All of You (37 page)

“Lincoln! That’s as bad as lying to me!”

He tried to hug me but I moved back from him.
“I’m sorry, Jillian,” he said. He dropped his arms and hung his
head.

Good Lord! We had just spent a week in misery
because he had lied to me, and now he did it again! I stepped up
close to him.

“Lincoln, look at me.” He complied, looking
sheepish. “I know you want to fix everything, and I appreciate that
so much. I love that you have helped me, and I can’t deny that I’m
so grateful you and your family have done this for me. But you
can’t hide something from me simply because you think it’ll upset
me.”

He was shaking his head before I was even
finished speaking. “I wasn’t trying to hide it. It’s not like we
had time to talk about it, anyway,” Lincoln said, trying to excuse
his behavior.

I glared at him.

“Baby, come here,” he said and pulled me into
a hug. “I am sorry, okay? I do understand where you are coming
from, but I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I only want to take care
of you. I don’t want to fight.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist, and we
stood in the kitchen holding each other. I closed my eyes and
inhaled deeply through my nose. I told myself not to blow this out
of proportion. He hadn't lied. He wasn't hiding this from me. Our
timing was just bad. Had we been together for the past week, this
wouldn't even have been an issue.

“Did you get enough to eat?” Lincoln asked
quietly after a while and I nodded. “Are you still mad at me?”

“No,” I answered with a sigh. “How can I be
mad at you? I’m sorry I freaked out. This is all new to me too,
Lincoln. I’m not used to giving up control and trusting someone.
But for you, I will do my best because I just want to take care of
you too. I want you happy like you’ve made me happy.”

He groaned and pulled my face up to his,
kissing me deeply. He walked me backward against the kitchen
counter and lifted me onto it without breaking the kiss.

I parted my thighs and he stepped in between
them as I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him as close to
me as possible. His giant hands squeezed my hips, and I could feel
desire building inside myself.

Lincoln ripped his mouth away from mine
suddenly and placed his hands on the counter on either side of my
legs and, with closed eyes, tried to calm himself.

He opened his eyes and smiled at me before
reaching behind him, unhooking my legs, and stepping away from me.
“What do you want to do today, Princess?” he asked calmly.

“Well… I thought a certain someone mentioned
chaining me to his bed… but I just can’t think of who that would
have been.”

“You want to go to my place?” he asked and
gave me a dazzling smile.

“Yes, please,” I replied while looking at him
with lust in my eyes.

“Thank God.” He pulled me off the counter.
“Go pack an overnight bag.” he said and swatted me on the butt as I
scampered out of the kitchen giggling.

Chapter
Twenty-five

I followed Lincoln to his house in my car. I
had packed a bag with several outfits just in case I spent more
than one night, which would be fine with me. But I had to work in
the morning, and I thought it would be better if I could drive
myself instead of relying on Lincoln to take me, even though he had
yet to complain.

I stared up at his house in silence after
parking my car in front of it. There was nothing I could do to stop
the memories from the morning I left Lincoln. This time I was
happy, though, and I would not let one fight ruin our
relationship.

Lincoln had parked in the attached garage,
and as I skipped up the steps to the front door he opened it from
the inside with a giant grin on his face. I let my duffle bag fall
to the floor as I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Lincoln hugged me close before setting me back down. He picked up
my duffle bag and surprised me by lifting my small body up in his
arms. I squealed and wrapped my arms around his neck as I lay
sideways in his arms.

He kissed me as he walked through the
doorway, kicking it closed behind us. “I was so afraid you'd never
speak to me again. I never thought I'd have you back here in my
arms,” he confessed between kisses.

I pulled my mouth free from his. “Lincoln, I
want you so badly.”

He groaned and kissed me again as he dropped
my duffle bag on the floor of the entryway. “Oh God, Princess. I’ve
missed you so much.”

He carried me down the steps and across his
man cave, kissing me passionately the whole way. He took a few
calming breaths and set me down once we entered his bedroom. He
moved to the desk against the wall and picked up a tablet. After a
short while, music started playing. A woman’s slow and sweet voice
filled the room as she sang about songbirds and loving someone. I
smiled and unbuttoned my coat and set it on a chair near the bed,
and I kicked off my shoes.

I thought about Lincoln’s cache of condoms,
and my smile grew bigger. We were going to have fun tonight, and I
didn’t even feel the least bit ashamed of my scars. I was just glad
to be with him again.

My eyes flickered to the nightstand where I
knew he kept his condoms and gasped when I saw my terrible picture
laying on top.

Lincoln turned when he heard me gasp and was
by my side in an instant. “I’m sorry. I forgot I left it out,” he
said as if that would make it better.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“I know you hate this picture, but it’s like
an obsession to me. You’re so beautiful.” He paused and looked back
at me. “Please don’t be upset.”

“Give it to me,” I demanded, holding my hand
out.

Lincoln swallowed hard and stepped around the
bed. He met me at the foot of it and held the picture out. I looked
him in the eye, and I could see his fear there. He was afraid I
would run again.

I exhaled heavily and sat down on the end of
the bed with the picture. I traced my fingertips over the scarred
skin on the curves of my hip in the picture. “I had worn a new
outfit that night. I found a soft pink sweater on sale. It made me
feel pretty. On the way to the party, Mackenzie told me how stupid
I was to wear a sweater to a frat party.”

I paused, and Lincoln quickly sat down and
scooted up to my side. He put an arm around me and held me close.
“Jillian, you don’t have to talk about it,” he said quietly.

“I want to tell you,” I insisted. I wanted
him to understand.

He rubbed my back and I continued. “We had
only been there a short while. A girl from my biology class was
talking to me when Mackenzie told me this guy was waiting for me
upstairs. I remember feeling excited. Even though I knew nothing
was going to happen with him, I felt normal. Just a normal college
girl going to a normal party. Not the burned freak from high school
anymore.” I sighed.

Lincoln’s muscles tensed, and he pulled me
closer to him and kissed the side of my head. “You aren’t a freak,
Princess,” he said.

“I didn’t even realize what was going on at
first.” I continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “It was so dark in the
bedroom. When they started ripping my clothes, I thought I was
going to be raped. I tried to scream for help, but being a frat
party, the music was so loud no one outside the room heard me.

“Someone turned on a lamp, and I opened my
eyes to see Mackenzie standing over me with a look of absolute evil
on her face. The flash from the camera was going off, and I
realized what she was doing. I tried to cover up, but they had me
pinned down. Eventually I just gave up and stopped fighting.” I
hunched over on the bed feeling defeated. “It’s just hard to look
at that picture and not see the pain behind it. So when you say
it’s beautiful, it’s hard to believe. I see ugly scars from burns
that took years to heal. I see the pain from three skin grafts. I
see a constant reminder that I will never be normal. And I see a
pretty pink sweater lying ripped in the corner, reminding me of how
stupid I was to trust Mackenzie.”

“Princess… can I tell you what I see?” he
asked.

I was apprehensive but I nodded in reply.

“I see eyes that glow with love when you’re
talking about your niece. I see lips that taste like peaches and
have the power to make me weak in the knees when you smile. I see
hips that mesmerize me when you walk and feet that have the
daintiest little toes. I’m in so deep with you, baby; I even love
your toes,” he said with a small laugh which made me smile.

He reached down and pulled off my socks. I
held up my feet and wiggled my toes with the yellow polish on my
nails.

Lincoln smiled and grabbed my legs and pulled
them across his lap. He ran his hand up my leg before softly
cupping my cheek and turned my face up to his. He stared down at
me, looking intensely into my eyes.

“Thank you for telling me all this, baby. I
know that wasn’t easy.”

“I never thought I’d find someone I could
tell that to. I never thought I’d find someone who would want to
hear it.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.
You’re so strong and beautiful. I can’t ever get enough of you.
That’s why I kept the picture, Jillian. I can never have enough of
you.” His eyes implored me to understand his viewpoint.

I felt like my heart was going to burst.
Lincoln was such an amazing man. I stroked the side of his face
lightly with my fingertips.

“I can’t ever have enough of you either,
Lincoln.”

“I was so afraid I’d lost you,” he told
me.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry I ran from you,
but you have to know I’m yours, Lincoln. I will always be your
princess.”

A smile as bright as the sun broke out across
his face, and he brought his lips down to mine. We kissed
passionately, tangled in each other’s arms, sealing ourselves to
each other. For the first time in a long time, I felt whole and
complete, and it was all because of this wonderful man.

“Let’s shower,” I said to him when our kiss
broke. I wanted to pick up where we had left off before I found the
picture a week ago.

Lincoln smiled knowingly at me. “I already
did,” he said, repeating the words I had said to him the morning
after his birthday.

“So?” I replied with a giggle and stood up
from his embrace. I walked over to the nightstand and opened the
drawer. I set the picture inside and grabbed a condom.

With confidence I didn’t know I possessed, I
winked at him and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open
behind me. I reached into the giant shower stall, turned on the
tap, and adjusted the temperature. When I was satisfied, I turned
around and saw Lincoln watching me from the doorway with an amused
expression on his face.

He entered the bathroom and sat down on the
edge of the Jacuzzi tub we had used the night of his birthday,
which now sat empty. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked
at me with an expectant expression.

I began unbuttoning my shirt. I pulled it off
and let it fall to the floor. I was wearing a pale lacey camisole
underneath which I left on as I moved my fingers to unbutton my
jeans. I watched Lincoln’s expression as my jeans dropped and I
tried gracefully stepping out of them. I kicked them across the
floor so they would be out of the way.

I tried to be seductive as I ran my
fingertips up my thighs to the hem of my camisole. I took a deep
breath and reminded myself this man had seen me naked before and he
still loved me. I pulled the camisole over my head and threw it
near my jeans. I looked at Lincoln and saw his expression had
changed from amusement to desire. His eyes had become deep and
intense and his breathing had quickened.

I twisted my arms behind my back to remove my
bra but Lincoln interrupted me. “Wait,” he said in a husky voice.
He stood up and pulled his own shirt off, dropping it to the floor.
He unbuttoned his jeans and pulled both them and his boxer briefs
down, exposing his growing member. He kicked them to the side,
mimicking my actions, before sitting back down on the edge of the
tub to watch me.

Desire swept through me as I admired his
strong muscles flexing under his tanned skin. My inner muscles
clenched with longing for him, and I licked my lips and bit my
lower lip as my eyes focused on his hardness. I heard him chuckle
softly. I knew he was aware of the effect his naked body was having
on me.

I turned my back to him and shimmied out of
my panties before reaching behind my back to unhook my bra and let
it slide down my arms. I looked over my shoulder and tossed the
fabric at him before stepping into the shower.

I was now obscured from his sight by the
frosted glass doors; I was sure he could only see the shadowed
outline of my body. So I stepped into the flow of water and tipped
my head back, letting the water cascade around me. I quickly soaped
up and ran my hands over my body alluringly, hoping he was
watching.

I was rinsing the shampoo and soap off me
when I heard the shower door click. I opened my eyes to see Lincoln
standing in front of me. I had enough time before he enveloped me
in his arms to let my eyes flick down to see he had already put on
the condom. He pulled me tight against himself, and his hardness
pressed against my pelvis. His hands roamed over my body as if he
couldn’t get enough of me. He palmed my wet breasts as he moved his
mouth to my neck, sucking hard.

I wound my arms around his waist and moved
them lower to squeeze his butt. I moaned loudly as he tugged at my
nipples the same time I squeezed his behind.

Lincoln became even wilder at my reaction and
he moved his mouth to my breast. He sucked a nipple into his mouth
and licked at it repeatedly.

“Ahhh!” I cried out at the pleasure he was
causing inside me. He moved a hand between my legs and lightly
brushed my folds with his fingertips.