Into the Storm (15 page)

Rabbit backed up, hitting the counter. I stepped forward until I was right in front of her. Slowly, I reached beside her and set my empty plate down. Then I leaned on my arms, creating a cage around her. Her eyes gazed up at me, suddenly wide with longing, her chest rising rapidly in short breaths. Smiling, I leaned forward, my lips grazing up her neck to her ear, nipping on the lobe. I felt the rippling shudder flow through her body. “If I wanted that ...
fork
…
right here and right now Rabbit, would you have a … problem … with that?” I whispered huskily into her ear.

Her whimper was all I needed and I pressed myself flush against her and covered her mouth with mine. Her mouth opened and instantly our tongues began their sweet dance. I groaned and wrapped my arms around her, lifting her to the counter. Her legs draped around my waist, drawing me closer and I felt myself swell further and begin to throb with desire. My hips began thrusting slowly, rubbing my sheathed cock against her warmth as my mouth devoured hers.

Her hands stole under my shirt, stroking my back, pressing me closer. Her feet were moving and shifting and then I felt my sweatpants and boxers being pulled down. I pulled back, gasping, as the cool air hit my skin. I quirked my eyebrow at her. “Very dexterous trick, Rabbit,” I growled.

In a quick move of my own, I wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her, grabbing the waistband of her pants and dragged them down her legs. Then I sat her down on the counter with a grin. “Touché,” I grinned as she gasped in surprise when her skin met the cold granite.

I leaned forward, my teeth nipping and licking at her neck. I made my way up to her ear. “Don’t worry, Rabbit, I’ll warm you up.”

Her hands pulled at the hem of my shirt and I lifted my arms to accommodate her. I did the same for her and then crushed her against me, my hands stroking and caressing her warm skin while hers wandered over my arms and back, finally settling on my buttocks urging me forward.

“
Now,
Joshua. I need you.
Please
.”

I pulled her forward and drove into her slick warmth in one thrust. Her legs tightened around me, holding me close, meeting my rapid thrusts with a series of small whimpers and moans. Her head fell back and I buried my face in her arched chest, my tongue laving, swirling; tasting the softness of her skin and teasing the hardness of her peaks. I could feel myself losing control and began thrusting harder, erratically, as I chased the overwhelming sensation that was spiralling through my body. Her sudden shudder of ecstasy was what I needed to let go and I held her tightly as I came deeply inside her, moaning her name.

Finally, I stilled, holding Rabbit tightly, one hand fisted in her thick hair. I pulled back slightly and captured her lips and kissed her over and over again. Gentle, sweet touches of my lips to hers. Small loving caresses that whispered of feelings we hadn’t expressed yet but we both felt. “Arms, Rabbit,” I whispered.

Her arms lifted and wrapped around my neck. I picked her up, still buried inside her and carried her into the shower.

The warm water rushed over us and we took turns lathering up and gently washing each other. I grabbed the towels and wrapped her up in one before wrapping one around my waist. I lazily ran a towel over her damp skin, nuzzling her shoulder. She giggled softly and padded ahead of me into the bedroom. I watched her as she pulled on a pair of her pants, but grabbed my grey hoodie, pulling it over her head. “I’m going to have to charge you rent on that.” I grinned, coming up behind her. “I never get to wear it anymore.” She wrinkled her nose at me in the mirror as she struggled to get the comb through her hair. Leaning over, I plucked the comb from her hand and carefully worked it through the snarls. “I’ll get you some conditioner as soon as I can get a delivery to us,” I said, frowning. “This must hurt, Rabbit.” I met her eyes in the mirror. She was smiling sweetly at me.

“
What?”

“
You never hurt me, Joshua.” Her voice was confident.

I smiled and continued to work the knots out of her hair. Once I was satisfied, I put down the comb and grabbed some clothes. I sat on the side of the bed and pulled some socks on my feet. Lifting my head, I saw Rabbit was in front of me. She held up the comb. “My turn.”

I snorted. “Knock yourself out. It won’t help much.” But I let her run the comb then her hands through my hair, enjoying the feeling of being cared for.

Holding her hand, I escorted her to the sofa, making sure she was comfortable before sitting beside her.

The sound of Bear’s giant paws descending from upstairs made me turn my head. He walked over to the fireplace and stood looking at us. There was no mistaking the expression on his furry face. “Uh oh,” Rabbit giggled, the sound muffled behind her hand. “I don’t think he approved of the kitchen … forking.”

I laughed as he turned his back to both of us with a huff and lay down, ignoring us. I pulled her to me, settling her into my side. “Too bad, because that is definitely gonna happen again.”

Her eyes looked up at me. “Is that a fact?”

I leaned down and grazed my lips on hers. “Trust me, I have many, many plans of things I want to do to you, Rabbit,” I growled roughly.

She giggled. “All this because of apple pie?”

“
No,” I shook my head, stroking her cheek with my hand. “All of
this
, because of you.”

With a contented sigh she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to mine. I pulled her close and leaned back on the sofa, nestling her into my chest. We sat gazing at the fire, our bodies close, limbs entwined, and happy to just be close and quiet.

Chapter Sixteen

Joshua

I sat behind the wheel with the engine rumbling and looked at the gate which seemed to loom large and ominously at me. I drew in a breath and hit the remote, watching as the gate swung open. I glanced up and met Rabbit’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. She had determined it was better for her to be behind me so I could see her easily. She nodded, not saying anything.

Still, I hesitated.

Slowly, I felt arms encircle my shoulders from behind, and Rabbit’s head rested against my neck. “I’m right here, Joshua,” her tender voice whispered into my ear. “It’s still your property. You’re still safe.”

I sighed and shifted into drive. I lowered the plow and began clearing a path further from the gate. The entire time Rabbit’s arms stayed around me, her voice in my ear as the distance from the gate lengthened. Every day we had gone farther and we were almost to the road now. When she felt the tenseness and shaking start, she leaned forward, laying her hand over mine at the wheel. “Just stop, Joshua.”

I did as she said. “Breathe. Just breathe with me.” I nodded silently and concentrated on pulling the air into my lungs. “Good, that’s good,” she encouraged gently after a few minutes. “Why don’t you just clear a wider path for now? We’ve gone quite far today.”

I shifted and slowly worked my way back up the drive, cutting another swath through the deep snow. Over and over, I repeated the pattern until a large clear area was in front of me. Then I raised the plow and drove back up the road, through the gate, hitting the button to shut it behind me, even though I knew no one could get as far as the gate since the last stretch of the road was still impassable.

I pulled the truck up to the front of the house so I could clean it off before pulling it inside the barn later. I jumped out of the truck and, opening the back door, reached in for Rabbit, dragging her across the seat and out of the truck. I stood holding her closely, feeling the panic finally beginning to subdue and my body ease. Her arms were wound around me tightly as she stood locked in my embrace, wordlessly offering me the comfort I needed.

“
You did so well,” she praised, pulling back slightly, her head tilted up. I shrugged self-consciously. “What?” she questioned.

I looked over her shoulder. “It should be easy after all this time. I should be able to do this.”

“
Joshua …”

I pushed away from her, pacing, suddenly angry. “Why, Rabbit? Why is it so fucking hard? I walked out my door and into the world for fucking years without even thinking about it. And now, I can’t make it a few hundred fucking feet from my gate without acting like a …”

“
Like a what, Joshua?”

I spun around.

“
Like a fucking helpless child!” I shouted. “I’m so weak. I disgust myself! I don’t how you can stand there and tell me how well I did. I
know
the driveway is blocked and there is no one there. I
know
there is nothing out there that’s going to hurt me. But I can’t fucking get past this. I just … can’t …” I shook my head, my voice trailing off.

I looked at her as she stood gazing at me. I kept shouting. “I can’t ever be the man you need, Rabbit. I can’t give you a life outside these gates. I can’t take you to dinner. Hell, I can’t even take you to the grocery store. Or on a vacation. I can’t give you a family. I have nothing to offer you.”

For a minute, she said nothing. Then she strode forward and pushed me. Again and again until I was pushed into the side of the truck, staring down at her in surprise.

“
Listen to me, Joshua. I have no idea what brought that little speech on, but stop it. You are not weak. You have pushed and fought your way back to being able to get out to the gate and beyond. And you keep pushing yourself. You will beat this someday, I know you will. Something will finally be reason enough for you to overcome what those bastards did to you,” she spit out angrily. “But if you didn’t? If you were never able to leave this place? It makes you no less a man in my eyes. What you do with your life is what makes you a man.”

“
And what have I done that makes me a man, Rabbit?” I asked wearily.

Her eyes narrowed. “You have persevered. You found a way to keep going. You kept writing. You found a way to still be a part of the world even if it means NOT going out that gate,” she insisted, pointing behind me. Then her voice softened. “You didn’t stop being able to love. To show love, Joshua. You heard about Bear and you rescued him. You care and look after him” Her hands came up and cupped my face. “You care and look after
me,
Joshua. I was a total stranger and you helped me. You tended to my bruises, held me when I was upset, and showed me it was okay to trust.” Her voice became filled with emotion. “You showed me it was okay to love someone. How to love someone. And I do.
I love you,
Joshua.”

My eyes were locked on hers and I couldn’t look away.

“
There is so much you would miss being here with me.” I whispered.

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t miss anything, Joshua. Not being here is what I would miss. Because then, I wouldn’t be with
you
. I don’t care about dinners or vacations.
You
are all I
need
.”

I swept her into my arms. My lips lovingly kissed her sweet mouth. Small, soft, little caresses. Her hand crept around my head, pulling me to her. My tongue traced the edge of her lips gently, tasting her sweetness. She parted her mouth and my tongue slipped in, teasing hers. Her quiet whimper had me gathering her closer, tilting her head, deepening the kiss. My tongue explored her sweetness, swirling, tasting, stroking, tenderly at first, and then becoming greedier. I couldn’t stop tasting her, savouring her warmth. All the emotion I had been feeling, the panic, the anger and the love swirled and spun into a mass of hot, pulsating need. I broke away, gasping for air, planning on pulling her into the truck and having her right there. I looked down at Rabbit and stilled. Her breath was coming out in small gasps, her chest rising and falling quickly. Her hair was a mass of waves, rippling in the sun, begging for my hands to wind themselves into it. Her lips were swollen and damp from my mouth. Reaching down, I traced a finger over her soft, pink flesh, shuddering as she reached her velvet tongue out, teasing my finger. Her eyes opened and I saw the burning desire in her depths. Her gaze was warm and filled with a love I had never seen directed my way before. My heart began beating faster. “Why did you stop, Joshua?” she breathed.