Rent-A-Bride (11 page)

Amelia arched off the bed in pure ecstasy as his nimble tongue circled her areola again and again, sucking and tugging until her throbbing vagina was aching for release.

With lightening quick reflexes, Ed was off the stretcher and pulling her over the side until her upper body draped the stretcher and her feet were once again on the floor. He lifted her dress and pushed her panties to the side.

Positioning himself behind her, one minute Amelia could only feel the scratchy fabric of his slacks, then suddenly the smooth silky skin of his cock was pressed against her bottom. She couldn’t stop the moan of pleasure than escaped as he pushed inside her body, slowly and steadily.

His large hands held her hips as he began to smoothly slide back and forth, his thick rigid cock worked her body as if they’d done this together a thousand times.

Amelia’s whole being was trembling and reaching and wanting. Her arms reached across the stretcher as she clung to it for dear life. Without realizing it, she had lifted up to her tiptoes to allow him better access, and he showed her just how he appreciated the action by pushing deeper into her depths.

She was so close, so very, very close, her heart was pounding and suddenly she felt like a tuning rod that had been hit by lightening as her whole body exploded in convulsions of orgasms and she buried her face in the sheet of the stretcher to keep from crying out.

Ed’s hands on her hips tightened their hold as he pounded into her again and again, her release had only hardened him further. And Amelia continued to hang on as he pushed into her again and again, and again and her orgasm started all over just as he pulled out of her and released his load against her smooth bottom. Finally, exhausted he fell on top of her, his hot breath in her ear.

A
melia stopped outside Stanley’s room and took a deep breath. This was the first time she’d visited him since their mock wedding went all to hell the day before. After what happened with Ed, she had left the hospital directly. She’d needed time to think, and try to sort it out in her head. The conclusion she came to was not a happy one.

Somehow, in less than two weeks she’d allowed herself to fall in love with a man who was still virtually a stranger. Some part of her understood that the situation itself was partially to blame. He was a beautiful man in a great deal of pain and trying to do the right thing. What woman could resist that lethal combination?

For that reason she’d considered that maybe this was all just some lust fueled fantasy and she would eventually get over it. But all it took was the memory of his soulful brown eyes to destroy that argument. No, it was love alright. And that was going to be a problem in more ways than one.

Slowly, she opened the door and peeked around it. Stanley was lying in bed his eyes closed and he was completely still. She glanced at the machines which were still pumping along as normal and satisfied that he was just sleeping she started to back out and close the door.

“Where you going? You just got here.”

She looked again and Stanley’s eyes were open and he was smiling at her. That’s a good sign, she thought, entering the room. “How are you?”

“Tired.” He stretched out his hand to her. “But I’ve only recently learned that tired is a blessing. Tired means you’re alive.”

“That’s true.” She smiled, crossing the room to take his hand.

“How are you, Sugar?”

“Okay,” She blinked rapidly, surprised by the sudden water in her eyes. “About yesterday.”

He patted her hand. “Don’t you worry about that. I had a ball.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, yes, that brother of yours brought me more laughter than I’ve had in years.”

“Ed told you he was my brother?” She asked warily.

“Teddy told me everything.”

“Oh.” Amelia felt the first stirrings of conflicted feelings. On the one hand, she was glad the truth was out. She hated deceiving this sweet old man. But on the other hand, having the truth out in the open eliminated her purpose.

“Have a seat, Sugar, I need to tell you some things.”

Relieved that he didn’t intend to just throw her out in an angry fit, Amelia took the seat closest to the bed.

“But first, I need you to tell me something.”

He sounded so serious, that immediately focused Amelia’s attention. “Um…alright.”

“Do you have feelings for my boy?”

Of all the things she expected to be asked that was the farthest thing from her mind. And since she was still only just figuring out her own feelings, she didn’t really know how to answer that question.

“It’s really a simply question.” Stanley said, tilting his head to the side to study her. “Yes or no?”

“It’s really not that simply, Stanley.”

“Okay, I’ll take that as a yes. Now tell me, what do you plan to do about it?”

She frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, that mess you did yesterday was funny and all, but I want a
real
wedding between you two, whether I’m here to see it or not.”

“Stanley, you do realize he hired me to pretend to be his fiancée, don’t you? There is no real relationship between us.”

Stanley’s eyes shot to her face. “Isn’t there?”

For a moment the knowing look in his eyes scared her into believing he knew what happened between her and Ed.

“I see the way you two look at each other.” He continued.

She relaxed. “That’s just make believe. We were just acting.”

“You can keep telling yourself that if you want, Sugar. But there are things you don‘t understand.”

“What do you mean?”

Stanley frowned and lowered his eyes as if deciding what to say next. “Maybe I’m out of line telling you this, but I just feel you should know.”

“Stanley, what are you trying to say?”

He sighed heavily. “First, close the door.”

Amelia did as he asked and sat back down in her chair, her rapt attention on Stanley as he was obviously struggling with some moral dilemma. “What is it?”

“How much has Teddy told you about his childhood?”

“Just than when he was nine, his family died in a car accident and you became his guardian.”

“Did he tell you he was in that car with them?”

Amelia felt her breath catch in her throat. “No, he never mentioned that.”

“Did he tell you that it took six hours for the rescue crew to get down the side of the hill to get them, and that all that time he was awake, his legs trapped under the seat so he couldn’t get out. All that time trapped in a car with the dead bodies of his mother, father, and one year old sister?”

Amelia covered her mouth in horrified shock. “Oh, my god!”

“Make no mistake, Amelia, I’m telling you this for a reason. Not to shock and traumatize you, but so that you know what you’re working with.” His tired eyes took on a faraway look. “I watched him recover from multiple broken bones, dozens of cuts and scratches and live through years of nightmares. But only recently am I beginning to understand just how deep a well of emotion was caused by that accident.”

“I had no idea. He always seems so controlled, so self contained.”

“Exactly! And it’s taken him year and years of learning to be that controlled and self-contained, so he won’t give it up easily.”

Amelia’s mind returned to their love making the day before and she replayed it in her mind taking into account what she’d been told. He was neither controlled or self contained in that. In fact, she had proof that the deep well of emotion Stanley spoke of was real, because she’d experienced it firsthand.

“Stanley I appreciate you telling me this, but I still don’t know what it has to do with me.”

“Sugar, I see the way you look at my boy. The way he can’t seem to keep his hands off you. I know you care for each other even if you won’t admit it. I know he can be difficult and tends to push people away. That’s why he needs a strong woman, one that can stand her ground. A woman like you, Amelia. But in order to take him on you have to understand what you’re up against.”

He fell back on his pillows, clearly exhausted.

Amelia stood quickly and straightened the pillows behind his head. “Maybe you should rest.”

“I’ll have all the time I could ever need to rest later, but my time with you and Teddy is limited.” He smiled.

She placed a gently kiss on his forehead. “Still…rest. I’ll come back tomorrow and we can talk more then.

• • •

As Amelia skipped down the spiral stairs of Ed’s Sherwood Forest home she considered just letting go of the banister and floating down because she was pretty sure she could if she tried. She was feeling that good and it was all because of the man waiting for her in the kitchen.

In some ways, the failure of their mock wedding had been the best thing to happen because so much had changed in the weeks following it. Stanley seem to be getting stronger by the day, and her relationship with Ed had blossomed into a full fledge love affair. They had become practically inseparable, and Amelia was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same for her as she did for him.

As she entered the kitchen she stopped and leaned against the doorjamb just watching him work. Dressed in nothing but blue jeans and an apron, he looked as delectable as the tray of biscuits he was pulling from the oven.

“Good morning.”

Placing the tray on the counter, he smiled at her over his shoulder. “Sleep good?”

“Like a rock.” She chuckled pushing away from the wall she circled the kitchen island and came to stand beside him. “What smells so good?”

He nuzzled her neck. “You mean other than you?”

She laughed and shimmied away from the tickling feeling of his five o’clock shadow on her face. “Anything I can do to help?”

He nodded. “As a matter of fact, can you grab a can of peach preserves from the pantry?”

She glanced around the large red brick walled kitchen. “Where is the pantry?”

His attention was focused on the strips of bacon he was gently layering in a hot skillet, he tilted his head toward a narrow hall she had not noticed before just beyond the refrigerator. “Back there.”

Humming a nonsensical tune to herself, she strolled over to the entry way and saw two doors on each side of the short hall. “Which room?”

“Second one on your left.” He mumbled, using a spatula to move the bacon around the grease popping skillet.

Amelia moved down the hall, turned the knob, and threw open the second door on the left just as Ed yelled out. “No! I mean right door! Amelia! The second door on your right!”

But she heard none of that as the room erupted in brown, red and gold blur. Sensing danger Amelia covered her head as something large, and squawking charged her. Given the noise and chaos surrounding her, she expected to be hit by something hard and heavy, so the odd combination of soft tuff and sticking pins was surprising. Painful but surprising.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her body and swooped her up and she found herself in the hallway once again, and the door shut behind her. Ed gently lowered her to her feet.

Her heart was pounding against her ribs, her hair was in disarray, and her bare arms were covered with small cuts, and her whole body was shivering with tremors of terror.

“Are you alright?” Ed turned her back and forth like a cardboard cut-out looking her over. “Did he hurt you?”

“What the hell was that?!”

“Merlin.”

“What’s a Merlin?!”

“My hawk.”

“You’re what?!”

He cupped her face between his hands. “Amelia, look at me.”

Amelia tried to focus, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins was making it hard to focus. All she wanted to do was get as far away from that room as possible.

“Look at me!” Ed held her face tight.

Taking a deep breath, Amelia forced herself to look directly at Ed, and when she did and saw the concern in his eyes she helplessly wrapped herself around him.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize my mistake until it was too late.” He squeezed her tight.

“What was that thing?” She glanced back at the door.

“I told you, my hawk.”

Her eyes widened. “You mean a
hawk
hawk. Like in the bird kind of hawk.”

“Do you know of another kind?”

“Why the hell do you have an attack hawk?!”

“He’s not an
attack
hawk. You just startled him. He’s not use to strangers coming in there.” Without warning he swooped her up in his arms again and headed into the kitchen. “I need more light to see how badly you’re hurt.”

With her arms around his neck, she laid her head on his shoulder and realized she didn’t want to ever be put down. “I’m okay. Really. It was mostly the surprise of it all.”

Pushing his perfectly prepared breakfast to the side, he sat her down on the kitchen island, and taking first one then the other of her arms carefully examined each and every cut.

“Thank goodness,” Was his final verdict as he turned to the sink and dampened a paper towel. “He was just trying to scare you away.”

Amelia looked down at her cuts and blisters. “You call this good?”

“Believe me it could’ve been a lot worse.” He wiped the damp paper towel over each of her wounds, then he went to a drawer at the end of the counter. “I have some Neosporin here somewhere. We’ll cover your cuts with this.” He pulled a white tube from the drawer. “And in a couple of days you’ll be good as new.”

Amelia watched quietly as he opened the tube and gently rubbed the cream into each and every little mark on her arms and shoulders, and face. She was remembering the look of fear in his eyes when he pulled her from that room. Up until then, she’d been doubting that he felt anywhere near what she did. She’d doubted that he cared very much as all. But now she knew.

And for the knowledge that he loved her as much as she loved him, she could suffer a few cuts and bruises. Just then Ed looked up and their eyes met, and Amelia found that she couldn’t hold back any longer.

“I love you.” She whispered.

S
omething had changed. Amelia couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it was undeniable. In the days following Merlin’s attack it seemed almost as if some kind of drone had taken over Ed’s body.