She picked up the black box, opening the lid. Even in the darkness she could see the diamond sparkle. She wanted so desperately to put that ring on her finger, to tightly grab hold of everything it symbolized.
But for some reason, she simply couldn’t do it. She closed the box, the ring still inside. If only he’d said “I love you” or if he’d given her the ring a year ago, before Lilly had come along. She would have believed it was her that Walker wanted, and not just complete rights to his daughter.
She hesitated before opening the door, wondering what she was actually committing herself to. Was it just the warmth and sexual release that only Walker could give her? Or was there more?
In her heart, she knew that she was giving him more. She was giving him her heart and soul as soon as she stepped out of that doorway. But he was only offering her sex in return.
For now, it was enough, she told herself. For now, she could take what both of them needed, what she’d been craving for so long on the cold, scary nights when she was pregnant or even after giving birth, wondering if she would make it with Lilly.
No, for tonight, and for however many nights she could take it, she would give her love to Walker and accept his heat and passion in return.
That was what he was offering. That was what she was going to accept.
She walked as silently as she could down the hallway, standing in his open door. She saw him in his bed, his bare chest glistening in the moonlight. He had a muscular arm thrown over his eyes and he looked to be fast asleep. She bit her lower lip, trying to decide if she was going to step into the room and into his arms.
She stood there for a long time, not sure what to do. Her heart was racing and her stomach tightened nervously. What was she doing? She couldn’t do this! She wanted to run away, to race back to the other room, but something kept her there, staring at him, wondering if he was still asleep.
In the end, she decided that he was still asleep and started to turn away. Only to be halted by his voice.
“Amy,” he said. And that was all it took to ease the panic welling up, threatening to choke her.
She tried to see him in the darkness but her fears were almost blinding her. “I thought you were asleep.”
He turned his head. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she could feel them. “Come here,” he said with that same, sexy authority in his voice that she’d always loved.
He sat up as she approached warily and Amy realized that he was already naked.
“Take it off,” he said when she was about a foot away from him.
Amy fiddled with the edges of her sleep shirt, feeling too nervous to simply take it off. “I’m different now, Walker.” Amy knew the changes her pregnancy had wrought on her body. “I’m not…”
“Take it off,” he asserted again.
He flicked on the light and Amy thought that she might like the darkness better. “Can we…”
He shook his head.
“No. I want to see you.”
He stood up and eliminated the distance between them. “You’re not wearing my ring,” he stated, his voice grumbly and husky.
“Not yet.”
He didn’t stop to question why and Amy was grateful. But he also didn’t stop. His hands took her night shirt and pulled it over her head. She started to cover herself, but his large hands stopped her, pulling her arms away so he could see all of her.
“The stretch marks,” she started to explain, her hand moving to her stomach, covering the silver lines but he bent lower, kneeling before her and kissing those lines, nibbling on each side of her hip until she moaned with the fire he’d started in her body.
“I don’t see any stretch marks, Amy. I see a beautiful woman with the sexiest body that never fails to blow my mind.”
“My hips…” she started to say. “They don’t fit into my old jeans any longer. And I’m heavier…”
He stood up and kissed her, not allowing her to critici
ze her body any longer. “Your body is perfect. I think you’re more beautiful now than you ever were.”
She started to scoff at that claim, but his hands were holding her hips, his fingers splaying out as if he were trying to discover for himself all the different nuances of her figure. A moment later, he lifted her into his arms and placed her in the middle of his still unmade up bed. She looked up at him, feeling self-conscious. But he came down over her, his strong arms on either side of her head and he kissed her. It was one of those toe curling, mind blowing, soul bending kisses that never failed to light her up with a desire so intense, she thought she might just explode in flames.
“Oh my,” she gasped when he lifted his mouth, his body still hard and ready for her.
“Is that all you can say?” he
asked, that funny quirk to his lips that told her he was amused.
He didn’t wait for an answer, but bent lower and nibbled along her shoulder, making a heated path to her neck. “I think so,” she gasped.
Her hands lifted, her fingers exploring that chest and his arms that she’d wanted to feel for so many nights. “You’re so perfect,” she whispered, arching her back when his mouth moved down lower, kissing his way to her breasts. His nose nuzzled her nipples when she wanted his mouth to treat them with the same attention her neck had received. And he knew exactly what she wanted but wouldn’t give it to her.
She reached up herself, trying to taste him but he lifted away from her.
“Not yet, Amy. This is your turn.”
She opened her mouth
to argue but he covered hers again, his hands moving to her waist and he rolled over so she was on top of him. He settled her legs on either side of his hips, giving him the perfect opportunity to explore her body once again. “I always liked you like this,” he groaned.
She wasn’t going to play his game, she thought. Now that he’d started, she wasn’t shy any longer. “I don’t want to be a recipient,” she whispered, licking her lips as her fingers explored the hardness in front of her. While his hands molded her breasts, her own fingers moved through the light coating of hair on his chest, touching all the ridges of each muscle, skimming across his flat nipples and smiling when she heard the sharp intake of his breath.
When she bent forward, she kissed the center of his chest, her tongue darting out to taste that incredible “Walker” taste. “Mmm…you still taste amazing,” she sighed happily. No longer thinking about her body, she was too intent on exploring his, rediscovering all the places on his body that made him squirm. She’d always loved it when he’d allowed her to explore, which wasn’t often because he liked being in control, which meant he was usually exploring her body, causing her to scream out.
And just like before, he didn’t give her nearly enough time. “Next round, you get to do that,” he promised. “But this time is all about you.”
“Then let me have my way,” she whispered back.
In response, his mouth covered her nipple and he sucked, teased and tasted, then soothed the sensitive flesh. Moving lower, his fingers preceded his mouth, tickling her, firing all of her nerve endings.
But Amy wasn’t going to do that again. She struggled with him, pushing him back. This time, she was determined to have it her way. When she was once again on top, she straddled his hips but almost lost her balance when his fingers found his goal. “Oh!” she gasped when one long finger slipped into her core. This was not what she’d been planning, what she’d been striving for. But when his fingers moved, his thumb coming into play, she was his captive even though he’d let her be on top.
“You’re cheating!” she grumbled, trying to keep her voice low so she wouldn’t wake up Lilly. But he was making it very hard for her. “I was supposed to…”
“You are supposed to enjoy this,” he countered, slipping another finger inside of her, causing additional friction.
“Oh my!” she sighed and started allowing herself to enjoy the movement.
But it was too intense. Her body had been too long without him and she shook her head, her whole body shivering as her release was almost upon her. “I don’t want it like this,” she gasped, grabbing his wrist. “Please, Walker,” and she opened her eyes, begging him.
He reached out, grabbed a condom from his beside drawer and tore open the package. When he had it on, he grabbed her hips and slid her down.
Moving slowly, gently because she was so tight. “Amy!” he growled when he was fully sheathed inside of her heat.
“Don’t move,” Amy gasped, her body shivering with reaction. It had been so long! And he was so big, it was almost uncomfortable. “Just give me a moment,” she asked. Her hands flat on his chest and she shifted on top of him, ignoring his groans as she accidentally caused friction between their bodies. She wasn’t trying to do that. She just needed to adjust, to get used to his size.
Walker tried to stay still, knowing that she was trying to adjust but she just felt too good! And she was so tight, so hot. “Amy, I don’t think I can stay still much longer,” he said through gritted teeth.
Amy smiled, arching her back as she felt her body relax around him. “I’m all yours,” she whispered.
Walker needed no other prompting. He wrapped an arm around her waist and swung her around. It was a combination of him standing and carrying her as well as momentum, but a split second later, she was underneath him and he was moving inside of her. Slowly at first, but with more intensity, more power. Amy couldn’t deal with the power of his thrusts and she burst apart, her orgasm taking over her whole body. She wasn’t aware of him kissing her, of Walker absorbing her screams in his mouth. All she knew was that she felt like heaven had just exploded around her and Walker was the only rock she could cling to.
He climaxed soon after, his whole body pouring out into hers and he shuddered with the amazing feeling of being in her arms once again.
They lay like that, clinging together, arms and legs intertwined while their breathing slowly came back to normal even while their minds tried to recover from that explosive union.
When he was sure he could stand once more, h
e went to the bathroom and came back quickly, pulling her into his arms and settling her against his chest. “You’re beautiful Amy. I don’t ever want to hear you tell me anything differently.”
Amy smiled, her cheek resting against his chest and she felt his large hand slide down her back, cupping her bottom as if he still wasn’t finished exploring her body. “You’re pretty awesome yourself,” she whispered back, her fingers doing their own exploring.
She laughed when he rolled over. Just like old times, she thought. Walker was never satisfied with one round. Or even two. He was a voracious lover and she’d loved it. Every time he took her into his arms it was like he was on fire for her, and his intensity caused her own need to spiral out of control.
Saturday: normally a day to get chores done, but everything was different now that Walker was back in her life.
Amy padded to the kitchen, feeling slightly sad. Walker had taken Lilly out to the grocery store
. On the one hand, she was thrilled that she didn’t have to do grocery shopping this week. It was one of her hated chores. But on the other hand, she really missed the two of them. She might not like grocery shopping, but she certainly liked being with Lilly. And Walker, she sighed. She was right back where she was a year ago, madly in love with the man and feeling like a silly school girl whenever he came close. She quivered all over her body just with one of his looks. And when she wasn’t with him, she hungered for him. Not just sexually, although that was….well, she smiled as she sipped her herbal tea. Yes, the sex was incredible.
She
stared out the window and contemplated the day ahead. Her first Saturday with both Lilly and Walker. What could they do together?
She slowed herself down. Walker might have something he needed to do today. She shouldn’t assume he wanted to spend the day with them.
Maybe there was a park close by and they could take Lilly to the playground. It would be nice to get out into the sunshine and fresh air.
The doorbell rang and Amy started slightly. Was it the guy?
She looked around. She was in Walker’s house. She was safe here. No one knew she was here. Walker had done just about everything possible to keep the guy from following her home from school and they were in a completely different neighborhood. She was safe, she thought.
But she didn’t answer the door. Whoever it was, they weren’t looking for her. She stood very still, listening to the sounds. The doorbell rang again.
Silence.
When nothing happened, Amy breathed a sigh of relief. They’d gone away. Whoever it was, they took the hint that Walker wasn’t here and had left.
She padded to the bedroom and tossed the towel into the hamper. Pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She should wear something nicer. Something more attractive. Pulling off her outfit, she grabbed her favorite pair of jeans and a sweater, turning around to make sure her butt still looked okay in the denim. It had been a while since she’d worn these jeans! Wow! They fit her now!
She laughed to herself, thinking that
all the exertion from a week of nighttime “exercises” really worked out a girl’s body! She might be exhausted, but she had a smile on her face and her pre-pregnancy butt back! What more could a woman ask?
“You look lovely,” a strange voice said.
Amy spun around, her heart jumping into her throat.
Standing in the doorway was a stranger. But he wasn’t really a stranger. She’d seen his face many times. It was him!
He wasn’t wearing a baseball cap this time and she could see his hair and eyes. The man was about five feet ten inches tall with brown hair that needed a trim. His eyes were blue, but they had a strange look in them, as if he’d done some sort of drug. He wore neatly pressed jeans, a starched white shirt, and a tan wind breaker type of jacket.
Amy stared at him, taking in the details while, at the same time, wondering how she could get away from him. “Who are you?” she asked
nervously.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. “Your voice,” he whispered. “It’s perfect! It’s just like I imagined it would be!” He smiled and extended his hand. “Come. It’s time.”
Amy cringed, her eyes looking at his hand then back up to his strangely glossy eyes. “Time for what?” she asked, clearing her throat when her voice cracked from her terror. She’d felt so comfortable here, so safe! And now her crazy stalker hadn’t just found Walker’s house, he was inside of it!
The stranger gestured behind him, as if he were a gentleman trying to lead her out in a courtly fashion.
“Time for us to go.”
She shook her head. “Go? I’m not going anywhere.”
His lips smiled but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. They were still glossy but there was a determination, a hardness that scared her even more. “Yes,” he nodded. “You’re free now. Your daughter is with the man and you’re alone. It’s time.”
Amy shrank back even more. “How do you…”
“I love you,” he told her firmly, stepping into the room but stopping when Amy stepped backwards. “There’s no need to be afraid of me. I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve waited for so long to be with you and I finally found an opportunity. He tried to hide you, but I found you and can save you. We need to go now. We need to hurry.”
She shook her head, pulling her arms towards her chest as if she could somehow shrink away from him.
She had to keep him talking, keep him distracted and give herself time to figure out how to get away from him. “The first time? What does that mean?”
He smiled, trying to reassure her but it wasn’t working. That strange light in his eyes terrified her. “I’ve been watching you. All the time! You were so sad last
year, I almost took you away back then because you were so sad. It was because of him, wasn’t it?”
Amy’s heart sped up even more. “You’ve been watching me for a year?”
One side of his mouth went up even more in an apologetic smile. “Longer than a year, my love. I’ve been watching you for…oh, I’m not sure actually.”
That just made this whole thing even creepier! “I don’t like that! I don’t like my privacy invaded!”
He shook his head quickly and stepped closer but stopped once again when she stepped back in sync with his forward step. “I never invaded your privacy! I promise…” he stopped and shrugged. “Well, I did go into your house recently.” He stepped forward again, his hands stretched out, palms up, eyes wide as he implored her to understand the motives behind his actions. “But only because I love you so much! And I had to have just something of yours!”
Her mind whipped through all the strange things that had been happening and she gasped when she thought of the probable answer.
“The pictures? You took my pictures out of my classroom?!”
He shook his head vehemently. “No! I didn’t take those for myself. I took those for you! I knew you’d want a picture of your little girl. She’s very pretty, by the way.”
This was becoming even more terrifying. “What do you mean? Why do I need a picture of her?”
He waved his hands
again as if she should come with him. “Because we’re going now. We’re going off together. We can be together now.”
Amy shook her head
, suddenly realizing that this man was thinking she wanted to run away with him, that she didn’t want to be with Lilly any longer and he was saving her from her life. He was one hundred percent nuts! “I’m not going with you.”
He smiled gently and the look made her stomach churn. “Amy, we were meant to be together. You know that.”
The only thing she knew was that this guy was crazy. Certifiably psycho! Which also meant she needed to change tactics. He was planning to take her away from Lilly. From Walker! No! That wasn’t going to happen. It had been such a painful year and she was finally starting to accept her love for Walker. There was no way this nut was going to take her away from Walker now! “What’s your name?” she asked softly, changing her body language as much as possible so that she was more comforting, trying to appear less anxious.
“I’m Brian,” he said, a
sheepish look of adoration spreading over his bland features. “And you’re so beautiful!”
She ignored his compliment and started inching towards the front door, trying not to spook him though.
“What do you do Brian? For a living?”
His grin broadened even more. “I’m so glad that you love me back.” He looked behind him as if gauging something. “But we have to leave now. We have to get out of here before they come back. You know they were only going to the grocery store.”
Amy didn’t smile, but she did look around surreptitiously, trying to find a weapon just in case. “Where are we going?”
Time! She needed to kill some time until Walker came back. She estimated he would be gone for another fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. That seemed like an eternity but she had to do it.
“We’re going to a place that I’ve created. It’s just for the two of us.”
Creepier and creepier! Amy thought quickly. “Are you sure you got it all ready? Is everything there for me?”
He laughed slightly. “Of course! That’s why I had to go into your house. I had to see what you liked, what you ate. I have everything for you.”
Ick! He
’d gone through her stuff? “Why?”
He shook his head
as if she should already know the answer to that question. “Because I love you! And because I know we were meant to be together.”
Amy took a deep breath, trying to calm down and think.
“Brian, I’d love to sit down and talk with you. Would you mind if we just talked? Got to know one another?”
He hesitated, looking around
as if the concept was strange. “We can talk. Yes, definitely we can talk. But first, we need to leave.”
Amy knew that leaving was a really bad idea. Stalling was her best option. “Okay. Well, maybe if you give me a little background about yourself, I would feel more comfortable with you. And would you mind if I packed some stuff? If you’ve been through my house, you know that I really like my personal stuff around me.”
He shook his head. “You don’t need to get anything! I’ve bought clothes for you, the kinds of foods you like and all your makeup.”
Amy had to stand very still after that comment. “You know what makeup I wear?”
He smiled weakly. “Of course I do! I wanted to learn everything I could about you. You’re my love! I would do anything to make you happy.”
Amy shook her head
, trying to not let the panic and creepiness of this guy’s words overwhelm her. “No, Brian. You are doing things to make yourself happy. I don’t even know you and yet you want me to come with you.”
He took another step
, his eyes changing slightly. “I love you!”
She took a deep breath and backed up another step.
“That’s not enough. I want to know the man I love.” She was trying so hard not to gag but this guy was a real piece of work. He had some serious mental issues and she didn’t like being the object of his fixation. “The man I love is strong and confident,” she said, thinking of Walker and not the creepy dude in Walker’s house. “I love a man who is open and expressive.” Okay, definitely not Walker who barely smiled. But Amy knew when he was smiling on the inside and that’s what counts. “Are you that man, Brian?” she asked. “Are you open and kind, generous with your feelings? Are you willing to talk with me? Help me become comfortable with you?”
Brian was nodding feverishly the whole time. “Absolutely,” he replied, but l
ooked around, glancing at his watch. “But not here. We have to leave. Hurry!”
This time when she stepped backwards, he didn’t halt. He came forward in a rush, grabbing her wrist and
dragging her out of the room. “Brian, please! You’re hurting me!” she called to him, trying to calm him down.
He stopped instantly and looked at her. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but the other guy is going to be home soon and I don’t want to fight him.” With those words, he pulled out a gun.
Amy panicked at that point. “Why do you have a gun?” she demanded, grabbing onto the sofa and pulling even as he dragged her further out of the room. “What are you planning to do?”
“The gun is only for
your protection,” he explained with a frantic look, dragging her down the hallway. Amy tried to pull back, to slow him down, but he was really hurting her wrist. This crazy guy was stronger than he looked. She knew that Walker was extremely strong as well, but she’d never been in a position where she had to test whether she could get away from him. Walker was always gentle when he touched her and she never feared him, not even when he was angry.
Talk! She had to keep him talking! Maybe that would distract him and she could get away.
“Protection from what? What do you think is going to happen, Brian?”
The garage door started humming and Br
ian froze. Amy stopped trying to get away from him, accepting that it was a lost cause. His crazy brain was giving him super strength and she couldn’t break his grip. So instead of trying to stop him or get away, she tried a new tactic. Stepping in front of him surprised him enough to stop his momentum. When she had his full attention, she did the only thing she knew to do that would be fast and effective. Putting her free hand to his cheek, she smiled ever so slightly. “Brian, this isn’t your fault,” she said a moment before she slammed her knee into his groin.
The shriek that emanated from the man after her assault was gratifying. He’d been scaring the
bejeezus out of her for the past several minutes so she felt no guilt about physically hurting him.
Unfortunately, he might be wounded, but he was still strong. His hold on her wrist slackened ever so slightly, but he maintained his hold, even while he was falling to the ground.