Chapter One
Katherine
Katherine Marshall took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, and slightly chilly air through her nose. She smiled. She was alive and on her way to being divorced from her abusive husband. Tim Marshall thought she was too afraid to actually do it. He thought he could keep her scared and under his thumb, but she had proven him wrong and she planned to stand her ground. He wasn’t going to bully her into changing her mind about the divorce. It was as good as done in her mind.
She turned to smile at the man walking beside her as they headed towards the stairs that would take them to her second-floor apartment.
“You look happy,” Benjamin O’Leary said, leaning down to kiss her nose.
“I am happy. Thank you so much for everything. Without you, I could have never done this,” she said, climbing the stairs.
“I’m glad you agreed to take Meredith’s help. She is an excellent attorney. Your asshole husband has met his match with her,” he grumbled.
She giggled softly as she nodded her head in agreement, sliding her key into the lock of her one-bedroom apartment. She opened the door, moving to the side to let Ben go in first. It was their ritual ever since Tim had shown back up in her life and beat her to a bloody, bruised pulp. Ben did a cursory inspection, making sure Tim wasn’t lurking in a closet or under the bed.
“Clear,” he called out.
She walked inside, then shut and locked the door behind her. It was going to take a long time before she ever felt truly safe again. Tim had proven time and again that he could find her anywhere and wasn’t afraid to unleash his terror on her—even in public, like he had at her job. He’d come unglued and tried to physically drag her out the door, but Ben had rushed in and saved the day, only to wind up in jail.
She closed her eyes. She wasn’t going to think about that anymore. This was a new life she was starting and she would not allow Tim’s evil to reign over her like a dark cloud.
“Can I get you a drink? I have wine, wine or wine,” she joked.
“Hmm, I could go for a glass of wine.”
She smiled and pulled out a merlot from the small wire wine rack on her kitchen counter, opening it and pouring two glasses. She watched him look around her small space and was surprised to feel okay with it. Normally, she was nervous and jumpy, hating having anyone in her space, but this was Ben. Ben was a good guy. Her guy.
He followed her into the kitchen, standing close enough that she could smell the cologne he always wore. As she handed him the glass their fingers touched, and in an instant the atmosphere changed.
He reached for her glass and set it down on the kitchen counter before reaching for her and slamming his mouth over hers in a passionate kiss. She opened her mouth, letting him take all he wanted, willingly giving of herself. The kiss was hot and wet, just like the way she felt between her legs. His tongue plunged in, scraping along her own before pulling back.
“I need you,” he growled, his hands working at her clothes, stripping her in seconds flat. She was thoroughly impressed with his skill but didn’t have time to appreciate it before he was yanking off his own pants, tossing everything around him as he moved.
His hands went to her hips, lifting her and depositing her on the cool surface of the counter. Her naked butt felt strange on the co
unter, but she didn’t get a chance to think about it for long. His hand moved to her knees, spreading her legs. Pushing his hand upwards like a heatseeking missile, he found her overheated core, delving his index finger in.
She gasped, shocked by the abruptness.
“I’m sorry, I need you right now,” his voice was sharp and revealed the intensity of his desire.
She nodded, moaning as he worked over her slick folds, pushing in a second finger before sliding her to the edge of the counter. Seconds later her body was opening wide for his hard shaft. Her hands went to his shoulders, holding on as he pushed inside her, fucking her hard and fast as she held onto him for dear life.
“I can't get enough of you,” his voice was raspy.
Her body was quivering with need. “Me too,” she mumbled.
He pulled her off the counter and spun her around. “Hold on.”
She stood in the stark light of her little kitchen, completely naked with her back arched and her butt in the air, much like a cat in heat. She swayed, waiting for him to take her to that sweet place that only he could get her to.
He pushed inside her once again, the new angle making her feel fuller as he pressed inside, his front to her back. She shuddered at the intimate contact. He was sliding in and out, holding her hips as she gripped the edge of the counter. She pushed back against him, taking him deeper, until a soft gasp escaped her lips.
“That’s it sweetheart, take me all the way.”
She nodded her head, rotating her hips, finding new previously untouched nerves. “Fuck me,” he growled, his hand moving to squeeze her ass.
She felt empowered and repeated the move, taking herself right up to the door of a climax. It was up to him to push her through.
“More,” she dragged out the word, holding onto the counter.
“More?”
“Yes!”
His body slammed into her, rocking her with such force she found herself sliding closer to the counter until she was lying on it, her breasts pressed against the hard, smooth surface as he drove in and out of her.
Her body erupted around his, her soft cries of pleasure echoing around the room. He pulled out and spun her around, lifting her to the counter once again where he continued to fuck her, slow and easy before picking up the tempo. His mouth moved to her breasts, sucking in one nipple and gently nibbling. The powerful sensation stirred something deep within her. She felt the familiar spiral and knew she was on the verge of another orgasm.
Her hands went to the back of his head, smashing his face against her chest as she thrust her boobs into his face, demanding more of the same. He eagerly obliged, sucking hard as he rocked into her. When a million little stars danced in front of her eyes, he clamped down hard on her nipple, pulling a scream from her as her body was manipulated in a combination of pleasure and pain that made her feel amazing.
When she started to come down from the high, he pulled her off the counter, her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her to her bedroom. She loved how virile he was. It was as if he hadn’t had sex in days when in reality it had only been a few hours. She did that to him. It was a heady feeling to know she could make him that hot and wild.
He dropped her on the bed, pulling her ankles to rest on his shoulders as he began fucking her once again. He was staring down at her with so much passion in his eyes she thought she would burst into flames.
“I want to do this, every day, all day,” he grunted.