9. Elliot

As soon as we step inside the cabin, I lead Brielle over to the couch and get her snuggled up next to me. She’s trembling slightly, the adrenaline from the day still wearing off. I hold her through it all, not saying anything, just letting her feel however she needs to feel.

When my sweet girl lifts her head from where it was buried against the side of my neck, I see the remnants of tears in her clear blue eyes. “Honey,” I whisper. “Can you tell me what happened? When I went to pick you up, the receptionist said you called in sick.”

Brielle nods. “My mom was waiting for me when I got to my office. When I didn’t come home all weekend, she must have sent her drug dealer to spy on me or something. She somehow found out about us. After she yelled at me and tore me apart for being a whore, she threatened to call my boss.”

“I had no idea our relationship was putting your career on the line. I mean, I suppose some part of me knew it was against the rules, but I figured once I finished my last session we’d be in the clear.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure about the policy between client and care provider, but I’m positive what we did - in my office, no less - was crossing a line. I should have called her bluff or just stopped to think about what she was saying for two seconds. I’m sure she has no evidence, and I really don’t know if she would have done anything even if she did. My mother doesn’t exactly want to bring the attention of the law or military to her current lifestyle.” Brielle takes a breath while I press a kiss to her temple. “I was so shocked to see her, and then to have her yell at me… I was in a weird headspace and just followed her out to her car. Such an idiot,” she mumbles to herself.

“Hey,” I murmur. “You’re not stupid. Your mother is manipulative and cruel, on top of being an addict. She would have said or done anything to get her next fix, and apparently, she did. God, sunshine, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you sooner.”

“It’s not your fault,” she replies, peering up at me. “You have nothing to apologize for. I knew my mother was getting out of control and I did nothing to stop it aside from a few conversations that always blew up into a huge fight. It was never worth the energy. Plus, every time I even hinted that she drank too much, my mom was quick to remind me it’s all my fault.”

“What’s your fault? The drinking?”

Brielle nods, her shoulders dropping. I can see the shame she carries with her. I want to take it away, but I know this kind of pain only starts to heal once it’s talked about out in the open. My sunshine taught me that.

“Yeah. I… sort of caused my parents’ divorce.”

“That’s not likely,” I reply, though I don’t want to sound dismissive.

“You’re right, I’ve just heard it so many times. Six years ago, I caught my dad cheating on my mom. I know, I’m the unluckiest person in the world for having now either walked in on or heard her parents having sex with other people.” She rolls her eyes, the hint of a sarcastic smile pulling at her lips. While I hate the story she’s telling, I’m glad to see a little bit of her light coming back into her soul.

“So, how is that your fault?” I ask.

“In my mother’s logic, she says if I never caught my dad cheating, they could still be blissfully married.”

“Are you serious? That’s absurd. You know that’s not true, right?”

“I… yes. On some level. She told me over and over that if I would have just kept that secret to myself, none of this would have happened. Since she knew about it, however, she had no choice but to kick him out. Either way, her social drinking turned into self-medication, which led to drinking earlier and earlier in the day, and eventually, I don’t think I ever saw my mom without a drink in her hand.”

Brielle sinks into me, drawing from my strength. It’s all for her.

“I know it will take time to unlearn all the lies and twisted thought patterns your mother taught you, but I’ll be right here to remind you every day how brave and strong you are for breaking the cycle.”

My girl nods, resting her forehead on mine. We share the same breath, this moment precious and sacred. “You’re too good to me,” she whispers.

“We’re good to each other,” I say, reminding her of what she told me not too long ago.

Brielle nuzzles into the side of my neck, then kisses me there. Her hands trail up my chest, and then she weaves her fingers in my beard, tugging me down for a real kiss.

“I need you,” she whispers against my lips.

”I don”t want to hurt you after everything you”ve been through today. Are you hurt?” She shakes her head, no, but I still have my reservations. ”Let”s take a shower together. The warm water will feel good.”

She narrows her eyes at me but then gets a devious look on her face. ”You may think you”re distracting me, but the joke”s on you because I”ve always wanted to have shower sex.”

“Fuck, that’s not even fair,” I groan. “When did you get such a dirty mouth on you?”

I don’t give her a chance to respond, however, before tugging my beautiful, sexy, strong woman toward the bathroom. She giggles and I grin at her, loving the sound of her laughter. She’s incredible. Brielle is smiling, even after everything that happened to her today, and her whole life, really.

Again, I”m struck by how wrong my first impression was of her. All I saw was the outside veneer, and assumed she had it easy. Instead, my girl is stronger than anyone I”ve ever met. She endured things no one should ever have to, and yet she woke up every day with the goal of healing others and bringing light into their lives.

I turn on the water, test the temperature, and then strip down. Brielle is already naked by the time I turn around, and I can”t stop the hungry growl escaping my throat.

We step inside the shower, and I watch as the warm water trickles down over her flawless skin and supple curves. My hands follow the droplets of water over her shoulders, her waist, and her hips. I grab ahold of her perky ass and pull her toward me, kissing her soundly. She lifts one leg over my hip and I hold it firmly in my grip, groaning at the way she”s opening herself up to me.

“Brielle…” I groan into the side of her neck as I kiss my way down her slender column. She thrusts her hips and rubs her hot pussy against my rock fucking hard cock.

“Please?” she whimpers. “I need to feel you. I need…”

I pull back slightly so I can rest my forehead on hers. “What do you need, sunshine?”

“I need to feel that connection again. It was everything. Wasn’t it?”

“Damn right it was, Brielle,” I say before kissing away all of her doubts and insecurities. My hands roam over her body, stroking, squeezing, savoring every inch.

Finally, I break our kiss and spin her around so she’s facing the back wall of the shower. Brielle takes the hint and braces herself on the wall, sticking her ass out, presenting herself to me in an act of complete trust.

“I’ll never get used to how gorgeous you are,” I mummer before kissing her between her shoulder blades and ghosting my lips and nose down her spine.

Reaching between her legs, I dip two fingers inside her wet slit to check her readiness. Goddamn, my girl wasn”t kidding; she needs this.

“Ready for me to fill you up again?” I ask while lazily pumping my fingers in and out of her soaking wet hole.

“God, yes, please, please…” Brielle moans.

I stand up behind her and grip her ass, massaging her perfect cheeks and pulling them apart, exposing all of her to my hungry eyes. I lean over and cover her, pressing my chest into her back as I reach around her with one hand. She shivers beneath me. I bite her shoulder, cup her breast, and drive my cock into her mercilessly, letting out a feral growl as I bottom out. She whimpers with each thrust and pushes back into me, letting me know she’s right here with me.

I skim my fingers down her torso, all the way to her pussy. Her clit is a fat little pearl, swollen and throbbing for me. She bucks against my hand as I play with it, rubbing and pinching and not letting her take a breath as I give her body more pleasure than she”s ever known. She twists and cries in agony, but I don”t stop. She”s mine now. Mine to please. Mine to torture. She arches in my arms as I take her apart piece by piece, letting out a desperate plea right before she breaks.

“That’s it, fucking come for me, Brielle,” I grunt, still pumping into her and teasing her nipples with one hand while rubbing her hard little clit.

“Elliot!” Brielle gushes for me, her tight pussy spasming around my cock again and again.

I don’t let her come back down, I keep drilling her harder and faster, gripping her ass and pulling her cheeks apart.

“Fucking love watching your pussy swallow my big dick,” I grunt.

“I… c-can’t stop… c-coming…” she gasps in between each word like it’s taking up all of her concentration just to breathe.

I wrap one arm around her hips and one across her perfect breasts, holding her up as her knees give out. Brielle is screaming my name and pounding her fist on the wall of the shower as another orgasm is torn from her very depths. Fucking beautiful.

I’m so lost watching her get obliterated by pleasure, that my climax slams into me unexpectedly. I roar as I thrust into her one last time, pressing her trembling body flush against the shower wall. I come almost violently, jet after jet shooting out of my dick as it swells and spasms inside of her.

Stumbling back a bit, I gather Brielle up in my arms and slowly slide down to the floor of the shower, not trusting my legs at the moment. She curls up into me, still shaking and breathing heavily.

“You okay?” I ask, still out of breath myself.

“So good,” she sighs.

I grin and nuzzle into the top of her head, letting the hot water pour over our bodies and relax our sore muscles. We still have a lot of room to grow, and we both have more healing to do, but everything seems possible with Brielle by my side.

“I love you so much,” I tell her. My girl freezes, and I wonder if I said the wrong thing. Then I realize that even though I’ve known I’m head over heels in love with this woman, I haven’t actually said those words out loud yet. “I’m sorry if that’s too much, I just want you to know how I feel. You’re under no pressure to say it back–”

“I love you, Elliot Erickson,” she says, cutting me off. “I think it was love at first grunt.” Brielle giggles at her own joke, and I can’t help but tickle her sides. She laughs and squirms in my lap, eventually settling down enough for me to hold her again.

I rock us back and forth, completely satisfied for the first time in my whole life. I can’t wait for a thousand more moments like this with my sunshine.