Page 32 of A Constant Surprise

I ran my fingers through my hair not knowing where to even begin.

As if reading my mind, she said, “Does it have anything to do with the tiny blonde that was in your house this morning?”

I looked at her, but she was smiling. “Yeah. Her name is Sam. She has been living with me for a few months.”

I proceeded to tell her the whole story about how Sam had been kicked out, and I had given her a place to stay. Marisol simply nodded and listened.

“So, do you have feelings for her?” She said when I was finished.

“Honestly, I don’t know. She is so guarded. I mean I care for her, but I am not sure that it is anything more than a good friendship. I can’t have feelings for someone who won’t let me get close to them”

She nodded again. “Tyler, you can’t force her to do anything until she is ready. I think we learned that the hard way with us. I wasn’t ready, and I rebelled and did something awful and stupid. Don’t push her into the same corner.”

I should have been mad that she was bringing up our issues at that moment, but I wasn’t because I knew she was right. I couldn’t force Sam to be ready for anything more until she was ready, and I wondered if Sam would go to the same lengths as Marisol to push me away. The thought of her being with anyone else turned my stomach.

“Thanks for listening. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you, Mer.”

“Don’t worry about it. I meant what I said. I would love to have another chance, but I’m not going to push you either.”

Most people would look at Marisol and see her as nothing more than a selfish, entitled brat.  That’s what she wanted most people to see…the rich girl.  But that wasn’t all there was to her.  She was so much more.

Through all the bullshit, I really had missed her.

Back in the day, she was always there for me when I needed her. Always there to listen.  Always there to bail me out of whatever trouble I was in.  Back then, she knew me better than anyone, and we had a special connection.  I missed that.

“Listen,” I started.  “I’m not ready to forgive you yet, and I am not going to jump back into anything, but maybe we can be friends and see where things go.”

She smiled a genuine warm smile.  “I’d like that.”

“You mind if I hang out for awhile?  I’m not sure I am ready to go home yet.”

She didn’t say anything but pulled out a deck of cards and shot me a sly smile.

“Poker?” I asked.

“Go Fish.” She replied.

I laughed so hard tea shot out of my nose.  We spent the rest of the day laughing and catching up as I tried to forget the beautiful blonde who was slowly breaking my heart.

Chapter 17 - Sam

I’m an idiot.  A big, fat fucking idiot.

It had been a couple of weeks since I had told Tyler that there would be nothing between us.  I told him that he should go find Marisol. And you know what?  He did.

Well, he told me that they were just friends who were hanging out again, but she was at the house literally all the time. Our nights of watching movies were suddenly a bit more crowded.

She was always around with her perfect hair, perfect nails, and perfect body.

And the worst part of all was that she was nice.  I wanted to hate her, but she made it hard when she was always trying to find some common ground with me.  Despite her entitled persona, her personality showed how genuine and warm she was.

It’s hard to hate someone when they’ve been nothing but good to you.

But I had no one to blame but myself.  I pushed Tyler away.  I practically pushed him into her arms.

One day, I was sitting in the kitchen trying to study when both of them came bouncing in just getting back from the gym.  Tyler was wearing basketball shorts and a sleeveless shirt that showed off those sexy tattoos. And Marisol….well, Marisol looked as good as she always did.

Her long hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and she wore a sports bra and tight black leggings.  Even in the sports bra, her breasts were huge.  And her legs looked a mile long leading up to her perfectly sculpted ass.

Did the woman ever sweat or get a single hair out of place?

“Sam, we are making smoothies.  Do you want one?”  She said through her thick accent.

“No, I’m okay.  Thank you.  I was just about to head upstairs.”

“Are you sure?  I feel like we hardly ever see you anymore.”

There’s a reason for that.

“Yeah, sorry.  I’ve just been busy with school, and my tutoring business has picked up.”

“That’s great!”  She said with a genuine smile.

There she was…being nice again.  Couldn’t she just say something rude to make it easier to hate her?

Turning my attention to Tyler, I asked.  “Hey Ty, did you still want to come home with me this week for Thanksgiving?”

He grinned.  “Of course.  I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Okay.  I will get you the details.  I think we are going to be leaving Wednesday if that’s okay.”

“No problem.  Just let me know when we need to get to the airport.”

I couldn’t wait to get him to myself for a few days without Marisol.  Apparently, she was going to New York for a week which couldn’t have made me happier.

As Ty was chopping up some fruit, she walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Usually, they didn’t do much touching.  And I wondered if maybe they were starting to cross the boundaries from friends into something more.

A scorching blade of jealousy seared through me.

That should be me.

But it wasn’t me.  And the only person I had to blame for that was myself.  Because I couldn’t get over my bullshit long enough to realize a good thing that was right in front of me.

I excused myself and walked up stairs claiming I had more studying to do.  Truth be told, I was just going to watch tv and wallow in my self-pity.

I laid down and tried to fight back the tears I was about to shed over the mess that I made.  Not only did I give up any shot of being with Tyler, but I also feel like I lost someone who had quickly become my best friend.

But feeling like this wasn’t helping anything. I had to do something to get my mind off of Tyler and Miss Perfect.

Without thinking enough to talk myself out of it, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Ted.

Me: Hey!  I was wondering if that offer for dinner was still good?

Ted: Of course!  Anytime.  I’d love to take you out.

Me: Great.  How about tomorrow night?

Ted: Sure.  Sounds perfect.  Pick you up at 7?

Me: See you then!

Chances are, I wasn’t going to start dating Ted, but I was excited for the distraction.  It was time to get out of my own head…and maybe have a night when I didn’t cry myself to sleep.

Twenty-four hours later, I stood in front of the floor length mirror in my bedroom and hardly recognized the girl looking back at me.

Sexy Sam didn’t come out too often.

I wore a dark red dress that came down to my knees and hugged my curves.  It had a slit down the front that exposed what little cleavage I had.

I had curled my hair and applied some make-up to give myself some smoky bedroom eyes.

To top off the look, I wore some tall, black stiletto heels.  I couldn’t tell you the last time I had put on a pair of heels.  In fact, that was the only pair that I owned.

When I walked downstairs, Tyler was standing in the kitchen.

When he turned around his jaw dropped.

“That bad, huh?” I joked.

“Uh…not bad at all.  You look amazing.  What’s the occasion?”

“I have a date.”

I might have been crazy, but I swear I saw his fist clench for a moment.

“With who?”

“His name is Ted.  He’s one of my tutoring students.”

All he did was nod.  I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy at the idea Tyler Wendell might be jealous.

He started to say something, but just as his mouth opened, the doorbell rang.  I gave him a quick wave and headed for the front door.

Chapter 18 - Tyler

Where the fuck was she going looking like that?!  That sexy ass dress and those fuck-me heels.  She was lucky I didn’t pin her to the wall and fuck her right there until she realized that I was the man for her.

The past couple weeks, I had been trying to spend time with Marisol in an attempt to get Sam out of my head.  It had been helping a little…until tonight.

Just seeing her for the short time that I did had made my cock rock hard.  And it didn’t seem to be going down anytime soon.

Who the hell was this Ted guy?  Why did she agree to go out with him?  Why was he getting an actual date with her when I was permanently fucking friend-zoned?

I walked into the office and tried to work on my app.  Ten minutes in though, and I still couldn’t concentrate worth shit.  Instead, I grabbed the bottle of whiskey in my bottom drawer and poured me a glass.

By the time Marisol strolled through the door, I was already a few drinks in.  She was coming over to hang out for the evening before she headed to New York to see her folks.

“Tyler…you okay?”  She asked when she saw the open bottle on my desk.

“Just fucking peachy,” I muttered.

“Do you want to talk about it?”  She took a seat on top of my desk so we were inches apart.

“Not even a little bit.”

All she did was nod.  I leaned back in my office chair while taking another swig.  I wasn’t really in the mood for company anymore, but I felt bad just asking her to leave.

She looked down and must have seen that my dick was still half hard in my pants. I couldn’t get it to calm down ever since I had seen Sam in that amazing dress.

“Well, maybe there’s something else I can do.”

Without another word, she sank down to her knees in front of me and unzipped my jeans.

I wanted to tell her to stop, but between the alcohol coursing through me and my jealousy, I decided to just go with the flow.  Besides, with Sam going out dressed like that, I figured she’d be getting fucked before they even made it to the restaurant.

Marisol pulled down my boxers and took me in her mouth.  I groaned as she sucked me all the way down her throat.

I looked down into her brown eyes.  Those brown eyes that I always used to love seeing looking up at me when she gave me one of her amazing blow jobs.  But now, all I could think was that I wished it was Sam’s green eyes looking up at me.

Marisol was gorgeous, and she was amazing at giving head, but all I wanted was Sam. But apparently all Sam wanted was Ted.

I pulled Marisol to her feet and bent her over my desk not wanting to look at her face anymore.  Maybe this way, I could imagine it was my dick sliding in and out of Sam.

I yanked up her dress exposing her tiny thong which I ripped off with ease. I pulled out a condom of my wallet and rolled in on before burying myself.  I was rough.  I pulled her hair and smacked her ass.  Thankfully, Marisol got off on it and was coming before I had even gone five minutes.  She screamed my name and told me to fuck her harder.

After she got off, I held nothing back and pounded her as hard as I could until I felt my release.

When I was finished, she turned around and kissed my cheek and went to clean herself up.  And the weight of what I had just done hit me like a semi.  I was so worried about Sam screwing someone else, and I had done the exact same thing.

Fuck.

Chapter 19 - Sam

When I opened the door for my date, Ted’s whole face lit up.

“Oh my God, Sam.  You look amazing.”

I smiled and thanked him.  He looked nice too.  He was in red collared, button-up shirt with a pair of black dress slacks.  And he had combed his hair out of his face.

“You look nice too, Ted,” I said warmly.

He led me out to his car and off we went.  The ride to the restaurant was a bit awkward and cluttered with small talk…along with Ted reiterating how nice I looked.

When we got to the Italian restaurant, I glanced over the menu and silently gasped at the prices.  Guilt overwhelmed me because I knew there was no way that Ted could afford this place without going into debt.

He insisted I order a glass of wine, so I searched for the cheapest one and also opted for the cheapest entrée they had.  I wasn’t going to bankrupt Ted for one date.

After our wine had arrived, the conversation started flowing a little more freely.  I learned that Ted was also a Midwestern boy who grew up in Illinois.  His parents ran a farm, so they were never affluent.

Listening to his story, it sounded a lot like mine…minus all of the heartache and grief of course.

I began to realize that Ted is the type of man I probably should have been with.  He was sweet and thoughtful, and he knew what it was like to grow up not having everything handed to him on a silver platter.

We discussed books and movies and realized we had a lot of the same tastes. Another checkmark in the Ted column.

But if this man was so perfect for me, why couldn’t I stop thinking of Tyler?  Why did he keep invading my thoughts making my brain compare every aspect of Ted to him?

I did my best to shove Tyler out of my mind and have a nice time with the sweet man sitting across from me.  Ted truly was a great guy.  It was nice seeing him come out of his shell and be comfortable.

We talked and laughed our way through dinner, and I was becoming more open to the idea of seeing Ted again.  Maybe with time, we could turn this into something. Maybe he would be good for me.

Almost as if on cue, he asked, “Sam, would you maybe want to do this again sometime?”

“On one condition,” I said.

He simply looked at me waiting for me to continue.

“Next time, you don’t break the bank for our date.  I might have gotten all dressed up tonight, but I’m perfectly fine with pizza and beer.  I don’t want you going broke trying to impress me.”

His cheeks turned pink.  “Is it that obvious I’m broke?” He said with a nervous smile.

“Ted, you’re a college student.  So am I, and believe me when I say I am not flush with cash by any means.  So let’s keep it simple for now.”

He agreed with a grin and we finished our meal laughing.

As we walked back to his car, Ted grabbed my hand to hold. Although I didn’t feel sparks like when Tyler touched me, it still felt nice.

When we reached his car, before he opened the door, he leaned down and kissed me.  His lips were soft as they touched mine.  He cupped my face as he continued and slowly slipped his tongue into my mouth.

It was a good kiss.  Great even.  But it wasn’t right. As Ted pulled away, tears stung my eyes.

“God Sam, what’s wrong”

“I’m sorry. It’s not you…or the kiss.  The kiss was great,” I said as tears started to freely flow.

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

“Who?”

He rolled his eyes.  “You know who.”

I nodded not really know what to say.

“Does he know?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea.  Sometimes it seems like we may be something, but then I push him away, or he pushes me away.  It’s like one constant game.”

“Let me give you some advice Sam, if you love this guy, you need to tell him.  There is no point in keeping it to yourself.  Life is too short.”

He wiped my tears and wrapped me in a hug as I kept apologizing.  He assured me that it was okay, but I knew deep down, it wasn’t.

On the drive home, we were silent.  I had no idea what to say to excuse my behavior.  Hurricane Sam strikes again…destroying everyone in her wake.

Ted was right though.  I had to tell Tyler.  Even if he didn’t feel the same way, I would at least know for sure.  I would be able to move on.

I decided I would go home, change clothes, and immediately tell Tyler we needed to talk.  This couldn’t wait any longer.  It had waited long enough.

When I got home, I thanked Ted again and offered to pay him back for the date, but he adamantly refused.  I gave him a quick hug and rushed in the house.

When I got upstairs, I changed my clothes but left my hair and makeup alone anxious to get this conversation started.

I heard noises coming from the kitchen, so I ran down.  But when I rounded the corner, I found Marisol instead.

Fuck.  I thought she left already.

“Sam!”  She said when she saw me.

“Hi Marisol.  Have you seen Tyler?”

“Oh, he wasn’t feeling well, so he went upstairs for the night.  I was just about to leave but figured I’d make me some tea for the road.”

I just nodded.

“I didn’t realize you were home.  I hope we didn’t disturb you earlier.”

“How would you have disturbed me?”

“Well, I tend to get a bit loud when Tyler is involved if you know what I mean.”  She winked.

I didn’t know what she was getting at, but she went on.  “If I would have known you were home, I would have tried to keep it quiet.  That man just drives me crazy, and I can’t help myself.  We used to really make some walls rattle.”

Oh.  Now, I understood. And I felt like I was going to throw up.  He had fucked her.  They were no longer just friends.

I gave Marisol a rushed goodbye and ran back up to my room.

How could I have been so stupid?  I went out on a date and couldn’t even kiss the guy without crying, yet Tyler was able to fuck someone else and not bat an eye.

He told me from the start though that he didn’t get serious.  He was all about casual.  What made me think that I, of all people, would be the one to change that?

How could I think that he could possibly want anything more from me when he used to date that women who could double as a Greek goddess.

Tears streamed down my cheeks and soaked my pillow showing no signs of stopping.

I couldn’t keep feeling like this.  I had to make a change.

It was time to get over Tyler Wendell.

Chapter 20   - Tyler

Marisol peeked her head into my bedroom to tell me goodbye.  I wasn’t really in the mood to talk, but I would have done anything to get her to leave at that point.

She came in and sat next to me on the bed.  “How long has Sam been home?”

My head perked up.  “Sam is home?”

“Yeah.  I just saw her in the kitchen.  I apologized for all the noise we were making earlier.  If I would have known we weren’t alone, I would have kept it down.”

“You told her?!”  Anger ripped right through me.

“I was scared that she heard us anyway, and I was just apologizing.”  The look on her face said she truly didn’t understand what she had done.

“Fuck.  I wish you wouldn’t have done that.”

She sat silent for a moment.  I could feel her eyes studying me.  “Why?  Because you’re in love with her?”

I looked up to meet her gaze.  “What did you say?”

“Stop acting like you don’t love her, Tyler.  Anyone in the free world can see it.”

I didn’t say anything.  I could hear the slight hurt in her voice.  Between hurting her and Sam this evening, I was on a roll.

“Tyler, these past couple weeks with you have been great, but they’ve made me realize that we can’t go back to what we were.  You’re different, and I can tell part of that is because of Sam.”

“I’m sorry, Mer.  You know I still care about you, and part of me always will.”

She smiled.  “I know.  But we both deserve to be happy.  And I think Sam is what is going to make you happy.”

“I don’t know if she will want me.”

“You won’t know until you try.  Enough of the games.  Lay it all out on the table and see what happens.”

I knew she was right, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to have that talk with Sam.  I was going to have to admit what happened with Marisol, and I was going to have to listen to what happened between her and Ted.

I wasn’t sure I could handle hearing she fucked another man.

Fucking hypocrite.

Marisol told me she was heading back to New York permanently to try to get her fashion line up and running, so we said a quick goodbye, and she was once again out of my life.

I saw her out and locked the door behind her before running upstairs to find Sam.  I stood outside her door, but I heard no noise coming from the other side. I figured she must be asleep, so I figured our talk could wait until tomorrow.  I needed her wide awake for all that I had to say.

Chapter 21 - Tyler

The next morning, Sam was already awake and gone when I woke up.  I wanted to sit around and wait for her to come home, but I knew I couldn’t.  I had exams all day not to mention all that I had to do to get ready for our trip to Kansas tomorrow.

I tried to free my mind of Sam during the day, but my stomach was in knots.

When I finished my last exam of the day, I rushed back to the house as fast as I could and saw Sam’s beat-up old car in the driveway.

It’s time.

I took the stairs two at a time and headed straight for her room.  I quickly knocked, and the door opened slightly.

What I saw inside turned my insides.  Boxes.  Everywhere.  Moving boxes.

And there was Sam.  Putting all of her stuff in the boxes.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

She jumped at the sound of my voice but didn’t turn around to look at me. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Don’t be cute with me. Where are you going?”

“Look, we said we would do this living together this as long as it was working.  It’s not working anymore.”

I hated how cold and clinical she sounded.

“What’s not working?  Where the hell are you going to stay?”

“I have some savings, so I’m going to get a hotel for a few days while I figure things out.  I’ll finish packing and moving when I get back from Kansas if that’s okay.”

“So now I’m not going with you?”

She had a look of utter defeat on her face.  “What’s the point?”

Her big beautiful eyes were welling up with tears.  “Let’s call a spade a spade.  You’re with Marisol now, and me being here is just too damn hard.”

“Marisol is gone.  There is nothing going on between us.”

She shook her head.  “Shouldn’t have done that.  She is perfect for you.  And you guys are back to screwing, so you should just go find her and get back to it.”

“Sam, do you want to know what really happened?  You want to know why I bent her over my desk?  Because I couldn’t bear to look at her face without seeing yours!”

She refused to look at me.  “If that were true, you wouldn’t have fucked her at all.  I’m sure she doesn’t look like me from behind either.”

“I’m sorry, Sam.  I couldn’t stop thinking about you on your date and wishing it was me you were out with.  Fucking Marisol was nothing more than a distraction.  You’re the one that went out looking like sex on a stick!”

She finally looked at me.  Her gaze shot daggers right through my soul.  “You want to know how my date was?  It was great.  He was an amazing guy.  He was perfect for me.  But when he went to kiss me, I started crying because he wasn’t YOU!”

We both stopped cold.  I was yelling, and tears were flowing down her face.  Our breaths were both heaving as we stood toe-to-toe.

I quieted my voice.  “Sam, what are we doing?  Clearly, we care about each other.”

Her lip quivered as she spoke.  “It would never work.”

“Why the hell not?”

“We are too different.  I don’t fit into your world like Marisol does.  I’m not a rich socialite.”

I scoffed.  “Fuck that.  You know none of that matters to me.”

“Tyler, I can’t do this.  I have so many skeletons in my closet, and you’d run the other way if you knew the real me.  I’m broken.  Something inside me can’t be fixed.”

The pain in her eyes was heartbreaking.

“Sam, I don’t care.” I raked my fingers through my hair.

“You would care.  Whatever this was, it’s over.”  She went back to putting things in boxes.

My blood started to boil because I couldn’t get through the ten-foot wall she built around herself.

“What’s over?  The fact that we had sex twice?  The fact that we try to forget about each other, so we date other people?  Or the fact that you won’t even kiss me because you’re scared it would get too personal?  You’re so damn guarded, and I’m sure you have your reasons, but enough already!  Will you stop packing?”

She threw a couple of books down.  “Why?  Why does any of this matter?”

I looked at her.  Really looked.  The scared girl with the big green eyes that were red from crying.  Her hair piled up in a mess of a bun.  Cheeks pink and wet with tears.  And wearing a baggy t-shirt and those damn tiny shorts.

“Why would you want to be with me?”  She spoke meekly.  “The farmgirl from Kansas with no money, average looks, and more baggage than an airport?”

I kept looking at her.  I wanted to list off every reason she was wrong about herself.  I wanted to tell her how special she was in every way.

I wished she could see herself as I saw her.  This wonderfully beautiful and strong woman who amazed me every single day.

But I knew that anything I said to her would fall on deaf ears. She wouldn’t believe my words…only my actions.

My heart was thundering in my ears.

I didn’t want to live my life one more second wondering.

“Because I’m in love with you.”

And I kissed her.

Chapter 22 - Sam

He kissed me.  Tyler’s mouth was on mine, and it was better than I ever could have imagined.

His hands cupped my face as his lips crashed into mine.  His tongue explored my mouth as heat coursed through my whole body.

He pulled back for a minute, and I looked into his crystal blue eyes.  It was though he was waiting to see if I would tell him to stop.

I whispered, “I love you too.”

He picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist as he pinned me against the wall.  I could feel the hard bulge in his pants pressing into me as his mouth never left mine.

I ran my fingers through dark hair as I enjoyed every stroke of his tongue in and out of my mouth.

He shifted, and his cock rubbed against me making me moan as my clit pulsed.  He let out a primal growl as he carried me down the hall to his bedroom, his mouth still not leaving mine.

He laid me down on his bed and began undressing me.  This time, it wasn’t slow and deliberate.  No.  This was animalistic.  Ripping every stitch of clothing off each other as fast as possible. He quickly unhooked my bra and tore my panties in his haste.

I pulled his shirt off while he stepped out of his pants.  Before I knew it, he had the condom on and was inside me.

Drawing in a quick breath, I tried to adjust to how big he was.  I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to it.

His mouth didn’t leave mine as he fucked me.  Hard and fast.  I moaned his name against his lips as he filled every inch of me to the brim with every stroke.

I wrapped my legs around him attempting to pull him in even farther as I continued to draw his mouth to mine, our tongues swirling in a heated frenzy.

He was all man.  From his hard body pressed against mine to the way his mouth commanded mine with every move of his tongue.

His kiss was ecstasy.  I knew if we had kissed that first night, that would have been it.  There would be no going back.  It was electrifying…all heat…and I didn’t care if I got burned.

Sweat beaded on me as I felt myself edging closer to my release.  My nipples were hard, my breath was ragged, and my toes started to curl.

He reached one hand between us finding my clit and rubbing tiny circles, sending me over the edge.  I cried out his name as he kissed my neck.

Suddenly, he slowed…lifting me so I was on his lap straddling him as his back was against his headboard.

We were face to face as he slowly started to move.  He spread soft kisses along my jaw, my neck, and my chest while his hands firmly grabbed my ass easing me up and down as though I weighed nothing.

I fisted my hands in his hair as his mouth found my nipples alternating between light licks and teasing with me with his teeth. He sped up his tempo as I grinded against him getting just the right amount of friction.

“Fuck, Sam,” he bit out as we both flew toward our orgasms.

His fingers dug into my hips as my lips found his again.  I moaned against his kiss as I came undone again, and with one final thrust, he was right there with me.

After his release[MHL4], he gave me a final sweet kiss, and we both collapsed in a heap on his bed.  The past couple hours had been heavy to say the least.

I felt like I should say something.  Instead, I started laughing.  Uncontrollably laughing.

Tyler looked over at me like I was crazy.

Still laughing, I said, “Why do you and I always have to make everything so difficult?”

He started laughing right along with me.  It felt so good to just let go and laugh.  For a few minutes, my past didn’t matter.  Our different backgrounds didn’t matter.  All the bullshit didn’t matter.

All that mattered was us.

When laughter quieted, and we laid in a comfortable silence…me with my head on his chest as he stroked my hair.

“We better get some sleep,” I finally said.

“Oh yeah?” He said sounding already halfway there.

“Yeah, we have a plane to catch in the morning.”

He pulled my chin up to look into his baby blues.  “Really?”

“Really.  I want you to come home with me.”

He smiled and gave me a soft kiss before nestling me in his arms.  This felt right.  And before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

Chapter 23 - Sam

The next morning, Tyler packed a quick suitcase, and we headed to the airport.  It was a mad house since it was the day before Thanksgiving.

After we finally made it through security, we got some coffee and waited at our gate.

“Hey, Kansas?”  Tyler said sternly.

“Yeah?”

“Our tickets say we are flying coach.”

I smiled at him.

“Don’t give me that.  It’s not funny.  Let’s go back to ticketing, and I’ll pay to upgrade us to first class.”

He went to get up, but I grabbed him by the arm pulling him back down.

“Nope.  If you want to come with me, we will travel like I always do.  We will fly coach.  You’re going to see how the other half lives, Mr. Trust Fund,” I said as I gave him a slight slap on the cheek.

I’ve never seen Tyler look more uncomfortable than he did while sitting on that plane.

I could tell he hated every second of it, but it made me happy that he was willing to do it to please me.

As we began our descent into Kansas, he made a comment about how flat it really was.  I just laughed as the nervous look never seemed to leave his face.

Shortly after we landed, we grabbed our luggage and a rental car.  My dad had offered to come get us, but I always liked having a car to come and go as I pleased.

As I weaved down the winding country roads, Tyler’s apprehension was still apparent in his tense body language.

“So, this is where you grew up…” It should have been a question, but it came out as more of a statement.

I laughed.  “Yep.  A long way from New York City, huh?”

He acted like he couldn’t believe people actually lived out here.

“I should tell you that my brothers can be pretty protective, so just be prepared.  They might give you a hard time.”

“I’ll be okay,” he smiled.

We pulled up to the modest house sitting on the many acres of farmland.  As soon as I shut the car door, I heard the dogs barking.  All five of them ran out to greet me.

I was loving all over them when my brothers ran out right behind.

“Sammy!”

Tyler had a questioning look on his face, but I just shook my head to let him know NOT to call me that.

Jessie picked up me up like a rag doll and threw me over his shoulder while Luke grabbed my legs.

When we got inside, nothing had changed.  Our old sofa and recliners sat in the warmly lit living room.  They might have been old, but I knew they were still comfortable.

We didn’t have the nicest of things, but what we did have, we took good care of.

Jessie was still lugging me around like a sack of potatoes when my dad walked in.

“Oh geez, Jessie, put her down,” he said wandering in with a beer in his hand.

When my feet were firmly back on the ground, I walked over to give my dad a big hug.  I loved the familiar way he smelled of the outdoors with the faint hint of his favorite cologne.

“Hey Sammie.  Missed you, baby girl.”  He wrapped his arms around me.

He was taller than me (which wasn’t hard), but he wasn’t taller than my two brothers.  All the men in my family had the same dirty blonde hair that I did and scruffy beards to match.

I’d gotten my short, petite stature from my mother. She’d been a little bit of a thing too.  My eyes darted over the picture of her hanging on the wall.

In the picture, she looked happy.  I remembered the day it was taken.  She was having a good day and suggested we all go to the park.  We played all day, had a picnic, and even swam in the lake.  It was perfect…until the next morning when she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed.

I glanced back at my dad who saw me staring at the picture.  We both acted like we wanted to say something about her, but instead, I decided to introduce everyone to Tyler.

I gave brief introductions, and Tyler held out his hand for my father to shake.  “So nice to meet you, Mr. Flemming.”

My father shook his hand and said to call him John.

We sat in silence for a moment before my dad spoke again.  “Well Sammie, why don’t you take Tyler and show him around.  Take your bags and get settled in.  Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I’m ordering pizza.  You two are in the basement since Jesse has your old room.”

“Okay Dad, thanks.”

I walked out of the room with Tyler behind me carrying our bags.  I swear I saw him cringe when he heard we were sleeping in a basement, but seeing it was fully finished basement seemed to put him at ease.

The whole trip was completely out of his comfort zone, but he put his best foot forward and tried to throw on a brave face.

“Hey,” I said making him turn around. “Thank you for coming with me.  I know that all this must be very strange to you.”

He leaned down and gave me the softest kiss.

“Anything for you.”  Besides, it’s not so bad.  At least we get to sleep together.”  He raised his eyebrows at me.

I gave him a playful punch in the shoulder.  “Only if you’re good.”

“Oh, I’m always good,” he said while kissing me and pulling me onto the bed.

It was so easy to get lost in his kiss. Every one of my senses were ablaze as my faculties disappeared.  My head spun, as every inch of me came to life.

I wanted to take it further and rip his clothes off, but in that moment, I was just enjoying every second of making out with him.  Felt like we were a couple of teenagers who couldn’t get enough of each other.

We must have been there for awhile because next thing I knew, my dad was calling us for dinner.

I jumped up trying to fix my hair that was now all over the place.

“Such a tease,” Tyler said as he smacked my ass.

“Geez, it feels like I’m in high school again,” I said running a brush through the tangled mess.

Deciding my hair was a lost cause, I threw it up in a bun, and we headed to get some pizza.

Chapter 24  - Tyler

“Sam, what are you doing?  It’s four o’clock in the morning,” I said squinting at the clock.

“I have to put the turkey in,” she grunted.

“Your dad can’t do it?”

She laughed.  “He could, but it wouldn’t be any good to eat later.  Go back to sleep.  I’ll be back in a few.”

But I couldn’t go back to sleep without her next to me.  I turned on the light and played a game on my phone waiting for her.

I looked around the basement.  It looked like it had been transported right out of the 1970’s with the tacky wallpaper, the brown shag carpet, and the old sofa and tv.

Apparently, Sam’s stuff (including her bed) ended up down here when she moved out.

Although the house was small, it was warm and inviting.  It had a way of instantly making you feel at ease. I liked it.

But what I liked even more was how close-knit her family was.  Sam had been gone for who knew how long, yet they came together like no time had passed.

We’d stayed up late playing cards, and they had made me feel like one the family.  Her dad was nice, but not in a fake way, and her brothers treated me almost as a friend.  I figured they would have kicked my ass on principle alone.

They were close.  I never had that.  All I had ever known was my parents running their family just like they had run their business.

But this home was full of laughter and love even without a mom around.  They all gave each other a hard time, but there was so much affection behind every joke and quip.

It seemed like an eternity before Sam finally walked back down the stairs.  The thick carpet covering said stairs muffled any sound, but she still tiptoed.

Even half-asleep, she still looked adorable.

Sleepily, she took off her glasses and climbed in bed next to me…immediately finding her place in the crook of my arm with her head on my chest.

I trailed my fingers up and down her back, and I felt her tense body start to relax.  Before long, she was asleep, and I was right behind her.

The next day, I tried helping Sam out in the kitchen but was promptly kicked out.  Apparently, she had it all “under control”.

I kept pacing around looking for some way I could help.

Finally, Sam’s father said, “Oh geez boy, come sit down and watch the game.  She is not letting you in that dang that kitchen.”

Jessie chimed in.  “Yeah, she doesn’t ever let anyone in there to help.”

“How long as she been doing this?  Cooking Thanksgiving dinner?”

Her dad pondered for a minute.

“Well, she used to help her mama cook it when she was a kid, and I guess she started doing it by herself when she was about…thirteen maybe?”

Thirteen…wow.  I still can barely even fry an egg.

It was becoming clear how much of the burden fell to Sam when her mom got sick.  No wonder she was so independent.

I could hear her in the kitchen quietly singing to herself.  The girl couldn’t carry a tune to save her life, but it made me smile when she tried.

A little while later, it was time to eat.  The spread on the table was amazing.  Sam had really outdone herself.  In the center was a giant glistening caramel brown turkey.  All around it was every side you could imagine…mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn, stuffing, and on the counter, I could see at least four different homemade pies.

I never would have pegged Sam for a woman who could cook an entire Thanksgiving meal by herself.  Of course, I never pegged her for a lot of things.

We all sat and ate until we could eat no more…all while laughing and sharing stories.  They told me about when Sam was little and would run around with her long blonde pigtails and big green eyes.

“Those big eyes could get her anything she wanted,” her dad said with a hearty belly laugh.  “She’d go into town to all the shopkeepers, and they’d all give her candy and goodies.  Then, she would come home and eat them right in front of her brothers without sharing a single bite.”

I chuckled.  “You let her get away with that?  You’re double her size,” I said directing the statement to her brothers.

“We didn’t mess with Sam.  She would have gotten way worse revenge on us.”

Sam gave me a wink.  “Yeah, so you better not mess with me.”

I gave her a coy smile thinking of all the ways I could enjoy “messing” with her.

Watching her with her family gave me a whole new look into who Sam was.  For once, her guard was down, and she seemed at peace.  I could see the sweet little farm girl coming out.

Her dad laughed again.  “Nobody messed with Sammie.  She was a little pistol when she got mad, and she would shoot off like a firecracker.”

Sam playfully shook her head, “Don’t listen to a word they say.  Clearly, I am just a sweet little angel who never got into any trouble.”

“Ha!” Her dad screamed.  “She tell you about when some bully was being mean to her brothers, so she stole his daddy’s tractor and sank it in the lake and blamed him?”

My eyes grew wide.  “Seriously?”

She shrugged.  “Nobody was allowed to be mean to my brothers except me.”

John just laughed.  “Sammie’s mama was the same way when we were younger.  Always trying to get into some kind of trouble, and I was running along right behind her.”

A warm smile crossed all of their faces as they remembered their late mother.

Jessie chimed in, “Remember when that little jerk Timmy Hoffner wouldn’t quit pulling Sammie’s pigtails, and she punched him in the nose?”

Luke said, “Yeah, and remember when his daddy came over to tell Mama her daughter was a bitch, and Mama punched him right in the nose too?”

The whole room erupted in laughter.

“Despite your mama’s health issues, she loved you kids to the moon and back, and I know she’d be proud of all of you,” John spoke as though he was holding back tears.

Sam’s eyes found mine.  “She would have loved you.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just grabbed her hand under the table and gave it a small squeeze.

After dinner, we all went back in the living room to watch some more football.  (They sure did love their football.)  Ten minutes in, Sam was asleep on the couch beside me. She stretched her legs out propping them up in my lap.

I tried my best to sit still and not wake her, but after an hour, I carefully lifted her legs off mine, so I could go use the restroom.

On my way back, I stopped in the hallway to catch a glimpse of the photos on the wall.  I saw pictures of Sam as the little girl with those pigtails her dad was talking about.  I could definitely see how she could get away with anything.  She was adorable.

Next, I saw a picture of Sam, who was maybe in middle school at the time, next to her mom.  The resemblance was astounding.  They both shared the same long, dirty-blonde hair, the same petite frame, and the same bright smile.  They even both had the small smattering of freckles on their nose.

My eyes were then drawn to a cluster of pictures that I guessed were from her high school days.  The girl I saw in the pictures though was barely recognizable.  She still looked like Sam, but she had a sparkle in her eye that now seemed to be missing.

Her hair was still long, but it looked lighter like maybe she had highlighted it.

In all the photos, she wore make-up, and her smile was so large that her joy was almost palpable through the frame.

I always thought she was gorgeous, but in these, there was a confidence about her.  I saw that larger-than-life attitude her dad was talking about.

One frame showed her in a cheerleading uniform, and the next showed her laughing alongside her brothers.  She didn’t look like the world hung on her shoulders.

I wondered how much of a toll her mother’s death had really taken on her.

“She looks happy, doesn’t she?”

I spun around to see Jessie behind me glancing up at the photos.

“Yeah, she does.  Guess things started to change after your mom died.”

“Well yeah…and the whole thing that happened her senior year. That really fucked her up.”

I was confused, and it must have showed because Jessie continued.

“She didn’t tell you?”

Her other brother Luke walked by and said, “Yeah, and maybe it’s not your place to tell that story.”

But he just kept walking past us headed for the unoccupied bathroom.

Jessie whispered, “I need some air.  Want to take a walk?”

I nodded, and we headed outside.

He wanted until we were down the long driveway before speaking.

“Look, I know it isn’t my place to tell you Sammie’s business, but I think it’s good for you to know why she is the way that she is. She seems to really care for you, and I would hate to see her push you away.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He stopped walking and turned towards me.  “I really hope that’s true.”

He continued walking but didn’t speak for a minute as if really searching for the right words.

“Sammie used to be the life of the party yet the girl next door. When our dad she was a firecracker, he meant it.  She was a force to be reckoned with, yet everybody loved her.  She was head cheerleader and student body president.  She was popular, but not in a bad mean [MHL5]girl way.  She had tons of friends, and she would go to bat for them anytime, anywhere.

“Despite her getting into trouble at times, she was pretty tame when it came to boys.  She started dating a guy named James when she was a freshman, and they dated all the way up to the start of her senior year.  They seemed good together, and he really seemed to tame her wild ways, but then, she found Mom…”  He trailed off.

“Yeah, she told me that part.”

He simply nodded and kept going.  “Well, that happened a few months into her Senior year.  Afterwards, she started to spiral…going to parties all the time, drinking, getting into trouble.  Her boyfriend, James, didn’t like that much.  He started trying to control her, so she broke up with him…in a very public way.  Let’s just say he was embarrassed.

“Sammie was drinking…a lot.  Decided to walk home, and James followed her.”

Oh shit.

“He caught up to her and made sure she knows how sorry she would be that she embarrassed him.”

“What’d he do?” I said through clenched teeth.

“He kicked her around a bit, and then he…let’s just say he took advantage of her.  And he let two of his friends join in.”

I felt sick to my stomach. The thought of someone touching her without her permission made me want to vomit.

I had no idea what to say.  How do you respond to something like that?

Suddenly, he stopped walking again.  He took a beat to compose himself.  “This is where we found her.  Thankfully, Luke and I were walking home from a football game when we spotted her.”

I glanced around.  There was nothing but corn in every direction.

“You mean they just left her here?”

“Yeah.  It was awful.  Do you have a sister, Tyler?”

“I have two.”

“Imagine finding one of them on the side of the road…her clothes completely ripped off…her lying naked in the snow.  All bloody.  Her face swollen so most wouldn’t even recognize her.

“We carried her back to the house, and she begged us not to call the police, but we had to.  We had to get her to a hospital.”

“What did the cops do?  Please tell me the assholes are in jail.”

He scoffed. “Not exactly. James is the mayor’s son, and in a small town like this, the mayor often acts like judge, jury, and executioner.  They never even arrested the boys.”

“What the fuck?”  I muttered running my hand through my hair.

“Yeah, James got off scot-free while Sammie had to go back to a school where no one believed her.  All those friends she would have done anything for suddenly turned against her and called her a slut.  She retreated into herself…somehow thinking it was her fault. She finished high school online and moved out of here the day after graduation.”

“I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.”

“Look Tyler, this isn’t a story I tell anyone.  Sammie is very private, and I try to respect that, but I can tell by the way she looks at you that she loves you.  I don’t want her to push you away because she has her secrets.  I know she’s a handful, but please don’t give up on her.”

“I told you I wasn’t going anywhere.  This doesn’t change that.”

And I meant it.  Hearing that story made me love her even more.  It was just another piece of the Sam puzzle. With every piece fitting into place, everything about her became a bit clearer.

We started to walk back toward the house, and I had a million more questions I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth.  Jessie made some small talk, but I just kept walking and nodding quietly.

When we got back to the house, I didn’t walk back into the living room but instead, I told Jessie I was going to go lie down in the basement.  I lied and told him I wasn’t feeling well.  Well, it was partly a lie.  I still felt sick to my stomach.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and buried my head in my hands trying to make sense of it all.

I had no clue how much time had gone by when Sam came trotting down the stairs.

“Hey, I just saw Jessie.  Sorry, I didn’t know you two were back, or I would have come down sooner.  Where’d you guys run off to?”

I looked up at her with a thousand thoughts running through my head. I wanted to ask her about it, but I decided to let her come to me.  I wasn’t going to say a word.

“Holy fuck, Jessie told you, didn’t he?!”  She cried.

Too late.

“Don’t be mad at Jessie.”

“Oh, I’m beyond mad at Jessie.  I’m pissed!  That wasn’t his story to tell!”  She started pacing around the room.

“You’re right.  It’s your story.  So why didn’t you tell me?”

She looked at me, her eyes full of tears.  “Because I didn’t want you to look at me the way you’re looking at me right now. You’ve always looked at me in a way that made me feel strong and empowered, and now, I’m right back to being that weak, broken girl.”

“Weak?  You think this makes you look weak?  No Sam, the fact that you walk around every day with your head held high after something like this makes me see how strong you are.”

She shook her head like she didn’t believe me.

I grabbed her hands and pulled her down so she was next to me.

“Listen to me…NOTHING about this makes you weak.  And I’m sorry anyone ever made you feel less than the badass you are.”

Her eyes kept avoiding mine like she was trying to avoid her embarrassment or shame.  I didn’t want her to think she ever had to hide anything from me.

“Sam, you don’t have to tell me the whole story if you don’t want to, but you know I’m here.  Always.”

She nodded again, but her uncertainty hung heavy.  I moved to the head of her bed and motioned for her to follow me.

With hesitation, she moved next to me and laid her head down.  I pulled her hair out of the bun and began to run my fingers through the long locks.

She didn’t speak a word for so long that I wondered if she’d fallen asleep.

The silence made me start to doze off.

“Do you believe me?”  Her voice shook me back awake.

“Of course.  I’ll always believe you.”

She raised her head up to look at me with her green eyes which were now red and puffy.  “No one else did…or maybe they did and they just thought I deserved it.”

“No one deserves that.”

“Maybe I did.”

Chapter 25   - Sam

I still remember that night…the one that forever changed my life.  The one that made me so damaged that I couldn’t ever let anyone in.

Ever since my mom had died, I had been trying to pretend like everything was okay and was doing everything I could to numb the pain.  Drinking and partying had become my two favorite hobbies.

I was dating someone who I thought was my best friend[MHL6], but who also didn’t have a clue of the grief I was dealing with. James thought I should just deal with it and move on.  He even had the nerve to tell me I shouldn’t mourn someone who was weak enough to kill themselves.

We had dated since our freshman year and had known each other even longer.  James was sweet and charismatic, and everyone loved him, but when we were behind closed doors, he started developing a controlling, jealous side.

He didn’t care for my wild-child ways, and as we started dating more seriously, he made it clear that I wasn’t going to make him look like a fool.  I tamped down that part of myself and tried to be who he wanted me to be.  There was a darkness in him that was starting to show little bits at a time.  Usually stroking his ego helped to calm him down, though I certainly never imagined he would hurt me.

The night it happened, we were going to a party at Sheila Avery’s house.  Her parents were out of town, and cops didn’t give a shit about high school parties.  I was ready to let loose and try not to think of my mom.

The evening started out like any other.  James and I danced and had a couple of drinks, but for me, a couple quickly turned into many.  I became overly friendly with anyone who would talk to me…including a guy I had been friends with for years.

In my mind, it was harmless.  I wasn’t about to fuck the guy.  It was no big deal to me, but to James, it was.  He was always a bit jealous, but the fact that I was talking and laughing with another man must have been a slap in the face.  His ego was bruised, and he was sure to let me know it.

James came up next to me grabbing my arm and pulling me so hard I spilled my drink.

“James, what the hell?!”

“Me?! What the hell do you think you’re doing, Samantha?  You came here with me, remember?  Or have you turned into the town whore?”

I snatched my arm back.  “Chill out.  We were just talking.”

“No, you’re drunk, Samantha.  Who knows what you would’ve done. I know you’re upset about your dead mom, but enough is enough.  No girlfriend of mine is going to act like this.”

I’m not sure if I even registered what I was saying, but I blurted, “Well then, I’m not your girlfriend anymore.  Problem solved.”

“What?”

“You don’t like how I behave?  I’m no longer your problem.”

He was appalled.  “You can’t just dump me.”

I realized that I was beginning to yell and cause a scene. “I can and I am!  Go fuck yourself, asshole!”

I walked away without another word. I knew he’d be pissed, but I figured it would all eventually blow over.  I was drunk, so I didn’t care one way or another.

Freedom overwhelmed me as I yearned to let out that inner-crazy I’d been holding back for so long.  I wanted to feel like me again…not the Stepford wife he was turning me into.

A couple more drinks in, I found myself dancing on the coffee table…in just my bra and skirt.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I didn’t give a shit.

By the time party started winding down, I realized I had no way home.  I had rode [MHL7]to the party with James, and there was no way I was going to call my dad to pick me up in the middle of the night.

I decided to walk home hoping the fresh air would do me some good.  I walked along the country roads in the brisk night air. Thankfully,I knew where I was going because I knew how easy it was to get lost on those back roads.

It was getting colder. My teeth began to chatter as I walked faster trying to keep warm.

The street in front of me lit up with headlights coming from my rear.  I made sure to walk in the grass to avoid getting hit.

Instead of rushing by though, they started to slow.  The large pick-up truck came to a slow stop, and I realized it was James.

A wave of relief washed over me knowing that in a minute, I’d be in the warm truck on my way back home.  I felt grateful that even with our fight, he was still going to be a gentleman.

He opened the truck door as I called out, “Jimmy, you’re an angel!”

But as he came around the front of the truck, I could see he wasn’t happy.

“You think you’re funny, Samantha?  You think it’s cute to act like some hard bitch in front of your friends and disrespect me?”

“I’m sorry, Jimmy.  I was drunk,” I started stammering.

“You’re not sorry, you stupid bitch.  Not yet anyway.”

Before I could ask what he meant, his fist connected with my ribs.  Pain shot through my abdomen as he did it again, but this time, I heard something crack.

Doubling over in pain, I tried desperately to catch my breath.  It was no use though as his knee collided with my jaw.  Instantly, my mouth filled with blood.

One final fisted blow hit me in the eye before I fell to the ground.  I had no idea what was happening.  James could be an asshole, but I never thought he would hit me.

I had dated him for years.  He was my first everything.  My only everything.  How could I not have known?

He circled me as I laid there trying to keep from blacking out.  ”You know, Samantha, I thought you were a good girl…the kind of girl you take home to Mama…the kind of girl you marry.  But now I see you’re just like the rest.”

I was going to ask what he meant, but I couldn’t speak.

“You see, Darlin’, I always knew I could go out with any old whore and get my dick wet, but no matter what, you’d be home waiting on me like a good little girl…someday a good little wife.”

Anger surged through me wondering just how many other girls he’d fucked.  The nerve of this guy calling me a whore.

“Oh Samantha, I can see now that you are far too broken to make any man happy.  Just like your broken, fucked up mother.”

I tried to stand up, ready for a fight, but instantly, his steel-toed cowboy boot kicked me back down.

He kneeled next to me, his voice soft and low, “You had a good man.  A man who would’ve provided for you.  But you just had to go be a slut…flirting with any guy showing you attention.  Probably fucking them too.  You want to act like a whore?  I’m going to treat you like a whore.”

I felt him pulling me up to my knees.  My eye was so swollen I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear him unzip his pants.

He forced my mouth open and shoved himself down my throat.  James wasn’t huge, but it was enough to make me gag.  Despite my protest, he didn’t stop.  I couldn’t breathe, and tears began to fall down my cheeks.

I tried fighting, but he overpowered me in a second.

“Suck it, you stupid bitch.  And if you bite me, I’ll fucking kill you.”  He flicked open his pocketknife ensuring I would obey.

He kept going, and my stomach began to churn.  With all the gagging, my body was determined to expel the alcohol form my system.

I tried controlling it, but it was too much.  I gave a shove back as hard as I could as James let go, and I threw up all over the ground.

“Look at that.  You can’t even suck dick right.”

I prayed that it was over, but he slapped me so hard, I fell back over.  With one motion, he was on top of me.

He pinned my arms up and put all of his weight on me.  I struggled to breathe, but when I tried to move, he made it hurt worse.

He choked me, smacked me, pulled my hair so hard he ripped out chunks.  He had torn my clothes off so all that was left was scraps.

When he finally finished, I laid there waiting on him to kill me.

I thought it was all over when I saw another set of headlights.  I didn’t care who it was as long as they were there to help.

But I soon realized help wasn’t coming.  The two voices I heard were Greg and Simon…James’ two best friends.

I knew right then they would never do anything to help me.

“Boys, I was teaching little Samantha here a lesson.  But I don’t know if she’s quite learned it yet.  Maybe you guys can have a run at her.”

I tried going to a happy place in my mind as one of them put himself in my mouth.  I tried pretending I was anywhere else.  It worked for a minute, but I let out a painful scream as the other one shoved himself in my ass.

Every inch of me hurt.  Part from the sex.  Part from the beating[MHL8].  And part from my naked body reacting to the dropping temperature and snow beginning to fall again.

I prayed for it to be over…for someone else to come along and help.  But soon after, I felt myself praying for death.

Eventually, I just went numb.  My body couldn’t feel a thing…probably from the cold.[MHL9]

I looked up to see James still standing there.  Watching.  His eyes were cold and dark.

My eyes begged and pleaded for him to stop all of it, but instead, he pulled out his phone and started recording.

“Hey everyone, look!  Samantha Flemming likes being gang banged…back to her wild ways.  Guess some things never change.”

I tried to speak, but Simon just shoved himself deeper down my throat.

After what seemed like an eternity, they both finished, and without a word, they got into their car and drove away.

I was worried what James would do now with no witnesses. He walked over to me and shoved me down once more, this time grabbing my breast so hard I cried out.

He took his other hand and shoved two fingers inside me.  “Now, every time anyone touches this cunt, you’ll think of me.  You’ll never be able to be with another man again.  I’ve ruined you.”

Tears fell freely as he drove away because I knew he was right.  I was broken.  I would never be the same.

Chapter 26 - Tyler

“And then Jessie and Luke saw me on their way home and took me to the hospital.”

Sam had just told me the whole story, and I couldn’t believe it.  I had a million questions, but I didn’t want to make her keep reliving it.  I could tell that just talking about it hurt her to her very core.

I had to ask one thing though.  “Why didn’t anything ever happen those those pricks?”

She shook her head and looked away.  “His dad is the mayor here.  Even if people did believe me, nothing would have happened to him.”

“Well, I’m sure a jury…”

She cut me off, “It never got that far.  The lawyers claimed there was no case.  You know how I said they took a video?  They doctored it to make it look like I enjoyed it.  Said my rape accusation was just regret and shame for wanting to be gangbanged.”

My blood boiled.  “How did they explain all your bruises?”

“They said after it was done, I got belligerent and tried attacking them, so they fought me off.”

The thought of that made me laugh.  Sam was so small there was no way she could take on three guys.

“We have to do something.  It’s not too late.”

“Tyler, stop.  This isn’t the big city where they have fancy lawyers and big trials.  Hell, here cops don’t give two shits if you beat your wife.  This is a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business, but no one cares enough to get involved.  It’s over.  I’ve moved on.”

I wondered how true that really was though.  Clearly, it still affected her in more ways than she realized.  It was the reason she didn’t want to let anyone into her world.

“Sammy!”  We hard Luke’s voice at the top of the basement stairs.  “We’re going into town to watch the game if you want to come out later.”

“Okay.  Thanks, but I think we are good here for now.”

I gave her questioning look, but she simply muttered, “Small town football.”

More fucking football.

I wanted to keep pushing the issue of making those assholes pay for what they did to Sam, but I knew it was no use.  So I would drop it…for the moment.

I might not completely understand her reasoning for not wanting justice, but I had to respect her decision.  Back then, no one respected her at all.  I wasn’t going to follow suit.

Instead of pushing further, I laid down on the bed and gestured her to lay next to me.  I could sense her unease as she crawled next to me.

I had never meant to cause her any discomfort.  I wanted her to feel safe and at home in my arms.  So I held her…and loved her until she fell asleep.

I stared at the beautiful who [MHL10]had fallen asleep next to me.  I wish I could say Sam resembled an angel when she slept, but she was far from it.

The woman snored like a freight train.  For such a tiny person, she sounded like a bear.  Not to mention she drooled.

Although most would find her obnoxious, I found her adorable.  Listening to her snore made me chuckle.  This woman was something else.  I wanted to listen to that snoring every night of my life…even if I didn’t get much sleep.

I know she was worried about how I would view her after hearing her story, but honestly, it did nothing but make me love her more.  Around every turn, she was showing me something new and wonderful to love about her.

I wanted to surprise her before she woke up, so I snuck out of bed as quietly as I could and walked into the bathroom.  I started to run a bubble bath and lit some candles I found scattered around the house.

After the stress of opening up to me, I figured some relaxation was exactly what she needed.

When the water was finished, I sat on the edge of the bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek.  “Wake up, sleepy head.”

“Go away,” she groaned into her pillow.

“If you nap any longer, you won’t sleep tonight.  Plus I have a surprise for you.”

Her eyes shot open.  “You know I don’t like surprises.”

“I do know that.  I just don’t care.  Come on.”  I grabbed her arm and gently pulled her up.

Her eyes lit up when she saw the bathtub surrounded by the faintly glowing light.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect.”  She leaned up to give me a soft kiss.

Her lips were so damn soft.  I wanted to keep kissing them, but I didn’t want her water to get cold.

It was damn hard to watch her get undressed and not get hard, so I decided to give her some privacy.

I laid back down on the bed to wait for her to be done when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a text from my mother.

We need to talk.  Call me.

I went to text her back to tell her I was busy, but before I could, her name lit up on the screen as my phone buzzed.

Jesus.

I walked upstairs to answer it as to not to disturb Sam.

“Yes, Mother?”

“Tyler Mason Wendell, don’t you dare take that tone with me.”

Here we go.

“Do you want to tell me what happened with Marisol?  First I hear you guys are trying to make things work, and then I hear you broke up with her?”

“Mom…”

“And for a girl who I know nothing about?  And who I find out is now living with you?”

I let her keep ranting for a moment before I heard Sam calling for me.  I had to cut this short.

“Mom!  Listen, I’m sorry for not telling you, but you don’t have the whole story.  I’m out of town, but I’ll be more than happy to tell you all about it when I get home.  I love you.  Talk later.”

I hung up and turned it off not wanting to be interrupted again.  Then, I headed straight to the sound of Sam’s voice.

When I entered, she was still in the tub looking sexy as hell.  Some of the bubbles had dissipated, and I could see her perky nipples sticking out of the water.

“Hey, you okay?  I’ve been calling you for like five minutes.  I thought you’d run off or something.”  She chuckled trying to play it off, but insecurity resided in her eyes.

“Never,” I said with a grin to reassure her of my constant presence.  “My mom called.”

“Oh.  What’d she want?

“Nothing important.  Just checking in.  Are you okay?  Did you need something?”

I couldn’t help but stare at her naked body now visible by the waning bubbles, and the bulge in my pants begin to grow.

“Well, as wonderful as this bath is, I’m lonely.  Just seeing if maybe you wanted to come in here and keep me company.”  She said the words and she took a little bit of soap and massaged it into her breasts.

Geez, this woman is going to kill me.

I started to undress without a word…trying to keep my hard-on in check.  Wasn’t working.

She scooted forward so I could climb in behind her.  It’s a good thing she was so small.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t have both fit.

Once I was in, she leaned forward to add more hot water and bubbles.  When she was done, she leaned back into my chest.  I relished in how well her body fit perfectly against mine.

We sat in a comfortable silence, and I began rubbing her shoulders trying to ease some of her tension.  Little moans escaped her mouth which were driving me crazy.  I wanted her so damn bad, but I tried to resist. This was about her...not me.

“So, I’m not complaining, but what’s with the special treatment?”  She asked.

“Well, for starters, you always deserve special treatment.”  I gave her a small kiss on the neck.  “But I also wanted to apologize.”

“For?”

“For pushing you to tell me about your past.”

Just the mention of it made her whole body tense in my arms.

“I should have just let it go, but I pushed you.  I’m sorry.”

She whispered.  “It’s okay.  I’m glad you know now.  And I’m even more glad you didn’t run away.”

I raised her chin to look at me.  “I’m not going anywhere.  Ever.”

I kissed her softly before continuing.  “Maybe it would help if you talked to someone about it.”

“Well, I just talked to you.”  Defensiveness seeped into her words.

Tread lightly.

“I mean I’m always here if you want to talk, but I don’t know how to really help.  Maybe a professional would be better.”

Suddenly, she turned her whole body around to face me.  She was straddling me looking into my eyes.

I was waiting for her to bring the hammer down and tell me to mind my own fucking business.

“You want to know how you can help me?”

I braced myself for impact, but instead, she kissed me softly at first before growing hard and needy.  Her tongue slipped into my mouth as her breasts slicked along my chest.

My mind nagged that she was avoiding the subject, but I silenced it knowing talking isn’t what she needed in that moment.  She needed a distraction, and I knew I could give her one by making her scream my name.

Her mouth left mine and traveled to my neck where she kissed and left small bites.

I growled as she wrapped her hand around my ever-growing dick.  I knew there was no stopping as she started to stroke up and down.

I might not know how to fix all her problems, but at least I could make her come so hard she forgot about them for a while.

Chapter 27 - Sam

I loved the feeling of Tyler’s big dick in my hands as I worked him up and down.  My kiss grew so needy that I was practically begging him to fuck me.

I needed it.  Needed him.  Needed to end this conversation about my trauma.

I sat up on my knees ready for him to slide into me when he told me to wait.

He stood and grabbed a towel before stepping out of the tub.  He dried himself off as I drooled over his perfectly chiseled body and large cock standing at attention, still not believing this man could have any interest in me.

Once he was dry, he held out his hand for mine.  I took it and stepped out onto the fluffy rug.  He slowly dried me off carefully taking his time to get every inch.  When he was done, he wrapped me in his arms and carried me to the bed.

I laid down, and still naked and hard, he hovered above me on his arms and kissed me.

I ran my fingers through his damp hair.  Just the flick of his tongue inside my mouth instantly sent heat to my sex.

I melted into him as he continued with his skillful kiss. He broke down all my walls with just his lips.

In my life, I had only had sex with one man, and he wasn’t that great at it, so sex wasn’t ever something I sought out.

Until that night in Tyler’s office, I hadn’t even considered being with another man.  I thought that sex was just a part of my life that was over.

But with Tyler, I was becoming addicted.  I couldn’t get enough.  The love I felt for him made me want to be as close to him as possible as much as possible.

I wondered how I had gone for months without having him be one hundred percent mine.  I wondered how I kept my hands off of him after that first night we shared together.  I wondered how I kept denying my love for him.

His mouth left mine and trailed down my neck all the way to my breasts.  A jolt of electricity shot straight to my clit as he took one nipple giving it a soft bite.

Fuck, that felt so good.  He tongued one while he rubbed my other between his thumb and finger.  I fisted his hair moaning his name.  He was making me unravel.

When he was satisfied my chest had enough attention, he moved his kisses further down until he settled between my legs.  My knees were locked together as I suddenly felt very self-conscious.

Sensing my unease, Tyler kissed each leg and rubbed me softly.

“Open for me baby.  I promise you’ll love it.”

Despite my reservations, I slowly pulled my knees apart.  If I trusted this man with my deepest secrets, I could trust him with anything.

“God baby, you’re so fucking gorgeous.”

My face flushed as I looked at him and saw he was staring at me down there and could see absolutely everything.

He took one finger and rubbed up and down making me jump just from the slightest touch.  I was already so sensitive I thought I might come apart.

“Just relax, baby,” he whispered against my sex.

And before I knew it, his mouth closed around my center.  I cried out as he gently sucked and began to run his tongue in small circles around my clit.

I could barely sit still as he teased me.  My hands clenched the sheets as pleasure began to take over.

God, it was so good.

I had never been able to get off from oral sex, but I could already feel myself climbing closer and closer.  My legs couldn’t help but twitch as I felt the orgasm bearing down on me.

He continued licking and sucking, alternating to drive me absolutely insane.  Every time I got close, he would change his motions and ease me back down.  But when he stuck one finger inside me and found that sweet spot, I lost it.  My hands gripped into his hair as I rode out the wave of intense heat.

Once I finally calmed down, I pulled him up to kiss me, tasting myself all over his mouth.  “You make my body do things I didn’t know it could,” I said breathlessly as I kissed him.

“You haven’t seen anything yet, baby,” he whispered tugging my bottom lip between his teeth.

I had no idea what all this man had in mind, but I was sure looking forward to finding out.

He took the time to kiss every inch of my body before rolling on a condom and sliding into me.  This time, he was slow and sweet.  With every thrust, I could feel how much he loved me.

He whispered and told me how beautiful I was as I moaned when his mouth found my neck.

I wrapped my legs around his back wanting to feel as close to him as I could.

This wasn’t just sex.  No.  This meant something.  This meant everything. And after what felt like being lost in that moment forever, we both finished together, and I fell asleep in the arms of the man who was quickly becoming my everything.

Chapter 28 - Tyler

The following morning was fairly laid back…just Sam and I watching some television.  Dread starting creeping in though as I kept checking my watch.

“Nervous?”  She said glancing at me out of the corner of my eye.

Of course I was nervous.  In an hour, I had to go have a one-on-one lunch with her father.  I wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to say, but I could guess it was ‘take care of my daughter or I’ll kill you with one of the shotguns I have on display’.

“Are you sure you won’t come with us?”

She chuckled.  “First off, I wasn’t invited to this particular lunch.  Just you two.  Besides, I don’t go into town.”

I looked at her.  “What do you mean you don’t go into town?”

“I don’t know what part you don’t understand.”

“I mean I understand the statement.  I guess I just don’t understand why.”

“Look, I do my best to avoid everyone in this Podunk Hell-hole.  Going into town goes against that.”

“Is this because you are afraid to see James?  You can’t keep hiding forever.”

She hit mute on the tv and sharply turned toward me.  “You think I should stop ‘hiding’?  Well, let me just do that for you, Tyler.  Let me just change my whole life around because you told me to.”

I went to speak, but she held her hand up and went on.  “Look, I moved away from here. Far away.  I got tired of all the dirty looks I got no matter where I went, and I was tired of wondering when James was going to come back and finish the job.  I left and didn’t tell anyone where I was going.  Besides my family, no one knows what happened to me.  I want to keep it that way.”

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…”

“Yes, you did.  But it’s fine.  I have my own way of dealing with things, and for this to work, I need you to respect that.  I need you accept that this is the way things are.”

I wrapped her in my arms.  “I really am sorry.  I didn’t think, and I didn’t mean to upset you.  I’ll respect however you choose to handle this.”

Her body started stiff in mine, but slowly her arms curled around my back, and she nuzzled my chest.  I could smell the peaches in her hair, and she felt like home.

I held her like that for awhile until I heard her dad calling from upstairs.  Apparently, it was time to head to lunch.

Here we go.

An hour later, I was sitting across a table from John Flemming.  We had just ordered our food and were now sitting in a very awkward silence.

The man across from me looked worn…like he had a led a long, hard life.  His skin was bronzed from the sun.  His hands were callused from working long hours with them.  He had hair that matched his two sons’…a little more auburn than Sam’s…and a slightly shaggy beard.

Finally, he gathered his words and spoke.  “Tyler, I brought you here to talk about my daughter.”

I wanted to give him a big fat ‘duh’, but I didn’t.  I just said, “Okay, I’m all ears.”

He paused for a beat.  “Tyler, a young man like you gets all the girls I’m sure, but Sammie is different.  She’s unlike any girl you will ever meet.”

“I know, sir.”

“I sure as hell hope that you do.  I hope you know how special she is.  She has had a damn hard life.  She has barely had two pennies to rub together, she’s been abused, and she has watched her mother die.

“I watched Sammie give away her heart once, and he shattered it and tossed it aside.  She hasn’t let anyone else even close, but then she brings you home.  That means there must be something damn special about you.”

I interrupted.  “Mr. Flemming, if this is about me not being a good match for her, I can assure you that I am in love with your daughter, and I would do anything for her.”

He started laughing.  “You misunderstand me, son.  I think you’re perfect for Sammie.  I’ve never seen her so happy.  She is finally living her life again.  No more hiding.  She is actually smiling again.  She has her mother’s gorgeous smile.”

He stared off for a moment as if getting lost in a memory.

“My daughter was so lost for a while, and I worried she was heading down the same path as her mother, but she has two things Dina never did…stubbornness and the will to prove people wrong.”

That made me laugh out loud.  “She sure has both of those in spades.”

He smiled and nodded.  “Look Tyler, my daughter likes to push people away when people get to close or when things get too hard.  Don’t let her push you away.  She might be a little broken, but she deserves to be happy too.”

I had to stop him right there.  “Sir, not to disagree, but I don’t think Sam is broken.  She might have been through some rough shit, but her resilience is what makes me love her even more.  I’m not going anywhere.”

Another big smile stretched across his face.  “It makes me eternally happy to hear that.”

He took a drink of his iced tea before going on.  “By the way, Sammie doesn’t hate that you have money.”

I laughed.  “Believe me, she does.”

“Son, Sammie has never had money as you can tell I’m sure.  But she has watched people use money to make their problems go away.  They used their money to buy their way out of trouble.  But if it makes you feel any better, I’m glad you have money.  I know what it’s like to struggle every single day.  It would be nice to not have to see my baby girl do that.”

I nodded.  “I know she might not want the affluent life, but I can guarantee you she will never struggle.  I’ll make sure of that.”

He gave me an approving nod.  I could see where Sam got her work ethic and drive from.  This man had watched his wife struggle with mental illness to the point of taking her own life and then had to raise three kids all by himself.  [MHL11]

I respected the hell out of him.

As we ate, I yearned to find out as much as I could about Sam and how she grew up.  I wanted to know everything about her.

“I know you said Sam was really wild when she was younger.  Do you ever miss that side of her?”

He laughed. “Son, I have no doubt in my mind that that wild child is still in there just itching to come out.  I still tend to see it sometimes when she comes home and is giving her brothers shit.  The longer she’s home, the more her little accent starts to show through and the more she seems to remember her life here.  Sometimes, she remembers the good, and other times…the not-so-good.

“I know this town scares her, and I don’t blame her.  Can’t say I don’t miss that ‘don’t fuck with me’ attitude though.  Ten years ago, she wouldn’t have cared what anyone else though.  She would have waltzed into this town with her head held high, and every dirty look she got, she would reply with a stiff middle finger.

“James did a number on her though.  Even before the incident, I saw my baby girl starting to change.  He wanted to graduate and marry her…have her be his little housewife who never had a hair out of place or a speck of dirt in the house.  That’s not Sammie.  She always had big dreams and wanted to make something of herself aside from being someone’s wife.”

“Why’d she stay with him for so long?”  I asked.

“Because he never did anything too big to change her.  First it would be, ‘I don’t like those jeans you’re wearing…you look better in a skirt’.  She never really noticed because he would do little things, and he would always make it seem like he’d love her more if she did them.  And if he pushed her too far, he knew how to sweet talk her to get back into her good graces.”

“Sounds like a grade A narcissist,” I said between bites.

“You have no idea.  He broke her down little by little without her ever even realizing it.  But I’m glad to see she found someone who is building her up instead of breaking her down,” he smiled.

We changed the subject to talk about something a bit lighter.  Football.  Go figure.

When we were finished, John excused himself to the restroom.  While he was gone, the check came, and I decided to go ahead and pay it.  Lunch would be my treat.

I walked to the register of the diner and handed the waitress my card.

Next to me, I heard a male voice.  “You new around here?  I don’t recognize you.”

Without turning toward the voice, I said, “Just visiting for a few days.”

“Ah yes.  I heard you came to town with Samantha.  What I can’t figure out is what a man like you is doing with a girl like that.”

He stepped into my line of sight.  Talk about a blonde pretty boy.  I didn’t need a formal introduction to figure out it was James.

“How about you don’t worry about anything to do with me or Sam?”

“Sam?  Is that what she is going by these days?  I always preferred Samantha.  No woman of mine was going to go by a boy’s name.”

No wonder she hates the name Samantha.

I stared him down letting him know to back the hell off.  He was tall, but not nearly as tall as me.  “I said don’t worry about her.  Anything to do with her,” I growled.

“Just be careful.  That girl is unstable.  Likes to do all kinds of kinky shit and then lies about it,” he shot me a wink.

My blood boiled.  I wanted to knock his fucking head off.  I took a step toward him, my hands shaking in anger.

“Tyler, don’t do it.  It’s not worth it.”

John stepped in between the two of us.

I took a moment to consider it.  I figured I didn’t want to give this jackass any reason to be back in Sam’s life, so I stepped back.

“You’re right.  Let’s go.”

A shit-eating grin spread across James’ face.  I made it my mission to bring him down for what he had done.

“Here’s your card, Mr. Wendell,” the waitress handed my card back.  I handed her a twenty for a tip and we walked out the door.

In the car, John looked over at me.  “Well, I guess now you know who he is.”

“I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Not kill him.  I would have knocked his head off his shoulders a long time ago.”

He brought his eyes back to the road.  There was almost a look of shame in his eyes.  “You have no idea how bad I wanted to kill him.  I must have gotten in this truck a thousand times ready to go pummel his ass.

“But I also know who his dad is.  I would’ve been locked up for who knows how long.  I knew Sammie would need me there. I couldn’t be there for her if I was in jail.  Plus, I still had her brothers to take care of too.”

I nodded.  “Understandable.  I think.  Why didn’t you push Sam to press charges?”

“That’s what she told you?  She tried to press charges in the beginning, but the DA said there was no case.  That DA is James’ godfather if that tells you anything about small-town politics.”

I silently nodded before he went on.

“The best thing I could do for her was let her leave and get as far away from here as she could.  I hate it every single day I don’t get to see my baby, but I know it’s what she needs. And I’m happy she left because she ended up finding you.”

“I’m sorry.  I know you had your reasons for how you handled everything.  I never meant to imply that you didn’t care.”

“Oh, no offense taken, son.  I like that you care enough about her to be protective.  But can you do me one favor?”

I nodded.

“Can we not tell Sammie that we saw him?  She is having such a great time, and I don’t want to ruin that for her.”

I didn’t want to keep anything from Sam, but this would bring up that darkness in her that I wanted to avoid.  Inner turmoil plagued me, but I wasn’t going to risk hurting her right now.

So, I wouldn’t say a word

Chapter 29 - Tyler

The next day, it was time to leave small town USA and head back to the Northeast…or back to civilization as I liked to call it.

There was something oddly different about Sam.  Ever since she opened up to me about what happened to her, a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

I was so excited to try out this whole ‘couple’ thing in our normal lives.  I couldn’t wait to have her sleep next to me in my bed every night and wake up to that gorgeous face every single morning.

And that kiss of hers.  Man, it made me weak every single time.  And now, I could have it whenever I wanted.

After all Sam had been through, I wanted to make her feel safe and loved.  She deserved that more than anything.  She made my day…every single day.  I intended to do the same for her.

As I watched her sleep on the plane, I made a silent vow to always take care of her.  No matter how much she pushed me away.  No matter how independent she was. I was going to be the man who deserved her.

That night, we arrived home from airport around seven.  I had given Jacinda the weekend off, so there were still some dishes in the sink.

Immediately, Sam kicked off her shoes and went over to wash them.

“Sam, just leave them.”

“It’s alright.  There are only a few.  Won’t take me long.”

I walked up behind her as she scrubbed a plate and started softly kissing her neck.  A shiver hit her spine as I kissed just the right spot.  Even after being on a plane for hours, she still smelled amazing.

She moaned while leaning against me.  “You drive me crazy, Tyler Wendell.  Do you know that?”

“Mmmhmm.  Let’s go take a shower, Kansas, and I’ll show you how crazy I can drive you.”

She turned her body around to face me.  Her still damp hands grabbed either side of my face as she leaned up to kiss me.

For being so little, her kiss was fiery and passionate.  Her fingers entangled in my hair, and she gently tugged.

Suddenly, she stopped and looked at me, a huge grin spreading across her face.  Without any warning, she jumped into my arms wrapping her legs around me.

Her smile was infections.  It filled me with such joy…not to mention her wild side made my cock stand at attention.

“Okay, Mr. Trust Fund, have your dirty, dirty way with me,” she giggled.

Without saying a word, I whisked her up the stairs as she kissed my neck driving me crazy the whole way.

This woman had me wrapped around her little finger, and I loved every minute of it.

She was magnetic.  Everything about her drew me in.  Her smile.  Her laugh.  Her body.  Her brain.  Everything.

And I couldn’t get enough of kissing those lips of hers.  Had I really gone months without feeling them on mine?

I had been with a lot of women, and I had done unspeakably dirty things with said women, but sex with Sam was perfect.  Her body responded to mine in a way I never imagined.

Despite her past, she was so innocent.  I loved showing her how good she could feel.  I wanted to make her come every single day of her life.

When we hit the bathroom, I started up the water and began to slowly peel off her clothes.  I was still amazed at how gorgeous she was when she stood naked before me.

I trailed my fingers over every inch of her as I removed each piece of clothing slowly…methodically.  Her skin was so soft and creamy.

After I had taken my time getting her undressed, I took off mine with quite a bit more speed.  When we stepped in and let the hot water wash over us, I kissed her like it was the last time.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, and my cock got even stiffer feeling her hard nipples press into me. I removed my mouth from hers to allow it to move to her rosy buds. I took one in my mouth and slightly bit down making her cry out.

I rubbed the other one with my thumb trying to alternate between the pleasure and the pain.  Her moans were getting louder with every touch.  It took every ounce of my willpower to not fuck her so hard she couldn’t walk the next day.

I couldn’t do that with Sam though.  She was so perfect…so delicate.  I wanted to make love to her.

She must have sensed something because she whispered.  “Fuck me, Tyler.  I’m not going to break.  Show me what you’re so good at.”

I wanted to keep on my path of being sweet and romantic, but her words broke my dam.

Growling, I turned her around and told her to brace her hands on the wall.  Reaching out from the curtain, I grabbed the condom I had laid on the counter.

Ripping the wrapper with my teeth, I struggled to get it on as fast possible.  I leaned forward to run my finger through her little blonde curls covering her pussy to make sure she was ready for me.  She was so fucking wet.

I bent my legs slightly to enter her from behind.  I tried to go slow, but she was so warm and wet that sliding in was effortless.  I couldn’t believe her small frame could fit me so perfectly.

She moaned as I began to push into her, a little harder and faster each time.  My fingers gripped into her hips, and when I felt her getting close, I would ease back a bit.

Sam’s tiny whimpers were enough to bring any man to his knees.  I brought my hands around to her front and tugged on her nipples.

“Fuck Tyler, I need to come.  Now!”

I knew she was right on the edge, and the way her pussy was gripping my cock, I knew she was going to get off hard.  I took one hand and began to tease her clit.

It took less than a minute before she was coming around me.  Her grip got even tighter, and I knew I was finishing right along with her.

“Fuck,” I said through gritted teeth as I slid into her a last time.

I held onto her tighter to keep her knees from buckling under her, and I pulled her under the water to get her hair wet.

“That was amazing,” she said with a sly smile and a quick kiss.

I just grinned and told her to lean back.  I didn’t have her peach scented shampoo in my shower, so I grabbed the bottle I used.  “Sorry, you’re going to smell like a man tonight.”

She chuckled.  “I’ll smell like my favorite man.  I’m okay with that.”

Happiness filled me to the brim at her words.  I loved her so fucking much and having her with me in my shower felt like the best dream that I never wanted to wake up from.

Lathering the shampoo in her hair, I massaged her scalp which left her making noises that threatened to get me hard all over again.

“I’m sorry if I was too rough with you,” I finally said.

Her green eyes gazed into mine.  “You weren’t.  I liked it.  Like I said, you don’t have to be so sweet with me all the time. I won’t break, baby.”

I smiled at her calling me ‘baby’.  That was the first time she’d done it, but I would make sure it wasn’t the last.

We finished our shower slowly as I took my time soaping her up and rinsing her hair.  By the time I had finished, the water was starting to cool, so I washed quickly, and we got out.

I dried her off but told her to climb into bed wearing nothing at all.  I wanted to feel her warm, bare body pressed up against mine all night.  Nothing in between us.

She laid on her side, and I enveloped her whole body in mine.  Her hair tickled my nose, but it was worth having her warmth next to mine.

When we first started this endeavor, I saw Sam as cold and distant…someone who didn’t want to let the world in.  But she was my constant surprise.  I ended up finding a woman who surpassed seemingly insurmountable odds to still be loving and compassionate.

She’d seen some of the worst that life had to offer but still managed to get through every day.  She might have been a little damaged, but she didn’t let it break her.

I’d originally seen a girl hiding from the world, but now, I saw a woman just trying to make her own way in it.

I loved her.  I loved her so much it hurt.  She’d been through so much, but I vowed she wouldn’t go through it again.  I vowed that I would give her only reasons to smile every day for the rest of her life.

Chapter 30 - Sam

I was the first to awaken the morning after we had gotten home from Kansas.

I blinked my eyes a few times before taking in the sight of the beautiful man lying next to me. The man who tore down my walls.  The man who made me feel safe again.  The man who didn’t run away no matter how many times I pushed him.

Tears threatened to fill my eyes as I thought of how I had him all wrong.  My misconceptions just because he had money almost made me run from him.  And I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else than lying right there next to him.

This man was all mine, and I was going to try like hell to keep it that way.  No more of my childish games.  No more running away. No more secrets.

Just him and me.  No matter how different we were, I think we could make a real go of this.

“Stop staring at me,” he mumbled before giving me a sexy smile.

I giggled and moved closer to him and began peppering kisses all over his face.

He laughed a big booming laugh and started tickling my sides.

“No fair!” I cried.  “Ouch, stop!”

Immediately, he pulled his hands back.  “Oh my God, Sam, are you okay?”

“Haha, sucker!” I cried while leaping off the bed.

“You little!”

“Going to make coffee! Love you!”

I heard him give another laugh as I ran downstairs to the kitchen.  I was still completely naked, so I skipped into the laundry room to grab one of Tyler’s large t-shirts out of the dryer.

I was swimming in the large cotton shirt, but I loved it.  I loved having a little part of him on me when I wasn’t a big piece of him in me.  My inner joke made me giggle to myself.

As I waited for the large pot of coffee to finish, I glanced through my phone at my schedule for the week.  I was going to be so busy with tutoring appointments since finals were quickly approaching.

Usually, I would be thankful for the money and the distraction of keeping busy, but I found myself wishing that Tyler and I could stay living in this little bubble just a little while longer.  I wanted to keep shutting the real world out.

Our bubble was fleeting though, and tomorrow it was back to life as usual.

So I would make sure we enjoyed our day.  One more day of living in our perfect little paradise.

Chapter 31 - Tyler

When I walked downstairs following the smell of freshly brewed coffee, I found Sam sitting on the couch reading a book.  My dick got instantly hard seeing her wearing my t-shirt…mainly because I knew she didn’t have anything on underneath.

She looked up to see the hunger on my face and stood up on the couch to kiss me.

“Morning, baby,” she said in between kisses.

I reached my hands under her shirt…one hand finding her luscious ass and the other finding a perfect breast.

She threw her head back allowing me to kiss her neck.  I wanted to fuck her in every inch of that house, and what better place to start than the couch?

I grabbed the hem of my shirt to pull it over her head, but then, the doorbell rang.

“Fuck!” I growled.

“Just go answer it.  I’ll be here waiting,” she said breathlessly.

I walked off to answer the door while trying to adjust my pants to avoid showing whoever it was the large erection I was sporting.

I felt like every time I answered the door, it was never anything good, so I hesitated while reaching for the knob.

When I opened it, there stood Tess.  I was right.  Nothing good was going to come from this visit.  I could tell by the stern look on her face.

“Tess…what are you doing here…again?”

Without warning, she pushed right past me to come on in. She headed straight to the family room.

Shit.

I worried Sam was going to be lying on the couch naked and waiting.

“Are you serious, baby brother?  You have no idea why I’m here?”  She said still walking ahead of me.

Thankfully, Sam must have heard her because as we walked in, she had covered her bottom half with a blanket and had her nose back in her book.

She was trying to look as normal as possible, but Tess immediately caught on when she saw whose shirt Sam was wearing.

“Well, look at you two. Finally stopped denying it, huh?”

I completely ignored her question.  “Why are you here, Tess?”

“Mom sent me.  She’s practically hysterical because you won’t answer her phone calls.  She’s convinced you’re on drugs or something.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes.  “I’ve been busy.”

Tess looked Sam up and down.  “Clearly. Look, I’m glad you’re happy, but I need you to snap out LaLa Land.  She wants you to come to dinner to celebrate the twins’ birthday.  If you come, I’m sure she will get off your back.”

“Yeah, okay. We will be there.”

In unison, Sam and Tess both said, “We?”

“Yes.  We.  If I come, I’m bringing Sam.”

Tess looked pleased.  “Well good.  Maybe for once, she can grill you instead of me.”

“She only grills you because you have horrible taste in men.”

She scoffed.  “Hush.”

We made a couple minutes of small talk before she went rushing off claiming she had a brunch date with a girlfriend.

After I walked Tess out, I came back to find Sam staring at her open book but clearly not actually reading.

I wondered if I had overstepped my bounds by volunteering her to be my dinner date.

“Sam, I’m sorry if you’re upset.  I didn’t mean to just assume you’d want to go.  I just figured I met your family, and I’d like you to meet mine.  More so, I want them to meet the woman I am in love with.”

She finally looked up at me.  “It’s okay.  I’ll go.  We will both go.”  She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.  You went all the way to Kansas to meet my family, and you were wonderful.  Now, it’s my turn.”

Uncertainty still tainted her words, but I appreciated the effort, so I didn’t give her an opportunity to change her mind.

Without any more talk of our impending plans, she stood up and pulled my t-shirt over her head.

“Now, where were we?”  She said with a coy smile.

I swept her up into my arms and laid her on the couch beneath me.

I never dreamed that this seemingly-mousy, tiny little fireball would drive me as crazy as she did.  But there I was, head over heels for her.  Unable to get enough.

And I hoped I never would.

Chapter 32 - Sam

The next few days were filled with our busy schedules, but every spare moment we had were spent together.  Whether we were cooking dinner, watching tv, or making love, it was all wonderful.

Tyler Wendell brought me back to life.  He brought me out of the darkness that I was trapped in for so many years.  I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to thank him enough for that, but I figured meeting his family would be a good first step…even if the mere thought of it scared the shit out of me.

Even though we came from two totally different backgrounds, when we were alone with each other, those differences didn’t seem to matter.  When we were alone, we fit together perfectly, but who knew how we would be around his family?

The next week flew by.  Before I knew it, the big day had arrived.

I stood in front of the hotel room mirror checking myself out.  I decided to wear my hair down, and I added some loose curls to give it some volume.  My outfit was just a tasteful black dress with some black pumps to match.

Tyler walked up behind me.  “You look gorgeous,” he said with a kiss on the back of my shoulder.

“Gorgeous and poor?”

He grimaced at me.  “No.  Just gorgeous.  Stop freaking out.  Everything will be fine.”

I wished I shared his confidence.

“Besides, we just have to make it through tonight, and we have all day tomorrow for me to show you all NYC has to offer.”

I beamed with excitement.  I couldn’t wait to see the city through his eyes.

I looked down at myself one more time to make sure I looked alright. When I looked back up toward the mirror, I caught Tyler’s reflection holding something shiny.

It was a silver necklace with a tiny diamond set in it.

I gasped.  “What’s that for?”

He softly laughed.  “Well, it’s for you.”

“Why?”  I had no idea why I asked that.  “I can’t accept that.”

He started to fasten it around my neck, ignoring my protest.  “Yes, you can.  It looks amazing on you, and before you go on and on about money, you’re worth it.”

When it was secured, he kissed my cheek.  My hand immediately went up to touch the small necklace.  I couldn’t help but admit it was perfect.  I couldn’t help but admit that I loved it.

Tears stung my eyes because I had never gotten anything so nice.  I wanted to express my gratitude, but I didn’t know if I could get the words out.

Instead, I turned around and pressed my lips to his.  I started with soft pecks before I deepened the kiss.  His hands entangled in my hair as his tongue delved into my mouth.  That tongue could do amazing things, and every swipe of it in his kiss made me wet thinking of it in other places.

His hands moved down to grip my ass through the thin fabric of my dress before he suddenly pulled back.  “Woman, you are going to be the death of me.  Pull your dress up.”

I smirked.  “We are going to be late.”

He leaned to whisper in my ear.  “Pull your dress up now and let me get rid of this hard on.  Otherwise, I am going to fuck you in the bathroom at my parent’s house.”

I couldn’t lie and say the thought didn’t turn me on a little bit, but I figured a quickie now would be better.

I slowly started pulling my dress up, but apparently, I wasn’t moving fast enough for him.  He yanked it the rest of the way up and noticed the tiny black thong I had on.

“Holy shit, baby.  Did you wear this for me?”

Before I could answer, he turned me around so I was bent over the dresser in front of the mirror.

Before I could even breathe, he had a condom out and had it on.  With one swift motion, he was inside me, sliding in and out at a slow, steady pace.

“Look at me while I fuck you, baby.”

I looked back at his crystal blue eyes that were now blazing with heat.  I pulled straps of my dress down enough to let my heaving breasts hang free.  He leaned forward to take one in his hands.

I cried out in pleasure as he moved faster.  I knew this wasn’t meant to last long.  He moved his hand from my breast down to my clit and began teasing me.

“Baby, I want you to come with me.”

All I could do was nod while biting my lip.

As he quickened his strokes with his cock, his fingers increased in speed too.  I was about to fall over the edge hard and fast.

“Come now!”  The growl in his voice gave me my final push, and we both fell into ecstasy.

“Damn, you’re so sexy, Sam,” he said while leaning forward a final time to kiss my cheek and giving my ass a playful smack.

Still out of breath and on shaky legs, I stood up to make myself look presentable again.  Now, I would be going to meet Tyler’s whole family looking like I’d just been fucked.

Awesome.

We scrambled to get ready and jumped in Tyler’s SUV ready to head for his parents’ penthouse apartment.  My stomach fluttered with nerves, but as I looked over at the man to my left, I knew that no matter what, I loved him.

Hopefully, that would be enough.

As the door to the penthouse opened, Tess immediately yanked her brother inside.

“You’re late!” She cried.

“By like five minutes,” Tyler replied.

She glared at him.  “You know in this family, five minutes late is an eternity.”

As we were hustled into the dining room, I tried to slow down and take in how gorgeous this home was.  It was so elegant.  I was pretty sure that every piece of artwork on the walls cost more than my whole house back in Kansas.

When we entered the dining room, the rest of the Wendells were already sitting around the large table.  They were all gorgeous.

They stood to greet me one by one, each holding out their hand for me to shake.  Apparently, every one of them had the tall gene.  It was like being in a room full of giants.

The twins sat at one end of the table.  They both resembled Tyler and Tess with their dark hair, but both of them had brown eyes and more pointed features. Those features, I realized, favored their father.

But the man sitting at the head of the table had golden blonde hair and the same piercing blue eyes that Tyler did.

When he saw me, he exclaimed, “About time we had another Goldilocks around here!”  He held out his hand and introduced himself as Theo Wendell.

At the other end of the table sat his mother, Maria Wendell.  If anyone could every truly embody grace and elegance, it would have been the matriarch of this family.

She wore an elegant red dress that I am sure cost more than my car.  And she certainly didn’t look like a woman in her fifties.  Her face had less lines than mine.

Once all the pleasantries were exchanged, we sat down to the first course of Lobster Bisque.

“So Sam, what are you going to school for?”  Theo asked politely.

“Architecture actually.”

“That’s wonderful,” he said with a smile.  “Is that what your father does?”

“Umm…no,” I felt my cheeks blush, but Tyler rubbed my knee reassuringly.  “He’s actually a cattle farmer.”

“And your mother?” Maria chimed in.

“She passed away when I was in high school.”

Theo spoke again.  “Oh, I’m so sorry.  I feel so rude for prying.  Let’s change the subject.”

Thank God.

But Maria apparently didn’t want to stop the inquisition.  “So if your father is a farmer and you have no mother, how exactly do you pay for school?”

“Well, I have some grants and loans, and I tutor for extra money to live on.”

“And you also live with my son.  That must save a huge chunk of change.”  Her tone was pointed.

This time, Tyler is the one who spoke.  “Mom, Sam actually pays me rent.  I offered to let her stay for free, but she insisted.”

Theo chimed in again.  “Well, I think that’s wonderful.  A good work ethic is everything.  Right, honey?”  He glared at his wife.

“Of course,” was all she uttered.

I stirred my soup with my spoon, but my stomach was so knotted, I didn’t know if I could finish another bite.

Thankfully, Tess changed the subject to ask what was going on with the twins.  One was a doctor, and the other was a lawyer, so most of their anecdotes were work related.

After the tension had faded some, I managed to choke down some more of my food.  Tyler never stopped touching me in some way to let me know that he was there no matter what.

The dessert course came, and I was grateful the evening was finally coming to a close.  I couldn’t wait to get out of there and get back into Tyler’s arms…alone.  That thought kept me going through the long five-course meal.

Just when we were finishing up, the doorbell rang.  Not a minute later, the housekeeper was leading a familiar face into the dining room.

Marisol.

What the fuck is she doing here?

Apparently, Tyler had the same thought when he exclaimed, “What is she doing here?”

The look on Marisol’s face said she didn’t know what she was walking into.  “Oh goodness, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t realize it was a family dinner. Maria, I’m just dropping off the dress you had me alter.  I’ll just leave it in the living room.”

Maria stood.  “Nonsense.  Sit down and have some coffee.”

“No really, I can’t stay, but thank you for the invitation.”

“Yeah Mom, she can’t stay,” Tyler piped up.

With a quick wave, Marisol quickly walked out.

“Well, that was rude,” Tyler’s mother said to him.

“That was rude?  You inviting her here knowing I’m here with Sam was rude!”

His mother sat quietly for a moment, and my stomach now threatened to expel everything I just ate.

Maria finally spoke.  “Tyler, sweetie, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” He replied.

“I mean you don’t come around for months and barely even answer my phone calls.  And it’s all because you’re dating some little farm girl from Kansas?”

“Mother!”

The pit in my stomach grew as my fears were suddenly becoming true.  This woman did not like me.

She turned her attention toward me. “Dear, I’m sorry.  I’m sure you’re lovely.  But you have to understand what kind of family this is.  I just don’t think you fit.”

I felt like I was going to be sick.

“You have to know what this looks like.  I know that you look at my son and see dollar signs, but what I can’t figure out is what he could possibly see in you.”

Okay.  Definitely going to be sick.

“Excuse me,” I said while running out of the dining room.

I found the nearest bathroom and locked myself inside.  But instead of throwing up, I started to cry.  My chest heaved as the sobs came.

Maria was right. I didn’t fit in here.  Maybe I would never be anything more than the farmgirl from Kansas.

Yes, our little bubble was perfect, but we couldn’t live there forever without ever seeing his family.

A soft knock came at the door.  I figured it had to be Tyler.  I opened the door, and he immediately wrapped me in his arms.

“I’m so sorry, baby.  I don’t know what is wrong with her.”

“I do.  She hates me.  She hates us together.”

He pulled my chin up to look at him.  “I don’t give a fuck what she thinks about us.  You’re my girl, and if she doesn’t like it, she can just get the hell out of our lives.”

I forced a tiny smile wishing that things could really be that easy. I knew they couldn’t though.  This would be a constant issue.

He sensed my reservations.  “I’m going to go talk to her and put her in her place.”

“I have to get out of here,” I said quickly.  “You deal with your mom.  I will meet you back at the house.”

“No.  I’ll go with you.”

I shook my head.  “You have to do this.  I will be fine.  I’ll call for a ride, and I will just meet you there shortly.”

I could tell he didn’t want to let me go, but knowing I needed a few minutes alone, he just nodded.

In a few moments, he had me downstairs putting in the back of a car to drive me back home.  He gave me a sot kiss and told me he loved me.

I returned the sentiment before sliding into the car and watching New York City disappear in the rearview mirror.

Chapter 33 - Tyler

I put Sam in the car and watched them drive away.  I hated myself for letting her leave, but I knew I had to handle this business with my family, and I didn’t want her caught in the middle.

I stormed back into the apartment and flew into the dining room.

“Mom!  What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I shouted across the room.

“Don’t you start yelling at me, Tyler Wendell!  What were you thinking bringing that girl here?”

“That girl is my girlfriend, and I love her.”

She scoffed.  “Oh please.  A couple weeks ago, I heard you were back with Marisol.  We were so thrilled.  Then, Tess tells me you dumped her to be with this farm girl?”

“Mom! Enough!  You don’t even know her, yet you’re judging. And you want to finally know why Marisol and I didn’t work out?  Because I was in love with someone else!

“And let’s not act like you’re mother of the year.  You only want to be part of my life when it is convenient for you…or when you get to pry into my love life.”

“Why do you think I have to pry?  You don’t tell me anything!  You don’t even answer my phone calls!”

“What do you expect, mom?  All you want to do is tell me how stupid I was for leaving Marisol.”

She stood up as her voice grew louder again.  “Well, she was perfect for you!”

I was so angry I couldn’t get any words out.  Instead my chest heaved as I tried my hardest to think of what to say to this woman to get her to really listen to me.

She came over and put her hands on my cheeks.  “Tyler, I only want what’s best for you.  And I’m sorry, but I just don’t think this girl is it.”

I gently grabbed her hands.  “Mom, listen to me.  Sam is part of my life now…the most important part.  If she isn’t welcome here, I won’t be here either.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m serious.  Back off, or I’m going to walk out the door and never comeback[MHL12].”

Finally, my father stepped in.  “Okay everyone, let’s just calm down.  Maria, she’s a nice girl.  Let’s give her a chance.”

She glared at him.  “Stay out of this, Theo!”

My gaze was still fixed on her.  “I’m serious, Mom.  Now, I’m leaving.  Back the hell off, or I won’t be back.”

Without another word, I walked out.  I couldn’t stand to look at my mother’s face for another second.

As I stepped in the elevator, I was terrified Sam was just going to run again.  I wasn’t going to lose her.  I couldn’t.  I didn’t care if we had to run away and start over away from my crazy mother.

She promised she would be waiting at the house, but I feared her time to think would only give her more reasons to not give this a fair shot.  Before I jumped in the SUV, I called Jacinda to ask her to pick up some flowers for Sam and drop them off to house before she got there.

Time to go get my woman.

Chapter 34 - Sam

The ride back to Boston gave me a lot of time to get my thoughts in order.

I realized that on my list of my worst fears, Tyler’s mom not liking me didn’t even make the list.

No.  In fact, the things that scared me the most, we had already been through.  I told him about my mom, and he didn’t leave.  I told him about my rape, and he didn’t leave.  I tried pushing him away at every turn, and he didn’t leave.

At the end of the day, I didn’t give two shits if his mom didn’t like me.  I wasn’t giving up on this amazing man.

Guilt hit me as I felt awful for leaving New York so suddenly.  I thought about ways I could make it up to Tyler when he got back to the house.  Most all of them had to do with me being naked.

I smiled to myself thinking of the look on his face as he walked through the door with me standing there waiting for him completely nude.

When the car finally pulled to the house, I paid the driver and walked inside.

As I walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, I wondered how long it would take Tyler to get back.  I took out my phone and set it on the counter waiting for it to power back on.

My eyes lit up as I saw the giant bouquet of roses.  Pink roses.  My favorite.

“Aw, Ty,” I whispered.  I figured he must have had Jacinda pick them up and bring them over.

As I walked closer the flower, I immediately grabbed the card and opened it.

Please don’t leave.  We can do this.  I’ll be home soon.  I love you.

-T

I grinned so big my cheeks ached.  But my joy was quickly dampened when I noticed there was something written on the back of the card too.

Written in large, scribbled letters was:

WHORE

What the hell?

I looked down at the flowers and realized every single stem had been snapped.  Every single one.

Goosebumps broke out over my skin as I tried to decipher what was going on.  My question was answered when I heard the sound of loud footprints coming up behind be on the tile floor.

A familiar smell of cologne hit my nostrils, and my gut clenched.  My head began to spin, and my whole body went numb.

The footsteps of large, steel-toed boots inched closer before finally stopping behind me.  An all too familiar voice spoke.

“Hello, Samantha.”