The Scheme

There was no way I was letting her leave, not without a fight. Tonight, I wasn’t taking no for an answer, not when I knew I had fallen hopelessly in love with this woman.

She moaned into my mouth as her hands moved, urgent and aggressive, over the front of my boxers. We broke contact just enough for her to reach for the waistband of my boxers, but I lifted her hands and brought them to my lips. Kissing her delicate fingers, I stared down at her. I wanted to savor and cherish every inch of her body. Tonight, I’d take things slow, make love to her the way she deserved.

I cupped the back of her shorts and picked her up as she wrapped her legs around my waist. When I pushed her against my hardness, she dropped her head back, and my tongue found the tender spot below her ear that drove her mad. This was her spot, the one that got her panties wet just from one flick of my tongue.

As many times as I’d been inside her, I’d memorized every inch of her. I knew the tender spot on the i

If her body was a road map, I could trace every birthmark, every freckle, and every part of her body that drove her over the edge.

Her feet touched the ground, her tender eyes locked with mine. Bending down, I lifted her behind her knees, carrying her like we were crossing some sort of threshold, and maybe we were. Maybe this was some monumental shift in our relationship. Either way, I knew there was no way she was leaving tonight because I wasn’t letting her go.

***

I jolted up from my peaceful state of sleep when I heard a scream. It was Kendy. She was lying beside me, thrashing around, blonde hair matted to her face. And then she stopped.

I leaned in, listening to her tiny mumbles to see if I could decipher something . . . anything. There was only one word I could make out.

“No.”

She spoke so softly. It was barely above a whisper, but she repeated that one word over and over. Her face was distorted and her eyebrows pulled together as though she was in pain.

When she started to whimper, I moved up to my knees. It was like taking a punch in the gut over and over again, watching her struggle. But then I noticed that her cheeks were wet from tears, and any indecision on whether or not to wake her up flew out the window.

Her tears were my undoing.

I shook her gently. “Kendy . . . Kendy . . .” I pulled her to my chest, wiping away the wetness on her cheeks.

Finally, her eyes flew open and she reeled back, throwing herself up against the headboard. The action was so abrupt, my eyes widened. Her limbs shook as her face flashed with fear then confusion.

I raised my hands like I was approaching a scared animal. “It’s me. Brian.” Of course she knew it was me, but I’d just woken her from her nightmare, and she seemed disoriented.

The next minute, she rushed toward me and started wailing into my chest.

Listening to her cries was like tiny knives shooting straight through my heart.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, smoothing a hand down her back. “It’s okay, baby; it’s okay. I’ve got you.” I tucked her under my chin and she curled in, unresisting.

I didn’t know what had frightened her. All I knew was that I wanted to fucking jump back into her nightmare and beat the boogie man to a pulp.

I rocked her as she cried in my lap. I’d never felt so helpless, wanting to do something, but not knowing what she had dreamt about.

She wouldn’t talk, so I didn’t know what I could do or say. I just comforted her the best I could and rocked her within the confines of my arms as my insides contracted at her uncontrollable sobs.

When her cries died down, she pushed at my chest, and I loosened my hold. She wiped the tears from her face with the bottom of my oversized T-shirt, that she was wearing.

Pulling her knees under my shirt, she backed up against the headboard again. I knew in my gut what her nightmare had been about. There was no confirmation, but my gut was never wrong. Whatever this was, I was certain it had something to do with her ex-boyfriend.

She wouldn’t even look at me, and I couldn’t take it. I inched closer, wanting to be near her. I sensed that she didn’t want me to even touch her, and I yearned to hold her again, but I kept a small distance.

“I’m sorry,” she said sadly.

My stomach dropped at the sorrow in her beautiful blue eyes. Why the hell she was apologizing, I had no idea. I could see exactly how broken she really was, and I knew she was embarrassed. She had let her guard down, something she’d never done with me, but I had to show her that it was okay.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” I reached out to hold her, but she cowered, backing up farther.

She nodded, barely, then hugged her knees closer to her chest and rested her chin on top. She looked so tiny in my oversized t-shirt.

“What were you dreaming about?” I asked carefully, gritting my teeth. My muscles tensed as I waited for her response. Time seemed to tick by slowly, painfully. The seconds seemed like an eternity.

Her eyes met mine for a brief second before she turned away again. “Cole.”

I gritted my teeth again as my body tensed. I wanted to ask her more, but I waited for her to tell me. If I pushed her, she’d clam up. I had figured that out by now.

Her lip quivered as she spoke. “He held me . . . he held me down the whole time. Even when I begged him to stop.” She spoke softly, though she sounded tormented.

I gripped the sheets in my fists, my eyes losing focus. Everything made sense. No wonder she didn’t want to be on the bottom when I made love to her.

I want to fucking kill him.

Tremors overtook my body, but I breathed heavily and concentrated only on Kendy’s face to keep me steady. “What else?”

She gulped, seeing how angry I was. She’d probably kept this secret all this time. “I found him in his truck with his pants down, with Clary,” she said quietly. “I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore . . . and . . .” She stifled a cry in her sleeve. “ . . . and he wanted to make sure I knew what I’d be missing.”

My hands trembled at her revelations and, automatically, I advanced toward her, because, shit, I had to hold her. I needed to feel her beside me, but she held up her hands to stop me.

“I was embarrassed. I didn’t think people would believe me, since we’d already been together sexually. And by the time I could absorb what had happened . . . I just wanted to forget,” she said before tucking her feet under her butt, her tone heart-wrenchingly soft. “I’m fine. I got my revenge. I busted his nose.”

She was trying to make light of the situation, when there was nothing fu

She shook her head, offering a sad smile. “Don’t feel sorry for me.”

“I don’t.” It was the truth. Kendy was strong, no question. I didn’t feel sorry for her, but she needed to know she didn’t have to go through this alone. She had me now.

She peered out the window, wrapping her arms around herself in a cocoon of anguish. “I haven’t had that nightmare in a while.” Her eyebrows pulled together like she was studying me, gauging my reaction maybe.

Then I paused and somehow found myself asking, “Do I look like him?”

She shook her head, biting her lower lip. “No, not at all.” Letting out a soft sigh, she added, “But sometimes you remind me of him.”

Ice spread through my stomach. I didn’t want to be compared to that asshole in any way, shape, or form.

My jaw locked right before I spoke. “I’d never hurt you, Kendy.”

My voice came out strong with conviction. There was no way I’d fail her when every man in her life had. Her father had left her at such a young age, and the only man she had ever loved had hurt her beyond repair. I’d restore her faith in men again. I would. She’d gain trust and faith in me.