Scooby yapped and ran around in a little fenced area that they had set up for the pup before its arrival. It didn't sense the bit of tension coming from the humans around it.
Lizzy leaned over and grabbed his ball and threw it. The puppy barked before rushing after it.
The truck door slammed closed, catching her attention. She turned and looked behind her. Thomas put Monty's wheelchair into the back of the truck and then clapped the side, letting Luda Mae know she could leave.
Good. Although it probably was a better idea to have Luda Mae and/or Monty around so that she could get verbal answers, she wanted to be alone with Tommy. She needed to look into his eyes. Let him show his full emotions because sometimes, he did hold back around his family at times.
Luda Mae didn't hesitate in driving down the dirt road and away from the home, leaving Lizzy and Tommy alone.
Lizzy felt her heartbeat pick up and her eyes fell on him. He stared after the truck.
"Tommy?" she called out.
He didn't look at her. Instead, he lowered his head and went into the house. There was a brief moment where she felt like cowering and just waiting with Scooby for Tommy to come back. She was still-
A frown crept over her face and she clenched her fingers into a fist.
No! She wasn't a captive. Or a prisoner. He said she was his wife. She wasn't going to let him do this. They were taking steps forward, not backwards. This was backwards.
With Scooby safe in the little fenced in pen, she stormed into the house. She had to take a chance and prove to herself that things weren't going backwards.
"Tommy!" she yelled. She ripped her hat off her head and threw it to the ground.
He was in the middle of the hallway. His body froze, surprised by her raised voice. His hand was on the doorknob leading to the basement. She saw him give her a quick glance then he shook his head.
She stormed down the hallway. There was no way she was going to let him escape this conversation. They needed to talk.
She slammed her hand against the door as he opened it. It shut with a loud bang. Before he could try and open it again, she put her body between the door and him and leaned back.
"We need to talk," she said firmly, gazing up into his hazel eyes.
He was giving her that look still. So dangerous and wild. His mask shifted slightly as he clearly clenched his jaws. Closing his eyes, Tommy jerked his head to one side and huffed, shaking his head. She grabbed his arm before he could get away.
"Don't let that asshole turn you against me," she said. Her voice sounded both desperate and angry. It wasn't fair! "Don't give him that chance to prove-"
Tommy ripped his mask off and spun around, interrupting her words with a desperate kiss. His actions surprised her, causing her whole body to stiffen. He pawed at her body. He didn't let her think, hardly let her breathe as his mouth pressed against her. She felt his lips part and easily opened her mouth to accept his tongue.
Her whole body tingled and came to life with every touch. And he didn't waste his touches. Sneaking his hands under her clothes to feel her skin. She heard a rip and felt the air brush her skin as he tore her shirt. He forced her bra down to release her breasts.
She let out a gasp of surprise at his ruthlessness. She partially staggered backwards. His large body pressed against her, ushering her wherever he wanted her to go. She let out a little moan as she felt his hardening flesh press against her thigh. This had to be a good thing, didn't it? She had to hope.
He clearly wanted to fuck her. But, he always wanted to fuck her.
She broke their desperate kiss to grunt, as her ass hit a small table that was against the wall. Tommy swiped his hand across the surface, knocking off the only decoration that was on it: A wicker basket that had a dead bouquet of flowers.
Before she could really think, his big hands squeezed her sides and he easily lifted her onto it. The wood creaked with her weight. Her heart picked up with worry. Could it hold her? Just as she started to question, the strain on her muscles brought her back to the present.
Tommy had worked quickly, without her even realizing it. She was folded in half, ankles on his shoulders, back pressed to the wall, ass on the table. He'd pulled her pants down to her knees, before apparently giving up.
"Tommy, I don't-"
A moan and a shudder ran through her as he not to subtly pushed his cock into her. She yelped but that didn't stop him this time. He grunted and then gasped, forcing her to open for him, which was rather difficult, with the way her legs were closed against his chest. She was a little wet, but not enough, not like she usually was before he fucked her.
The burn. The stretch. It hurt.
She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, squeezing her fingers into his arms, clutching the sleeves of his shirt. It'd been a while since his cock hurt her the way it did. He was large, but he'd been so good at making sure she was prepared and slow when it seemed as if she was uncomfortable.
He froze for a brief moment. That was enough for her. Enough for her to understand. He didn't want to hurt her, but he desperately needed to be in her.
"Keep going," she managed to say. She hadn't realized just how much she wanted him in her till he froze.
His arm held her legs close to his chest, she didn't even care that her body wasn't in a comfortable position. His left hand pressed against the wall. He lowered his head, his hair moved to cover his face. He dragged his cock back, making her hiss.
The first harsh snap of his hips against hers sent stars crossing her vision.
The wood rattled and creaked with each hard, deliberate thrust, matching his breathing. He sounded so focused, so serious.
"Mine," he whispered.
His. That word sent her blood rushing down and the knot in her stomach to tighten.
That was it, she realized. He wasn't mad or upset with her. He wanted to desperately fuck her. But he didn't want to be delicate about it. He wanted to claim her in a feral way, let the men know, let Jack know. He'd shoved her away and was trying to avoid her because he was probably worried that he'd go to far. That she was too fragile to do what he wanted to do. He was trying to protect her from himself.
She bit her lip, moaning with each harsh connection between them. She loved it. Not enough to want to do it all the time, but there was something hot about the whole situation. It hurt, he was a little too big, but it felt good too. Wanted even. Perhaps, it hurt him a little bit too.
But, he was so desperate, he didn't care.
She opened her eyes to look at him, but he kept his head bent. Perhaps he felt ashamed by his own need. He didn't want to hurt her, she knew that. And he probably figured he was hurting her, which wasn't completely a lie either. But, it also felt good.
"Yes, baby. Harder. Fuck me harder," she said between staggered breaths.
His head jerked up at her words, but, to her relief, he didn't pause. She bit her lower lip and nodded her head. She wanted to kiss him, but there was something about staring into his eyes, seeing the heat and greed in them. The triumph that she was his.
"Yes," she moaned. She gripped his arms tighter. "Yours. All yours. Oh fuck!"
He started slamming into her harder and faster. The tabled groaned and there was a small part of her that worried it would break on them and sending her crashing down. Except, even if it did break, she wouldn't fall to the ground. He'd catch her. He was strong enough. Probably pin her to the wall with little effort and keep fucking her without losing much rhythm.
"Mine," he said. His free hand moved to her neck. He didn't squeeze hard, just applied enough pressure for her to feel him.
His strength, his need, his heat, the feral way he was acting, it flipped all the switches in her head and through her body.
"I'm going to come," she cried out. She wanted to writhe about, but he held onto her firmly. The tension in her belly snapped and she found it difficult to breathe. His cock kept driving into her, hard and fast through her orgasm.
It took a few moments for her to come back to herself. The moment she seemed to settle, he let her neck go and leaned in. His head rested by her own. His breathing changed and his rhythm became uneven. He was reaching his end. His free hand grabbing her hip to steady her. She could feel his hot breath on the skin of her shoulder. The wooden legs of the table creaked and groaned as it was slammed against the wall with her.
It was back to hurting, now that her orgasm had settled her body down. But, she didn't care. She squeezed his forearms hard to push through the uncomfortable position and slight pain she was in. She wasn't going to ruin it for him.
"Mine." He let out a guttural moan, pushing in deep.
She gasped and let out a long, loud moan of her own as his cock pulsed and twitched inside of her. He was filling her up once again. Not that she cared anymore. She rather enjoyed the feel of him and the joy he got from coming inside of her. His big hands grabbed her waist and held her still, as if he was afraid she'd try to move away before he was done.
His body trembled slightly from his aftershocks and neither moved. She didn't want to. She wanted him to stay in her for a bit longer. There was no way to stop his deflating cock from slipping out of her. She fought back the pang of disappointment as her insides felt empty once again.
She let out a sigh. He shifted his position, allowing her to lower her legs and press her knees to his chest.
His fingers dug into her waist. She felt his forehead against her shoulder and his teeth scrapped her skin as he gave her a little nibble. Raising her hands, she ran her fingers through his hair and hummed.
"I love you, Tommy," she said softly in his ear.
His whole body stiffened as he stopped breathing.
"I don't know if I've ever said it out loud to you," she continued, running her fingers through his hair. "I know it's hard for you to understand. Hard for you to trust. The world's been cruel to you." She kissed his cheek.
He turned his head to watch her.
"You stole my heart, Tommy," she said. "I can't imagine living my life without you."
He leaned in and softly kissed her lips.
"Mine," he whispered.
She couldn't help but smile. "Yours."
He moved back, finally releasing her.
It was easy for him to tuck himself back into his pants. Although it was easy for her to pull her pants back up, she did have to go upstairs to change her shirt.
She felt slightly dazed by the whole thing. Raw, desperate, pure need and lust. They needed to do that again. She'd have to tell him, not hint it. Just tell him that sometimes it'd be okay if he was a little more ruthless. Come up with a safe word perhaps just in case things started to get out of hand.
Despite the awkward position and strain on her muscles, she felt more at ease. Relaxed.
She heard a puppy bark and stepped to the window to look outside. Tommy threw a ball into the yard and the pup dashed after it. He'd let it out.
She was quiet when she opened the front door and quiet when she closed it. She didn't want either the puppy or Tommy to stop playing with each other. Taking the chance and hoping she wouldn't get noticed right away, she sat on the steps and leaned against the post to watch them.
The puppy noticed her sit down much to her dismay. It yipped and rushed to her.
"Hey, boy," she said happily. She playfully pat the pup and looked up at Tommy, giving him a smile. He let out a disappointed sigh as he walked to her.
"Sorry," she murmured. She didn't like it that he felt rejected by the pup as well.
She expected him to sit down, but he walked past her and up the porch steps.
"Baby?" she asked as he stepped inside. She glanced behind her, before letting out a sigh. "Your daddy can be hard to figure out some times," she said to the pup. Taking the ball, she threw it.
The front door opened loudly again, but she didn't look at him. Not until she felt his hand on her head as he set her hat on it.
"Thanks," she said, smiling up at him.
He let out a grunt then sighed before he sat down next to her. He hardly settled next to her before she leaned into him. He chuckled then wrapped his arm around her back.
She wrestled the ball from the puppy for a moment before throwing it. The moment the ball left her hand Tommy snatched her wrist. She let him examine her palm, the very palm she used to smack Jack. He kissed her skin, then her fingers. She let out a content sigh and interlaced her fingers with his and they rested their arms on his leg.
"I'm glad we're never going to see that asshole again," she said, resting her head against his shoulder. Tommy nodded his head. Although, they probably would.
Lizzy gulped then let out a sigh and sat up.
Scooby meandered closer to them. He looked as if he wanted to get closer. Then, he dropped the ball some feet away before plopping down under the shade to rest.
"You know," Lizzy said, taking the opportunity to talk to Tommy.
He gazed down at her. His eyes once again soft and caring. His fingers brushed her cheek as if he was reassuring himself she was still there. Still smiling. Still content.
"I didn't go inside to fuck you," she said, trying to sound annoyed, but failing miserably at it. "But, it was rather… interesting. Nice."
He raised his eyebrows.
"We do need to talk," she said, this time giving her tone more seriousness.
He nodded his head.
"I've been thinking." Butterflies filled her stomach. "A successful marriage means open communication. And, I want you to be able to depend on me too. If there's something you need to tell me, but it's too complicated then have Luda Mae help you. Sit me down so she can explain with you being next to me."
Tommy opened his mouth, but she placed her finger on his lips.
"Just, listen for a moment. Okay? I want this, us, to work," she continued. "And not just be sex. Whatever secrets even if they're uncomfortable but need to be said should come from you. I'm not saying you have to tell me everything. I think it's okay to keep some things private if we want. But, I'd rather not hear it from some asshole who is trying to poison what we have going because they're jealous. Because they think you don't deserve good things."
A sliver, in the back of her mind, reminded her he didn't deserve good things. She squashed it. She didn't care anymore. She didn't care that he killed people. That he and his family, and even her now, ate people. She didn't care that technically he did rape her. She'd forgiven him for what he'd done to her. And as for the rest, well…
Hoyt was probably kicking himself for raping her. The event had done the opposite of what he wanted. It pulled her into the family. Luda Mae was more open with her, even bringing her into the conversation and asking for her opinions even with her sister and Henrietta around.
And Tommy had started telling her about his childhood, through Luda Mae or Henrietta of course. And, Lizzy was starting to understand Tommy more and his clear hate and indifference toward killing others who weren't his family. Every good story centered around the family. She didn't hear much about his schooling. His work. Nothing about outside friends.
There was one story that made Tommy particularly proud. She had noticed, when Henrietta recounted the tale, he sat up eagerly. His eyes had focused on Lizzy to see her reaction. It was the first time he'd stood up to a bully. There was so much pride in Henrietta's voice when she said the kid's arm was broken, making it impossible for him to play any sport for the rest of the year. A fitting punishment in Lizzy's mind, and she had showed him her happiness by kissing him.
She hated bullies. She'd told Tommy as much. She dropped hints here and there that there was a darker side to her against those she saw as her enemy. Even told him a couple of tamer stories. One day she would have to tell him about the time she broke a cheerleader's leg for leading her brother on. It was the first time her parents actually had to shell out money to keep her out of trouble.
Trouble.
"Tommy." She placed her hands on his face. "I'm glad you beat the shit out of him."
His pupils dilated in surprise. Tommy gulped. He opened his mouth but she continued.
"Now, he told me something. Something I suspected, but I never gave it much thought until now, because, well… I wasn't in a position to need to think about it. I am now. Or at least, I should be. I'm here with you. I should know important things too. Is your family broke?"
The color rushed to his cheeks and he looked away, confirming her suspicions. She let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around his large chest and hugged him, pressing her ear to his heart.
"I wish I'd known," she mumbled into his shirt. He let out a sigh and scooped her up, making her sit on his lap. She let out a hum and breathed in his scent. With a deep sigh, she tilted her head up. "Tell me honestly, is it bad? Your financial situation."
He opened his mouth, she wasn't sure if it was to deny it. But then he briefly closed his eyes before shaking his head.
"Not that bad."
She gave him a skeptical look. "You know that money isn't important to me, right?" she asked. She got off his lap and stood, placing her hands on her hips. "You probably think it is because my parents are well off and gave me everything I wanted that I'd think less of you if you couldn't. That I'd look down on you for not making enough. But I don't need material things. Love me, feed me. That's all I really care about. As long as we have a roof over our heads, some food on the table, and I have your whole love and support I don't need anything else."
His eyes scanned her face as he studied her.
Scooby yipped, catching her attention. She grabbed the ball from his mouth and threw it. It rushed after its runaway toy. With a sigh, she motioned toward the puppy.
"We could have waited to get the dog. And maybe we should seriously think about waiting to have a kid-"
Tommy quickly stood up. His strong hands gripped her shoulders tightly, turning her completely to face him. His eyes blazed with a fierceness as he shook his head. He didn't want to wait any longer than they were already waiting.
She rubbed her belly for a moment as they stared at each other.
"Okay," she finally said, raising her hands in the air. "No extra waiting. What about a job? I can work for a while. When I get pregnant-"
Tommy shook his head.
"I want to help," she said. "I'm a part of the family, aren't I? I should be pulling my weight around here. I'm able bodied and I think it'll be easier for me to get a job in town."
Tommy shook his head again. His throat moved.
"Risky," he managed to say.
She opened her mouth to disagree with him, but decided to drop the subject. Although the two of them weren't exactly walking around town holding hands and kissing, it was clear by now she was at least dating Tommy. In a small town as the one they lived in everyone had to know by now. There would be other people like Jack. People who would question, try to cause friction and heartache because they would feel it wasn't right.
"Well, I need to do something," she said.
His hands wrapped around her, and he pulled her back to him. Leaning down, his cheek rested against hers.
"Love me," he said softly and with much strain to his voice into her ear.
She playfully hit his shoulder. "I do, dumbass." She leaned back so he could see her expression. "Why else do you think I stopped you from killing Jack? I don't want to lose you." A frown crossed her face as she thought about it. "He might still go to the cops and try to get you arrested for assault."
Pressing her right index finger to her lips she thought.
Tommy brushed her growing hair back, seeming to try and soothe her. He clearly wasn't worried.
"And, if not there's no way in hell he's not going to try and squeeze as much money out of you as possible. Might try to force you to sell some property for his medical bills."
They might need her parents' help. She gulped at the thought. She didn't want to call out of the blue and ask for favors. They loved at a distance and that was good for them. But, Jack did say her parents were looking for her. Which was rather odd and unexpected. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
She let out a sigh, her eyes fixed onto him again. "I'm going to need to call my parents."
Her words clearly surprised him. His eyebrows raised then narrowed into a frown. He didn't like that idea.
"They're not… they can't take me away, Tommy," she said firmly. "I'm an adult. And, I know them well enough to know they wouldn't. But, if Jack wants to come after you." She paused and pressed her hand to her chest. "After us, then my parents can help. They have money and resources."
His fingers felt so nice against her skin as he brushed her cheek. She could see him thinking about it.
She wanted to add more reasons. Tell him that she wanted her parents to meet him. To get to know him since she'd decided to attach her life to his. Marry him. So, he should get to know her family, and they them. Then they could have Christmas together. Thanksgiving. Random holidays or birthday celebrations. And that would be ideal. She did want them to meet him. Wanted them to see how she found a man who loved her with every fiber of his being.
But, there would be questions that couldn't be answered. How did they meet? What does he do? Questions about his family. Her mother would extremely disapprove based on looks alone. Not to mention his employment was currently non-existent.
Her father was more of a wild card. His approval or disapproval shifted like the wind. There were times she thought he'd be proud of her, only to see disappointment. And other times that she thought he'd be disappointed, only for him to show pride. Like when she broke the cheerleader's leg. He grounded her and chastised her, but there was pride in his voice and eyes. And the grounding was hardly a punishment.
"And," she slowly added. "They might be looking for me."
His pupils dilated in surprise. She let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders. "Jack knew my last name. Said there was a poster of me at a post office. So, I think it'd be best if I contacted them. I know them well enough to know they'll stop their search once I talk to them."
After a moment, Tommy nodded his head. He bent down and kissed her lips.
Scooby let out a bark and Tommy broke away to pick up the ball. And apparently, that was that.
With a content sigh, Lizzy sat back on the steps and watched the two for a while. Her parents wouldn't be a problem. As long as she kept in touch with them now and again. This was a good thing. If they were searching for her then it was possible that they would hire someone to find her. Someone who would be able to snoop deep enough to find her and the Hewitts and figure them out.
That wasn't good. She had to protect them from that. And, it would be nice, hearing them again. She couldn't tell them much, but, she could tell them about her puppy.
A little smile crossed her face as she watched the pup run for the ball. What were the chances? That the one puppy she saw, the only one she truly wanted immediately, was the one that had little problem with Tommy. It seemed to forget he was a big, tall, scary man as it played tug of war with him.
The puppy sauntered toward Tommy, before dropping the ball a few feet away and then crawling out onto the grass and laying down to rest.
Tommy let out a chuckle and walked back to her.
"Tommy?" she asked. One last request.
He let out a grunt and groan, but slowly lowered himself to sit with her on the steps. He gave her a somber look, almost as if he were annoyed.
She giggled. Grabbing one of his hands, she brought it up to kiss his knuckles before flashing him a shy smile and batting her eyes.
"Do you think-" She paused. "I don't." She let out a sigh, not wanting to hurt him with her request.
Tommy's big hand brushed her face and she looked up at him.
"I know you wanted to name him Scooby, but I've been thinking about it for a while and-"
He frowned, looking quite confused. He had every right to be. She hadn't given him any indications she didn't like the name for the dog. But she didn't. As much as she loved her brother, she didn't want to feel like he haunted her daily life. Or that Thomas needed to feel like he had to honor his memory.
"I wanna name him Chance," she said.
Tommy cocked his head to one side and gave her a nod.
"Why?"
"I think it fits. For us that is," she stated. "Chance. It was pure chance that I came down here to Texas. That we decided to drive down the road we did. Pure chance that you found our car." She didn't notice the slight tension that went through him. "Chance your mother decided to let me stay for dinner. You gave me a chance to live. I gave you a chance to show me that I mean something to you. I'm giving your family another chance to make amends." She smiled shyly at him. "And I took a chance on the pup. He was the runt. He could have died on us. Chance."
"I like the name Scooby," she quickly added. "But the dog is ours. And I want its name to mean something for me and for you. It's our first dog. Next one we can name Scooby," she quickly added.
Tommy stood up and left her side. She watched him walk over to the pup. He scooped up the tired creature and returned to her. He gave it a look and then her a look. The creature cowered and tucked its tail between its leg as it tried to lick the air. Despite that, the little tail wagged.
He set the dog on the ground and it immediately rolled over to show its belly. He huffed and scratched it.
"Ch…Ch… Chance," he forced.
Lizzy immediately jumped to her feet and hugged him. Then, she lifted the pup up.
"Hear that, boy?" she asked. It desperately licked her face, making her laugh. "Daddy's agreed to name you Chance."
She beamed, looking up at Tommy.
"What?" she asked in confusion.
His face had paled slightly and he almost looked shell-shocked. His fingers moved back on her face. He rubbed her skin once again making sure she was real and there.
"My," he managed to say. "Chance." His hand moved down to her belly. "Family."
Oh, she mouthed. His chance to have a family. His chance to be truly happy. Her eyes misted.
She had to set the puppy down to properly hug him.
"Our chance," she whispered into his chest.
