Trust (41 page)

Stephan nodded. “Yes, it is, but it works for us.”

The rest of my session was tense, but they didn’t fight. At the end, Dr. Perkins walked us to the door. “It was nice to finally meet you, Stephan. You’re not exactly as I expected you’d be.”

He pulled me against his side and released a noise that sounded somewhere between a snort and a laugh. “I suppose I should take that as a compliment.”

She smiled and then looked toward me. “I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving, Anna, and I’ll see you next week at our normal time.”

I nodded, and Stephan led me out into the hall.

Stephan

I was not overjoyed with Brianna’s psychiatrist. Her questioning was beyond irritating, and uncalled for. Everyone questioned my relationship with Brianna, and I was sick of it. I loved her. I wanted to spend my life with her. End of story. We should not have to justify ourselves to anyone.

In my opinion, what had happened out in the lobby when she’d returned to bring me into Brianna’s session crossed the line.

She approached me with her arms crossed as I stood upon her reentering the waiting area. That was never a good sign, no matter who it was. “Mr. Coleman, as much as the world may revolve around you outside these walls, here it most certainly does not. I couldn’t care less who you are or how much money you have in your bank account.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Anna is vulnerable right now, and I want to make sure you aren’t abusing the situation.”

“You think I’m abusing her?” I couldn’t believe the gall of this lady. Who did she think she was?

“I don’t know. Are you?”

“No.” I spit out the word through gritted teeth.

“Anna told me that the two of you have a sexual relationship. Considering what she’s been through and the short time that has passed, I question your motives. And your intentions.”

“Why is it that everyone finds it so hard to believe that I love her? Is it that you all find it difficult to love her? Because I find it’s the opposite. Brianna is very easy to love. She is selfless and caring. Strong. Resilient. And determined. Even with all she’s been through, she has a heart of gold. Again, I ask you, why is how I feel about her so unfathomable?”

I tried to shake off the memory, but after that experience, I needed some time to decompress. There was no better way of doing that than to spend time with Brianna. Not quite ready to head home, I drove out of the city, until I reached the park I’d taken her to months ago. The leaves were no longer green—in fact, most of them had fallen off their branches leaving the limbs bare, but the ones that hung on were an array of oranges, yellows, and browns. It looked like a completely different place.

Looking around, I made sure we were alone before opening the car door and stepping out onto the asphalt of the parking lot. There was a brisk wind, and I pulled up the collar on my coat to shield my neck from the cold. I walked around to Brianna and opened her door, helping her out. Once we were both as buttoned up as possible given our clothing, I took her hand and headed toward the trail we’d walked down the last time.

She was quiet beside me as we strolled down the path that was littered with leaves. It was peaceful and calm—exactly what we both needed.

Instead of turning off as we had last time to go to the clearing, we continued on down the path until we came to a creek that ran along the back edge of the park. It wasn’t as wide as the one behind my aunt and uncle’s house, but I hadn’t forgotten when Brianna told me about sneaking off at her father’s house to spend time by the water. It was soothing for both of us, which was perfect given the last two hours.

I found a boulder about half my height along the side of the bank and guided her over to it. Leaning against it, I turned her so that her back rested up against my chest and circled my arms around her waist. “Are you ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow at my aunt and uncle’s house?”

She snuggled closer to me. Whether it was for warmth or because of the topic of discussion, I didn’t know. “Will Jimmy and Samantha be there?”

“I doubt it. Jimmy is a first year resident. They usually stick the first years with the shifts no one else wants, and most people will want to spend Thanksgiving Day with their families.”

Brianna nodded. “Good.”

Although I would have like to see her face, I didn’t want to relinquish my hold on her yet. “Do you not like Jimmy and Samantha?”

“Jimmy is okay, but sometimes he makes me nervous when he moves too fast or he’s too loud.” She paused, and I could only imagine the expression on her face. “I don’t like Samantha.”

I hummed. “She’s not my favorite person either.”

“Samantha doesn’t like you.”

Giving her a gentle squeeze, I rested my chin on her shoulder. “We’ve never gotten along. Most of that’s my fault. Samantha always wanted to go into psychology, so she was always trying to psychoanalyze everyone around her. We butted heads. Even back in high school. Time hasn’t changed that.”

“So it’s not because of me?”

I shook my head. “No. Not really. Samantha just likes to put her nose in other people’s business, and I refuse to let her have any say in my life. She doesn’t like that.”

We stood for several minutes listening to the water as it trickled over a grouping of rocks nearby.

“May I ask you something?”

“Brianna, you can ask me anything you want. You know that.”

“I know. But it’s . . . it’s about your parents.”

Kissing the side of her neck, I buried my chilled nose in her hair, inhaling her scent and absorbing her warmth. “What do you want to know about them?”

“Not about them really, I guess. More, it’s because of what happened to them that you don’t like therapists, right?”

I tightened my hold on her involuntarily. “Yes.”

My hands rested lightly on her abdomen, and she reached down to lace our fingers together. “Will you tell me why?”

Sighing, I closed my eyes before reopening them and beginning my story. “I’ve told you that right after my parents died I retreated into myself for months.”

She nodded.

“My uncle insisted I needed therapy—someone to talk to, to share my feelings with.” I paused, half lost in my memories. “The first woman he sent me to . . . well, it was a waste of time. It was right after, and I wasn’t saying anything to anyone. She suggested they give it a little time and maybe try again in a few months. There was no sense in paying her to sit there for an hour each week while I said nothing. She was right. I wasn’t going to talk until I was ready.”

I squeezed her fingers before I continued. “When I did finally start talking, Richard was adamant that I go back into therapy. He was worried I would start to internalize again if I didn’t get it out. The problem was the lady I’d seen originally didn’t have any openings, and Richard wasn’t willing to wait until that happened, so he found someone else. Looking back, it would probably have been better if I’d gone back to see that first person.”

“Did they hurt you?” The concern in her voice made my heart melt.

“Not physically, no. The man Richard found was supposed to be one of the best in the area at dealing with grief. At first, it wasn’t horrible, although I didn’t much care for the guy. He was arrogant, and most of the time he didn’t seem to like my answers to his questions. After a couple of months, though, things began to change. According to him, my feelings of guilt were no longer valid. I was being a spoiled, overprivileged brat, and I needed to get over myself.”

Every muscle in Brianna’s body tightened. “He said that to you?”

“Yes. And unfortunately, the teenager in me took that as permission to rebel. It was shortly after that when I started sneaking out. I guess you could say I began acting like the spoiled brat he accused me of being.”

What felt like moisture hit the back of my hand. I looked up toward the sky, but I saw no sign of rain or snow.

Feeling another drop, I lifted my hand and turned Brianna’s face toward mine. She was crying. “Shh, love. It was a long time ago.”

“He was a bad man.”

I smiled and kissed each of her wet cheeks. “Yes, he was. What he did nearly caused me to destroy my life. If not for my aunt, I wouldn’t have graduated high school or gone on to college. I would have proved him right.”

Suddenly she turned and wound her arms around my neck, hugging me. I held on tight. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Brianna. Always.”

Chapter 35

Stephan

We were running late.

It was partially my fault. Okay, completely my fault considering I could have told her to stop, but that was the last thing I’d wanted. We’d slept in since we were up late the night before watching a movie together . . . well, that and fooling around. I had an extremely difficult time keeping my hands to myself.

This morning had been a rare occasion when Brianna woke up before I did, and when I had finally opened my eyes, she asked if she could service me. Brianna had a smile on her face, and I had no doubts that it was something she desired.

As I drove us out of the city toward Diane and Richard’s, I grew hard again remembering. What Brianna could do with her mouth was amazing. Sarah enjoyed giving blowjobs, but she had rarely taken me all the way in—her gag reflex was too strong. She’d tried to overcome it but hadn’t been completely successful while we were together. Brianna, however, had no issues whatsoever in swallowing every last inch of me. The feeling of being completely consumed by her was something I couldn’t describe. It was exhilarating yet humbling. I felt powerful but honored at the same time.

“Everything all right, Sir?”

I glanced over to see the concerned look on Brianna’s face before returning my attention to the road. Reaching for her hand, I placed it in my lap close to my erection. “Just remembering this morning.”

“Oh.”

I couldn’t miss her smile, and it caused me to chuckle. With every day that passed, Brianna became more confident in her sexuality. It was hard for her to believe how much she affected me sometimes, but she was slowly learning. This morning was a perfect example of that.

“Did you want me to help you with it?”

It was impossible to suppress my groan. Yes, I would love to feel her lips wrapped around my cock again, but we were already running late, and I wasn’t crazy enough to get a blowjob while driving. I wasn’t a teenager anymore.

Squeezing her hand, I threaded our fingers together. “Later. As it is, we’ll barely make it on time. Diane won’t be happy if we’re more than a few minutes late. She goes all out for the holidays.”

Brianna scooted closer to me, wrapping her arm around mine, and laying her head on my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head, and relaxed back into the drive. There hadn’t been any paparazzi outside my building today, and I was grateful. Maybe they decided spending time with their families was more important than trying to catch me doing something noteworthy. Or maybe they’d found someone more interesting to harass. I could only hope.

We pulled up to the front of my aunt and uncle’s house with a minute to spare. How I’d managed even that was a miracle in and of itself. They lived nearly an hour from my condo, and we’d left fifty minutes ago.

As I exited my car, my cell phone beeped, letting me know I had a message. I quickly dug my phone out of my pocket, perplexed by who it might be. It was from Sarah.

Going home. Thank you for everything.

Smiling, I slipped the phone back into my pocket. Sarah and I had talked earlier in the week about her going home for the holidays. It looked as if she’d made her decision.

I helped Brianna out of the car and retrieved our bags from the trunk. We were going to give spending the night a chance, but I’d promised Brianna that if at any time she wanted to go back home to let me know. I wanted this to be a positive experience for her. She’d come out of her shell so much in the last seven months since I’d known her. It was almost hard to believe she was the same woman who’d sat in my living room that first full day in pain because she refused to go to the bathroom without permission—the same woman who had cowered in fear when I touched her.

With our bags over my right shoulder, I reached out with my left hand for Brianna’s and headed for the front door.

As usual, the door opened before we were able to reach it. This time, however, it was my aunt who greeted us. “Get in here. I was starting to get worried.”

I gave Diane a kiss on the cheek. “My apologies. We were running a bit late today.”

She smiled knowingly. “I bet you were.”

Brianna leaned into me, hiding her face in my shoulder. The girl who’d once been a sex slave now blushed at being called out on our implied sexual activities.

I chuckled. “Dinner ready?”

“Not yet. Why don’t you and Brianna take your things upstairs, and then you can join Richard in the den while I finish things up? Maybe you can get him out of his medical journals.”

Diane strolled back toward the kitchen, and I guided Brianna up the stairs toward my old room. I quickly deposited our bags down on the bed and pulled Brianna into my arms. Even though I couldn’t take things too far, I still needed to taste her before we went down to dinner. Since she’d been back, my craving of her had only increased.