RUINING ANGEL (8 page)

A small groan escapes her lips, her ‘rest’ doing nothing for her neck. Slowly, slowly she opens her eyes and stares straight into mine. She gasps and her hand quickly covers her mouth. Those big blue eyes of hers are wide as saucers, unable to contain her surprise.

They quickly fill with tears, which gives me pause to think that I really must look a whole lot shittier than I was first expecting. My hand reaches towards my face. I can feel a big scar running down my cheek to my jaw – there are metal staples holding the skin together.

I suddenly have images of myself looking like Frankenstein.

‘Pretty bad, huh?’ My voice can barely get out past my lips. It’s raspy as all hell and I don’t even recognize it as myself talking. She immediately jumps up from her chair and throws her arms around me. It hurts like hell, but there is no way I’m asking her to stop. I close my eyes and breathe in her scent. My Bailey. She’s here.

She’s waiting. She loves me – still.

‘Don’t you dare, Angel. You’re just as handsome as you always were,’ she whispers.

‘I’m gonna be a lot of hard work to fix, aren’t I?’

‘I don’t care. I’m here – I’ll always be here. Don’t you think for a second that this is going to push me away. You’ve been doing that yourself all these years and you promised me that nothing is going to change your mind about us anymore. No more pushing me away.

You promised.’ She sounds like she is trying to convince herself more than me. I can feel her wet tears on my cheeks, sliding down my neck.

‘I love you more than my own life, you know that?’ I rasp.

‘I know. I feel exactly the same way about you.’ Her words buzz around me, making me feel better than any morphine or rehab possibly could. I would later find out that I’d been in an induced coma for almost a month but I felt like life was just beginning.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – Honeymoon

It hasn’t been easy. Some days I just wanted to stay in bed and skip the rehab altogether, but the sight of her each day at the foot of my bed ensured I always got my ass up and moving. It’s incredible to think that just a short while ago it was Carron who was living with Bailey in her house. Now I’m in his place while he’s living with a friend nearby. The irony is not lost on me.

Thankfully I was able to hire a laborer to pick up the slack back at the lumber yard – the guy’s even renting out the cabin while I’m gone. I can’t wait to get back there, though.

Eight fucking months of this shit and I feel like I’m going crazy.

Some days the unspent energy buzzes around my body, anxious to escape, but the release never comes. I’m fidgety, uncomfortable and restless. I’ve had two surgeries on my broken leg, and finally I’ll be weight-bearing in a few more days. The injuries have taken a long while to fully heal. The ophthalmologist gave the all clear after three months, but there are still spots where the double vision lingers.

I’m told this is a direct result of the stroke and may never heal properly. In the beginning I wore an eye patch so I didn’t have to see two of everything. My head and heart were given the all clear before they even let me out of the hospital. These days the biggest pain in my ass is my leg. I want to run – fast.

Eventually my parents headed back home. They seemed quite happy that my ‘sister’ was going to look after me. They promised to visit the minute I returned to Thurmont. Bailey and I still have plans to move there once I’m fully recovered, but there is no intention to tell anyone anything at this stage. I know what I want, but I’m not stupid. Confidence in knowing what the aftermath of such a talk would be keeps my lips well and truly shut.

Bailey is at work today. Her boss was gracious enough to allow her to change her plans again and remain in the office in Astoria until she notified them otherwise. I miss her during the day, but the internet has kept me company. I’m amazed I never knew how many freaking awesome videos there are on YouTube. The other thing the net is great for is shopping. No – not for me. For Bailey. She has no idea what I’ve been planning.

This little near death experience has been the biggest wake up call.

Do I still feel guilty about our relationship? Fuck yeah! But I’m not gonna let it run my life. I’m going to live it exactly the way I want to, which of course includes Bailey. I found a ring. Not just any ring. The ring. The one I’m going to propose to her with.

I’m not into pretty sparkly things, but even I was tongue tied when I saw it online. It has a center solitaire diamond, with six branches of white gold trailing off from the middle, three tiny diamonds placed on each piece to give the illusion that the whole thing looks like a snowflake. It’s goddamn fucking perfect, just like her. When I was a child I learnt that snowflakes are all individual, never to be replicated. This notion has always stuck with me. Now I see Bailey as my snowflake. She’s one of a kind.

I booked the marriage celebrant and honeymoon in Cancun. I’m going to propose when she gets home from work today.

Using my crutches for support, I slowly make my way up the stairs to go and shower. It’s still taking some getting used to the new reflection that stares back at me in the mirror. The scar that runs down my face to my jaw makes me look a little mean. Bailey says that’s okay, so long as my heart is good. I promise her it is.

Slowly I shave, brush my teeth and then shower. Thankfully I have one good leg to stand on or this whole process would be a lot harder. Even though there are fresh scars on my leg from the recent surgery, they are stapled shut, so I only bother with a waterproof dressing to keep it from getting the wound wet. Quickly dressing, I realize I’m running out of time. Back in the bedroom I light the candles Bailey has scattered across the furniture tops and draw the curtains closed. The jewelry box with the ring in it is placed under my pillow, waiting for the right moment.

Taking up space on my side of the bed, I settle down to wait. She won’t be long. As the clock ticks noisily beside me, my mind drifts to who used to occupy this side of the bed. I’m beyond amazed at Carron. The guy has class, I’ll give him that. If the shoe were on the other foot, he’d be six foot under with my boot up his ass. He’s dropped by a few times. Bailey always squirms uncomfortably, but he’s as kind to her as he’s always been. I wonder if he ever thinks he might get her back. He won’t, that I’m sure of, because I’m never going to give her permission to leave me again. She’s mine.

I hear her car on the driveway so I feign sleep. The door slams and the jingle of keys can be heard. Jezebel is meowing on the stairs, but I know she won’t keep Bailey from me for long.

I’m right. The footsteps pause briefly on the stairs before quietly continuing. I know she’s being quiet in case I’m asleep. When she enters the room, I hear her gasp. Her bag drops to the floor and she shuffles quietly towards the bed. It dips ever so slightly as she sits down on the edge next to me. The heat off her body radiates towards me and the smell of her shampoo lingers in the air. I almost can’t stand the anticipation. She leans forward, softly, softly placing a sweet kiss on my lips. Her mouth is warm and I can smell peppermint on her breath.

Light as a feather, kisses tease my lips. She wants me to wake, so I will oblige. I stir, my tongue immediately forcing her mouth open so that she moans above me.

‘Hey baby,’ I say huskily.

‘You weren’t really asleep were you?’ she whispers, her breath tickling my face.

‘No. But you can’t blame me for wanting you to seduce me, can you?’

‘Mmm, maybe …’

‘Kiss me again, I like it.’

‘Do you now?’

‘Yes, very much.’

Our mouths find each other’s again and we tangle in a web of passion. She’s careful to avoid my leg, while all I can focus on is getting her to come sit on my waist.

‘Wait a minute,’ she says breathlessly, getting off the bed to undress. She strips down so she’s completely naked. My cock instantly springs to life, eager for what she’s about to offer.

The first time we went to make love after the accident was a complete and utter embarrassment for me. I could get it up alright, I just couldn’t come. My balls ached something fierce, but the doctors told me this was perfectly normal after such trauma. No such problems now, though. I’m hard as hell and ready to make love, diving into the depths of her body where she’s tight and hot.

She’s careful as she pulls my tracksuit pants down my legs. There’s no boxer shorts for her to remove, so she climbs back on the bed and straddles my waist. Her stomach is washboard flat, and I plane my large hands over the expanse of it, loving the feel of her smooth, silky skin.

Bailey’s become quite a tease. Probably because she knows she’s in control at the moment. There will be no throwing her off and pinning her to the bed – my leg just won’t allow it. So instead, I’m at the mercy of her tortuous ways.

She parts the center of her sex with her fingers and lets the tip of my cock press gently against her clit. Sinking onto my shaft, she repeats this over and over again till I become numb. Each time she pulls off me I’m left seeing the glistening wetness she leaves on my dick. It excites me that I make her so wet. In and out, up and down.

She’s possessing me, controlling me, and I like it. Gripping her hips harder, I fight to keep her on my shaft this time.

I want to come so badly, but she’s intent on making me wait. She does relent a little though and starts up a steady rhythm of rocking back and forward. Her breasts ever so slightly move up and down, her pale pink nipples pinched tight from the excitement. She catches me eyeing them up and leans forward to offer one to my mouth. I suck it greedily and she moans in delight. There’s no stopping with just one, so I move to engulf the other with mouth as well. My tongue tickles the little bud while my lips suck the flesh around it.

Fuck going back to work – I could do this all day.

As I suck her nipples, I can feel her urgency increase. I know my pre-come has already started to seep from the eye of my dick into her body. Her mouth finds my neck and starts trailing hot kisses down towards my collarbone. There’s a scar there from a catheter that drained fluid from my lungs when they collapsed in the accident.

She kisses it now, as though the gesture could heal me entirely. It does.

My eyes scope down the length of her back, her spine clearly visible as it trails towards her fine ass. I watch mesmerized as it moves up and down in the air as she fucks my cock. It tips me over the edge.

‘Come with me,’ I beg.

‘Yes,’ she cries, sitting herself back upright and moving at an even faster rhythm. We’re on the home stretch, both of us guaranteed to be winners.

When I start to feel myself letting go, I still her hips with my hands, letting her shatter around me as my orgasm pulses through her. The combination of both of our sexes pulsing at the same time is like nothing on this earth. When we come together I feel closer to her than I can ever imagine being with anyone. I’m sure it is because I love and feel so much for her – that and the fact I have seen so much of her life. I really understand who she is as a person and know what makes her happy, what makes her cry. Knowing a person so intimately opens up our relationship to love each other on a whole other level. People who are just getting to know each other as adults couldn’t ever find that same intimacy. It’s who we are as kids that make us what we are as adults, right?

Bailey pants, her chest heaving as she regains her composure. Her cheeks are flushed, her freckles blending into the pink blush that graces her cheeks. I watch her with fascination.

‘Did you miss me?’ I ask.

‘Yes,’ she breathes, smiling happily.

‘How was work?’ The smile dims and she moves to get off me. I wonder what I’ve said as she makes her way to the bathroom. I pull my tracksuit bottoms back up and wait for her to come back to lay with me. The toilet flushes and she emerges still naked, but hops under the sheets and snuggles close under my arm.

‘Want to talk about it?’

‘Not really, it will only spoil our mood. It’s just Lyra – she’s still not talking to me and it makes being at work uncomfortable. I hate feeling like I’ve lost my best girlfriend.’

‘That blows – but you know you’re not going to fix the way she feels about us, don’t you?’

‘Yeah, I suppose …’

‘Just give her time, she’ll come around eventually. In the meantime, I’ve got something that will make you smile.’

‘You do?’ she asks surprised.

‘Yep, but I’m going to do this right – well, as right as I can with a bad leg. Come stand around this side of my bed.’ She obliges, no questions asked. As she makes her way around she grabs her silk robe, cinching it around her waist. Bailey knots her hair on top of her head, little wispy strands falling loose around her face.

Sitting up with my bad leg stretched out in front of me and the other on the floor, I pull her towards me so she’s standing in between my legs, her belly button where my lips can kiss her stomach. Reaching for the ring box under the pillow, her eyes trail every movement, turning wide as saucers when she sees the box emerge.

‘Oh my …’ she’s unable to finish the sentence. I shush her with my finger over her lips, needing to get the words out.

‘Bailey. I love you, I’ve always loved you. From the moment you took my hand when we were kids and you shared your Barbie dolls with me, you’ve been the best friend I could have ever asked for.

You’re selfless, brave, kind and giving. You’ve always made me feel like I can achieve anything in life and that you’d be right by my side cheering me on. You’re the only friend I’ve ever wanted, but now that’s not enough. I need you Bailey. Every moment of every day, I need you. Not just as my friend, but as my wife as well. Will you marry me?’ I open the box, presenting it to her as I wait with bated breath.

Her mouth opens, but nothing comes out, her lips frozen in a large O shape. A trembling hand reaches out to touch it.

‘Oh my god, it’s so pretty,’ she says. My heart is hammering so hard in my chest I think I may just have a heart attack.

‘Is that a yes then?’ She reaches with both hands for my face and pulls me forward, her lips conveying every bit of emotion coursing through her body. Softly, tenderly she delivers an intense kiss.