Davenport Harbor (Six Degrees Book 3) (13 page)

"Anne," I tried to argue, but she kept talking.

"I've lived with a monster," she whispered, and my body froze. I was holding myself completely still, knowing that what she was admitting wasn’t easy. Still touching my face, her cheeks a slightly brighter shade of pink, she continued, "I didn't know he was one until it was too late and even then I tried, John. I really, really tried." Her huge eyes were glassy, and all I wanted to do was find that little worm that hurt her.

"I tried to get away. I did.
”
She closed her eyes, the emotion bared in them keeping me speechless.
“
The first time he
…
I left....then I went back. I believed he would change. I know it sounds stupid, but I really did. I believed it, deep in my soul.
”
A tear escaped, and I brushed it away immediately with my thumb.
“
I was wrong. I was stupid and naïve. The second time he hurt me, I left. Maybe if he weren’t who he is
…
he made it impossible to leave. My point is, I've lived with a monster. You might be beastly once in a while, growling about things here and there, but you, John Davenport, are no monster."

"What did he do to you?" I asked her, my voice strained, and she shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. Not anymore. When I found out I was pregnant with Zoey, I planned and escaped. It took him a year and a half to find me."

"Does he know about..." I started to ask, but Anne shook her head furiously.

"No! He..."

"Tell me his name and I'll take care of it," I growled, and she once again surprised me. Leaning in, she kissed me. "That
’
s not why I shared. My point is you're not a bad man."

"I'm not a good one either," I retorted, and she gave me a small smile.

"No one
’
s perfect,
”
she instantly replied, and hope streamlined through me.
“
Stay," she requested again, and I couldn’t help nodding, leaning in, and kissing her lips softly. Tenderly. Before things got out of control, I stood up and started to unbutton my dress shirt when she shook her head.

“
May I?
”
Her voice was thick, and I nodded.

I was about to embarrass myself when I watched her lick her full lips as she moved closer to the edge of the bed, then kneeling on the bed, her hands reached out and starting at the bottom of the shirt.

Slowly, her delicate fingers worked the buttons of my shirt. The small pads of her fingers grazed over my stomach, and I shut my eyes tight. Feeling the sensation of her hands on my skin, I couldn’t help but let my head fall back. My heart was roaring in my ears, and all she was doing was fucking touching me and not even sexually. Not really. But every touch from her ignited me unlike anything I had ever experienced. She pulled my shirt completely off. One of her hands stayed at my shoulder, the other roaming over my bare chest with feather-light fingers, and I miraculously found the strength to not push her down on the bed and have my way with her.

“
Wow,
”
she whispered into the silence, and I opened my eyes. She was looking at my body with wide eyes, biting her lower lip,
“
I didn
’
t think men like you really existed other than in like Wolverine movies, and even then…
”
she rambled, and I laughed.

“
Wolverine movies?
”
I asked, smiling, enjoying her touch and observations.

“
Yeah, you know, from the X-Men, the comic book character with the claws?
”

“
Yeah, I
’
m familiar.
”

“
Your body is way better than the guy’s in the movie,
”
she blurted out, both her hands shifting away from touching me and immediately covering her mouth, and I roared with laughter. I was laughing hard, trying to stop when I noticed she was frowning, but when she noted I couldn’t seem to stop, her cute scowl melted into a smile. Gasping for breath, I grabbed the sides of her beautiful face and kissed her.

“
I
’
m glad you approve, Kitten,
”
I whispered against her lips as I backed her onto the bed, settling us into a spooning position.

As uncomfortable as my raging hard-on might have felt, I couldn’t deny how great she felt in my arms. The bed, though smaller than my own in the main house, was comfortable, and I had to admit I liked it being the size it was because that meant she had to stick close to me. Suddenly, any worry I had about trying to push things to fast seeped out and I calmed.

“
Good night,
”
she whispered, and I kissed her shoulder, quickly turning off the light on the nightstand before coming right back to her, kissing her shoulder again.

“
See you in my dreams, baby,
”
I whispered, shutting my eyes.

The darkness mixed with the busy emotional day and the added bonus of her warm body in front of me. With the scent of her hair in my nose, I somehow drifted off into a deep sleep.

Anne

I was lying on my side, still caught in that space between reality and dream. I felt someone snuggled up behind me, but I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t anxious or afraid. I knew who it was. John
’
s body felt too good to fully wake up. Last night was some of the best sleep I had in years.

Even as I felt my shirt being lifted right below my breasts, I wasn’t afraid. My pulse kicked up in excitement at whatever he was planning. Warm fingertips traced my outer torso. It didn’t tickle or make me uncomfortable. If anything, it woke up every nerve in my body, making my nipples tighten, goose bumps covering my skin, and warmth pooling at my core. The bed shifted slightly, the radiating heat at my back disappearing, but within seconds, his wet, warm mouth was at my hip. My hand moved, fingers in his hair, and I forced myself to open my eyes.

Sunlight began to filter through the window, the sun filling the darkness of night slowly, almost as slowly as John
’
s mouth kissed my side. As if his movements and the new day were magically in sync. Wetness and an ache began to build at my core as his mouth moved up my body and he nipped the side of my breast.

“
Mmm.
”
Surprised at how fast he had my body trembling with need, that was all I could vocalize.

He turned me onto my back, his powerful body over mine, his knees on either side of my body, and his very hard and very large erection pressing against my center, making me arch my back into him. I tried to touch him, but he shook his head, lifting my hands above my body, effectively making me his captive. I was about to protest, feeling uneasy about the position, when his fingers intertwined with mine so damn sweetly that it caught me off guard. I completely forgot the feeling of apprehension, of being powerless with him or any man. His eyes revealed that he was as hungry for this as I was. I braced as his face came closer, expecting the kiss to be violent and crushing, but he surprised me.

It was slow and sweet, his lips tenderly peppering kisses over my mouth, my cheeks, and my neck. Soft moans escaped from somewhere deep inside me while muttered groans of appreciation escaped from him as he kissed me and ground against me.

“
More,
”
I finally muttered and felt him smiling against my neck.

“
I
’
ll give you more, Kitten. Trust me. Patience.
”
The richness of his voice, hoarse with sleep, made me ache all over.

“
Please,
”
I started to beg but stopped when the tips of his fingers touched the waistband of my panties. They gently lingered there, grazing my skin back and forth with utter patience, patience I did not have.

“
John.
”

“
Your skin is as soft as I imagined it would be. Softer actually,
”
his deep voice rumbled against my neck, and I arched, tilting to give him more space. The fact he
’
d thought about my skin was surprising.
“
Are you trying to rush me, Kitten?
”
He smiled against my skin and I loved it.

“
Please,
”
I groaned and heard his soft laughter.

“
You
’
ve been driving me crazy these last couple of months, Anne. I
’
m going to take my time driving you crazy now.
”
He moved down my body, lifting the oversized shirt. His mouth was above my navel. His dark eyes looked at me salaciously, as if I was wearing the raciest lingerie instead of a threadbare dorky nightshirt.

His hands at my thighs stroked softly, and I opened my legs wider, hoping he
’
d finally touch me and give my body the relief it was aching for. His fingers grazed my panty covered lips, and I threw my head back at the sublime sensation of finally feeling his fingers there. Expecting him to take off my panties, I lifted my hips, but he shook his head.

“
They stay on,
”
his hoarse voice demanded, and I nodded as if I had anything to do with that decision.

His fingers hooked in, sliding my cotton panties to the side, and the pad of his thumb rubbed me from front to back and back to front. The sensations were so damn good I dug my head further into the pillow, my eyes tightly shut.

“
Look at me, Kitten,
”
he softly demanded, and I opened my eyes. His dark stare held me captive.
“
I
’
m going to....
”
he didn
’
t finish telling me what he was going to do, because Zoey chose that very moment to cry loudly. His body held still, and part of me thought he might get upset, but instead, he laughed, and I was again held captive.

This time it was because of the beautiful sight of him laughing. He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.

“
Morning.
”

“
Morning,
”
I whispered,
“
I have to go get her.
”

“
I know. Want a rain check?
”
He asked, and I squeezed my thighs together and nodded.

“
Okay.
”
He gave me one more peck then helped me off the bed, where I walked past him towards the room where Zoey’s crib was.

John

So close. So fucking close.

I shut my eyes, trying to calm my body down. My erection was killing me. I took a deep breath in and out.

If I had hurried my shit up, I would have been able to get us both off with time for a nap, but I had wanted the first time to be slow. Unrushed. Even as my body yelled at me to get us both there in record time, something deep in me told me to take it slow. It took all my self-control not to rush so that I could savor her.

I was a fucking idiot.

Taking another deep breath, I stood up and headed to the small kitchen. Dressed only in my boxer briefs and a cheesy ass smile on my face, I listened to Anne talking to Zoey, her voice calming something inside of me that I wouldn’t overthink.

I placed the bowls of cereal on the table just as she walked in with Zoey in her arms. Her dark hair mussed from sleep, it was slightly wild. I liked it. I sure as hell liked it spread out on her pillow. Surprise that I’d made us breakfast was evident on her face, so I winked, pulling up Zoey
’
s high chair.

“
You made breakfast.
”
She smiled, walking towards me, and I nodded.

“
It
’
s cereal.
”

“
It
’
s perfect. Thank you.
”
The soft tone of her voice told me she appreciated what I did. It made me feel ten feet tall.

“
Come, sit,
”
I told her, leaning down to kiss her lips, Zoey
’
s laughter surrounding us.

We sat and ate in comfortable silence. Anne fed Zoey a mushed-up banana that she seemed to be enjoying when a knock came at the door. I looked at Anne
’
s face, where I saw fear flash and then quickly disappear. For a moment I wondered if that was her reaction to the door knocking all the time or because I was here. I stood up and, walking behind her, I kissed the top of her head.

“
It
’
s just Nick,
”
I told her, and she looked up at me.

“
Nick?
”
She frowned, staring at me.

“
Freelance. It
’
s on a computer, so you can do it anywhere. There
’
s Wi-Fi here.
”

“
But John, I don
’
t have a laptop. I had to pawn mine before...before the storm brought us here.
”

“
Pawn?
”
I frowned at her. I noticed her cheeks burn bright in embarrassment and hated that I was prying. But before I could rescind my question she started to talk.

“
Zoey had to go into Urgent Care. I had to pay for the doctor to see her.
”
Her body was taut and her tone completely on the defensive.

“
Okay, Kitten. Don't worry. When I called him yesterday to apologize, I asked him to bring one with him for you.
”
I had actually bought her one, but I wasn
’
t going to tell her that, yet.

“
You called to apologize?
”

“
Yeah, I was a dick. Mike had been goading me most of the night and I lost my mind. I really am sorry,
”
I apologized again, and I was glad I did. Her eyes went soft, and a shy smile appeared on her face when she nodded. Another knock at the door.