Chapter 39

I knew it would simplify things if it appeared I had never been in the tub with Olive, therefore I pulled my clothes back on to sounds of her disapproving sighs. When I was ready, I went to the bedroom to try to find something for her to wear.

Lisa stood next to the closet door. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw me, but before she could say anything, I held up a finger over my lips, indicating she should remain silent.

I heard Olive padding her way toward me, as she said, “Does your mom have anything that will fit me?”

I pointed at the closet and Lisa went in it. I followed her, pulled down an old coat, and held it out to her. “If you don’t want her to find you here, use this to hide. Act like a coat rack.”

Lisa nodded, took the coat, and disappeared behind it.

Olive appeared in the closet doorway. She used one towel to wrap up her hair, but the other one was apparently back in the bathroom because the towel on her head was all she had on.

I did my best to ignore her as I tried to find something I didn’t recall mom ever wearing. It wouldn’t matter if it didn’t fit her properly. It was only meant as a temporary fix so she could make it home.

Olive looked around the closet. “I’ve always liked the way your mom dresses.”

I glanced at her, but she caught it and smiled. “You don’t have to dress like a prude,” I said.

She looked at herself. “You call this dressing like a prude?”

I shook my head. “No, I mean how you usually dress, completely covered from the neck down in clothes that are dull in color and designed to reduce your curves.” I turned and looked at her fully. “This is the body God graced you with. There’s no shame in that, but you dress as if there is.”

She blinked in confusion. “Anna says it draws the wrong kind of attention.”

“That’s her opinion, not a fact. You need to learn the difference.”

“I understand that already,” she said. “I don’t need a lesson from you on right and wrong.”

I arched an eyebrow. “I suppose. After all, you’ve already skewed your view.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, there’s what we did in the bathroom and how your currently dressed. I seriously doubt you would have acted this way a few days ago.”

“You know why I came here.”

I nodded. “And has that helped you any?”

She looked me over and sighed. “Not much really. I still want you.”

I nodded and turned back to the clothes.

I found a black dress that looked both heavy enough to help keep Olive warm, and stretchy enough to fit her without being uncomfortable. I pulled it off the hanger and handed it to her.

She held it up, smiled at me, and then turned to go back to the bathroom.

I turned off the closet light, ready to follow Olive, but then I remembered that Lisa was in the closet. I reached back and tugged at the coat. She uncovered her head and looked at me.

I held up my finger to my lips again and nodded out of the closet.

Lisa, however, seemed to have a different idea. She snatched my hand and pulled me to her. Before I fully understood what she wanted, she pressed her lips to mine.

The kiss may have given Lisa a thrill, but it brought on an emotional storm in me. She was the reason others had used to cause me so much pain and torment not so long ago. No, none of that grief had come directly from her, but everything I had suffered had been in her name. It scared me to touch her, much less kiss her. I expected her father to show up with something more dangerous than a switch. I thought I heard the taunts and insulting laughter from Riley, Leo, and Nigel. I could almost feel Sheriff Humphreys breathing down my neck as he clicked handcuffs. The fear was so palpable, so real, that I barely registered falling to the closet floor.

Lisa didn’t apparently understand what was going on. She dropped to her knees, straddling me, and leaned over to continue kissing me.

I knew the Sheriff, her Father, and the bullies weren’t here, but that didn’t curb my fear. I pushed at Lisa, wanting her off me. I had to get away, to run. I had to find somewhere safe, but we were in my house, not hers.

I don’t know what I did, but she sat up enough to look at me. Her expression was curious and she softly asked, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

I shook my head, and realized my whole body shook. I wasn’t cold. I was terrified.

She ran her hands over my chest as she sat up. “You’re shaking. Are you cold?”

I shook my head again and fought to calm down. She wasn’t going to hurt me. No one knew anything. I wasn’t in trouble. Yet.

“Are you worried about my dad finding out?” she asked in a matter-of-fact tone. “Because what we do is none of his business.” Then she leaned over me again with a smile. “And I want to do what you did with Ms. Rooney.” Then she kissed me again.

I couldn’t think straight. I was pinned by Lisa yet I knew half a dozen ways to get away, but I was too frozen with fear to do or say anything. Yet, the feel of Lisa’s soft lips nibbling at mine, along with the quick flicks of her tongue as she explored my mouth felt pleasant. My mind couldn’t focus on anything, but my body understood what was happening and responded.

I quickly found my hands on Lisa’s back, slipping up under her sweater. Her skin was silky smooth and as warm as a gently crackling fire. It felt good to touch her, nice, pleasant. More than that, no one was trying to kick the shit out of me.

Lisa sat up enough to pull her sweater off, and then dropped down for more kissing.

I ran my hands all over her back, enjoying the feel of her skin. I found the strap for her bra and knew how to get it out of my way.

After the last hook was released, Lisa sat up and shrugged the straps of her bra off. She then smiled down at me as she peeled off each cup. It was as if her bra had been poured onto her breasts rather than pulled on as most women do.

I was amazed by her size. She was full, soft, and malleable, yet firm and shapely enough to be more than impressive.

She squeezed her magnificent orbs together and gently shook her shoulders, making her breasts wobble enticingly back and forth.

I ran my hands up her sides. She moved her arms so I could cup her untamed mounds. She placed her hands on the back of mine, and guided me up to her nipples. In the dark, it seemed her nipples were the same color as her skin, but I was sure they were a soft pink. Soft didn’t describe their current state, however. Both nubs were hard, hot, and the size of my thumb tips. I squeezed them, gave them slight twists, and tugged on them. Lisa’s breathy gasps were music to my ears, and I tried to play a tune.

“Seth?”

Someone called my name. The voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Lisa’s voice.

With the impact of an eight-pound hammer, I remembered where I was and who sat topless on my hips.

Lisa stroked my arms while I played with her boobs, and her hips gyrated on my crotch. I realized I would really enjoy doing this with her all the way, if I could ever fully get past my fears of what the rest of town would do to me should they find out.

I pulled my hands off her massive, luscious boobs and caught her hands. “Lisa!” I hissed.

She looked at me with a drunken smile. “Mmm, what?”

I tugged at her hands, making her unbelievable boobs shake. “Lisa, Olive is calling me.”

“She had her turn, now it’s mine.”

“Seth?” I heard her getting closer.

I grabbed Lisa’s sweater, put it in her hands, and then rolled us to the side. Lisa ended up under the clothes in the side of the closet and I looked up to find Olive looking down at me. She had the dress on, and because she wasn’t as tall or long-legged as Mom was, the dress fell just past her knees. However, it covered everything legally required, even if it hugged her almost to the point of looking like second skin.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

Lisa slipped a hand between us and pulled down my pants zipper.

“Oh, just worried about what Mom and Alyssa are going to say,” I said. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Olive turned to show me her profile. “It’s so tight. What do you think?”

Lisa’s hand snaked its way into my pants. I couldn’t try to stop her without giving away the fact that she was in there with me. She slipped past my underwear and gripped me at the base.

I lied there, certain Olive wasn’t completely oblivious to what was going on. However, I looked her over and nodded. “It’ll suffice.”

Lisa squeezed me hard enough to make me tense. Was she unhappy with how I answered Olive?”

“You look good!” I squealed. “If I didn’t have company, I might even accompany you home.”

Olive smiled and pointed to the side. “I’ll be in the bathroom, waiting.”

I nodded, she walked away, and I grabbed Lisa’s hand to pry it off me.

Lisa giggled and rolled us over again. “Would you really accompany her home?”

I held her hand in place, hoping she wouldn’t squeeze me again. “I would, but for entirely different reasons.”

Lisa squeezed me again, but not as hard as the first time. “Why?”

I shook my head. “I can’t tell you.”

She leaned over me, dragging her immense mounds up my chest. “Why can’t you tell me?”

“I cannot even tell you that,” I said.

“Can’t or won’t?” she asked.

“Not allowed to,” I said.

She smiled and squeezed me. “I find that highly unlikely.”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. We need to get dressed and get out of here.”

“But I don’t want to,” she said, leaning down further. “I want you, Seth Connors. I want to know what this...” and she squeezed me again “ ... feels like. It’s so big, so thick. I have to know.”

I wrapped my arms around her and rolled us over. She held onto me the whole time. I sat up and she slipped me out of my pants. “Good Lord!” she said, stroking me.

Her hands felt good. I was certain she would feel good if we went all the way, but I wasn’t ready. I had demons I had to concur first. Until then, Lisa would have to wait.

I pulled her hands off me, pinned them to the floor, gave her one more tongue-lashing kiss, and then stood up. I tucked myself back in my pants and stepped past Lisa and out of the closet. I didn’t like it. I would have been happy to finish what we started, but I had to get over my fears first, or it would tear me up inside.

Once I was presentable, I went back to the bathroom. Olive had her shoes on again, and the body stocking draped over her arm. “Your sister took my coat. She said she had a way to dry it.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything.

Olive closed the distance between us. She studied my face and realized something was wrong. “Are you really that worried about what your family will say?”

I swallowed to wet my throat. No, my family hadn’t been on my mind, but I was okay letting her think that. “I’ll deal with it, no matter what happens. We just need to get your coat and get you to your car.”

Olive blinked in thought and looked up again. “Do you think it would help if I apologized to them for what I said about your father?”

I studied her face and realized she was being honest. “It never hurts to apologize.”

Olive nodded, and pulled me down for a deep, wet kiss. The feel of her lips on mine only added to the bulge I made in my pants. The bond made any little touch that much more exciting.

She broke the keys, her breathing heavy, and took my hand. Without a word, she led me to the door leading out of the master suite. I dared a glance into the dark bedroom. I didn’t see anything out of place, nor did I hear anything.

Olive walked out the door and let my hand go. I followed her, hoping I wouldn’t raise too many suspicions thanks to my uncomfortable pants. Mom and Alyssa watched as we exited. Mom’s expression grew tense when she saw the dress Olive wore.

“Seth, what is going on?” she asked, pointing at Olive.

“I will explain,” I said, moving around Olive to block mom from attacking her if necessary. “Where is her coat?”

Alyssa pointed. It was hung up in front of the fireplace to dry, next to the chair. Lisa sat in the chair, looking me over with a secretive smile. I never heard nor saw her leave the suite.

Olive retrieved her coat and felt it. She nodded and pulled it on. With a smile at me, she said, “Toasty-warm!” then she turned to Mom and Alyssa. “I know we haven’t seen eye-to-eye in the past, but I hope that we can improve our relations.” She glanced at me but continued to talk to them. “I know I have sided with Anna on some very thoughtless comments, and for that I apologize.”

I wasn’t sure how to feel about what she said. If she really believed that we would be seeing more of each other, then she also believed that she needed to do this to help make those future encounters less stressful on my family.

Without waiting for any kind of response from Mom or Alyssa, she turned and moved closer to me, apparently ready to leave.

I studied Mom and Alyssa for a second. Both of them seemed a touch confused, mixed with a bit of disbelief. I considered that much of a difference a good thing and led Olive to the front door.

I grabbed dad’s jacket, intent on walking Olive to her car, and pulled open the front door.

“Seth Connors!” growled an angry voice from outside.

I looked and found Mrs. Hartwell climbing the steps. She had a long, heavy coat wrapped around her and snow stuck to her boots. Her face was bent with anger, and apparently, I was the focus of that rage.

Olive stepped between us. “Slow down, sister,” she said with benevolent certitude. “Whatever this young man has done, you need to give him a chance to explain before you fry him.”

So much for good sex dousing her beliefs that I’m some sort of troublemaker.

Mrs. Hartwell glared at Olive. Her eyes flicked up at me for a second, but returned to the woman between us. With some effort, she took a deep breath, held it for a second, and let it out.

Olive nodded to her. She then turned to look at me, once again bundled in her own heavy coat. “I believe I can make it to my car on my own, Seth. You should keep in mind what we talked about, though. Anna strongly believes that you should leave town as soon as possible. You may even hear from her before long.”

I nodded. She hadn’t included herself in her statement. Maybe she changed her mind about whether I should leave or not. Maybe she was only keeping up appearances for Mrs. Hartwell’s sake. I wouldn’t know until I had a chance to ask her, but now wasn’t the time.

Olive nodded at me and then headed out into the cold, toward her car. Mrs. Hartwell, I noticed, had parked on the street rather than in the drive. It allowed Olive to pull out. Unfortunately, Alyssa’s car blocked Lisa’s truck. That would have to be remedied soon.

Mrs. Hartwell spun and glared at me. “Where is my daughter?”

I stepped back and waved her in. “She’s here.”

She stomped snow off her boots, stepped inside, and stopped in front of me. She glared at me from the corner of her eye for a few seconds, and then strode toward the living room.

Mom and Alyssa stood up. Mom held out her hand to greet Mrs. Hartwell, but our new guest bypassed her without so much as a “hello,” and went straight to her daughter.

She grabbed Lisa’s arm and pulled her to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

Lisa pulled away and then looked around at the rest of us. “I came by to talk. What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” Mrs. Hartwell said. She threw me another nasty glance and then asked Lisa, “What did he do? Did he hurt you?”

Lisa stepped away from her mother. “He didn’t do anything! I told you, I came here to talk. I don’t need you to protect me.”

Not getting the kind of response she expected from her daughter, Mrs. Hartwell turned on my Mom and sister. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you control that boy?”

Mom took a step forward and waved at Lisa. “Your daughter is telling the truth. She came here to talk. Seth had nothing to do with this. He wasn’t even here when she arrived.”

“Oh, I’m sure!” Mrs. Hartwell said.

I could tell this was about to turn into a full-blown fight. Everyone needed to calm down. I thought up a simple spell, one similar to others I had used at home, but this would ease everyone’s anger. I cast it on the room and for a few seconds, everyone stood where they were breathing deeply and looking relaxed.

I approached the living room. “Mrs. Hartwell, I wish there were a way to convince you of the truth, but if you don’t want to believe your own daughter, nothing anyone else says will help either.”

She stared at me for a minute and then looked at her daughter again. “What was so important you had to come over here alone to talk?”

“I came alone because you and Dad both believe Seth is like a serial killer or something. Neither of you would have let me come over here at all, even if you were with me.”

Over protective much?

Mrs. Hartwell softened her tone further. “Baby, you don’t understand. We’re just trying to keep you safe.”

Lisa pointed at me. “From guys like him?”

“Of course, baby.”

“Now, wait a minute,” Mom said. “My son never touched your daughter. There was never any attempted rape. Nothing like that.”

Mrs. Hartwell gave Mom a withering look. “Of course you would defend your son.”

“Mom!” Lisa barked. “You’re not listening. Seth never touched me. Whoever said that I was almost raped lied. Flat lied.”

Mrs. Hartwell looked at her daughter like a child that simply didn’t understand what the adults were discussing.

I was beginning to wonder if there was more to Mrs. Hartwell than willful ignorance. While everyone continued to talk, I focused on Mrs. Hartwell and pulled up her emotional scoreboard. Some of her emotions were high, but nothing indicated a Geas. So, if that wasn’t the cause, what was? I tried several other magic detection spells. There were spells on her, and all but one was very subtle. I didn’t recognize the one stronger spell, but they all had to do with emotions. Removing the subtle spells only took a rudimentary counter-spell.

I cast the counter-spell on her while they talked.

Mrs. Hartwell shook her head and swayed on her feet.

“Mom? What’s wrong?” Lisa asked.

She held out her hand to keep her balance and then said, “I’m feeling a touch dizzy.”

Lisa took her hand and guided her to the chair she had been sitting in.

Mom looked a bit confused but Alyssa looked at me. “What did you do?” she mouthed at me.

I shook my head and looked at Mrs. Hartwell again. “Alyssa could you get our guest a glass of water?”

Alyssa sighed and left to do so.

I reached over and tugged on Mom’s elbow. She looked at me and I nodded to the couch. She nodded too and sat down. I sat down next to her, but further from Lisa and her mother.