Destiny's Revenge (Destiny Series - Book 2) Page 5

  Chapter 7

  The three of us arrived at Max’s house while it was still light out. We sat together telling stories and sharing happy memories. It was several hours later after easy conversation had begun to subside that I noticed the sun had disappeared and darkness had fallen.

  Joe announced abruptly, “Well, kids, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you two in the morning.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he was out of the chair, down the hall, around the corner, and we heard the echo of his bedroom door shut. I’m sure his departure was his way of giving us the privacy we both craved.

  Max stared at me, his calloused hand stroking my face. His skin felt rough on my cheek while his thumb gently caressed my lips. We sat there immobile for a long moment, neither wanting to break the silence, both knowing this would be a night like no other. We had been given a second chance. I stared into his eyes, the same amazing green with brown flecks; I had missed them for so long and just wanted to keep staring.

  “Lauren, I am so sorry I left you…I wasn’t strong enough…I gave up.” I put my hand over his mouth and shook my head.

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I don’t care about the last couple years. You’re here and I’m here now. Can we just live in the moment?”

  “I never thought I’d have a chance to tell you…I thought you were gone.”

  “I’m here, I’m okay – none of this was your fault. You couldn’t have stopped it.”

  “I left you alone. I should have known…” Emotion overtook Max. I already knew exactly how guilty he felt.

  I could think of only one way to make the guilt go away. “I don’t care about any of it. The last time we were here you wanted to take things slow. I’m ready to speed things up, if that’s okay?” The humor was thinly veiled, as my desire was spinning out of control.

  Max slid his hand behind my head and pulled my lips to his. His lips were tight on mine, and electricity pulsed through me. He dropped his hand from my face, sliding it under my shirt. Max caressed the skin on my stomach for a second as if he were apprehensive. I could tell his fingers were lightly tracing the scars from my attack. Before I could get too self-conscious his hand found its way to my breast. He reached around and unhooked my bra so there was no barrier between his hand and me, slowly caressing at first, but abandoning the gentleness in favor of a stronger hold and near painful grip.

  The sweetness of his kiss also turned angry. I felt a moan escape my lips, and Max’s other hand found its way under my shirt as well. He lowered his mouth and kissed one of my breasts. When my shirt got in the way, he grabbed it in both hands and effortlessly slid it up over my head and onto the floor.

  The scars were deep and might as well have been a neon sign. I could see him stare and was worried he’d put my shirt back on. I laid on the couch as he pressed his weight against me so heavily that I almost couldn’t breathe. Just when I was ready to gasp for air, Max readjusted, his lips making their way all over my exposed flesh; everywhere he kissed might as well have had an accelerant poured over it, because I was on fire.

  Max removed his shirt as well and our bodies lay half naked together on the couch. I felt his heart racing, his strong hands taking in every inch of me. My head was spinning so fast I felt like I was intoxicated. All the inhibitions and nervousness I was feeling the last time we were together were completely gone. I wanted only one thing; his eyes told me he longed for the same. We lay sprawled on the couch together, neither rushing the moment, but both our desires screaming for more.

  His lips moved to my ear as his labored breathing gave way to, “Lauren, I’m going to take you to our bedroom.” He raked his teeth across my earlobe as I felt the bulge in his pants grinding on me; he had just called it our bedroom.

  Max carried me in his arms down the long hallway. With each step the longing in his eyes grew more intense. As he entered the bedroom, he gently placed me on my feet. Max backed me up to the wall, closing the bedroom door absently. Max stepped into me using his body to press me harder into the wall. Our bodies didn’t fit together perfectly; he was significantly taller than I was. I wrapped my arms around him, he slid his hands behind me and hiked my legs up so they were wrapped around him, too. He continued pressing me into the wall, each time further stoking the flames under my skin.

  When I believed the inferno couldn’t get any hotter, he whispered, “We need to change venues, and you are far too overdressed for the occasion.” He unwound my legs from his torso, took both my hands in his, leading me to the bed. We lay there for only a second when he eased my shorts and panties off. The room spun and I had trouble breathing. When I thought I could take no more and tried to grind my pelvis into him, he merely pushed me back flat against the bed.

  Max began kissing every inch of my body. All these sensations were so foreign to me, every single one of them was a carnival in itself. I was so self-conscious of the scars that I reached to turn the light off. Max must have understood because he said, “You’re beautiful – leave it on.”

  “Max, I’ve waited so long, don’t make me wait anymore.”

  Max shook his head at me, in a cool voice confiding, “I waited too long for this moment to rush any part of it. Relax, and let me savor you a little while longer. I need to see if I can make time stand still.” He went back to my abdomen and continued working his way all over me. Eventually, he pulled a condom from his bedside table.

  There are no words to describe the magic between us. Although our first time together was more painful than I had imagined, I could see it was a completely different experience for him. I could see his love for me through his eyes, and I could feel it in his touch.

  I finally dozed off, his body wrapped around mine, exactly where I wanted to be. I didn’t care about what happened two years ago, or a week ago, or anything that might happen in the future. As of today - I had everything I would ever need.

  Somewhere around three a.m. I awoke and reveled in the safety and warmth of his arms, his body still wedged to mine. The comfortable feeling began to evaporate, replaced by my desire for round two. The initial soreness I had felt diminished as we wound ourselves together a second time. When we had finished, Max asked, “Are you okay, did I hurt you?”

  “Are you kidding me? I’ve been waiting for you forever. It’s nice to know sometimes reality is better than fantasy.”

  Max whispered back, “I’m going to close my eyes and see if I wake up tomorrow.” He paused while I tried to understand what he meant. “I’m not sure if I was blown up by a roadside bomb today and I’m in heaven, or if I’m really with you. Either way is a win-win, but I can’t wait to find out.” He kissed the top of my head and held me tight until I drifted off to sleep again.

  Chapter 8

  Our days together flew by, daylight hours filled with outdoor activities: mowing, trimming hedges, mulching flower beds, power washing buildings, feeding animals and anything else that needed to be done. Max and I did everything together; no chore was ever a one-person job. I began to wonder if the novelty would ever wear off, but I couldn’t get enough of him and he seemed to feel the same.

  Having Joe around was great comic relief. He wasn’t nearly as handy with the manual labor, but he was so thrilled to be with Max and me that he was eager to assist wherever he could. I believe this time in my life could only be called pure bliss.

  It had been nearly two weeks since Max returned. We were outside finishing up some bush trimming when I asked if he wanted some tea. He stopped trimming and walked over to me, “Sure, I’ll go with you.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’ll bring you a glass.”

  “That’s all right, I’m done here for now. I’ll go along.”

  I didn’t want to argue, but we probably needed to talk about the fact that more than a week had gone by and he had never been further than twenty feet from me. As we started back for the house I said, “You know you can’t keep me at arm’s distance for the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I love that you’re always
with me, but it might be a little unrealistic.”

  Max reached out and grabbed my hand but said nothing. I didn’t want to push it, because I really did like being the center of his universe, but I could see in his face that this was more of a protective posture than anything.

  I heard a loud whinney from the horse barn. “Geeze, I haven’t seen the horses all week. Let’s go say hi.”

  “Let’s stop by later. I’d rather get a drink.”

  “Okay, go get a drink. I’m going to stop by to see the horses.”

  His grip held my hand tighter for a second as he gently pulled me back toward the house. When I tried to nonchalantly loosen my hand from his, he pulled me to him, and wrapped his arms around me. This was a tender moment from out of nowhere, but I wasn’t complaining. I could hear Joe yell from the kitchen window, “Am I going to have to turn the hose on you two?”

  Max let go of me. We feigned embarrassment at Joe standing on the porch with a garden hose. Max started back for the kitchen, and I said, “I’ll catch up. I’m going to the barn for a minute.”

  As I turned to walk away, I caught Max following me out of the corner of my eye. We got to just outside the barn door - I entered, Max stopped short. I saw Christy in her stall, and she began prancing around pawing a greeting into the floor. I petted her and turned around to say something to Max. He hadn’t followed me in; he just stood outside the door watching me. Puzzled I asked, “What’s wrong, aren’t you coming?”

  He shook his head but didn’t say anything. I went down to the other stalls. They were empty.

  “Where are Ursula and Mischief?”

  His voice sounded different when he answered, “I got rid of them right after the - accident.” His voice was full of hate and his eyes were locked on mine. I knew there was more to the story, but I wasn’t going to push it. After I had said my goodbyes to Christy, I walked back toward the house with Max in lock step with me.

  Not understanding the contempt I heard in his voice, I told him, “We should go for a ride later.”

  Max’s reply held no emotion at all. “No.”

  Surprised by his abrupt dismissal, I was sure he saw the confusion I was wearing. I asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I just don’t want to go for a ride.”

  “Okay, maybe tomorrow?”

  “No, not tomorrow either.”

  I stopped and looked at him. He wore a painful expression but didn’t offer any explanation. I didn’t think I should have to ask the question, but ultimately I did. “Why not?”

  “Lauren, I don’t ever intend to get on a horse again, and I don’t want you on one either. I don’t blame them for what happened, I blame myself, but there is no way I’m going to take a chance like that again.”

  I knew this was coming. In the days since our reunion, we had spent every waking moment living in the now, not the past or the future. We hadn’t even discussed my accident, and it seemed like now might finally be the right time.

  “You aren’t blaming what happened to me on the horses, are you? I mean it had nothing to do with them.” He shook his head that he wasn’t, but there was so much pain shining through his face that I knew he was lying. “You aren’t to blame either.” I could see the disbelief, so I added, “I think we need to talk about it because there are some aspects that you don’t know about.”

  “Sure, I left you alone, at night, in a forest, with no protection, and a bear mauled you. You’re right we do need to have a discussion, which should take all of 30 seconds.” The contempt in his voice would have normally made me want to stomp off, but I knew this contempt was masking guilt - guilt that he didn’t deserve.

  I motioned for him to follow me to the trunk of a tree and sit down. He did, but it had less to do with wanting to talk and more to do with the fact that he wouldn’t leave my side. I started slowly, “There was absolutely nothing you could have done to prevent the attack.” He rolled his eyes not believing me, but I continued anyway. “It wasn’t a bear, Max. It was something else.”

  I knew I had his attention, but he didn’t say anything, so I continued. “I remember the whole thing, Max. This thing came into our camp. It looked like a man at first, and I thought it was just a guy lost in the woods. He wouldn’t talk to me for a long time. He just kept watching me.” I could see my hands starting to shake. I hadn’t told anyone the truth other than Rewsna. “After I started to get scared, the stranger said I had to choose a damned life or a quick death – then everything went black.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Okay, so my girlfriend was ripped to shreds by a psychopath in the woods. I still wasn’t there; I was chasing after a stupid horse.” I could only imagine what he was feeling right now.

  I didn’t want this to turn into a fight, but I needed for Max to know what had really happened. I abandoned further discussion about the attack in favor of trying to explain what had occurred when I was comatose. “What happened was unavoidable - It could have happened anytime, anywhere. Let me fill you in on some pieces of the puzzle. When I was in the coma, I thought I was stuck somewhere between dead and alive. I called out to Rewsna; she helped me break free from whatever it was. Then I woke up and found out it had been over two years. The doctors told me they didn’t know why I was in a coma, but Rewsna told me that this thing was just holding me there.”

  “So a man did this to you?” His disbelief was apparent, and he stared at me as if daring me to lie to him.

  “No, it wasn’t a man. It looked like a man, at first, but he was something else.” My stomach knotted and I felt like I was going to vomit. Reliving the whole ordeal with Rewsna was one thing, but reliving it while explaining it to Max was horrible.

  He must have noticed that I was about to heave. Max looked to the ground and quietly asked, “But why? What was he trying to do?”

  “Rewsna says he is essentially pure evil and he was targeting me. If it hadn’t have happened on the mountain, it would have happened somewhere else. Don’t think that you could have stopped him. If you had been there, he probably would have attacked us both.”

  That realization was clear. I wasn’t sure if he really believed me or if he thought he should play along with my fantasy. “All the more reason for me not to let you out of my sight.”

  “Max, you can’t keep this up. I’m telling you there is nothing you could have done to stop it.”

  Max opened his mouth to say something and then stopped. I could see he was deliberating on what he wanted to say or how he wanted to say it. “You will never understand the emptiness I felt. I don’t expect you to comprehend it. You lying there was in some ways worse than death. I died a little every day, sitting there watching you waste away, knowing it was my fault…”

  I cut him off, “I just told you that you couldn’t have prevented it; none of this was your fault.”

  “It was my fault, and I couldn’t do anything to make it right again. I was with you day and night for a year. I pleaded with you to come back, I prayed, I would have done anything. Then I saw an old man crying in the nursing home because his grandson had been killed in Afghanistan. I felt if I couldn’t help you, I could at least help someone. I had been a reservist in the Navy for a few years after high school to help pay for college so I called the Navy recruiter and asked if I could go active for a little while. I signed on for a year thinking I could get past some of the guilt if I could help someone.” He bowed his head, “It turns out it didn’t matter how many people I helped, the guilt still consumed me. So I finished my time and came back. The last thing I expected to see was you up and moving around like nothing had even happened.” He took my hand in his, “You have to know I never would have left if I had known there was even a remote chance that you would recover.”

  I squeezed Max’s hand and nodded. “Everyone told me the same thing. Max, I don’t blame you for anything. I want you to know there was absolutely nothing you could have done.”

  We stayed silent for a long time. My hands wo
uldn’t stop shaking, and I could feel my pulse picking up speed. The last thing I wanted to do was relive the incident again. As bad as it was for me, at least I don’t remember what it did to me, not really.

  He finally broke the silence, talking but more just to get it off his chest, not really talking to me. “I had caught Ursula, and I was on my way back. I couldn’t have been more than a mile away. I could hear you screaming.” A tear rolled off his cheek; he wiped it away hard. “I heard you calling for me – screaming for me to help you. I knew you were in trouble. It was the most terrifying, blood-curdling scream I’ve ever heard. I let go of Ursula and rode as hard as I could. You were screaming for a couple minutes solid, then just as I was approaching the clearing to the campsite, nothing. You went silent. It was so dark I couldn’t see you. I called to you. You didn’t make a sound, not a word. When I finally found you, it looked like you had been stuffed behind a bush. I could hear blood in your lungs. Your body was ripped to shreds, deep gashes everywhere with blood oozing out.” Max put his face in his hands, not speaking for several minutes, just sobbing silently. I leaned over to put my arms around him, but he wouldn’t lift his face, needing to hide his grief from me.

  After what seemed like forever, he continued. “You must have put up one hell of a fight. By the time I found you, it’s like you were just gone. Your eyes were glazed over. I was pretty sure you wouldn’t make the life flight to the hospital. To this day, I still don’t know how you did. The fact that you were alive was more than I thought I deserved. I prayed to God, to Allah, to Jehovah, heck I may have even sneaked Buddha in there. I prayed that if you could just live, I could make it up to you. You lived, but I wasn’t strong enough to stay with you. I told myself it was better to help strangers than to sit and watch you die, so I left. Then you were awake and alive, and I wasn’t there for you again. I guess what I’m trying to say is I failed you twice; I don’t ever want to fail you again.” His quiet sobs turned into loud uncontrollable wails as he pressed himself into me.