I woke to the smell of coffee. Upon rolling over, I noticed that Link was nowhere to be seen. A robe lay on the end of the bed. It was small, about my size, very obviously for a woman.
Red, hmm? They know me well.
I slipped it over my shoulders and walked downstairs. I gathered the robe around me, feeling chilled from the A/C blasting. The soft plush felt like wearing a blanket. The early mornings didn't agree with me, typically, but I felt curiously awake today. Waking up at my boys' house had a tendency to do that to me.
Link sat at the breakfast bar with a bowl of Mini Wheats and coffee, reading articles on his phone. "Morning, princess." He greeted me with a big grin, pushing the cereal box towards me. "Like the robe?"
"It was very thoughtful, thank you!" I replied, hugging it around me. "It's perfect."
Link smiled widely. We sat in sleepy silence for a moment while I poured my coffee and cereal, until he asked,
"Can you stay all week with me?"
I looked at him. He almost looked shy as he leaned back, kind of as if he were trying to look cool and save face, like it wasn't a big deal. It made him appear as a teenager again. His hair was tousled from our night together, flat on one side from sleeping on it. His stubble was the only thing that aged him, and even then, he looked young. My smile crept on to my face as I studied him.
"I think I could do that. You'll get good and sick of me."
He looked at me as if I had said something ridiculous. "Nah. It will be nice to have someone here while Rhett is gone. Otherwise it will get too quiet. Besides, we don't have to have sex if you don't want to, I mean, we don't even have to sleep together, I just thought-"
He was silenced with my lips. His uncertainty was adorable, as if I could resist. Besides, I could think of no better way to spend my week. It would make for some good bonding time for the two of us. As I pulled away, he smiled with his eyes still closed. "Good." He said.
"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed, spilling my coffee as I brought it to my lips. Well, this was a nice start to the day.
...
"His nickname was 'The Dragon' because he would come in and rob entire towns blind, basically. He hoarded money and anything valuable." Rhett had discovered more information about his family story. "It was awesome, man! So I go to this little hole in the wall place, look, I can see it from my window." He turned the camera so that you could see the tiny pub next to his little hotel room. "So apparently this guy was really bad, because as soon as I mentioned my name and the family story, a bunch of people offered things they'd heard. My great great whatever grandpa stood up to him. Haven't found all the details yet, just kind of rumors, but I'm going to a library later today to dig some stuff up. Lots of local stuff to see."
Link looked impressed. "That's awesome! Keep us posted, man!"
"Bye, brother."
Hearing Rhett's voice without being able to talk to him made my heart ache. We would talk every day when he was home. He had become my confidant, and lent an ear when I needed it, and often helped me to see things from a different perspective. Between the two of them, Rhett and I certainly had developed a closeness on our own that I hadn't yet formed with Link. I supposed that was why it was good for me to be having some time alone with Link this week, but I couldn't help missing Rhett dearly.
I sighed loudly, unknowingly interrupting Link's improv. I hadn't even heard him announce it. My eyes grew wide as he looked over at me in surprise, and slight annoyance.
"Desiree doesn't like this one, apparently!" He joked, and raised his eyebrow at me, obviously baffled at my outburst.
...
The rest of the day was just as awful. Fortunately, no one said anything to me after the snafu on set. I think my embarrassment was obvious. On my way back to my office, I face planted into the floor, tripping over my own god-damned feet.
What at the fuck is wrong with me today?
It seemed every clumsy action I could make happened. My speech was unclear, my focus was off, everything. By the time I got stuck in traffic on my way home, I felt ready to explode with anger. The world had it out for me today, it felt.
...
My mood was dark. After embarrassing myself on set today, along with everything else, I was ready to relieve some tension. Link seemed to sense it as soon as I walked in the door to their house.
"Dinner?" He offered. I simply grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs. He chuckled, but I was in no mind for jokes. My footsteps fell a bit heavy as I walked into the room at the end of the hall. Link moved to turn on the light, but I stilled his hand and pulled him to the bed.
"Keep the lights off." I commanded. The obedience from him was intoxicating, and I felt myself calming a little. He sat as I pushed down on his shoulders, and I swiftly removed his t-shirt, despite barely being able to see him. We fumbled in the dark as we pulled at each other's clothing and clutched at each other. Before I knew it we were both naked, laying next to each other. I swung my leg over him, pushing him on to his back. The anger in me fueled my desire so much that I was practically clawing at him to get inside of me. He obliged, slower than I wanted, and I yanked his face to mine in order to kiss him. His cock touched my clit before he entered me.
"Mmm." He murmured. He returned my kiss firmly, hands on my hips, grinding himself inside of me until I cried out. I began to lift and lower myself on him. The feel of him this way was impossibly good. The darkness seemed to hold the mood of my frustration. The anger in the air, the scent of Link, and my need to release my tension rose my arousal To an uncontainable level. Link complied beneath me, indulging my passion, and I felt I was in complete control.
I continued, faster and faster, ignoring the ache in my legs. All my other senses heightened in the absence of my sight. The moans from Link sounded deafening, the slight sounds of our bodies, his cock filling me- all were more apparent than usual, simply from shutting the lights off. My orgasm began, and I tightened around Link, drawing more moans from him.
"YES! OHHHHHHHH GODDDDD!" I was swept away, the intensity building and then crashing into me like a wave. In my ecstasy, I leaned down and kissed Link, pressing into his mouth until it hurt. I bit his lower lip. Hard.
My back hit the bed before I could think.
SMACK.
My head turned as he slapped me. I grinned as adrenaline coursed through me.
SMACK!
The pleasure in the pain added to my stimulation as he pounded into me now.
"Is that all you've got?" I goaded him. My hips almost hurt from the force of his thrusts, but it was so amazingly good.
SMACK!
It was then that I began to realize that goading him may have been a mistake. I saw stars. He had clipped a bit of my temple as his hand came down, but it was dark, so I couldn't fault him for it. Besides, I had egged him on. I was fine. He would stop.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
He hit the side of my head. My ears were ringing. I could barely make out my own voice as I said, "Link-"
BAM!
Pain exploded on the left side of my face. I realized, now too late, that I was potentially in deep trouble. Rhett's warnings came back to me now, and I yearned for my protector to be here again. There was no one to keep Link in check. There was no opportunity to have him look at me to appeal to him; I was at his mercy in the dark, where it felt I couldn't reach him, even with our bodies being so entwined.
BAM!
I thought maybe he would stop. Maybe he would realize when too much was too much. He had to. This was me, we had talked about this.
BAM!
I recalled with horror the story that Rhett had told me forever ago. He almost broke her jaw... He cares about you...he wouldn't mean to hurt you... He just gets caught up...I began to panic.
BAM!
The onslaught of slaps and backhanded hits were too much. "LINK!" I cried, scrambling to cover my head, frantically pulling away. My ears were still ringing, and I knew there would be bruising and swelling. But it seemed that my words fell on deaf ears. Link was seeing red, somewhere else in his mind.
BAM!
Another blow hit my under my chin, around my hands. The cruelty was unfathomable from my Link.
"LINK! LINK PLEASE! STOP!" I waited, bracing myself for another hit. Instead, I heard Link panting, and then...The light turned on, blinding me, and I withdrew into a fetal position towards the headboard. After a few moments, Link spoke tentatively.
"Baby? Des?" He crawled towards me. I flinched as he grabbed my arm, pulling my hands away so he could look at my face.
"Oh my God! Baby! Oh my God!" Tears streamed down his face. He reached to touch me, but I recoiled, earning a sob from him. "Des! I didn't- oh, oh no..." He buried his face in his hands.
Normally, I would have been right there to comfort him, but the pulsing in my face was proof that he had a problem. While I knew that he hadn't meant it, that whatever it was that drove him to be so violent was responsible for his sickness, I couldn't bring myself to touch him. My footsteps sounded distant as I practically ran from the room, and locked myself in the bathroom. I gasped when I saw my reflection.
My left cheek was swollen and red, my eye squinting slightly. My lower lip had been cut somehow, presumably from a fingernail or from catching on my teeth. There was no covering it. And I was sure that it would look even worse tomorrow when it began to bruise. My Link did this to me. My Link who loved me, who had always been so wonderful. I sat against the door, angry with myself for not being careful, angry with him for giving in to his temptation, hurt that I wasn't enough for him to keep his wits about him. With my head in my arms, I cried until I couldn't shed any more tears.