Protect and Correct (13 page)

“Make love to me,” she whispered.

The sun glowed over them as Collin placed Brooke on her back upon the metallic blanket. The damp chill was forgotten as they stripped of their clothes and laid naked in one another’s arms before the dancing flames of the roaring fire. Brooke hungrily reached around Collin’s body, digging her nails into his backside as she steered him towards her core.

“Slow down,” he whispered. “We have time…”

“I want to feel you inside of me. Now,” Brooke’s tense voice said, “I need to feel you. Deep.”

Collin plunged himself within her, burying his shaft to the hilt as Brooke swallowed his manhood whole. She clutched his shaft with her muscles, pulling him in deeper, and then proceeded to bear down, as though trying to dislodge him.

“Just stay still,” she said hoarsely, repeating the movement of tightening in and then bearing down. Collin was unable to remain unmoving for long and began to match her milking strokes, pulling halfway out before lunging deep inside. Over and over, he pumped himself, gritting his teeth as he struggled against his relief.

He slowly pulled out and made his final dive, climaxing with sharp, penetrating spasms. Brooke arched her back beneath him, gripping his shaft with her inner muscles and bearing down, joining him in his blissful release.

Collin sank by Brooke’s side, his arm draped possessively across her chest.

“I love you,” he whispered.

* * *

Brooke’s heart pounded wildly upon hearing his words. She felt trapped, uncertain of her own feelings.

“No, Collin. It’s too soon.”

“Brooke, how many people are given a second chance at life? Or a second chance at love? Don’t run from it.”

“I… I can’t. Not yet.” She sat up, quickly throwing her clothes back on. “I barely know myself, let alone you.”

“Calm down, sweetie. It’s okay—”

“Take me home, Collin. Please.”

The boat ride back to the house was conducted in uncomfortable silence. Brooke raced into the house the moment Collin docked the little boat and locked herself in the small room that he had named her ‘escape route’. This, like his office, was an off-limits place to the other, given to provide personal space for moments when alone time was needed.

Brooke leaned against the locked door and tried to calm her hands from shaking. She did not know what frightened her the most—Collin’s feelings for her or her feelings for him. She found herself fearful that she had hurt him with her response. Would he just give up and leave? Would he renege on what he had shared? Would he end up hurting her like so many other people had? How could she be sure?

These thoughts haunted her as she paced the room, and she struggled with the fears and doubts that occupied her mind. Her gut told her that Collin was different and that he deserved a chance, but did she? She fought against the answer, unable to reconcile that she also deserved a chance at love and happiness. She found herself missing the simplicity of her old life when she knew she was unloved.

The phone rang shrilly, jarring her from her fearful thoughts. It was Francine.

“Hi, Brooke! We are having an impromptu club meeting tonight, and I was wondering if you might want to go.”

“I’m not having a very good day and…”

“Even more reason to go!” Francine exclaimed. She lowered her voice as though she did not want to be overheard, “Us gals are meeting at Patrick’s for drinks.”

“I thought it was for the miniature club. How…”

“Ever heard of mini-liquor bottles?”

“Oh! Gotcha! You know,” Brooke eyed the door, “I think that would be a great idea. What time?”

“Happy hour starts at five. Come by the diner, and we can go together.”

“Sounds like a plan. Thanks.”

Collin was occupied on his cell phone, nose buried in his computer, when Brooke slipped by his office. Unnoticed, she snatched his credit card, slinked outside, and began the long trek towards town. She had plenty of time before Happy Hour would begin, and she made the spontaneous decision of exactly how she would exercise her stolen freedom. Her steps grew lighter as she saw the town ahead. The distance from the house and Collin made Brooke feel as though she was independent for the first time since… since the transformation of her life. She slipped into a clothing store and allowed a bout of defiance to take control.

Collin was fairly conservative in his tastes and had ordered her not to draw attention to herself. Never having had a sexy figure, Brooke explored clothing that she could never have fit into before. Thrilled beyond control, she twirled in a skin-tight sweater dress that exposed both shoulders and quite a bit of cleavage. New, high-heeled black boots adorned her feet. Confidence building, she skipped happily into the hair salon and ordered the works, compliments of her husband. Lowlights were added to her hair, and a full mani-pedi, a facial, and a make-over left her feeling more feminine than she dared realize. Satisfied with her new look, she sauntered into the diner in search of Francine.

“Would you like a table or a… Brooke?”

“I hope I’m not too early.”

“No, not at all. I’m sorry for staring, but, damn girl! You look hot.”

“Do you think it’s too much?” Brooke asked, twirling in front of the woman.

“Not me. I don’t think your audience seems to mind either. If those guys had any teeth left in their mouths, they would have fallen out by now,” Francine laughed, thumbing in the direction of the bar where several ancient fishermen sat gawking. “What did Collin say about it? I can’t believe he let you out of the house looking like that.”

“He doesn’t know. He was working when I left. I walked here. You know… just needed a breather from being micromanaged.” Brooke shrugged, sliding onto a bar stool.

“Are you two fighting again? Honey,” Francine leaned across the counter, “life is too short to waste it playing games. Say what you feel, live how you feel, and improve what you want to feel. We can’t blame our misery on anyone else if we do nothing ourselves to change it.”

“What if you don’t know how to change it?”

“Then you try anyway. Eventually, you’ll get it right. Ready to go and check out miniatures?”

“Yup.”

Brooke had not been drinking and dancing since college, and even then, she had always felt inhibited. That night, with her new look and ‘not-so-virtuous’ new body, she let go of her inhibitions and had fun. A lot of fun. Perhaps too much fun…

“Brooke? It’s one in the morning. Should we call Collin to come get you?” Francine asked, leaning against the girl as they walked down the quiet road towards Francine’s house.

“Nah, I’ll walk home. It’s not far,” Brooke said, her words slurring slightly. She stumbled in the road and began to giggle. “He won’t care anyway. He doesn’t really love me. He just wants to catch the killer.”

“What killer?”

“See this?” Brooke flourished her hand over her body. “All fake. Every bit of it. Guy made me into mincemeat, and Collin wants to catch him. He doesn’t care about me. Not when he had a custom made virgin to screw every day until he gets out of the job as my bodyguard.”

“What in the world are you talking about?”

“The F… B… I,” Brooke elongated the initials, holding her finger to her lips, “is keeping me a secret! Shhh…”

“Shit, girl, are you in the Witness Protection Program?” Francine asked. Brooke nodded, stumbling again. “Don’t you see you are putting your life in danger? Damn… Rolland!”

“Home already? I was wondering… Brooke?”

Francine quickly relayed what the drunken woman had shared with her as her husband forced Brooke to drink a glass of water. He looked concerned as well.

“Did she say anything to anyone else about this? More, young lady. You are not moving from that spot until you finish at least two glasses,” Rolland commanded. “And no faces.”

“I don’t think she said anything until we were walking home. Are you going to tell Collin?”

“I need to think about it. I might be able to present it in a way that will make him feel comfortable allowing her to remain in the area. We can help keep an eye on her. Brooke! Drink that water, now.”

“You’re mean.” Brooke stuck her tongue out at him. “I’m not thirsty.”

“I don’t care. Drink.”

“What if the guy comes here looking for her?” Francine asked, her eyes crinkling with amusement as her husband struggled to get the stubborn girl to obey him.

“Then we know how to turn him in a different direction. Let’s spread the word that she has a psycho ex who might come to town. The community will protect her.”

“Like they did us?”

“Exactly.”

“Okay. We should at least call Collin and let him know where she is.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t been beating down our doors looking for her. That boy really cares for this little imp.”

“She doesn’t think so. He told her he loved her, and she believes it’s all a ruse to help him catch a criminal,” Francine said sadly, stroking Brooke’s hair as the girl sat back with her eyes tightly closed.

“Sometimes it takes a while before someone can believe they are loved. It’s even harder when that person doesn’t really love herself to start with,” Rolland said, picking up the receiver and dialing Collin.

* * *

Brooke lifted her head as she heard Collin’s roar from across the room.

“Look what the cat dragged in? Big, bad, and ugly.” She waved.

“How much did she drink? And where the hell did she get those hideous clothes?” Collin shouted as he approached her.

Francine bit her lip, looking at her husband for help.

“She got herself a makeover before she met Francine at the diner. Then they went to the miniature club party at Patrick’s.”

“What party? She didn’t say anything to me about a party. How did she get here?”

“She walked. Didn’t you even notice she was gone?” Francine asked.

“We have sanctuaries in our home that we don’t disturb. She was in hers last I saw, and she left the door closed, so I figured she fell asleep in there. She was disturbed by something I had said earlier.”

“Son, I don’t like to tell a man how to run his house, but these gals… better to chase them down then leave them be. This way they know you care.”

“She’s scared, Collin. Really scared,” Francine said. “I think her feelings for you are too much for her to handle. She got gussied up like this to make you jealous tonight, and when you didn’t come looking for her…”

“She acted out and got herself plastered. You would think I knew better by now,” Collin sat down and began to rub the back of his neck.

“I agree with you. You should have known better by now, Dr. Collins,” Rolland smiled.

Collin stared at him. “What are you talking about? Collin is my first name, and—”

“You and your wife moved here after your accident. I thought I recognized you, although I think your features were a bit rougher then. Don’t worry, son, your secret is good with us. Think back a moment…”

“Whoa, were you one of the investigators on my case?”

Rolland nodded.

“Well, that explains why I had the feeling Francine was hiding something. But why the occupational change and staying up here? You weren’t on the protection list after the trial, were you?”

“Sometimes a new life and a new beginning beats anything we had before. I was tired of the force, spending hours analyzing handwriting and speech patterns. I wanted something simple, and so did Francine. We moved up here permanently after you left. I’m truly sorry about Carolyn.”

“Thanks,” Collin said quietly. “Does anyone else know you are up here?”

“Not that we know of. When I resigned, I went to great lengths to cover my trail.”

“Please keep this knowledge of our situation under your belts, okay? That includes saying nothing to her. I need to think about relocating…”

“Son, this will be the safest place for her. We will help protect her and this town,” Rolland placed his hand on Collin’s shoulder, “has the kind of people she needs. She says she loves the house, too. Think about it.”

“The perp knows she was still alive when we rescued her and might still be looking. And no offense, but I really don’t know you well.”

“None taken. Her life is the most important thing right now. Regardless of what you decide, Francine is going to spread a rumor about her ex looking for her. That should provide a barrier of some sort, plus word will get back about someone asking about her. You also need to keep a closer eye on the girl. Walking to town is foolhardy and dangerous.”

“Believe me, she won’t be walking anywhere for a while. Or sitting for any extended period without extreme discomfort. Let me get her home before she passes out on the sofa. Thanks, you two.”

“Collin?” Francine touched his arm. “May I ask you a question? Do you love her?”

“With every fiber of my being.”

“Good. All you have to do is convince her now.”

“That, my friend, is a task easier said than done. It is hard to convince someone that they can be loved when they believe themselves to be unlovable.”

Rolland glanced over at his wife, brows furrowed. “That’s what I said. How is she responding to the lifestyle?”

“I think it’s good for her. She is discovering both repentance and arousal with it. Why?”

The older man nodded, handing Collin an item. “Try this. And don’t stop until she accepts.”

Collin looked down, turning the item in his hand. “Do you think it will work?”

“You’re the psychiatrist. You tell me.”

Collin’s fist closed around it. “Yeah. I think you might be right.”

* * *

Brooke stumbled several times as Collin led her to the car. “You’re really pretty, ya know?”

“Pretty? Um, thanks. Watch your head, baby.”

“Nice on the eyes. Real nice,” she giggled, plopping in the seat. “Except when you look like that. Do this,” she took her fingers and pushed his lips into a smile.

“I don’t feel like smiling right now. It is three is the morning, and you are too inebriated to comprehend anything.”

“Eee-neee-breee-ated,” she repeated, bursting into a fit of giggles. “That is a funny word.”