Trial by Fire
Chapter 2
"What?" he let his arms fall as I pulled away. I could tell by his eyes that he was trying to figure out why I was upset. Over the years he had taught me a few things about how to read people.
"You can't talk like that at work. It makes me uncomfortable," I folded my arms across my chest.
"It was Rodgers," he furrowed his brow. "She already knows. Besides, it's a good thing she saw that hickey."
"It's not about the hickey," I sighed. "But I wasn't thrilled about that either."
"Then what?" he took off his coat.
"Did you really need to tell her that we shower together?" I groused at him. "You like the way I look in turtlenecks? I mean, I like to hear stuff like that, but not in front of Rodgers."
"I guess I thought it didn't matter since she already knows," he sounded sincere.
"Not because we wanted her to," I reminded him. "But the real problem is, Bobby, if you let your guard down around her, someone else might find out inadvertently, like a morgue tech. You know how fast things like that spread at work."
"You're right," he agreed.
"Is that a risk you're willing to take?"
He shook his head, looking at his shoes.
"Oh, Bobby, c'mere," I held my hands out to him. He accepted my invitation immediately, holding me tightly. "Can we please keep our work and home lives separate, regardless of who it is?"
"Ya," he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sorry."
"Now we can talk about the hickey," I looked up at him.
"I did not mean to do that, Alex. Honestly, I had no idea."
"It's okay," I smiled. "It's not like I tried to stop you. I'll be sure to check from now on and carry concealer, because I'm not giving up that spot."
"This spot?" he bent down to kiss my neck. "Blah!" he straightened back up quickly. "Okay, I don't like the taste of that make-up."
"I think you'll find a matching spot on the other side," I chuckled. I tilted my head for him and sighed when he found it.
"Am I forgiven?" his lips were making their way to my jaw line; another one of my favourite spots.
"I wasn't that angry, Bobby." Truth be told, I was having a hard time remembering why I'd been so upset in the first place.
"You sounded angry," he was still kissing my neck.
"You're important to me. I fight for what's important to me," My breathy tone probably didn't sound convincing.
"And you're important to me, Alex," he straightened up again to look at me. "I couldn't stop myself from sharing. I want the world to know how much you mean to me."
"Bobby, I don't want to have to break in a new partner and let's not even talk about how well you adapt to change," I reached up to stroke his cheek. "Still want to shout it from the top of the Empire State Building?"
"Not enough people would hear me," he was grinning at me. "It's too high. My voice would get lost. An ad in Times Square would get me better coverage."
"Smart ass," I punched him on the shoulder and began to turn around, but he put his hand on my arm to stop me.
"You're right, Alex. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry," his voice was quiet.
"I know. We'll just have to be more careful about keeping this separate from work. No exceptions, okay?" I turned to face him, stood on my tiptoes and put my arms around his neck. I couldn't help sighing as soon as our bodies made contact.
Goren began to kiss me gently, as if in apology, but as soon as our tongues met all of the gentleness was gone. It was a good thing I didn't keep anything breakable on the table in my front hall because it crashed to floor when Goren kicked it out of our way. It hadn't even really been a fight; more like a clarification of the ground rules, but the make-up sex was still amazing. We were still half dressed when he set me down.
"I'll clean this up," he chuckled when he saw me surveying the damage.
"It sounded worse than it looks," I laughed.
"Shit!" his fingertips went to my throat.
"Really?" I sighed.
"I'm sorry, I-," he began, but I cut him off.
"I think it's my fault," I let my eyes twinkle at him. "My reaction tends to encourage you."
"You do seem to like it," his look of concern faded into amusement.
"I can't even describe how it feels," I put my fingers on his. "Even your fingers feel good. All I can tell you is, when you're kissing me there I lose all ability to form rational thought."
"I'll have to remember that," he chuckled, but his smile quickly faded again. "It looks worse than the first one."
"Let me look at it," I headed toward the bedroom, half-naked.
Goren's jeans and boxers had only slid to his knees, so he pulled them back up and followed me. He was right. It was much larger and darker than the first bruise he'd created. There was most likely a direct correlation to the amount of lust involved.
"Wow," I smiled at him. "I guess I'll definitely be wearing turtlenecks this week." I began to wipe the make-up off the first hickey with a tissue.
"I feel like I've injured you," his fingers were back on my throat.
"Believe me, Bobby, it didn't hurt. It felt wonderful," I tried to console him. "We'll have to experiment to see how far you can go without leaving a mark."
"Mmm," he replied noncommittally. He was looking at my reflection in the mirror. I watched our reflection, too, as he slipped my shirt of off my shoulders and completely removed my bra. I was surprised when he reached up and slid my ponytail holder out of my hair and absently placed it on my dresser.
I was completely naked now except for my socks and Goren was completely dressed. He ran his fingers lightly over my shoulders and down my arms. That simple action was enough to cause my eyes to roll back in my head. I leaned back against him, eager for him to continue. I saw a smile tug at his lips as he watched me. When his hands moved to my breasts, my chest began to rise and fall more quickly. He knew what attention my breasts craved and I groaned when his fingers closed around my nipples. My head lolled back against his shoulder and I could see in the mirror that my lips were parted. I didn't know how long he was going to continue to watch me in the mirror but I knew it wouldn't be long before I became a puddle of goo.
Instead of pinching my nipples firmly though, he was gentle and teased them with feathery touches. When his lips touched my neck I started to feel light-headed. When I saw his left hand leave my breast, I thought I might be able to recover, until I saw where it was going. Then I began trembling in anticipation. Even though his lips were on my neck, I could see in the mirror that he was still watching.
It was the most sensual experience I'd ever had and I think I could've come without his hand between my legs, but I wasn't given the chance to find out. It took only a few circles of his fingers before all of my muscles went taut, my knees gave out and I began to quake. Goren had to move his right hand to my waist to keep me upright. When I could breathe again, I felt him moving us and we ended up sitting on the bed with me in his lap. His mouth covered mine and he kissed me softly.
"I see what you mean about mirrors," he paused to tell me.
"What?"
"This morning you wanted to know what we looked like when we were making love. When I was standing behind you, I wanted to see."
"Mmm, I remember you telling me once that you liked to watch," I smiled at him.
"You can learn a lot by watching," he hugged me a little more tightly.
"I think you already have me all figured out," I chuckled, thinking about how easily he could bring me to orgasm.
"I doubt that somehow," he smiled at me and began to lean in for another kiss but the trilling of his cell phone made us both straighten up.
"Goren," he answered when he'd fished it out of his pocket. I watched his brow furrow as he looked at the clock. "Ma! Is everything okay?" Tension filled his body.
My eyes flew to the clock immediately, just as his had, but it was only 6:20. I didn't get a chance to worry. Goren's muscles relaxed and he began to smile. I stood up and let him know with a look that I was heading to the bathroom. When I was finished I went back to the front door to retrieve my jeans and pick up the table. I was surprised to hear the bedroom door open. His conversations with his mother usually lasted much longer.
"I think my mom should be investigating this case," he commented as he walked toward my computer desk.
"What?" I laughed.
"She just asked me if they were burning witches in New York."
"You don't think..." my mind was suddenly racing with possibilities.
"That our victim is a witch?" he offered. "It's entirely possible. "That she was burned at the stake for it?" he continued as he sat down. "Not a chance."
"Well, she wasn't really burned at the stake," I thought out loud.
"No, she wasn't, but I think that's how he wanted it to look," he pointed out. "He just didn't know what it would take to make a human body actually burn."
"So he wanted to distract us with that," I nodded. "On her perhaps being a witch."
"If we're right about this angle and she does turn out to be a witch, I'm positive the actual motive will have nothing to do with that," he was nodding with me.
"It would've never occurred to me as a motive," I watched as he typed 'Witch Burning' into the search engine.
"So if his goal was to point us in that direction, he failed miserably."
"Now I'm going to suspect anyone who mentions that she was a witch," I shook my head.
"Ya, we'll definitely have to be on the lookout for anyone who tries to steer us that way," he agreed as he clicked on a link with 'Burning Times' in the title.
"I'm hungry. Want something?" I asked, still standing there with my jeans in my hands.
"Mmm, please," he was already reading the article.
Before finding us something to eat, I grabbed a clean pair of underwear and a tank top and just tossed my jeans into the hamper. Goren had made a huge batch of rigatoni on Friday night, so I scooped some of it out onto a plate and put it into the microwave.
"What made your mother jump to that conclusion?" I asked from the kitchen.
"She saw it on the news tonight. She said that's what they did to witches in the Old Country."
"Wasn't your mother born here?" I was sure he'd told me that.
"Don't tell her that," he chuckled. "But I'm sure she heard it from her mother."
"When was the last time they burned a witch in Italy?"
"The mid 1600's, but you can bet the church kept it fresh in everyone's minds."
"Weren't the trials mostly a way to scare people?" I tried to remember my history.
"It was all hysteria," he nodded. "Just like in Salem, but in Europe there were tens of thousands burned as witches. Entire villages were wiped out and unfortunately a lot of mentally ill women were burned as witches, too."
I silently prayed that our victim didn't have any mental health issues. I knew that kind of information would send Goren into a tail-spin. Before I could say anything, the microwave beeped. When I brought the plate of rigatoni and two forks over to Goren, he patted his leg, inviting me to sit. I put plate beside the keyboard and accepted his invitation.
"Mmm, lots of parmesan," he said after his first forkful and then kissed me.
"What was that for?" I asked when I'd swallowed.
"For making it the way I like, if I have to have a reason," he smiled.
"You're very easy to please," I smiled and returned his kiss.
After that we ate in silence as we read about the Witch Trials in Europe. Recently I'd begun to understand why Goren always seemed to know everything about everything. He researched every case in depth. When he was at the library or Barnes and Nobles, he was on his own, but I usually sat with him when he was researching online. Perhaps during this case, I'd be the one to raise eyebrows when I mentioned the Malleus Maleficarum, The Hammer of Witches, written by two German theologists. It was a guide on how to identify, try and execute witches and I'm sure Goren would've preferred to read it in the original Latin, given the choice.
Goren used his right hand to scroll and eat, keeping his dominant arm around me; hand on my leg. I don't think he realized that he'd been caressing me the entire time. I enjoyed being back in my Goren cocoon, even if we were working. When the plate was empty, I stood up to take it back into the kitchen.
"Wine?" I asked him.
"Please," he nodded and then reached for the pad of paper I keep on the desk.
He found it amusing that I insisted on using wine glasses. He didn't see a problem with using tumblers, but he gave in as soon as I pointed out that it was the only concession I'd ever asked for in the kitchen. We'd begun by taking turns cooking, but gradually Goren had taken over and I just helped. He thought of it as cooking together and I was fine with that. My only complaint was that he never gave any consideration to the fat or calorie content of anything he made. Despite the exercise we'd been getting in bed, I'd had to start running again to keep my weight where I wanted it. During our first couple of weeks together I'd let my runs go, but my body had quickly told me they had to come back. Lunch turned out to be the best time for me and Goren used that time for his library and book store visits.
When I came back with the wine, he was still writing down book titles. I knew where he'd be while I was running the next day. As I handed the wine glass to him I watched as his eyes travelled the length of my body. He was a man of very simple tastes. He held out his arm out the way, silently asking me to take my place back on his lap. A contented sigh escaped his lips as I settled in.
"That's a lot of books," I commented on his list.
"I doubt I'll be able to find them all."
"What's that line for?" I pointed to a solid line he'd drawn halfway through his list.
"The books in the top half are basically history. The rest deal with current beliefs and practices," he explained.
"I know you like to read, Bobby, but I bet if you went to a store that sells witchy stuff, the staff could help us out," I suggested as I leaned forward to start a new search. Goren took that opportunity to slide his hand under my ass.
"Witchy stuff?" he laughed
"Well look," I nodded toward all of the hits I'd gotten. "Witchcraft and Wiccan supplies, new age books, neopagan literature and music," I read from the list. "Wicca, witchy -whatever," I defended myself.
"It doesn't say witchy anywhere on that list," he pointed out and drank more of his wine as he watched me.
I could tell he'd finished his research for the night and was no longer in work mode.
"Well if you insist on being literal," I rolled my eyes at him.
"Mmm," he replied, his mind elsewhere. "I like this look," his eyes had darkened.
I looked down at the tank top and underwear I was wearing. "I spend money on lingerie and you like this?" I shook my head.
"I like that stuff, too," he put his wine down. "But you look, I dunno, very sexy like this, Alex."
"I think you like this because it's easier to get off," I remarked dryly and then took another sip of my wine.
"Maybe," he was still watching me intently. When the glass left my lips, he took it from my hand and set it down beside his. We bought a lot of wine and probably drank less then half of it.
His eyes were drawing me in like magnets. As soon as our lips touched I wanted more contact. After turning to straddle his lap, I pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor. I hadn't had any full Goren contact since the morning. He'd been partially or fully clothed during both of our encounters that evening. As soon as my hands touched his chest, I knew I needed more.
"Bed," I told him as I backed off of his lap and took him by the hand. As I led him down the hall, I noticed that he didn't seem to be putting up much resistance.
"Lie down," I breathed as soon as we were in the bedroom.
I rarely took the lead in bed, but when I did, Goren always did as I asked, without question.
He'd barely become horizontal before I was on top of him. I began to kiss him feverishly, but I soon realized that my tank was preventing me from getting the contact I wanted. When I sat up to yank it off, I felt his erection through his jeans. I couldn't resist rocking against him briefly before turning my attention back to his mouth.
I just laid on top of him, kissing him, getting my fill of his mouth before letting my lips wander to his jaw and then his neck. His hands were gently resting on my ass and when I looked up at his face, I found he was wearing a contented smile. Each time I moved my lips, I would hear that contentment in the form of a long, slow sigh. I let my hair drag across skin every chance I got. I knew he liked that sensation and he reaffirmed that with every pass of my hair by inhaling sharply.
When I reached his jeans, I had to sit up again to take them off. After I'd tossed the jeans and boxers onto the floor, I resumed my descent. I gave his cock some extra attention before moving to his thighs. When I was kissing my way back to his face, I spent even more time kissing and licking his erection. I loved the way his taut skin felt like silk. From the way he was groaning, I got the impression he was enjoying my ministrations just as much as I was. I also thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of his groans. They vibrated to my core.
Once I made my way back to his abdomen, Goren was breathing heavily. He moaned again loudly again when my breast dragged against his cock. When I reached his lips he practically devoured me. I pulled out of his kiss to sit up. I didn't have all of the contact I wanted yet. Taking a page out of his book, I simply moved my underwear out of the way. We both groaned as he slid into me.
I tried to keep my pace slow, wanting to enjoy the sensation of him moving in and out of me, but when my orgasm started to build, I couldn't hold off. I felt Goren's hands on my hips, but that wasn't where I wanted them. When I grabbed his hands, he let me move them to my breasts. Once there, he didn't need me to explain what I wanted.
"I love it when you do that," his voice was breathy.
"Do what?" I was barely coherent.
"Thrust your breasts into my hands," he explained in his lust darkened voice as he began to squeeze my nipples.
I hadn't realized that I'd arched my back in an attempt to maximize our contact. His fingers created a surge within me and that was all I needed to send me over the edge; his name on my lips as I shuddered.
He'd been so close when I straddled him, I was surprised to feel that he was still hard inside of me.
"My turn," he held me tightly when I collapsed against him.
"Hmm?" I wasn't following what he was trying to say.
"You had your way with me, now it's my turn," his gravelly voice made me shiver.
"Okay," I murmured. "How do you want me?" I pushed myself up to look at him.
"You know how," his eyes were blazing into me as he rolled me to my back.
Not long into our relationship we'd happened onto a position that Goren had quickly become fond of. It was a position that had given me the most incredible orgasms I'd ever experienced and Goren liked to watch when I had them.
"Bobby, I love the things you say," I breathed as I put my heels on his shoulders. "But I love the sound of your voice when you say them, even more."
"You know what I love?" he took a long, slow breath as he slid back into me. "I love the way you come; the way you look, way you feel and the way you say my name."
"You do that to me, Bobby," my voice was shaky. "It's all you."
"Alex," his breathing was even more labored. "When you talk to me like that-; it's so-; I-," he was panting.
He'd begun to lean forward, pushing my knees toward my shoulders. As soon as I could reach, I began to caress his cheek.
"I'm only saying what I feel, Bobby."
"Show me, Alex," he groaned. "I want to see."
I wanted to watch him. He looked at me with complete reverence when we made love, but I could never keep my eyes open as long as I wanted to. In his favorite position, my climaxes overtook me quickly. My body shook and I was gasping for breath. Each surge was overwhelming. They burst through me like explosions, making me feel like I was going to fly apart. It was more ecstasy than I thought I could bear. Through the white noise in my head I could hear Goren saying my name, over and over. His final thrusts sent me into the abyss one final time and when I began to surface, I realized that I was still almost folded in half. I took my feet off of shoulders, and managed to wrap my legs around his waist. I still wanted to hold him. It seemed I could never get all of the contact I craved. When our breathing had calmed he began to kiss me softly as he stroked my hair.
"Love you," I murmured sleepily.
My earth-shattering orgasms had completely wiped me out. As I drifted into a blissful darkness, I heard Goren saying how much he loved me.
End chapter 2.