Chasing Shadows (Shadows 2)

"Sorry about my dad. He can be a bit insensitive sometimes."

I shook my head as I burrowed deeper into Simon's arms, breathing deeply as his warmth and scent soothed me. "It's okay. He doesn't know that my relationship with my father is practically non-existent unless he wants to criticize me about something."

Simon kissed my forehead. "Let's forget about it and watch a movie."

We settled on Coming to America, wanting a funny mindless movie that was comforting with its familiarity. Simon turned off the lights and we stretched out on the couch together, my back against Simon's front.

It was hard to concentrate on the movie with Simon so close, especially with his arm wrapped around my waist. His hand had drifted underneath my shirt and he was stroking my stomach lazily, the absent-minded gesture igniting flames in my body. I willed myself to pay attention to the movie but it became harder and harder as Simon's hand methodically rose higher, moving with more purpose.

His breath was warm against my neck and I heard a barely perceptible change in his breathing, sounding more labored. My own breaths became shallow as he stroked higher until the rough pads of his fingers were caressing the undersides of my breasts. Simon gently pulled my bra up so they were freed from the confines of the cups, feeling heavy with arousal. A shudder went through my body when he caught a hard nipple and rolled it between his fingers.

I shifted so I was on my back as Simon hovered over me, his face tight with desire. I reached up and grasped his neck, pulling him down to meet my eager mouth.

Simon continued the sensual assault on my nipple as he devoured my mouth. I threaded my hands in his hair as I matched his passion, my mouth open wide as we kissed ravenously. Simon threw one leg over mine and shifted so that he was lying on top of me, never breaking contact with my mouth. He was now able to use both his hands and I felt shafts of desire slicing through me as he pinched and pulled my hard peaks, making me arch my hips against his. The weight of Simon's body pressing me into the couch was thrilling and I wantonly spread my legs so that his lower body settled between them.

My mewl of protest when he broke the kiss turned into a moan of pleasure as his lips made their way down my neck, trailing openmouthed kisses to my collarbone. I tensed in anticipation when he shifted down so that he could reach my nipple, pleasure radiating from the hard nub when he replaced one of his hands with his hot mouth.

I felt mindless with desire as he suckled roughly on my breast, the other still being manipulated by his hand. At that point, I would have let Simon do anything. I had already decided to give him my body and I wasn't about to let something as pesky as being in his parents' house stop us.

That's why I growled with frustration when Simon pulled back, breathing hard with heavy-lidded eyes.

"Don't stop," I whispered.

Simon gave me a pained smile and dropped a kiss between my breasts before pulling my bra back into place and smoothing my shirt down. "I remember promising to make your first time special. Doing it on a couch with Eddie Murphy in the background, never mind with my parents downstairs, does not constitute as special, even though it's killing me to stop."

"It's special as long as it's with you. I don't care about anything else."

Simon's eyes darkened and I saw the conflict in them, the desire to consummate our relationship now warring with the need to make my first time more memorable. I knew his noble intentions had won out when he dropped an affectionate kiss on my forehead.

"I feel the same way. But you deserve more than a quick roll on the couch."

I almost pouted when Simon sat up and pulled me up with him, but I settled for snuggling while we watched the movie, knowing that it was just because Simon cared about me. I felt happiness spreading through my chest as I thought about how far we had come in just a short period of time. I hadn't been lucky in many things, but I had definitely been lucky in love.

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Is blood thicker than water?"

It was the voice again. The voice I had heard before in a dream. This time it wasn't as dark and I was able to make out faint shapes in the distance, although I couldn't discern what they were. I heard the sound of moving water and I looked down at the river rushing past me. A cool breeze blew softly, causing goose bumps to rise on my arms.

"Who are you?" My voice sounded reedy and thin.

The voice spoke again, faster and guttural as if the speaker was wracked with a sense of urgency. The words were almost unintelligible as they ran into each other since they were spoken so fast, almost as if a tape was being fast-forwarded. "Which bonds are stronger? Which gives you life?"

Suddenly, the cool breeze turned into a scorching heat, making it hard to breathe. I smothered a scream when I heard the voice again, this time so close that I could feel the hot breath against my neck

"A bond unbroken can be a curse. A watery grave can be a blessing."

I spun around quickly and this time I wasn't able to smother my scream. I screamed until my throat was burning and raw, my mind shutting down at the horrific sight before me.

It was my mother, but she was grotesque as if she were rotting before my very eyes. The flesh on her face was loose and patches of translucent skin were hanging off in strips, revealing the rotted and festering nightmare underneath. Her eye sockets were empty bottomless pits that stared at me unseeingly. Her mouth opened wide, her lips splitting open as she showed me her rotten teeth and bloated white tongue.

My screams stopped abruptly, my throat choking with spasms as if my vocal chords had burst from the pressure of my cries. My body was shuddering so hard that I could feel my teeth rattling against each other. Sheer terror exploded inside me when I saw a swollen hand reach towards me. I could see bone where the flesh had been eaten away. Her fingers dragged down my arm, leaving a trail of slime behind.

Her mouth ripped and gaped open as her jaw worked to speak again.

"You'll understand when it's your time."

Hands on my shoulders were shaking me.