10. Roman #2
Pulling into the car park by the beach, I turn off the ignition and look over to see my angel sleeping peacefully. I almost regret having to wake her and then I remind myself I need answers of my own if I am going to protect her.
“Tink.” I shake her shoulder and she softly moans.
Jesus that sound.
“Tinkerbell,” I say a bit louder. “We are here.”
Fae groans as she stretches, fluttering her long dark lashes and pursing her pink lips. Sitting up straighter, she looks around, and the most adorable, confused look crosses her face.
“Where are we?” she mumbles.
“Holland,” I reply simply. Leaning over, I unbuckle her seat belt. “Do you have a blanket in the back?”
“Mmm, maybe,” her sleep-addled brain is slow to catch up, as she yawns and stretches again.
I jump out of the vehicle and make my way to her boot.
Opening it, I see a couple of blankets and grab them both before heading back to her side of the car and opening the door for her.
Fae takes my offered hand and steps out, looking around the car park.
The sea is blocked from here, but she is still wearing that same dazzled expression.
“Come,” I gently nudge her, putting my hand on her back and guiding her towards the beach.
We crest the top of the hill and she gasps, standing on the narrow path that opens onto a wide stretch of sand.
It is pale and compacted near the shoreline, darker where it is still damp from the tide.
The beach curves gently away, guiding the eye towards the water.
The sea in front of us lies calm and expansive, its surface scattered with sharp points of reflected light from the early autumn sun.
Small ripples move steadily towards the shore, breaking softly at the edge.
In the distance, a long pier extends into the water.
Beyond it, the horizon fades into a light haze where the sea and sky meet without a clear line between them.
Usually, all my focus would be on the ever-changing scenery of the beach, but today I watch as Fae’s eyes glow with delight. Her lips curve into the most stunning, demure smile. Pure, unfiltered joy leaks from her pores. I watch her, mesmerised.
“It is beautiful,” Fae mutters, not taking her eyes off the coast.
“It is,” I respond, not taking mine from her perfect face. She glances at me, noticing where my focus is and an adorable, shy look flashes across her face as her cheeks turn pink.
“You’re not looking,” she points towards the beach.
“I’m looking exactly where I want to,” I retort as she bites her juicy bottom lip.
Gently nudging her, I guide her down the path.
Stopping her before her shoes reach the sand, I bend down.
Throwing the blankets over my shoulder, I remove her shoes one at a time.
The compulsion to take it further is ever present and I cannot help but lightly massage her small feet before placing them against the cool sand.
Looking up at her flushed face, flashes of the last time I was on my knees for her hit me and my dick grows uncomfortably hard against my jeans.
“You’ve never been here before?” I ask, trying to get my head focused on anything but her tight, juicy cunt as I stand, kicking off my own shoes and picking both pairs up.
“Never. I… I didn’t even know it existed.” She shakes her head before dipping her toes further into the fine, pale sand.
“Come.” I grab her hand. “This is my favourite place.”
I tug her forward and she starts to giggle as she stumbles over her own feet. I sweep her up, spinning her around until she is squealing and laughing. I thought her moans were my favourite sound… but this? I would kill kings to make sure she laughed like this for the rest of her life.
Making my way, with her still slung over my shoulder, to my favourite spot tucked slightly behind grey rocks, I slide her tight body down mine and steady her before stepping back.
Using one of the blankets, I spread it out, sit down, and pat for her to join me.
Fae obliges straight away but tries to sit beside me.
Tutting, I pull her off balance and settle her between my legs instead.
Using the rock as support behind me, I drape the spare blanket over her legs and wrap myself around her.
Peace settles over me quietly; it is such an unfamiliar feeling that at first, I don’t recognise it for what it is.
It does not demand anything. It does not claw or burn or press its way into my chest the way other feelings do.
It simply exists, just like Fae and I in this moment.
She sits on my lap, warm and solid, her weight anchoring me to the sand beneath us as I stare out at the horizon where the sea dissolves into the sky.
The world feels wide there, endless and unthreatening, and for once my mind doesn’t race to fill the silence with contingency and control.
My breathing slows without instruction as my hands rest easily on her petite waist and I realise, distantly, that this is what stillness feels like.
This absence of vigilance and the strangeness of it, almost unsettles me more than violence ever did.
“Do you know what we have to do at initiation?” Fae breaks the silence and I stiffen slightly beneath her. She must feel it because her hand moves to cover mine where it rests against her stomach.
“Does this have to do with Dr Fisher?” I respond.
“Answer the question Ro,” she snaps.
For everyone else if would snark back but with her, I can’t. Instead, I let my body relax against the rock. I love it when she calls me Ro. I love that she had own nickname for me and I never feel the need to correct her like I do anyone else.
“I mean, kind of. My dad never went into too much detail, just that we get initiated and have two women to choose from to become our wives.”
Fae scoffs but makes no move to correct me. I count to ten before I gently squeeze her, bringing her back from wherever she has drifted to.
“What would you do if I told you it was more than that?” she mutters, so quietly I nearly miss it over the lapping of the water.
“What do you mean?” I prod, partly because I want her to keep talking and partly because I have no idea what she is getting at.
“I mean…” She tapers off, and this time I count to twenty seconds before she starts again. “This is hard for me to talk about. Only Felix knows the truth. I’m trusting you, Roman. I… I… you can’t tell anyone else, okay?”
I mentally high five myself at the fact she trusts me, my body humming with elation.
Maybe I am not too far from having her forever and a thrill runs through me.
Then I realise she asked me a question and clear my throat.
Pulling her body as close to mine as possible, I move her hair over her left shoulder to give me access to the right side of her neck and place a gentle, chaste kiss.
“I promise, Tinkerbell, whatever you say to me stays with me. I’ll look after you… whatever it is, I can protect you.”
She bristles at that, as though she doesn’t believe me. She does not need to believe me, though; I will show her in time. Taking a deep breath, she counts to ten.
“It started when I was 12. My mum died three years before. Her death… it changed things. Father started getting more erratic, his moods unpredictable, and Felix and I were left with nannies more often than not. When we did see him, he would usually take Felix out for the day and leave me at home alone. My bodyguard at the time, Willie, was awful. He hated me. I am still not sure why…”
Fae’s body convulses, so I lean forward and press a gentle kiss to my favourite spot again.
“Take your time,” I murmur.
“The day I started my period, I thought I was dying. Mum never spoke about what my body was going to do when I grew up because I was too young when she died. The school never taught us anything about it and Father certainly was not going to tell me what to expect. There… there was blood everywhere. When I tried to get help, Father… he…” she clears her throat, moving one hand from the blanket to swipe a tear away.
My blood pressure rises and I try to calm my breathing down.
I am not sure where this story is going, but all sorts of red flags are flying.
What does this have to do with initiation?
Did he hurt her? If he did, I will kill him.
Laws be damned. A paedophile is one thing, but incest and a paedophile…
I mean, you cannot get any worse than that.
“What did he do, little one?” I dig, trying to get her to continue without pushing too much.