XVI
STORM
M icah had changed.
At first, I didn’t realize just how much, but over the past couple of days, I finally saw him for the man he truly was. Perhaps, he was like this before he started killing and went to prison, and the circumstances changed him.
He was treating me like I was a porcelain doll, afraid that I was going to break accidentally. And that attention and being taken care of healed my inner wounds. Although I didn’t show it, I was very appreciative of the way he’d been treating me.
Until he told me he was going to leave again.
In that moment, all the wounds that he’d healed had reopened. They seemed to be bigger and they hurt far more than I thought was possible. The rational part of my brain understood his reasoning. Hell, it even encouraged the idea because it meant a smoother future.
But the emotional part of me was torn. Too many possibilities and bad outcomes sneaked their way into my brain, like a poison spreading through my mind. Even his tender hug was barely able to soothe the ache in my chest.
I didn’t do all of that just for him to throw everything away and leave.
However, once I looked into that green forest, I found myself pausing. The veil of anger slowly lifted until it vanished completely. He didn’t cry, though he was pretty close. His eyes were red and the amount of pain and sorrow within told me just how difficult this decision was for him.
After all, he was abandoning me again.
Two broken souls sought solace in one another, healing together.
My lips fell onto his in a passionate kiss. The warmth started melting the ice inside of me, butterflies filled my stomach, and my heart couldn’t stop racing. His hands went under my shirt, caressing my skin and leaving goosebumps in all the places he’d touched.
Tenderly, he took off my shirt as I unbuttoned his.
For a moment, all I did was stare at his inked body, touching his defined chest and admiring the view. This man was beyond gorgeous. His entire body was a work of art and it was mine to look at.
“You’re beautiful,’’ Micah mumbled.
I glanced up, staring into his eyes only to find him mesmerized. He was barely blinking, and his mind was elsewhere. Yet, he couldn’t take his attention off me. The most loving, caring, and possessive look flashed behind his eyes.
“And you’re all mine.’’ He brought his head to my chest, taking my erect nipple in his mouth. I moaned and he started sucking, swirling his tongue around the aching spot.
My hands were in his hair, softly tugging on it. Picking me up, he laid us on bed, with him on top of me. He started leaving wet kisses all over my collarbone, alternating between sucking and biting.
The room was filled with my moans. Each part of my skin he’d touched felt as if it’d been set on fire.
I’d always known just how skillful he was. He took off my underwear and sweats in the blink of an eye, leaving me to wonder how the hell did one acquire such speed?
His bulging cock pressed against my bare pussy, with a thin layer of clothing separating us. My juices and his precum soaked it, and his cock twitched when I dug my nails into his back.
“Please,’’ I whimpered. He grabbed my knees and pushed my legs apart. “No foreplay. I need you right now.’’
He grinned and brought his head up, staring at me like a little devil.
“Should I make you beg?”
He was teasing me and took off his boxers, throwing them across the room. The tip of his cock was lined at my entrance, leaving it there to torture me.
“Please.’’ I bit my bottom lip in frustration. “Please, just fuck me.’’
“Oh fuck,’’ he grumbled. “I’m so weak against your voice. I love the sound of you begging for my cock, Bambi.’’
“Then are you going to leave me waiting forever?”
Micah chuckled. “So impatient.’’
In one harsh, quick thrust, he buried himself deeply inside of me. I moaned, the pit of my stomach filling with anticipation as the sensations overtook my senses. I felt everything — every thrust, every touch and every kiss.
They were forever engraved in my mind.
This time, I wasn’t going to forget.
He wasn’t letting me forget.
“So perfect for me.’’ He kissed my jaw, all the way down to my chest, leaving a trail of hickeys in his wake. “You better behave yourself while I’m gone, Bambi.’’
“Or what? Who knows? Maybe I’ll find someone better than you.’’
Lies.
All lies.
There were plenty of men out there who were, in some aspects, a better choice than Micah. But none of them ever made me feel so alive, so cherished and wanted. No one was ever going to come even close to him.
Micah was the only one for me. I was his until the day I died, and this time, I vowed to make us work. One year was nothing in comparison to the life we were going to have afterward.
Ruthlessly, he slammed into me, grabbing my throat with his strong hand. Micah squeezed it as a warning, almost enough to cut off oxygen.
“Let me be frank with you, Bambi,’’ he mumbled. “Anything that goes inside of this pussy, whether it be another bastard’s cock or a toy will be broken as soon as I find out. And unless you want me to kill someone for touching you, in front of you, then you’d best forget about provoking me.’’
His words drove an orgasm out of me. Slowly, it started building in the pit of my stomach, and I was desperate for a release.
“Do you fucking understand me?”
I nodded.
“Good, then come on my cock. Show me who fucking owns you.’’
His words were all it took for me to come undone all over him. He continued to thrust inside of me until I saw stars.
I lost count of how many times he made me orgasm in that night.
He flipped me over, and I arched my back, pushing back against him.
“Please,’’ I whispered. “Enough.’’
“One more time.’’ He kissed along my spine and goosebumps appeared. “Just come for me one more time and I’ll let you rest.’’
I threw him a dirty glance over my shoulder. “You said that two times ago.’’
He grinned. “What can I say? Bringing you pleasure is pleasure for me.’’
Micah grabbed my hips and pushed inside. I screamed as he continued with his violent, ruthless thrusts. It was too deep, yet too addicting for me to hate it. The mix between pain and pleasure felt divine, like a high I’d been chasing, and he was the only one who was able to give me the perfect release.
“You say you’re tired, but you’re pushing your hips back. How greedy of you.’’
I moaned, and he smacked my ass for the fourth time in a minute. His handprint was on my flesh, stinging, but his soft caressing afterward soothed the ache.
“I am greedy,’’ I agreed. “Too fucking greedy for you.’’
“Such a foul mouth,’’ he murmured, finding his own release.
That tipped me over the edge, and all I could do was scream in pleasure.
He filled me up entirely until it started overflowing.
“So pretty.’’ He stared as his cum trickled down my inner thigh, as if he were admiring a masterpiece.
With that, I slumped down, breathing heavily. I was sweating, my hair was a mess, but I had no strength left in my body to take a shower.
We’d been at it for hours and the exhaustion overtook me.
The last thing I remembered before closing my eyes was Micah carrying me to the bathtub and running a warm bath.
The door of the room closing woke me up.
My eyes fluttered open, and it took me a moment to realize it was just a little before three in the morning. The moon was high in the sky, and I yawned, before turning to the side.
Micah’s side of the bed was empty, and that made me jolt up. I touched the spot next to me, realizing it was still warm.
Then I remembered the sound I heard and quickly rushed out of the bed, tripping on the sheets in the process as I was still half-asleep.
I ran down the stairs, understanding what it meant.
My heart was beating so rapidly, fear blocked my rational thinking. I knew our time was limited, but I didn’t think he’d be gone this soon.
It bothered me that he was trying to leave without bidding me goodbye.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I caught him smoking on the couch, with a duffle bag next to his feet.
His eyes found mine immediately, then he looked straight ahead.
“What are you doing up? You should be sleeping.”
My feet moved toward him until I was sitting next to him. He avoided eye contact like a plague, and no matter how much I stared at him, he wasn’t budging.
“That’s my question. Tell me, Micah, were you trying to leave without telling me?”
He flinched.
“You were,” I whispered. “You were going to disappear in the middle of the night.”
My voice was getting rougher and louder with each spoken word, but Micah didn’t move. His shoulders were tense and rigid, yet he still refused to look at me.
“I was thinking about you. It would be easier for me to just disappear then have you cry while watching me leave.”
I laughed bitterly and my eyes widened in disbelief. “You are constantly making decisions for me. When will it end?”
“I was trying to be considerate.”
“Then please, never be considerate of me again.”
Silence fell upon us. The sorrow and fury mixed together, my heart aching. There was nothing else I was able to say, because this was something that had to happen.
He either got annoyed by the constant staring, or he decided to own up to his decisions but, regardless, he finally turned to look at me.
He stroked my cheek, and I leaned into his touch, a warm sensation rushing through my body. My eyes closed of their accord.
I wanted to enjoy every single touch. This warmth soothed the ache in my chest, though it was bound to happen again. The emptiness he left within was something only he would heal.
Micah hugged me tightly. His body trembled as if he was afraid of letting go. I didn’t want to cry, but tears freely fell down my face as he stroked my hair.
He promised he’d be back.
He promised we’d have the rest of our lives together.
And I decided to believe him.
“I love you, Bambi. I love you more than words could ever express.”
That only made me cry harder.
I wept in his embrace, head buried in his chest. I was clutching onto his shirt with shaky hands, knowing that, for now, our time was up.
Micah stayed with me until I no longer had tears to cry. He rocked me in his arms until I fell asleep again, then brought me back to the room.
The next time I woke up, Micah was gone.
Leaving nothing but a trace of his scent to linger behind.
Instead of allowing myself to break apart completely, I swallowed the sorrow and decided to look forward to the next time we were going to see each other.
That was the only thing keeping me glued together.
Arlo returned later in the day. Apparently, Micah had entrusted my safety with Arlo for a while. I didn’t mind that, as I found Arlo to be adorable and caring.
Soon enough, I was ready to return home.
And I started counting the days.