To Know Her (Erotic Romance) (5 page)

He followed her, and she felt
the hot splash of come as he pulsed.  The feeling was so personal, so
intense, Sara felt like she’d been conquered.  It was connecting, joining,
this type of sex, and when he pulled free and moved to get a cloth to clean her
up, she felt bereaved.  He released her and held her in his arms until she
was fast asleep.  When she woke, her headache was completely gone.

At breakfast, Gretchen was no
longer hostile.  She didn’t seem exactly happy, but Sara got the feeling
it wasn’t directed at her but Derek this time.

“Any word from the police?”

Derek’s fork stilled. 
“Nothing new.”

She continued to eat and watched
as Gretchen finished cleaning up the dishes and left.

“Where does she go?”

“Who?”

“Gretchen?”

“Errands.” 

Sara nodded and walked toward
the living room.  “She doesn’t like one of us.”

He sighed.  “She’s not
happy with some of the decisions I’m making right now.”

She waited for more
information, but he clearly wasn’t going to give it to her.

“I have some work to do in my
office.  Let me know if you need me.”

Derek went down the stairs
leaving Sara to watch television.  She did for several hours but grew
bored.  She walked down the stairs to explore and heard his voice. 
She moved closer but slowed at the angry tone.   She edged closer,
wondering who he was speaking with.  Was it Gretchen?

“The situation could be better,
but I have it under control.”

He paused.  “It has
nothing to do with Victoria.”

He sighed.  “Yeah, I moved
them this morning while she was in the shower.  The headache is better.”

“It is.  No doubt. “

“Thanks.”  His voice was
wry and his expression, tired.  He straightened at whatever the other
person said.  “You stay away.  I’m not ready yet.  She’s not
going anywhere.”

She flattened herself against
the wall.   So he was talking about her.  She glanced
around. 

What had he moved, and where
else would she go?  Did he know who she was?

She quietly moved back upstairs
to the bedroom.  She glanced around at the space.  Was there
something here that would tell her who she was?  He had clearly been
talking about her, so what did he move?  Victoria.  The woman in the
photos?  She walked toward the closet. 

“Let’s get outside for a while
so you can sleep tonight.”

She jumped at Derek’s voice
from the doorway.  She composed her expression and turned.  “What?”

“I just think a little fresh
air will help you rest better.”

He led her to a mud room by the
back door and pulled a thick jacket with a fluffy collar from the hook for her.
 She hesitated for a moment.  “Is this Gretchen’s?”

“No.”

“Whose then?”

He tapped her nose lightly with
the tip of his finger.  “Aren’t you the curious one?”

She froze.  “I don’t
actually know.”

He slid his hand down her cheek
before opening the back door.  His touch was warm and welcome and from the
look on his face, she was sure he knew that.  They stepped into the bright
sunshine, and Sara inhaled deeply.  “Where are we going?”

“I thought we’d take a ride.”

She tilted her head,
considering.  “Horses?”

He laughed.  “No horses. “

“You don’t like horses or they
don’t like you?”  She knew that people who didn’t have rapport with
animals couldn’t be trusted. 

“Neither.  I just don’t
have the time to properly care for horses.”  He continued toward a large
building in the backyard.  The fields rolled into new hills for as far as
the eye could see.  The only thing breaking up the fields were a few tree
lines in the distance and a pond off to one side.  “I was thinking more of
a two wheel ride.”

The gleaming black animal stood
in the middle of an open space in the building.  Metal and chrome, power
and finesse.  On a shelf sat several helmets.  Derek pulled the band
from Sara’s hair, and she shook it out, curls tangling down her back, as he
watched.  Then he helped her put on the helmet before grabbing one for
himself.   

“I’m not sure this is the best
idea.”

“It is the absolute best idea
I’ve had in a long time.”  He slid onto the seat and gave her a sideways
glance.  “Coming?”

If she got onto that bike, she
wasn’t sure what she’d be doing.  He had secrets concerning her, and she
needed to know what they were.  She would just have to work hard to maintain
a little distance because she really wanted to go somewhere with him.  The
idea of forgetting her troubles with a fast ride appealed to her on several
levels.  “You’re sure it’s safe?”

“Positive.  We’ve-“

She waited. 
“We’ve?”  Her mouth tilted into a soft grin on one side.

He leaned toward her then, no
preamble, just touched his lips to hers.  “We’ve got to get going if we’re
going to get back before dark.”  His lips were soft and warm and she felt
bereft that the touch was so quick.  She hadn’t seen it coming, hadn’t
savored it at all.  It was the first time a kiss on her mouth hadn’t been
part of sex.  The other was good but this was also very nice.

She gave a firm nod and got on
behind him.  He put on his own helmet before pulling from the building and
weaving around to the road.  As they passed the house, she was sure she
saw Gretchen watching from the window.  But she hadn’t been alone. 
There was a man watching too.

The roads were clear.  The
wind whipped past them as they weaved through hills and valleys and made their
way across the landscape.  Derek would open up on long strips and slow
slightly to avoid breakneck speeds on the snakelike curves.  The fresh air
made her lungs expand, her outlook clear, and her attitude improve. 
Things would be okay.  She’d figure out where she belonged, and in the
meantime, she would enjoy whatever the days with Derek brought her.  She
wasn’t married.  She had checked for a ring.  She didn’t have
one.  Nor was there a ridge or tan line to show where she had previously
worn one. 

The high speeds brought her
closer to him.  No way to stay separate on a motorcycle. When he
accelerated, she held tight, her hands moving over the muscles on his abdomen –
taut and firm.  She couldn’t help but lean in, pressing into his back and
smelling the rich masculine scent rolling off him in the wind.  When he
slowed, she found herself sliding forward, her legs splayed around his,
nestling their bodies close together.   The ride was cold, but she
felt hot at the contact with Derek.

They encountered a small trail,
and he slowed to turn.  The dirt path led to a cliff with a spectacular
view.  Derek parked and helped her off the back, halting her movements
when she would have burned her leg on the hot metal of the bike.

“This is some view.”

He watched her as she studied
the valleys below.  She spotted a waterway winding through the hills.

He pulled a blanket from a
compartment on the motorcycle and spread it on a grassy patch in the sun. 
He dropped onto it, but she didn’t join him immediately.  The day had
grown warmer, the sun making it comfortable now that the wind wasn’t rushing
past them as they sped through the landscape.

“Deep thoughts?”

“Just wondering if I belong somewhere
out there.”

He leaned back, his big body
sprawled across the blanket, and tucked his arm behind his head before closing
his eyes.  “I wouldn’t worry too much about it, Sara.  I think it
will come back to you when you’re ready.”

“Maybe.”  She scanned the
blanket where he looked so comfortable.  He’d left a swath for her, a
prime soft spot in the sun, and she made her way over to sit. 

“Lie back.”

It sounded more like a command
than a request.  She didn’t argue but leaned back to rest her head on his
thigh rather than parallel.

She watched soft clouds drift
by and play peek-a-boo with the sun.  Peek-a-boo.  She frowned. 
The thought nagged at her.  They hadn’t talked about the baby.  His
reaction the day before had been odd.  Did he leave to give her privacy or
was he upset by the baby?  Did he have children somewhere?   She
closed her eyes trying to clear her head.  The thoughts drifted away just
like the clouds that had triggered it.  Her irritation passed, and she
felt herself relax. 

The warm sun filled her muscles
with languid heat, and the feel of Derek’s leg behind her head was
comforting.  She turned to look up the length of his body.  His eyes
were no longer closed, ready for an afternoon nap.  They were dark,
focused and intent, first on her face and then down, past the bulk of her
jacket to her thighs and the bend of her legs. 

He sat up and leaned forward to
brush his lips across hers.  The kiss was soft.  When she opened her
mouth slightly, he delved deeper, and she welcomed his tongue leisurely
exploring the feel of her, wet and warm against her own.  She lifted her
hand to touch his face. 

He continued to kiss her at
will.  One minute, soft and sweet, the next deep and soulful.  His
hand slid down her back to cup her ass and hold her in place.  As if she
was going anywhere.  It was the most grounded Sara had felt since
realizing she was walking down a dark highway two nights before. 

When he surfaced for air,
kissing down her neck, Sara opened her eyes.  “How can you want to do
this?”

His grin quirked against her
skin as he licked up her neck, before breathing hot against the crook of her
shoulder.  She felt the zip of her jacket lower and reached for his
hand.  “You don’t know anything about me… except that I’m going to have a
baby.”

He reared back to look into her
face as he slid off his jacket and tucked his big hand under her head before
moving away and pushing the make shift pillow in the place where his leg had
been. 

He lay beside her, stretching
his big body lengthwise so his mouth was close enough to feel his breath on her
neck. 

Oh, that moist heat was turning
her insides to warm silk.  “I know you, Sara.  Trust me.”

Trust was the only thing she
could give him in her current position. 

When he kissed down her neck to
the dip exposed by the low cut shirt, she lifted her hands to his hair and
stroked down the back of his neck.  He nudged the edge of her top to the
side exposing the scalloped edge of her bra. 

His warm mouth covered the
fabric and quickly made the filmy material wet and transparent.  She
watched as her nipple beaded and pierced up, seeking him.  She moaned when
he gave the other side the same treatment.  Her back arched into his mouth
and he slid his hand down between her legs.  No preliminaries, no
discussion.  Just one movement and he was stroking the soft place between
her legs with strong fingers, the heel of his hand pressing into her clit.

The movement made her wild,
moaning though she tried to contain the sounds.  She placed her own hand
across her mouth.  One more muffled noise emerged, and he stopped. 

He slid his hand behind her
back, quickly unsnapping the clasp of her bra.  Talented. 
Experienced.  He was a gorgeous single man.  She’d seen pictures and
knew he had a lot of sex.  Then again, maybe she did too.  She
couldn’t know for sure.  Before she could give it much thought, her bra
was loosened and his mouth covered the tip of her breast.  He licked and
nipped with his warm lips while his deft fingers stroked the soft skin beneath
the other before rolling her nipple and pinching repeatedly, pulling the bud
into a taut peak. 

“Beautiful.”  He moved his
mouth to the waiting tip, enclosing it in wet heat.  Sara gasped at the
sensations pulsing through her.  His hand moved to give the other breast
the same treatment, rolling and pinching, playing leisurely as he feasted on
her. 

His touch worked magic on her
cool skin, heating her from her core out.  She felt the flush of desire
climb her neck and roll through her belly.  She slid her hand down his
chest to the button of his jeans.  It opened easily, and she quickly slid
her hand inside.  The cotton fabric covering his erection did nothing to
hide his desire.  She stroked the hard length up and down with her small
hand.

A sound in the distance broke
the silence.  Sara’s hand stilled for a moment.  An engine?  Was
someone else driving toward them, on their way to catching them in a hot clutch
that was sure to lead to hot sex?  She lifted her eyes to Derek’s. 
His expression was stern. 

“We don’t stop now.  Not
til I say so.”

His words inflamed her. 
They should have been offensive, made her back stiffen.  Instead, they
made her melt closer to him, run her hand back up and inside the fabric to feel
his silky skin covering hardened muscle. 

Satisfied, he began unbuttoning
her pants.  He dragged the layers down, pulling them free from her hips,
leaving her bare in the open air.   When he had the fabric free of
one limb, he kissed her chin and lifted her as if she weighed nothing. 
When she resettled, she was facing the blanket.  She glanced over her
shoulder to see Derek slide down on the blanket between her legs.