Sarah
Carolyn
Angelina
Eve
popcorn3
Ginger
L-J-L 76
itsme69
thank you so so much for your very sweet fb! I so appreciate it!!
This update was written for and is dedicated to sptfire86
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
chapter four
Droplets of water trickled down from my lips, lazily sliding down my breasts to my stomach, and below as I stood shivering under the pounding searing water of a shower I've been under a thousand times before.
Only this time was different, this time he was there …. body hard, eyes wild, hand wringing the back of his neck restlessly as if he was holding himself back.
Breathlessly I stand wide eyed staring into the heated, commanding, brandy gaze of this mysterious drifter that is intensely delving deeply, unapologetically down my naked body.
Thoughts race through my head with lightening speed, directing me into a million different avenues, like a maze leading me down a dead end at every turn.
I could try and talk my way out of here, tell him I'm expecting someone, that he'll surely get caught...
I could reach up and grab the shower curtain tension rod and slam it into his wound...
I could knee him in the groin...
I could squeeze the shampoo in his eyes blinding him giving me enough time to run...
I should do one of these things, any of these things...
I should be terrified, offended, furious....
So why am I standing so still, why have I never felt so beautiful, so inviting, so ...
wanted in my entire life.
And why do I want him just as bad in return....
I feel as if my skin will burst into flames if not quenched by his mouth, his lips, his tongue...
How could I be so reckless, so careless, so willing to give myself to a stranger who has just admitted the worse sin there is.
Why does it not matter in the least bit to me that he has committed this sin.
For some reason I can't explain, I believe without the slightest doubt that he is an innocent, caught in a horrible crime that he did not instigate.
I feel as if I know him, care for him, need so much to help him, want so badly to be with him.
I must be losing my mind, falling willingly for a stranger with eyes of an angel and the damn body of the devil himself.
Suddenly the rambling thoughts that are flying around my head come to a severe halt.
The sound of the water comes back to me, falling like hard rain, tapping like sleet upon the roof in the long lonely months of winter.
I can also hear the uneven breath coming from his mouth, shallow, haunting … enticing beyond anything I have ever witnessed.
I could lie in this confession, this declaration of crazed, wanton, emotions that have no rhyme or reason, but why...
We always do that don't we...
Tell others what we think they want to hear, what is the perfect moral answer they are waiting for us to divulge, so that we're accepted, loved.
But what's really lying in wait in our heart, in the dark recesses of what we crave, want for, need, is far different from the black and white moralistic absolute that doesn't truly exist.
Not for the passionate ones...
The ones that live in the grey of this world, right along the razors edge, just waiting, hoping for a day, a moment, to carry us somewhere we've only dreamed about.
I kept thinking, this is that day, that moment, and as the battle raged within me as to what conclusion this point in time would take me, I knew...
I knew just as I am sure the sky above me is blue and the grass below is green.
I never wanted this moment to end.
Just then his cryptic glare, after what seems like forever, finally lifts raising his dark eyelashes up towards my flushed face.
For several erotic indescribable moments he holds my eyes that are embarrassingly transfixed on the desire I can see plainly flickering like fire wildly within him.
Echoing inside my head is his admission of murder, but for some reason I am unafraid.
Finally he nods slow, almost gentlemanly, respectfully, before stepping back letting the shower curtain fall into place, leaving me to fall against the cool tile, a quivering mass of fluctuating nerve endings, my head spinning so hard I fear I might faint.
Reaching out quickly I turn the hot water nob all the way down so it's now cold water falling down upon my body that is now on fire.
After rinsing the shampoo and conditioner off as fast as I can I reach for a thick red towel and wrap it securely around my body before wipping the fog off the mirror over the sink to peer at my refection.
Watching myself I let out a shuttered breath, my eyes dilated, my body clearly still responsive to his earlier presence, my heart racing so fast I can hardly breathe.
What the hell is wrong with me? … I say in my mind.
I'm acting like a boy crazed teenager with no sense of consequences of right and wrong,
this is not me, this is not me, ... I repeat in my head, as if saying it enough will convince myself that its true.
Combing my damp hair back I reach for my robe and pull my arms through, but before closing it I look down at my bare body realizing just how long its been since strong warm hands have touched my skin, how many months its been since I have surrendered to a man's touch.
Dazed lost in my thoughts I imagine him, my beautiful stranger being that man, that man to make me see stars flying over head, that man who can take me to heaven and back with a flick of his tongue or the thrust of his powerful hips.
A creak in the door snaps me out of my erotic haze, leaving me mortified, realizing that he was standing there the entire time watching me, staring me down as I was thinking of him touching me, tasting me … loving me.
Wrapping my robe around my body tight I enter my bedroom to find him flipping through my sketch book engrossed in one particular image.
“That's kind of personal,” holding out my hand indicating for him to hand it over, he hesitates briefly brushing his fingertips over the lines of my drawing as if he is familiar with it. “... why the interest, its just an old barn in the back.”
Shaking his head slowly he shrugs wincing reaching for his side. “It reminds me of a happy time in my life I guess.”
Staring at him as he glares at the ground with such sadness and loss it breaks my heart.
Clearing his throat his deep velvet voice vibrates through the flimsy material of my robe striking places that make it hard for me to concentrate.
“Did you hear what I said to you... before.”
Leaning back in my chair I cross my legs and tilt my head unable to keep my eyes from searching out every little strikingly handsome feature he has no clue he possesses.
“You mean when you burst into my shower and told me you killed someone? Yeah, that's something you don't forget.”
I see evidence of a tiny smile flash across his full supple lips, it lights up the room like a bolt of lightening and I am elated.
But just as fast as it appears its gone, as guilt once again covers his eyes, weighing him down as if he feels he doesn't deserve the slightest break in his misery.
Again I feel a dagger to my heart for reasons unknown as I continue to scrutinize every inch of him.
With empathy edging my voice, I lean forward hoping he will tell me the tale that led him to me.
“Can you explain to me what happened? I can see in your eyes, in the way you hold yourself, you're no killer, so there must be more to the story.”
Suddenly he glared up at me from the floor raking his eyes slowly up and down my body.
“Y-You're a little... distracting, would you mind getting dressed first.”
Shocked I stand up quickly wondering what the hell is up with this guy, first he's perfectly comfortable watching me in the shower and now my robe is too revealing for him.
“Sure, wait here, I'll be right back.” I mutter astounded that this is happening at all.
Grabbing some jeans, underwear, and a tank top out of the hamper off the floor I rush back into the bathroom, my heart still thumping hard like a sixteen year old.
After putting on the white tank top and a pale pink thong I find myself struggling to pull my jeans over my still damp legs as I hear a hard thump in the next room.
Stepping out of the jeans I run as fast as I can to find him lying on the floor holding his side.
Kneeling down beside him I brush his thick black hair from his half opened eyes and cup his face in my hand.
“Max, we have to get you to that clinic, I'm not a doctor, this could be serious, what if you have internal injuries I don't know about.”
Breathing hard he reaches up and caresses my bare hip with such tenderness and urgency as if we know each other, as if we have had a life time together, a secret past I'm not aware of that's precious, even sacred.
Pleading with me he rips my heart apart. “Please, it's just my ribs, I think you're right, promise me you won't... “
After a low gasp he passes out leaving me with little choice but to call on my friend for help.
There's no way I'm letting this guy die on me, not after … well, its just not happening I tell myself as I reach for my cell.
“Kyle, I need your help.”
Sighing on the other end, he nonchalantly teases me about dripping faucets and mending fences.
“Seriously Kyle! I need you here now! Please just get here as fast as you can, bring your medic bag, and don't tell a soul!”
Confused but concerned my friend that I trust with my life agrees without hesitation. “Give me ten minutes.”
After what seems like forever I hear Kyle's footsteps running up the steps before halting suddenly as he sees my strange lovely drifter laying on the floor of my bedroom.
“What the hell? Liz, who is this?”
Before I can answer he is on his knees taking vitals and peering beneath my bandage over his ribs that has again seeped more blood.
“It's a long story, but we have to go to the clinic, he needs help and no one can know about it.”
Glaring back at me over his shoulder his sharp blue eyes demand an explanation.
Knowing that I'm about to involve him in something that is against the law, I can't help myself but to lie, something that digs deep in my gut with guilt.
“I promise I'll tell you everything, but right now you need to look at him, I think he broke a rib and its puncturing something serious.”
Scanning carefully over the slice across his side he flips open his phone and almost falls back as I grab it immediately out of his hand.
“No ambulance, no hospital, they'll call the police, its an obvious knife wound, please Kyle he's innocent but they won't believe that, we have to help him.”
Looking into my big brown eyes I turn on the charm, horrified with myself, I am very much aware of the hold I have over Kyle.
Being my grandma's physician we grew to be close friends, Kyle always wanted more, but I never felt that spark with him, and he never had the courage to push the issue.
Deep down I knew he'd do anything for me, and I was right as he grabbed some smelling salts from his bag and ran them under Max's nose.
“What are you doing?”
“I don't see us being able to carry him down the stairs to my car Liz, so unless you have a better answer we have to wake him up.”
After asking me a barrage of questions about how he was acting before all this, and examining him the best he could, he determined that it wouldn't be life threatening to try to get him to walk.
After a few passes with the salts Max awoke with pure fear in his eyes as he stared up at Kyle.
Holding his face I forced him to look at me. “Max, I explained how no cops or hospitals could be involved, Kyle is my friend, he would never go against me, you are safe, I promise no one else is going to know about this.”
Seeing that he didn't have much of a choice Max leaned most of his weight on Kyle as he wrapped his arms around our shoulders and we struggled down the steps to Kyle's car.
It was almost dark when we arrived at the clinic and the streets were barren, still Kyle thought it was best to park in the back and bring him through a door in the alley.
After a series of x-rays we were relieved to see that although indeed a broken rib was sticking painfully into his tissue it had not punctured anything important.
Nervously I watched as kyle stuck him with a large needle that would numb the area he needed to work on since there was no getting an anesthesiologist to put him out.
Shaking his head Kyle worked his magic but was obviously upset as he finished with the twentieth and final stitch.
“I did the best I could, but he needs strict bed rest Liz, this is going to take a long time to heal and even so it won't heal properly, he needed surgery. This will follow him his entire life, giving pain forever.”
Looking over into my eyes Kyle knew not to ask again and went back to work.
“We're taking a big risk bringing him back to your place, that rib could get dislodged so easily, and we'd be right back we're we started.”
Max gripped my hand harder urging me to convince Kyle otherwise.
“What if we wrap him up really tight, I'm a nurse Kyle, just give me instructions on how to take care of him, he'll be fine.”
Throwing the bloody gauze and instruments into a bin Kyle swore, which was rare.
“God damn it Liz, I sure hope you know what you're doing! I could get my license taken away for this, not to mention what kind of trouble you're obviously in.”
Leaving Max for a moment I rested my hand on Kyle's shoulder and hugged him. “You have no idea what this means to me, I promise no one will get caught, just don't tell anyone. I'll clean up here and we'll move him back to my place in them middle of the night, no one will see us.”
Tenderly moving my hair from my neck, he whispers so only I can hear him with such seriousness that it stiffens my body.
“I need an explanation for all of this, and soon Liz.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
It was eleven pm the next evening before I heard Max calling out for me.
Running up the stairs I knelt on the floor by my bed and ran my hand gently across his arm.
“You're going to be fine, Kyle gave you some pretty strong pain killers that knocked you out yesterday. You've been sleeping a long time.”
His eyes widened suddenly remembering the young doctor who stood over him back at the clinic.
“Liz, I told you! No, one else could know about this!”
His voice was gravely and soft filled with disappointment and a tinge of anger.
“Listen, your rib was piercing your tissue, that's why you were in so much pain. If I didn't get you help you would've bled to death. Kyle is my friend, I trust him with my life, I promise you he won't tell anyone.”
Letting his head fall back on the pillow he stared up at the ceiling, his eyes glazing over from the medication.
“I believe you, there's no doubt that kid would do anything for you.”
Folding my arms on the bed I rest my chin as I played with the light hair covering his arm.
“It's obvious, even to a dying man, that guy is madly in love with you.”
Distracted by his bare chest and his smooth skin that vibrated with each beat of his heart I ignored his opinion.
“Well, its done, you're far from death, but you have to stay here and rest. He said it would be very dangerous to move you until that rib has healed.”
Drowsy Max pushed down the sheet that was covering him to the just below his waist restlessly and pointed across the room.
“Bring that to me... please.”
Confused I looked over to my desk. “You mean my sketch pad?”
Breathing out hard he nodded slowly as if it took all the energy he had.
Holding it up so he could see it, he glanced over to me raising his finger to the edge of the paper.
“Flip it to that one of the barn.”
His words were slurring now as his eyelids became heavier.
“Max, I think you need to sleep, we can look at this tomorrow if you like.”
Shaking his head he pointed again to the book with determination. “Please... the barn.”
Knowing it wasn't good for him to get upset, I did as he asked and flipped the pages till I came to a black and white drawing I made of an old barn set far back from the house.
It was huge with a loft that had a giant five by five foot open window that looked out into the valley below.
At one time my grandparents kept horses there but it had been empty for years and years.
With a breathy tone he looked up at me. “Why did you draw that?”
Shrugging I focused in on the old dilapidated barn until something deep, something hidden and special began to rise within me.
Almost asleep he desperately tried to keep his eyes at least half way open as he stared at the picture.
His voice was but a soft whisper at this point as he glanced over at me.
“Don't you remember? Don't you remember...
me, Beth?”
Falling back on my heels, I held the picture close to my face as images flew like snowflakes one by one hitting me hard like icy memories shocking me awake to a past long ago.
“Oh my god.” I breathed out barely able to speak.
Lowering the pad I drew close to him lifting his hand into mine, holding his palm flush to my cheek as he slept silently.
“I thought I'd never see you again.”