I shook my head and knelt in front of her, wrapping my arms around her shaking form. “Hush, Rabbit,” I crooned softly into her ear. “You never have to beg.” I held her until I felt her body calm, pulling back to stroke her soft hair away from her face. “Let me do it my way, please?” I whispered lovingly as I trailed gentle kisses along her ear and neck. I laid her back on the pillows when I felt her body shiver in response. “That’s it, Rabbit. Feel how much I love you.” I encouraged her as I nudged at her lips with my tongue, sweetly stroking the warmth of her mouth. Slowly, I let my hands and lips show her what I was feeling. Long strokes of my tongue on her skin had her gasping, while my hands caressed and worshipped her curves.
I cherished every inch of her body with my mouth, murmuring words of adoration into her skin, branding her with my love. Finally, I slid into her welcoming warmth; a deep groan of need slipping from my mouth when I was surrounded by her pulsating heat. I moved slowly at first, getting to know her all over again and then gave into the desire raging within me. I crashed my lips to hers and I began thrusting harder and faster, our moans lost in the depths of each other’s mouths as we raced towards the moment’s completion. Rabbit’s body arched and twisted under mine, her legs wrapped around my hips tightly and her hands in constant motion over my skin, touching, feeling, fingers digging deeper as her passion raged. And then she shattered under me, her body stilling as she came, forcefully crying out my name as she tore her lips from mine, gasping. I buried my head into her neck and continued to move within her until my own release raged through me, the power almost overwhelming. My roar echoed in the room as I panted into her warm neck before finally ceasing my motions.
Rabbit pulled my shaking form down on top of hers, refusing to let me go, and we lay silent, basking in the quiet of the early evening. Wrapping her closely to me, I rolled over, keeping her tucked into my side. One hand tangled into her soft hair, stroking her head and feeling the weight of her tresses against my palm, while the other clasped our hands together, fingers intertwined. Her head rested against my arm, her breath warm on my chest as we lay encased in momentary peace.
“There are so many things I need to tell you,” she whispered after a while. “There is so much about me you don’t know.”
“No,” I whispered back. “I know you. I’ve always known you, Rabbit.”
I pressed a kiss into her hair. “But I want to hear anything you want to tell me. You can tell me anything, anytime … and let me get to know the rest of you that is … Lizzy.”
I felt her smile against my chest.
“That sounds so strange coming from you. But I like it.”
I smiled. “I like it as well. It suits you. But not as much as Rabbit.”
She burrowed a little closer. “No, not as much as Rabbit.”
I nuzzled her head. “We have lots of time, Rabbit.” I lifted her face from my chest and made sure she understood me. “Nothing is taking you away from me again. Whenever you want to talk, you just talk. I’ll listen.”
“I never want to leave here again,” she whispered, her hand caressing my face.
I shook my head sadly. “You have to, Rabbit.” Her body stiffened and her eyes grew wild with panic. I held tighter to her hand, realizing my poor choice of words. “That’s not what I mean. I left this place today. For the first time in many years. And, I plan on leaving it again. Except this time, I want you beside me. Together, we can do it, Rabbit. Okay?”
Her eyes calmed.
“Okay.”
I pulled her close again and held her tightly.
So much to learn about her. So much for her to discover still about me.
So much to learn about how to be the man she needed.
I closed my eyes and prayed I was strong enough.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Joshua
“I don’t like fish, Joshua.”
I looked up from my plate, confused. I looked down again. “This isn’t fish, Rabbit.” I poked at my food. “Is it?”
She smiled faintly. “No, its chicken, I think.”
“Ah,” I nodded. “Cecilia often puts chicken in her casseroles.” I looked at Rabbit; she was pushing her casserole around her plate not really eating much. She hadn’t said a lot since I had insisted we needed to eat and, regretfully, pulled her out of bed, redressing her in my shirt and socks, but not before kissing every inch of her skin before I covered it up. Cecilia had left a casserole for us to eat and all we had to do was heat it, and I had assumed she would be hungry by now.
“So, you don’t like any fish, Rabbit? Or a specific species?” I teased, trying to figure out the strange comment.
“To eat. I don’t like fish.”
“Okay. Any particular reason?”
Her voice was quiet. “It was almost all I got to eat. Sometimes chicken, but usually fish. Fish and salad. I was always so tired of fish and salad.”
Instantly, I felt the anger start to build and I gripped my fork tightly. “No fish then, Rabbit. Ever. Not a problem. You don’t have to eat any fucking salad either if you don’t want.”
She nodded, but didn’t look up.
“Joshua?”
I could hear a tremor in her voice. I moved my chair closer to hers and captured the hand I could see fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. “What, pretty girl?”
She looked up at me and I could see the tears forming in her eyes. I wanted to kill Brian James for what he had done to her. What he had reduced her to. However, I kept my anger inside and I squeezed her hand in encouragement.
“Would you cook me a steak tomorrow?”