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  I made mine in a matter of minutes and she watched in awe.

  “Look how good you are at that. Sheesh. And you’re still so clean!”

  “I’ve been making pies and such since I was fourteen. So, a lot of practice.”

  “Can you toss um over your head and shit?”

  “Sure can, you should come in during the lunch shift, I have a captive audience all week long. The little old women like to watch me while their husbands play golf.” I laughed.

  “I bet.” She watched from her chair as I put the Stromboli in the oven. When I turned around, she was picking up the bowls trying to clean up the mess.

  “Here, we take the unused stuff like this and cellophane it and give it to the soup kitchen. A guy will be by in the morning to pick it up.”

  I reached across her, grabbing the roll and she took in her breath, her hand finding mine on the table where it was keeping me balanced. Her fingers laced into mine. Now I froze, looking down at her through hungry and half-mast eyes. Her eyes are green. She shifted against me and my mouth collided with hers. Her fingers tightened in my hand as she pulled me to her with the other. I nearly lost my footing, as I trailed my other hand down her back, but she leaned into the counter and it righted us.

  Her kiss was deep and full of rage, as she nipped at my lip, sucked on my tongue. I thought she was going to devour me in that moment, and I liked it. My cock liked it, as he was coming alive, but I tried to keep him from her. I didn’t want her to think I was trying to push. If all I got was this kiss, I was happy. Oh, who was I kidding? My other hand broke free from hers and I had her by the ass, lifting her up onto the counter.

  “Jarod.” She huffed my name. “I can’t do-”

  “It’s okay, just kiss me.” I dove back in, a man possessed. She tasted so fucking good, clean, a touch of spearmint. I wondered what the rest of her would taste like. “I just want this. For now, can I have this?” I squeezed her ass as I licked down her neck, burying my face in her full, round tits. “I won’t even go under any clothes.”

  “O-Okay.” She grabbed me by the head, pulling me back up, “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’m still a mess... Down south.”

  “Oh? OH!” I pulled back with a short laugh. “I’m not hurting you am I?”

  “Not at all. This feels great. I want so much more.”

  “So sex isn’t a problem for you, then?” I ran my hands around to her inner thighs, rubbing up and down the seam, against where I knew her clit would be. She squirmed and I smiled.

  “No, not usually. I went through something of a slutty phase, after. I was smart, don’t get me wrong, so I’m clean, don’t think that. But I took back control there. It’s just been a while and I don’t wanna, when I’m like this, ya know.”

  “I understand and I’m in no way, pushing.”

  “Thank you.” She grabbed my face and kissed me again. As I stroked her through her jeans, she leaned into me, her hips grinding into the counter.

  “Aye! What’s that!”

  Granddad’s voice broke into the room, suddenly, as the smoke detectors went off!

  “Oh no! The Stromboli!” We laughed as I pulled away from her, hobbling from my hardon to the ovens to save what was left of them.

  Chapter 20 Caitlin

  I watched as Jarod cleaned out the brick oven. The smell of the burned Stromboli’s lingered and his Granddad was not a happy camper. Going on in Greek so fast I only caught the cuss words, mostly. I was trying not to laugh, but when Jarod twisted his eyes at me, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I erupted and doubled over.

  “I’m sorry Mr. Thermopolis.” I sputtered, laughing into my hands.

  “No brains. Between you! Too busy, what? Making the moony eyes at each other to watch the ovens!” He threw up his hands. “Ahh, to be young and in love again! Be more careful!” He pointed to the counter. “And Sanitize!” He threw a towel at me and walked off toward the back room once more.

  “Oh, my God!” I snickered. “That was just a little bit horrible!”

  “I’m sorry about that. I’m sure he’s just angry about the oven being scorched, it’s no reflection on you, just me.”

  “Hey, I’ve been called worse than a little hussy.”

  “You caught that?”

  “The Mary Magdalene reference, yeah. Apparently, you’re Jesus.” I hip bumped him as I made to wipe down the counter where I had damn near had an orgasm just a few minutes before. God, I was horny all of a sudden. I hadn’t been horny, actually horny, since before Glory had been born. Todd used to complain that I was frigid. Maybe I was, but right then I was ready to say screw a little messy, let’s get downright filthy. That’s what my body was saying, but my head knew better. My head was telling me that I hardly knew this man. That I needed time and if he respected that then maybe he’d be worth it.

  WE CLEARED THE COUNTERS and put away the bowls. Fortunately, I wasn’t to starve, he had a couple crusts on back up for pizza in case the old man needed them. So we snatched one and made a carnivore special. All the meats we could find. I watched as he put the pie in the oven.

  “I’m glad I came out tonight. It’s been fun.”

  Jarod turned around with a smile. “I found the timer.” A larger smirk crossed his face and I noticed he had the deepest dimples as he walked over to me, taking off his apron.

  “I have to have those lips again.” He took my face in his hands and bent down to me, his eyes connecting with mine. “Can I kiss you more?”

  “Yes.” I lifted my face and parted my lips for his, feeling his thumbs as they curled behind my ears. I stood on my tip toes, my hands against the dishwasher counter, I scrambled to hop up and he leaned me back into the wall.

  “I love the way you kiss, Caitlin...” he breathed, licking down my neck with light kisses. “I can’t wait to find out how the rest of you tastes.” His hands raked down my sides, his fingers pressing on that seam, putting pressure right where my tender and aching clit lay. I let out a moan and he slipped his fingers into my mouth.

  “Shh...” He chuckled. “Or we’ll get caught. I wanna make you come.”

  I nodded, grabbing his hand and sucking on his fingers, giving him a clear idea of just what I could do with my mouth. I watched his eyes roll into the back of his head, which made me grin, even as I felt my whole body light up like a firecracker. I arched my back and he pushed me down, rubbing back and forth even faster, making me dig my nails into his biceps. He winced with a chuckle as I released, my orgasm subsiding.

  “Hmm, I like the sounds you make,” he whispered into my ear. His breath was heavy, and his voice deep as he kissed my throat.

  My heart started to race again, my thoughts, throwing me back to a memory of the night of my rape. Of James on top of me, telling me he liked the sounds my cunt made. I pushed him off of me, hopped off the counter and went for my bag.

  “I’m sorry, I gotta go.” I was trembling and could barely get the words out as I fumbled for my car keys.

  “Hey, easy.” Jarod approached me slowly. “Sit down, you’re having an episode. You can’t drive like this.”

  “Don’t fucking touch me.” I spat, clutching to my bag. “Not without my permission.”

  “Okay, Caitlin. Please, just talk to me, tell me what you saw, or heard.”

  “I- what you said to me, about the sounds... It triggered a- A memory.”

  “Okay, have you had this memory before?”

  “N-no, it was new... It was vulgar.”

  “Okay, you don’t have to tell me. But, please, would you sit?”

  My fingers were wrapped tightly around the grip of the gun in my bag. It made me feel secure. Safe. My head was pounding. My vision was blurring from my tears. I nodded and sat down in a chair by the door. I was about as far from him as I could get without leaving the joint.

  The buzzer went off on the food and I jumped, dropping my bag and holding only the weapon.

  “Whoa! Caitlin. Easy, it’s just the food ti
mer. Please put that away...”

  I looked around. It was still just me and him. No one else was coming to mess with me. He was kind, not a threat. I needed to get a grip on this situation. I nodded, picking up my bag.

  “Okay, better. Now, I’m going to go get the pizza, okay? Then you are gonna try and eat something. I’m sure you’re still hungry.”

  I nodded, licking my lips. “I’m thirsty too.”

  “I’ll get you a bottle of water. Is that okay or did you want a soda from the fountain?”

  “Water is good.”

  BY THE TIME JAROD CAME back with the food and water, I had put my bag and the gun down but my nervous energy hadn’t dissipated. My whole body ached, and I felt like I was dying inside. I couldn’t stop crying. My emotions were still so raw.

  “Hey, it’s going to be okay. You are safe here, that I can promise you. Do you want me to call Tim? Or your Dad, maybe?”

  “No.” I croaked, taking the bottle of water from him and looking at the pizza. My stomach grumbled. I guess I was hungry after all. I reached for a slice only to find it was twice the size of the slices I was used to. “Oh, wow.”

  “New York Style, you’ll have to fold it in half.” Jarod smiled, handing me a plate and some napkins.

  Chapter 21 Jarod

  Getting her off was a miscalculation on my part. I should have kept my hands to myself, but I couldn’t help it. She felt so good in my arms. She responded to me, it had been so long since I felt like a woman had actually wanted me and not just felt sorry for me. Most of the women I had tried to be with always seemed like they were doing me a favor. This one, she treated me like a normal guy. I liked feeling like that. I liked feeling like I could do something for her.

  I just didn’t anticipate it blowing up in my face so badly. She’s gone now, but I convinced her to meet me Saturday at the pool for a workout. I do hope she comes. She seemed leery of it though. Man, I really hoped I didn’t just fuck this up completely. I finished cleaning up the restaurant, so I’m going to head on home. Granddad left a few hours ago. He didn’t say much to me. Just sort of grunted and patted me on the head, then told me to lock up.

  That was his way, no confrontation, no arguments, just I’ll see you next week, son, and off he would go.

  Her having that gun was intense. I don’t think she got it legal either, although I’m pretty sure she knows how it works. I don’t think any kid that grew up in a military family doesn’t know how to fire a gun. I noticed the scars on her wrists when we were kissing. I knew enough not to ask. I’ve been down that road, had my service weapon in my mouth once or twice over the years. Didn’t have the balls to actually pull the trigger though. Thankfully, I called my Granddad, and he took it out of the house along with all the knives. For a long time, I didn’t have any cutlery at all. Those were darker days. Before the insurance settlements, before the prosthetics. When it was just me, the crutches and the pain.

  I really do hope she shows up Saturday...

  HE MUST HAVE BEEN BANGING for twenty minutes. All I heard was the pup barking, then finally, I heard his voice on the other side of the door.

  “Tim.” I opened the door, and got slugged square in the jaw. He must have expected me to go down, because he looked awfully surprised when I just twisted around and looked him right back in the face with a click of my teeth.

  “What the fuck, man?” I cracked my neck, stepping out of his way as he came into my house.

  “I told you to help my sister, not try and fuck her up more! What did you do to her?”

  “Nothing. Why, what’s happened? Where is she?” It was almost three a.m. Saturday. The day I was supposed to meet Caitlin. I had only answered the knocking because I was up, getting ready to leave. Otherwise, I’d have just ignored him. But Sampson made it pretty clear I was still home.

  “Holed up in her room, where she’s been for the last day and a half. Only comes out to grab her food tray and to use the restroom. She won’t even see Glory, for fuck’s sake. Like I said, what did you do to her? She’s rambling on about a kiss, and nightmares. And how she’ll only talk to you.”

  I sighed. I was afraid of this. Now that she knows I’m willing to help, she’s attaching to me, like a crutch. That’s not good either. Fuck. “Alright. Listen, we may have crossed the friendship line a bit. Okay.”

  “And that’s why you got punched. I warned you about that shit. She’s fucking fragile.”

  “Yeah, man. Well, so am I. You put a beautiful woman in front of me that needs saving and, for once, I can actually do something about it. So I am going to. You started me down this road, now you best just stay out of my way.”

  I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. “You know your way out.”

  “Where, the fuck, are you going?”

  “I have a meeting that, I’m pretty sure, I’ve got to pick up the secondary guest for.”

  EIGHTEEN MINUTES LATER and I was pulled up in front of Caitlin’s house. Her light was on and I could see her as she paced in front of her windows. I leaned on the horn and watched as she appeared in the window. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. Her hands flying up to tell me to wait. I nodded as the front door swung open and a woman with dark hair tied up in a bun and a white bathrobe, closed tight, leered at me. Beside her was the Lieutenant, his sidearm in his hand.

  Caitlin showed up behind them, pushing her way through, a bag in her hands and Glory on her hip. Her father reached for her, but she smacked him away. I couldn’t hear what she said, but he dropped his hands and she came running to me, tossing the bag in the back of my truck and climbing in the front with Glory.

  “Go. GO! Just drive. Please, get us away from here!”

  Apparently, I’d just facilitated an escape...

  WE DROVE FOR ABOUT an hour before I’d finally had about enough of it. She was dozing off, and Glory needed to be in a car seat. God forbid, we got spotted with her just chilling in Caitlin’s lap. That was just not going to fly.

  “Cait, Caitlin, wake up babe, you’re gonna drop Glory. We gotta stop and get her a car seat, at least, and you gotta tell me what‘s going on.”

  She coughed slightly, righting herself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do. Thank you, so much. How did you know to show up?”

  “Your brother came by my place and said you were in trouble. I had to see that you were alright.”

  “I’m good, now that we’re with you.” She leaned over and kissed me, before getting out of the truck so we could go into the big box shop for a car seat for the baby. What had I gotten myself into?

  She rushed on ahead of me, and I had to run to catch up, putting added strain on my tired body. My leg was not happy and when that happens, the pain comes. I reached out, grabbing her by the arm, stopping her as she put Glory in one of those dark blue carriages.

  “What?” she asked, going through her pocket book. I spotted wads of cash.

  “Where’d you get the money? Caitlin?” I didn’t want to think she was a thief on top of everything else.

  “It’s mine. It’s all mine. They’ve been siphoning it out of me for almost two years! Can you believe it!”

  “What are you talking about?” I pulled her aside, away from the automatic doors.

  “Child support payments. His family has been paying restitution, and they haven’t given Glory or I a red fucking cent of it. Making me feel bad for everything, when they’ve been getting checks all this time with my name on them.” She was fuming. Her hands were shaking, Glory was crying and fussing, and I just was about to reach my limit.

  “So, you just what, thought you’d run away? With a fist of cash? What the hell were you thinking?” I huffed, running my hands over my buzz cut. “Fuck, I’m gonna have people looking for me, aren’t I?”

  “I’m an adult. They can’t do shit to me, or have anyone go looking... I have the right to move out.”

  “Christ, what did I get into.” I mumbled and she scoffed.

  “Listen, you did me a fa
vor. If you don’t want any part of this or us, then you can drop us off in the next town and I’ll make due. I don’t need you. We don’t need you. I’ll have access to all the money I’ll ever need in September. So I’ll only be struggling for a couple months. I just thought we were connecting. I know you don’t rightly know me, but I wanna know you. I know this is fucked up, and crazy hard, but I don’t know... It doesn’t feel wrong to me.”

  I turned and looked at her, the tears on her cheek. My whole body recoiled and I launched myself at her, wrapping my arms around her. Kissing her cheeks, trying desperately to wash the sadness away.

  “I’m sorry, I freaked out. I do feel something strong for you. Damnit if I know how that happened so fast, but it’s here. You come back home with me. They won’t be coming into my house to get you; of that you can be assured.” She nuzzled into me, pulling Glory into her side, rubbing her back, easing the babe’s tension.

  “Mommy...” She sniffled.

  “Yes, baby.”

  “I need the potty.”

  That broke the pressure suddenly, and we both laughed. “Well, I guess we gotta go in here one way or another.” I sighed. “You take her to the restroom and I’ll see about the car seat, we’re gonna need it.”

  “Thank you.” She mouthed as she headed inside. Once she was out of sight I collapsed against the cement divider. She was going to run me right into the ground, emotionally we were in a gauntlet, and it was only a matter of time before one of us exploded. I knew it, I only hoped that it wasn’t me.

  Chapter 22 Caitlin

  Jarod sat on the edge of the couch while I paced the floor. After picking up some provisions for Glory, in the store, he brought me back to his house. It was beautiful. Big, like my parents’, but missing that lived in feel. He was still living out of boxes, it seemed. It was a house, but far from a home.