Jennifer Probst - Catch Me

No tears ran down her face. She succumbed to the delicious fall into a cloak of warmth and safety, and finally surrendered to the darkness.

Rick smoothed back the strands of strawberry blonde hair from her face and watched her sleep. The physical and emotional release had pushed her right into slumber, and he enjoyed the soft expression on her face when her mind shut off and there were no more barriers.

In a few short hours, Tara Denton had wrecked his world.

He’d never been with a woman who gave him such an honest, open surrender. Sure, he liked to play, and enjoyed Dom/sub fun in the bedroom with willing partners. But he’d never felt so connected to another woman through physical intimacy. Not since Rebecca.

Her name skittered across his memory, but without the usual sharp pang. Her betrayal cost him big time. He’d stopped trusting and believing his partners, even in the bedroom, and that was a dangerous combination. Trust was implicit in a good relationship and he used to pride himself on his ability to sniff out a liar a mile away. He lost confidence in his own abilities, like Tara lost her trust. A wry grin crossed his lips. They made quite a pair.

He studied the scars marking her body. Rage simmered, but he clobbered it back, knowing the emotion useless. Amazing how she imagined herself to be ugly. She awed him with her strength. She endured, fought back, and survived. Each wound was a testament to her soul, and he appreciated every damn one, like a soldier overseas battling in a war.

Her eyes flew open.

He watched her thoughts flicker across her face as she realized where she was. He enjoyed the easy way she blushed, which was a total contradiction from her open response in the bedroom. The way she screamed as she came made him hard all over again.

“Hungry?”

She sat up, propped on the pillows, and peered at the plates of food on the bed. “Starved. Are we having a picnic?”

He smeared some creamy goat cheese on a cracker and fed it to her. She moaned at the taste, and right then, he was ready to rock and roll. “Just building up your energy for the rest of the night.”

A flicker of lust danced from her eyes. Yes, she was aroused at the idea of more play. He grinned and handed her a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio. “So, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

She gave a hearty laugh. The pleasant sound caressed his ears with delight. “You probably read everything in Madame Eve’s report. There’s not much else to tell.”

The dry facts of the sheets given to all 1Night Stand participants barely scratched the surface. The black and white text told him her physical attributes, what she required in a one-night stand, and that she withstood a violent encounter she may or may not share with him. He craved so much more.

He wanted everything. Of course, he’d scare the crap out of her so he kept his tone light. “Oh, I don’t know. The report didn’t tell me how much you liked me to suck on your clit before thrusting my fingers inside you. It didn’t tell me your eyes are a thousand shades of blue and reveal every emotion, or that your breasts spill so perfectly in my hands.”

She blushed. “Okay, you win. What do you want to know?”

Evidently, she guarded her secrets well. “What do you do for work?”

Her muscles relaxed and she nibbled on some salted almonds. “I work for the local battered women’s shelter part time. They don’t have the funds to pay very well, so I supplement with a bookkeeping job. Jackson Castillo gave me a shot at his hotel, and now I’m working on my degree in accounting.”

The pride in her voice warmed his heart. Son of a bitch! So Jackson knew Tara personally all this time. How odd the man went along with Madame Eve’s request. He figured Jackson would’ve kept his buddy far away from his employees. “I bet you’re very good with numbers,” he said. “Numbers you can control. If you work hard enough, everything fits into place, with no surprises.”

Her eyes widened. Bingo. His little accountant needed a place in her life where she felt empowered. He bet she’d squeeze out every dime of profit for Castillo Resorts and admired Jackson for seeing the potential in her.

“You’re right. I never thought about it like that,” she murmured. “I was always really good in math and numbers.” Her voice drifted off as if she fought the memory of her past and she shook her head.

He wrestled with his instinct to push. God, he wanted to know every thought and every hurdle she’d gone through.

“Did you graduate high school?” he asked gently.

She smiled. “Oh, yes, with high honors. I loved school. I just never got to college because Tim wouldn’t let me.”

A dark cloud passed over him. “The one who hurt you?”

She seemed to struggle with her decision to share. Emotions shifted across her face, replaced with determination. She raised her gaze to his and looked him straight in the eye. “I don’t like to talk about him much, but I’d like to tell you the story. If you want to hear it.”

He grabbed her hand. Then squeezed. “Yes, baby. I do want to hear it.”

She took a deep breath. “I met him senior year in high school. At first he was the perfect boyfriend. Sweet, protective, caring. He took care of me. My father had taken off when I was young, and my mom wasn’t really around.” She crinkled her nose in distaste. “She had a series of boyfriends I liked to avoid, and I had no rules. No curfew, no need to show up at school. But I wanted to go to college, have a career, and be independent. I thought that’s what he wanted, too.”

He waited patiently as she paused. “Things began to change. He got controlling. Angry. Hated my friends, and refused to let me talk to other boys. He said he needed me to concentrate on him. His father beat him, so Tim moved out and wanted me to live with him. I agreed, thinking I could go to the local community college and we’d support one another.”

She swallowed. “I don’t know when I realized he changed. He flew into rages over things I did. I started getting nervous all the time, trying to do everything right. The first time he hit me, I was so shocked, but he cried and swore he’d kill himself if I left.”

Rick nodded with encouragement. He noticed she slipped into telling mode, her voice monotone. “I stayed. He began to beat me. My mother didn’t want me anymore since she was shacked up with her new boyfriend. I had no money, and Tim controlled everything in my life. I kept missing classes from the bruises, so I dropped out of college.”

“How long did you stay with him?”

“Three years. Two months. Five days.”

“How did you get away, sweetheart?”

She shuddered. “I collected change. Loose dollar bills when I knew he’d been drinking. I stashed the money in one of the tiles in the ceiling until I had enough. He always told me he’d kill me if I ever left. And I believed him. I had to be careful who I involved myself with because I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.

“He worked at an auto shop days. He kept a close eye on me and I wasn’t allowed to leave the house when he worked his shift. But that day I did.”

She shut her eyes. He wondered what horrors she watched behind her closed lids, and his gut wrenched. “I cut off all my hair. Put on a knit cap and Tim’s clothes. Had a cab take me to the bus station. And I bought a ticket to the next town. And the next. And the next.”

His eyes widened. “You just kept traveling?”

She nodded. “I traveled for two days straight to throw him off. I walked into the first church I saw and begged to be sent to the nearest women’s shelter. This was back in California. I had a different name, but I’m not that person any longer. Tara Denton would never stay with a man who raised his hand. She’s successful and making her own way. And she’ll never be caught again.”

Her last words shot at him like cannon fire. Son-of-a-bitch. She has no plans to extend a relationship past tonight. A strange panic coursed through him at the idea of letting her walk away. But her intentions had always been clear. Only his had changed. Suddenly, he wanted much more than a one-night stand.

“Do you live in Vegas now?” He stroked her hair.

“Yes. I knew I’d have a new start here. Get lost. Find my own way.” A glimmer of a smile ghosted her lips. “I like the idea of a tarnished city being my home. I can paint myself up with makeup and glitter and clothes, but in the light of day, I always felt lacking. Tim used that to keep me a prisoner.”

“But not anymore.” Pride and admiration cut though him.

“Not ever again. Now, I can give back. I stopped being afraid he’d find me. Therapy helped. But I still wonder....”

“Wonder what?”

She looked embarrassed, almost shy. “How a man like you could want me.”

Her admission rocked him. “A man like me?”

“Yeah. Beautiful. There must have been a dozen women staring at you in the bar and wondering why you were taking me home.”

Anger sizzled so hot he wanted to beat his chest like a caveman and howl at the moon in frustration. He never thought twice about how women viewed him and felt damn lucky when a female wanted him back. But evidently she saw things differently. Her sense of feminine confidence had taken such a pounding, she didn’t see what he did.

Words wouldn’t help. Rarely did. But action would.

He studied her and wondered how hard he’d be able to push without causing her any painful memories. As a naturally dominant lover, he decided to trust his gut, and watch her carefully. Lust speared right to his cock as he envisioned the scene laid out in his mind.