I took a long drink from my mug. “I need this to keep up with you,” I joked.

He laughed, deep in his chest. “I better put on another pot then.” His eyes drifted down my body and back up to my eyes.

“We can’t. We have to go see my aunt today.” I took another long sip.

He sighed and gulped down the rest of his cup. “I guess we better get it over with then.” He clenched his jaw, looking down at his mug.

“It’s not life or death, William. Worst thing that is going to happen is she will call me a whore and things will be exactly as they have always been.” I rolled my eyes at the thought and took another drink.

His eyes stayed on me, lost in thought for a moment. “Fine.” He sat his cup down hard on the counter and brushed passed me, heading towards his bedroom.

William emerged a few moments later, pulling a dark grey t-shirt over his head, covering up his chiseled abs. His eyes followed mine and he glanced down at his stomach.

“You sure you don’t want to have a little fun first?” His smile was lopsided and it was a very tempting offer. I smiled back but shook my head no.

“Come on. Let’s just get this over with.” I sat my cup down on the island and grabbed my purse. I held my hand out for his. He stepped to my side and pulled me against him before lacing his fingers in mine. His lips pushed hard against mine and I immediately relaxed into him, letting my lips part slightly. His tongue slid along my upper lip, coaxing it my mouth open further. He deepened the kiss and I breathed a small moan into his mouth. I felt him grow hard against my hip. My body reflexively moved against him.

His lips left mine and I suddenly felt alone. I opened my eyes and he was staring down at me, lust in his eyes.

“I need you.” His voice was low, and I could tell he was struggling not to take me right where we stood. I put my free hand on his chest to hold him back slightly.

“I promise when we get back you can take me any way and anywhere you like.” I smiled, my teeth digging into my bottom lip. His eyebrow shot up as he thought that over for a minute. His hand slid from behind my back and he used his thumb to free my lip from my teeth. He let his thumb slide over it for a moment.

“Let’s go.” He tugged on my hand pulled me quickly through the front door. I giggled as he practically dragged me down the steps.

Chapter Five

As we pulled up outside of my aunt’s house, my heart began to pound out of my chest. What if this was a bad idea? I swallowed hard and William grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. His eyes were on me, pinning me in my seat.

“Having second thoughts?” he asked, using his free hand to push the hair from my forehead.

I looked down and shook my head. I needed to do this. It was now or never. I opened my door and paused to turn back to William. He looked just as nervous as I was.

“Just give me a minute okay?” He nodded, and I leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips before reluctantly releasing his hand and slipping out of the car.

I walked towards the house, glancing back at William. He looked deep in thought as he stared back at me. I took another calming breath and shook off my nerves. This was a huge step for us.

I glanced up, noticing my aunt’s car was not in the driveway.

“You can do this,” I muttered to myself as I reached for the door handle. It was unlocked and I walked inside, laying my purse on the kitchen table.

“Judy?” I yelled back through the hall as I opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. I was suddenly parched as my nerves got the better of me. I took a long sip and listened. The house was quiet. “Judy? You here?” I walked back through the hall and knocked on her bedroom door. No response.

I heard the sound of a door opening on the other side of the house. I made my way back down the hall to the kitchen area where William stood.

“I was just about to call you. She’s not here.” My shoulders slumped as relief washed over me. He looked down and stepped forward. His arms wrapped around me, resting firmly on my ass as he pulled me against him.

“Let’s go back to my place. A promise is a promise.” He grinned as he lowered his lips to mine. Before our mouths could meet, we were interrupted by the faint sound of music playing.

“What’s that?” I asked as I pulled out of his arms and began searching. William followed suit and the sound grew louder as we made our way down the narrow hall.

“Oh my God” I clasped my hand over my mouth, finally placing the song. “That’s my aunt’s ring tone! She’s home!” I whispered in a panic.

“But her car wasn’t in the driveway.” William searched my eyes for answers but I didn’t have any. I wrapped my hand around her doorknob and took a deep breath as I slowly pushed it open. The eerie creaking sound it made was straight out of a horror film.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness of her room. My aunt’s naked lifeless body lay across her bed, legs splayed open for the world to see. Her skin was grey and her eyes stared off into the distance. Her lips parted slightly. I clasp my hands over my mouth as I struggled to register what I was seeing. Her face was bloated and her last expression was a mixture of sheer pleasure and absolute terror. My gut wrenched and I clutched at my abdomen.

“Judy!” I screamed as William grabbed my waist and pulled my back into the hallway. I struggled against him, but his grip tightened. He stroked my hair as I completely lost control, sobbing into his chest.

“Shh…” he whispered, but I could feel his heart was beating out of his chest.

“I need to call someone!” I began to ramble. He nodded his head and kissed me hard on my forehead.

“It’s going to be okay, Emma. I’m going to take care of you.” He wiped the tears from my cheeks and for just a moment, I was lost in his touch.

“I’ll be here the whole time.” He kissed me again, letting his lips linger on my damp skin before pulling me back down the hall. He stopped in the kitchen to grab my phone.

I waited a moment before stepping out onto the driveway, William at my side. The sun was already beating down and the blacktop was burning hot under my sandals. I unlocked my phone and dialed 9-1-1.

“9-1-1, what is your emergency?” A female voice answered on the other end of the line.

“My aunt… My aunt is…” I began to sob. William took the phone from my hands and explained what we had found. I sank to my knees. When the phone call ended, William wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to my feet and into his chest.

“This can’t be happening,” I sobbed, gripping his shirt as if it was holding me to the earth. I didn’t want to think about what all this would be like if I didn’t have him. Although it had taken that incident when I cut my hand to realize my aunt loved me, we hadn’t really had a chance to get close. Still; I couldn’t think about going on without her. She was the last link to my mother.

Everything was a blur. When help finally arrived, they brought everyone in the county with them. Three police cars, an ambulance, and several unmarked cars crowded my short driveway. One of the officers had been here when my aunt thought I had tried to commit suicide. I clung to William’s side like I couldn’t breathe without him. I wasn’t sure I could.

“I need to take your statements.” The officer was holding a notebook and pen in hand.

“I just came home. I didn’t think she was here. I found her…” It was impossible to form a coherent sentence.

“Can you verify your whereabouts in the past twenty-four hours?” The officer’s eyes flicked between William and me.

“She was with me.” William squeezed me tightly against him. It was an unbelievable weight lifted off my shoulders not to have to lie to the police about us. I knew William didn’t have a problem exposing our secret, but I was still worried he would one day regret it.

“Is there anyone else who can verify that?” The officer arched his eyebrow at William and squared his shoulders. William’s eyes shot down to mine and back to the officer.

“We were alone.” He gave the officer a small smile and something registered across the policeman’s face.

The questions continued. When I couldn’t find the words or emotions had taken over, William spoke with the officers. He was so composed and in control. I envied him for that. I could do no more than simply sob.

As they brought my aunt outside on a stretcher, covered by a thin white sheet, I struggled to keep my composure. Memories of my parent’s death flashed in my head and it was all I could do to stay on my feet. William held me tight and turned me away from her body. The officer’s eyes softened and reassured me they would find whoever had done this.

“Do you have somewhere you can go for a few days?” he asked. “This is a crime scene, and you won’t be allowed back inside until we’re done here.”

I nodded my head and glanced to William. He squeezed me tighter into his side. This was the last place I wanted to be, especially if there was a killer still on the loose. The officer patted me on the shoulder, his eyes filled with pity. I couldn’t escape that look. The whole ordeal lasted for hours. William and I had to go to the police station and give statements. I don’t know what I would have done if William hadn’t been with me. My mind was swimming in sorrow.

“You call me if you remember anything else that may be important,” a detective said as he slid me his card. “And please stay in Florida until we have this all wrapped up. An officer will help you gather some things when you go back to the house.”

When we got back to the house to get my things, there were still a lot of people around.

I watched as the garage door slowly raised and there was more commotion off to the side of the house. My aunt’s car was inside, I hadn’t even thought to look. I covered my mouth and grabbed my stomach. What if the killer had still been inside when I arrived?

Chapter Six

One of the officers escorted me to my room long enough to grab a bag of clothes.

William led me to his car and opened the passenger door for me. I got in and we rode to his place in silence. I stared out of the car window wishing he would never stop driving. I wanted to run away from my life.

As we pulled into the garage his building, I finally broke down, quietly sobbing into my hands. William got out and was quickly by my side. He slid me out of my seat and carried me upstairs as I continued to cry into his neck. He took me straight into his bedroom, keeping the light off. He lowered me gently onto the bed as he crawled behind me and pulled me tight against his body. I finally felt safe and I let my sobs take over. He stroked my arm soothingly as I lost all control.

After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to stop the loud sobs. Tears silently slid down my face as we lay in each other’s arms.

“I can help distance the pain,” he whispered in my ear. I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder. He squeezed me tightly. “Let me take it all away for you.”

I nodded slightly and his hand slid over my stomach as I rolled to my back. His body hovered over mine as he began to undress me slowly. He pulled my shirt over my head, followed by his own. He made quick work of our pants and soon we lay naked as he lowered himself onto me.

“I love you so much, Emma.” His mouth found mine and his kisses were slow and sweet. His body rocked against me gently and I let my legs fall to the sides. He was taking his time.

My hands dug into his back. I wanted him hard and full of passion, but he refused. He took his time trailing kisses along my jaw and down the nape of my neck. I sighed as his lips traced my collarbone.

“Please…” I panted as his mouth found my nipple and he flicked it with his tongue. I could feel him grow harder as he pressed against my leg. My fingers knotted onto his hair.

“Please, William. I need you.” I wasn’t above begging him. I wanted to forget everything. His mouth continued to descend as he licked and kissed his way to my belly button. His tongue dipped inside, and I squirmed against him. His lips moved over one of my hipbones and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. I raised my hips towards him, desperate for him to touch me. His tongue slid down my inner thigh and kissed its way back up. I pulled lightly on his hair. His breath blew over my most sensitive areas as he gave my other thigh equal treatment. All I could think about was William’s mouth. I rested my head back as he drifted closer to my center with light feathery kisses down the apex of my thighs.

“Ahh… please,” I begged, pushing down. His arms wrapped around my legs, holding me firmly in place. His tongue slipped over me and my body quivered. “Yes,” I panted as he used his fingers to spread me open further. His lips slid along my wetness as he pushed his tongue inside. His fingers knew all the right buttons to push as he made love to me with his mouth. I gripped his hair tighter as I gave into the pleasure. His tongue continued to explore as he pushed one of his fingers inside of me. I began to rotate my hips against him as he continued to lick and nip. He added another finger. My body bucked against him as I began my release.

“Let go,” he moaned. I completely fell to pieces as my body tightened around his fingers. He licked and kissed until my body relaxed. I released his hair from my grip and he slid up my body.

“Thank you,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around him.

“We’re just getting started.” He slipped himself inside of me and began rocking his hips.

Chapter Seven

After I had had all the forgetting my body could handle from William, he forced me to get dressed and leave the bedroom. I wanted to curl into a ball, but he refused to let me mope. He sat me on the couch and handed me the remote to find something to watch while he cooked us something to eat for dinner. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I smelled the food cooking. I hadn’t had anything all day besides coffee.