Hope (19 page)

“You heard what Don said. This world is not meant for love.”

She cupped his face between the palms of her hands. “You,
Don, and Pearce are fighting for a better world. How do you expect to get a
better world if you’re not prepared to live your life?”

“Anything could happen to you,” he said.

“From what I’ve heard anything could have happened to me
before. We need to fight this, Damon. You said to take happiness where you can
get it. I can get it with you, and if I have to, I’ll fight to prove it to
you.” She kissed his lips before he got the chance to argue.

He didn’t want to argue with her. Damon wanted the same
thing she wanted, love. Maybe there was a chance for all of them.

“Have hope, Damon,” she said against his ear.

“With you in my arms, I’ll have hope.”

****

Penny felt different. Her body hummed from the after-effects
of lovemaking. She stared at the window seeing her reflection in the glass. Her
lips were swollen from his kisses, and her breasts ached from his teeth. Her
pussy was sore, and his seed leaked out. She felt herself blushing thinking
about what had happened to her body.

“You look like a well-loved woman,” Laura said.

She turned toward the other woman. “Does it always feel like
this?”

“It depends on the man. I see you have feelings for Damon. I
take it I was wrong about him.”

Nodding her head, Penny turned back to see the men returning
with their equipment. After they’d made love a second time Damon had helped her
dress before leaving her to go and help the others. She’d heard plenty of crude
words describing sex. None of them could have prepared her for what happened. Damon
glanced at the window, and she waved at him. He waved back. She saw Pearce say
something and Damon respond by hitting him in the ribs.

“He told me he loved me.”

“Any fool can see how that man feels for you. You’re a lucky
woman, Penny. Damon will see you’re well looked after.” Laura dropped the sack
of potatoes onto the table.

Penny sat at the table helping her peel them. “Do you really
think it can work between us?”

“I don’t see why not. George and I are going strong.”

“You’ve got kids and live away from the city. How can a
relationship survive with all this?”

Laura paused in her peeling and turned to her. “The world is
not what defines us as people, Penny. Like those boys out there, they’re not
bad people. Edward especially is doing his hardest to learn about farming. The
other two I’m not so sure about. They need to focus on other things besides the
crap in their lives, and it can be done. All that needs to happen is for them
to feel something.”

“What?”

“Hope. We all in our own way have hope. Hope we’ll survive.
Hope for a loved one to return. Not all of us thrive on the way things are, but
there are those of us who are determined to right this world.”

Penny wrapped her arms around the older woman. “Thank you so
much.”

“Don’t thank me, darling. The world may never be safe my
lifetime or my kids’ lifetime, but I have
hope
that
one day, the world will be sane again.”

Penny picked up a knife and started peeling potatoes. Once
the potatoes were peeled and the dinner simmering in the pot she walked out
onto the porch to watch the sunset. Damon sat smoking a pipe with Pearce.

Pearce moved over to give her room to sit next to the man
she loved.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome. I hear congratulations are in order. Damon
told me about your becoming a couple. If we ever find a priest I’ll be sure to
bring him to you for a wedding,” Pearce said.

“I’m going to get Don to bless our wedding,” Damon said,
pulling her against his side.

“He’s not a priest.”

“No, he’s not, but he’s the leader of our area, and I’ll
respect his wishes no matter what.” Damon kissed her temple.

Pearce threw his pipe to the ground. “I’m going to see how
our rebels are doing. Take care.”

He patted Penny on the head. Damon lashed out ready to hit
him. She started laughing and caught his hand. “He’s being friendly.”

“No one touches my woman but me.”

“I’ll always be your woman, Damon. Nothing will ever change
the way I feel.” She kissed his palm.

“How did I get so lucky?” he asked.

“You answered a woman’s screams. I’m really thankful you
came that night. Something worse would have happened, but you saved me.”

His hold on her tightened at the mention of the night the
men had tried to force her.

“I’ll never let anything happen to you.” He kissed her head.
“How are you feeling? Are you a little sore?”

She nodded. “I’m a little sore. I guess that comes with the
territory. I’m looking forward to bedtime when you can show me more.”

Penny ran her fingers up the inside of his thigh. He growled
against her throat as she teased him.

“You’d better be careful, Princess. There is no backing down
anymore.”

“Why would I want to back down? You love me, and I want to
learn everything from you.”

She looked out at the sunset enjoying the fiery colours on
display.

“What kind of things do you want to learn?”

Her blush filled her cheeks at her thoughts. “Well, I want
to know if I can kiss you down there the way you kiss me,” she said.

Penny glanced up at him from lowered lashes. She was shocked
to see the passionate intent in his gaze.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he said.

“Why? Because I want to give you everything you’ve given
me?”

He shook his head. “I’m not going to want to work after this,
knowing I’ve got a willing woman waiting for me. My job is about to get a hell
of a lot harder.”

Feeling bold, Penny cupped his cock through his pants.

He growled at her. She noticed he didn’t push her hand away.

“Then you’ll remember how much better you’ll feel knowing
you’ve got me to always come back to.” She kissed his cheek.

“Don’t forget dinner.”

Chapter
Eighteen

That night Damon followed his woman up the stairs and into
the bathroom. By the time the door was closed he’d removed his shirt and was
starting on the buckle of his jeans. Penny chuckled at his rushed undress. She,
on the other hand, took her time, revealing her body slowly. He stood, naked
except for his briefs, waiting for her to get naked.

In the end he had no choice and undressed her himself. He
needed to feel her against him. Her breasts were bruised from his kisses. He
stroked his finger down each roughened mark.

“Do they hurt?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing that good would ever hurt.”

He smiled. He didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky.
Hearing her words of love had changed him. In the back of his mind he was
concerned about their future. There were a lot of things that could go wrong
for them. He didn’t like how the three men in the shed were linked to Grimes. Damon
felt Edward wanted to tell him something. Each time the younger man approached
him, the other two found some reason to be close by. He’d need to get Pearce to
get them alone.

Shutting out thoughts of work, he stared at the tempting
morsel standing in front of him. Her shapely body called to him.

“Did you mean what you said on the porch?” she asked.

“About getting Don to give us his
blessing?”
She nodded her head. “I meant every single word, Princess.”

Penny wrapped her arms around him. Her body shook as tears
fell from her eyes. “What’s the matter, baby?” he asked, pulling her away to
look at her.

“I’ve got to tell you something.”

“What is it?” He went on alert. Her tone and reaction making
him think the worst.

“My family were not going to sell me to the highest bidder
to get married,” she said.

He frowned. The families were known for selling their women
on. It was the way women from families were protected.

“They were going to hire me out to Grimes.”

“Why Grimes?”

“Grime’s was making exchanges for all the women. He wanted
to use them to sleep with his men. The day I left the farm Grimes had paid my
family a visit. I heard what they were saying. The next day he was going to
look me over and test the goods. That’s what I heard them call it.” She licked
her lips staring past her shoulder.

She looked young and vulnerable. His heart went out to her.
She’d run from Grimes’s clutches only to end up nearly getting raped.

“You said you’d never met Grimes,” he said.

“I haven’t met him. I’ve seen outlines of him, but I’ve
never met him. I ran before I got that pleasurable experience.” She wrinkled
her nose letting him know the experience would be anything but pleasurable.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I was worried Don would kick me out of his area. You said I
needed to petition to stay. I was scared that association would stop all my
chances.”

He wasn’t mad at her, but the information needed to be
passed onto Don immediately. He’d make sure in the next day or so he talked
with Edward and then headed back to Don and the club.

“Are you mad at me?” Penny asked.

Damon pushed the hair off her shoulder, stroking her cheek.
“Why would I be mad at you? Everything you’ve done, you’ve done to survive. I
don’t get mad. You survived like I did.”

She let out a cry. He heard the relief in the sound. Damon
held her close, knowing there was nothing she could have said to upset him.

“You can’t keep this information from me. If you know
anything else let me know straight away.”

Penny nodded.

He wiped the last tear from her eye. “Are you ready for a
bath?”

She glanced down the length of his body. Her gaze lingered
on his groin. His cock started to thicken at her intense gaze. Penny sank to
the floor before him. Her hands reached out to cup him in her palm. He stopped
her hands. “You don’t have to do this,” he said.

“I don’t want their memory to ruin anything for us, Damon.
You’ve given me so much pleasure. I wish to give you the same.”

Her hands ran up and down his thighs. The small touch sent
the fire burning to his cock. In a matter of seconds he was hard as rock and
begging to be released.

Damon stood before her naked. His rod was long and thick.
The tip leaked out pre-cum.
 
Cupping his
shaft in his hand, Damon worked the length.

Her eyes widened. Her finger went to the tip. She coated her
finger with his seed and then placed it in her mouth.

“What do I do to give you pleasure?” she asked.

“Are you sure?”

She gave a jerk of her head.

“Open your
lips,
and I’ll do the
rest. Give me your hand.” He took her hand in his. Her mouth opened, and she
took the mushroom shaped tip between her lips. He watched his shaft disappeared
inside her mouth. Her wet heat surrounded him.

“Watch the teeth,” he said, wincing.

Penny sucked him inside, and her tongue licked along the
blue vein. Damon didn’t know whether to close his eyes from the pleasure or
watch her. Both actions felt necessary in order to make him last. When he
reached the back of her throat Penny stopped. She licked his cock inside her
mouth. With his free hand, he placed his hand on her head and showed her what
to do.

She pulled off his cock and then took him back. Her head
bobbed at the pace he wanted. His balls tightened with the need to come.

Taking the hand he held, he wrapped her fingers around his
length at the base. He showed her with his hand over hers what he wanted. She
took over, giving him the blow job of a lifetime. Her untrained actions were a
huge turn-on. He instructed her in what to do and how to do it. Damon was calm
and winced when her teeth bit down a little too hard.

When his climax was upon him Damon pulled out and finished
off on her breasts. His white seed dotted her chest.

“Why couldn’t I swallow it?” she asked.

He shook his head. “All in good time,” he said.

Damon picked her up off the floor and eased her in the bath.
He climbed in behind her. Grabbing the washcloth he washed his seed off her
chest.

“That was amazing,” she said. A sigh released from her lips.
The sound made him smile. Penny was such a responsive and giving woman.

“You know you’re mine?”

“I know. I’ll never forget.”

****

Penny let Damon wash her body. His touch was gentle as he washed
her. She moaned when his hand moved between her thighs, washing their
lovemaking away. He kissed her clit and then handed her the cloth to wash him.
They stood in the small tub rinsing off the daily work.