Inseparable Strangers (20 page)

Waking
up was a beautiful thing when heavy arms were draped over your waist, and the
slight movement of a tender hand caressed your chest. My nipple erected, and my
nether regions heated with desire.

As
he massaged his way over and around my breasts, he finally gave my hardened
peaks the attention they needed.

“Aaron,”
I whispered. My voice a mere breath. 

Turning
to face him, I searched my way under his shirt and allowed my hands to roam
freely over his rigid muscles. His skin felt like velvet under my fingertips.
My lips were jealous. I bent over him, kissed his tiny nipple, and then
descended down his taut torso. When I reached the trail of hairs below his
belly button, I shimmied his sweats down over his hips.

He
sucked in a deep breath.

“Lennox,”
he growled.

His
hardened length sprang free and I immediately wanted to lick it.

Aaron
took my head and pulled me to him as he sat up. His mouth opened as soon as our
lips met, and his tongue tangled with mine slowly and sensually.

Being
with him touched on every nerve within my body. My skin buzzed all over with
lust.

Aaron
took both of my legs and adjusted them around his waist. We were locked
together and I wanted us to unite as one. With a quick tug, I pulled the hem of
his shirt up and he took over the rest, ripping it over his head. The need to
feel skin on skin was becoming too much for us both, and he fervently took my
shirt off and latched onto my breast.

His
hot, wet tongue circled around my nipple, then his teeth grazed along the
sensitive skin, pulling it to a peak. “God, Lennox, I need you.” His needy
words vibrated over me, piercing me right in the heart.

“I’m
yours, Aaron. Take what is yours,” I murmured.

No
other words were necessary. He did just what I asked and in one swift movement
he was filling me with more than just himself. He was filling me with more love
than I deserved.

He
pumped into me slow and steady; taking his time as if he wanted time to stand
still. If I could stop time, I would hold us in this moment forever.

“Lennox,”
he said panting. “You’re so perfect…so beautiful…so completely mine.” His words
came out uneven. He was lost in me just as I was him, and I hoped we never
found our way out.

His
hands cupped the bottom of my ass cheeks, and he bounced me on him hungrily
increasing the tempo. A tightness formed in my belly and I knew I was seconds
away from having an orgasm.

As
Aaron set the rhythm he desired, I reached between my legs and rubbed my clit
with precise pressure. Hungry, green eyes filled with lust penetrated me, and I
knew my upcoming orgasm was going to send him over the edge.

Aaron
hastily picked up the pace, sending me into an oblivion. My muscles contracted
around him, causing an animalistic groan to erupt from his chest. He shuddered
beneath me as he released his own pleasure.

We
sat still with heavy breaths. Our bodies molded together as one. Neither one of
us attempted to move. The sound of love floated through the air. The silence of
it was beautiful.   

“Lennox.”

“Hmm.”

 “Something’s
different,” he deadpanned.

“What?”
Was he meaning this really happened and it wasn’t a dream?

He
rolled over to his side and took me with him. He took my face in his hands and
gazed intently into my eyes. “What just happened felt…real. Like, really real.
I
felt
every second of it. It wasn’t something forced by energy from my
mind. My nerve endings are no longer desensitized, Lennox. You honestly take my
breath away.” He kissed me as if he was trying to steal the oxygen from my
lungs.

After
coming up for air, he started up again with gusto. “My heart has been hammering
in my chest telling me it’s beating. Feel,” he commanded as he took my hand and
placed it over his heart. Bump, bump, bump tapped against my palm.
Unbelievable.
I pushed myself up, leaned over him and pressed my ear to his chest.

“What’s
happening?”

“Shh,”
I demanded. My heartbeat matched the one I was hearing. The beating was the
speed of a hummingbird’s wings. My lips stretched into the biggest smile.

“It’s
true, isn’t it? I’m not imagining this am I?” he asked as if I never believed
him to start with. If I didn’t have the proof in front of me, I wouldn’t have
believed it. He took me by surprise when he started laughing. “This is fucking
amazing.”

After
just having mind-blowing sex, I couldn’t wrap my head around it all just yet.
He was handling it better than me. I was in shock. “What?” I muttered with a
whisper. Through my fog, his excitement was becoming contagious. “How?”

He
lifted me off of him and sat me down on the bed. In a flash, he was standing on
my bed above me jumping around like a five year old who’d received his favorite
present on Christmas day. “I don’t know, but can you believe it?” I’d never
seen someone so happy in all my life. His smile was turning into a permanent
fixture on his face. It looked good on him.

Shaking
my head, I answered, “No.”

He
stretched his hands out to me, and I took them. With ease, he pulled me up to
his chest, perched my ass in his hands, and fastened my legs around his waist.
Jumping up and down while holding me he laughed with joy. “Do you realize what
this means?” he asked. He didn’t give me the chance to answer. “It means I can
no longer read your mind.” The realization brought me relief.

“Ha!
Now we’re even,” I joked, touching the tip of my nose to his.

 He
gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “We can go out in public and act like a normal
couple now.” He unlatched my legs from his waist and set me down on the bed
with ease. Goose bumps rose up over my arms, so I slipped under the comforter
and tucked it up under my chin. “In fact, I think we should go out for
breakfast and celebrate. I’m starving.”

As
soon as he mentioned eating, a hungry rumble emanated from his stomach. I
slapped my hand over my mouth to control my laugh.

He
grinned. “You know what? I love the feeling of my stomach eating at my
backbone. I’ll embrace any ache or pain I get. As long as I’m alive, I don’t
care.”

Taking
us both by surprise, the door opened and Mom walked in. “Mom!” I shrieked.
Aaron was still standing butt-naked on the bed. Luckily his backside was facing
her.

“What
are you two clowns doing this early in the morning?” Aaron jumped, quickly
trying to cover up his manhood. When he did, his foot got tangled in the
comforter and lost his balance. He hit the bed so hard he bounced off and
landed on the floor.

Grabbing
his side, he groaned as he hunched over and cursed under his breath. “Damn, I
forgot what real pain felt like.”

Mom
disappeared and I rushed over to him to make sure he was okay. He held a hand
up letting me know he was going to survive. “Sharon, I hope you don’t mind my
nakedness,” he said with a grunt, grabbing for his sweatpants.

“She’s
gone. Your cute ass scared her off,” I said giggling.

He
huffed. “I’m glad you find my pain a laughing matter,” he followed with a wink
to let me know he was joking.

I
quickly slipped my cami and shorts back on before Mom came back in the room.
“Mom, Aaron is dressed. You can come back in,” I called out. 

“I’m
making it worse than it really is. It’s just been so long, I can’t be sure
what’s bad enough for the hospital and what’s not.” He laughed as if he were
crazy.

After
slipping back into his sweats, Aaron worked his way up off the floor and sat on
the edge of the bed. “I can’t believe it, Lennox. I’m like you now.” He shook
his head in disbelief with the same smile on his face.

“I
know so far everything that’s happening is a sure sign of you being human but
how do you know you’re really alive and you’re not still in transition?”

He
turned his head and looked at me. “I’m breathing. If I hold my breath, my lungs
start to burn. I can feel
everything
; internally and externally.” His
skin was warm. In fact, it was hot. “My heart is pumping blood through my
veins, feel this.” He took my fingers and pressed them against his juggler. A
rhythmic beat pulsated beneath. It was beautiful. “I can’t disappear. I can’t
see your mom. All my supernatural abilities are gone.”

He
was right. “Oh my god, Aaron. You
are
alive.” I couldn’t pull my hand
away from the steady thump in his neck. I leaned up and kissed him where
fingers were. “You’re a living being again.” You couldn’t erase my smile if you
tried. My happiness mirrored his.

“This
is the best day of my life. I’m so happy I’m able to have this experience with
you,” he said. His hand snaked around my neck and he pulled me against him for
a celebratory kiss. My taste buds didn’t tingle like they had before, but his
flavor was stronger and I couldn’t get enough of it. 

“Ehem.”

I
jumped and took a step away from Aaron as if we were pre-teens getting caught
by our parents. “Sorry, Mom,” I apologized.

“Your
mom is here?” he whispered as if she couldn’t hear him.

Whoa!
“Wait! You can’t see her or hear her?”

His
eyebrows bunched up. “Huh, I guess not.”

A
surge of anxiety hit me. “What will I do when Mom disappears? How will I find
her without you?” I asked Aaron.

Mom
spoke up. “Lennox, I’m not going anywhere. I’m getting a better grip on this
communicating with the living, so if I do leave for a while, I’ll always come
back,” she said reassuring me.

Aaron
held his palm up toward me. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute here. This isn’t
fair. You two can’t be having conversations in front of me,” he said pointing
his finger back and forth at me and the door. He clearly had no idea mom was
standing by the window. “I can’t trust you two to not talk about me,” he
teased, most likely trying to make light of the situation.

“Haha.
Now Mom and I can have our own little secrets without you getting in the middle
of our business,” I teased. I clearly had nothing to hide from him. Aaron
narrowed his eyes at me and ran his hand through his hair. It was a simple
gesture, but I found it sexy.

“Is
that so?” He bit his lip and the memories of this morning ran back through my
mind.

“Oh
boy,” Mom muttered then rolled her eyes.

“Well
shit, now I won’t be able to seduce you whenever I feel the urge,” he said. He
may not have heard her, but he must have sensed how she was reacting to our
flirting. “I’m joking, I’m joking,” he said waving his hand up and down. “No
worries. I wouldn’t disrespect you like that, Sharon.” Watching him trying to
talk to someone he couldn’t see was entertaining.

“Oh,
I wouldn’t stick around if you two got carried away. Believe me, I know my cue
when to leave. I’ve had to do it several times already,” she teased. Inwardly,
I cringed. When Mom had told me before she’d always been by my side, I never
thought about what all she had watched me do until now. “Mom, please tell me
you disappeared during all my most private and personal moments?”

After
I got over the shock of her talking about my potential sex life, I told him
what she said.

A
boisterous laugh came from Aaron and Mom soon followed. I sat on the bed with a
stale expression on my face while I waited for them to get over their fit of
giggles on my behalf.

“Oh
the visuals,” Aaron blurted while bent over laughing.

I
punched him in the arm as hard as I could.

“Ouch!”
he pouted, rubbing his arm. “That hurt.”

“I
meant for it to. I would call you the “p” word but my mom is in the room,” I
laughed.

Mom
hung out with us a few minutes longer before she claimed we needed our privacy.

Once
she was out of the room, Aaron turned to me and cradled my face in his hands.
“You did this, baby. Without your love, I would’ve never been given a second
chance on life.”

I
imitated his movements by encasing his face in my hands. “And without your
love, I would still be a hateful, miserable bitch. Thank you for making me a
better me,” I told him softly then kissed him lovingly on the lips.

He
gazed into my eyes for several seconds and I absorbed every inch of his face.
He was so gorgeous; I could stare at him all day. “Are you ready to go to your
father’s and get things dealt with so we can work on our future together?”

Nodding,
I agreed, and it pleased me to know he saw his future with me just as I did
with him.

“C’mon,
let’s shower and get this day over with,” he said as he smacked me on the ass.

After
we showered and got ourselves ready, I asked Aaron if we could wait on
breakfast in town. He agreed and we settled for cereal instead. The sooner I
talked to my dad, the faster I could get past the obstacles in the road to my
future with Aaron. Grabbing my keys from the side table, I walked into the
garage and slid into the leather seat of my car.

Startled
by Aaron and my mother already inside my car, I screamed, then swatted at Aaron
for frightening me. “What the hell? You two scared the shit out of me,” I said,
catching my breath. I held my hand over my heart as if it would help slow down
the pace. “You’re no longer dead so how did you beat me?” I asked.

He
shrugged with his eyes widened. “I really don’t know. Must be my stealth
moves,” he said with a chuckle.

Narrowing
my eyes at him, I silently told him he was full of shit. “Don’t let this human
life go to your head. It can be taken from you just as quick as it was given to
you.” Instantly, I regretted my words. It was meant as a joke, but the sullen
look on his face told me he took it differently. “I’m sorry, Aaron. I didn’t
mean it that way,” I leaned over the console and kissed him on the corner of
his mouth. He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me back to him for a
full-on lips on lips kiss. I guess he didn’t like my half-ass job.

Neither
of us moved. We stared each other down. I was mesmerized by the new living and
breathing Aaron. What he saw in me, I wasn’t exactly sure. After many years of
believing I was better than everyone else, I knew I was possibly the worst
person walking the earth. Well, not the worst. There was still Pam. And now my
father. Aaron wanted to come with me to support me, but there wasn’t any reason
in bringing him face to face with the man who had ordered his death.

“Aaron,
you should stay here. If he sees you he might do something worse than what he’s
done already.”

“I
can’t allow you to go alone. Lennox, your father is a dangerous man. If you
confront him, he’s liable to lose his head,” Aaron explained. The concern was
evident in his eyes.

“Aaron
is right, Lennox. It’s best if we both go with you.”

“I’m
his baby girl. He won’t hurt me.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince
them or myself. From what I’d learned, he was a different person than I’d
always believed him to be. He’d never gave me a sense of insecurity. And I had
to believe he would never hurt me. Pam, on the other hand, was a different
story.

“We’re
not willing to take any chances. Besides, if your mom pulls a few of my old
moves, he’ll be scared shitless,” he said smiling, very sure of himself.

When
we pulled up to the gate, the big, burly guard, Dwight knew me well and allowed
me inside without any question. “It’s nice to see you visit your father,
Lennox.” He nodded to Aaron as if to say hello. Aaron’s eyes broadened in
surprise. I think he forgot people could see him now.

Plastering
on a faux smile, I asked with an upbeat voice, “Do you know if Pam is home?”

He
shook his head with a smile. “Nope. Today is your lucky day.” He loathed Pam
just as much as I did.

“Excellent.
Thanks, Dwight.”

“Don’t
be a stranger so much, Lennox. The guy is getting old, you know.” I smiled at
him, then rolled my eyes once I got out of his sight. It was once again a
dreary, rainy day. The lights were on in his office, so I knew he was home.

Fluffing
my hair and wiping the mascara off from underneath my puffy eyes, I examined
myself in the mirror on my visor to look as presentable as possible. My father
knew me well, and if I showed up looking as if I’d just crawled out of bed
after a night of partying, he would be suspicious.

“You
look beautiful,” my mother said from the back seat.

I
smiled. “Mom, of course you say that but Dad can’t be fooled. He’s already
going to wonder what my unexpected visit is for. The least I can do is look
presentable,” I said, dabbing a touch of lip gloss to my dried lips.

They
followed close by me as I walked up to the front door and walked in. “Hi Dad,”
I yelled out into the foyer. “Your favorite daughter is here,” I added with a
singsong voice. I had to try to make things as normal as possible, and this was
my normal way of making my presence known.

“Aaron,
go make yourself scarce. I don’t want him seeing you yet,” I muttered quietly.
Aaron slipped behind the wall leading to the kitchen.

He
came walking out from his office with his arms held out waiting for a hug.
“Wow. What brings this impromptu visit?” He kissed my cheek then hugged me
tight.

Backing
away he raised an eyebrow. “Are you in trouble or something?”

“No,”
I answered, giggling nervously. “What would make you think that? You know I
don’t get into trouble.”

“Well
usually when you pop up out of the blue you want money, but you’re not
sweet-talking me already so I know that can be the reason.”
Damn. He knew me
better than I’d thought.

I
breathed in deeply through my nose then released in a shaky breath. “Actually,
I have something very important I need to talk to you about. Can we go
somewhere comfortable?” I asked, nodding my head toward the family room.

His
eyebrow lowered and both were now pulled tightly together. A deep wrinkle
formed between his eyes. “Sure. Are you okay? What’s going on?” he asked with a
worried voice. His worry was for me, not himself. He was oblivious of what was
about to happen.

I
didn’t want to lie to him because in all reality, I really wasn’t okay. “Just
come in here and I’ll explain everything to you.”

“I
don’t like the way this sounds, Lennox.” His voice was low and stern. My father
hated surprises. This was going to be one surprise that would take him over the
edge.

 “Dad,
just come in here,” I said walking into the family room. Sitting down on the
sofa, I motioned for him to sit in his favorite recliner.

He
was reluctant, but he did as I asked him. Mom perched herself beside side of
him. “Aaron is right outside the room in case he loses his cool and does
something harsh,” said Mom. “We know what he’s capable of, and I can’t take any
chances on him hurting you.” I gave a single nod so I wouldn’t make Dad
suspicious of her presence.

He
had a glass of scotch in hand and swirled it around before taking a sip. “Okay,
what’s going on? You’re making me uneasy and I don’t like being in the dark.”

“I
know you’ve told me before but how exactly did Mom die?”

An
unbalanced laugh fell from his mouth. “Lennox, we’ve been through this a
million times, why are you asking?”

“Because
I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately. A little more than normal and I feel
like I can’t remember anything.” Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. They
were ninety percent fake and ten percent real. I was the best fake crier in the
entire state of Virginia.

The
corners of Dad’s mouth fell down into a frown. “Oh, Lennox baby, please don’t
do this to yourself. I know it’s been so hard on you, but thinking about it
only depresses you. You have so many other wonderful memories of your life to
fulfill your happiness.”

“I
know, it’s just the holidays are getting close, and it’s always the toughest
time for me. That and my birthday,” I said, trying to smile but it only came
out to a slight crooked pull to one side of my mouth.

He
closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She died from a brain
injury. It was so unexpected…the saddest day of my life.” His head hung low. He
kept it down and I wondered if he was unable to look me in the eye as he lied
to my face.

My
heart raced in my chest and my nerves were like a livewire causing my
fingertips to go numb. “Dad, you’re lying to me and I know it. You had a hand
in her death and covered it up.” I was a mess inside and I hoped he couldn’t
see through me.

I
jerked when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “You’re fine. Stay strong. Don’t let
him manipulate you because he will,” Mom said from behind me. Nodding once, I
agreed.

A
high-pitched laugh jolted me. “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard,
Lennox. You should be ashamed of yourself. I’m not going to sit here and listen
to whatever crazy accusations you have,” he said, speeding through his words.
His knee bounced, and his nervousness was making me nervous more than I already
was.

Remaining
calm on the outside, I pushed forward. “Dad, I’m not accusing you of her death,
but I do want to question you about dumping her body into Beckford River.”

Closely
gaging his reaction, I knew I was spot on. His eyes widened before he quickly
gained self-control. He cleared his throat numerous times then stood up.
“Lennox, you’re not going to come into my house and accuse me of killing your
mother. I don’t know what has brought this on, but I’m not staying around to
listen to this shit,” he said walking out of the family room.

Following
him as he walked into his study, I questioned him further. “Then you wouldn’t
know about the death of a homeless guy, Aaron, who watched you toss mom into
the trunk of your car?” He stopped mid-step, then proceeded on to his desk.

When
he turned around to look at me, his face was expressionless. He was good. He
was damn good. “Where is all of this coming from? It’s false information, you
know? These rumors have been floating around for years. Honestly, I’m really
surprised you’re just now hearing about it,” he said with exasperation and
flailing arms.

“Dad,”
I said pleadingly, “it’s not rumors. I know what happened. I know what you did.
You and Mom fought on the steps. She saw you kissing your secretary
, Pam,
and left.” I proceeded to tell him step by step what Mom and Aaron had told me
about the events that unfolded that night.

Carefully,
I kept my eyes on him as the story unfolded. Trying to catch a hint of guilt, I
then brought up the fact he hired someone to murder Aaron. “He was homeless
Dad. Who was he going to tell? Who would’ve believed him? If he’d gone to the
cops they would’ve blown him off thinking he was crazy or something,” I said,
pressing on.

Dad
balled his hands up tight. “Stop. Stop, dammit! Just stop!” He bursted out,
slamming his fist on the wooden desk.

“Why,
Dad? Why did you murder an innocent man and cover up Mom’s death? You’re a
monster.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. His tough exterior was slowly
cracking. The more I pushed, the more he was losing it. “You took my mother
from me,” I cried. “Was she not good enough? Could she not feed your sexual
desire?” I spat at him. Sobs wracked my body. Mom was by my side hugging me.
“If Pam was the one you wanted then why didn’t you just leave mom? Why did you
have to ruin her life and mine?” I shouted.

“Yes,
she was enough but I was a selfish bastard,” he screamed. “Is that what you
want to hear? I betrayed your mother and she didn’t deserve what happened to
her. I’ve replayed that day a million times over in my head wishing I’d done
things differently,” he said, his voice cracking. His head dropped and his
shoulders slumped forward. “It was all an accident. I never meant for anything
bad to happen. I’m so sorry, Lennox. I’m so sorry for lying to you. If it
wasn’t for you needing me, I would’ve taken my life that day when your mother
died.” He looked up and our eyes met. His dark lashes clumped together with
tears, and his eyes were red. “I loved your mother with all my heart. When she
died, she took a large piece of my heart with her. It nearly killed me to put
her in the river, but I had to do what I thought best to protect us. If that
guy reported me, they would’ve locked me up for life and you would’ve been
placed in the system.”

“And
that’s why you had him murdered?”

He
nodded. “I couldn’t take that chance. The thoughts of losing you too were more
than I could bear.” His eyes engaged me for a moment then they widened. He came
to the realization of something. “Are you turning me in? Are you going to
tell?” There was a silent plea in his voice.

Shaking
my head, I told him, “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. I’m so much in
shock, I can’t get my head wrapped around what’s going on.”

Dad’s
hands became busy under his desk. “You can’t go to the cops, Lennox. You will
ruin us; our family, our homes, my practice.”

“Our
family? When you brought Pam into our lives, you did a pretty damn good job of
ruining us then. She was the culprit of Mom’s death and instead of kicking her
to the curb, you married her money-hungry-ass.” I fired back. I dropped down
into my old favorite green chair I used to sit in when I was little. When I got
older, Dad kept the chair in his office even though I never sat in it anymore.
“I don’t know what to do, Dad. You killed an innocent man. Your actions led up
to Mom’s unruly death. I don’t know if I can ignore this. Everyone has suffered
from yours and Pam’s actions and it’s not fair.”

“You
think I’ve not suffered? You think it’s been easy for me to live with the guilt
all these years? Hell, it’s been torture.” He rubbed his temples. “You know
what? I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. I’m not taking the blame for her
secret anymore.” She had a secret too? What was she hiding in all of this?