Page 62 of Marlin's Faith

“Your body says otherwise,” I said and he chuckled.

“Yeah, well my dick has a mind of its own, and he likes to forget thatIcall the shots.”

I pursed my lips and breathed in, remembering my promise to communicate and to ask and answer… I took the leap, afraid of the possibility of rejection, “Why not?” I asked. His answer surprised me.

“When I make love to you again, it’s not going to be in some cheap, crappy, motel room, Faith. You get me?” he asked softly. I stared up at him, shocked by the vehemence of his tone. “You deserve better than this, and tonight isn’t about sex. Tonight is about me taking care of my woman after the shitty night you had last night and the even rougher day you had today. Tonight is about getting that place off of you and out of your hair, of holding you close and keeping you safe.”

Tihe shower was suddenly loud in the resounding silence that ensued, echoing off the tile walls in the small space we were in. I stared up at him, mute with shock, his hands kneading lightly up and down my back. I was glad for the water, disguising my tears. I didn’t want him to think I was sad or unhappy. It was quite the opposite, actually. I couldn’t ever remember a time I felt so happy. What I didn’t expect was the overwhelming sense ofguiltthat came with it.

All I could think wasthis man deserves so much better than me,and it broke my heart that I couldn’t provide him with that. That all I would ever be was this broken, sad, pathetic, hopelessthing.That he would eventually grow tired of me and my bullshit baggage.

I pulled myself close to him and he held me, and I took a little solace in the here and now. Shoving all that down and aside as a problem for another day. I knew I would have to face the music eventually, but for now… I could let myself have this for just a little while, couldn’t I?

Marlin took his time with me and I my time with him. We bathed each other, gentle and careful, kissing when the urge overtook us, but he remained steadfast that there would be no sex tonight, and though I found myself aroused, I was grateful for his fierce adherence to simple tender care for tonight. I didn’t think I could bear to have sex in a motel room. His perception was dead on in that case. I’d felt a creeping nausea when we’d first come through the door though it’d melted away beneath his touch and had, I think, gone somewhere down the shower drain.

When he’d turned off the water, it had begun to run cool, and coupled with the air conditioned ambient temperature of the room, I had begun to break out in goose flesh from the chill.

He dried me with equal consideration and care with which he’d washed me, wrapping me in a towel and holding out one of his clean tee shirts for me to slip into. It barely grazed the tops of my thighs below my panties, which he held out a clean pair of those for me to step into as well.

He quickly pulled on a pair of his boxers, adjusting himself with a slight grimace, which I don’t think he realized I caught. I felt bad for him, but he made no further outward signs of discomfort, nor would he let me do anything to assuage his frustration. Instead he kissed my forehead and gently steered me to the bed, turning out the lights before climbing in after me.

Marlin gathered me back, against his chest, wrapping me in his strong arms before burying his nose in my hair, behind my ear. A sweet, gentle, kiss he placed there before letting out a contented hum. I fell asleep far faster than I wanted to after that. So tired that I was very nearly out the moment my head touched the pillow.

33

Marlin…

I let Faith sleep late, hell, I slept late, too. I still woke up before her, but she was sound asleep and lying on my chest so sweetly, I wasn’t about to move her. Instead, I relaxed and simply enjoyed the sensation of her soft warmth against me. Her body was snug up against mine, in that way that was so trusting, so beautifully, innocently, sweet; that I could hardly believe my luck. I’d wanted this since forever, had almost had it a time or two, so I’d thought. Really only came close once. God, I loved her belief in me. It made me feel like a man in every way that counted. It made me want to fight hard and harder to be the man she believed me to be. I thought I’d done a pretty good job up to this point, but there was always room for improvement in anything a man did and taking care of his woman? Well that was no exception; so, I let her sleep.

I let her dream, and I smoothed my fingers through her hair while she did it. Didn’t seem like it was one of her bad ones and the good was few and far between for her, so why not? I lazed in bed and relaxed and neither one of us had stirred until the phone had gone off with the ‘get the fuck out’ disguised as a curtesy call. We’d dressed in fresh clothes, had geared up for the ride and had gone as far as the nearest Denny’s for breakfast before hitting the road again.

That’d been a little over five hours ago. We’d stopped once for fuel, and again a time or two for Faith or myself to use the restroom, and truth be told, I wasn’t exactly pushing us hard. It was hot, and I don’t care how much citizens thought the wind cooled a rider, you wear that much black leather in Florida heat and humidity, you started dyin’ in a big damn hurry. The stops to pee were just as much stops to hydrate and try to cool down as much as they were anything. I saw another long shower in our future when we got to Bobby’s; a cool one this time.

We pulled down the dirt lane leading through the orange grove and to his house, sometime around dusk. He heard the bike, and met us out on his wraparound porch. His country house was the real deal and had been in his family for something like four generations now. A bright, cheery yellow with white shutters and trim. It’d been in magazines a time or two when his parents had been in it, and his dad had been alive. His mom lived with her sister somewhere out near Tampa now. Bobby’s siblings had long taken off for other states. He’d been the only one to get his dad’s farming genes and loved this place like nobody’s business.

I pulled off to the side of the front steps leading up onto his porch while Tango, Bobby’s yellow Lab did his best imitation of bounding down to see us. Dog was so old, I was surprised he was still kickin’.

Faith got down, and I could tell she was road weary. Bobby caught it too, eying her carefully before setting his jaw in that way, arching an eyebrow in my direction, asking without words if it’d been a rough day. I turned down my mouth and cocked my head to the side to let him know that just abouteveryday lately had been a rough one, but this one hadn’t been overly so. I took off my helmet and stood up, swinging my leg over the seat and groaning a bit. Sometimes I felt like I was getting too old for these long rides, today was one of those days.

“Jimmy,” Bobby greeted and we clasped forearms and pulled each other in for a hug and a slap on the back.

“Hey Bobby, thanks for taking us in on such short notice.”

“It’s not a problem, hi Faith,” he stuck out his hand, “I’m Bobby. We haven’t been formally intro’ed, but this here is my farm and you’re welcome to sleepinsidethe house while you’re here this time.”

Faith blushed to the roots of her hair and shook Bobby’s hand quickly before letting go and taking a half step back, both of her arms winding around one of mine in one of the most adorable displays of shyness I don’t think either Bobby or I could hardly stand it.

“Thank you,” she stammered awkwardly, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” he smiled at her, his best most genuine good ‘ol boy smile that usually had the girls dropping their panties saying they wouldn’t be needin’ ‘em anymore. Instead, the smile earned him Faith tucking herself closer into my side. I smiled at that and Bobby grinned.

“Y’all hungry?” he asked and I nodded.

“Starved.”

“Well, c’mon in! I’ll get somethin’ goin’ on the grill out back.”

“Sounds good,” Faith said and smiled in an attempt to not seem rude. I’d filled Bobby in, and he didn’t pay no never mind to her being so shy. I’d told him it’d take a good long while for her to warm up to him, if she ever did.

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