Run With Me: (a Sin With Me romantic suspense prequel) by Lacey Silks (20)

I was sitting on a wooden chair. The platform underneath me swayed over the river. It had been two weeks since we’d left Pace and came to settle somewhere in the swamps of Louisiana. I didn’t even know which part of Louisiana we were in because I’d slept most of the way here and hadn’t ventured anywhere outside the confines of our rented cottage. When I saw Jack and Mary waiting for us, holding both Cameron and Hope in their arms, my knees gave in. The thought of never seeing them again still gave me nightmares at night. We had all stayed at this little home ever since our return, but according to Xavier, this was not our last stop, and when we moved again, Jack and Mary couldn’t know where we’d move to. They were making similar arrangements in New York. Today our ties would be cut, for everyone’s safety. Anyone connected to me or Xavier was now in danger.

“Hey, what are you doing up so early?” Mary joined me in the chair next to mine. It wasn’t easy with her swollen belly. The baby was due in less than three months, and she was beginning to waddle like a duck again.

“Hope woke up. I gave her the bottle and she went back to sleep, but I couldn’t.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Grateful and indebted.”

“We are the ones who will be indebted to you for the rest of our lives. Cameron is doing so well.” A tear glistened in the corner of her eye, and she wiped it away.

“I’m happy to hear that something good came out of my visit.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short! And keep your heart open. You deserve happiness just like everyone else does.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Mary. For everything. Is the baby active?” I asked.

“He is.”

“He?”

“I’m guessing that Cameron will have a brother.”

I sighed. It was more difficult to not think about my friends leaving today than I expected.

“What is it, Anna?”

“I wish this didn’t have to be a goodbye.”

“It’s not a goodbye. It’s a ‘see you later,’ and it’s for the best, sweetheart. I have a feeling that Xavier and Jack will both keep tabs on our families, but the less we know about it, the safer we’ll be.”

A gentle breeze swept across the river, rippling the water. We sat on the dock in silence, avoiding the time that was drawing closer to say our goodbyes, although we’d agreed we wouldn’t call it that. We’d agreed on a ‘see you later,’ the way John suggested.

“I didn’t tell John about Hope. It didn’t feel entirely right, but if I had… I just didn’t want him to question his faith and leave everything he’d worked so hard for, behind. He’ll be a good priest. He’ll be exactly what Pace needs when the Cortez family leaves.”

“You have good instincts, Anna. I don’t blame you for keeping this little one a secret. You shouldn’t feel bad. You’re protecting your child.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Hey, don’t be so sad. Think of this as a new beginning. And you have a wonderful man at your side.”

I felt my cheeks heat and my heart flutter.

“You do like Xavier, don’t you?” she asked. “Because I think he’s head over heels in love with you.”

I remembered his words back in Pace, when he’d asked me to run with him, at the same time promising to love me forever.

“I think my feelings for Xavier are a bit stronger than just liking him. I think they’ve been that way for a while, I was just afraid to admit them.”

“I knew it!” Mary smiled. “You’re in love with him as well. It doesn’t surprise me. Your heart has been through so much. You’ve been guarding it for a long time, but you need to open it up, Anna. You need to let him love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

Could I find true happiness with Xavier, the way Mary said I could? I hoped so. I had that delightful feeling in my stomach when I thought about Xavier that way. It wasn’t butterflies and it wasn’t a stampede of bulls, but it felt wonderful and right. It felt special.

“Thank you for taking care of Hope.”

“It’s the least we could do.”

We heard footsteps along the platform and both turned. Jack came with two steaming cups of tea in his hands and handed one to each of us.

“Is it time yet?” Mary asked.

“After the tea, darling.” Jack whispered. I set the cup on the dock, stood up, and hugged Jack. “Thank you for everything.”

“Hey, we said no goodbyes.”

“I know. I’m just sad.”

“Be happy, Anna. Today’s a good day. Today is the beginning of your new life with Hope and Xavier.”

“I’ll forever be grateful. For everything, Jack. You’ve taught me so much.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re the one who opened our eyes to the kind of love a family should have. You risked everything to keep your little one safe.”

Mary caressed her stomach, smiling. Lost in thought, she looked across the river, and I turned my attention back to Jack.

“My offer stands, Anna. Anything you two ever need, just let me know. Xavier will find a way to contact us. You saved our son’s life. I will give you anything you ask for.”

“All I ask for is that you’re both safe.”

“We will be. I’m gonna go get our bags.”

I threw my arms around Jack one last time, or what I thought was a last time because over the next hour, as we said our ‘see you laters,’ it took all my energy to actually let my friends go.

*

That evening, I lay Hope in her crib and took a shower. As soon as Mary and Jack left, Xavier began making arrangements for our travel the next day. He was still downstairs, sitting in the kitchen of the little house we’d rented in the middle of nowhere, flipping through papers and checking maps. I didn’t want to interrupt him.

I stepped out of the shower and pulled the robe’s ties together. When I came out to the bedroom, Xavier was sitting on the bed. His legs were stretched out and he was wearing his sweatpants.

“Hi, are you finished?” I asked.

“I think so. We leave in the morning. How are you feeling?”

Looking at him without his shirt made me feel anxious and excited at the same time. A quick flash of need passed through me. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had sex. Actually, I was pretty sure it was when Hope was conceived.

“I’m okay, I guess.”

He patted the bed for me to come sit beside him. Something about the gesture made me feel nervous, but in a good way. I came up to the bed and stood in front of him. He sat on the edge, his legs resting against my hips.

“Anna, you can’t ever tell anyone where the money is. Not even me.”

I gasped.

He knows.

Our gazes connected, and I replied, “What money?”

“Good. Now, you do know that you’re stuck with me for what may be the rest of your life, don’t you?”

I looked into his eyes. That connection I’d felt when I first saw him was back. It had always been there, though I hadn’t realized how strong it had become until now. I wasn’t sure exactly when I’d fallen for Xavier. It must have happened over time, and now that I recognized this new feeling in my chest for this man, it felt wonderful.

“I’m not stuck. I’m right where I want to be, which is next to you. But is that what you want, Xavier? Can you live on the run for the rest of your life? I mean, I didn’t really give you much choice.”

“You never have to question where I want to be because whenever I’m with you, I’m right where I need to be.”

He lifted his hands to my hips and drew me closer to him. At the sight of his sweats lifting over his crotch, I felt my nipples pebble. They almost hurt. That, and my heart began beating harder. It was also getting hotter in the room.

“Anna, I understand if you don’t feel the same way. The past few years have been hell for you, and if you tell me to back away, I will. I’m a patient man.”

“They weren’t all hell, and I do feel the same way. I think I have for a long time. I just needed answers, and now that I have them, I want to move on. I want to move on with you. I’m in love with you, Xavier Black. You heal my heart. You make me feel safe and special. You give me hope.”

He pulled me to his body and sealed his mouth over mine. I fell forward onto him as he leaned back on the bed. The intimate kiss quickly turned into a fervent one. His needy tongue guided mine. It pried my mouth wider and wider as Xavier snaked his hands underneath me to untie my robe. The fabric slid off my arms, then off my body. I wasn’t sure how he’d managed that, but it didn’t matter. Lying naked over him, feeling his erection against my stomach, was even more exciting than the thrill of watching the bulls run. My heart raced and my mind was spinning with emotions I’d never experienced. They were deep and passionate, full of need and sorrow at the same time, but also full of new expectations, and I had no doubt in my mind that this was the right way to begin a new life.

A moment of panic flashed in my mind. “Wait – I’ve never had an orgasm.”

“What?” He rolled to the side. I lay naked on the bed, in full view, without covers, feeling the adoration in his gaze.

“John and I… I mean, we were both so inexperienced. I’m not sure how it’s supposed to feel. What if I miss it?”

Xavier laughed, then removed his sweats. He wasn’t wearing any underwear, and I couldn’t stop staring at his stiff dick. “Oh, Anna, you have no idea how much you’ve just turned me on. And you have no idea what I’m about to do to you.”

His promise snaked through my limbs, awakening a need deep inside me. He kissed my shoulder, drawing his mouth over my collarbone then down to my breast, where he licked a nipple. His right hand was on my other breast, gently squeezing the weight before it slowly slid down to my belly, then to between my legs. I felt him touch me in that sensitive spot, and my body jerked upward.

“I promise you, you won’t miss it.”

I writhed underneath him as his fingers moved over that spot, over and over again. I closed my eyes, getting lost in the building sensation between my legs. I wanted to open them further, but stopped him again. “How will I know?”

“When you want to scream my name out loud, then you’ll know.”

I didn’t ask him to stop again. It felt too good. His touches, tender kisses, and the way he loved me, physically and with his heart, felt beyond perfect. If there was anyone I’d ever want to run with, it was Xavier.

*

“Come on, kid. That’s not how you clean a gun.”

“Gun,” the boy repeated.

“Mateo, what are you doing? He’s barely four.”

“What? It’s not loaded. It’s better that he learns how to use one early. He’s going to be the best shooter in the state.”

“You think that’s good enough? Fifty million dollars is a big chunk of change, Mateo. The bitch has it, and we have to find her.”

“You’re wrong, Pablo. What you’re looking at here is not a child. It’s an investment in our future and our children’s future.”

“How do you propose this little one will find the money, brother?”

“It’s simple. Mikey will be a detective.”