Serving Pride (9 page)

T
hey lay there
holding each other until the light changed, and when she started to
move to get up, he pulled her back down and started the slow dance
again. He’d always imagined making love could be something he would
feel down to his core, but had never experienced it until
today.

He wondered if it
was too soon to tell her how he felt. He wondered how she felt, if
she felt the same way. Maybe he was crazy. After all, a person
couldn’t fall in love this quickly, right?

On the trip back to
the docks, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He stood behind her
and hugged her as she steered into port. The chilly wind was in
their faces and the sun was sinking lower behind the clouds. It
felt so good to hold her near and he hated for the day to
end.

When they docked,
Robert jumped out and tied the boat off.

“Listen, it’s still
early, how about you come over and we can have some dinner and
watch a movie?” He helped her onto the dock and kept hold of her
hand after she landed next to him.

“That sounds
great.”

He almost did
another fist pump in excitement. When they pulled up in front of
the store, he no longer cared who saw them together. He walked
around and opened her door and pulled her into a deep kiss right
there, for the whole town to see.

He supposed he was
laying claim to her, telling everyone that she was his. He didn’t
care, it felt good holding her, and more importantly, it felt
right.

Taking the stairs
to his place, he was shocked to find his door slightly
open.

“Hold on.” He
grabbed her arm and stopped her on the stairs.

“What is it?” She
looked at him.

“My door’s open.
Head down to the store while I check it out.” He moved closer to
the door, wishing he had his weapon in hand.

“Robert? You can’t
go in there alone.” She inched forward, trying to follow
him.

“Amelia, please,
just go downstairs. I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll just check it out
then come down and get you. Besides, maybe you can buy us some of
Patty’s rotisserie chicken for dinner while you’re down
there.”

“Oh, okay. But if
you’re not down there in five minutes, we’re coming up after you.
And I know for a fact that Patty still has a shotgun under her
counter.”

He smiled and
kissed her nose. He watched her go down the stairs and when he was
satisfied that she had made it into the store, he turned back to
his door. On closer examination, he could see that the handle had
been broken.

Who would have done
this? He looked around and saw plenty of people in the street.
There is no way someone could have done this without being
seen.

When he stepped in,
his kitchen light was on and he could see the mess. His television
was still there so he immediately crossed burglary off the list. He
slowly walked down the hall towards his bedroom and noticed there
was more destruction there. Nothing seemed to be stolen—his safe
and his television were in their place—but everything was trashed.
After he double-checked everything, he walked down to the store and
spent the next twenty minutes talking to Patty and a group of
people at the store. He’d assured them that they had nothing to
worry about and hinted that it was most likely kids who’d broken in
and just
trashed
his place.

Amelia helped him
straighten up and after he’d fixed the front door lock, they sat
down to eat. Whoever had broken in had shattered the last two
plates he had, so they ate rotisserie chicken and potato salad on
paper plates and drank cold beer as they watched an old
movie.

After they ate,
they sat on the couch and he tried to figure out how to get her to
spend the night, though he knew she probably had to get home to her
mother. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy his time with her.
They were halfway through another movie, his arm resting across the
back of the couch, when he pulled her closer, smiling as she
snuggled into his chest. Leaning his head down, he started running
kisses over her ear and down her neck. She moaned and angled her
head, giving him better access.

She surprised him
then by pulling away, but she quickly moved to straddle him. Her
hips were in his hands, her mouth was on his, and he could have
just stayed like that all night. But she started to move and he
knew he didn’t just want her for that night, he wanted her every
night.

Their clothing hit
the floor as their breathing quickened. He tried really hard to go
slow like before, but her hands and mouth were everywhere. Before
he knew it, she was sliding onto him and swaying her hips to an
internal beat.

His eyes almost
crossed when she started bouncing on his lap, her breasts in his
face, her hair flowing around him, smelling of honeysuckle and the
ocean.

He closed his eyes
on a wave of desire, but it only caused him to feel what she was
doing to him even more. Her soft skin surrounded him, engulfed him,
possessed him. His fingers dug into her hips as he pushed her
faster, harder. He heard her moan on her explosion and opened his
eyes to watch her throw her head back during her
climax.

More, he had to
have more. Flipping positions, he knelt in front of her on the soft
cushions and held her knees up to her chest as he pounded faster.
She flung her arms over her head and held onto the side of the
couch, closing her eyes tightly. Her hair was fanned out, looking
like a ring of fire around her delicate face. Bending down, he took
her mouth as he felt himself explode.

So the old saying
was true. Even if the place were on fire, there was no way he could
move from this spot. First off, he doubted he could see to get to
the door. So far, everything was still white. His hearing had yet
to return and his legs were still shaking. He’d never experienced
anything quite like it. Her fingers ran up and down his back
lightly, which happened to be the
only
thing he could feel at the moment.

He wanted to tell
her how he felt, but in his vegetative state, he doubted he could
put two words together.

With his face
buried in her chest, he could feel it rise and fall. He could even
hear the slight hum of her voice, but in his state, trying to
figure out what the words were was just too
much.

“Mmm, can’t hear
you. Wait until I get my senses back.” He snuggled into her chest
further.

He listened to her
laugh and marveled at the sound and feel of it. Listening to her
laugh made him think about her smile. She was the kind of woman who
had a quick, flash smile. You know, the kind that when she smiles,
you felt like you’ve just been given a quick peek at heaven. Its
brightness usually had you thinking about it for the rest of the
day.

He was so lost in
his thoughts, that when she slapped his rear, he jumped, and she
laughed some more.

“What? I’m up.” He
sat up and looked at her. She was still sprawled on his couch, but
her eyes were full of laughter, something he enjoyed very
much.

“I said, I had
better get going. It’s getting late.”

He frowned, “Can’t you just stay here? My bed’s big
enough.”

She smiled at him.
“I better not. My mother is expecting me back. Besides, I have to
wait for the phone call from Tammy. She told me I’d know something
by tomorrow. You could swing by for dinner, if you’re
free.”

He frowned. “I have
to work until midnight.” He didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t
find time to be with her. He wanted her to be there when he got
home every night. He wanted to see her every morning. He watched
her putting on her clothes and wished she didn’t have to
go.

“What’s the frown
for?” She waited until he sat next to her after slipping on his
jeans.

“Time. It seems
like we just don’t have enough of it. I’m booked all weekend. I’ve
got to train the new guys still and certify them, then I have a few
personal matters I’ve got to deal with. I won’t be free until
Thursday next week, maybe even Friday.” He pulled her closer,
almost into his lap. “I want to be with you more. To be near you.
Maybe we can meet for lunch?”

“What day?” She
smiled as his hands ran over her shoulder and
neck.

“Every
day?”

She laughed and he
frowned even more. When she noticed his face, she cleared her
throat. “That sounds wonderful. If I get this job at the clinic, I
don’t know if I’ll be able to get away every day, but I could try.”
He leaned over and kissed her again.

That next week was
a busy one for him. He had to certify his new employees, he had a
week’s worth of paperwork that had piled up somehow, and he had to
meet with his campaign manager for next year’s election. People
assured him he would win, and not just because he was the only
qualified candidate. People actually believed in him and trusted
him.

On top of all that,
everyone wanted to talk to him about his break-in. People were
concerned that someone had moved into town and was burglarizing
people. The next town meeting was scheduled for just under a week
and he planned on addressing any questions or issues they had then,
but that didn’t stop them from calling and interrupting his
day.

Amelia called him
the next day and told him she’d gotten the job at the veterinary
clinic and would start that next week. He’d wanted to celebrate
with her, but he was too booked. He promised her a rain check on
the celebration.

Almost a week
later, Iian Jordan was finally released from the hospital, so
naturally everyone gathered at their place for the town’s standard
welcome home get-together.

He was excited;
he’d called Amelia and they were going to attend the event
together. It was their first official act as a couple. He had to
say, it felt nice walking into a place full of his townspeople and
seeing everyone smile at them and tell them how perfect they were
for each other.

Iian sat in the
corner and looked bored, like he’d rather be anywhere but there.
Robert knew that they had hired a tutor to help teach them sign
language. He’d planned on learning the basics sometime, if his
schedule ever freed up. It was nice seeing everyone together, even
if there was a dark cloud over the event, knowing that George
Jordan would never return. The town had held a small service the
week after the accident, and had placed a simple headstone near his
wife’s in the cemetery. Seeing how the family pulled together was
nothing short of amazing. He hoped to have something like that
someday. His aunt was always there for him, but he envied the
closeness of siblings. When he thought about having his own family,
he knew he wanted at least two kids.

When they finally
left the gathering almost four hours later, they drove in silence.
His mind was preoccupied with thinking about his
future.