Dark Grace (17 page)

“Thanks.”

Gus left the flashlight perched on the small sink before leaving the room. He left the door cracked. I quickly took my shoes off and stripped out of my clothes. I grabbed two of the jugs of water and set them inside the shower. There were hotel towels folded and set neatly on one of the shelves, so I grabbed one to set on the ground outside of the shower. Once inside, I opened one of the containers of water and poured it over myself, doing my best to wet every inch of myself. It was cold, but I didn’t really care. Whoever had used this little bathroom and bedroom had thankfully left behind their body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. I lathered and scrubbed and delighted in the scent of clean. At last, I used the other jug of water to rinse myself. I found myself needing a third, so snuck out of the shower just long enough to grab one more. A dose of conditioner to my hair and one final rinse, I left the shower behind and used a second towel to dry myself off, and wrapped a third around my hair.

“You done in there, Zoe?” Gus asked quietly from just the other side of the door.

“Hang on,” I answered back as I wrapped a towel around myself. “’Kay, come in.”

He pulled the door open and smiled.
“You smell good.”

“Thanks.”
I would have smiled back, but was too tired. “Find anything?”

I scooted around him into the small bedroom, careful to keep hold of my towel.

“A few little things. Let me use the shower and I’ll tell you about it in a bit, ok?”

“
Yeah, sure.”

“Oh, I set clothes out on the bed for you.
Try to keep the flashlight away from any windows, just in case anyone’s out there to take notice. I won’t be long.”

I walked to the twin bed and found the clothes Gus had set out, if you can call them that.
Whoever had ‘lived’ here was about his size, which is larger than me. I pulled on a pair of boxer shorts, trusting them to at least be clean, and an oversized plain white t-shirt. Even with my gravid belly, the shirt was loose. It was soft cotton and felt deliciously clean. I sat on the bed and lost track of time as I listened to the noises coming from the bathroom.

“Hey Zoe,” whispered Gus.

I had been thinking about Emilie and looked up. “Huh?”

“I found some good stuff in the boxes in here.”

Gus had a towel wrapped around his waist. I felt guilty admiring his nearly naked body in the glow of the flashlight. I could see his stab wounds even in the dim lighting, but couldn’t tell how they were fairing.

“What kind of stuff?”

“Toothpaste, lotion, shower caps.”

“
Yay shower caps!” I teased him, followed by a yawn.

“There’s also an unwrapped toothbrush in the medicine cabinet.
Do you mind if we share it?”

“Are you serious?” I asked.
“Oh God, clean teeth would be so nice. Can I go first?”

He chuckled.
“Yes, but let’s get this stuff back to the room. I found some plastic bags too, so I’ll pack our dirty clothes up. If you don’t mind carrying that, I’ll grab the box of goodies I packed.”

“Awesome,” I said, with another yawn.

Within a few minutes, Gus had pulled on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt that matched my own and we were ready to head back to the room that we had claimed for ourselves. The walk back proved colder than I anticipated, and the wind was picking up again. Rain began falling just as we reached the front door.

“We’ll need to clear the room, darlin’.
Let’s set things just inside the door and then take a look around.”

He opened the door and I half expected someone to jump us.
The room was dark, quiet, and cold. We set our loads on the floor to the side of the door. As both of our flashlights shone around the room, nothing evil emerged.

“Lock the door and I’ll just make sure the bathroom’s clear,” said Gus.
He sounded tired.

I engaged the lock, and made sure the heavy curtain was fully covering the front window.
I felt far from secure in this new location. I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to stay warm.

“You should climb under the covers,” said Gus as he emerged from the bathroom.
“It’s colder than a witch’s tit in here.”

“A witch’s tit huh?”
I rolled my eyes in the dark. “You’re so weird, Gus.”

“I try my best.”

“I’ll look for an extra blanket.”

I walked the short distance to a small closet and opened the bi-fold door, which squeaked lightly.
Just as I hoped, there were two spare blankets folded on the top shelf. I carried them to the bed and spread them out, hoping they’d keep out the chill of the night. The room was suddenly bathed in soft candlelight, causing me to turn.

“Where’d you get candles?” I asked in surprise.

“Back at the manager’s desk. Go brush your teeth while I unpack the rest of the load.”

He held the toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, and a half bottle of drinking water out for me.
I took the items gratefully and wandered off to the small bathroom. I scrubbed my teeth for longer than I can recall ever having done so before, and emerged feeling minty fresh.

“No way!” I squealed when I saw a bag of Doritos and a jar of nacho cheese dip sitting in the middle of the bed.
“No freaking way!”

“Way,” said Gus, mimicking a teenager.

“Dork,” I chided while I hopped onto the bed.

“On a more serious note, I found the snacks in a drawer behind the manager’s desk.
Next to some nudie mags.”

“
Eww.”

Gus winked at me.
“Not only that,” he added as he held an arm behind his back. “I found a six pack of Coke.” He pulled his arm out from behind him, producing the soda.

I smiled as he set them on the bed.
“Awesome. Mind if I eat?”

“Help yourself, darlin’.”

I opened the sack noisily and inhaled the scent of the fake cheese. Gus lit a second candle and placed it on the small nightstand that held a non-working alarm clock and lamp. I felt the mattress depress as he sat across from me. I was struggling to open the metal lid on the jar of cheese dip, so he took it from me and helped without being asked. I heard the ‘pop’ of the vacuum seal break. I shoved a chip into my mouth and chewed quickly, too hungry to worry about savoring the flavor.

“We’ll try for something healthier tomorrow,” said Gus.
He looked exhausted.

“How are your wounds?” I asked.

“Much better. Nearly healed, see?” He lifted his t-shirt up to expose the scars on his abdomen.

I rubbed my own swollen belly, reminded that my baby was growing far too quickly.

“Try not to worry, Zoe. No point in worrying.”

We both ate chips and dip for the next several minutes without speaking.
My fingers were coated in orange already, so I wiped them on the blanket beneath us. The sound of a soda can opening made me look up. Gus, always the gentleman, held the first one out to me. I drank deeply from the can as he opened his own. I was able to finish half of it before my stomach grew full. I reached over and set it on the nightstand and then lay down against the pillows.

“Full already?” Gus chuckled as he popped another chip into his mouth.

“Yeah,” I said with a satisfied sigh.

“I never used to eat this crap,” he said as he crinkled the bag closed.
“We should get some sleep. Want me to sleep on the floor?”

“Nah.
You can imagine how nasty that carpet is.” I climbed under the covers. “Besides, we’ll stay warmer in the same bed.”

The chill of the night was worsening and sitting in a t-shirt and boxers had probably been unwise.
I was starting to shiver as Gus climbed in beside me. He pulled his t-shirt off.

“Sorry,” he said.
“I’ve never been able to sleep well in a shirt.”

“It’s fine.
At least you’re clean,” I smiled with a grin.

Gus leaned over and blew the small candles out, immersing the room in rich darkness.

“It’s so cold,” I whispered.

Without thinking, I scooted closer and settled in at his side, and rested my head on his chest.
I felt him tense.

“Is this ok?” I asked.

“Of course.” His body relaxed.

“I’m not hurting you?”

“Nah.”

“Gus?”

“Huh?”

“He left us.”

“Boggs?”

“
Yeah. He left me and the baby.” My mind was still a bit numb over this fact.

“We’ll find him, Zoe.”
He kissed my forehead gently. “I made a promise to him once, that I’d always take care of you. And I will.”

“I know.
I was awake that night, in the bed and breakfast, when you were talking with him.”

“I don’t think any of them meant to take off.
I think they had to, in order to survive. Try not to hold it against him, ok? We still don’t know just what happened exactly.”

I didn’t answer.
Trying to hold my emotions in was hard enough. Gus wrapped his arm around me tighter as he turned onto his side to face me. Moonlight was creeping in through the seam in the drapes, making it possible to just barely see his face. I could tell that his eyes were intense.

“You know I’m good for my word.
No matter what’s happened between you and him, or me and you, I’ll do my best to keep you and your baby safe.”

I felt the warmth of his free hand as he set it on my belly, over where my baby was nestled beneath.
I met his eyes and breathed slowly. He unhurriedly leaned down and let his lips linger just above my own. The warmth of his breath felt was soothing. He kissed me softly on the lips, the scruff of his growing beard stroking my face. My heart skipped a beat as he lingered, as if asking for permission to continue. When I didn’t respond he pressed his lips against mine again, with a bit more force. He parted my lips with his tongue, and I closed my eyes knowing that I should fight the desires growing within me. He deepened the kiss, exploring my mouth with his. His hand ran up my t-shirt, creating a trail of warmth on my chilled skin. When he found my left breast and began kneading, I broke the kiss.

“We can’t, Gus,” I said between short breaths.
“We’ve already hurt so many people.”

“I’m sorry.
I shouldn’t have crossed the line,” he sighed as he backed away by just a couple of inches.

His hand remained on my breast and while he seemed to be struggling with something internal, he leaned back down and kissed me more deeply than before.
His hand slid down my side, sending shivers of pleasure into my core.

“Tell me to stop, Zoe,” he breathed.

I moaned in response, arching my back involuntarily. Gus’ hand found its way behind my butt and he pulled my too-large boxers down over my hips.

“Oh God, tell me to stop,” he repeated a bit more loudly.
His pleading was driving me wild. He shifted his weight, pulling his pinned arm out from under me. He trailed kisses down the center of my chest, his lips hot and wanting. When he reached the top of my pregnant belly, he nuzzled me gently while he reached down past my knees and slipped my boxers over my feet. He finally moved back up in the bed to look me in the eyes.

“You are so beautiful.
Even more so pregnant. You have no idea how much I want you,” he groaned.

Before I could answer, his lips were on my neck, kissing me tenderly.
I could feel his erection on my leg and moaned as one of his fingers slid inside of me.

“Oh Lord, girl, you’re so fucking wet.”
His excitement was palpable.

“This is wrong, Gus,” I moaned.
I was panting and knew I didn’t sound sincere.

His finger began moving inside of me, sliding in and out rhythmically.
I felt my desire rising and was about to become lost in orgasm when Gus took his finger away.

“Not yet,” he whispered.

He rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him. “Not yet,” he repeated as he frantically pulled my t-shirt up over my head.

His eyes were taking in every inch of my motherly figure as I sat on his abdomen.
He reached up and held my swollen breasts in his large hands, his breath deepening.

“Ride it for me, Zoe?” he begged.
“Ride it hard for me?”

I shifted my weight forward and leaned down to kiss him.
My belly was in the way, so he raised himself onto his elbows to meet me halfway. The kiss was deep and hot, and full of an emotion I hadn’t experienced before. It was something between emotional pain and sheer joy, bound together with desire. Our arms wrapped tightly around each other, hands exploring bare skin. I gently lifted my bottom off of him, adjusted, and slid down onto his hard shaft. Like the only other time I had been with him, his large size caused me to inhale sharply.