Patrick

Bolting across the living room, I grab the back of the guy’s shirt. “Get off her. Who are you?” I spit out.

He’s caught off-guard and stumbles back and away from her. He reeks of alcohol and he looks disheveled, hair askew, and sweat across his forehead.

Seeing Carsen’s trembling body and hearing the shrill tone of her voice as I walked into the house had me seeing red. My intense need to protect her makes me want to beat him to a pulp. Pulling back my arm, I’m ready to pounce.

The guy’s eyes are as wide as saucers and he puts his hands up in surrender and says, “I’m sorry, man. Carsen’s my girl.”

“Carsen, do you want him to leave?” I nearly growl out.

She’s crying now and every muscle in her body is stiff with fear. “Yes, please. He needs to leave and never come back.”

Grabbing the bastard by the shirt, I force him out the front door. Pushing him back off my porch, he falters and loses footing, landing squarely on his ass.

“Stay away from her and my home. I’m only going to ask once. Next time there won’t be a conversation.” I’d like more than anything to take out all my aggression on his face, but I won’t do it today. Not here. But if he comes back, I won’t hesitate. Fuck the consequences.

“Fuck, man, okay.” With great effort, he gets to a standing position and backs himself away toward the street. He takes off in an awkward run down the road. When he’s out of sight, I run back in the house to find Carsen on the living room floor curled up in a fetal position and sobbing. I go to her and wrap my arms around her shaking form.

Throwing her arms around me, she sobs into my chest and says barely audible words. The only thing I can make out is, “I’m so sorry.”

“Shhh, it’s okay. This isn’t your fault.” Everything in me wants to console her, protect her. I run my hands through her hair and kiss the top of her head, breathing her in. For this moment, with us wrapped up in each other, I give in to myself and imagine that she’s mine even though she can never be. Stroking her back and up her shoulders, I rub her and memorize the way her body feels under my fingertips.

Moaning, she pulls back and stares at me with her tear drenched face. There’s longing in her eyes. Could she want me? This isn’t the right time; she was almost assaulted minutes ago. She sits up and when we’re face-to-face, she presses her lips to mine. It’s gentle, tentative, but I’m not dreaming it. When her lips part and her tongue is against my lips, I know that if I’m not careful, there’s no going back. Breaking the kiss, I say, “Carsen, we shouldn’t. You just went through something traumatic.”

It’s as if she doesn’t hear me at all, her eyes are closed and her mouth is back on mine once again, this time there’s more force. Did I imagine saying the words? She doesn’t want me to stop. I open to her and reach my hand up into her hair and press her closer to me. Our tongues molding together almost takes my breath away and wakes my body up like it hasn’t been in far too long.

Sliding my fingers under her shirt and up the smooth skin of her back grants me a sigh. That’s when I hear it, from somewhere deep inside me. A voice telling me I can’t do this. As much as I want to ignore it, I pull all the way back this time.

With half-lidded eyes, she says, “What’s wrong?”

Caressing her cheek with my thumb, I say, “It’s obvious that I want you, but this might not be the right time. Emotions are high. Maybe we should wait. I would never want to take advantage of you.” It would kill me if we move forward and later she regretted it.

“No, Patrick. Listen to me.” She takes my hand off her cheek and places it on her heart. “My heart and mind are clear, I promise you. There’s nothing I want more than you right now.”

I’m conflicted. She knows what she wants and I sure as hell want her, too, but I’ve got to ask one more time. There can’t be a single doubt. “Carsen, are you sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure. Please touch me, Patrick.” Her voice is low, sultry, and full of confidence; it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.

Guiding her down so she’s lying on her back, I hover above her, never taking my eyes off her pools of blue-green. The connection between us is undeniable, and we both want this, but if for even a breath of a second I get the sense that we’re moving too fast, I’ll stop. Kissing her again, my tongue presses against hers with more urgency this time. I pull the hem of her shirt and only break the kiss to tug it up over her head. Taking a moment, I appreciate this beautiful woman lying under me, naked from the waist up. Her breasts are the perfect size, not too big, not too small. Leaning down I trail kisses from her collarbone, down her chest, stopping to suck one of her nipples into my mouth. Her skin tastes sweeter than I imagined and when she moans in pleasure, I don’t think my dick can get any harder. Kissing down her stomach, I run my tongue over the sensitive skin above her shorts.

Her breathing is erratic and her chest heaves up and down. I look up into her eyes, wanting her features to tell me if it’s okay to move on. Her eyes are blazing with desire. Tugging on her shorts, I pull them down. She’s completely naked and more perfect than I allowed myself to dream. Smooth creamy skin, elongated perfect legs stretching before me. Every last bit of power and control I had over myself all but vanishes.

Easing my way up her body, I press a gentle kiss on each one of her thighs. She squirms her body and sighs out, “Please.”

I don’t make her wait. Pressing one finger inside her, she’s slick and wet, and ready for me. Looking up into her face, her eyes are closed and her back bows up to meet my thrusts. I add another finger inside her and circle her clit gently with my thumb. She writhes and moans as my hand drives her toward the edge.

When my mouth comes down and covers her cleft, her eyes fly open and a gasp escapes her. “Oh my God, Patrick. That feels so good.”

Teasing, taunting, and tasting her until she clutches the rug underneath her, I know she’s close. The blood pumps hard in my veins and my only focus is on getting her off. Her body tenses and tightens with every flick of my unhurried tongue. Our eyes are locked, unable to look away from each other, sharing in the stripped down intimacy between us. Carsen’s muscles start to tighten and quake and my name falls past her lips over and over again. I don’t stop but continue to massage her clit with my tongue with soft gentle strokes, patiently waiting for her to climax again and again.

“Patrick, I can’t.” Her voice is weak as she lies boneless under me.

Kissing up her stomach and chest, I stop at her cheek, giving her one last kiss. I lie on my side next to her, basking in the sight of this beautiful woman.

Stretching her arms up over her head, every muscle in her body is relaxed. “Where did you learn to do that?”

Laughing, I say, “You liked it?”

Turning to face me, she places a sweet kiss on my lips. “That was incredible.” Her hands come to my chest and sweep under my shirt. Sweet sensations work their way through me as her fingertips glide over my abs and down to the button of my jeans. Her eyelids are heavy and it seems to take her great effort to unbutton them.

I take her hand in my own and say, “Carsen, let’s go to bed. You’ve had a long night.”

Her eyes squeeze shut and when she opens them again, there are tears forming at the corners. “I want you, Patrick. Please don’t say this was a mistake.”

Cupping her face in my hands, I make sure I’ve got her full attention and her gaze is trained on me. “No, this was absolutely not a mistake. I want you more than just about anything right now. I can’t wait to be with you, but let’s do it when we’re both feeling up to it.”

As much I want her this second, my entire body aching with need, I know it’s not the right time; she’s drained. I wanted to help her relax and see her come apart. Now I want to take her to my bed and sleep with her next to me.

“Promise me that we’ll pick up where we left off here.” Her tone is pleading.

“You’ve got it.” I stand and get the blanket that’s sitting on the couch. Wrapping it around Carsen, I give her my hand and help her up.

We walk upstairs together and I lead her to my room and to my bed.

“Are you sure you want me to sleep here with you?” she asks, hugging the blanket close to her.

I know why she’s apprehensive and don’t blame her. She’s asking me if I really want her to sleep where my wife slept. “I want to lay next to you tonight, if you want to.”

A gorgeous smile spreads across her face. “Yeah, I’d like that.” Letting the blanket fall to the floor, she pulls back the comforter and gets in bed.

I take my clothes off as she watches my every move. Pulling off my boxer briefs, I tug the covers back and take my spot next to Carsen.

Snuggling in close to me, she tucks herself under my arm and places a hand on my chest. “Do have any idea how hot you are?” Looking down into her eyes, she’s got a playful grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“You think so?”

Her fingertips come up to my temple and glide through my hair. “Yup, I’m going to show you how much.”

It isn’t long before her eyelids start to droop and her breathing gets even.

Tonight was completely unexpected, but I couldn’t be happier. I never would’ve let myself believe that Carsen and I would be anything more than employer and employee, or friends at best. Tomorrow morning we can talk about what happened tonight and who that guy was that was here in my house, but for now, I’m going to take this moment in because I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Resting my head on the pillow with her in my arms, I let my heart have hope for a future with this woman.

The clarity that comes in the morning light is perfection. I watched her sleep and since she wasn’t moving, I got up with Maeve and got her breakfast and made Carsen and I coffee. Last night, I slept the best I have in a year. Everything about last night feels good to me. Maybe I should have some guilt that I was intimate with another woman while I’m still married, but I don’t. What I do know is that it’s time for me to take action and call a divorce attorney.

Walking up the stairs with coffee in hand, I go to my room and set the mug on the nightstand and take in her beauty before I wake her up. Her perfect pink lips are parted and her hair is askew across the pillow. The blankets are down to her waist, exposing the silky skin of her breasts. I want to touch her, to lie back down with her, and finish what we started last night, but that’s not on the agenda right now. Maybe tonight.

Before waking her, I go to my dresser and take off my wedding band. I tuck it in the back of my top drawer. I thought it would hurt more and the pain in my chest would be unbearable, but all I feel is relief. It doesn’t fit like it did before; now it’s clunky and awkward.

Kissing her forehead and stroking the hair out of her face, I begin the process of getting Carsen up. I know she’s exhausted, but we’ve got quite a bit to do today. I’ve got plans for us.

Stirring around slowly, Carsen’s eyes flutter open and when she sees me in front of her, her face brightens into a smile. “Hey, handsome,” she says, her voice gravelly.

“Hi, beautiful. How did you sleep?”

“Mmm, so good.” She stretches her arms up over her head and lets out a sexy sounding sigh that makes me want to crash my lips into hers. “How about you?”

Dropping a soft kiss on her cheek, I say, “Never better. You’re going to have to sleep in my bed every night.” It’s a risk to go there with her already, but I can’t help myself.

Her brows rise high on her forehead. “I can do that.”

My heart hammers in my chest hearing her say that she wants what I want. “Perfect. Now I hate to wake you, but Maeve is downstairs playing in the playpen and you need to get ready because we have plans today. But before we do anything, can you tell me about the guy that was harassing you last night?”

Her face went from excited about the prospect of our plans to concern about the creep that was here. “His name is Cole. He’s my ex-boyfriend. We broke up a couple of months ago and he doesn’t want to accept the fact that it’s over.”

“How did he know where you were?”

She chews on her top lip, takes a deep breath, and says, “He was at the deli yesterday. I thought he didn’t see me, but apparently he did. He must’ve followed me here. And I guess I didn’t lock the door behind me because he just walked in. I’m so sorry that he came into your home.”

I wondered if it was someone she dated. Thinking back to yesterday, I remember Carsen wanting to get out of there fast. This guy has balls walking into someone else’s house. “This isn’t your fault. I can’t believe he just showed up here. It takes guts.”

“He’s an alcoholic. And when he drinks, he does stupid things. Hopefully after meeting you yesterday, he’ll take the hint.” She sits up and gives my thigh a squeeze.

“I think he will. He shouldn’t come back here.” He looked like he was going to piss himself and then ran off. I don’t think he was expecting me to come back. If he does, I don’t know what I’ll do to him. “When I’m gone, we’ll turn on the security system so he doesn’t make an unannounced visit again.”

“Okay, that makes me feel better. I don’t want him showing up here again, especially with Maeve in the house. He was usually harmless when he drank, but as time went on he got more and more out of control. That’s why I finally pulled the plug and broke things off with him.” She swallows hard and shakes her head.

“You made the right decision.” I clasp her hand in mine and look into her blue-green eyes; she’s so receptive and open. It takes my breath away how quickly I’ve developed emotions for her. “And I feel very protective over you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Throwing her arms around my neck, shivers move down my spine when her breath skims my skin. “Thank you, Patrick. Hopefully he leaves me alone now. I don’t want to cause any problems for you, but I appreciate you so much for taking care of me.”

Even though I’d rather not, I pull away from her embrace. “Why don’t you take a shower and get ready to go?”

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Her eyes are gleaming with excitement.

Standing up to leave her to get ready, I say, “Nope. Not a chance.”

Once she’s ready, we buckle up Maeve in the car seat and I drive us downtown. There’re restaurants and shops along the tree-lined streets. This area has a small town feel, even though Charlottesville isn’t.

The sun is shining; it’s the perfect day to have lunch outside when we’re done shopping. We’ll have to play it by ear and see if Maeve is in a good mood or if she’ll need a nap.

“What are we doing downtown?” Carsen says, peering out the window.

Without saying a word, I only flash her a grin. I find a parking spot close to the boutique I’m taking Carsen and Maeve to. Pulling into the spot, I kill the engine and get out to set up the stroller. Carsen meets me at the back of the car with Maeve in her arms. “Are we shopping? You don’t seem like a shopping kind of guy.”

Letting out a laugh, I say, “Oh, really. Why do you say that?”

She sets Maeve in the stroller and straps her in. “Well, you know. You’re so manly. It doesn’t sound like shopping would be a pastime you’d be into.”

The truth is, she’s right. There’s a hundred things I’d rather be doing, but I want to spoil her today. She’s been going above and beyond for Maeve and me, and she deserves a little something. “Well, I don’t love to shop. But I don’t hate it either. And we’re on a mission.” Pushing the stroller up the curb and onto the sidewalk, I lead her to the boutique.

“We’re going to Sophia’s?” Her mouth and eyes are wide open. “I can’t afford anything in here.”

I put my hands on her shoulders and stop her before we go through the doors. “Today is my treat.”

“No, I can’t let you…”

“Carsen, today we’re going to find you and Maeve something to wear to my brother’s wedding. I need your help finding something for Maeve. You’re spending your Saturday with us when you could be taking the day off. Not to mention the amazing dinners you’ve been cooking us. That wasn’t in your job description. I’ve been relying on you and you’ve stepped up every time. Let me do this for you.” This is why I didn’t tell her where we were going. I didn’t want her to stress about money. I’ve been paying her a generous salary, but I know what she’s doing with that money. Saving every penny that she can for college. Her future is important to her and since she won’t be getting much help from her mother, she’ll be relying on herself. Not that she isn’t used to that. Taking care of her brother and herself she thrived. Some people might turn their fate into a reason to feel sorry for themselves and go down the wrong path. Not Carsen, she’s remarkable.

Not for the first time, she looks at me like I’m the only man alive, the only person alive. Her eyes scan me with such wonder and appreciation and it disarms me. “Patrick, you’re so generous.” She throws her arms around me, pressing the full length of her toned body up against mine. I don’t want to let her go.

“I want to do this for you. Now let’s go inside.”

Draping her arm around my waist, we walk in the boutique together.