Never Give You Up (16 page)

Her thighs shook and she clenched around him as he entered swiftly and deeply. Mary’s eyes widened by the intrusion, yet she perversely enjoyed the pleasure from the pain. Terry must have realized he’d hurt her, and paused. He curved his body over hers, half lying upon her and kissed her deeply, passionately, his hips remaining still.

Then he moved again, rocking her with him in slow, deliberate strokes, lighting her body into liquid insanity. It was amazing how whole yet torn apart she felt in that moment.

She sighed, thrilled by his deep moans as he thrust in and pulled back, tormenting her as she neared the pinnacle of ecstasy again. This time, as Mary clung to him, her body shuddering, her sighs higher and harder, Terry didn’t pull away.

He drove into her again, his body in the same position, his warm stomach caressing hers while his cock surged deep, stroking high—and she let go.

Mary cried out, bucking against him, unable to control her reaction. Terry pulled back slightly to watch her face, to see the sex and satisfaction in her eyes.

His eyes darkened, possessive, as if her cries of ecstasy would forever be for him, and him only.

As she clenched his shaft and fluttered around him, Terry leaned back again and wrapped her legs around his waist. He drove deeper, harder, bucking against her, and Mary took everything he gave.

“I want you to come again.” He reached out and pinched her nipple, twisting it painfully between his fingers.

Mary sighed and moved her hand down to stroke her clit. The dual sensation of their joining while she played with herself was a wicked feeling.

Terry rocked her body as if she was his lover, not his one-night stand.

He pushed deep and pulled back, circling his hips until Mary thought she’d explode. With every thrust she whimpered and clung to his hip with one hand and strummed her clit hard with the other. She wanted him deeper and deeper and harder. She wanted it all.

Soon the wave of heat washed over her again. She clung to his arms and shrieked hard as the orgasm hit. Terry pushed deeper, faster, and moments later he let out a rough moan and found his own shuddering release.

For a long while in the blissful aftermath, Terry remained on top of her as they panted for breath. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and her mouth. Mary couldn’t help being overjoyed being like this with him, something good amidst all the bad.

He rolled over and she nestled into the crook of his shoulder, rubbing and toying with his soft chest hair. It felt right lying with him like this. She felt no guilt, no embarrassment, only contentment. Her lids drifted shut as her hand continued working circles over his chest, until she heard his content snores, and she eventually fell into a hard, fast sleep.

* * * *

What the fuck did I do?

He looked down at her sleeping form.

Tears filled his eyes—something he hadn’t had since he was a boy and he’d broken his leg. Even then his father beat him for crying. Real men didn’t cry, especially over a woman.

He felt like such a fool. A soft-hearted bastard.

And now he was shedding tears over this sleeping beauty like some teenaged boy who got dumped. Except he was the one who had to leave.

Why did something that felt good be bad? He’d never be good enough for her. Never be able to give her peace of mind like she deserved. He was a fool for giving in and taking her to bed, even though she knew what she was doing. He still should’ve been a bigger man and said no.

They came from different worlds. Two places that should never collide.

He should’ve set her at arm’s length right from the beginning.

He should’ve worn a condom.

But they had intensity nailed to a post.

“You better explain to me what’s going on, or you can go back home and wait for more trouble by yourself.”
Her words a few hours ago screamed in his head.

Now he regretted how good it felt to be with her. How soft and supple her body felt beneath him. How she looked up at him and moaned with every thrust. How she wrapped her arms around him with something that felt like trust.

What the hell am I doing?

He pulled the bedspread up and tucked it around her shoulder, covering a body he would love to have beside him every night, and those beautiful imploring eyes that went with it.

“
In this business you have to shut yourself off.”
His father’s words repeated in his mind.

He wished he could block out every word his father had ever said, but he couldn’t. It was time to be who he was supposed to be, whether he liked it or not.

Terry leaned down and kissed her forehead, gently ran his hand over her soft hair, etching everything about her in his tormented mind. Once he slipped on his jacket, he left the note on the bedside table and left the room. The click of the door behind him felt like the last tick of a time bomb.

He hated himself for leaving her like this. Like some cheap floozy he picked up off the street. But he knew if he waited until she woke up, she’d find a way to convince him to stay. She needed to be safe, because where he was going would be hell for a good woman like her.

If somebody was going to follow him and kill him, then he would do it alone. He would accept it like a man.

It took nearly two hours to finally locate the road and that jeep. He considered himself lucky he didn’t take the wrong turn and got lost out here in the middle of nowhere. He’d probably die out here, and he would deserve it.

As the jeep exploded into flames, with the driver at the wheel, Terry wondered why his old man chose this life for them. Maybe Terry could’ve went to college or university. Maybe he could’ve made something of himself. Holding a gun in his hand didn’t feel exciting anymore—it felt like a meaningless duty.

He felt like a teacher who didn’t want to open those books anymore.

He drove all night.

As headlights blurred past him on the highway, he thought about the many mistakes he’d made. He shouldn’t have left home. He shouldn’t have taken advantage of her. Now his father was dead and a business he never wanted had been thrust into his hands.

Life was unfair at the best of times.

All he wanted was time away with a woman who intrigued him. A woman so different than anybody else, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Well, now he’d ruined what could’ve been something good, whether it became permanent or not. She made him feel good and now it was over.

After eleven hours on the road and a ferry ride to the island, he was tired as hell and in terrible spirits.

The moment he walked into his father’s home, he went straight to the study and took his anger out on anything within reach. He grabbed the filing cabinet, tore it from the mount, and threw it across the room. Documents scattered across the floor.

Furious and shaking and hating his life, he picked up the framed picture of he and his father when he was a little boy, when his mother was still alive. She had taken the picture.

Colton’s arm was draped proudly over Terry’s shoulder. They were both smiling.

A sob tore from his throat. Hot tears slipped down his cheeks as he remembered, a long time ago, life had been good.

How times have changed.

Tight in his grip, he carried the picture to the liquor cabinet. Gingerly, he set it down in front of him, opened a bottle of fine whiskey and tipped it to his mouth—his gaze still fastened on his father in the picture.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, staring at the picture, remembering his life up until now, but it was long enough to polish off the bottle. He stumbled back then forward. His vision blurred.

“Fuck you, Colton,” he whispered painfully.

Then he picked up the picture and smashed it into the garbage can.

Chapter 8

Men.

You
can
live without them, and you
can
shoot them—if you want to go to prison.

Right now, Mary wanted to take her trusty old rifle and use Terry for target practice, but she didn’t want the orange jumpsuit.

She’d never been more embarrassed in her life when she left the hotel room the next morning, wearing the same clothes as the day before.

She may be a country bumpkin, but she knew what the walk of shame meant.

Even though she’d tried to sneak away, the housekeeper walked by right at the worst moment. But rather than laugh at or be disgusted, the young woman said, “Good for you,” and smiled before she walked away.

She couldn’t hide. Couldn’t shield herself from this town and these people, or their gossip. Hadn’t she suffered enough already? Terry had no idea what he did to her when he left her alone. Apparently he didn’t listen when she told him how these people treated her since Tom’s death. Was he that much of a selfish idiot?

Now she was a husband killer and a whore.

She slammed his note down onto the table under her living room window and screamed out her frustration. Then she picked the note back up, and reread it again, trying not to cry for the hundredth time. Five days had passed since he disappeared, and she couldn’t sleep or eat or think of anything but him and what the note meant.

She had been so caught up in her torment she almost phoned every McCoy in the phone book in his city, which would be a complete waste of time and foolhardy. She couldn’t imagine criminals being listed in the directory, but Terry did mention he operated a hotel. It couldn’t be too hard to find out which one.

Still, she couldn’t go through with it.

She was alone again. Even after she’d said he was better off leaving, now she felt truly bereft.

Dear Mary,

I never meant to hurt you, and I didn’t come here to use you. Please believe me. Don’t let fear stop you from doing whatever you want in life, because you deserve the world. I don’t. I only had you for one night, but it felt like a lifetime. I have to do what I was born to do. I have no choice.

Forever yours,

Terry

She set the note back down and stared at the dogs outside. They all stared toward the window, ears perked, probably wondering why their quiet and good-natured master was screaming at them like a lunatic. They had no idea how badly a few words could rip a heart out.

Forever yours.

Yeah, right.

If one night felt like a lifetime to him then how could he leave? How could he make her feel wonderful then take off without even saying goodbye properly?

It was her own fault for thinking it was just sex, because it wasn’t. It quickly became far more than that. When he touched her she felt like she meant everything to him. Her body had come alive. Her soul had felt uplifted. And no matter how corny it seemed, she didn’t think she’d ever find another man who could make her feel that way.

Terry had branded her. He’d made her his without even trying.

He’d come here to spend time alone with her, and in the process they were shot at, had sex like desperate strangers in a hotel room, then he took off. Could she handle another broken heart?

She may not have been heartbroken over Tom’s death, but she still hurt. He hurt her then he left her. Terry made love to her and left her. That was worse.

She hung her head and cried. Really cried. What was she supposed to do now?

A loud rap on the back door made her jump. She quickly wiped her eyes and took a deep head-clearing breath.

Maybe it was Terry. Maybe he changed his mind and came back for her. She ran to the door, but when Mary whipped it open, she couldn’t hide her disappointment. There stood Gabe and Mima, holding hands like a perfect, happy couple. She bit back a sob of complete depression.

“Is Terry still here? I have something important to tell him and it should be said in person,” Gabe said, completely unaware of her stricken grief. But Mima stared at her hard. She knew something was wrong.

Ignoring Mima’s intent eyes, Mary shook her head at Gabe and cleared her throat. “I’m afraid not. He left without warning five days ago. I’m a little baffled and pissed off myself.”

“So he knows already.” Gabe hung his head and Mima put her arm around his waist to comfort him. “Son of a bitch. He shouldn’t have went back without me. I just got the message today because of that pathetic radio.”

Mary frowned, confused by the pain written all over Gabe’s face. She’d never seen him like that before. “What’s going on? He knows what already?”

“His father was murdered five days ago.”

All the breath departed Mary’s lungs. Her knees threatened to buckle. Immediately she thought back to the night they shared at the hotel. He started acting strange after his conversation on the phone with that woman. Everything made sense now. Why he seemed angry and lost, why he made love to her with such raw passion, almost as if he needed her to love him.

As if he’d never see her again.