Chapter Eighteen
Rhenn
I startle awake, trying to recall exactly what I was dreaming about. I remember taking a blow to the chest, and maybe one to the jaw, as I think back to what karate class I was rewinding in my dream.
But I come up blank.
And then I come under attack again with an elbow to the gut.
“Mom,” Marissa whimpers, her hands reaching and tugging at something that isn’t there.
“Marissa?” I whisper, not wanting to startle her. She thrashes to the side, nearly punching me in the balls. “Angel, honey, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.” I try to keep my voice calm and even, gently shaking her shoulder to try to rouse her without fright. Reaching up, I tenderly cup her cheek, stroking her jaw with my thumb.
She startles, her eyes flying open and connecting with mine.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Marissa looks around, trying to catch her bearings before returning those deep green eyes to me. “What’s going on?”
“You were having a bad dream.”
Her eyes fill with tears. She doesn’t have to say a word for me to know whatever she was dreaming about affected her deeply. And then I remember Nick telling me about a conversation Marissa and Meghan had, about how she’s having nightmares about the fire.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask, rolling to my side and taking her with me. There’s something wildly comforting about holding her in my arms at two in the morning. I try to ignore it, but I can’t. When have I ever woken up at two and offered to chat with a woman? Never, that’s when.
Marissa is silent for a bit, her face pressed against my bare chest. I run my fingers up and down her spine in a reassuring manner, rather than a sexual one. I feel the wetness of her tears hit my skin before I hear the sniffle. My gut tightens painfully as I think about her upset enough to cry. I don’t like the feeling, not one bit.
“I keep having the same dream over and over again,” she says quietly, her voice timid with emotion.
“What’s it about?” I ask, reaching down and swiping away the tears on her cheek.
She swallows hard. “I can’t get her out. My mom is trapped in the house when the fire breaks out and I can’t save her. I can hear her screams,” she whispers, her hushed voice full of pain and fear, as another tear spills from her eyes.
Not really knowing what to say, I hold her close and continue to rub her back. “Can you tell me what actually happened? You mom wasn’t even there when the fire broke out.”
“You’re right, she wasn’t. We had two couples staying that weekend, and Mom was on the fence about going to see her brother after so long. We convinced her to go, especially since the bed and breakfast wasn’t full. I could definitely handle two couples for two days.
“So she went and I took care of business. After dinner was cleaned up and everyone had retired to their rooms for the night, I went back to my place. It was a beautiful night, one of the first real warm ones of the spring, so I went for a walk on the beach. I was gone, maybe forty-five minutes, when I came back up the path to the house. I remembered that Mom had left a few windows open in her part of the house to let the fresh air in so I went back up to the main house to close them. As I approached, I could smell the smoke. It was this horrible burnt plastic smell.” She looks up at me. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get that smell out of my head.”
“It’s definitely not pleasant,” I confirm, having smelled it plenty of times in my line of work.
“Anyway, I went running inside and into her wing of the house just as the sparks jumped from the outlet in the wall and the smoke alarms went off. I called 911 and grabbed one of the extinguishers we have in the house, but by the time I got off the phone with them and could engage it, the outlet had flames shooting out of it, the fire starting to devour the old plaster and wood in seconds.
“They say that the extinguisher definitely helped it from getting worse, but it wasn’t able to completely put it out. It was in the wall, which is why they had to remove so much of her bedroom and bath outer wall.”
She takes a deep breath and continues. “The couples upstairs had come down to find out what was going on and pulled me from the house. When the fire department arrived, they were able to contain the fire to Mom’s bedroom and bathroom, and a bit of damage to the ceiling. I don’t want to think about what could have happened had I not been out for a walk that night,” she adds, shaking her head.
“How did it start? I haven’t read the report.”
“Hairdryer. It was plugged in and the fire marshal says it was caused by dust. Dust. Can you believe it?”
“Actually, I can. I’ve heard it happening more than you think, especially in older homes. The wiring and receptacles aren’t quite as good as the newer stuff.”
“We had updated everything in the kitchen when we bought the place, but were told the rest of it was fine.”
“And it was. It probably could have been fine for a lot more years, Marissa. It was a fluke thing that happened, and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it or change it,” I assure her.
“I know that, I do, but I can’t help but think ‘what if my mom had been home?’ Every time that thought enters my mind, I want to throw up.”
“Understandably, but you need to remember that she wasn’t home. You did what you were supposed to do, had extinguishers handy. Most people don’t even have extinguishers, let alone know how to use them.” I bend down and kiss her forehead. “Everything happens for a reason, Angel. You mom wasn’t there because she wasn’t meant to be.” I’m quiet for a bit, enjoying the feel of her skin against mine. Finally, I open my mouth to speak. “The reason I named my boat Runaround Sue was because I caught my old girlfriend, Suzanne, screwing one of my frat buddies.”
She gasps in shock and looks up at me. “That’s horrible.”
“Yeah,” I laugh humorlessly. “It wasn’t fun.” Deep breath and swallow. “I thought I’d marry her one day, you know? I thought she was it. I had a ring picked out and everything.”
“How long did you date?”
“More than two years. We were nearing the end of our senior year and starting to make plans. Plans that involved us being together.”
“Holy cow, Rhenn, I’m sorry. What a shitty thing to do.”
“Yep,” I say, tightening my arms around her. She’s nothing like Suzanne. Even the way she feels against me is different. Better.
Marissa exhales again and relaxes against my chest. Her hand is resting beside her head, right over my heart, and I can’t help but wonder if she feels how hard it’s beating right now. Can she tell how she impacts my body, just by something as simple as a touch?
“Thank you,” she yawns, her entire body starting to unwind from the stress and guilt she’s carried.
“You’re welcome, Marissa,” I reply, kissing her once more on the forehead.
“I like it when you call me Angel,” she whispers, almost inaudibly.
“Good night, my Angel.”
My throat thickens with emotion as I try to swallow. Why does she make me feel so…alive? So wanted? So good? So free? I feel completely free to be me, but not really the old me. This new version of me who enjoys talking and laughing with a woman as much as I enjoy fucking her.
Because it’s her.
I know it.
I’m just not anywhere near ready to understand what that means.
* * *
The sun is peeking through the window, and I’m pretty sure that means Marissa is already running late. She’s used to moving and working before anyone else, making sure her guests have fresh coffee and breakfast before they head off to whatever adventures call to them for the day.
Today, work calls to us – cleaning, more accurately. I’m slowly making my way through the upstairs bedrooms’ rewires, a job that I could have already had completed, yet find myself wanting to slow it down just so I can spend a few more minutes with her.
Glancing over, I find the most beautiful woman in the world sprawled out in my bed, using my arm as a pillow. I don’t want to rouse her from sleep, especially since she looks completely stunning naked in my bed, but know her mom will be arriving soon for their morning coffee and visit, as well as to get the day’s schedule for work ironed out. The last thing I want is for her to be late, all because I couldn’t keep it in my pants again.
Besides, I already hit my target with five orgasms when I woke her up about an hour ago and insisted she take a shower, all so I could dirty her up again. Now, here I am, achingly hard cock and an unquenchable appetite for a certain blonde, and instead of taking what I need (like I usually would), I want to make sure she gets as much rest as possible, especially since I know she’ll be sore today.
I want my girl to rest a bit, is that so wrong?
Nope.
“You’re staring at me,” she mumbles without opening her eyes.
“Because you’re beautiful,” I state honestly.
“Why is the sun out?”
“That usually happens around this time every morning,” I quip, pulling her into my arms and sliding my nose along the column of her neck.
“Smartass,” she replies, fighting a smile. “What time is it?” she finally asks, opening her eyes and glancing around.
“After six.”
“Shit,” she grumbles, throwing the blankets off her naked body and trying to get up.
My arm snakes out around her waist as I pull her back into bed, covering her with my entire body. “Where do you think you’re going?” I ask.
“I need to get up to the house. The guys will start working at seven, and I need to make sure I’m there. I need a quick shower and some coffee, and get ready to work.”
“But we took a shower a bit ago,” I remind her, nipping at her left earlobe.
“Yes, but that wasn’t really a shower. That was really wet sex,” she says, making me laugh.
“That was really wet, amazing sex,” I confirm. “And it’s a good thing I’m such a gentleman or I’m liable to take you back into the shower and fuck you against the tile instead of kissing you good morning and sending you on your way.”
Her cheeks flush. “That actually doesn’t sound so bad.”
“I think it sounds pretty fucking great, myself, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t,” she replies, my stubborn, determined goddess.
“Well, I’ve already decided to be a gentleman. So you’re just going to have to settle for a good morning kiss. And maybe an ass grab. Your ass is phenomenal naked,” I say, wiggling my eyebrows and sliding my hands beneath her body to cup her ass. Her giggles go straight to my cock, who is completely on board with the whole wet sex thing.
“Let’s go start some coffee, and then you can jump in the shower,” I say, kissing her chastely on the lips.
“Alone?”
“All alone, Angel. Otherwise, I’ll never let you leave.”
“That would make it hard for me to get anything done,” she teases.
“So hard.”
Marissa reaches down and palms my dick. “Yes, so, so hard.”
Then she does something I’m not expecting. She shimmies down my body, pushes me onto my back, and sucks my cock down her throat. Instantly, I see stars.
Apparently, we’re both going to be a little late today.