CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They spent the rest of that day exploring the books together, Mark discovering a renewed interest in the heavy tomes as he saw the room through Ellie's excited eyes. She looked so different when she laughed that he caught himself just staring at her several times throughout the afternoon, his own lips curving upwards in amusement as he watched her run around the room like a child at Christmas.
"Did you buy all these?" she asked him, still unable to believe how many books there were.
"No," he laughed, shaking his head. "Only the ones you see on some of the lower shelves. The others have been here forever. Probably before that."
"I've never seen so many books in one place. There are more here than at the town library, at least from what I can remember I think there are," she said, smiling at him, totally at ease and not thinking about what he had been like to her since she had come here. "Why did you say I could have it?"
Mark shook his head. "I have no idea, but I'm glad I did it. It's nice to see a smile on your face." He reached out and brushed his fingers over her mouth, watching her eyes darken when he touched her. "How are you feeling today?"
Ellie frowned and stared at him. "I'm fine. Why?"
"No darlin', I meant how do you feel...after the other night?" he clarified, and smiled as he watched the colour fill her cheeks.
She shrugged and looked down. "I'm okay now, I think."
"Good. I'm...sorry," he mumbled, and it was his turn to look away now, feeling uncomfortable with the burden of guilt that was weighing him down.
"What?" she whispered, her eyes wide as she looked at him.
"I said I'm sorry, for what I did. I didn't realise that you were in pain, or I wouldn't have acted in that way," he said, turning back to look at her, his face serious.
"It's okay," she said.
"No, it isn't, but thanks for saying so anyway." He raised his hand and cupped her face, raising it to his eyes. "I'm twice your size and I've hurt you. By rights you should hate the sight of me."
"I don't hate you," she said softly, her eyes looking at his face with a freedom she hadn't felt before. He was good looking, she thought, with his green eyes and strong features.
"Then how do you feel about me, Ellie?" he murmured, pulling her closer to him and taking the book out of her nerveless fingers so he could put it to one side.
"I..I'm not sure," she whispered nervously, feeling the warmth from his big body as he got nearer, her hands lifting to press into his hard chest.
"Okay, well, tell me how you feel about this," he said, lowering his mouth and kissing her slowly and thoroughly, unable to suppress a groan as he pulled back. "Be honest."
"I like it," she said, her eyes becoming glazed.
"And this?" he asked, leaning down to nuzzle her neck, using his teeth and tongue to make her shiver.
"That's....that's nice too," she whispered, her head leaning back to give him better access. She shuddered when his hands lifted and enclosed her breasts, the thumbs rubbing at them until her nipples hardened, giving him something to transfer his attentions to. He lifted her top up and licked a path between the soft globes, switching swiftly to one side so he could tug at her nipple with his lips. He played with her for a while before lifting his head and looking at her face. "And that, baby? How does that feel?"
"It feels so...it burns..."
"It's good?"
"It's wonderful," she breathed and he felt his flesh leap at her words.
"Ellie, do you want me?" he asked her, watching her eyes open and focus on him. "Honey, can you take me again yet?"
"I think so," she murmured and a second later she was up in his arms and he was striding out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom.
"God, I hope you're right," he muttered as he laid her on the bed and started pulling his clothes off his body.
Ellie had a moment of uncertainty and it showed on her face when she looked at him, but he eased himself down next to her and slowly started to remove her clothes too, smiling softly at her. "It's okay, darlin'. If there's any point that you want me to stop, I will. I won't hurt you again."
"Okay," she said softly, blushing furiously as he worked at freeing her until she was only in a pair of panties that were almost no cover at all.
"Don't be shy with me, you're beautiful, every single inch of you. And you can see what you do to me," he said wryly, looking briefly down at himself and seeing her follow his gaze.
Her eyes widened when she saw just how hard and huge he was, and she licked her lips nervously. "No wonder it hurt," she said, not choosing her words.
Mark laughed as she said it, and she blushed even hotter than before, tearing her eyes away from his body only to get caught by his hungry stare. "It won't hurt this time," he promised, capturing her lips and kissing her softly, then nipping at her bottom lip and smiling. "It won't ever hurt again, I promise."
He moved down her body so he could lavish attention on her breasts, squeezing the soft flesh in his hands and pinching at the hard nipples until she moaned, her hands going to tangle in his hair as he opened his mouth and drew one taut peak inside it, suckling her in a tense silence. Her gasps and moans spurred him on and he captured the other nipple between his teeth, holding her to his mouth as he flicked his tongue back and forth over her tender flesh, every movement he made intended to please her. The way her hands were almost pulling his hair out told him it was working, and he smiled against her skin when she whimpered softly. Her legs were moving restlessly about, so he moved downwards and pulled them open, blowing on her mound through her panties and then grinning as she arched up off the bed. He couldn't remember ever enjoying a woman's responses so much, but she was very vocal when she liked something. Hooking a finger underneath the elastic edge, he teased her soft folds until she was writhing beneath him, moving about to try and get him to intensify the contact.
"Mark, please..." she whimpered, her eyes squeezed shut as her mind started to go into overload.
"Please what, baby?" he said, his voice deep and velvety, the sound flowing over her and adding to her arousal in a big way. He moved his body up so he could lay on top of her, bending to kiss her moist lips as his hands deftly removed her underwear. "Tell me what you want, darlin'."
"I want you," she said huskily, her eyes opening to stare into his, confused as to why he wasn't doing anything.
"You want me....to what?" he urged, staring at her intently and wondering if she'd have the nerve to actually put it into words. When she stayed silent he nudged her legs apart and settled himself against her, pushing his hips forward so she could feel him intimately. "Tell me."
"I want you to...to....oh!" she gasped as he used his hand to open her to his slow invasion, but he stopped with just the tip inside her, making her squirm.
"You want me to fuck you, sweetheart? Is that what you're trying to say? You want me to push myself inside you, feel how tight you are? Hmm?" His voice was deep and rumbling right next to her ear, and she felt like she was going to explode.
"Yes, I want that, please...!"
She arched up tensely as he slowly pushed himself inside her warmth, feeling her enclosing him firmly until he was fully seated in her depths. He stilled and then flexed his hips carefully, looking down into her eyes and using his thumbs to brush the hair off her hot face.
"How does that feel?" he asked huskily, using every ounce of willpower he had to stay still.
"I feel so full," she whispered, her glazed eyes staring at him unseeingly.
"It doesn't hurt?" he asked, flexing his hips once again and making her gasp. But the way she screwed her face up wasn't from pain, and he gave in to what he was feeling, slowly withdrawing and then plunging back in again, keeping up a steady pace that was driving both of them insane. He wrapped his arms around her back and dragged her over with him as he rolled, so that she was sitting on top of him. "I want you to take me, this time," he said, gripping her hips and showing her how to move until she got the rhythm and started moving on her own, her hands resting on his chest for balance.
Before too long her legs and arms were shaking with the effort of trying to get him deep enough inside her, to move fast enough to satisfy them, and he thrust upwards to help her out, both of them moving in unison until she threw her head back and cried out, her body convulsing on his, her muscles clamping down on him and sending him spinning into a vortex of intense pleasure as she came.
Ellie collapsed on top of him, her whole body shaking like a leaf in the aftermath of such intense pleasure, and her eyes closed wearily. Mark was no less exhausted, but he moved her carefully to one side and curled himself around her, pulling a sheet over their nakedness seconds before he fell asleep himself.
****
Glenn stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables for a stew he would cook over the fire, and he glanced back at the small figure of Becky as she sat huddled on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her. Her eyes were vacant as they stared into the flames and, apart from a deep shaky breath every now and then, she hadn't moved at all for over an hour. He frowned as he gathered all the food together and threw it in the miniature cauldron he used on the fire, his breath flowing out heavily as he sighed. He was worried about her. She had been scared to death when she had seen her friend's stepsisters, and no matter what he said, she still believed that her stepmother would find her. He only wished he had some way of taking her mind off her worries, but the only way he could think of was something she would probably never agree to. Still, he thought, a smile touching his lips, he'd love to give it a try.
After hanging the pot on the hook above the flames he sat down next to her and drew her into his arms, leaning back with her and rubbing his hands slowly up and down her arms. "You okay?"
Becky nodded and leaned her head back against his shoulder, needing the warmth and comfort of his closeness, but she didn't say anything.
"We need to dress your back again," Glenn said after a few minutes of silence had stretched between them, and she jumped at the sound of his voice again.
"Okay," she mumbled, letting him pick her up and carry her through to the bedroom where he could lay her carefully down on the comforter.
"I'll go and get some water, you get out of those clothes and lay on your stomach," he told her, going into the bathroom and busying himself getting medical supplies together. When he returned to the bedroom she was laying on her front, a robe draped over her backside and legs, but he could tell she had nothing on underneath save for underwear. He took a deep breath and sat down next to her, smiling when she turned her face towards him to watch.
It was a pleasant surprise to be able to pull the bandages off without any sticking, and he gave a satisfied smile when he saw how well the cuts were healing up. "They look good, Becky, really good. How does your back feel now?"
"Not too bad," she said quietly, looking up into his eyes and biting her lip. "It doesn't hurt like it did before and I can lean back on it now."
"Good, you'll be fighting fit in no time at all at this rate," he said, cleaning her back and then adding some more ointment. "I don't think you're going to need bandaging this time, but this ointment will get on your clothes if I don't cover it up."
"I could just put the robe over it," she said, shifting about on the bed. "That's if you don't mind it getting that stuff on it."
"I don't mind at all, honey," he murmured, putting the supplies to one side and then laying down next to her. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, it's just...seeing them again, I don't know. It shook me up," she whispered, her big eyes going to his again for reassurance.
He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face, smiling softly. "Everything will be okay," he said, capturing her hand and linking his fingers through hers.
Becky stared at his big hand and frowned. "Glenn, I don't want to leave here."
His heart kicked up at her words. "We've already agreed that you won't have to."
"I know, but...I don't want you to think I wanted to stay because I didn't want to go back there," she murmured.
Glenn stared at her. "Why do you want to stay?"
"I want to stay with you," she whispered, not looking at him as she said it in case he laughed at her, or rejected her. "You make me feel safe."
He had been about to smile, but those words wiped it from his face in an instant. "Well," he sighed, "I'm glad I can make you feel safe."
Becky looked at him and realised how he had taken her words, and she squeezed his fingers before he could withdraw them from her hand. "You make me feel safe because I trust you. I don't know why, but I...I like you, a lot."
Glenn nodded and smiled tightly. "And you want to be my friend, I suppose?"
"Yes, I do. But I want to be more than that, I want...I want to be your lover," she faltered, feeling her cheeks go red as she voiced her feelings.
Glenn stared at her in shock, all thoughts that she liked him as a friend wiped from his head. "You want me? Like that?"
Becky nodded and then turned her head so she was looking the other way, finding it too embarrassing to look at him again. "I thought it was obvious."
"Not to me," Glenn burst out, looking down at her half naked body laying so still on the covers.
"I thought you'd know by the way I reacted when you kissed me....you make my knees go weak," she said, her voice barely audible.
"I do?" he asked her, a smile curving his lips as he looked at her averted head.
"Yes. You're sexy and...handsome....and I want you to kiss me all the time," she admitted, still blushing as she forced herself to tell him, honestly, how she felt about him. When he didn't say anything she closed her eyes, her face falling. "I guess you think I'm a total slut now, don't you?" she asked him, feeling a tear seep out from under her eyelid.
"No, I think you're mad, but I ain't looking a gift horse in the mouth. If you want me to kiss you, then how about you come here and show me how you like it?" he asked, grinning at her when she turned to stare at him. "Aw, now honey, there's no need for this," he said softly, wiping the solitary tear from her cheek and then leaning forward to kiss her gently. "Don't you realise how much I want you as well?"
"Yes, you tried to blackmail me into sleeping with you," she pointed out, her voice low.
"Yeah, I did. I was that desperate to get you, because I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, not to mention the sexiest. And now I'm getting to know you, I find it's not just your body that attracts me," he said, raising an eyebrow when she stared at him in shock. "Then there's the fact that you actually think I'm attractive."
"You are," she said softly, reaching a hesitant hand out to trace his features, her fingers running over his eyebrows and down his nose until she could smooth them over his lips. "You are," she repeated.
"And you really want to stay here with me?"
She nodded and stroked her fingers through his beard, watching him smile at the way she touched him. "I don't live here all the time you know," he told her, leaning into her touch.
"You don't?"
"No. I have a house on the other side of the forest where I normally live, but sometimes I love to just come here and escape from people," he said.
"So I can't stay with you here?" she asked miserably, thinking he meant he would be leaving sometime soon.
"Not all the time. Rebecca, if you stay with me you'll have to come with me when I go home," he said, sitting up and drawing her up with him, ignoring her attempts to cover herself up as her nakedness was exposed. "That's if you want to."
He pulled her against his chest, watching as her breasts disappeared into the folds of his shirt. "And if I could keep you naked the whole time, I would."
"You want me to go home with you?"
"Mmm-hmm. Is that okay with you?" he asked her, smiling into her face and feeling light-hearted and happy. She thought he was handsome.
She nodded and fiddled with one of his buttons. "I'd like that. Glenn?"
"Hmm?"
"Would you make love to me?"
He froze against her and looked down to make sure his ears hadn't been playing tricks on him. "Now?" he asked her.
"If you'd like," she mumbled, chewing her lip again and staring at his chest, unable to meet his eyes.
"Oh, I'd like," he murmured, bending swiftly and taking her mouth, parting her lips with his tongue and wrapping his arms more firmly around her so he could lay her back on the bed and come down to join her.
****Oh, was that cruel? To leave it right there? And then to tell you that I haven't written any more yet and it may be a week before I post again? Now all I have to decide is if Becky's back will play her up and he won't be able to have his wicked way with her. Now THAT would be cruel! lol****
