Beautifully Unfinished (22 page)

“And once she does that,” David replied. “You will charge him?”

“Yes,” Tucker confirmed with a sigh. “But Alison is refusing to come back with us.”

“SHE’S WHAT?” David screamed angrily. “Why the hell not?”

“David, please,” Lucy begged him. “I need you to promise me that you will remain calm. I know you’re angry and upset, but she needs you to be calm and supportive right now.”

“She said he…that you were…” David said, as he looked at Lucy with sadness.

“Yes,” she replied. “That’s why I am begging you. Please, you need to look after her right now. She needs to know you love her, above everything else, she needs to know you are her safe place.”

“Of course, I love her,” David insisted. “But she needs to make this fucker pay.”

“And she will,” Lucy said, as she reached out and touched his arm. “But when she is ready.”

“Give me till tomorrow,” David said with an air of determination in his voice. “I promise you, I will get her to go back. Just…just give me till tomorrow.”

“So this is where you live?” Tucker said, as he followed Lucy into her apartment later that evening. “It’s very…you.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Lucy asked with a laugh.

“It’s beautiful,” Tucker said, as he took in his surroundings. Her apartment was an open living space, beautifully decorated with natural woods and warm colours. Around the walls, there were several framed photographs hanging and Tucker guessed Lucy took them. They were simply stunning. “Classy and elegant…”

“But?” Lucy said as she watched him closely.

“But,” Tucker replied. “It keeps you locked away, up high from the rest of the world. Just like you have kept your heart locked away.”

“I guess it does,” Lucy shrugged as she looked around.

When they had left Alison’s apartment a short while earlier, Lucy suggested they spend the night in her apartment, and then call by to see Alison again before they returned to River Springs.

As they left Alison’s, Lucy got the feeling like she was being watched once again. She knew she was just upset by what Alison had told her, and that it had made her feel unsettled. Still, she was glad to back in her own space, twelve stories up and hundreds of miles from River Springs.

“Are you okay?” Tucker asked, as he gave her a questioning look. She realised he had been watching her all along.

“Yeah,” she smiled and nodded.

“Are you sure?” He asked as he walked towards her and gathered her in his arms. He looked down into her eyes, and Lucy could just see love staring back at her.

“Uh-hmm,” she replied with a sigh of contentment. “I am now.”

“You’re happy here,” Tucker said with a knowing smile “I can see it in your face.

“Yes,” she replied honestly as her eyes never left his.

“Then I can be happy, too,” he said with a genuine smile on his face.

“Are you sure,” Lucy asked nervously. “Is that what you really want?”

“As long as I am with you,” Tucker replied. “I don’t care where I live.”

“But it’s such a big step,” Lucy sighed, still worried that she was asking too much of him. “We are just starting out, how do you even know you will still feel the same in six months’ time?”

“Because I have loved you since the day I first saw you,” Tucker replied with a smile. “And I will do whatever it takes to make you smile, every day.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, as she leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed him softly.

He released her and walked towards her iPod dock on the sideboard and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Can I put on some music?” He asked, as he looked back towards her.

“Sure,” she replied, as she walked towards the open kitchen. “Would you like some wine?”

“I would love some,” Tucker said as he selected some music and connected his iPhone to the dock.

As Lucy poured the wine, the sound of Aretha Franklin’s,
Ain’t No Way
, filled the apartment.

Lucy walked towards him with two glasses of wine, and handed one to Tucker.

“You like Aretha Franklin?” Lucy asked, before she took a sip of her wine.

“I do,” Tucker replied. “Does that surprise you?”

“A little,” Lucy smiled. “I guess I thought you would like something…something more…manly.”

“More manly?” Tucker laughed. “She is the queen of soul. I thought everyone loved her.”

“I guess they do,” Lucy replied with a nod. “This is one of my favourite songs.”

Tucker took her glass from her hand and set both of their glasses down on the coffee table.

“Dance with me,” Tucker said, as he held out his hand.

Lucy smiled as she slipped her hand into his. He wrapped her in his arms and began to move them slowly in time with the music.

Their bodies pressed together, becoming almost one, as Lucy closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Lucy sighed contently. “Like there was no one else in the world, except you and me.”

“Right now, that’s all there is,” Tucker replied, as Lucy just sighed contently.

“Do you have any idea just how beautiful you are?” Tucker whispered softly.

“You make me feel beautiful,” she breathed as she lifted her head and he softly pressed his lips to hers. Tucker pulled her closer to him as his kiss deepened. Lucy could feel the want burst alive inside her. She broke her lips from his and looked up at him. “Make love to me.”

Tucker didn’t reply. Instead, he scooped her up into his arms and made his way down the hall to her bedroom.

When he reached the bedroom, he set her down on the bed.

“I could spend the rest of my life, lost in you,” he whispered breathlessly, as he gazed down at her. “You are beyond exquisite.”

He climbed onto the bed and balanced over her, his eyes never leaving her.

“I have dreamed about you, all of my life,” he whispered. “Even before I met you, I knew you were out there somewhere, waiting for me to love you.”

He bent down and kissed her on the lips softly.

“The first time I saw you, I knew I had found you,” he continued, as he kissed along her jaw line. “Even when you left, I knew if I waited long enough, your heart would find its way back to mine.”

“I never imagined I could love someone as much as I love you,” Lucy breathed, as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in his touch. “And somehow, the word, ‘love’ seems so small for what I feel inside my heart.”

Tucker moved back up over her and stared down into her eyes.

“Then let’s not say the words,” he whispered against her lips, before he claimed them with his.

Suddenly the longing inside Lucy consumed her. She reached up and threaded her fingers through his hair, then gripped it and pulled him closer to her.

Breathlessly they pulled at one another’s clothes, each one longing to feel the warm skin of the other pressed against theirs.

As the final piece of clothing hit the floor, Tucker slipped in between Lucy’s legs, as his hands caressed her body.

“I need you,” Lucy begged, as she longed to have him inside her. Tucker balanced over her, and looked down at her from beneath hooded eyes. The hunger in them almost took Lucy’s breath away.

With one thrust, he filled her complete as Lucy cried out.

“I am yours,” he breathed against her lips as he began to rock into her slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

Each thrust took them higher, but still their eyes remained locked.

Tucker lifted her hands above her head one at a time then entwined his fingers with hers, pinning her to the bed. Lucy wrapped her legs around Tuckers waist, and pulled him deeper into her. They’re bodies had become almost one.

Suddenly Tucker rolled over on the bed, taking Lucy with him, so now she was above him. She pressed her lips to his chest before she sat up on him, her legs straddling him, his erection still deep inside her.

Slowly, she began to move, rocking back and forth on him, grinding into him harder and faster.

Lucy could barely breathe, and her heart hammered so fast inside her, it felt like it was trying to break free from her chest.

She steadied herself with her hands on Tucker’s broad, firm chest.

As Lucy felt herself reaching the edge, she gasped for air. She closed her eyes, threw her head back, and cried out as she let go and came harder than she had ever come before.

Tucker sat up in the bed, wrapped her in his arms, and he pulled her closer to him, as he too found his release.

He collapsed back down onto the bed, taking Lucy with him. He kept her wrapped in his arms long after their breathing had finally calmed.

“I never believed I could trust someone so much, that I could give myself to them completely,” Lucy finally whispered into the darkness of her room. “That night, he took something from me that I never believed I would find again.”

“I can’t begin to understand what you have gone through, Lucy,” Tucker replied, as he softly stroked her back. “But I swear, you will never have to be afraid again.”

“I hated that I saw myself as a victim,” Lucy sighed, sadly.

“You are not a victim,” Tucker said in at tone that made Lucy lift her head and look down at him. “You are a survivor; you are a warrior, and I am in awe of just how truly brave you really are.”

“I do love you, Tucker,” Lucy said with a yawn, as she rested her head back down against his chest.

“I love you too, Sweet Girl,” Tucker replied, but his words were lost. Lucy’s soft; even breaths told Tucker she was already asleep. He kissed her forehead and smiled. “Good night my beautiful, Lucy. Sweet dreams.”

Lucy walked into the dark room, as fear consumed her. She could hear her heart hammering in her ears as she struggled to calm her breathing. She knew she didn’t belong here, and that she needed to escape.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” the voice she hated more than any other, said from behind her. Her body instantly froze.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her from behind and pushed her down onto a hard surface.

“You were always a fucking bitch,” he growled into her ear, and the vile stench of his breath invaded her senses. “Time you learned a lesson.”

A sudden pain shot through her as he sunk his teeth into her and she tried to cry out, but his hand covered her mouth.

She could feel her stomach heave.

PLEASE NOT AGAIN! She screamed inside her head as she kicked and pushed against him with everything she had, but it was no use. So she pinched her eyes shut once more, praying for the nightmare to end.

Suddenly he rolled her over so that she was face to face with him.

“Look at me,” he demanded. “Open your fucking eyes and look at me.”

She tried to fight him, tried to keep her eyes pinched shut, but it was no use.

“OPEN THEM!” He screamed as he slapped her across the face.

She did as she was told and was confused to see Tucker staring down at her….

“NOOOOOO!” She screamed as she bolted straight up in the bed.

“Lucy!” Tucker exclaimed, as he too sat up in bed, with a panicked look on his face. He reached out to take her in his arms, but Lucy pulled away. “Lucy? What is it?”

“Don’t,” she whispered, before she pushed back the bedclothes and hurried into the bathroom. She was confused by her dream. She had often dreamt of Tucker finding her that night, but never before was he the one above her. Her dream frightened her.

She slid to the floor in the corner of the bathroom and buried her head in her lap.

It was just a dream
, she chanted over and over in her mind.
It was just a dream.

There was a soft tap on the door and Lucy looked up. Slowly the door opened, and Tucker cautiously stepped inside. Lucy’s heart ached when she saw the look of fear on his face.

“Hey,” he said as he nervously walked across the bathroom and sat down next to her on the floor. “Want to talk about it?”

“It was just a dream,” Lucy replied, without looking at him.

“It was more than just a dream, Lucy,” Tucker replied, his eyes never leaving her. “You’re shaking like a leaf.”

“It’s no big deal,” she insisted. “I have them all the time.”

“It is a big deal,” Tucker pushed. “You pulled away from me, Lucy. Like you were afraid of me. So that is a huge deal.”

“I was just…” Lucy began to say but couldn’t fight back the tears.

“Please,” Tucker said, as he took her hands in his. “Talk to me.”

Lucy looked up at him, not sure where to start.

“I dreamt about him,” Lucy sniffed through her tears, as she quickly brushed them from her face. “About that night. It’s a dream I have had many times. But this time, it was different. This time, I knew it was not the first time, but then…”

“Then?” He asked.

“It was you,” Lucy whispered, as she finally looked up at him. “You were the one above me and…”

“Me!” He exclaimed, and Lucy knew he was a little thrown. “Do you think I would ever hurt you, Lucy?”