Authors: Jez Strider
The constant pop of corn kernels in the microwave bag fit Candice’s new found, bouncy, and light attitude. For the day, anyway. She was trying to be positive and enjoy life in the moment. At least it wasn’t going to be another night sleeping in a broken down car.
“Do we need popcorn
and
pizza?” Logan asked after he’d placed the order to her specifications.
“What’s all this “we” stuff? This is my food.” She threw her thumb back in a gesture to the microwave and placed her hand on her hip. Clad in her sheep pajamas, she once again
didn’t appear to be in her late twenties. Although, she did purposely unbutton the shirt to show a little cleavage.
Logan feigned offense as the popping stopped and Candice dumped the fluffy white snack into a big bowl. “I think I can convince you to share.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Of course. I’ll just tell you how pretty you look right now and that I’ve never seen a cuter woman in my life.” He started grinning when Candice blushed.
She nodded before tossing a few pieces of popcorn into her mouth. “So unfair because I’m completely convinced to share now.”
“Let’s pick something to watch. I suppose you get to decide that, too.”
Candice put the bowl in the middle of the coffee table then fell back on the leather couch. Not the cheap imitation stuff she’d had in her trailer either. This one smelled and felt different. She turned on the TV and began browsing the movie selection. “What kind of movies do you like? Space stuff, I bet. You did take me to an observatory.”
“I guess that was a little nerdy, huh?” Logan asked, tossing her
a can of soda and then taking a seat beside her.
“Nah, it was perfect. Really. Everything so far has been. That’s what is scary.” She waved a hand and laughed a little to dismiss what she’d said. “So, let’s watch something old with laser beam guns and aliens.”
He took the hint and didn’t focus on her brief relapse into being worried. “Pick one that will make you scream and cling to me.”
“I can’t watch horror movies, but we’ll watch this sci-fi flick and I’ll pretend I’m
upset so I can still cuddle against you for safety.” She gave him a “wink-wink” face.
“Works for me.” His hand went into the popcorn bowl and he put nearly a whole handful into his mouth.
The other arm casually slipped over the back of the couch and around her shoulders.
The pizza arrived shortly and Candice snatched the first piece. After the
initial bite, she spoke. “That is so good.”
Logan didn’t seem as thrilled as he picked the mushrooms off his slice and dropped them onto her plate. “Extra for you.” He said after he’d cleared the pizza of the unwanted vegetable.
“Sorry.” She said with a smile.
“No, it’s fine. An easy sacrifice for someone I….”
Candice froze. She held her breath, wanting and not wanting to hear it.
“Someone I care for.” He said with a faint sigh when he noted her reaction and leaned back into the corner of the couch.
“Next time we’ll order one with something gross I don’t like. Maybe the little fishies with the heads still on.”
“I don’t like those either. What makes you think I want to eat
nasty fish?”
They looked at each other and broke into laughter. The tension in the room dissipated and after they had finished eating, she cuddle against him and rested her head on his bare chest.
It was the perfect place, the perfect time, and the perfect person. Even with all her concerns, she knew it in her heart.
The movie played on in the background, but Candice’s thoughts were completely on the man with his strong, protective arm around her. When she pulled away to look at him, he stared back with the same expression of not only desire, but something deeper, more lasting.
“Don’t you like the movie?” He asked.
“I can’t seem to pay attention to it when we’re so close.”
Logan’s hand rested softly against her cheek and she closed her eyes as she turned her head against it. Her lips gently pressed against his palm before she slowly climbed into his lap.
“I thought we were taking things more slowly.” He whispered as if what they were doing were a secret.
“I want you to know that I’m not a slut.” She said as her hands ran up and down his chest.
“I know.”
“Really. I’ve been with like three guys.
” She counted it out on her fingers. “This boy I dated my senior year. It was god-awful. My ex-husband. And… and you.” Her words trailed off delicately.
Logan began slowly unbuttoning her pajama top. The fabric rested loosely over her breasts. His face pressed
into her bosom and he inhaled deeply against her flesh before looking up into her eyes. Soft, barely perceptible kisses touched on her skin. These sent her entire body shivering. He didn’t say a word.
“My… my kisse
s will taste like pizza.” She moaned out. He’d made her breathless in only a few moments.
This time both hands went to her face and he pulled her in for a long kiss before moving deeper, thoroughly tasting her with his tongue. “Mm. You taste like love.” With that, he picked her up into his arms. Her legs wrapped around him as he easily carried her toward the stairs.
They didn’t quite make it to the top. About halfway, Logan stopped and set her down. Without jerking or roughness, he tugged down her pants. After pulling them over her feet, he placed a few kisses on her toes. Then, he slid back between her legs before freeing his manhood from concealment. His mouth was on hers again, and with a perfectly placed push, he was inside.
Candice broke away from his kisses only once to say, “
I never knew love tasted so good.”
Growing up a Harworth meant having everything he wanted handed to him. Even Candice had been placed in front of him as if a gift from God himself. He watched her sleeping beside him after he’d made sure he’d thoroughly given her the hottest night of her life.
“I am one lucky bastard.” He said to himself, stretching with an air of arrogance and placing his hands behind his head as he leaned back against the headboard with a deep sigh of satisfaction.
Soon after, he’d drifted off to sleep as well.
A whimper followed by some strange sobs sent him sitting straight up. Candice was facing him and snuggled close, but in her sleep she was…
crying
.
“Shh… please don’t cry.” The plea was faint and the stroke of his hand pushing away a strand of her hair was gentle. It seemed to soothe her and she continued sleeping without making another sound throughout the
night. Logan himself barely caught an ounce of restful shut-eye afterward. He’d done something terrible to upset her. He knew it.
I should have kept my dick in my pants for once.
When Candice finally woke up late in the morning, Logan was already sitting up with his tablet pc in hand. “Wow, good morning. The best morning ever maybe.” She smiled at him.
Instead of a return smile, Logan frowned. “You don’t have to pretend, I know I did something that bothered you.”
“What are you talking about? You only did all the right things… in all the right spots.”
“Then why were you crying?
I should have listened and taken things slowly.”
“How embarrassing.” She picked up her pillow, fell onto her back, and covered her face with it.
Seeming unconvinced that he did nothing wrong and impatient to know the truth, Logan took the pillow away from her. “Tell me why.”
She averted her gaze and sighed. “I’m crazy, that’s why. I have nightmares about things in my past. Strange, I don’t even remember having any
dreams last night.”
“I want to know
exactly what happened to you. How you ended up living in a car and why your eyes hold such sadness.”
Anyone else would have received a swift mind your own business and rude gesture. She was that private and unwilling to accept sympathy. Or worse, pity. “It’s probably important for our relationship, huh?”
He nodded. “Kinda. I can’t understand you if you won’t let me in. That’s what couples do. They share the bad stuff.”
“Fine, so long as we don’t get so close I have to pee with the door open.”
“You’re doing the abrasive humor again, but it’s not going to distract me.” He said firmly.
Candice pushed herself up and sat with her legs crossed. “Well, I used to be normal. Okay, not really, but I wasn’t
as fucked up. I was in college when my parents’ house burned down. They didn’t make it. My sister had been out getting wasted so she was spared. I was living with some friends near campus.”
Logan reached out to take her hand. Her first instinct was to pull away, distance herself from the painful emotions and memories, but she let him try to comfort her.
“I had no idea.”
“It’s fine. Been nearly ten years now.” She said, trying to shrug off the weight pressing down on her. “I end
ed up not being able to finish school. All their money had been dumped into my education. What little they had, anyway. That old house didn’t even have proper insurance.”
“What did you do? Stay with other family members?” He asked carefully.
She shook her head. “Nah. There wasn’t anyone that gave a shit. I stayed in the apartment and started working all the time to keep a roof over my head. Then, I met this guy a few months later. He was an asshole even then, but I was lonely. Marrying him was the worst mistake I have ever made.”
“I don’t know how he was, but I swear to you I won’t be like that.” Logan promised.
“I know.” She nodded and forced a smile. “He still lives over on the other side of town in my old trailer park. He was always yelling. When he was drunk he even threw fists.”
The look of sheer fury that spread across Logan’s face shocked Candice and she regretted sharing too much truth. He spoke slowly. “He abused you.”
“Sure, yeah, but I was the one too stupid to leave. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I left. We were fighting as usual and he….” She had to pause and look away to fight back the tears. Talking made it more difficult to do. After clearing her throat she continued, “He picked up my cat and slammed it into a wall. The cat… didn’t make it so I left and didn’t look back.” Her eyes lifted to Logan and a few tears streaked her cheeks. “That cat was my only friend and I loved him.”
Logan pulled her close against him. “No wonder you’re so fragile. I am going to protect you from anything terrible like that ever happening again. You’ll always be safe here and I’ll give you anything you want. I swear.”
She sniffled and groaned. “Bleh, what a shitty start to the morning, but I’m glad it’s all out there now. Maybe I can finally move past it all.”
“Together. We’ll make it alright together.”
Breakfast had been finished and the dishes put away when Logan excused himself. “I need to run by the jewelry store, but I’ll be back soon.” He kissed Candice on the cheek and smiled.
“What should I do?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want.” She repeated, seeming to have to mull over the idea of that kind of freedom.
Logan called his father’s assistant when he was outside and in his car.
“James. I need to know the address of a man that lives in a trailer park in this town. Probably has a criminal record. He was married to Candice Brooks.”
“What’s this all about, Mr. Harworth? Trouble?” His fingers deftly keyed in a few searches before finding the requested information.
“No, no trouble. Business stuff. Don’t tell father.” He said.
“Of course not, sir.” He rattled off the address and Logan input it into his GPS.
“Thanks, James.” Without further discussion, he ended the call without realizing how similar it was to how his father had been the night before on the phone.
The expensive community faded into middle-class suburbs, then cheap apartments, and finally a gravel road led to a run-down trailer park. This place had been in disrepair for a long time and Logan half expected a meth lab explosion at any moment. He parked his car at the appropriate lot and sat there for a moment. It would have been easier to hire someone to rough up the bastard, but this would be much more satisfying.
Empty beer cans crushed under his feet as he walked toward the door. He gave a few bangs on the screen door which rattled as if it were about to fall off. When there was no answer, he opened it and, leading with his shoulder, knocked the door in.
“Who the fuck is it? I have a headache and no money to pay whatever bill you’re collecting.” A voice preceded a man walking into the living room. He wasn’t ugly. Or at least, he probably hadn’t been when Candice had married him. Though, he looked like he’d been hung over for years. “You’re one of those people that deliver subpoenas, I bet.”
“You wish. I’m your ex-wife’s man.”
“Pfft. What do you want with that bitch? Better yet, what do you want with me? I finally signed the papers.”
Logan stepped closer casually, pausing to pick up a nearly empty bottle of vodka. “I didn’t even know alcohol came in plastic bottles.” He lifted his eyebrows in amazement before setting it back down. “I want you to remember what this was like the next time you’re tempted to abuse a woman, animal, or anything else.”