however, still married to someone else. I got a sick feeling in my stomach each time I thought of that fact. “Yeah, he’s a really great guy.”

  “But?” She raised her eyebrow.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “He has some things he needs to work through too. I’m just taking it one day at a time and not taking anything for granted.”

  “Well, that sounds logical. But tell me, is he handsome?” She smirked.

  I was unable to contain my smile, giving away the answer to that question right away. “He’s beyond handsome, Camille. He’s beautiful on the inside and out. He just…I can’t even begin to explain how I feel when I’m around him. I
feel safe. I feel beautiful. I actually like myself better because of him. As crazy as it sounds, I can’t help but wonder if my husband sent him to me. I know…I sound like a loon, right?”

  “No, it doesn’t sound crazy at all. You’re glowing just talking about him.”

  I knew I was. He made me happy just thinking about him. “It’s like we have this unspoken trust between us, and maybe I’m wrong for being that way after everything I’ve been through. But I know I can tell him anything, and he knows he can do the same with me. The same way we do in the group.” I worried my lower lip between my teeth. “I don’t know, maybe I’m setting myself up for heartbreak. If I am, I don’t want to know. I just want to enjoy what we have together for now.”

  “I’m so happy for you, Lacey.” She reached across the table and took my hand.

  “Thanks. I’m pretty happy myself.”

  ***

  The sun was beginning to set when I arrived home. My Christmas tree was all lit up when I walked inside, but there was no sign of Gus. I walked over to the tree to find a note underneath.

  I’m holding your dog hostage. You need to come upstairs and give me a kiss if you ever want to see him again.

  I laughed before heading up the stairs to Quinn’s place.

  I tapped on the door and smiled when it opened to find Quinn looking a little flustered with a dishtowel draped over his shoulder. When he opened the door further I noticed the cloud of smoke behind him and the strong scent of burned food. “What the heck?”

  “Yeah, well, I was trying to cook you dinner, and I forgot…I don’t know how to cook.”