Dark Truth Read online

  I laid down on the bed, suddenly flooded with fatigue. I’d only packed a bag, but it was late in the day, and I hadn’t slept well the night before. I only meant to close my eyes against the afternoon sunlight, but when I woke up, the room was dark and Dylan was standing over me.

  “You ready, Emily?” he asked softly.

  “Yes, sorry, let me just run to the bathroom.” I pushed up, brushed my hair out of my face, and ran to the bathroom.

  It took ten minutes, then we were ready to go. I had my hiking boots on, my hair was tied up, and I wore a long black sweatshirt over my jeans. I was ready to go, but my brain was still sluggish. I fell asleep on Dylan as the plane took off a short while later.

  He woke me up as the plane landed. I was a little refreshed now and looked around the route happily as he drove us up to the cabin.

  “I’d started to think you were going to sleep through the whole trip. Are you alright?” He looked concerned but kept his gaze on the road.

  He was always a careful driver.

  “I’m fine. Probably just stress. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “That’s why we’re coming up here. I thought you’d need a break from worrying about your family. It won’t be long, and we’ll be so far away from them they’ll never find you.”

  I wanted to say he didn’t know my family, but it would only sound snotty, and I didn’t want that. It was only a few more minutes before he pulled up to the cabin. The lights had been left on for us, and a note and the keys were on the counter by the sink.

  “They hope we enjoy our stay, and they’ll send up a cleaner when we’re done. We’re not to worry about anything,” I said to Dylan as he carried in the bags.

  “It’s not that big, so it’s not a problem to clean up before we go,” he said, but I knew he was only talking to himself. He set the bags down and shut the door behind him. “Now, get that bath going, and let’s have a nice, hot soak.”

  “You check the fire. I learned how cold it can be when we get out of the bath the last time we were here,” I said over my shoulder and heard Dylan chuckle.

  I went into the bathroom and found a nice selection of candles. I lit a few and turned the tap on. It wouldn’t take long for the bath to heat up. I went and found a couple of towels and the robes, and draped them over the sink, then went out to turn down the bed. It was covered in a thick down duvet, with a white duvet cover and white sheets. It was rather cold to look at, but so heavenly to slip into.

  I went into the bathroom and undressed. I was about to slip into the water when Dylan came in.

  “Sneaky, getting in before me so you can stretch out.” His smile took the edge off the accusation.

  “You know it, baby.” I grinned and slid into the bathtub carefully. When I was in, I stretched carefully, letting my hair absorb the water as the heat relaxed every muscle in my body for a moment.

  He left me to relax, and as hungry as my body was for him, it also needed to relax. I heard the soft sound of music begin to play, some kind of soft jazz that we both found we liked, just to fill the air with sound. I thought about that as I soaked in the tub, how we humans always needed sound to soothe us. So many people craved quiet, and I did sometimes. Then, at other times, it just seemed to cause distress and we had to fill it.

  Dylan was perceptive. He knew that quiet would allow me time to dance around the questions in that letter. He knew I needed peace, but maybe not so much of the quiet, and I loved him even more for it. I still couldn’t comprehend that my brother had thought so badly of the man. Yes, he could be the world’s biggest dick when it came to business, but in relationships? There wasn’t anyone I’d rather have in my life than him, obviously.

  I sank deeper into the hot water with a sigh full of bliss.

  “Mind if I join you now?”

  I opened my eyes to see the stunning image of Dylan’s naked body poised over the tub. It was time to play.

  Emily

  The next day Dylan and I bundled up and went for a walk in the woods. It wasn’t exactly cold, but there was a chilly breeze, and a few places along the path were filled with shadows that were still damp from snow. We strolled hand in hand and talked as we walked through the trees and shrubs that grew wild around the cabin.

  “What if we just bought a cabin of our own out here and ran away from city life? Left all of that modern stuff behind and just went about our business?” Dylan surprised me by saying.

  “What? You’ve finally got what you wanted, a resort in Myrtle Beach…” The words trailed off, and I stopped to look at him.

  Dylan pulled me tight against the wall of muscle that was his abdomen and leaned down to kiss my neck. “What if what I want has changed?”

  I laughed, delighted at the words and his kisses. “Dylan…”

  “We’ll talk about it later,” Dylan purred the words and gently pushed me back against a massive tree. I let my head fall against the rough bark of the blackgum tree and was on the verge of an answer when his lips came down on mine.

  There was something almost frantic about his kiss. It lacked the calm of the way he normally kissed me, and urgency took hold. His sudden need to have every inch of me pressed into him sparked a reaction inside of me, and I wound my arms around his neck to pull my body closer to his.

  We’d spent weeks, months together now, but there were times when it might have been the very first time we’d touched. This was one of those times, and I rode the intensity of Dylan’s passion to a place where mine matched his exactly.

  His hands slid under the sweatshirt I’d thrown on and found my breasts free of any other garments. It was one of the reasons I liked being up here; I didn’t need to wear a bra constantly. I heard a pleased hum from him when his cold fingers found the warm skin of my naked nipples. Then it was me that did the humming as his fingers teased the taut peaks until I squirmed against him.

  His lips moved down my neck, and I gasped his name. The sunlight had started to fade, but I didn’t care how the shadows grew; all I cared about was the way he made me feel. His hand pushed my shirt up, and his hot mouth found my nipples. I felt the tug of his lips and groaned as need pulsed through me.

  His fingers moved around to the back of my pants, before I felt the cold touch of his fingers on my skin. I opened my eyes, but I knew there wasn’t anyone around that would see us. I just wanted to make sure this was real. “Dylan … I…”

  He cut my words off with a searing kiss, one that took my breath away. I thought he’d strip me down, turn me around, and take me there against the tree. Instead, he picked me up and with confident strides, he carried me into the house and dropped me softly onto the bed. My clothes were peeled away by skillful hands and before I knew it, he had me on my hands and knees.

  I expected quick and rough, but Dylan touched me with gentle fingers that traced down the slim line of my spine. I arched up into that touch, but he carried on. His fingers splayed over the globes of my ass, and I heard him kneel behind me. I was completely naked, and he was totally clothed.

  “I don’t think I can live without you anymore, Emily.” I thought I heard him say, but it was so soft, he might have said something else. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part and he hadn’t really said that at all.

  My heart skipped a few beats, and I was about to ask him to repeat himself, when his tongue slid onto me. I groaned again, greedy for more. I knew from experience, though, that more wouldn’t be enough. Even when he drove me over the edge over and over again, it was never enough. Even when I begged him to let me have a moment to breathe, I couldn’t wait for more.

  I reached back because I needed to touch him, and found his hair. I tugged at the silky strands and moaned when he moved away.

  “Problem, Emily?” he asked, always attentive to me.

  “No, I just, I just wanted to touch you, Dylan.” I pulled away from him and turned to rest on my back. “Come to me.”

  I felt odd saying, but it seemed to be the right words for the moment
.

  “As you wish, my dear.” He crawled over me and propped himself up on his elbows over my face. “I love looking at you, you know?”

  I looked into the gray of his eyes and felt something squeeze, hot and tight, in my chest. “You’ve got a face worth staring at.”

  It was a pathetic response, but I couldn’t tell him what I really wanted to say, could I? Dylan was many things, but he wasn’t the ‘I love you’ kind of man. It might even make him run away, kick me out of the new penthouse, and never speak to me again. I pushed away the emotion and concentrated on the moment instead.

  He was real, between my thighs and over me, and that was all I wanted. All I’d wanted for a long time now. I didn’t want to spoil the moment or our relationship and admit to having feelings for him that he might not return. He cared about me, I knew that by now, but I doubted he’d ever really admit that he loved me. I could live with that.

  “Show me how much you like looking at me, Dylan,” I purred the words in a way I knew he couldn’t resist. It was a voice I’d learned drove him, the tone pitched just right to distract him from whatever he was doing. It was a signal to him, and it worked now, the same as it always did.

  There were no more words, just the sensation of being sweetly invaded as Dylan drove into me in one sure, swift thrust that left us both gasping. I stared up at him, my body tangled in his, and tried to give him my love with my eyes. When he slid along a particularly sweet spot, my eyes closed.

  I clutched his strong body as he rocked into me with strong thrusts timed expertly. He knew exactly what I needed and how I needed it. Dylan knew exactly where to touch me, which buttons to push, as his hands softly explored my body. I was aware of the delicate way he touched my shoulder, the way he rocked my hips up to meet his, and learned all over again what it felt like to be aware of every part of my body.

  Dylan’s touch drove me into a place only he could take me to. I might not have had very much experience with men, but I had plenty of experience with a real man. It was all I needed to know, all I ever wanted to know.

  He sighed with languid enjoyment as he drove into me again, deeper, a little harder. “You fit around me like a glove, Emily. A glove I never want to take off.”

  “I’m made for you, Dylan, nobody else,” I assured him, my nails clutched into his back.

  I felt them drag across his skin as he began a deeper pace that was a little faster. It stole my breath away as the slick slide of him inside of me touched places that ached for his stimulation. I moved with him, my hips in tune with his, a dance that we’d perfected and enhanced.

  He moved and arched my back so that my nipples were within easy reach, and sucked hard at the left one.

  “Dylan…” I called his name, but he didn’t answer; he only sucked harder. The sensation of his lips as they tugged at my nipples reminded me of those little sucking torture devices he sometimes placed on me. They drove me up the wall, but they felt so fucking good. I loved every second of it when he put them on me, and I longed for them now.

  His lips were just as stimulating, though, and I thrust my breasts higher so that he’d have easy access to the nipple. My hips took over the pace, and I thrust up into him, my body not my own now. It was its own being, and all it wanted was pleasure. “Make me come, Dylan, please.”

  Instead of answering, he used a free hand to guide my fingers down to the wet folds of my pussy. I found the spot I needed to have touched the most and ran a finger over it. Just a tease at first, but when I knew I was in the right spot, I applied pressure. In well-timed circles, I matched the pace of my hips, and within minutes I felt the first pulse rock through me.

  “That’s it, Dylan. Harder. Please, harder.” I panted as I demanded my pleasure, and when he bit down lightly on the tight bud of my nipple, that gentle rock became a crushing wave. My back arched impossibly tighter, and my throat closed around a scream. It felt as if I would blow apart, as if my entire body would just shut down, as if I had indeed died a little death, but it felt so good. I didn’t want it to stop, as waves pulsed through me, all the way up to my brain and down again as my walls clutched around him.

  I knew the strong orgasm would make my walls milk Dylan, and I wasn’t surprised when I heard him groan. For a moment he went still, and I felt the small pulse all over again. Only this time, it was Dylan’s cock that had pulsed inside of me, but it didn’t stop the full onslaught of waves that crashed through me all over again.

  “Emily…” he choked out as he slammed himself inside of me, hard and deep. I clutched him to me, my fingers on his ass, my nails digging into his skin. His ass was so round and perfect, my fingers often found their way there when he was naked. It was instinctual to touch him there, to urge him to curve deeper into me as he came apart.

  We clung together after, our bodies exhausted for now. He rolled away with a soft groan but pulled me to him. I rolled to throw a leg over his hip and put my head on his shoulder.

  “Why do you feel so good, Emily?” His eyes were closed, but his right hand was on my head, holding me there gently. “I can’t get you out of my system, no matter how many times I fuck you. It just makes me want you more.”

  “I don’t know,” I answered softly, unsure of what to say. “I only know you, Dylan, and I don’t want to know anyone else.”

  “That’s good, because I can tell you right now—I’d kill any other man that tried to touch you.” I heard the growl in his voice and knew he meant it.

  “Even if we were at Elmo’s?” It was a gamble to ask, but I’d hinted at it before.

  “That would be,” he paused, and put his right arm over his eyes. “Fuck, that makes me hard all over again, but I don’t know if I could do it. Watch another man whip you, touch you…”

  “Or fuck me?” I finished the sentence. It was something I’d hinted at before, but like him, it wasn’t something I was positive I wanted.

  “Sometimes it’s good to fantasize. Not so good when it happens.” He moved his arm to look up at me, his face clear of most emotions. All I could see was concern there.

  “I know, and that’s my fear. It’s always been my fear when I try to make fantasies reality.”

  “It worked out alright with me,” Dylan countered, just to play Devil’s advocate.

  “True, but as you just said, fantasy isn’t always what you get with reality.”

  “Not always, no.” He put his arm down and placed it over my hip. “We can try it, if you’re that curious. I would never stop you from trying new things. I can’t promise I won’t lose my shit if another man touches you, but I can try. I owe you that.”

  “Why do you owe me that?” I asked, and pulled away to look at him.

  “Because, you gave me your virginity. You didn’t know I was going to monopolize your time when you did that.”

  “I like that you monopolize my time, Dylan. I don’t have a problem with that, at all.”

  “What about other women? Would that be satisfying?” There was a gentle purr to his voice when he asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m not against it, but I’m not sure I want it either?” I looked at him again, and then finished. “Besides, wouldn’t a woman touching me be the same as a man?”

  “You might be on to something there, my dear. Do you want some juice?” he asked and rolled off the bed.

  I heard a glass break in the kitchen and called out to Dylan. He called back and said he’d knocked a glass on the shelf and to stay in the bedroom while he cleaned it up.

  I went to the bathroom, freshened myself up with a quick shower, and then went back to bed. Dylan came in with two glasses of juice and handed me one.

  “What do you want to eat tonight? We have that roast in the freezer, or we can have something quick? I can pop some of that fried chicken into the oven.”

  Dylan liked to do most of the cooking while we were here. At home he rarely had time to do it, but here, he had all the time in the world.

  “The chicken sounds nice.” I plopp
ed back onto the pillows and rolled up in a ball. Wake me up when it’s done.”

  “Lazy-bones,” I heard Dylan say, but just chuckled. I was very tired suddenly, and I wasn’t kidding when I told him to wake me up because I was hungry too. Which was another reason I chose the chicken; it wouldn’t take as long to cook as the roast.

  I closed my eyes, and my thoughts drifted away. Soon enough, I was asleep, and the world no longer existed outside of my brain’s impulses. When I woke up an hour later, Dylan was at the foot of the bed with a grin.

  “KFC has nothing on me, baby. Come on, let’s eat.” Dylan pulled me up when I put my hand out to him, and I soon found myself at a small dining table. He had mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green beans spread in bowls around the chicken.

  “It looks great.” It was only frozen fried chicken, but it was a gourmet variety and tasted surprisingly good.

  “Thanks. I made the macaroni and cheese myself, by the way.” The cabin’s fridge and chest freezer were always stocked up. Dylan would have found anything he needed in those or the pantry.

  “It’s delicious,” I said around a mouthful of hot mac and cheese. I saw him smile in pleasure and felt my own little smidgeon of delight as he did. Dylan wasn’t necessarily used to compliments, but he was getting used to mine.

  “What are we going to do now?” I asked when we’d finished eating and had cleaned up.

  “Well, we can watch a movie, read a book, or just sit on the couch together and stare out at the stars in the sky.” We wouldn’t be able to see a lot from the couch, even with the lights off, but it would be nice.

  “The last one,” I said and slipped over to the wall to turn off the light.

  We settled onto the couch; Dylan’s arms were around me, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment. I’d put on a robe to eat dinner and was glad. There, in the dark, it was a little chilly, even with the fire going.

  “What did you want to be when you were little? Before life got in the way, and Trent was such an asshole to you?” His words were almost like a splash of cold water on the fantasy-land I’d found myself in. I thought about his question, though, rather than letting it ruin the moment.