Two hours into their trip on the other side of Montgomery, the torrential downpours Matt had mentioned had forced Locke to pull over on the side of the road in a little town called Hope Hull. While he talked with the team who was an hour behind them and forced to stop too, Bellamy checked a weather app on her iPhone.

“Tornado warning,” she said, tugging on his arm. “We don’t need to be in a vehicle.”

“Agreed. Guys, there’s a tornado warning here. We’re going to find someplace to take shelter. Don’t get on the road if it’s unsafe.”

When they reached a nearby motel, the rain had stopped. Locke ran to pay for the room and get a key and Bellamy rolled down the window. The temperature had increased since they left Atlanta, and the wind was calm, almost nonexistent. Bellamy took a deep breath, but the air was so thick, it was hard to breathe. Half a mile away, lightening cracked across the sky and hit a transformer. Sparks lit up the night, and the town went dark.

“Come on,” Locke said as he opened the door. He snatched their bags from the floorboard and led her and Luci to the room. “He gave it to us half price when I told him we were just waiting out the storm. Also, no electricity.”

“I figured when I saw the transformer blow.”

“Yeah. So should we go get in the bathtub or something?”

Bellamy eyeballed the bed, then jumped into his arms. “I don’t think that’s necessary right now.”

Rougher than he intended, he palmed her ass and flipped her against the wall, pinning her with his knee. With one hand, he held Bellamy’s arms over her head and the other roamed to her neck, her breasts, and farther down. Intoxicated, he breathed her in. Rich amber mixed with hints of cinnamon. If she tasted as good as she smelled, he was in for a treat. Releasing her arms, he helped her remove her dress. He hadn’t expected to find red lace underneath, but everything about this woman was a beautiful contradiction. Her breasts were small but full with taut pink nipples. He swirled the stiff flesh in his mouth and moved lower to her belly, and lower still until he was even with her sex. Her hands tangled in his hair and she spread her legs for him to see. She was bare except for a thin strip as dark as the hair on her head. Locke kissed there first.

“I’m going to come if you keep doing that,” she whispered.

“That’s the idea, isn’t it? My God, you taste wonderful.”

In response, she spread her legs farther and he swirled his tongue over the tiny erect pearl in the center. Soon, wetness spilled from inside and trickled down her legs and Locke’s erection ached for release. Lifting her up by her hips, he carried her to the bed. Bellamy tugged at his jeans and kissed the hardened bulge, and when his boxers fell to the floor, she gasped at the length of his cock and the delicious curve that would certainly fill and satisfy her. “I want this, Locke. I want you,” she purred as she lay back and offered him access once again.

After another taste of her, Locke licked his index finger, then pressed the tip into her ass and when she moaned, he nearly lost all his self-control. His cock was harder and his need was stronger than it had ever been in his life. Locke didn’t want to simply fuck Bellamy; he wanted to make love to her. To hear her say his name and know it was the only name she’s say forever. He wanted to be hers.

On top of her now, his erection pressed between her thighs and when she shifted, his cock glided back and forth between her clit and her pussy. Her back arched as he entered her with a hard thrust. Bellamy shivered, then closed her eyes.

“Locke, yes,” she screamed.

Thunder boomed around them and shook the walls. Bellamy swore she could feel drops of rain pelting her skin. In perfect tandem with the storm, they went higher and higher until they were weightless and nothing mattered but the summit. Desperate for resolution, Locke’s strokes were shallow, uneven, but when she tightened around him, finding her pleasure, he held her legs over her head and buried himself as far inside of her as their bodies would allow. She would be the only woman he would ever love.

With that thought, he came.

Half an hour later, Locke dozed with Bellamy at his side. Down at his feet, Luci stretched then curled into a tight ball of fluff. Locke’s mother never allowed animals in the house, and having Luci would be a dream come true for the little boy he used to be. Maybe he could convince Bellamy to get Luci a friend. He rubbed his eyes and chuckled at the sentiment. Making plans with a woman he’d only recently met. Yet as sure as Locke was breathing, he knew Bellamy East had woven herself into the tapestry of his life. Perhaps she’d always been there.

The storm had calmed and all that was left was intermittent lightning illuminating the room. They needed to get back on the road to New Orleans, but Locke didn’t want to leave the worn-down motel in Hope Hull without telling Bellamy what was on his mind, on his heart.

He nudged her shoulder with a firm kiss. “I’m ready to answer your question.”

“My question?” She yawned.

“About Satan being the hero or villain of Paradise Lost.”

Bellamy propped up on her shoulder and pursed her lips. “I’m ready.”

“He’s a type of hero. More specifically, the anti-hero, especially because we can see through his eyes. Throughout, he exhibits heroic qualities such as leadership and perseverance, but Milton wrote him as a tragedy with intentions of annihilating him. Satan is a metaphor for the sinner in Milton’s Christianity. Someone who has had every opportunity to recognize his sinful nature and accept forgiveness.”

“Agreed. You passed.”

“I passed? This was a test?”

“Yep.” After a kiss to his chest, she shifted to sit. “My litmus test to see if you were worth my time… romantically.”

“Ah, I see. Did you use a classic literature litmus test on all the men you’ve dated?”

“Actually, yes. Someone who is well-read will always gain more points with me than someone who’s not.”

Locke grew serious. “I’ve never done this before, Bellamy. Never. I don’t sleep with clients. Hell, I don’t sleep around at all. As crazy as it sounds, I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you in the hotel room. It’s too soon, I know, but I won’t fight it.”

“I love you too. And I don’t think it’s too soon. My real parents met and married in the same month.”

“Are you proposing?”

“Why not?” she dared.

“Good question and I don’t have a reasonable argument either. But first, we need to talk about something else. Something that’s just as important.”

Puzzled, she lifted her shoulders. “Okay?”

“I think you would make an excellent field agent at Ian de Caro. I’d like to write you a letter of recommendation and as soon as you graduate from college, if accepted, you can attend the two-year school and afterward, you’ll be ready for work in the private security sector.” His voice was loud, commanding. “At the least, I think you should consider it.”

“If we are serious about marriage—”

“We are,” he interrupted.

“Right, but would it be considered nepotism, if you write me a letter and we work at the same firm?”

He reached for a bottle of water and after a long drink, passed it to Bellamy. “This firm is family owned and operated. Several couples already work together.”

“You wouldn’t try to hold me back for fear of losing me?”

“I’d be concerned, yes, because I love you, but no, I would never hold you back. I want you to fly, Bellamy, not shrivel up like some shrinking violet. That’s not you.”

For several seconds she was quiet, but easily, he read her mind. “I know you’re concerned about your mom and dad, but they will come around. I know it.”

“Hmmph,” she groaned. “One can only hope.”

“Hey, I didn’t think a woman as good as you would ever come around, and look at us in bed together in Hope Hull, Alabama.”

Her contagious giggles echoed through the small motel room and Locke started laughing too. “We’ll have to come back here on our honeymoon.”

“For sure. Now, before we shower, give your parents a call and let them know we’ll be there in four hours.”

Snatching her phone from a bag, she patted Luci’s head as she found her parents’ number and pressed send. One ring. Three rings. Six rings. Nothing. Concerned, wrinkles lined her forehead.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“They’re not picking up.” She called back. Ten rings and still no answer. “Something’s wrong.”

“Hang on, maybe not.” Locke pulled up Bill’s number and waited until he got voicemail, then tried Regina. “Could they be asleep? Turned the ringer off on their phones?”

“Nope. Never. They always answer me. Always. Dead of night. In the middle of seeing patients. I called once during church and Mom still answered me. Something is wrong,” she said again, this time with emphasis.

“Then let’s get on the road.” If Bellamy was worried, he was too.

“Should I call my aunt and have her go over and check?”

Locke grabbed his clothes and jumped up. “No. Don’t want to get anyone else involved.”

“What about the police?”

“Yeah, we’ll give them a call.”