Save Me (8 page)

South Carolina was beautiful in the spring, yet it depressed the hell out of Alicia just being in the state. Riding on a country road through the dense foliage of evergreens, high green bushes and shrubs, all peppered with an infusion of red, violet, pink and white. Moss-covered branches from twisted pines and spruce trees curved over the road, dripping in Spanish moss as if it were nature’s own canopy. She hated it.

“It’s beautiful here,” Claus offered, quietly taking her hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.

To her, the natural beauty was just a façade. The picturesque exterior hid a very ugly underbelly. The kind where neighbors ignored the neglect and abuse of a helpless child. The kind where teachers and school officials judged a child on who her parents were or what they did. Alicia’s mother had been a single parent with substance abuse issues when she was very young. There were plenty of days when she wouldn’t eat, plenty of nights she shivered under a threadbare blanket with no other heat in whatever hovel they happened to live in at the time. Back then, life was either feast or famine—mostly famine.

Then her mother met Perry Mills. Or rather, the Reverend Perry Mills. To Alicia, he was Satan incarnate. To the outside world, the good reverend had cleaned up Patty Washington, the local junkie slut, made her a respectable wife. Only Alicia knew he weaned her off illegal drugs with legal ones. And as far as being a devoted stepfather to Patty’s little bastard daughter, well, he was far more the monster under Alicia’s bed. The man was a woman-beating, sharp-tongued pedophile. But her mother hadn’t wanted to hear any of that. The one person in the word who was supposed to protect her had shut her eyes and turned her back on her only child.
“Be nice to your father”
was all her mother ever said. Perry wasn’t her fucking father. He was evil.

Thinking about it now made Alicia want to retch.

“No. I won’t allow ghosts of your past to give you nightmares now in your present,” Claus admonished, reading the direction of her thoughts. “I’m your present and your future. I’m here with you. I’ll never allow anything to hurt you. Not even ghosts.”

Their little trip to Berlin had apparently been more cathartic than she’d thought. Good. She was glad Claus had come to terms with his past. Now it was time for her to do the same, she supposed.

The small town smack in the middle of nothing was slowly coming into view. How ugly it seemed amongst the cypress, pine and oak trees, a sea of lush Bermuda grass and a rainbow of spring flowers blooming proudly from leafy green shrubs. Because she and Claus rode in the back of the town car, the buildings weren’t very clear in the distance, but she could still see everything looked just as old and worn-down as it had when she was a kid. Although their speed didn’t change, it seemed time slowed the closer they came.

Fontaine, South Carolina, population 347
according to the faded painted sign. Alicia’s heart leapt as they drove past it. There was no turning back now. It was if passing the city limits made this trip suddenly all too real. There was a car lot right on the edge of town boasting low, low prices and quality cars. From what she could see, the cars looked like this might be their last stop before the junkyard. There was one supermarket, a Piggly Wiggly, two banks and two gas stations. All in all, she counted two new businesses—the car lot and a McDonald’s.

There was little to no activity on the streets. But of course not—today was Sunday. Most people would still be in church. Not that anyone would recognize her anyway. She’d been fifteen when she ran away with Deja’s father Ray. Two years later, Ray was dead and she was sold to Grgur. Funny how just driving through town made her feel the same suffocation she’d felt way back when. The place was stiflingly oppressive, with an aura of hopelessness thrown in for good measure.

They had to drive through the main part of town before turning on a dirt road about a half-mile out. Perry and her mother lived off the beaten track, which was perfect for the sadist fuck. No one to witness his crimes. The isolation had been horrible, but no doubt purposeful on his account. Alicia found herself hiding her face as soon as the quaint little country home came into view. She felt sick, hot and cold all at once, her stomach roiling thinking about her past here.

“Alicia, you can face this,” Claus prodded quietly. “You must.”

There was no vehicle in the carport. Still. Claus climbed out of the car, pulling her out after him. With purposeful strides he made his way to the door, opening it as if he belonged. Of course it wasn’t locked. Who would come all the way out here just to steal? What was there to steal?

Walking in was like walking back in time. The flowered furniture was worn, but well kept, covered in crocheted white throws. Perry’s armchair sat square in front of the old floor-model TV, the couch off to the side. She could see straight down the hall that led to the bedroom and shivered. She wouldn’t be going back there. Not for anything.

“We wait,” Claus announced unnecessarily, sitting in the armchair and pulling her into his lap.

It was a power play, she knew. He chose the chair he knew to belong to the man of the house as a challenge. And she also knew he wasn’t going to move until the man of the house saw him in it. They didn’t have long to wait. Only a few minutes passed before she heard a car pull up. She tried to stand, but Claus held her in his lap.

“Wait,” was all he said.

Heart pounding, she had little excuse not to do just that. The footsteps up the front porch were hurried; she could clearly hear her mother’s voice. “There’s a man in the car behind the wheel, but he don’t look to be moving.”

God, that voice! It made her feel like a scared five-year-old just hearing it.

“I am here,
Süße
,” Claus murmured. “I have you.”

The door flew open, her mother scurrying inside followed by a scowling Perry.

“Alicia?” The tiny, painfully thin old woman, who looked to be a phantom of the mother she once knew, clawed at the fake pearls around her neck. She looked more than old—she looked worn. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes tired. Her hands were heavily veined, wrinkles etched deep into her face. “My God, look at you! You look…”

Whatever she was about to say died as soon as her eyes landed on the man who held her. Alicia slowly climbed to her feet as she waited. She could guess what was coming.

“You brought some man you’re whoring for into my home?” her mother cried indignantly. That was really funny given the way her mother had lived her life prior to her marriage. “We haven’t heard hide nor hair of you in over twenty years and you come here flaunting your wicked lifestyle—”

“Alicia is not a whore.” Claus spoke calmly, not bothering to get to his feet. Though he spoke to Patty, his eyes remained locked on Perry. “I belong to her. Not the other way around.”

That thoroughly confused Patty. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

“Girl, you got a lot of nerve coming in here, disrespecting your mama like that,” Perry spoke, puffing up his birdlike chest as if he was going to do something.

Weird, she used to be so afraid of this man. He wasn’t as tall as she remembered. Certainly not as strong as she imagined he was. He looked like a thin, weak little man. And he was, she realized. This was not some big, bad wolf. He was a sad, pathetic excuse for a man.

Alicia pulled herself up to her full height. She wasn’t afraid. There was nothing to be afraid of.

“That’s rich coming from you,” she replied calmly. “One would think sneaking into her daughter’s bed at night was far more disrespectful than bringing the man I’m spending my life with to meet my mother.”

Patty gasped, shaking her head viciously. “That never happened. Why do you always spout such lies? And in front of company? Have you no shame?”

So now Claus was company? Her mother was never going to admit what happened. In her eyes, Perry could do no wrong. But then, he had taken her out of the gutter and given her this parody of a home. While Alicia could never excuse it, she understood. Thank God she had never inherited this pathetic gene. It would kill her if someone had tried to hurt Deja the way Perry hurt her. The way her mother allowed him to hurt her.

“I forgive you.” Alicia smiled sadly. “I forgive your blindness, your willful ignorance. But I won’t forget it. I will never forget it. Thank God my daughter never knew what a sad, delusional woman her grandmother is.”

“You have a child?” Patty ignored everything but that. “You have to show me her picture! Why didn’t you bring her?” Alicia could only stare at the woman. A bright, feverish light played in Patty’s otherwise dull eyes. She was completely gone, Alicia realized. There’d be no reaching her; she had lost what little thread she might’ve ever had on life. “Perry, did you hear that? We’re grandparents.”

“Get your whoring ass out of here!” Perry yelled, sweat beading on his forehead. “Your mama ain’t well. She don’t need this craziness.”

Oh, God, he thought her daughter was his! That was fucking priceless.

Of course, Claus was right there, crowding into Perry’s space.

“I don’t think I heard you correctly.” That quiet voice was enough to make most men piss themselves. Perry was no exception. He gaped at the massive German man, his mouth puckering like a fish.

“She—I—We— Look, I don’t know where you’re from—”

“Alicia, take your mother outside. I think we should take her for a drive,” Claus said quietly.

“Claus, we can just leave.” This was pointless. Besides, she’d done what she wanted to do. She had faced her monsters and found they were just weak people who exploited those even weaker than they were.

The look he gave her melted her heart, making her fall in love all over again. “Your mother is…she needs help. This man will never give it to her. I could never allow him to live after hurting you. You understand this, yes?”

She did. That was just who Claus was.

Taking her mother, she led the frail woman outside.

Atlanta was a relief after the trip to South Carolina. They managed to find her mother a full-time care facility where she would get the best care. More care than the woman had ever shown Alicia. In the end, Alicia was relieved and more than a little satisfied with the way things had ended. All her monsters were dead and gone; Claus had killed them. Alicia was totally and completely free.

“Take off the nightgown and come to me,” Claus growled from the bed.

God, he was sexy. All those hard muscles, the controlled violence in his every movement. And yet he would never hurt her. He would use all his strength to protect her, to cherish her, but never hurt her.

Smiling, she pulled the silky nightie over her head, letting it drop to the ground as she sauntered to where he reclined, naked, hard and ready, just for her. She loved the way his eyes raked over her body. It didn’t matter to him that gravity had begun to take its toll, or that there was a little bit extra around her waist. All he saw was beauty, and he loved that. Loved that she could make him ravenous, that she could make him so crazy he pinned her down and fucked her until she screamed.

As soon as she reached his side, he grabbed her, rolling her on to her back. “You tease me,” he accused before devouring her lips in a soul-searing kiss.

Yeah, she had just a little. It was fun to see him react.

But there was no teasing now. Not with the way his mouth moved all over her body, worshipping her skin. There was no part of her he didn’t lavish with attention, working his way down between her thighs.

“I’ve dreamed of this,” he moaned, running his finger down the seam of her pussy lips. “I’ve been so hungry for you.” Hot breath wafted over her sex, making her shiver with anticipation. “I need to taste you.”

He was killing her. She needed him in the worst way, needed to feel his possession.

“Please, Claus,” she begged. “Stop teasing me.”

“Oh, so now I am the one teasing?” he smiled at her from between her spread thighs.

That just made her hotter, wetter. “I need,” she breathed. “Please?”

That was all it took. He dove in, feasting on her flesh as if it were some deliciously decadent treat. His tongue was wicked, delving deep inside her before curling around her clit. Her hips bucked, but he just grabbed them, holding her to his face. He was relentless, sucking, licking, fucking her with his tongue until she was delirious, riding his face with wild abandon. She couldn’t even scream by the time he rose to his knees, holding her open before he drove deep and hard inside her.

For a moment, they both did nothing more than groan, reveling in the exquisite euphoria of filling and being filled. When he was inside her, she felt complete. It was so much more than just being full of him; it was like he became a part of her. And she loved it. Couldn’t get enough.

“I love you,
schatzi
,” Claus breathed, then started to move. “I love you with all that I am, all that I have.” She wanted to answer him, she really did. There was just no way for her to make a coherent sound with the way he was making her feel. All she could do was feel. But apparently, she didn’t need to answer. “I know you love me too. And for this, I will treasure you always.”

There was no further need for words. Instead she let her body do the talking for her. Opening herself for him was so easy. He handled her body masterfully, stroking that secret place inside just right. There was no way to contain it; her body exploded around him.

Much later, as they lay spent in the dark, holding one another, Alicia smiled at the completeness she felt surrounding her. Rolling on top of him, she put her hands around his face and gave him a deep, passionate kiss.

“I love you, Claus,” she told him, looking deep into his eyes. “I never loved a man until you, and I will never love anyone else.”

“I feel the same,” he told her gravely. “No other woman exists for me. You saved me from a cold, barren life.”

“I guessed we saved each other then.” She laughed. “And I am so glad we did.”