Always The Hero

by Callahan, Kelli

  She moved.

  “Don’t,” I whispered, only a centimeter away from her mouth. The curve of her top lip looked like a cupid’s bow. It made sense, considering Abigail had shot me with an arrow only capable of love.

  “Please,” her voice shook, and the last of my apprehension disintegrated.

  I swallowed, coating my dry throat before I pressed my lips softly against hers.

  A weight that I have had my entire life lifted off my chest once my lips locked with the person that was meant to be mine. She whimpered into my mouth, and her fingers dug into my chest. She barely kissed me back, and I knew right then and there that I was her first kiss. I opened my mouth, parting my lips slightly, and turned my head to the left. She followed my lead, and I melted against her. The soft clouds of her lips sank into mine, smooth and eager.

  I fell in love right then.

  I fell in love with how I felt with her.

  I fell in love with her lips.

  With her mind.

  With her.

  I was a goner.

  I was the kind of guy that fell hard and fast, it was why I never dated because I always ended up hurt, so I never gave myself the chance to love.

  Until now.

  Taking a chance, I slid my tongue between her lips, swirling it around her own. She gasped, trepidatious at the new experience. Our lips closed, and I moved my head to the right, opening my mouth again. Her tongue flicked against mine, and the simple touch made my cock leak precome. I groaned into her mouth, wanting nothing more than to lay her down and kiss every inch of her body.

  My mind started to haze; lust clouded me with desire, my cock pulsed. God, I needed her so fucking much. “Abigail,” I whispered, breaking our kiss and laying my forehead against hers. We struggled to breathe, trying to calm ourselves.

  This might not have been my first kiss, but it was the only kiss that mattered.

  “We should slow down,” I said just as the doorbell rang. The food had arrived.

  Thank fuck.

  I was too close to inching my hand up her shirt and copping a feel like a teenage boy experiencing his first make-out session in the back of a car, seeing if he could get to second base. That was how she made me feel.

  Young. Inexperienced.

  But alive, oh, so fucking alive.

  My body shook, tremored, my muscles shaking from how tense I kept my body because of how much I held myself back.

  “I want to keep kissing you,” she said just as her stomach growled, and she covered her face with her hands, embarrassed.

  “Feeding you is priority.” I gave her one last peck and rolled off the bed. She was right behind me, not wanting to be left alone. I was starting to understand what she wanted and needed, and my girl never wanted to be alone. That was alright. I’d rather have her by my side than anywhere else. “Stay behind me. I don’t want the delivery guy to see you.”

  “Why? Are you ashamed of me?” she asked.

  I spun around so fast and pushed her against the wall, caging her in with my arms. The doorbell went off again, but I didn’t care about that right now. The food could wait one minute. “Never. I would never be ashamed of you. I don’t want him to see you because,” I dropped my hand to her thigh, and the shirt raised. “Because you look fucking sexy in just my shirt, and I don’t want him to see what’s mine.”

  She smiled, biting her lip as she looked away. That blush told all though.

  “Stay behind me,” I warned, but there was a little twinkle in her eyes that told me she was going to be trouble. I held onto her hand, and she followed me to the front door. I opened it, and the man stood there with a white plastic bag.

  Abigail stepped out from behind me, and he cocked his head, staring at her.

  “You don’t get a tip,” I said, slamming the door in his face.

  “That wasn’t nice,” Abigail said.

  I lifted a brow, one hand full of our food while the other itched to spank her ass. “It wasn’t nice to disobey me.”

  She giggled and ran down the hallway, the bottom curve of her ass cheeks showing with every step she took. I ran after her keeping the food steady, and I crossed the doorway just in time to see her jump on the bed, smiling ear to ear.

  I stopped in my tracks and put the food down on the dresser.

  “What?” she said through her wide grin, showing all of those straight white teeth.

  “Nothing. You’re just beautiful. I love to see you smile.”

  “I never smiled so much before.”

  “I hope to always keep you smiling,” I said in earnest and opened the plastic bag of food. So much damn food. “What I said earlier is still good, you know. If you can eat all this, I’ll kiss you.” I’d kiss her regardless, but she didn’t need to know that, not yet.

  “Deal,” she said.

  I pulled the comforter off the bed, so we didn’t get it dirty and set our feast out on the sheet. Sheets could be changed, but right now, I only had one main blanket.

  “It smells so good.”

  The way she groaned made me wonder what she would look like sweaty and in the throes of pleasure. She didn’t even notice how seductive she was. Abigail thought she was someone easily forgotten since she couldn’t remember anything, but if anything happened to her before I got to spend the rest of my life falling in love with every aspect of her, I’d remember.

  I’d remember her smile, the gold flecks in her eyes, the sound of her laugh, the feel of her lips, the sound of her voice. I’d take it with me to the grave.

  And if there was a day where she couldn’t remember our journey, I’d remember for the both of us and remind her every day.

  Chapter Ten

  Abigail

  Was it possible to love someone only after a few days? I didn’t remember love, but I wanted to believe that something as intense as what I felt for Logan, would be considered love.

  For the first time in my life, I thought anyway, I fell asleep with a full belly and slept beside someone who would keep me safe.

  And Logan stayed true to his word, I ate every bit of the food we ordered, and I got myself another kiss before I laid my head on his chest and slept. I slept better than I ever had. Right now, I was wrapped up in his arms, his chest pressed against my back and his hard cock between my butt cheeks.

  I wanted to move. I wanted this ache between my legs to be satisfied, but I was scared.

  “Good Morning,” Logan muttered sleepily behind me, and just the sound of his voice made me smile. I would think I was dreaming if I didn’t feel his arms around me and body pressed against mine.

  “Morning,” I said, noticing how much stronger my voice was just from a simple night of chatting. The slur was still there, but that wouldn’t go away after one night, if ever.

  “You’re so sexy right now,” he said, and my body froze when his hand traveled up my leg. “You have no idea, do you? Fuck, I could wake up to you every day,” he squeezed my bare hip before he rolled out of bed.

  I laid on my back and stared at him, watching him stretch all of his body. He yawned, stretching his arms over his head and every muscle seemed leaner and more defined, not as bulky, but I liked how his body was before the stretch. His erection pressed against his shorts, and he smirked when he saw me staring at it.

  “I can’t help it. I wake up next to you, and I can’t help but want you. You’re too beautiful. Here too,” he tapped my temple, and when he did that, it meant more to me than he would ever know. My chest constricted, and the back of my eyes burned, but I made sure I didn’t cry. “I said I’d tell you every day, and I meant it.” He kissed me right then, morning breath and all.

  He didn’t even taste bad. I loved it.

  “I have to work today.”

  Five words that ruined every good thing I felt about this morning. I started to panic. I wasn’t ready to be alone. I held on to his wrist, squeezing it, worried that if he left, I’d lose myself again.

  “Hey, hey, look at me, baby. You’r
e going somewhere far away, and I don’t like it. Look at me. I need you to tell me what’s wrong or I can’t help.”

  I shook my head, burying my face in my hands. Logan wasn’t having that. He took my hands from my face and held them with both of his, then pulled me to the edge of the bed. He kneeled on the ground, kind of like he did the first time we met, but this time, he brushed a knuckle down my cheek.

  “Can I go with you? I don’t want to be alone, please? I’ll help.” I sounded so pathetic, but I was so afraid. No one understood. Last night was the first night in a long time that I didn’t have nightmares about blood, about running, about living. I had been alone. I knew what it was like. After experiencing love, safety, and happiness with Logan in one night, going back to anything that didn’t have those elements made me fall apart.

  I wasn’t strong.

  I didn’t know how to be.

  Sure, I was strong when I had to be, and I learned to live for the last year, but now I felt fragile, on the verge of shattering ever since Logan came into the picture. He put me back together, made me feel things I never thought I would or could. He glued me together, and when he left, I knew I’d fall apart.

  I knew it.

  “Baby,” he crooned, sitting on the bed next to me and holding my head to his chest as he ran his fingers through my hair. “I’m working here. I need to finish the house still. My crew will be here in two hours. Only this half of the house is done, there is an entire other half.”

  I breathed easier, knowing he would be in the same area as me. I felt like a fool. “I’m sorry.”

  “Hey, why the reaction?”

  I shook my head, but as I did it, I knew that wouldn’t be what he wanted.

  “Abigail,” he said my name like a father would scolding a child.

  “I’m afraid to be without you.”

  “You’ve been without me before, an entire year, remember?”

  I shrugged.

  “Words, Abigail.”

  I huffed, not wanting to speak because when I was upset my words jumbled together. “I’m not afraid when I’m with you. I’m brave with you.”

  “Oh, Abigail, you have no idea, do you? You’re brave without me. You conquered a world on your own without anyone, without memories of how life works, without love. I’m afraid I won’t be enough for what you deserve.”

  “You’re more than I could ever hope for,” I said, staring into his eyes as his hands found their way to my lower back.

  “How about you become my intern? You’ll get coffee, nails, things like that.”

  “What are nails?”

  He chuckled, but I was serious. “We will work on it. You have a lot to learn today, come on.” He patted my butt. “Time to get up. I’m going to get in the shower. You can join me if you want; I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

  I didn’t want him to though. I wanted him to touch me in all the ways possible. His phone dinged and it got my attention. And when I looked down, I saw that name Maria again. He swiped it away, and I couldn’t help but feel jealous.

  “Who’s Maria?” I asked. My voice clear as day and angry. I had never heard myself sound like that before. I covered my mouth with my hands, mortified from my reaction. “I’m sorry. That isn’t any of my business. You probably have a girlfriend.” Logan being that kind of man made me sad.

  “No, what? No, I mean, you, yes. You’re my girlfriend; Maria isn’t. She’s a friend.” He stood and laced his fingers behind his head. “Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t ever want to lie to you. She is a friend, and for a long time I felt something for her, but we never did anything, I never once kissed her, and before I met you, I knew that she wasn’t what I needed. Maria, she kind of wants her cake and wants to eat it too; she’s with someone else—”

  “—If she wasn’t, would you be with her?” I asked, my heart slowly breaking from his words.

  “No,” he said instantly. “Maria, she means a lot to me, her friendship is important. She’s best friends with my sister, so she will always be in my life, but I don’t love her. I never did. I want you, Abigail.”

  “Does Maria always text you wanting to talk?”

  “So you did read the message from last night?” He didn’t sound angry; he had a crooked grin instead.

  “Of course, I did. If she is with someone, why is she messaging you?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered with defeated shoulders. “I don’t, but I’ll talk to her, okay?”

  His phone beeped again, and this time it was Lucy. I glanced away, not wanting to intrude on his conversation. I didn’t mean to read the message from Maria last night, but it was right there as I looked at the menu.

  “It’s my sister asking if I’m going to come over for Easter and to have dinner. You’re going to come with me, right?”

  Easter, I vaguely remembered it from last year. “You want me to go?”

  “I don’t ever want to go anywhere without you ever again,” he said.

  “I’d meet your family?” That made me nervous. I knew what they would think of me the moment they met me. They would probably think I was using Logan, and I wasn’t. I loved being with him, but if he didn’t want to be with me, I’d move on, and I’d live because that was what I did. I always survived.

  I always figured out a way.

  “Just my sister and her husband. Our parents died awhile back. It’s just her and me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. My parents died too. That’s what the hospital told me. I guess we have that in common.”

  “We have a lot in common, Abigail. More than the simple things, like favorite colors and food. It’s deeper than that. You feel it, don’t you?”

  I went to nod, but he held my head still.

  “Words,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes and fought a tiny smile, trying to form on my lips. He always wanted me to speak, and as much as it annoyed me, I loved it too. I wasn’t a burden to him; at least, he didn’t act like it if I was. “I feel it, Logan.”

  “It’s impossible not to.”

  My stomach flipped, and my heart lurched forward in my chest when he leaned down and kissed me again. It was one peck, two, and by the third time he placed his lips on mine, he held them there, moving his firm mouth against mine. His five o’clock shadow rubbed against the skin, and I loved the slight burn it gave.

  He pulled away, much to my dismay, leaving me breathless with wet panties. “You’re trouble. I have a feeling there are going to be times where I am late to work, which says something, since I’m going to be building houses in this neighborhood, so I never have to go far.”

  I stared up at him through my lashes, marveling at how handsome he was. His hair was messy from sleep, and he stilled had a pillow crease line on his cheek. I found it endearing. It felt like I had known Logan my entire life.

  “The guys will be here soon. If I don’t get in the shower now, I never will, and I’ll just stay in bed with you all day.”

  “Would that be so awful?” I got onto my knees and placed my hands on his shoulders.

  “Awful? No. Amazing?” He kissed me. “Delightful?” He kissed me again. “Perfect? Yes. Would it pay the bills? As much as I wish it would, it doesn’t. Plus, you need to get ready too. You’re my intern, remember? I bought a new coffee pot. Why don’t you make a pot for me and the crew?”

  “Sure,” I said, not admitting that I had no idea how to make coffee.

  “Thanks, baby.” He bent down to give me a kiss again and then vanished into the bathroom. The shower turned on, and I imagined the water dripping down his body, shining against the contours of his abs, and I wanted to go in there, rip off my shirt, and slide my body against his.

  I wasn’t ready for that.

  Instead, I focused on my first task as an intern and searched for the coffee pot. It couldn’t be in the kitchen because there were no appliances there, but I decided to check anyway. The hallway was long and wide, probably for Logan to fit through since his shoulders were so big
. The hallway eventually opened up into the living room and then the kitchen.

  I sighed dreamily when I saw how extravagant the kitchen was. It had beautiful hardwood floors, the cabinets were black with silver handles, and the countertops were this beautiful matte grey color, similar to concrete, but prettier. Maybe it was concrete. A few empty spaces lingered, and I knew it was for the dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator. The sink was installed though and right next to it was the coffee pot. It was always dark when I snuck in before. With all the tools lying around, I had always assumed it was just another unfinished part of the house and didn’t bother looking up from the ground. I decided then, that was a habit I needed to break.

  The sink itself was stainless steel with a faucet that curved at the end. A medium-sized dog could fit in that sink, and then I thought about bathing a cute puppy in it with Logan. I was thinking of the future, assuming I’d be here with Logan, building new memories. It was a dream, and I had no right to place myself here in Logan’s home. If there was one thing I learned in this life, it was that no one knew what the future held.

  The coffee pot was still in its packaging, so I picked at the tape at the end of the box and unraveled it, yanking it across. Once the flaps were undone, I dipped my hands inside and grabbed onto the Styrofoam as I pulled the pot out. The foam fell off one side, hitting against the counter, and white dust went everywhere. I tugged the side free and studied the pot.

  Alright, it didn’t look too difficult to figure out. If luck is for me right now, muscle memory would take over if I ever made coffee before.

  But the longer I studied the red pot and all the buttons; the more my muscle memory laid dormant. “Crap,” I muttered, grabbing the pot by the handle and pulling it out. The black lid on it popped free, and I inspected it. Obviously, the coffee filled this, but how did I get there?

  This was aggravating. I spun the machine around, looking for another hole of some sort, and I clicked down on the top, and it slowly lifted.

  I called this progress.