Chapter Nine
Leaving Lydia asleep in bed, Henry moved out of the bedroom to stare at the door that he kept locked. He’d not been inside that room in over ten years. It was time for him to go back inside. The key lay in his hands, and he took several steps toward it. Inserting the key into the lock he opened the door. There was no creak or waft of cobwebs. He’d given the key to the cleaning crew for them to come in and dust so there were no shocks for him as he looked around the room. Everything was under old blankets and covered. The windows still sparkled letting him know the cleaning had been consistent. He stood looking at the room he’d first installed when he bought the place. There was a section in the center of the room for what he wanted to display so he could paint. There were several canvases all around that were blank. He’d not had much time to actually paint anything of real substance. Pulling the blankets off the equipment he returned the room to its former glory. He threw the piles of cloth into the corner, keeping it out of the way. Everything was packed away, and he started opening drawers arranging it all back into its place.
The canvas on the easel showed the fruit bowl he’d been painting when his life changed. Sitting on the stool, he stared at the painting seeing how impersonal it was.
There wasn’t anything personal in this room. He’d liked to paint and draw for as long as he could remember. When he got his own place that he knew wouldn’t be broken into he’d invested in what he enjoyed.
Removing the fruit canvas, he replaced it with a clean one and simply stared at the sheet.
Minutes passed, he didn’t know how many, and yet he still couldn’t bring himself to draw or paint anything. The first step was complete in getting him into the room.
“Hey,” Lydia said.
He turned to see her wrapped in the blanket. She leaned against the doorframe staying out of the room. Her shoulders were bare, and her brown hair cascaded all around her. She looked tired and well fucked.
“Hey,” he said, staring at her. She was a beautiful woman, and she was all his.
“You were gone, and I didn’t like it.” She stayed out of the room.
“Why don’t you come inside?” he asked, wanting her beside him.
“Are you sure? This place was locked up tight. I guessed it was your space.”
He smiled. “You can come in providing you drop the blanket.”
She tilted her head to the side, looking so damn cute as she did.
The blanket dropped, and she walked into the room, naked.
His cock hardened at the sight. He was naked as he’d not taken the time to actually put on any pants. Taking hold of her hand, he tugged her down onto his lap.
“You paint?”
“I used to paint. I don’t anymore.”
“Why not?”
He stroked her thigh, loving the feel of her smooth flesh.
“Shit happened, and I didn’t want to do this anymore. I’m not the same man who bought this apartment.”
“Why not?”
He shook his head, not wanting to remember the old memories.
“Don’t lock me out. Talk to me. I want to know everything.” She took hold of the hand stroking her thigh, locking their fingers together. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He blew out a sigh. “I was on a job with Caleb. We were first starting out and making a mark for ourselves. One of the drug lords didn’t like us making a mark. We were two bastard fighters who didn’t know our place. Anyway, one night I was stupid and lured back to a woman’s place. I didn’t know she was a whore at the time, and I was taken from behind. I didn’t even see it coming. When I woke up, I was chained up in a warehouse.” He stopped. She didn’t need to know everything that happened. “I was tortured for information. It took Caleb a good few hours to find me, and in a couple of hours they can do a hell of a lot of work. I was messed up, and something changed. When I healed and was able to move around. I came back here only to find that I was different. This place didn’t hold anything for me. I know it’s fucking ridiculous, but I no longer wanted to be here.”
“Has it really been that long since you’ve been here?”
“I came here and knew I couldn’t stand it. I packed everything away and rented an apartment in the same building as Caleb. I paid for the cleaners to keep an eye on it while I was away. When I brought you here, it was the first time that I came here since I closed it up. I packed up everything that I wanted, and everything else I left behind.”
“Are you going to paint?” she asked.
“You’re not going to call me names for leaving this place behind?”
“Why would I do that? You were hurt and didn’t want to come back here. I can understand that even if this place is awesome.” She kissed his cheek, resting against his chest. “Will you paint something for me?”
“You want me to paint?” He’d entered the room getting past that first step. The last thing he anticipated was to actually paint something. Henry didn’t want to say no to her.
“If you’re not ready you can tell me no.”
He stared down at her, and what he saw in her eyes scared him. She cared about him as he heard her telling Caleb that she did have feelings for him. It wasn’t love, yet from the look in her he knew it was close.
“I’ll paint, but you’re going to have to be the person I paint.”
She pulled away. “You want to paint me?”
“Yeah. You’re the only person I want to paint. Will you be a model for me?”
He saw she was struggling.
“If you want me to be a model? Are you sure about this? You could get a lot of other people willing to sit for you.”
“The only woman I want to draw is you.” He dropped a kiss to her lips. “Let me draw you.”
She rolled her eyes but stood. “Okay, but you’ve got to promise me you won’t show anyone else.”
“I promise. The only person who’ll get to see this is me.”
Lydia nodded. “Where do you want me?”
Henry didn’t want her in this room. There was nothing special about the room, and when he painted he wanted Lydia to feel special.
“Go back to bed. I’ll grab what I need.” He watched her leave the room. Grabbing the easel and the canvas he made his way into the bedroom. She lay on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest.
“Stop worrying,” he said.
“I don’t know what to expect.”
“Don’t expect anything. I’ll be back in a minute.” He walked back into the store room selecting the colors he needed. Once he had everything, he made his way into the bedroom. Staring at Lydia, he started to direct her to how he wanted her to lie. He had her lying across the bed, staring at him with a smile. She was on her stomach, showcasing that wonderful curvy ass. One of her hands was in her hair, resting her head while the other was flat on the bed.
He took his seat behind the canvas. For several seconds he simply admired her frame. She was so tempting to him. His cock was long, hard, and pulsing with need to be inside her.
“You don’t have any idea how tempting you look.”
“I can see you like it.” Her gaze wandered down his body to rest on his large shaft.
“Don’t worry, baby. When I’ve finished drawing you, I’ll take care of your other needs.” They’d not used a condom all night, and he was happy about that. He didn’t want anything to be between them.
Picking up a pencil, he started to outline her body. It was late, but he wasn’t leaving her alone tomorrow. He wanted to spend the whole day with her. The last couple of days all he’d done was search for Bill and Leon with no luck. The men could wait while he was with his woman.
“You’re going to have to talk with Caleb again soon,” she said.
“I only kicked him out of our apartment a couple of hours ago. I’m sure he’ll be okay to wait a little longer until I’m ready for him.”
She shook her head. “You’re best friends and have been through so much together. Please, don’t let him hate me. He’s going to think I’m poisoning you against him or something.”
He chuckled. “Baby, it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than a few choice words from you to turn me against Caleb.”
“I don’t know how he thinks. I just want things to go okay. I’m friends with Donna.”
“I’ll talk to him. He better not say shit about you, otherwise my fist is going to have a meeting with his face.”
“You’re threatening violence again.”
Henry glanced at her smile. “Get used to it.”
He wasn’t going to change what he did for a living. There was no way he’d ever afford something like this if he looked for a real job. He didn’t have the qualifications to get on the straight and narrow.
“I’m not asking you to change, Henry. You’ve stopped screwing around with whores. If you were still with them, then I’d kick your ass. You’re not, and I’m fine with that.”
“Good. I’m not going back to the whores. I’m done with them.” He was a one woman man.
****
Lydia blew out a breath, feeling overly exposed. Henry rarely spoke only to mumble something here and there. She didn’t know what time it was, but it had to be early in the morning. He hadn’t stopped with the pencil, and she didn’t see him stopping anytime soon. She loved watching him. Every now and then he’d appear around the canvas looking over her body, caressing it with his gaze alone. She was so hot and horny from the looks he was sending her way.
Earlier, she had lied to Caleb. She was falling in love with Henry. Ever since she first met him over a year ago he’d intrigued her. The feelings he inspired inside her hadn’t gone away. Every time she saw him, she’d been drawn to him. It wasn’t the scars on his face or the malice in his eyes, it was the man himself. She’d seen past the scars and wanted to know the man deep inside. What she saw took her breath away.
He wasn’t just some brute who used his fists. This apartment was one of the things that showed a side to him not many people knew. Henry had bought an apartment in the city that was known for its security. He didn’t want to be looking over his shoulder as he slept. The whores were merely easy sex. He’d been hurt so many times by women turning their nose up at him. It was sad, harsh, and it had broken a part of him. He clearly didn’t believe he was worth loving or even liking. The painting was another element. This entire life had been bought when he had big plans and intended to explore those plans. Someone had taken that life away from him.
“The man who gave you those scars and took this world away from you, is he dead?” she asked.
Her words made him tense.
Henry’s eyes appeared around the canvas as he stared at her.
“Yes, Caleb and I hunted them all down and killed them. We never leave our enemies alive.”
“Is that another reason you want to hunt the men who took you a few weeks ago?” she asked.
“No. I want to kill those bastards because they hurt you and treated you like a whore. You didn’t deserve it.” The menace was back once again making her shiver. “I’m not having you scared to walk the street.”
“I’m not scared. You have Arnold looking after me.”
“Okay, I’m not going to be happy until I know they’re dead.”
She was scared. There were times when she saw men in hooded jackets, and she wondered if Bill or Leon were behind them.
“Does that scare you?”
“No.” She was being honest. Henry had never physically hurt her. “I’m getting tired.”
He disappeared behind his canvas. Seconds later he stood up. “I can call it a night, but first I want to take a picture.” Henry grabbed his cell phone from the drawer top and aimed it at her.
“You better not share this with any of your friends.”
“There’s no way I’d share you with my friends.” He placed the phone from where he got it and carried the canvas away.
“Hey, don’t I get to see the masterpiece?”
“Not until it’s done.”
He left her alone, and she stayed in the position he left her. When he came back into the room, his cock was rock hard, pointing at her. He moved toward her feet and slid between her legs, covering her body.
His hand moved to his cock. “Push your ass up.”
She was soaking wet just from the evidence of his own arousal. Doing as he asked, Lydia groaned as he slid his cock deep into her. Both of his hands moved up her body. One cupped one of her breasts while the other moved the hair off the back of neck. His lips went to the back of her neck, and she cried out. He sucked on her flesh as he rode her hard.
The sounds of flesh hitting flesh filled the air, turning her on further.
“I could fuck you all day and night.” He rested his face against hers. “Thrust up against me.”
Doing as he asked, she thrust up to meet his cock. He sank in deeply with him going at her from behind.
“Who do you belong to?” he asked.
“You, Henry, I belong to you.” He pounded inside her, and she loved the feel of him staking his claim over her. Henry stopped touching her breast and grabbed her hands. He kept them locked at the side of her head as he fucked her hard.
His hard body surrounded her, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
He swiveled his hips hitting a spot deep inside her. Several strokes over her g-spot and she came apart in seconds, crying out his name. Henry followed her, grunting out his release and sucking on her neck as he came apart.
When he finished, he collapsed over her.
Catching her breath, she enjoyed the feel of his weight over her.
“I wanted to do that ever since you dropped that blanket.”
She giggled. “You were the one who wanted to draw me. I’d have happily have been fucking all night.”
He pulled out of her, and they slid under the covers. His hand banded around her waist, pulling her close. She closed her eyes, basking in the feel of him.
“If we don’t start using a condom I’m going to get you pregnant.”
“I know.” She ran her hands up and down his arm. “I like this.”
“You do?”
“Yes, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, Henry. I love being your woman.”
She nestled against him, feeling his cock thicken as she rubbed her ass next to his groin.
“Good because you’ve not got a choice. You’re mine to keep now.”
Opening her eyes, she stared across the room as a thought entered her head. “Henry, if you want me to start working, I will. I don’t mind working.”
“And I don’t want you to. You’re my woman, and I’m old-fashioned. I won’t have you working. Ignore the shit that Caleb said. He doesn’t let Donna work either, and he’d beat the shit out of me if I mentioned her being anything other than perfect.”
“They’re married.”
“Do you want to get married for him to shut his trap? I’ll marry you in a heartbeat.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see he was being serious. “You’d marry me to stop your friend from saying nasty shit to me?”
“Of course.”
Lydia pressed a kiss to his lips.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Was that an actual proposal?” She was confused.
“Yeah, it was. I’m going to marry you at some point, baby. I don’t know how many times I’ve got to say it, but you’re mine. We’re going to get married soon, and we may as well get to it now.”
“Your romantic skills need a lot of work.”
“Will you marry me?” he asked. He cupped her cheek. His thumb stroked over her lips. “I’m being serious, Lydia. I’m not going to have any other woman. The only one I want is you.”
“How can you know?”
“I know.” There was no hesitation in his words.
“Yes, Henry, I’ll marry you.” She didn’t want to be with any other man but him.
He pulled her close, dropping a kiss to her lips. “Now, it’s time to go to sleep. We’ll go hunting for a ring very soon.”
“You don’t want to fuck again?” she asked.
Henry growled, nipping at her lips. She giggled but rested her head on his chest. He held her close, and there was nowhere else she wanted to be other than in his arms.
She was getting married. Life had never been better for her.