Here With Me Read online

  I reach over to grab her hand with both of mine. “I’m so sorry. I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am I got you into this mess.” My fingertips skim her knuckles. “I wish you didn’t have to…”

  “Not another word. You had no idea what this woman was capable of when your relationship started. Of course, she takes crazy to another level, but how could you have known back then? I know we’re in a shitload of trouble and we have to get to Jackson fast.” Her palms cup my face. “But if I had to choose it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.” Her lips gently touch mine. “I would choose you in a heartbeat.”

  “Oh, Allie.” My voice cracks from the overwhelming emotion that is releasing itself from my chest. “I love you.” I crush my lips to hers, pulling her right into my lap. I’ve never been a really sentimental kind of guy, but this girl brings the best out in me. If she didn’t come literally charging into my life, I would still be in the same rut—one meaningless relationship after another. One night stands whenever I wanted. It may sound like a guy’s dream not to be tied down to one woman, but I hated where I was going. I had no sense of self worth, being that Claire almost killed it. Allie, however, is the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. She’s the burst of sunlight after the storm clouds have rolled on. I need her in my life like I need air to breathe.

  “I love you, too. Everything I have to give, it’s yours.” The softness of her mouth on mine lights me on fire and within seconds, my hands are sliding over her smooth legs. I realize that the driver can probably see us, so I roll up the tinted window. Thank God Pops decided to install these for privacy.

  “You know, we have about twenty minutes before we get to the airfield,” I say, hoping she would catch the hint. This is just what we both need to get our minds off this drama that had become our lives. Of course, she gets it. She turns around to face me and lifts her shirt over her head, exposing the most perfect pair of breasts any man has ever seen. My hands and mouth find that delicious nipple and I suck hard. And that’s not the only thing hard…

  “Then let’s make the best of it.”

  “I fully intend to.” I take my hands away and unzip my shorts. I swear my dick was straining to get out. Since Allie is brilliant and is wearing cloth shorts as opposed to jeans, she slides them to one side. That’s all the cue I need, so I adjust myself under her and make contact with her wet folds. The tip teases the entrance to paradise and she moans rather loudly.

  “Is this what you want, baby?” Sliding in just a little farther, I feel her hips press down on me, her body begging for me to go deeper. Since I can’t say no to her, I do what I can to keep her happy. I plunge all of myself in her warmth and she tightens around me.

  “Yes. Fuck me, please,” she whispers in my ear. Oh shit!

  “Anything you want.” I grip her ass and start grinding into her, pumping as hard as I can. Her body leans into mine, her bare breasts rubbing against me. “Is that how you want it?” I groan as I move in and out of her, faster with each thrust. Her climax is so close, I can feel it.

  “Damn, it feels so good,” she moans as her pelvis starts to grind, trying to pull me in deeper than I already am. My God, she’s so sexy, I can hardly stand it.

  “Are you gonna come for me? I want to watch your face when you do it. Look at me.” Allie pulls her face off my shoulder and looks right back at me. Our eyes lock as our bodies push against each other. “Come all over my dick.” She likes it when I talk dirty, and it sends her right over the edge. The muscles in her loins hold me in tight as she lets loose all the tension that has been building up. She explodes and I watch her face as she is overcome by what is sure to be a mind-blowing orgasm, as she would call it. Her teeth bite down on her full bottom lip and her eyes roll back just slightly. She tries to contain herself but she can’t.

  “Oh my God!” I put my mouth on hers to quiet her down, since I just now remember the driver up front. I take in her groans as she does the same as I release my seed into her. A few thrusts later, we are both panting like dogs in the heat.

  “You’re so sexy when you come, you know that?” I kiss her nose and she smiles.

  “No, I had no idea.” The flush rises to her cheeks as I give her such a compliment. I reach for her shirt since we have just pulled into the tiny airport. After a lingering kiss and a quick adjustment of our clothes, we exit the car and head to the ready biplane. It’s just big enough for a pilot and a couple of passengers, which is just perfect for what we need.

  I offer my hand to help this beauty into the plane. She looks so uneasy now, even though just moments ago we were basking in that after great sex afterglow. I climb in after her and take my seat beside her. Stress has returned, making her grip the armrests so tight I think she might rip them straight out of the floor.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, then suddenly feel stupid. Of course she’s not okay. I mentally slap my forehead.

  “I just don’t…fly much. Last time I was really drunk and still hated it.” The color has drained from her face and I can tell she’s ready to have a nervous breakdown. Can’t say that I blame her. My anxiety level is through the roof. I should probably have my blood pressure checked.

  We fasten our seatbelts and the pilot prepares for takeoff. The noise of the engine scares the shit out of her and she almost comes out of her seat. “Maybe I should’ve gotten a drink first,” she hollers over the roar of the propellers. I grab her hand and give her a reassuring squeeze, letting her know I’m right here beside her, and I don’t plan on going anywhere. My heart is too involved and I’ll die trying to protect her.

  The pilot rolls down the runway at a surprisingly quick speed. The little plane lifts off the pavement and starts to fly into the air. Allie closes her eyes tightly shut and grabs my hand so hard it hurts.

  “It’ll be okay, baby. Why don’t you try to sleep a little bit?” Again, I feel stupid for saying idiotic things.

  “Wish I could. Maybe if I just close my eyes long enough, I will.” She knows she’s lying and so do I. Neither of us have slept well the last couple of nights, being that Claire and Frankie are out to do some serious harm to us. Or at least me. I try to let the thought escape my mind as I think about Jackson. He’s the spitting image of his beautiful mother and he loves her so much. The little guy took right to me when I first met him. Now, I’m going back to Virginia to possibly save his life. It makes me want to throw up, knowing that he could be in danger. Yet, I still don’t know if this is Claire’s twisted way to trap me in her web of lies. She seems like she’ll stop at nothing to get back with me, or get even with me. My skin crawls just thinking about the vile excuse of a human being, if she even qualifies for that. I keep kicking myself again and again for ever meeting her, for ever starting an illicit affair with her, and the time I spent feeling stuck in a lose-lose situation. She abused me verbally and physically, always trying to manipulate me in thinking this was the way a couple is supposed to act.

  Lying bitch.

  Rubbing her neck seems to help relax her. I massage softly until I see her head fall over to the side. “Hmm. Guess you can sleep after all, huh?” I joke, even though I know she can’t hear me. She shifts in her seat towards me and puts her cheek to my chest. Wonder if she can hear my heart that beats only for her. Yeah, I’ve become a wuss. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Chapter 12

  Allie

  “Donovan, what are you doing?” I ask, watching him intently.

  “Nothing. Nothing at all.” His tone doesn’t convince me and I walk up to stare over his shoulder. There, laying on the table in front of him was a letter he was reading.

  “What is that?” Wondering why he’s hiding it from me, I reach to grab it. Normally, I wouldn’t do such a thing, but the way he’s acting makes me think different.

  “No! Please don’t!” he pleads as I walk to the other side of the living room to read it. When I open it up, I fall to my knees.

  “You’re…leaving me? For her?” I strang
le on my words, unable to wrap my mind around the fact that it’s her he wants. Not me.

  “Yes, I am, Allie. I think it’s time for you to go.” He’s so cold, completely unaffected how these actions of his crush my soul. He comes to grab the paper out of my hand. “It’s not your concern anymore. Claire loves me, and always has,; even when she was in jail, she loved me.”

  “No! I won’t go! I want to know if anything happened between you two while we were together? Because if you tell me yes, then I walk out this door. I’ll never come back.” My heart feels like it’s a crystal vase that’s been dropped, shattering into thousands of pieces and unable to be put back together ever again.

  “Allie!” he yells. “Allie?”

  My eyelids flutter open and I see Donovan standing in front of me. “Allie, you were having another bad dream. You were actually crying in your sleep.” He strokes his thumb across my cheek and I can feel the wetness. Thank God it was just a dream.

  “Are you all right? What was it about? Or do I want to know?” He stands up and returns to his seat on the plane. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell me. I don’t think you should tell me, not after the last nightmare you had.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you like that. My dreams are just so…vivid. Sometimes it’s hard to determine what’s real and what’s not. I see everything so clear and it feels like I’m there, in the moment. As long as I’m waking up beside you, it’s okay.” Resting my hand on his, he stares back at me and I can almost hear his heart breaking.

  “I just wish those dreams didn’t involve me, at least in that sense.” He sighs as he links his fingers through mine. “I know you can’t help it, and I shouldn’t get my feelings hurt over something like that. But I guess I can’t help it, either.”

  “I really think it’s the stress I’m under right now with Jackson and that crazy woman. I just can’t let her get to him. It’s scaring the absolute shit out of me.” A new wave of fear rolls over me and I’m wide awake, trembling. Donovan wraps his arm around me.

  “It’s okay, baby. We’ll be in Lynchburg within the hour. I’ll call the Andersons when we get there and give them a heads up, just in case.”

  “Oh, God. I don’t want to scare them. They’re gonna freak out and therefore, freak out Jackson. Should we tell them the whole truth? Or maybe just ask them to meet us somewhere?” My mind is going a hundred miles a minute.

  “Try not to worry, baby. I’ll handle it. I won’t let anything happen to him. He’s my little buddy.” The glint in his eyes when he mentions my son makes me love him even more.

  “I know. I trust you.” We kiss swiftly and he’s the only one that can bring me down when I’m feeling like this. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you? For what?” A genuine look of surprise is on his handsome face.

  “For being you. I know you feel bad about all this. But you didn’t know what was going to happen back then. You have a past and so do I. But that past doesn’t make me love you any less, and it never will.” I put a smile on my face, even though I won’t really feel better until this plane is on the ground and I’m on my way to Jackson.

  His breathtaking smile never fails to make my heart pound. I can really see myself growing old with this man. I want to be his forever, and I want him to be mine.

  “Uh, you wouldn’t want to join the mile high club, would you?” he asks, playfully winking at me. I nudge his arm.

  “I think the pilot might know what we are both doing in the bathroom.”

  “Oh yeah. I guess you’re right. One day though, we’re both gonna become members.” He chuckles and I giggle right along with him.

  We try to relax for the rest of the trip when finally we touch solid ground. I can’t get off this plane fast enough. I’m down the steps before Donovan has even unbuckled himself. I pull my phone out to call the Andersons. With shaking hands, I dial the number from memory and wait for it to start ringing.

  It rings and rings. No one picks up. “Oh shit. No one is answering. We gotta get over there now!” I break into a sprint towards the airport as I dial Mom’s number.

  “Hi, sweetie! How are you?”

  “Mom, I don’t have time to explain but I need you to go over to Jackson’s house and get him. I’ll tell you later. See you in a bit.”

  She starts to ask questions, but I hang up. My legs move like the wind under me as I hit the doors running. Thank goodness Lynchburg has a tiny airport compared to most. Donovan is hot on my heels as we rush to the car his father had arranged for us. I reach the Expedition first and slip into the passenger’s side. I’m in no condition to drive, because I’m liable to kill someone.

  He’s in the front seat before I even slam my door. He squeals down the parking lot, only stopping long enough to get through the gates. We speed off towards my mom’s and I pray that she got Jackson all right. I want to call her but I’m scared. Then a thought occurs to me. What if they’re there and my mom walks in on something awful? I’ll never forgive myself if that’s the case. I quickly dial her number again and wait for the call to pick up.

  “Yes, dear. I have Jackson and we’re heading back to my house. Now, do you mind telling me what’s going on? And why was it so important for me to take Jackson home? His parents weren’t upset about it, but just wondered why, as do I.” My mother’s tone is firm.

  “I’ll give you the lowdown when we get there. Just keep him inside, okay?” She’s going to think I’m crazy, and I can’t say that I’m not.

  “Uhhh, okay?”

  “Love you. Be there soon.” I hang up before she asks me anything else. I’m so nervous about telling her what’s going on with Claire right now, but I have to be honest with her. If she’s as psycho as I think she is, no one is safe. Donovan grabs my hand and lightly kisses my knuckles.

  “I knew he would be all right. Maybe we should go to your brother’s house to be safe. Your mom lives too close to Jackson.”

  “Oh my God, what about the Andersons? They should get out, too!” They’re my son’s adopted parents. I can’t let anything happen to them.

  “You’re right. Give them a call.” He tries to focus on the road, his eyes straight ahead and his foot on the gas. We’re going at least seventy.

  I dial their number and wait for the ring. Only trouble is, there’s no answer. My heart leaps into my throat. “They aren’t answering. They aren’t answering.” I pray that my worst fears haven’t come true.

  “Now, don’t worry. Didn’t you say they liked to work in the yard? It’s a beautiful day, well, weather wise, anyway.” He brings up a good point. Almost every time I go get Jackson, they are either cutting the grass, weeding the garden, or planting flowers.

  “Guess I’ll ask Mom when we get there.” This is the longest fifteen minutes of my life.

  Finally, we turn down my old road and screech to a halt in front of the house. I barrel through the door and race straight to the porch, nearly slamming my face against the screened door. “Mom? Jackson?”

  “Mommy!” I hear the sweetest sound in the world and my baby boy comes bounding up to me, throwing arms around my neck. “I missed you!” he squeals.

  “I missed you, too, little buddy,” I say, trying to hold back tears of relief because I’m finally holding him. I got here before Claire could. And I’m going to keep my little boy safe, if my life depends on it. Actually, it might depend on it. I would take a bullet for him. I put his safety above my own, kind of like Donovan does with me.

  He comes in behind me, shuts and locks the door. My mother walks down the hallway from her bedroom. “Okay, kiddo. Let’s talk about what exactly is going on here.” I gulp and look Donovan’s way, then to my son. He seems to take the hint.

  “C’mon, little man. Let’s go watch some TV or something.” He reaches his big hand to Jackson’s little one and he gladly takes it, almost pulling Donovan towards the couch. He hands him the remote and says, “Spongebob, please.” As ordered, the yellow square sponge pops up on the screen and Jacks
on couldn’t be more content. I see Donovan roll his eyes, but he settles in to watch the cartoon.

  “Let’s talk in the kitchen. Now.” Mom waves for me to follow her and I have to swallow back my nervousness. I sit at the table as she pours me a cup of coffee. I take the steaming mug into my hands and take a long whiff, savoring the aroma. Not to mention I’m stalling a bit.

  “Great coffee, Mom. Where did you get it?” I take a long, lingering sip. She narrows her eyes at me. Crap.

  “Nice try. Now, speak. What the hell is going on, Allison?” When she uses my full name, I know she’s not happy. I sit the mug down and sigh.

  “Do you remember me telling you about Donovan’s ex-girlfriend, Claire?” The name itself makes my skin crawl. She nods slowly, waiting for me to continue. “She got out of jail and has been stalking us everywhere we go. We even think she and Frankie, her stepson, killed the caretaker at Gabe’s inn.” I hear her gasp as she places her hand over her mouth. “She was even on the property at Donovan’s dad’s place. Frankie shot at us, but we were on horses, so we were faster. Now she has his cell phone and she knows about Jackson.” Tears start to well in my eyes as I recall the moment in my mind. “She knew about my son.”

  “Oh my God, Allie. I had no idea. I mean, I knew you said she was crazy, but this is a whole new level of insanity. You have to get him some place safe.” She starts rubbing her temples.

  “I know. That’s why we are here. We want to take you somewhere, too. You live so close to Jackson’s place and I don’t want anything to happen to you. And now I’m worried about the Andersons. Have you spoke to them yet?”

  “Actually, yes. I spoke with Mary before you got here and told her Jackson would probably spend the night over here.” I felt a weight lift off my chest, knowing she was okay. “What should I tell them?”