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Chapter 9

Sarah was cradled against Benny's side, his arm wrapped around her waist while her face was buried in the crook of his neck. And as she began to kiss his skin and rub her leg over the top of his thigh, Sarah wasn't even certain she was awake. All she was certain of was that she wanted him.

As her kisses turned into soft nips and licks Benny groaned, his voice deep and groggy. "Woman, I'm older than you. At some point you gotta let me sleep."

Sarah glanced up at him and grinned. His voice was gruff and exhausted, but she could see a tiny, playful smile ghosting across his lips. God, those lips… Her breath caught momentarily as she studied them and remembered everything those soft, gorgeous lips had touched all through the night and into the early hours of the morning. My hair, my skin, my breasts, my stomach, my ankles, my thighs, my… Before she even realized what she was doing, Sarah moved so that she straddled his waist, both of her hands raking down his torso as she leaned down and breathed softly against his ear.

Her voice was little more than a whisper. "Please, Benny. One more time…"

She leaned even closer until her hardened nipples rubbed blissfully against his chest, so turned on by the man beneath her that she was almost ready to beg. But it turned out she didn't have to. It only took a soft bite on his earlobe to make him flip her over onto her back and position himself between her legs.

He braced himself on one strong arm as he soaked the tip of his completely hardened cock in her slick, pulsing heat. And just before he slowly sank into her, she looked up and saw that his small smile had grown into the sexiest smirk she'd ever seen. "Let's make it two more times…"


They spent the next two days like that, tangled up together and hiding from anything outside her bed. They ordered take out, watched movies, and slept sporadically when they were just too damn spent to go another round. Then they talked about anything and everything until they were ready for each other once more. It was heaven and they never wanted the weekend to end. But when Sunday morning finally arrived, the most perfect 48 hours of both their lives drew to a close.

They were both quiet as they showered together that morning, and Hap figured they were both still in denial, refusing to believe that life had to return to the way it was two days earlier. After he dried off, Happy pulled on his jeans and t-shirt, and then sat on the bed and watched every move Sarah made as she slid on a pair of soft pink panties and a matching bra. Then she went to her closet and pulled out a simple wine colored dress and gray cardigan.

He leaned back slightly on the bed and grinned up at her as she pulled the dress on over her head. "You're really going to church now?"

Sarah briefly glanced over at him and smiled. "Yes, I'm really going to church now."

"After what we did all weekend?"

She let out a small laugh and nodded. "Yep."

Hap shook his head and smirked. "Why? To ask for forgiveness or something? You think what we did was wrong?"

"No, nothing like that."

"You know, Mom was like you. Went every fucking Sunday no matter what. I never understood why. What's the point?"

Sarah paused to think for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I find it calming. The music, the chanting, the stained glass…it's beautiful and quiet, peaceful. It's a nice place to think." She turned towards her dresser and Hap watched as she put on a pair of silver hoops and clasped a simple silver crucifix around her neck. "I don't get caught up in the details, and I'm really not sure if that's wrong or right. It's just what works for me. I know that when I go there I'm part of something bigger than myself."

She sprayed the inside of her wrists with that perfume he had grown to love before turning back around to face him. "But mostly I go there to pray. I ask God for advice, I thank him for all the blessings in my life, and I do ask for forgiveness from time to time."

Hap shook his head. "I doubt you've ever done anything that needs forgiven."

Sarah rolled her eyes but smiled. "Everyone needs forgiven once in a while."

Then she looked down at the floor for a couple of seconds before tentatively meeting Hap's eyes once more. "Can I tell you something without you freaking out?"

Happy raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Do I seem like a guy who freaks out to you?"

Sarah just grinned and shook her head. "No, you don't." Then she laced her fingers together in front of her and took a few steps towards the bed, sitting down right beside him. But she didn't look at him as she spoke. "That night..." She swallowed and took a breath. "The night we met, when I was on the ground and he was on top of me…"

Hap clenched his hands at his sides, tamping down the rush of anger swelling inside of him at the memory.

She turned her head to face him and placed a hand on his thigh. "I prayed. I prayed so hard; that God would save me, that it would stop, that he would send someone, anyone, to protect me. And he did. He sent me you."

Happy was stunned by her words and shook his head in denial, but when he opened his mouth to tell her how wrong she was, no words would come out. He didn't know how to tell her that God wouldn't want a man like him anywhere near her.

A faint blush bloomed on Sarah's cheeks and she nervously smiled. "Don't get scared. I'm not saying God destined us to be together or anything." Happy almost interrupted her to say that's the last thing he would ever be scared of, but he didn't have time before she went on. "I'm just saying I don't think it was a coincidence that you found me that night. So I go to church, and I ask forgiveness for what you had to do for me, and I thank him for you, and I pray that he keeps you safe. That's all."

The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it. "You pray for me?"

He knew Sarah could hear the disbelief in his voice when she leaned over and softly kissed his cheek. "Of course I do."

Without another word, Sarah got up and walked to the door but stopped when she heard his voice behind her, just a little quieter than usual. "I don't even know if I believe in God, but I sure as hell know that I'm no one's answer to prayer."

When Sarah glanced back over her shoulder and stared into his eyes, the emotion he saw on her face nearly took his breath away. Then she barely smiled and shook her head. "You're wrong, Benny. You're the answer to mine."

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