Restoring Hope (26 page)

As he drove swiftly through the streets, cars honking as he cut them off, Hope was purchasing a ticket for New York, final destination, Canada. She hoped to hide there from John until he was brought to trial and sentenced.

She made her way through the turnstiles, her eyes down to avoid the stares she was sure were there. She’d held her emotions in check all the way to the train station, but as she purchased her ticket, the realization that she was indeed leaving choked her and the tears she held at bay won out.

If Nic had seen those tears as he made his way faster still to the station, he would have ripped his own heart out at the sight. But, he was too busy cursing his own stupidity for doubting that the woman he’d held in his arms, made love to with a passion he hadn’t felt in years, was anything but the angel he knew she was, and if he didn’t reach her in time, he feared he’d never find her.

As Hope made her way to the train that would take her from the first place she’d felt safe, cared for, genuinely happy since her parent died, Nic was stuck at an intersection two blocks from the station. A collision between a car and truck had traffic at a standstill. Frustration mounting, Nic barked, “Fuck it,” and opened his door and told Big Daddy, “I’m running the last two blocks, meet me at the station when you can get through.” Then he took off running, his eyes on the train station as he jumped curbs, rounded stopped cars and threw his hands out to stop vehicles as he ran through a green light, not wasting a second to stop.

Hope handed her ticket to the conductor, and when the man smiled at her and saw the pain and tears in her eyes he asked, “You okay, miss?” Nodding, and then she shook her head no, she sucked in a breath and then answered, “I really enjoyed my time here and hate to leave.” The conductor laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned in telling her “The magic that is New Orleans stays with you your whole life. You come back soon and fill up again with Cajun dreams.”

Biting her lips to keep from breaking down, his words hitting too close to the heart of the matter, she nodded and then climbed the steps and made her way to her seat. She stored her bags underneath her seat, sat down, put her head to the window, and closed her eyes to block out the pain as Nic finally reached the station.

Running to the ticket counter he stepped in front of a large man who was next in line and ignored that man’s “Hey, back of the line,” as he leaned in and asked, “Blonde woman, petite, looks like an angel, did she buy a ticket from you?” The man behind the counter shook his head, and Nic moved down the line to the next agent and repeated the same question over and over until he found a woman who said, “Yes, sad woman, I was worried about her.”

“What train?”

“We aren’t supposed to give—“

“Her name is Hope, I screwed up, and if I don’t stop her, she’ll never know.” The older woman looked over her shoulder then clicked on her keyboard. “She bought a ticket for New York, and it leaves,” then she looked at the clock on the wall and said, “Now, platform four.”

Without so much as a thank you to the woman, Nic bolted away from the ticket counter, jumped the turnstile, and bumped and pushed his way down the hall to get to the train.

As Hope heard the conductor announce the departure, she took a deep breath and said her quiet goodbyes. Nic’s dark soulful eyes smiling back at her, Rose’s boisterous laugh, Big Daddy’s fatherly advice, all forefront in her mind as she heard the train’s engine begin to throttle. A knot formed in her throat, and the tears began to fall as Nic rushed to the platform shouting, “Hope.”

She didn’t hear his call; the windows were thick and the engine loud. He ran down the side of the train, looking through the windows at the passengers, searching for her blonde hair.

As the train started to pull forward, Nic shouted, “Stop the train,” to a conductor standing on the platform but the man shook his head. Nic kept moving forward running faster than the train as it pulled forward slowly to leave the station. He caught sight of blonde hair a car ahead and sprinted to the window and saw Hope with her eyes closed; head pressed against it. He shouted, but she didn’t hear him, so drew his fist back and punched the window hard.

Hope, eyes closed, her heart in pieces jumped when something hit her window, and she turned to see Nic running next to the train shouting at her. She froze at first; convinced her mind was playing tricks on her, and then mouthed “Nic?”

When Hope turned and looked at Nic, finally seeing him, he knew he didn’t have time to say anything, but “Get off the fuckin train, NOW.” He watched as her eyes grew wide, and she hesitated for an instant as he ran out of platform, and the train continued down the track. He stood there as car after car moved past him, but he kept his eyes on the train praying to God that she understood him.

Just as he thought she was gone, Hope emerged at the back of the train, and Nic ran to the edge and shouted, “Jump!”

Hope hesitated, then took a deep breath and launched herself onto the platform landing on her hands and knees, but only for a second. Nic scooped her up, and the minute she felt his arms around her the floodgates opened. She buried her head in his neck, and then wrapped her legs around his waist holding on tight, afraid to let him go. He’d come for her, like a white knight in a fairy tale; he’d come for her and was holding her in his arms, his mouth at her ear whispering, “
Ma coeur je t’aim
.”

Nic buried his head deeper in her neck, the realization he’d almost been too late seized him and he hissed, “Fuck, I almost lost you, I’m such an ass.”

They stood there; Hope wrapped around Nic like a monkey, her sobs in his ear as he tried to put into words how much of a fool he was and that he loved her. He fuckin’ loved her, and he hadn’t known it until he’d stared into the eyes of a woman he thought he’d loved when he married her. He hadn’t known what real soul-fulfilling love was, until he’d almost thrown it away because of his stupid pride. It doesn’t take years to fall in love when a person is your other half. Your heart recognizes them, sees them for what they are the minute you cross paths. The trick to finding them is to listen to your heart not your head.

“You came,” Hope whispered in his throat, amazed that he’d come after her, felt deep down that he hated her, and she was so confused.

“Always, angel, like I said, I’d rather cut my hand off than let you leave.”

Hope didn’t let go, didn’t’ want to let go, she kept her arms and legs around him as he walked down the platform so he could get his woman home and apologize in private. No eyes or ears to keep him from saying exactly what needed to be said.

“Nic?” Hope whispered in his ear.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Did you just tell me you love me in French?”

“Oui, ma douce amour,”
he whispered back and then stopped, let her feet hit the ground and then raised his hands to cup her face. He wiped the tears from her eyes, kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and then her nose. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip and watched as her tongue snaked out and tasted his finger. He leaned down, nipped her bottom lip, both hands in her hair as he captured her mouth and poured his love into the kiss.

Hope whimpered as his tongue tangled with hers, still in shock that he’d come for her. When he wrapped an arm around her back lifting her off the floor so he could plaster her to his body, he deepened their kiss. The kiss felt like a new beginning like a door had opened, and together they were walking through it with no more secrets between them. It was a branding, a coming together as one and any hesitation she had about why he’d come after her were washed away when he mumbled against her lips.

“God gave me three gifts in this life; one he took too soon, one that makes me proud each day and one I never saw coming until she stumbled into my life and woke me up. I won’t take them for granted another day, and I’ll fight like hell to keep them safe,” Nic vowed then pulled back and said in all seriousness. “But, if you ever take off like that again I will put you over my knee till you can’t sit for a week.”

“What?”

“Learn quickly, sugar . . . I will love you, fight with you, die for you, but I will also put your sweet ass over my knee if you run from me.”

“You wouldn’t?” Hope asked shocked, and maybe a little turned on.

“Oh, sugar, you wanna find out, try me and see what happens. Fair warning though, if you like it, I’ll find another way to punish you for running.”

“That train is looking better and better to me,” Hope announced.

“They have cars with beds, you wanna test me, have at it. I’ll make do with close quarters.”

“How come you never showed me this side before?”

“You were too busy looking over your shoulder to see what was right in front of you.”

“What was right in front of me?”

“Your future, angel, all six foot two inches of him,” Nic explained then brushed his lips across hers until she opened her mouth. Nic drank in the taste of her until he wanted to bury himself deep, and show her what it meant to be well and truly loved by a man who used his hands for pleasure, not pain.

“Nic,” Hope gasped as his lips brushed against her silky thigh. Then he gave her what she wanted when his mouth found her core. He ran his tongue through her folds finding the tiny bundle of nerves and he flicked her with his tongue. Her back arched off the bed; her hands yanked his head down to her pulsing center, needing relief, and he grinned at her.

He’d built her into a frenzy, his hands teasing her, his fingers finding a rhythm as he plunged deep inside her finding that spot that turns a fire into an inferno. He’d curled up his finger, tapped that spot that made her fly and she exploded on his hand, riding it hard. Nic watched the beauty that was Hope as she climaxed, and he felt the wetness drench his hand. She was so responsive to him, like she was made for him alone. Moving up her body, trailing kisses and nipping each nipple as he moved between her spread legs, she was waiting for him to anchor himself deep inside her silken heat, to bring them both to a climax that signaled the beginning of the rest of their lives.

With patience, he didn’t have; Nic gave her what she needed. A gentle hand to give her pleasure, words of love to heal her heart, and finally his body to show her that a man, powerful in size, could give her nothing but pleasure be it with hand, mouth or cock.

Running a finger down her folds and feeling the wetness he’d created, he growled in possessiveness. Grabbing his shaft and centering it at her entrance, he pushed in as Hope gasped from the feeling of fullness. Nic hissed at the heat, then sank in and held. He buried his mouth in her neck and bit down as he pulled out and plunged back in.

“Oh, God,” Hope whimpered as she bent her head back, the feel of Nic’s teeth digging into her neck caused her core to spasm. Nipping his way to her ear, he drove in deep again, sinking into her sweet, hot flesh as he groaned, “This is mine, this body, this heart.”

“Yes,” Hope answered, her breathy word causing his cock to swell even more.

“I’ll keep you safe,” Nic grunted as his own release built quickly. “No man will lay a hand on you again, do you hear me?”

“Nic, please,” she begged needing more, more pounding, more everything until he shattered what was left of any walls she kept around her. At her plea, he pulled back, rammed in hard, and repeated it over and over until they were both moaning.

His pounding sparked a blaze that erupted for them both on his final thrust. She shouted his name as he buried himself to the root and pulsed inside her, emptying himself into her warm, silken flesh. Gasping for air, stuck together with sweat and sex Nic rolled to his back, bringing Hope with him and tucked her into his body. They both lay there catching their breath, the air heavy with their scent. Nic rolled up, grabbed a towel from his chair and cleaned them both, too tired for a shower. Then he grabbed the bed sheets and pulled them over their bodies. Running his hand down her side until he found her sweet ass, he squeezed it and then kissed her head as she burrowed into his side, relaxed, satiated and exhausted. He whispered “No more pain, sugar, we put the past behind us and move forward together, you with me?”

“I’m with you, Nic,” Hope whispered into his chest.

Contentment he hadn’t known in a while consumed him, and he felt his eyelids grow heavy, as Hope lay tucked into his side. Hope’s breathing slowed, and Nic knew she’d fallen asleep, exhausted from the last two days. Wrapping her tighter into his body, he closed his eyes secure in the knowledge that Hope was completely his and safe.