Forbidden;

Forbidden;

Chapter 10;

A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER;

Amber's POV;

I had gotten up an hour ago; having stumbled in to the living room to find CT and Shifty playing on the 360, I had ruffled CT's hair as I made my way to the kitchen to make coffee.

I had hardly slept the whole night because all I could think about was Leland getting here in a few hours. I couldn't believe just how much I missed him. The feeling of emptiness that I had felt when he left just told me that I was even more in love with him, than I had even been aware of.

Making CT some cereal and squeezing some fresh orange juice, I had made him come to the dining room and eat, without a word of complaint; he had paused the game that he and his Uncle were playing and wondered through to the dining room and happily ate his breakfast.

Cam had called me when we got back from the fair and asked if I would be ok looking after her son all night; Jeff had, had too much to drink and she was too tired to drive back to our place.

But I knew my friend; there was something bothering her I had heard it in her voice as she told me that she and Jeff would be back in time for us to go to the airport to meet Leland. So there had been no point in pushing the issue; when she made it clear that she wasn't going to talk about whatever was bothering her.

"Excited much?" Shifty asked moving in to the kitchen as I washed up the dishes and set about placing a load of washing in to the washing machine.

"What makes you say that?" I smiled as I looked up in to his beautiful dark eyes.

Scolding myself slightly; I was with Leland; I shouldn't be looking at other men. But there really was no denying how gorgeous this man was; there was nothing wrong with looking just so long as I didn't touch.

"You're all but bouncing off the walls of the house," He chuckled as he picked up the basket of washing that I had taken out of the washing machine.

"Yeah I am excited…"

"But?" He asked placing the basket on the island in the centre of the kitchen and moved to the cupboard to get the pegs to hang out the still wet sheets.

"Excuse me?"

"You were going to say but right?" He asked watching me closely as he moved back to the basket as I closed the washing machine door and pressed the settings buttons.

"How do you know…?"

"I have gotten to know you pretty well over the past few days and I can see that something is bothering you so please if you want to talk I am here," He offered as we both moved to the back door and out in to the back yard.

"I guess I am just a little nervous," I admitted as we moved to the cloths line.

"About?"

"That things will have changed," I admitted honestly as I purposefully avoided looking at him.

Leaning down and picking up a sheet; I set about placing it over the cloths line and pegging it in to place.

"Any reason to believe that they would have?"

"Hawaii is such a far way away and…"

"Amber; Leland loves you right?" He asked busying himself with hanging up the sheets and pillow cases; avoiding looking at me he waited for me to answer.

"Yeah…"

"Then just have a little faith that things won't have changed; if he loves you half as much as you obviously love him then a few miles isn't going to have changed that,"

"I hope you're right,"

"Of course I am right," He smiled finally looking at me as he pegged the last sheet in to place and put the peg basket back in to the cloths basket.

"Oh and modest too," I giggled as we moved back in to the kitchen and closed the door behind us.

"I try my best," He smiled placing the things away and moving to the kettle and turning it on. "I think it would be a good idea for you to have some coffee and a smoke and try to calm down a little bit; you don't want to be worked up in a state when you see him do you?"

"No I really don't!" I admitted honestly as the sound of the front door opening reached through the house. Moving to the kitchen door that looked in to the living room where I could see CT still playing his game.

The living room door opened and Jeff and Cam tumbled in to the room, hands clasped together and they were laughing as they chatted with Matt who followed in behind them.

Cam leaned down and kissed CT's head as Matt threw himself down next to her son.

"All right; what we playing big man?" He asked picking up the controller that Shifty had been using before he came to help me with the chores.

Cam and Jeff smiled then moved out to the kitchen still holding hands, their connection shining brightly as they looked in to one another's eyes before walking in to the room where Shifty was making more coffee for them.

Watching them together it just made me miss Leland even more and I suddenly couldn't wait to see him, I wanted him here now; I needed him here now.

"Morning hon," Cam said letting go of Jeff's hand and moving to me where she hugged me tightly.

"Morning," I smiled at Jeff as he leaned in and kissed my cheek softly as Cam moved to her brother and hugged him just as tightly.

"Thanks for looking after CT for me," Cam said looking between me and Shifty as she took the cigarette that her brother held out to her and lit up.

"Not a problem," Shifty and I both said at the same time.

Cam seemed to be magnetically pulled back to Jeff's arms where he claimed her without question or complaint as he took her cigarette and inhaled deeply on it before handing it back to her.

Their connection just seemed to be getting stronger with every passing day and I was reminded of how much I loved that feeling; Leland and I had quickly slipped in to a comfortable relationship much like my 2 friends seemed to be.

With my thoughts on Leland, I bid my friends farewell and headed to pick up my man who I was going to have for a whole week. My stomach was in a fit of flutters and my heart was racing.

God Leland; I hope you are feeling energized 'cos not seeing you since you left, I am all kinds of ready to have you all to myself for the whole week.

Jeff's POV;

Seeing how excited Amber was to see Leland again, I knew that I would be the same way if it were Ron and I who had been apart as long as they had been.

Leland was a good guy and he obviously loved my friend with a passion to have been the one who suggested the long distance relationship deal; that was commitment no matter what anyone said.

Watching as Ron washed up the mugs that we had used and dried them before placing them back in the cupboard. The smile on her face as she placed them hap hazardly on the shelf.

"You know you are too cute when you do that," I chuckled leaning against the counter and watching her.

"When I do what?" She asked the heat stinging her face as she looked at me and smiled the brightest smile that always left me tingling from head to foot.

"Put away the mugs or the groceries; you get this little smile on your face; like you love doing things your way and no one else's,"

Instantly her posture changed and she seemed to be tense and on edge.

"Hey what is it?" I asked moving to her and touching her face gently.

"It's nothing!" She replied shaking her body slightly as if she were trying to push something to the back of her mind.

"You know you keep saying that…"

"Saying what?"

"Whenever the subject of your past comes up you say it's nothing…"

"'Cos maybe it is nothing," She sighed moving away from me and wiping down the counters until the kitchen seemed to sparkle brightly. "I really should get this done you know how much of a clean freak Lele is,"

"Ok!" Sighing I moved out of the kitchen leaving her alone as I moved to the living room where Shifty and CT were still playing on the 360. "Got room for another player?" I asked.

CT handed me the 3rd controller and waited for me to be loaded in to the game.

Glancing to the kitchen to see Ron cleaning vigorously; trying to get the house in to the shape that Leland appreciated. What was her secret?

What was she hiding from me?

Shaking my head, I moved my attention back to the TV and the game that her son was playing. I cared about Ron more than I had ever cared about anyone but I couldn't help but feel the frustration building when she refused to talk about her past.

It wasn't like I would judge her for her past; it wasn't like there was anything in her past that would change the way I felt about her.

Why wouldn't she just talk to me?

Why did she feel like she had to do this alone?

Was whatever in her past the reason that she took shit from Randy?

Had he somehow found out what was hidden in her shadows?

Suddenly it felt like her manager and possibly my biggest enemy ever knew my girlfriend better than I did as the questions in my head seemed ready to confirm that he did in fact know more about her than I did.

Cameron's POV;

I just couldn't bring myself to tell him; it wasn't that I didn't want to tell him. I just didn't want to see sympathy in his eyes, I didn't want his pity; I didn't want anyone's pity.

Since I had left Steven; I had taken pride in the fact that he had been wrong; I had made it without him and I was still doing it without him.

I didn't need a man to support me financially; I had a job, a good job that was paying me very well.

I didn't need a man to make things in my life better; I was a strong willed woman who had fought back against a situation that had seemed hopeless; I had been sure that I was going to die at Steven's hands but I had taken charge and I had gotten my son and myself out of there.

Leaning back against the counter and sighing heavily as my mind cast back to the night that I had packed and left…

'The sun had started to set turning the sky a purple and orange bland of brightness. The air was still but the smell in the air said that we were in for a storm as it seemed to buzz loudly around me as I sat out on the decking of the home that I shared with Steven and our son Dylan.

The sound of the front door slamming rang through the still night like a shot gun going off and in a way I hoped that it was a shot gun but no such luck as the sound of Steven filtered out on to the decking where I was enjoying the night and sipping at my coffee and smoking a cigarette.

"Where are you bitch!?" He roared out angrily his voice getting closer and closer by the second. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"I'm just having a cup of…"

SLAP! I was cut off as his hand swung at my face hard causing me to about fall out of the lounger chair.

"It was a rhetorical question Shay!" He growled out of him angrily as he stood watching me closely. "Get up stairs," He ordered me causing me to shrink away; I knew what was coming and I didn't want it.

My body refused to move as my head screamed at me to just get out of the chair, get up the stairs and let him do whatever he wanted to do to me.

God knows my life would be much simpler if my head and body weren't at constant war with each other whenever he got like this.

"I SAID GET UP THE FUCKING STAIRS!" He roared causing me to jump to my feet and begin to move towards the stairs that led to the second floor.

Please God if you get me out of this I swear I will never come back, I will never forgive him for this again! I pleaded in form of a pray but I knew that God had deserted me a long time ago.

What kind of God would let this happen to anyone?

"Take off your cloths cunt!" He barked at me when he followed me moments later with a 6 pack of beer in his hands and a bottle of vodka.

Great it was going to be a long night. Relenting to his demands because I didn't want a noise when our son was asleep in his bed down the hall. Lost in the land of dreams where nothing mattered anymore; what I wouldn't give to be lost in the fantasy of my life being anything that it clearly was right in this moment.

Pushing me down on to the bed once I had removed my cloths, he climbed on top of me; place one hand over my mouth as he forced my legs open with the other hand and literally tore me as he forced his way in to me.

Pain spread through me as he pumped himself against me; completely happy with not using any protection, I knew that a trip to the pharmacy in the morning was going to be called for.

Pain continued to slam in to my subconscious as he continued to rape me; getting himself off by using brutal force and not caring how much he was hurting me; it wasn't the first time that I had been in this position at his hands.

Turning my head away from him; I tried to focus on something other than the searing pain that he was causing inside me but he obviously had other plans for me.

"Look at me bitch!" He barked his order but again my body fought with my head and refused to turn and look in to his dead cold eyes as they landed on his gun and badge lying on the nightstand.

How easy would it be to just reach for the gun and shoot him?

Pushing that thought to the back of my head as his hands curled around my throat and began squeezing hard until I was fighting with him.

Fighting against the constriction of his hands around my throat; panicking blindly that I was about to die; that this was it; I wasn't getting out alive this time.

Then everything turned black…'

Crashing back to the present with my breath racing away from me and my hands on my throat.

"Hey, Cam you ok?" Seth asked from in front of me.

Slowly he came in to focus and I could see the worry on his face.

"What is it?" He asked softly reaching behind him and closing the door slightly to give us some privacy.

How could I possibly share my past with Jeff when thinking about it seemed to leave me in a state of pure panic?

"Nothing!" I shook my head at my brother as he pulled me gently in to his arms and held me close to him.

Not saying anything; he knew better than to push. So he just rocked me back and forth slowly as my breath continued to come in sharp and short intakes as slowly the haze from my past began to pass and all that was left was this woman who for want of a better term; had 2 completely different personalities.

R/N - Thanks to those who have added this to their alerts and to those who have commented; I really do appreciate it; it makes writing all the more enjoyable. I hope you are enjoying it; please review.

Thanks again

Harley

xoxoxoxox

One was the calm and assured woman I had fought so hard to be and the other was the timid, scared little girl who had stayed with her abusive partner. How could I ever explain that?