Bound to Her - Deborah Pin (books for 9th graders .TXT) 📗

whole again but she let him step back from her. He

watched her carefully. He wasn’t buying her mood in the least. The suspicion in his eyes was pinning her to the spot, charging her with it.

When he turned from her, she shut the door and retreated to the

bathroom. She washed her face, flushing it with cool water she hoped desperately would clear her head. They were lovely. Every last one of them was precious, sweet and decent.

She couldn’t hurt that—even if it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t her fault! It was an infuriating truth knowing this was being done to her and outside

her control and it could hurt the man she loved and everything in the world he cared for.

Seeing his family was an amazing thing. She was happy, she was jealous, she felt guilty and she just wanted to be one of them in a very immature pathetic sort of way. When there was a knock on the door, she

grabbed the hand towel and dried her face quickly as she pulled the door

open.

“Hi.” Molly looked nervous.

“Hi.”

“You’re okay, aren’t you?” Katrina nodded. “It must be a lot. All of us

at once. What about your own family? I mean, are you close?”

“No. My mother left my father and me when I was still in diapers and

my father passed away a few years ago.”

“Oh, Katrina. I’m so sorry. You’re completely alone in all this. I mean…you’ll never be alone with Dillon, or with us for that matter, but

you know what I mean.” She winked at Katrina. “He loves you.” She shook her head as a smile crept across her face. “Wow. I wasn’t sure I’d

see that again but he does. Something fierce too. Do you love him as well?”

“Yes I do.” There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation in her voice.

“Then why do you look so sad?” Molly studied her.

Katrina stared at the floor for a moment. She had no idea how to answer this. “Because I love him.” Molly cocked her head to the side in confusion. “I don’t want any part of this mess to touch him—to touch Seth. I’m worried all the time the people I care about are going to be hurt

because of me and I’m just not sure I could handle that.”

Molly’s eyes closed slowly as she soaked in Katrina’s worry. But

when they opened again it was with resolve. “And if the situation were

reversed? If Dillon’s life were in danger? Would you leave him just because he was afraid of the effect it might have on you?”

“No.”

“Then why should you expect anything less from him?” She watched

Katrina for a moment before she spoke again. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

Then she was gone.

Dillon watched her from across the table at dinner. She was having a

hard time shaking her funk. She understood it. She was tired of her life

being a drama-fest. She wanted to be normal, plain, boring and just

ordinary again. The compassionate eyes that watched her now made it clear she was none of those things. They were kind, generous and when

Dillon’s father had rubbed her shoulder as she’d entered the kitchen, it was made clear they weren’t the least bit resentful. But the suspicious eyes that watched her across the table said Dillon wasn’t buying it.

She tried to smile at him but he just watched her. He watched her, knowing she was trying to hide the ugliness from him. And he said nothing.

Chapter Twenty-Five

It wasn’t difficult to put himself in her position. He knew she carried

a load of guilt around most of the time these days. His only real hope was ending this thing, keeping her safe and giving her what she needed

to move forward with him. He needed to take away the guilt she felt and

he knew an end to this nightmare was the only thing that would.

Ironically her guilt was a wedge that threatened to pull them apart and

yet it was owed entirely to the fact she cared for him—heartwarming and

terrifying all in one breath.

Molly asked her to take a walk after dinner was finished and she agreed. He watched her leave with Molly. He’d seen few real smiles from

her since they’d arrived. She showed his family what she thought they wanted to see. She flashed a quick completely contrived smile when they

looked at her but he always saw it drop from her face quickly when they

looked away.

He saw it, he studied it, he hated it. She should at least be able to relax

here. She was safe—it was supposed to be a reprieve but her expression

said she’d carried every ounce of her worry with her. Of course she had.

She was going through hell at the moment and that wasn’t something so

easily forgotten.

“She’s really lovely, Dillon.” His mom squeezed his arm as she

moved past him in the kitchen.

“Yes she is. I’m worried about her though.”

“How so?” His father had joined them at the kitchen island.

“She’s just so worried about everything. So am I, but I hate that she is.”

“Seems understandable that she’d worry. She must be terrified.” Del

commiserated with a slight shake of her head.

“Of course, but it’s not just that. It’s us. It’s everything. She worries I

could be hurt. She worries Seth could be hurt. She worries I’m going to

lose my job. She holds herself so responsible for everything and none of

it is her fault.”

“I shouldn’t have asked you about your job in front of her this afternoon. I wasn’t thinking. I should have known she’d feel bad about that.” His father looked guilty.

“It’s okay. It’s just taking its toll on her. She’s been dealing with this

for a while now. She’s been attacked, terrorized, tormented and we haven’t been able to do a damn thing about it. Her entire life has been turned upside down. Everything she’s ever known has been threatened

or destroyed and everything she cares about has been jeopardized. I get

it. I just hate that she has to deal with it.”

“Can’t be easy considering you two haven’t been together long.” He

wasn’t entirely sure what his mother’s point was, but if she was going to

suggest they’d not been together long enough, it wasn’t going to go over

well.

“Meaning?” He tried not to sound defensive.

“Meaning that neither of you should have to spend your time

focusing on this instead of your relationship. I wasn’t suggesting

anything other than that, so just wipe that look off your face.” Well, she’d put him in his spot. “You love her. It’s obvious. And you’ll never hear a

peep out of me about it. I understand. And she loves you too. That’s obvious as well, by the way.”

“Yeah, well sometimes I’m not sure that’s enough for her. Or if it’s enough to make her walk away, thinking she’s doing me some favor.”

His mother pursed her lips. “You’re going to have to talk to Seth about this. He’s worried about her. He’s a smart kid and he knows something is going on with her.”

“I’m going to talk to him tomorrow.”

Molly and Katrina returned a short while later and the moment she walked in she smiled sheepishly at him. He didn’t approach her, but waited to see if she would approach him instead. She did, hesitantly looking up at him when she stepped up beside him. He kissed her on the

top of her head and she leaned into his side.

The boys had gone back to the park and they wouldn’t see them again

until dark, so they settled into the living room. Katrina sat close at his side and she made small talk for a while before excusing herself to bed.

She kissed him quickly before wishing everyone good night and then she

was gone and he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

He followed the boys up to bed a few hours later and he spent the next couple hours tossing and turning until he finally fell asleep. He woke in a start shortly thereafter and as he gasped into the darkness, he

had to reassure himself she was okay just to keep from panicking. He wasn’t sure what the dream had been about but he knew it was about her

and it wasn’t good.

He stumbled up the flight of stairs to her room and he silently

crawled in next to her. Her body was warm and he instantly started to drift back to sleep.

“I love you.” He’d not realized she was awake until her quiet voice brought him back from sleep.

“I love you too.” He was hugging her body from behind and he let his

fingers slowly brush up her leg and under the gown she was wearing.

When he reached her waist, he slid his hand back down under her

underwear, rubbing down the round cheek of her bottom. He slid his finger between the back of her legs, finding her warm and wet.

“I can’t do this here. Not in your parents’ house.”

He groaned. “You’re killing me.” He took her hand, guiding it to his

hard arousal. “I need you. Now.”

She moaned. “You know I want to.”

“Yes I do. Your pussy is drenched. You’re ready.” He was nuzzling against the back of her neck and she was sighing and moaning quietly.

“Come with me.”

He rolled from bed and held his hand out to her. It was dark but the

moon was nearly full and shining in through the French doors. He

walked with her to the doors, grabbing a wooden chair sitting beside a small desk. The chair was antique and he was hoping for the sake of his

ass and his dignity that it was not just decorative and would hold together.

When he opened the doors, she stilled by his side. “Dillon, this wasn’t

quite what I meant when I said not in their house.”

“I’m well aware of what you meant.” He pulled her out onto the

small balcony and set the chair down. “Now this chair is old as hell and

you’re going to have to be gentle with me if there’s much hope we won’t

destroy it. And this is your bedroom so you’ll be the one explaining to

my mother why her antique is in pieces on the balcony. Nervous yet?”

“Dillon…”

“Unless you’re moaning my name when I’m inside you, stop saying

my name like I’m an insolent child.”

“I’m not sure that’s far from the truth.” He chuckled. It was a spark of

her humor—just a spark but it was enough to light a fire in his gut.

He stepped up close to her, inching the hem of her nightgown up

along her legs. Her breathing was ragged and nervous and when he

finally raised the hem above her panty line, he slipped his fingers under

the waist and slid them down her hips. His dick was hard as hell. He wasn’t lying when he’d said he needed her. He needed her to give herself

to him. She could be terrified or worried but she couldn’t keep herself from him.

He pulled down the front of his flannel pants, tucking the elastic under his testicles, tightening the building tension in his sac all the more.

His cock was touching her stomach and her hands instantly moved to his

length.

He moaned as her fingers moved down. She grazed her soft touch

over his tight balls. She toyed with his skin, trailing the lightest touch along his shaft just to tickle her way over his testicles again. She pushed

the elastic down farther, cupping him in her hand. She squeezed and his

head dropped back as he fought the moan.

He was no more interested in waking the house than she was, but she

tended to drive him over his edge of reason quickly, and her hands were

doing a great job of reminding him just how easy he could succumb to her.

He let her hands squeeze, glide, grip and torment him for as long as

he could handle before he stilled her and dropped his pants to his feet.

He reached up under her gown to glide his fingers between her lips. She

was silky wet and he could already imagine sliding his dick through her

moisture. He loved the feel of her come on his skin and his cock was twitching for it.

She gripped his biceps as he slid up and down her cleft. Every time his finger passed over her clit, she cried out quietly and her fingers gripped tighter on his arm. It was with intense difficulty that he pulled

his fingers from her body but he wasn’t going to last much longer like

this. He really was a bit leery about the chair that must surely be over a hundred years old but it gave barely a creak as he sat. Whether he would

end up with splinters in his ass was another question entirely.

He guided her body to straddle him and she sank down to sit on his

thighs. She kissed him, pushing her tongue into his mouth and her hands

found his erection again. His hands found her hips, lifting her and positioning her over the head of his cock. He was slow as he lowered her

and she used her fingers to guide him into her body.

She stilled as he passed between her lips and the tightness caused a groan to escape her. He gripped her hips, pulling her slowly but steadily

down to his lap. He could feel her warmth accepting him but the

tightness was intense. When she was seated on his lap, he pulled her gown off over her head.

“I didn’t appreciate it when you told my family the only reason you

were here was your case.” He held her hips firmly over his cock, keeping

himself buried inside her body as he chastised her. “Do you know why

you’re here?”

Her lips were parted and her breath was coming in short quiet gasps.

Her sheath was gripping and quivering around him. It was damn hard not to lift her and sink her pussy right back down over his erection again.

He was ready to feel the movement of her slick warm skin against his length but he’d been waiting to call her out on her insensitive comment

for a few hours now.

“Because you’re worried about me.” Her voice was breathy as she

responded and his dick twitched inside her at the sound of her desperate

need.

“You’re here because I’m in love with you. You’re here because I

want my family to know you. You’re here because my son needs to

understand us. Don’t forget there is far more between us than one pathetic lunatic. It isn’t why I asked you to come at all.”

She was quiet but eventually she nodded and he kissed her. When he

released his tight grip on her hips, she rocked and dropped her head to

his shoulder, moaning quietly against his skin.

The movement of her hips was intoxicating. She rolled against him, taking him deeper and when she rolled back it only released the slightest

depth before she grinded into him again. He let her move on his lap and

he listened to the quiet mewling whimpers coming from her mouth.

She sat up, leaning back from his body and bracing her hands on his

knees. And he watched her slowly humping him. When he touched her

exposed clit she hissed and her nails dug into his legs as he groaned.

He stroked over the tight swollen peak of her clit and she started panting. The moon was nearly full and bright and he watched her

stomach muscles contract as her body tried to curl in and capture her release. When she finally came, he could feel her buttocks tightening against his thighs as she pushed her pelvis up. She couldn’t stop the cry

and he leaned swiftly to her mouth, thrusting his tongue into her warmth

as she moaned around him.

He didn’t let up the pressure on her clit until she was trembling and

gasping for breath and only then did he pull her body back close to his

and let her settle her head on his shoulder. He gave her little rest before

he clutched her hips in his hands, held her hard to his body and started

clenching his buttocks, driving himself deep into her.

“Dillon!” She gasped his name against his neck.

“Tell me you love me.” He whispered in her ear as he drove to her core.

“I love you.” She could barely get the words out as he continued driving into her.

“Say it again.”

“I love you.”

He was thrusting hard and fast, holding her hips as tight as he could

to his lap. “Don’t stop. Say it again. I want to hear it when I come inside

you.”

She murmured it against his ear again and again, crying out quietly as

he pierced her body. She didn’t stop saying what he needed to hear and

when he thrust one final time, clutching hard on her hips and pushing his hips up into her, she started kissing his neck and murmuring the words against his skin.

He was spilling himself deep inside her body and he listened to her voice as he pulsed within her. He was left panting against her neck as his

body took its time relaxing again.

It was many minutes later that he found his voice again. “Lucky girl,

keeping this chair in one piece.”

He pulled her body to his, feeling her taut nipples against his pecs. He

didn’t let go of her body until he felt like his ass might fall asleep and when he lifted her from his lap she led him into the bathroom and pulled

him into the shower with her. He kissed her back slowly moving down

to her bottom as the warm water cascaded over them. He lifted her foot

to the side of the tub and he slid two fingers into her pussy.

He could feel his semen and her wetness around his fingers and he plunged while he sucked gentle kisses on the cheeks of her bottom. Her

pussy was quivering around his fingers and his dick was already waking

up again. He stood behind her, nuzzling against her neck. “I think I’ve gotten a bit too used to having you in my bed. Sleeping alone just doesn’t

quite do it for me anymore.”

She turned to him, wrapping her arms around him. “I know.”

After she was back in her gown and she’d toweled her hair as dry as

she could get it, he led her to bed and sat at her hip, watching as she snuggled down under the blankets. He was tempted to crawl in with her,

but he was quite certain he’d never leave if he did.

Instead, he kissed her. He lingered as his lips tasted hers and his fingers wandered down to her nipples. Her sigh and frustrated moan as

her nipples hardened into tight little pebbles was his sign to leave. He grabbed the chair from the balcony, returning it to the desk, kissed her once more and then left her.

* * * * *

“Dad, where were you last night? I got up and your door was open but you weren’t there.”

“Uh, bathroom.”

“You were not! I went to the bathroom!”

“Oh umm…uh…closet.”

Jake snorted and Seth just shook his head. “You’re weird.” They

grabbed the toast Molly had just made them and scooted past Katrina who’d just shown up in the doorway.

“Closet? Really? You couldn’t have said kitchen?” Molly sat down

beside him as Katrina poured herself a cup of coffee.

“What about a closet?” Katrina sat on the other side of him, pulling her leg up under her.

“Apparently Dillon spent some time in his closet last night and that’s

why Seth couldn’t find him in the middle of the night.” Katrina gasped

and by the time Dillon looked at her she was already blushing the most

incredible shade of pink. Molly laughed and Dillon shook his head.

Dillon caught up to Seth before he managed to get out of the house with Jake. “Take a walk with me.”

“Okay.” Said more like an annoyed question.

Once he and Seth were halfway down the block, Seth peered at him

with an expectant expression. Dillon was eating up his daylight after all.

“Kat…Ms. Page and I are dating. I wanted you to know.”

“No duh.”

“Really? No duh?”

“Uh, yeah. You brought my teacher to San Francisco with you, you

stare at her, she stares at you. That’s what people do when they like each

other.”

“They stare at each other, huh?”

“Yeah, Dad, duh. And they compensate.”

“You mean copulate.”

“Whatever. I’m taking health class right now and I know about the birds already.”

“And the bees too, I assume?”

“What bees?”

“Yeah. So, you’re okay with it?”

“Sure. Ms. Page is cool. She’s way cooler than you are.”

“Oh she is, is she?” They strolled on for another minute. Seth was becoming more impatient by the second. “So you know she’s been

having some trouble.”

“I know something happened to her. I mean somebody hurt her.”

Seth suddenly sounded far too mature for thirteen. He sighed a heavy breath. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Someone is trying to scare her and we don’t know why and we don’t

who but we’re doing everything we can to figure it out. And we’re doing

everything we can to protect her.”

“Scare her? Dad, I’m not a baby. I know somebody hurt her.”

“I know you’re not a baby.”

“But why would someone do this to her? She’s nice. She’s a good

person. I just don’t understand how anyone could want to hurt her.”

“I don’t know why, Seth. What people do to others doesn’t always

make sense. I wish it did but it just doesn’t. But you’re right. She doesn’t deserve it. I don’t want you to worry about it though. The police are doing everything they can to figure out who’s trying to hurt her.”

“Does the person doing this want to kill her?”

His heart hammered in his chest at nothing more than the words. The

frightened and confused look on Seth’s face didn’t help his reaction. He

couldn’t answer that question honestly without worrying Seth but at the

same time, lying wasn’t exactly the approach he wanted to take either.

“It’s hard to know what his intent is. We’re not going to let that happen though. Do you understand?”

Seth nodded and spaced off for a while as they rounded the far side of

the block and headed back around to the house from the other direction.

“So, you like… like her, like her? Like you love her, like her?”

“Yes I do.”

“And she actually likes you too?”

Dillon laughed. “She actually loves me too—hard as that obviously is

for you to believe.”

“That’s cool.” Seth was silent a moment but Dillon knew he had more

to say. “She should live with us. She’d be safe with us. She shouldn’t be

alone.”

“I don’t think she’s ready for that. And I’m not sure you are either.

That’s a big deal, Seth.”

“You said you love her. That’s what people do when they love each

other. They get married, they live together, they have babies, they get old

and wrinkly. I mean, you’re already old, Dad.”

“You don’t know what old is do you? I’m barely thirty-five.”

“So what? You’re going to wait until you’re like really, really old?”

“I’m not saying I wouldn’t feel better having her closer but it’s more

complicated than just that.”

“Then uncomplicate it!” Seth was getting that frustrated edge to his voice.

“It’s not my choice! She has to agree to move in and she’s…well, she’s

stubborn as a mule.”

“It’s stupid. Her being alone is just stupid. She doesn’t even have a house anymore.”

“You heard that?”

“I heard Aunt Molly and Grandma talking about it last night in the kitchen. You need to make her move in.” Dillon couldn’t agree more but

how the hell was he going to do that? He took a deep breath and sighed

as they approached the house.

Given his audience, Dillon couldn’t help but think the conversation went well. Seth liked Kat. He respected Kat. He understood the

importance of caring for someone who needed help and that likely

impressed Dillon more than anything else that was said. Seth was a good

kid. He always had been and Dillon had always known he was, and not

in the my-child-can-do-no-wrong sort of way. Seth could do plenty

wrong but he could do a heck of lot more right.

That wasn’t to say he didn’t escape from Dillon with Jake as soon as

possible exclaiming in a rather juvenile tone, “My dad is totally dating Ms. Page. They’re like, dating, dating.”

To which Jake responded, “At least he’s dating. Mom never goes out.

I bet they’re like, doing it.” Of course neither boy managed to wait to have the conversation until they were away from the house. Molly was

standing by two feet away with her head cocked to the side, chastising with her expression.

“That’s totally gross. They’re old. Eww,” Seth exclaimed to Jake’s

suggestion.

Dillon was watching Molly try hard to glare at the boys when she really just wanted to laugh. The boys didn’t stick around long enough for

a lecture and the second they were out the door Molly weighed in. “I do

too date. He doesn’t know nothin’.”

Dillon chuckled while Molly scowled. “Mom and I are taking Katrina

to the spa. You and Dad are in charge of the juveniles. If Jake says ‘doing

it’ again feel free to ground him for being an idiot.”

“Got it.” Katrina came down the stairs at that moment, smiling shyly

at him.

“Hey, Kat. You sure you’re up for spa time with Mom and me? My

mom plays a wicked game of twenty questions but I’ll run interference for ya—I promise.”

“Sure. It sounds great actually.”

“Oh and the boys were just talking about how you and Dillon are

‘doing it’ so the cat’s sorta out of the bag with the boys on that one, I’m

guessing.”

“Well at least they didn’t say ‘box grab,’” Katrina commented dryly as her cheeks started to redden.

Molly erupted in laughter and Dillon started shaking his head in

mock disapproval. When Katrina looked to him again, his eyebrows shot

up tauntingly. The red cheeks turned crimson as he watched and her gaze flitted from his for a moment before looking back.

She obviously hadn’t forgotten about their midnight tryst but he

certainly hadn’t either and he was just waiting, biding his time as patiently as his dick would allow to get his hands on her again.

* * * * *

Again unfortunately didn’t happen for the remainder of the trip and come Saturday morning when they were packing up Molly’s Traverse,

he’d decided sex deprivation might make him go insane. He simply

needed to get his hands on her before he lost his mind. Sadly the closest

he got to her was holding her hand as he steered Molly’s car northward.

Molly claimed the third row for herself, complaining about already

having had to endure driving the boys by herself for a day.

The second Dillon reached for her hand there was snorting and

sniggering from the second row. Dillon adjusted the rearview mirror, focusing its aim on Seth.

“Are you two going to laugh like idiots every time I touch Kat or could you maybe grow up a little?” He smirked and Seth rolled his eyes.

“Hey Ms. Page?” She turned to Seth. “You know my dad is like way

old, right?”

She laughed. “He is way old. There’s no doubt.”

“I’m thirty-five! Way old is at least thirty-seven.”

“I heard that! And I’m young at heart, jerks!” The voice came from Molly’s body which was buried under a blanket in the back row.

Eventually, Seth and Jake got over thinking it was weird that Dillon

was holding Kat’s hand in much the same way they’d figured out it was

really quite natural that he’d want to kiss her on the cheek occasionally,

or kiss her good night.

They’d had a few days to deal with it all at his parents’ house and while the sniggering had driven him crazy at first, it had tapered off a bit more every time he touched her, kissed her, whispered something in her

ear and even now as they joked about it as they passed out the city limits,

the tension was gone. It was just plain funny to junior high boys to laugh

at such things.