Chapter Eight
Otto
I wait ten minutes before I’m rushing out of the front door to find Penny. Honestly, I should have gone straight after her, but the look on her face stopped me. She said she needed space, and I know it would have been wrong for me to not give it to her.
Still, I think as I listen for any sound of her, I should have been the one to leave. She doesn’t know this area the same way that I do. If I would have just walked away, I could have kept her safe. Now, she’s at the mercy of anything lurking out here.
As I follow what I think are her tracks, I can’t help but hate myself for pushing her away.
She didn’t deserve my standoffishness. That was an opportunity to open up to her about my past. I doubt that knowing why I’ve developed this awful habit would drive her away.
Denying it and getting defensive did, though.
“Penny!” I yell, hoping she’s close enough to hear me. “Penny, please come home.”
There’s a sound about twenty feet away from me, and I head toward it. As I approach, I hear Penny’s voice. I can’t make out what she’s saying, but relief floods through me. She’s safe, and she didn’t get too far away.
That thought comes to a crashing halt as she comes into view…struggling in the grasp of Evergreen Hills bakery owner. I stop, rage seething through me as Carl drags her closer, her cries muffled behind his hand.
“Get your hands off her,” I spit out, my voice barely more than an animal’s.
Carl’s eyes widen, and I see his hands are shaking. Penny’s eyes lock with mine, and I not only see fear but also anger. I open my mouth to tell her it’s going to be okay when she opens hers and bites down on Carl’s hand.
He yelps, jerking his hand away, but still manages to grasp Penny in front of him, his arms caged around her body.
“This is your fault,” he seethes at her. “If you just would have done as we’d told you, he wouldn’t be stealing from us anymore!”
“What?” I question, unable to follow what’s he talking about. He turns to me.
“She was supposed to find you and tell you to leave us alone,” he answered.
“I told them I wouldn’t do it, and that’s why they tied me up and left me in the woods,” Penny answered, reading the hurt on my face. “I was never part of their plan.”
I turn back to Carl. “How did you find us?”
Carl grins manically, “Knew you’d be back. I set up a silent alarm then followed you after you left.”
How could I have been so stupid? I was so focused on getting back to Penny, and I didn’t even realize I was being followed. I give Penny a look of apology before addressing Carl again.
“Just leave us alone. That’s all we want.”
“That’s all I want! You’re done stealing from me. Since you keep taking what’s mine, I’ll take something that’s yours,” he yells, starting to drag Penny backward.
My hands ball into fists, and I step forward. But Carl’s hold tightens, drawing a gasp from Penny’s lips. I hold up my hands.
“I’ll stop.” I gulp, knowing what I’m giving up but also knowing what I’m gaining. “I’ll stop.”
Carl pauses. He watches me, wary, then starts to shake his head no. At that moment, Penny rears her elbow back and jams it into his stomach. I’m moving before he even doubled over.
Penny twists out of his grasp. Moving between him and her, I plow my fist into Carl’s face, causing him to stagger backward. Another punch lands solidly on the left side of his face, and he goes down.
“Penny, get in the house.”
“What are you going to do with him?” she asks. I look back at her. “What would you like me to do?”
“If he promises to leave us alone, I think you should take him back.” I study her, astounded at her calm and wisdom. Damn, I love this woman.
I turn back to Carl, nudging him with my boot. He hunches away, looking up at me in fear.
“You leave us alone, don’t tell anyone where we are, and I’ll stop stealing. Deal?” I lower a hand, waiting for him to accept or reject. If it’s the latter, I don’t want to think about what I’ll have to do to keep Penny safe.
But after a moment, Carl reaches up and grasps my hand. I pull him to his feet, leaning in close to deliver one last warning, “You ever touch Penny again, I’ll make sure you don’t have a bakery to steal from.”
Carl pales, nods in understanding, then stumbles backward before racing away into the woods.
I turn, finding Penny still there, arms clutched around her middle. I cross the distance, my hands rubbing her arms gently before cupping her cheeks and planting a small kiss on her lips.
“I’m sorry I walked away,” she says softly.
“No,” I say forcefully. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. I shouldn’t have shut you out. Look what I did.”
I step away, running my hands through my hair. “If something had happened to you – “
Penny grasped my hands, forcing me to face her.
“But it didn’t.” She tugs me closer.
I can’t stop myself from bringing her hand up to leave a lingering kiss on the back. Then, I thread our fingers together and lean forward to press my lips against her forehead.
“So,” she says after a few seconds of silence. “Maybe you could tell me why you felt the need to leave again this morning?”
I appreciate the way that she doesn’t call it what it is – theft. It feels like an olive branch, and I know I’d be stupid not to take it. With another sigh, I prepare myself to bare my soul to her.
“It’s an old habit,” I begin, searching for the right words. I don’t want her pity, but I don’t want to downplay my reasons. It’s important for us moving forward that she understands. That’s the only way we’re going to move past this.
“It’s…” Might as well say it. She deserves to know what’s been going through my mind.
“The other day, I told you that I had to do some questionable things to survive, right. I was out here on my own as a kid. I couldn’t get a job, and I didn’t have anyone to take care of me.
Stealing was the only way that I could survive. ”
“Right,” she says, squeezing my hand encouragingly.
“Anyway,” I say, looking away from her, feeling embarrassed about what I’m about to admit, “I was still a kid, so I had my favorite things. Places that functioned as comfort food. The bakery was one of those things for me.”
“I get that,” she replies after a few seconds of contemplation. “But why not just go inside and buy them? Why steal?”
“I tried that,” I sigh, feeling shame about this for the first time in my life. “All they would see was a dirty, scrawny kid without his parents and they’d scream at me and chase me out. It didn’t matter that I genuinely wanted to pay for the pastries. They just didn’t want me there.”
“That’s awful,” Penny says, angered on my behalf. “You were just a kid.”
“They didn’t care,” I reply with a shrug. “I was just some punk to them. They didn’t know where I came from or what my situation was, so they just treated me however they wanted to.”
“I don’t ever want to go back there,” she mutters to herself, shaking her head. Her attention is back on me in an instant. “So you keep going back because those pastries are a comfort food from your childhood?”
“Yeah,” I say, a weight lifting from my shoulders at her easy acceptance of my reasoning. “I used to try to make them at home because I didn’t really want to steal, but I’m an awful baker.”
“Well, I don’t know if you noticed,” she says with a soft, genuine look on her face. I melt under her gaze, “but I’m a pretty good baker. It might take some time for me to figure out the recipes, but I’ll try for you.”
Something about her declaration hits me right in the heart, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I love this woman. She’s everything that I’ve ever wanted, kind and understanding. Patient and sweet. I’m moving forward before I even realize what I’m doing.
My lips connect with hers in a passionate kiss. She makes a noise of surprise before she responds eagerly. I let go of her hand so I can rest my palms on her waist. Her answering reaction is to wrap her arms around my neck.
Her need is palpable. It punctures the air, settling around us like a weighted blanket. I want to do something about it. No. I need to do something about it. But I back away, remembering what she just went through.
“Tell me to stop,” I tell her, my voice rough with desire when I pull away.
Penny shakes her head wildly, pulling me back to her. No longer hesitant, I waste no time in getting my mouth back on hers. She whines, wrapping her arms around me once again.
My cock starts to stiffen, her presence making my brain fuzzy. The only thing I can think about is getting closer to her. There are too many layers separating the two of us. But right now, I can’t bring myself to pull away. Her mouth is too sweet, too enticing.
I push myself against her, letting her feel my desire. Sensing how badly I need some kind of friction, she grinds forward, rubbing against my hardness. It’s delicious, the sensation making my cock fatten up even more.
Without breaking the kiss, I reach for her waistband.
I push her pants down with such a wild fervor that I’m almost embarrassed.
I’m acting like a beast, unable to keep myself restrained.
Penny seems to make me unreasonable. She consumes all of my thoughts, making me behave as though I was raised by wolves.
Well, I guess I sort of was. I could have sworn that I was better than this, though.
“I want you,” I say raggedly. “I want you so bad, Penny.”
Instead of using words, she groans. I lean back in, capturing her mouth with fervor. She whimpers into it, her legs shaking when I reach between her thighs.
I stroke her skin, feeling her softness, enjoying the way goosebumps raise. Then at a pace that’s just as agonizing for me as I’m sure it is for her, I walk my fingers up to her center. With a teasing fingertip, I graze her wetness.
“You’re already so wet for me,” I say, doing nothing to conceal my awe. “That’s so hot, baby girl.”
“Please,” she gasps, her hips twitching against my hand.
I give in, unable to deny her when she asks so sweetly. One finger slips inside her opening while my thumb grazes her clit. Her reaction is immediate. She cries out, her voice nearly breaking. It echoes out around us.
I’m torn between listening to the noises that she makes and connecting our mouths again. Finally, the need to be close to her wins out, and I give in, kissing her hard. I shove my tongue into her mouth, groaning when she presses back against me.
“Otto,” she says, not even moving her mouth away from mine. “Otto, I think I’m getting close.”
“Yeah?” I ask, moving to kiss down her jaw and to her neck.
“Ye– yeah,” she confirms, breath stuttering as I connect my mouth to her pulse point. “I’m gonna cum.”
“Then cum,” I tell her, continuing to circle her clit and mouth at her neck. “Cum for me, baby.”
She hiccups, and it sounds like a sob. It only takes a few more seconds to push her over the edge. As her orgasm washes over her, she moans my name, making my cock ache with need at the sound of her pleasure.
When she finally comes down, her voice is breathless, “Oh my god. That was so good.”
“You think you can keep going?” I ask as I remove my hand from between her thighs.
“Yes,” Penny breathes, looking at me with lust-filled eyes.
“Good,” I reply, pushing my own pants down and finally freeing my aching cock.